In the Shrek Academy team, standing at the forefront were Dai Mubai, Tai Long, and Huang Yuan.
In the middle was Tang San, flanked by Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, while the auxiliary soul master, Jiang Zhu, stood at the back of the formation.
Although Huang Yuan was a substitute player, Tang San chose not to let Oscar play to fully utilize the tactics set up in advance for later matches.
The Emperor Xue Ye smiled as he looked at the arena, saying to Ning Fengzhi beside him, "Master Ning, it seems that this first match will be without suspense."
Ning Fengzhi chuckled and nodded calmly.
Seated next to them, Salas, upon hearing their words, lifted his eyelids slightly to glance at the scene on the stage before disregarding it and continuing to doze off.
Soul master prodigies? As the Lord of the Martial Soul Hall, he had seen plenty of them. To him, this kind of competition was just child's play, not worth his attention. Perhaps if it were the finals, it might be somewhat interesting.
"The first round of the preliminary round, officially begins."
At the referee's signal, the first match of the preliminary round of the Elite Soul Master Academy Tournament on the whole continent began.
Similar to Soul Arena battles, there was a one-minute preparation time for both sides to release their martial souls.
Dai Mubai coldly stared at Su Cheng and the others. He raised his hands in front of his chest and roared, "Brothers, release your martial souls! White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
Immediately, brilliant martial souls appeared on the bodies of the members of both teams, with soul rings swirling under their feet.
When all the soul rings of the team members were visible to everyone, sounds of astonishment spread through the audience.
Not only in the audience stands, even in the VIP stands, there were gasps of surprise.
The young people on the stage all had the cultivation level of at least a Soul Elder of the third rank, making them the cream of the crop of the younger generation.
Among them, Zhu Zhuqing's four soul rings, two yellow, one purple, and one black, were particularly dazzling, far exceeding the common perception.
However, at this moment, almost no one noticed her fourth soul ring, which had absorbed five thousand years of energy.
This was simply because, at this moment, Su Cheng, standing at the forefront of the Tian Dou Royal Academy team, holding a long sword, had five soul rings silently swirling around him, surpassing any words in their breathtaking intensity.
Tang San and the others felt a sinking feeling simultaneously.
This guy has already reached the rank of Soul King?!
What they didn't know was that this was Su Cheng's performance after disguising himself with Ah Yin's ability.
It would be too excessive to simultaneously reveal five black soul rings; Su Cheng didn't intend to be that ostentatious.
As for the issue of crossing the age limits with the first few soul rings, many people had already witnessed it, so further disguise would be superfluous.
"Swift――"
With this thought in mind, but now that the Shrek team was like a drawn arrow, there was no room for hesitation.
With a loud shout from Tang San, the seven members of the Shrek Academy swiftly launched their attacks.
As a level thirty-seven assault-type soul master, Dai Mubai took the lead, his muscles bulging as he charged straight ahead with Tai Long and Huang Yuan.
Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu also simultaneously approached from the sides.
Behind Tang San, Jiang Zhu held a strange scepter in her hand, with a slender lower end and a heavy upper end, engraved with some strange runes.
As the three soul rings on her body shimmered, she casually waved the scepter and inserted it into the ground in front of her, causing concentric circles of orange light to silently spread out.
Dai Mubai roared to the sky, showing no restraint, and directly activated his third soul ring ability, the White Tiger Vajra Transformation.
Tai Long's three soul rings also simultaneously activated, instantly transforming him into a ferocious gorilla under the pure amplification of strength.
Huang Yuan's third soul ring ability, the Sky Wolf Transformation, was somewhat similar to Dai Mubai's, but with a slightly inferior amplification, only increasing his attack power and speed by fifty percent.
These three assault-type soul masters from Shrek Academy actually opened their millennium soul skills as soon as they started, completely surprising the audience.
After all, using such consumptive soul skills right at the beginning, once blocked by the opponent, it would be difficult to have any follow-up attacks.
The first and third soul rings of Tang San glowed yellow and then his third soul ring lit up. Countless tough Blue Silver Grass surged out from the ground, entangling and restraining!
He didn't choose to use the most important group control skills of a control-type soul master in team battles, but instead used a single target control soul skill, aiming to restrain the strongest member of the Tian Dou Royal Academy team, Su Cheng.
Of course, the strongest attack point in the Shrek team right now was undoubtedly Zhu Zhuqing, with the highest soul power level.
The two soul rings under her feet lit up in succession.
