Ma Rulong had a calm smile on his face, but didn't refute what Xiao Hongchen had said. Teacher Ma and the other teachers similarly didn't say anything.
A cold glint flashed in Xiao Hongchen's eyes as he lowered his voice and said, "Teacher Ma, do you know that mysterious boy's name?"
"I've already investigated that boy. He's called Huo Yuhao, but that's all I know. He doesn't exist in the data we have on Shrek Academy."
Xiao Hongchen nodded and laughed coldly before speaking. "It's hard to say whether Shrek Academy can enter the finals with their present situation. Leader, I'm afraid we won't be able to beat such a rubbish team if they continue deploying their preparatory team only!"
Ma Rulong's face sank. "Xiao Hongchen, shut your bloody mouth. I'm still the captain of Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy's representative team. You can insult yourself, but before you truly beat Shrek's strongest representative team, you have no right to insult your opponent."
A powerful aura suddenly surged out from Ma Rulong's body. Xiao Hongchen staggered back as he felt the oppressive aura. His younger sister immediately stood up, brazenly exuding a severely sharp aura. She was about to counter Ma Rulong with force.
Xiao Hongchen stretched his arm out and blocked his younger sister. A hint of a smile formed on his face. "Yes, leader. I was in the wrong. But I will prove everything to you with my actions in time. I will take your place, and that of all the seniors from previous generations who wanted to defeat Shrek Academy in trampling them under my feet."
...
Sea God's Pavilion, Shrek Academy.
"Elder Mu, are we really not sending anyone over? They have to face three Soul Kings as their opponents tomorrow." The one standing before Elder Mu was the vice-dean of the Martial Soul Department, Cai Mei'er.
Elder Mu smiled slightly and said, "Is this what you wanted to ask me, or did Shaozhe ask you to pose this question?"
"Shaozhe meant for me to ask you," Cai Mei'er replied honestly.
Elder Mu chuckled. "I know it's him. He's not happy about this. I've seen all the messages he sent to me before. Those kids are doing very well. Xuannie has very good foresight. Not a single one among them is a useless scoundrel. Aren't things going well the way they are now? Why must we emerge as champions? If we send people over to them, will these children be enticed to give it their all? Go back and tell Shaozhe that these seven children with Huo Yuhao as their leader will be Shrek's glorious pioneers in the years to come. Ask him to set his sights a little further. I sent them off to the tournament for them to gain experience. Since the heavens have decided on the outcome, we don't have to try to fight it. Let the will of the heavens decide what their fate is. Who can say what will happen? Is it impossible for them to continue creating miracles? What we need to do now is believe in these children. After they return from the Star Luo Empire, you and Shaozhe, along with Lin'er and Duoduo, should personally congratulate them."
"They're fighting for Shrek's glory. We must have faith in them. It takes ten years to polish a sword. We need at least ten years to let these seven children become Shrek's future. They will be the ones sitting in the Sea God's Pavilion in the future."
"Elder Mu, you actually view them in such high regard?" Cai Mei'er was shocked. As far as she could remember, Elder Mu had never praised anyone like this before, not even his Inheriting Disciple, Yan Shaozhe.
Elder Mu smiled faintly. "That's because I understand them better than you do. You'll understand in the future. Go."
"Yes."
...
Early in the morning.
The preparatory team assembled in the conference room after breakfast. They were all full of spirit and energy after resting up yesterday. Their energy, spirit and Qi were all at their peak. However, their faces didn't bear relaxed expressions, but rather ones that were slightly grave.
Their match today would inevitably be their toughest match in the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Dueling Tournament so far. They had to confront a strong team led by three Soul Kings without a single Soul King on their team. They didn't even have anyone above Rank 45 on their team!
Wang Yan looked at Bei Bei, He Caitou, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong, who were all sitting in a row. His gaze swept from the first individual to the very last person in the row.
