The four shield wielders had resisted with all of their might, yet had only barely managed to block the power of the Frost Dragon's Fist. At this point, all of their fighting spirit had been expended. All of them stared, dumbstruck, at the god-like youth before them, as blood dripped from their wounds. Afterwards, they turned to look at their team leader, Shen Ce.
As Huo Yuhao stood there, the red hue gradually fading from his eyes. His teammates left the stage, which caused him to appear as an all-dominating god as he remained on the tournament stage.
This was his second time making an appearance at the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. The first time, he'd been with Wang Dong. This time however, he'd been on his own.
The conclusion of Shrek Academy's first tournament match—when he'd first appeared—had had a sobering effect on all of the the other academies. All of them immediately attempted to investigate Huo Yuhao, who seemed to possess six hundred thousand year soul rings; not only because of the appearance of his inconceivable soul rings, but also because Shrek Academy represented the strongest, most advanced soul masters on the continent.
However, none of the academies, including the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, were able to come up with a satisfactory answer. Right now, Shrek Academy was like a dense cloud of fog to them.
How could a youth who was obviously not yet fifteen years old have become a Soul Emperor? Moreover, how could he posses six hundred thousand year Soul Rings? This was an existence that defied the heavens. Almost everybody realized that it was a diversion; it was just that nobody knew how this diversion was being used.
As such, they were all waiting for Huo Yuhao's next move; the first match had simply been finished too suddenly, but it was impossible for every match to be finished as fast as the first.
Sure enough, this mysterious youth finally made another appearance during Shrek Academy's third match. However, he yet again shocked the entire audience.
An Lengye's attack that had been activated using the power of her skull bone had reached around the Soul King level of power. Yet, when he casually destroyed it along with her martial soul projection, all of the audience's doubts immediately turned into astonishment.
Soul Emperor or not, he shouldn't have had such an easy time. However, the key issue was that nobody had been able to tell what soul skill he'd used.
Just like how the Thousand Spirits Academy members wanted to describe him as 'dominating', he had dominated the tournament as soon as he'd appeared.
Could it be that he was truly a Spirit Emperor? One with six hundred thousand year Soul Rings? Several academies began to doubt their previous judgements. If this youth had really attained that rank, who would be able to compete against Shrek Academy in this tournament? And what about the next one?
Bei Bei turned his nose up at Shen Ce, who was seated across from him, and said in a low voice, "Shall we continue?"
Shen Ce looked at his burned-out comrades beside him, then looked at the unconscious An Lengye who was currently lying on the ground. He sighed, then said, "We concede."
Huo Yuhao had almost entirely outshone his teammates. As for Shen Ce, even though he had long ago prepared to fight and was standing in front of them, he was able what his situation was clearly. As things stood right now, even if he were to explode out with the power of a soul king, he still wuoldn't be unable to resist He Caitou and his soul tool fort. Nor would he be able to resist Xu Sanshi, who'd used the power of a Soul Ancestor to forcefully block the all-out attack of a Soul King and a fire-type Soul Ancestor working together.
As for the Thousand Spirits Academy's side, they'd lost the fighting strength of their deputy team leader, An Lengye. Shen Ce himself had nearly expended himself well. Even if that mysterious youth didn't make a move, they'd still lost all chance of victory. It was completely pointless to fight anymore.
"Shrek Academy wins!"
The seven members of Shrek Academy team stood in a line when they heard the referee's announcement. After giving a slight bow to their opponents, they walked off the stage one after another. Once Huo Yuhao had stepped off the stage, he pressed his palm to An Lengye. The air twisted slightly, then she gave a gloomy groan as she regained consciousness. However, when she saw Huo Yuhao, her eyes filled with fear.
Shen Ce hurriedly moved forwards to help An Lengye stand up. "Lengye, are you alright?"
"How terrifying, how very terrifying. That was definitely a real hundred thousand year Soul Ring, I swear it. I've felt that terrifying ice-type pressure somewhere before."
