"Change of plans. Huo Yuhao, you take He Caitou's place. I didn't expect the princess to participate in the tournament, but I'm confident her Star Crown wouldn't be able to defend against your Sharingan." Wang Yan said, looking over them with a serious expression. "We can't let anything go wrong in the group battle. I have a feeling that Star Luo National Academy will have some sort of advantage in the 2-2-3 battle. If we lose the group battle, the competition may slip out of our control."
Everyone nodded and began preparing themselves for the upcoming match. Wu Feng walked up towards Xu Sanshi with a frown on her face.
Xu Sanshi, despite being a few years older than her, felt a bit fearful and nervously gulped. "W-What's up, junior sister?"
Wu Feng looked up at him and said, "Protect them well, especially sister Tian."
Xu Sanshi was surprised at such a request. Normally, she was more fiery and headstrong, rarely showing concern for others in such a direct way.
He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit flustered but nodded seriously.
"Of course, I'll protect everyone! I'm the best Defense System Soul Ancestor in Shrek Academy after all, also because they're my friends as well." Xu Sanshi said, grinning.
Wu Feng nodded and turned to walk towards Ning Tian, leaving Xu Sanshi feeling awkward.
"Hmm...." At the side, Huo Yuhao stood up from his seat and stretched his right arm, loosening his muscles.
He wasn't going to lie, he was really excited to participate in the match. After many rigorous days of training, and the headache of the Ice God he went through, he needed a bit of venting.
Training dummies, sparring with his friends, and even his clones weren't enough to sate his desire for a real challenge—though the Star Luo National Academy team probably wouldn't be able to, still, it was better to beat strangers to near death than your friends.
Naturally, he was going to leave Princess Jiu Jiu with some minor injuries, not just because she's a girl, but because she's the little sister of the Emperor.
Tournament or not, she was from the royal family! He wasn't that stupid to mess with them, yet.
"Everyone," Ma Xiaotao called out and they turned towards her. She grinned and held out her right fist. "Let's win this thing!"
They shared a look with each other, grinned, and each of them reached out to bump their fists together.
"To victory!" Everybody roared out in unison. The flames of their fighting spirits erupted in an instant.
Compared to Shrek Academy's energetic aura, the Star Luo National Academy appeared to be a lot quieter and calmer.
The participants of this round stepped up one after another. Princess Jiu Jiu, who was standing at the forefront, glanced at Shrek Academy casually.
The first person that she searched for wasn't Shrek's designated team leader, Ma Xiaotao. Instead, she was looking for Huo Yuhao.
'What happened to him?' Jiujiu subtly bit her bottom lip, her gaze fixed on his white hair and missing arm, stirring a quiet curiosity within her.
Ever since she first saw him in the auction, Xu Jiujiu developed a curiousity towards the mysterious and monstrously talented young man—Huo Yuhao. Though that didn't mean she fallen for him, no, she wasn't that naive or love stricken by handsome men.
As the princess of Star Luo Empire, Xu Jiujiu has innumerable suitors lining up for her hand in marriage, whether it be for her background, beauty, talent or all of the above—she saw various types of men(and some women who had dressed up as a man for all kinds of reasons).
But Huo Yuhao was different. Unprecedented genius, and a presence that commanded attention despite his youth. He stood out in every crowd, not just because of his strength but because of the mysterious aura that surrounded him.
He wasn't like the nobles and suitors who tried to win her favor with charm or wealth. Huo Yuhao carried himself with a quiet confidence, almost indifferent to the attention he drew. That indifference intrigued her, though she couldn't pinpoint why.
He was also different because of his origins—an orphan who had risen to become one of the strongest soul masters of his generation. His strength, forged through hardship, was a far cry from the privileged life of most noble-born men she knew. And now, seeing him in this state, with his arm missing, only deepened the mystery.
'What did he go through to end up like this?' she wondered, her curiosity about him growing.
At that moment, she couldn't help but recall her brother's....suggestion.
'Nope! Nope, nope, nope. Me? Listening to one of my brother's schemes of getting me married. Ugh. Why does he not let it go?! So what, I haven't got a boyfriend at my age. A ton of...' As she rambled on in her mind, her eyes began to twitch, showing a bit of her inner emotions.
'Huh? Is she mad at me?' Huo Yuhao was glancing at their team, and unsurprisingly noticed her strange gaze, misunderstanding it as her being annoyed or angry at him.
'The hell did I do?' Huo Yuhao was baffled.
"Participants from Shrek Academy, Star Luo National Academy, please step on stage." Heavenfiend Douluo announced loudly.
Both teams took their positions.
Ma Xiaotao walked in front with Huo Yuhao, Ling Luochen, Xi Xi, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi and Ning Tian following closely behind as both parties stepped onto the competition stage at the same time.
Both parties eyed each other.
Princess Jiu Jiu's eyes changed, her originally bright blue eyes began to emanate a pale golden radiance. Her gaze felt as vast as the ocean.
On the other side, Ma Xiaotao's eyes were like two raging flames, and the scorching aura that she let off gave her opponents an intense pressure.
Huo Yuhao patiently waited on the side for the match to begin, while inwardly he began to do a little game.
'Eenie....meenie.....miney....mo.... You...will...be...the...first...to...be...beaten...black...and...blue...' Unbeknownst to Huo Yuhao, he was showing an incredibly wide smile and solemn eyes.
The rest of the Star Luo Imperial Academy shivered, feeling like they were being stared down like they were prey.
'Hm? Their formation...' Huo Yuhao slowly raised his eyebrow.