"Dearest children, the crucial battle is about to begin. I didn't tell Xiaotao and the rest how difficult this match was going to be so that they can recuperate without worry weighing on their mind. I'll emphasise this for the last time. Even if you guys lose this tournament, you guys definitely shouldn't feel like you're a disgrace to the Academy, because all of you average out to only 14 years old. I believe that it's impossible for any other academy to have students that are superior to you guys at this age. What we need to do now is pray that luck is still on our side, that the next match will be a team battle again. I similarly have but one request for you all that you must accomplish at all costs, and that is your safety. I know your hearts must definitely be bursting with energy to win this match. However, victory is nothing compared to your safety."
"I hope I can bring every single one of you back in one piece, the same way I brought you guys here. Every single one of you is the most valuable treasure to the academy. Humans only have one chance at life, and we can't regenerate our limbs either. Since that's the case, I hope you guys won't fight with your lives on the line, or to the point where you become crippled in your efforts to stake everything on this match. We don't need to you to do something like that. You guys have already done your best. In any event, you don't need to feel pressured because of everything the outside world says about us. The tournament stage is nothing but a stage for you guys to display yourselves, and nothing else. You guys are only going on a relaxing journey."
Wang Yan spoke every word with the utmost sincerity. He was more emotionally charged now, paired with the worry he held towards them. He was entirely certain that other teachers accompanying their teams to the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Dueling Tournament definitely wouldn't tell their students not to be afraid of losing. Nor would they take the initiative to bring their students' fighting spirit down. Yet, Wang Yan was doing just that now.
However, he could clearly see the raging flames burning in everyone's eyes.
These children had come far from their apprehension toward the tournament at the start, progressing to the resolution they had shown later and ending with the pride they now had to uphold Shrek's glory. That pride had already filled their hearts with the intention to fight. How could they possibly give up on the tournament now and let the consecutive victories Shrek Academy held for many years end with them?
Wang Yan inahled deeply and stood up before speaking in a low tone. "Let's go, children. It's time we relax."
At that, he feigned a relaxed laugh and was the first to leave. However, when he turned around, he suddenly had a grave expression on his face. As the teacher in charge, the pressure he was shouldering was even heavier! Admittedly, Shrek Academy's long-held glory was not only a driving force for the students, but was similarly an immense pressure they had to face too. Wang Yan didn't even dare to imagine what it would be like for a representative team to appear in Shrek Academy after a loss. He didn't know how he was going to face the academy if they did lose. Even if the fault didn't lie with him, Wang Yan and these children behind him would be the ones who had disgraced the academy. The matter he was even more worried about was the serious mental burden these children would have to bear from that point onwards, affecting their development for all their lives. As a result of that, he was always advising them in the hopes that they could relax. However, the outcome was not ideal, for he only saw a strong will to fight in them.
Huo Yuhao didn't know how the others felt. All he knew was that his blood was burning in his body. There was no fear or worry in him, for he only wished to fight for Shrek Academy, and would do anything he could to uphold their glory. If burning his blood could increase his strength, he would do it without giving it a second thought.
It'd been more than a year since he'd entered Shrek Academy. He'd formed friendships he had never had in his life before, and received tender loving care from the whole academy. One could say that he had learned more in this year than he had in his last decade. He'd already fallen deeply in love with this academy and every single one of his comrades by his side.
He would do anything he could for the academy. That was his lifelong hope, just like how he hadn't hesitated in making his decision to become a guardian. He needed to defend Shrek Academy's glory now. In his heart, this in itself was already a glory in its own right. How could Wang Yan's words dispel his fighting spirit for this glory and Shrek's glory? His heart was burning, and his blood was boiling. There was no sense of failure in his heart, only the glory accompanying victory.
The others all had the same expression in their eyes as Huo Yuhao. The match today was inevitably going to be the most difficult one, yet it was similarly the one time their cohesion was the strongest. The seven monsters were all of one heart. At this moment, they truly considered themselves to be Shrek's Seven Monsters.