"What?" Shen Ce was gobsmacked. As he helped her up, he whispered, "Are you sure?"
An Lengye, face was devoid of color as she nodded. She said, "When I was sixteen, I went with Grandfather to the Extreme North in order to find a suitable third Soul Ring. However, we accidentally went too far, and in the distance, we suddenly saw a dark green silhouette flash by. The speed of that silhouette was terrifyingly fast, and Grandfather's only reaction at the time was to push me to the ground and protect my body with his own. A full fifteen minutes passed before Grandfather slowly stood back up. It was only then that I realised that a layer of frostbite had formed on a portion of Grandfather's back.
"At that time, Grandfather told me that we'd met one of the most terrifying existences in the Extreme North. That was definitely a hundred thousand year soul beast. After that, Grandfather grabbed me and we swiftly left the region. When we got back, it took him over a year for him to recover from the frostbite he'd received. Ever since then, Grandfather has never mentioned anything about taking me to the Extreme North to hunt for Soul Beasts."
"Even though several years have already passed, I'll never forget that soul beast's aura; it's the same one that that youth's Frost Bear gave off. Back then, once I'd returned with Grandfather, he said to me that the reason we were able to return alive wasn't because that hundred thousand year Soul Beast hadn't noticed us, but rather because we were too weak, and that it didn't care to bother with us. We're lucky to be alive."
Shen Ce inhaled a breath of cold air, then turned to gaze at Huo Yuhao's back, who was currently walking away from the waiting area. Without a hint of discontentment on his face, he said, "Come on, let's go. We can talk about this once we get back. Shrek Academy is indeed an existence that we can't even dream of beating! I really regret not having attended Shrek Academy's entrance exams back in the day."
He didn't harbor even an inkling of doubt towards what An Lengye had said, as not only was she his girlfriend, but also because she was usually quite quiet and reserved. This was the first time he'd seen her say so much in one go. From this, it was obvious that that mysterious youth from Shrek Academy had given her a great shock.
However, unbeknownst to them, everybody at Shrek Academy was breathing a sigh of relief.
Based on overall strength, Shrek Academy's current Seven Monsters weren't actually stronger than the Thousand Spirits Academy's team. Of Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Huo Yuhao, two had two Soul Rings, while only one of them had three. They were useless in team battles at such a level, thus the reason that Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong hadn't acted wasn't because they hadn't wanted to, but rather because they wouldn't have had much of an effect even if they'd to act. It was better for them to act as a deterrent at the rear.
If one were to observe them closely, they would notice that when Huo Yuhao and Xu Sanshi had swapped places with Xu Sanshi's Mysterious Underworld Displacement. When they'd done so, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao had both quietly withdrawn their six Soul Rings. At that moment, Huo Yuhao had been extremely worried, as the spear hurtling towards him had the potential to be fatal. Furthermore, since he appeared to have six hundred thousand year Soul Rings, even the referee wouldn't step in to save him. It could be said that Xu Sanshi had saved his life. Even if he'd somehow still been able to avoid it on his own, Huo Yuhao would've been equally stressed.
Going back to the beginning of the match, if it hadn't been for He Caitou exploiting the Thousand Spirits Academy's passive fighting style in order to rapidly construct a soul tool fort and break the enemy's defense in one go, as well as directly suppress their strongest opponent—Shen Ce, as well as Huo Yuhao's possession of the Spiritual Detection and Spiritual Shock, then it would've indeed been difficult to determine who the victor would've been.
All four of the shield wielders' independent defensive ability were even weaker than that of Xu Sanshi. However, when they worked together, even Xu Sanshi, as talented as he was, couldn't compare. But in this match, Shrek Academy hadn't won through sheer force alone. They'd won through superior tactics, as well as because of their superior focusing of their abilities.