The Star Luo National Academy also had a unique formation. Six people formed a triangle, with one person in front and two members behind them, followed by three more members standing behind them. Princess Jiu Jiu stood behind this triangle formed by these six people. The golden flashes in her eyes grew stronger, as if she were the general of the company.
"Hah! Seriously?" Xu Sanshi chortled at their opponent's formation, his eyebrows wiggling mischievously.
People were already familiar with the powerful effects of his Mysterious Underworld Displacement. Still, being familiar didn't mean that they wouldn't fall for the same trick—just like when Shrek Academy faced off against previous teams.
Princess Jiu Jiu's brows creased as she watched the eager look on Xu Sanshi's face. However, hidden in those golden eyes of her, was a hint of cunningness.
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes, getting a bad feeling.
'There's no way the princess hasn't made some sort of countermeasure against brother Sanshi's fourth soul skill.' He clenched his right fist.
"Begin!" Heavenfiend Douluo announced the start of the competition as a single ray of golden light shot across the center of the stage.
The reactions of both parties were extremely quick, and everyone released their martial souls at the first possible instant.
Huo Yuhao eyed Princess Jiu Jiu closely, wondering if her martial soul is literally a Star Crown.
A single ray of golden light lit up on Princess Jiu Jiu's forehead. It was a golden, diamond-shaped jewel. The jewel started to radiate brilliant golden light the moment it appeared before proceeding to leave her forehead and drift upwards with rays of golden light encircling it. A magnificent crown glimmered above her head just like that before it descended and landed gently on her head.
This crown seemed to have been formed by countless stars, with all the stars shimmering with a golden hue. With the diamond-shaped stone at the front of the formation, the stars swiftly retreated as eighteen relatively bigger stars on the crown flew up to form an exquisite tip.
The Starcrown. This was Princess Jiu Jiu's martial soul.
Two yellow, two purple and a single black soul ring appeared around the princess' body—she was a Soul King!
The six others in front of Princess Jiu Jiu released their martial souls one by one; they too were all Soul Kings.
Xu Sanshi's martial soul was already unleashed. Without any hesitation, he threw his head back as a purple light enveloped him, and roared into the sky, "Jump her!"
The Black Tortoise Shield erupted with black light – and the rays of light were pointing right toward Princess Jiu Jiu.
At this moment, the Starcrown on Princess Jiu Jiu's head burst with a golden light. The third ring on her body lit up as a flaring pillar of golden light shot up into the sky.
The pillar of light was filled with a golden-colored mist with specks of starlight spiraling up towards the sky– it was a mystical sight. It was impossible to fathom what the effects of this soul skill were from its appearance.
At that moment, Ling Luochen summoned her Icy Staff and spun it in her hand, raising it in the air. A dense and chilly mist suddenly permeated their surroundings and enveloped the entire Shrek team.
This patch of icy mist began to spread towards both ends of the arena with dazzling speed, and formed a gigantic shroud that slowly clamped down on their opponents.
Princess Jiu Jiu and her teammates huddled together more tightly, warily looking around them.
"Kidding~! Hehehe~" Xu Sanshi's voice resounded in the arena, retracting the black light that had aimed at Princess Jiu Jiu.
"You—!" Princess Jiu Jiu's face froze as she shot a cold look at the cold mist. The golden light mist that was rising into the air started to spread in all directions and blanketed her six teammates.
Every member from the Star Luo National Academy was covered with a layer of golden light. The golden radiance around Princess Jiu Jiu's body hadn't dissipated yet as starlight continued to surge out of her Starcrown.
In the next instant, they suddenly felt as though the temperature had increased drastically and two massive orbs of blazing fire shot towards the Star Luo National Academy team, radiating intense heat, one in front while the other from behind.
"Block it!"
Two Soul Kings, one for each fireball, bravely stood before the fireballs and unleashed their martial souls respectively.
[First Soul Skill: Aphotic Darkwave!]
A dull-golden arc of light with a diameter of over one meter instantly burst out into the sky, cutting apart the fireball from the front.
Standing in front was the former team leader, Huang Heyun. He possess the Darkdemon Tiger, a rare darkness-type martial soul, but he wasn't an evil soul master. The fearsome power of darkness imbued him with natural prowess that was not much inferior to the Dai family's White Tiger.
[Second Soul Skill: Malevolent Roar!]
Behind them, another Soul King unleashed their martial soul and soul skill—a ferocious beast martial soul with a thunderous roar that sent shockwaves rippling through the air.
The soundwave smashed into the second fireball, pushing it back for a moment, before it inevitably dissipated.
The one who stopped it was someone named Dugu Shangshan, he possesses the martial soul called Netherworld Crazed Lion.
'Where are they?' Princess Jiu Jiu looked on warily at the mist, trying to find their opponents.
Unbeknownst to her, Huo Yuhao was silently standing behind her with a smile on his face.
....
AN: Yeah! We got to chapter 200(+side stories)!! A new milestone I've accomplished in writing! I want to say an incredible thank you and very much love, to you all. For supporting me this far, hehe...Thank you all, truly. It's honestly still baffling I could write this much for a fanfic.
So one last chance for an extra chapter! And this is one big hint!
Last Hint: The arm is from a guy who is fated to marry the princess of "impure" beings, so they could have a child that would end the thousand year war! Moreover, the update of the manga takes like once per month or two.
Well then, good night and have a nice week!! And don't forget to leave a positive review~
❄️Shout out to the great Cultivators of my patreon, may you reach the peak of the heavens and conquer the earth! Pursue immortality and receive enlightenment!
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❄️A bigger shout out to the ones who ascended to become a One Above All!! The GOATS! THE MAJESTIES!!
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