They left the Grand Imperial Star Hotel and headed toward Star Luo Plaza. They could feel the firmness of the earth with every step they took, just like the unyielding conviction they had at this very moment.
They had to win, win, win!
The atmosphere in Star Luo Plaza was still as riled up as before. Shrek Academy was going to appear again today. What surprises would they bring to the audience?
In all of the three matches Shrek Academy had appeared in before, one could say that every match had brought different stunning surprises to the audience. Huo Yuhao was mysterious, Xu Sanshi had an impeccable defence, and the seemingly-disorderly team actually had gorgeous coordination. And no one could forget how He Caitou had fought with his Soul Tool Fortress. Every single battle had left a lasting impression on the audience.
Even though the audience also found it very strange that Shrek Academy had deployed so many students who only had four soul rings, they didn't give it too much thought, since Shrek had always emerged victorious.
Shrek Academy was once again the first team to take the stage. On the other hand, their upcoming opponents had easily obtained their victories so far during the round-robin tournament, and this even included the Thousand Spirits Academy that the Shrek's team had faced previously. After all, this team was one that had entered the previous quarterfinals.
Everyone in the audience thought this match would be a powerful confrontation between the two teams due to their previous performances. Naturally, there were differences even among the strong. In the eyes of everyone present, Shrek wasn't on the same level as all of the other academies present; it was an existence akin to that of a sovereign. However, they all wished for Shrek's opponents to be a little stronger, so as to allow them to watch a more interesting fight.
Shrek's seven combatants were now at their peak condition as they entered the resting area. Now, all they needed to do was wait for the start of the match.
The members of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy once again arrived in the arena. There was no doubt that they were still trying to observe Shrek's overall strength.
Mu Rulong couldn't help but furrow his brows as he saw the same seven people from Shrek walk out. He was very confident in his own judgement, but was Shrek going to forfeit this competition? If his predictions were wrong, how would they take on their powerful opponent today? Or perhaps, were his predictions all wrong?
A light flickered through his eyes, and Ma Rulong was nearly lost confidence in himself.
Wang Yan's current expression was evidently somewhat unsightly. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't feeling nervous right now. He couldn't fathom imagining how the audience would react if Shrek lost this match that was being watched by such a large crowd. At that time, the pressure of losing would all be forced onto the bodies of the children in front of him! Could they endure it? However, he couldn't forfeit of his own accord, as doing something like that would be even more disastrous. The always-wise Wang Yan now had his thoughts in a whirl. Even if they were to follow the strategy for the team fight that they had planned, their chances of winning wouldn't be too great. There was no need to even mention whether luck would be on their side then.
As time passed second by second, the sun had already risen high from the east.
The Emperor of the Star Luo Empire came to the city escorted by his ministers. He didn't sit down, but instead chose to walk directly towards the resting area to spectate the match.
When he saw that Shrek's team still consisted of the Shrek's Seven Monsters that had come from the preparatory team, he was slightly stunned. Astonished, he muttered to himself, "Was my judgement incorrect? That can't be! Just what is Shrek trying to do? Why did they participate in this tournament with a lineup like this? I have to see whether these youngsters are really true talents later. I hope that they're truly talents who fear no trials."
As he spoke, he seemed to recall a few things, and muttered to himself, "Huo Yuhao, twelve years old. Wang Dong, twelve years old. Xiao Xiao, twelve years old. None of the others are older than fifteen either. It's no wonder they're little monsters that come from Shrek! However, what about their official team? Where did they go?"
It was extremely easy for him to look into a few things as the emperor. He had been greatly interested by Shrek's preparatory team, and he too wanted to see just how far these young kids could go, and what they could do.
The referee took the stage, and used the sound amplifying soul tool to carry his voice outwards.