In the end, Huo Yuhao had replaced his teammates at the front, and his suppression of An Lengye's ice attribute had sealed the deal. If An Lengye hadn't been an ice-type Soul Master, then it was likely that the match would've continued. Even if they would'e still won, it wouldn't have been as Huo Yuhao had made it seem.
As such, it could be said that Shrek Academy had yet again achieved a lucky victory. Not only had they win, but they'd maintained their previous degree of mysteriousness, as they'd kept each of their true strengths, a secret, and a major advantage in upcoming matches. However, Wang Yan was beginning to worry – that Thousand Spirits Academy wasn't the strongest opponent in the round-robin tournament. How long would their luck hold out?
Like the previous two matches, the members of Shrek Academy didn't linger; they left almost immediately. Huo Yuhao calmly walked into the center. No matter how loudly the audience cheered, no matter how intently they stared at him, he showed no signs of responding. Thanks to today's match, his mysteriousness would cause any opponent facing him to be terrified.
However, Huo Yuhao wasn't feeling excited, but rather quite worried. Prior to today's match, Wang Yan had warned them that their next opponent would be the strongest one they'd face in the tournament. On that team, there were a total of three five Soul Kings who had entered the top eight in the previous tournament.
An opponent like this naturally wouldn't amount to much in front of the original members of Shrek's Seven Monsters, but they were a fatal obstacle to the current iteration. If they lost this match, their true strengths would undoubtedly be revealed to everyone. However, did they really possess the capabilities to win this match? This was especially so considering they didn't even know the format of their match. Regardless of which format they had to fight in, they would be at an absolute disadvantage due to the disparity in strength. Wang Yan was already considering forfeiting this match; after all, this was the round-robin stage, and losing here wouldn't mean they would be eliminated from the overall tournament. As long as they were able to win their next match, Ling Luochen would be able to make a comeback. With an ice-type Soul King like her working together with Huo Yuhao's Ultimate Ice, they would have a much easier time facing their remaining opponents in the round-robin stage. After three more matches at most, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng would be able to return as well. The arrival of two Soul Emperors would truly grant Shrek the strength needed to take the championship.
However, Wang Yan was met with the strong opposition of the current Shrek's Seven Monsters the moment he suggested forfeiting the next match. They were no longer how they were when they had just arrived; now that they had won two matches while being bathed in Shrek Academy's glory, how could they just let this glory be tarnished without a fight?
Thus, all seven of them were determined to fight. Even if they lost the match, they still wanted to give it their all. Furthermore, it wasn't as though they had no chance at all. After all, although their cultivations weren't strong, every single one of them was a breathtaking genius. The levels of coordination they could bring out could possibly defeat the overall strength of their opponents. In the end, Wang Yan agreed to their request. This was because he understood that there was a very high chance of leaving a shadow on their hearts if they were to forfeit this match to preserve their strengths; he absolutely didn't want a situation like this to occur.
At this moment, the reason why Huo Yuhao was feeling so worried was due to the fight they had just gone through. This fight made him understand that there were no weaklings among the academies who were able to participate in the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Duelling Tournament. They had already gained many advantages in their previous matches, especially Shen Ce losing control of his Thousand-strike Lance at the very start of the match. Even in a situation like this, however, their final victory hadn't been obtained so easily.
Furthermore, this was only a team that possessed a single Soul King. If that was the case, what would happen the day after? What they had to face was a team that had three Soul Kings, a team whose overall strength was greater than that of the Thousand Spirits Academy by more than a single level. What would the situation be then?
During the first round of the round-robin segment, the Thousand Spirits Academy had faced their upcoming opponent. Wang Yan had personally seen the results of that match; this was also the match that they had witnessed from the rooftop of the Grand Imperial Star Hotel. At that time, the Thousand Spirits Academy had been completely crushed; they had had no chance at all. That match had been a 1v1 fight, and their opponent's third member had already decimated the thousand Spirits Academy. Furthermore, only two of their Soul Kings had made an appearance. This had occurred without their team leader making a move.
They couldn't lose, but how could they win? This was the question that was currently stuck in Huo Yuhao's mind. He was inwardly questioning himself for ways to raise his cultivation within a short period of time. At the very least, he wanted to bring himself to a level where he could fight against his opponents for the next round.
Huo Yuhao had an accurate judgement of his own strength. From another standpoint, every single one of his soul skills, without any exception, were extremely powerful. This was also the case for his auxiliary-type soul skills. Furthermore, the abundance of soul skills he possessed was something that even a four-ringed Soul Ancestor couldn't defeat.
Huo Yuhao had an extremely accurate evaluation of himself. Although he was still a two-ringed Soul Grandmaster, he wouldn't lose to any three-ringed opponents; he had the confidence to defeat Soul Elders. If he were to face four-ringed Soul Ancestors, however, he practically had no chance at all. At the very minimum, he had a very remote chance of winning. He had an advantage over Soul Ancestors in terms of soul skills, but there was too large a gap in terms of soul power. This was also the case even if he had the Milk Bottle. During the tournament, what good would a powerful soul skill do if he didn't have enough soul power to utilise it?
Because of that, Huo Yuhao knew that he would be able to defeat a three-ringed Soul Elder at most in a 1v1 fight. Moreover, he knew that he would actually be more effective in a team fight.
If he were to encounter an ice-type or fire-type opponent in a team fight, he could use his Ultimate Ice to impose absolute suppression on his opponent's abilities. This was especially the case for ice-type soul masters. Even if they were Soul Kings, he had the confidence to suppress them, just like he had done earlier. This was perfect elemental suppression. Even if his cultivation was weak, he was still the Sovereign of Ice. No matter how strong ordinary ice was, how could it rebel against the Sovereign? There was no way for his opponent to stop this unless there was too great a difference in terms of cultivation between both parties.
After that, there was the assistance that his Spiritual Detection Sharing gave to the entire team. Its accurate decision-making capabilities could even predict their opponent's next movements; that was the main reason why they had defeated their opponents today.
If the next match is a team fight, I might be able to be a bit more useful. At the very least, Wang Dong and I can restrain Soul Kings by using our Golden Road. Then we'll have a slight chance.
What the students of Shrek didn't know, however, was that the students from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy got to their feet and left after the former's match had ended. Their next match wasn't going to be held today in the first place. The only reason why they had come was to spectate Shrek Academy's match.
The two academies which were at the very top of the ladder walked back to the Grand Imperial Star Hotel at what was practically the same time.
"Let's go to the conference room." These were the words uttered by the two teachers who were leading their respective academies.
Wang Yan looked towards the Shrek's Seven Monsters who were sitting around him, then took a deep breath and said sincerely, "Children, thank you all. To put it truthfully, even I didn't think that you'd be able to win these few matches in a row. You guys have already tried your hardest to protect the glory of the academy. The original reason why you guys came here as members of the preparatory team was to gain some experience, but you've now become mainstays. The academy and I won't demand too much from you."
Bei Bei smiled, "Teacher Wang, you need not say anymore. Since this is an experience, let's just treat it as a more thorough experience. Please arrange our strategies, we all trust in your ability."
Wang Yan looked at them deeply, "You guys have truly come to a decision?"
With Bei Bei taking the lead, Shrek's Seven Monsters stood up simultaneously. They looked at Wang Yan with a resolute light in their eyes, and none of them were timid at all. Even Xiao Xiao, who was the weakest of the lot in terms of overall strength, was no exception to this.
"Good. You all are worthy of being called elites of Shrek Academy. I am proud of you all." Wang Yan's eyes were tearing up a bit, and his face was slightly red. Right now, he only felt that the kids in front of him were too cute. The academy truly hadn't made a mistake in choosing them as members of the preparatory team. During the most crucial moment of their current ordeal, none of them were timid; every single one of them was resolute and stubborn. It had to be known that these were seven kids whose average age wasn't even fourteen!