"This is the first match of the third round of the round-robin tournament. Both sides, take your positions. May the representative teams of Shrek Academy and Justsky Academy enter their waiting areas. Team leaders, come up to the stage to draw your lots for the tournament format."
That was right. Today, Shrek Academy had to face the Justsky Advanced Soul Academy. Justsky Academy was identical to Shrek Academy in the sense that they both came from the Heavenly Soul Empire, but unlike Shrek, which didn't belong to any empire, Justsky Academy was a famous academy from the Heavenly Soul Empire that had produced a large number of talents.
The Empire that insisted most on maintaining traditional soul masters and rejecting soul engineers within the continent's four empires was the Heavenly Soul Empire. Because of that, Justsky Academy was actually even more insistent towards pure soul masters than Shrek Academy. They simply didn't even have a division for soul engineers; they only nurtured soul masters. Regardless of whether they would be washed away in the future, Justsky Academy was currently still a notable academy that was considered powerful throughout the continent.
The team leader of Justsky Academy was a youth of around twenty or so, and his handsome looks were comparable to even those of Wang Dong. Naturally, Wang Dong was still young now, and he had yet to mature.
Wang Yan had talked about this very team leader of Justsky Academy, and he had had a very high opinion of him. This person had never made an appearance since the start of the tournament, and as a result Wang Yan had only been able to obtain a bit of information about him after much hard work.
Ye Wuqing, nineteen. A very talented person from Justsky Academy, and the leader of their representative team. His martial soul was the Golden Leaf, and he was a Rank 58 assault-type soul master who was extremely powerful. He had already represented Justsky Academy as a member of the official team in the last tournament, and now he was the cornerstone of his current team.
If it just so happened that he had turned twenty this year, there would've been a very high chance of him breaking through to Rank 60, becoming Justsky Academy's first-ever Soul Emperor to participate in the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Duelling Tournament.
If that had been the case, Justsky Academy would've formally joined the ranks of the top-ranked academies.
Ye Wuqing's physique wasn't too different from Bei Bei's. Unlike Bei Bei's scholarliness, however, he had a much colder disposition. A cold light flickered through his eyes as he looked at Bei Bei.
The aura Bei Bei emanated was comparatively weaker than Ye Wuqing's. It wasn't just a matter of cultivation, but due to their ages. After all, the nineteen-year-old Ye Wuqing had already matured, while the fifteen-year-old Bei Bei was still a youth.
Bei Bei had a smile on his face as their gazes met, but his eyes were extremely resolute and focused; Ye Wuqing's gaze was like a sharp blade that wanted to find a hole in his body and pierce through it.
The referee said in a low voice, "Lot-drawing, start. May both parties act as a witness to this."
Wang Yan was already nervously clutching his armrests as he sat in the waiting area. He inwardly prayed for a team fight. One could say that all of his plans had been based around a team fight. Furthermore, that was the only way they had a chance of winning! Conversely, they wouldn't have a single chance if they didn't get a team fight!
While everyone waited for the results of the lot-drawing with bated breaths, the outcome of the lot-drawing finally came out at this moment.
Even Bei Bei, who was burning with fighting intent, instantly had a change in expression after seeing the outcome of the lot-drawing. This time, luck hadn't sided with Shrek; this result was what they didn't wish to see the most.
The referee said in a loud voice, "The match between Shrek Academy and Justsky Academy will be held as a 2-2-3 match. In other words, we will have two 2v2 matches before a 3v3 match. Two out of three victories is sufficient to win the whole match, so if a side wins both of the 2v2 matches, the 3v3 match will be cancelled. May both team leaders step down and make their preparations."
Wang Yan felt his head buzz for a moment before going blank the instant he saw that they had drawn the 2-2-3 lot.
How would they fight this 2-2-3 match? They practically had no chance at all when facing Justsky Academy, which had three Soul Kings! Over, everything was over. Wang Yan, who had originally had some semblance of wishful thinking, was now left completely disappointed. It seemed as though all of the energy from his body was sucked dry as he sat in his chair.