"Children, I dare say that as long as we can return safe and sound this time, you will definitely become the most outstanding talents our Shrek Academy has had in the past several hundred years. All of you. Good, I won't be unreasonable. Let's start making our strategies."
Wang Yan pushed his hands down, motioning for everyone to sit down.
"Our upcoming opponent is very strong. During the last tournament, they were able to reach become one of the top eight teams. They lost to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy in the quarterfinals last time. In terms of overall strength, it's possible that they've improved enough to give them the strength needed to reach the top four. There are three Soul Kings and four Soul Ancestors in their lineup of seven. Before coming to this tournament, I only did research on the top 8 academies. This was because of the strength of our original team. I've done some deep research into this team, and I have to tell you that their team leader has been referred to as a genius seen once in a thousand years by their academy. If he was in our academy, there's a chance that he would've been chosen to represent us as well. Elder Xuan personally gave him an evaluation in the past. At that time, he said that this student would have definitely been able to break through to become a Soul Emperor before the age of twenty if he was in Shrek. Unfortunately, it seems he's been delayed a bit."
The expressions of Shrek's Seven Monsters turned even more grim as they listened to Wang Yan's words. Although they knew that their upcoming opponent would be very strong, they didn't know they'd be that strong. For example, how much confidence would they have if they had to fight an opponent like Dai Yueheng or Ma Xiaotao?
Wang Yan said in a low voice, "This is the reason why I kept suggesting that we forfeit. Our chances are simply too miniscule with him and the other two Soul Kings there. I don't know what level his cultivation's reached, because he hasn't appeared during the previous two matches they've had. However, I reckon from his aura that he hasn't become a Soul Emperor yet. When a soul master obtains his sixth ring, his physical body and aura will undergo a transformation; its a sign that a person has entered the upper echelon of cultivators. However, although he's still some ways from there, he shouldn't be too far from Rank 60."
"According to my research, this person is extremely wild. Because of this, his fighting intent will only increase when he's fighting against us; he won't retreat at all. In a situation like this, our chances of winning are even lower. Furthermore, there's definitely no way we'll be lucky enough for him not to come out. They'll definitely go all-out against us to test their strength."
"After much consideration, I only have a single idea right now. That is, we gamble. We gamble that we'll be able to get a team fight next match. A team fight is the only way we have a sliver of a hope of winning."
Everyone was concentratedly listening to Wang Yan's explanation. The current Wang Yan had already entered a trance, "Our chances of winning in the team fight come from a single one of you. That's Xu Sanshi."
"It's just as I've said. Our opponent's team leader is the strongest member of their team, so you can go think about it for a moment. As a genius seen only once in a thousand years, you can imagine how high his position is in his team. However, having such a high position can both be a good thing and a bad thing. This is because his teammates will become extremely dependent on him. Because of that, our chances of winning this match will be greater than 40% if we're able to take the initiative and take him out."
Xu Sanshi had a bitter look on his face as he said, "I understand, Teacher Wang. You want me to trade me for him!"
Wang Yan smiled slightly. "If we do it abruptly, it might not be a one for one trade. I'm confident that it won't be easy for them to take you out, seeing that you're a defense-type soul master in addition to the powerful defensive capabilities you showed in the last match. We can say that you'll be the true core of our next fight if we're lucky enough to get the team fight. Not only will you have to use your Mysterious Underworld Substitution to bring their team leader over to our side so we can beat him up, but you'll also have to do all you can to stall their helpers."
"We can prepare for you to switch positions with the enemy team leader, but they won't be able to immediately attack you since they'll be caught unprepared. At that time, it'll all depend on your own ability."
Xu Sanshi stared at Wang Yan with widened eyes. "Teacher Wang, you can't be serious. This task is simply too arduous."
Bei Bei patted his shoulder and said, "Okay, stop faking. You're more afraid of death than anyone here. Even if the others don't know about this, do you think that I don't? You have so many life-saving techniques. Let's do it this way: if you can hold on and we win in the end, I'll get Nannan to get you a reward. How about it?"
"Really?" Xu Sanshi's eyes immediately lit up. At this moment however, Jiang Nannan's expression suddenly changed. She said in a cold voice, "This is something between the two of you, so don't drag me into it. I'm not a bargaining chip, nor a good you can barter with." With that, she stood up and started to leave.
Jiang Nannan's sudden anger startled even Bei Bei. In reality, he had only said this as a joke; he didn't think that Jiang Nannan would react to it this seriously. He could only force an awkward smile for a brief moment.
Wang Yan flashed a look at Xiao Xiao, who quickly got up and left. After all, they were the only two girls on the team.
Xu Sanshi smiled bitterly. "You see. She treats me like this. Aih, what a waste of all my hard work! Bei Bei, you've screwed me over."
"Xu Sanshi, do you have a problem or not?" Wang Yan asked in a low voice.
Xu Sanshi suddenly raised his head and said in a low voice, "No problems. Teacher Wang, leave it to me." At this moment, Huo Yuhao could see a trace of haughtiness in the depths of Xu Sanshi's eyes, the haughtiness that had appeared when he had blocked the Thousand-strike Lance. Just what kind of heart was hidden beneath Xu Sanshi's unbridled appearance?
Wang Yan nodded and said, "Xu Sanshi will be of the utmost importance during our upcoming team fight. Now, let's plan how you'll gang up and take out the opponent's team leader. Your overall strength is still somewhat insufficient, but we'll win if we take them by surprise. You must make preparations to launch your all-out attacks on him. Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong…"
Just as Shrek Academy was devising its tactics and strategies for its next match, the students of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy had now returned to the hotel as well. Likewise, they walked towards the other end of the corridor and entered the conference room that belonged to them. Only, they weren't researching any tactics, but Shrek Academy itself.
"Let's talk about it. How did you feel after watching today's match?" Teacher Ma said in a low voice.
Everyone from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy was silent. A student from the official team couldn't help but utter, "Teacher Ma, is that mysterious youth from Shrek's representative team really a six-ringed Soul Emperor? But, all six of his soul rings were hundred thousand year ones! Could this be a result of Shrek Academy's latest research?"
"Idiot. Is that what you saw?" Teacher Ma said angrily, "Have you heard of any research that can let a soul master's soul rings all become hundred thousand year ones? Moreover, how old is he? I observed him carefully earlier, and although that youth can be considered quite tall, I can tell that he's only around thirteen or so from the inexperience between his brows. Even if he started cultivating in his mother's womb, he wouldn't be able to become a Soul Emperor at that age. Shrek Academy must've used a special technique to cover everything up."
The student from the official team was somewhat unresigned. "Then how was he able to make an ice-type Soul Ancestor instantly lose her power? A Soul King definitely doesn't have the power to do that, and even an ordinary Soul Emperor might not be able to."
"It should be due to elemental suppression." The team leader, Ma Rulong, spoke up. He said in a low voice, "Teacher Ma is right. That youth can't be a Soul Emperor, so the only explanation we have is that elemental suppression occurred. According to my calculations, that youth's true cultivation should be at the Soul Ancestor rank at most. This is already extremely astonishing at his age. Furthermore, I can only think of one thing that can justify why he's so strong–he has twin martial souls."
The leader of the preparatory team, Xiao Hongchen, who was seated opposite Ma Rulong, couldn't help but raise his head. He nodded slightly at the latter, a few traces of admiration in his eyes. It was relatively rare for an arrogant person like him to have a gaze like this in his eyes.