Bei Bei's footsteps were clearly stiffer as he walked back. The expressions of the other six of Shrek's Seven Monsters became gloomy. There was already no use for the preparations they had made before the match. The reason why Wang Yan hadn't made any preparations for the other two tournament formats was because they simply had no chance of winning in them at all.
"Children, listen to me." Wang Yan gritted his teeth and stood up, a sincere look in his eyes as he looked at the Shrek's Seven Monsters in front of him. "Let's admit defeat. At the very least, this can be considered a strategic defeat. Let's make it so that our opponents won't be able to fully understand our condition."
"No." Bei Bei let out a resolute, low shout, "If we run without a fight, we can't be considered students of Shrek Academy. Teacher Wang, no matter what, let us give it a try. Even if we lose, we have to lose contentedly. We'll lose without any regrets. Teacher Wang, you've already done a lot for us. Now, it'll all rely on us. From now on, can you let me lead the team?"
At this moment, Bei Bei's scholarly aura suddenly turned into a powerful one; it seemed as if he could control everyone seated in the waiting area. His current gaze was clearly much more concentrated than usual, and any traces of laziness had completely vanished. It was as though a sleeping lion that was filled with unrivalled tyranny had been awakened.
Wang Yan nodded practically instantly, because he knew that persuasion wouldn't work at all. He suddenly felt that Bei Bei's eyes were very terrifying, as if they could swallow a man whole. He could even see the fighting intent that was burning through his eyes.
"Junior brothers, junior sisters, let me ask you a single question: are you willing to just lose and throw away Shrek's glory?" Bei Bei asked in a low voice, his fists clenched tightly.
Huo Yuhao had never seen his senior brother act so seriously. The six of them practically simultaneously replied, "We're not willing." At this moment, a fiery blaze seemed to have ignited from their heads. This was clearly the strength of conviction that came from a unity of wills!
"Good!" Bei Bei said solemnly, "Now, I'll arrange the order in which we'll go out. I'll leave you guys to plan your own strategies. I believe that we have the strength to fight against our opponents and win in the end. We need to burn, burn our soul power, burn our own bodies, and even burn our own lives for the sake of Shrek's glory. Today, we need to fight, to fight for what we can call our future. The only way we can stand straight and call ourselves Shrek's Seven Monsters is by winning today. We won't lose any face for the title 'Shrek's Seven Monsters'!"
Bei Bei spoke in a very deep yet powerful voice. His gaze fell on his close brother, Xu Sanshi first.
"Sanshi, you're up first."
Xu Sanshi nodded. At this moment, he awakened the domineering attitude he normally kept hidden, setting it ablaze as his will to fight. He squinted his eyes slightly, a cold glint shining in them. "I will definitely win the first match. Either they'll beat me till I can't get up anymore, or I'll emerge victorious. Who's partenering up with me? You?"
Bei Bei shook his head and said, "No. If we both appear in the first round, the following matches will be very difficult for the team even if we win. I need to stay behind and oversee the team."
His gaze shifted to Jiang Nannan standing beside him. There was a deep and sincere look in his eyes as he said, "Nannan, I don't know what happened between you and Sanshi in the past for you to look down on him so. None of that is important to our present formation. I hope you can put down all personal grudges for the moment. You must fight with him. The best outcome will only occur when you both work together. After this match ends, I'll beat him up for you if you want. But now, I'm asking and ordering you as your captain to fight the first match with Sanshi. Will you do it or not?"
Jian Nannan was stunned. She had really never expected Bei Bei to pair her with Xu Sanshi. From her point of view, Huo Yuhao should be the one fighting with Xu Sanshi, not her. But once her eyes met Bei Bei's honest gaze, and feeling her comrades' gazes on her, Jiang Nannan only gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, I'll go."
Bei Bei nodded forcefully at her. "Thank you. Now go. Let them see the power of Shrek's Seven Monsters."