Ma Rulong revealed an indifferent smile as he noticed Xiao Hongchen's gaze on him, "I believe that although that youth is quite outstanding, he still can't be compared to our Xiao Hongchen. However, his twin martial souls should be relatively powerful. His greatest weakness is his age."
Xiao Hongchen's brow furrowed. "Team leader, are you saying that I wouldn't be his opponent if we were at the same age?"
"What do you think about it?" Ma Rulong asked indifferently.
Ma Rulong's brows furrowed even more as he replied, "It's hard to say for sure. How can I make an accurate judgement without fighting with him? Even if he has twin martial souls, I dual cultivate as a soul master and a soul engineer. If we're of the same age, he might not be able to cultivate his soul power to my level."
Ma Rulong waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about this for now. I'll continue with my analysis."
"According to my calculations, this mysterious youth can only be at the Soul Ancestor rank at most. Moreover, his twin martial souls should be of the rarely seen spiritual-type and ice-type. Out of his spiritual-type soul skills, he must have one that allows him to directly launch a spiritual attack. Today, the Thousand Spirits Academy's Shen Ce was affected by this skill, resulting in him making an error in his first attack. From there on, it led to his final defeat. Then, I believe that the ice-type martial soul he used to control An Lengye was his main martial soul. I'm not clear as to how he was able to subdue the Frost Bear, but his ice-type martial soul must be very powerful. The purity of its Ice must've been far superior to An Lengye's, which was why he was able to suppress his opponent when they both had similar cultivation levels. Although he looked quite astonishing when he made a move then, didn't you guys notice that An Lengye's Frost Tornado had reached its final phase? It didn't have much attack power left. Even that last attack was blocked by Bei Bei instead of him."
"Let's think about it from another angle. If this youth really has the cultivation of a Soul Emperor, would Xu Sanshi have needed to switch places with him? I noticed that two strange things happened when Shen Ce used his Thousand-strike Lance for the last time: one, the other two young teammates by the side of that mysterious youth had panicked and shocked looks on their faces. Two, all six of the soul rings on those two youths disappeared after that mysterious youth was switched with Xu Sanshi. What does this mean? It means that their six rings are fake as well. Furthermore, these fakes come from that youth's spiritual-type martial soul. Out of his spiritual-type soul skills, he definitely has one that allows him to create illusions. He was able to create this aura of mystery around him by relying on these things."
Both the official and preparatory teams of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy felt their eyes widen as they listened to Ma Rulong's analysis. Teacher Ma also had a smile on his face as he kept nodding.
Ma Rulong hadn't become team leader due to his strength alone; the more important factor was his meticulous line of thinking. Were it not for the abrupt rise of the Xiao siblings, Ma Rulong would have had a complete chance of becoming the most outstanding student that the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy had seen in a hundred years.
Ma Rulong continued confidently, "To summarise everything, I have a rather accurate conclusion. I believe that something must've happened to Shrek Academy. Although the team they sent to participate in the tournament is very outstanding, they seem more like a preparatory team than an official one. There were a few people who turned up on the first day, but didn't come after. They aren't just hiding their strength; something must've happened to them. I dare to guarantee that our chance has finally come this year."
"If that's the case, it's too good for us." The female student sitting next to Ma Rulong waved her fist around. Their Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy had been suppressed by Shrek Academy for over three thousand years. They had participated in every single Continental Advanced Academy Soul Duelling Tournament since the start, but they had never beaten Shrek.
Ma Rulong sighed slightly. "Actually, I wanted to face the most powerful force that Shrek could muster, even though I know that our chances wouldn't be too great then. However, I truly wish to go all-out in a fight with our most powerful opponent."
"Why wouldn't our chances be great? Xiao Hongchen said indifferently, "Our academy has been constantly improving these few years. Shrek Academy has been limiting itself by looking down on our soul tools, so there will be a day when they will suffer a loss due to that. Even if we can't beat their official team this time, we'll definitely be able to win next time."