"Yes." Jiang Nannan nodded lightly. Without even glancing in Xu Sanshi's general direction, she walked out of the waiting area in a flash and headed up to the stage first.
Xu Sanshi quickly chased after her. When he walked passed Bei Bei, he stuck his thumb up. "Bei Bei, I love you."
"Scram!" Bei Bei huffed unhappily. "If you can't win even like this, don't come back!"
"I'll castrate myself if I don't win." Xu Sanshi strode up on stage after he threw those words out.
The five other members of Shrek's Seven Monsters realised that after he said that, his whole demeanor suddenly underwent an earth-shattering change.
Wang Yan's mood recovered a little at this moment under the influence of the intense will to fight coming from Shrek's Seven Monsters. He temporarily let go of his worries and spoke to Bei Bei in a low voice. "Bei Bei, why did you pair Jiang Nannan and Xu Sanshi together? With Xu Sanshi's defensive abilities, wouldn't it be be better to pair him with He Caitou's explosive firepower?"
Bei Bei shook his head and said, "Teacher Wang, you don't understand Sanshi. What he needs isn't firepower, but rather something to arouse all of his power. There's no one more suited for this than Jiang Nannan. Jiang Nannan will be the detonator to set him on fire. Just wait and see. Sanshi's strength is nothing compared to what it was before. He will reveal his true cultivation to us. I believe he can win this match!"
Wang Yan nodded lightly. Since he'd handed over the right to command the team to Bei Bei, he could now only give him his unconditional trust. Moreover, they were in a desperate situation where anything goes, after all. There was one point Bei Bei made that he highly approved of. They were two remarkable people living in the same period. Did they lack students with four soul rings in the outer courtyard? No! Why were they blossoming with the most resplendent light? There must definitely be a reason behind that.
For the first time, Wang Yan felt as though he had a little confidence in the team again.
After Jiang Nannan went on stage, she stood to the side without consulting anyone. After Xu Sanshi followed her up on stage, he did something out of Jiang Nannan's expectations. He didn't greet her, nor did he say anything. He only stood in front of her in a very natural manner.
Jiang Nannan looked at Xu Sanshi's broad shoulders, and a dull look suddenly appeared in her eyes. In this moment, he seemed to have changed into a person filled with masculinity. There was an intense confidence oozing out of him that she couldn't make sense of. Without releasing the slightest bit of his soul power, Xu Sanshi made one feel as though he was a massive shining entity. He looked like a volcano that could erupt at any time.
What's wrong with him? Is it because of me? To Jiang Nannan's surprise, such a thought actually formed in her mind. She quickly shook her head forcefully to expel such distracting thoughts from her mind. She looked at Xu Sanshi standing in front of her again and felt that he wasn't as hateful as he usually was in this kind of situation, to say the least. If it wasn't because of that time… maybe she would really be attracted to him?
Just as Jiang Nannan let her imagination run wild, Justsky Academy's first 2v2 team took the field.
Their pair was also comprised of a boy and a girl, with figures that were even a little similar to Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan. The girl was very beautiful. Unfortunately, luck was not on her side in this round, as she had encountered the one known as the number one beauty in the outer courtyard of Shrek Academy – Jiang Nannan. Under Jiang Nannan's shining beauty, she seemed to be a little drab and dull. Even the boy standing next to her couldn't control his gaze as it fell on Jiang Nannan first.
"Xu Sanshi. She's Jiang Nannan," Xu Sanshi said in a low voice.
A 2v2 battle couldn't compare to a team battle. Teamwork was most important in team battles, and there wasn't a chance to distinguish the members apart from one another. Wang Yan had given them a rundown on every one of their opponents, but they'd never seen their opponents before, nor had they paid attention to them, so it wasn't easy to tell who was who. Thus, they introduced themselves first so that they could see who their opponents were as thus be able to act on Wang Yan's information.
"I'm Yang Yifan," said the youth from Justsky Academy.
The girl glanced at Jiang Nannan with a slightly envious look in her eyes that was directed at the other party's for looking immature, yet being remarkably beautiful. "Yu Mengdi."
It's these two. Xu Sanshi suddenly knew what was going on. Sure enough, one of them was a Soul King. It seemed like their opponents also didn't plan on staking all their strength on one throw.
Seeing as both parties had introduced themselves, the referee called out in a low voice, "Both parties fall back and get ready."
Both parties simultaneously backed away from one another. It was a must to create distance between both parties regardless of whether it was a team battle, singles or doubles. This was so that all types of soul masters could freely display their abilities.
Xu Sanshi spoke to Jiang Nannan in a low voice as he backed away. "Nannan, I'll create an opening for you. We'll win as long as we get rid of Yu Mengdi. You don't need to bother with the other one. I won't give him a chance to attack you. You'll have to wait, then go all-out in your attack when I tell you to. Before that, just focus on what I'm doing."
"Okay," Jiang Nannan muttered in agreement. Since she had to cooperate with him in this match, she couldn't flare up at this time regardless of how much she hated Xu Sanshi.
Xu Sanshi was ecstatic. He suddenly felt his heart being tickled when Jiang Nannan said this. It was rare for her to be so gentle and agreeable, so maybe he felt that way because she'd scolded him too much on a daily basis.
When both parties reached the edge of the tournament stage, the referee shouted out, "Start!"
Without a doubt, releasing martial souls was key in a fight. Both parties finished this process in the blink of an eye. Xu Sanshi didn't appear to be lazy this time around. He held the Shield of the Xuanwu Turtle in his hands as he charged up in big strides. Jiang Nannan flashed and bounced lightly behind him.
Since Xu Sanshi was relatively robust compared to those in his age group, Jiang Nannan was practically invisible from the front as she hid behind him.
On the other end, Yang Yifan and Yu Mengdi released their martial souls too. Yang Yifan's martial soul was a long dagger. In reality, he was an agility-type soul master despite his tall physique. His body flashed as he moved around and over to the other side.
Yu Mengdi's martial soul wasn't that simple. Once she released her martial soul, much of the feeling of being stunned was somewhat similar to when Wang Dong released his Radiant Butterfly Goddess for the first time.
A pair of spotlessly white wings shining with strong golden rays of light unfurled from her back. Yu Mengdi was suddenly covered in a soft layer of gold. The saintly aura she emitted made one feel as though they wanted to worship her.
Her hand flashed with golden light, and a long golden sword appeared within it. This wasn't a soul tool, but rather a weapon condensed completely out of soul power. Five soul rings formed of the best proportions, two yellow, two purple, and one black, simultaneously appeared on her.
A black soul ring meant that a ten-thousand-year soul ring had appeared. This was the first time Shrek Academy had encountered an opponent who had a ten-thousand-year soul ring in this tournament.
Justsky Academy valued this first match a lot. Among the three Soul Kings, Yu Mengdi's cultivation was ranked second, and she was only second to Ye Wuqing. Her martial soul was the Angel. Even if it was only a two-winged Angel now, it was already a considerably powerful martial soul. If her cultivation could reach the rank of a soul master with seven soul rings, then she would have four wings. If she was able to become a Titled Douluo with nine soul rings, she would have six wings. Every additional pair of wings was equivalent to an evolution of her martial soul. This was closest to the strongest body soul in existence.
As a result of that, Yu Mengdi wasn't weaker than Ye Wuqing in the slightest in terms of her potential to grow. They were both determined to win this match.
The audience couldn't see the problem Shrek Academy had. However, a few individuals from other academies who had discerning eyes could see many problems with Shrek Academy's performance from their previous matches. Justsky Academy was among those who had seen through them.
As a result of that, he was filled with excitement rather than fear as he faced Shrek Academy today.