Fourth soul skill: Shadow Attachment!
With this soul skill activated, Zhu Zhuqing's whole body shimmered with shadows, and all her attributes instantly soared by twenty percent, with her strength and agility increasing by more than seventy percent.
Third soul skill: Shadow Slash!
With her hands clasped above her head, the blade tips on her ten fingers quickly merged together, forming a one-foot-long blade. After injecting soul power, the black light blade condensed into a straight line, piercing towards Su Cheng with an astonishing destructive power.
This was also her strongest single target attack skill.
This series of attacks was as swift as lightning, leaving the spectators amazed and struggling to keep up, and even surprised them.
Not only the assault-type soul masters charging ahead, but also everyone else unhesitatingly exerted their full strength. Did the Shrek team completely disregard the issue of subsequent consumption?
However, they didn't know that the actions of the seven at this moment were all part of the tactics set up by Tang San before the match.
Focus fire on Su Cheng.
In Tang San and the others' view, if they couldn't restrain him, this battle would be hopeless.
As for what comes next? If they couldn't catch him off guard in one go, the subsequent result would likely be that Su Cheng would pick them off one by one.
But faced with the fierce attack from the opponents, the response of the members of the Tian Dou Royal Academy team was somewhat puzzling.
Su Cheng took a step forward.
The other members of the Tian Dou second team behind him also simultaneously lit up their soul rings, but they retreated backward, clearly displaying a defensive posture, dividing their formation into two halves.
This was Su Cheng's arrangement for them before they went on stage.
Although they didn't understand the reason behind it, they just needed to follow suit at this moment.
Su Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling the scene of the extinction of all things half a month ago.
Then he opened his eyes.
He held the sword in both hands, slowly lifting it upwards.
This movement seemed extremely simple, but his action seemed to make the long sword in his hand weigh over a thousand catties.
In the next moment, a huge sword shadow soared into the sky.
"Sword Fifteen, Empty Mountain."
The enormous sword shadow slashed down from above.
The scene before the seven members of the Shrek Academy changed.
No, it wasn't just them.
Even the spectators facing Su Cheng felt a similar sensation.
Apart from this sword shadow, it seemed that there was nothing else between heaven and earth. Pure and quiet, untouched by anything, silent as if all sound had disappeared.
A thousand mountains, devoid of birds, and ten thousand paths, bereft of human traces.
This sword was not meant to destroy or kill, but to be "empty".
Mountains stood tall in the distance, with countless paths crisscrossing, yet there were no birds in the mountains, and no one on the paths.
A thousand mountains were covered in snow, and ten thousand paths were hidden.
The profound meaning of great extinction, once used, instantly enveloped the entire arena.
The soul skills unleashed by the members of the Shrek Academy before, under this sword shadow, gradually vanished one after another.
Around Su Cheng, the Blue Silver Grass that had sprouted was broken at every root.
Even before touching the sword shadow, they were shattered by the scattered sword qi around them.
Immediately after, three assault-type soul masters who collided head-on with the residual sword qi were immediately sent flying.
And following behind, Xiao Wu, who had been ready to attack after the three members blocked the opponent, hadn't even used her soul skills yet, but was sent flying immediately, even faster than when she came.
Tang San watched Xiao Wu's figure with eyes wide open, then stopped hesitating and once again summoned a large amount of Blue Silver Grass to intercept in mid-air, and the Eight Spider Lances burst out of his body to support him as he charged forward.
Su Cheng's eyes flickered slightly as he lightly pressed down the Eternal Sword, swiftly bringing down the sword shadow.
If just now they had only felt some residual effects, now facing this terrifying sword qi directly, Tang San instantly felt his mind go blank, unable to even make a resisting movement.
As the sword qi swept through, the Blue Silver Grass had no resistance and was instantly torn apart, even the Eight Spider Lances broke a few.
Despite the strong external soul bone, as Tang San's soul master level grew, it was evident that he was still unable to fully unleash its maximum effect.
Spitting out blood and falling to the ground, Tang San watched the horrifying scene before him, his body trembling slightly. He wanted to reach out and grab the fragments of his soul bone, but he couldn't move at all, unable to even use his hidden weapon techniques.
During this time, Zhu Zhuqing's gaze moved through the gaps in the sword qi, but she was unable to approach.
Su Cheng glanced at her, gently tilted his wrist, and with a slight sway of the sword shadow, effortlessly locked onto her, knocking her down to the arena below.
Finally, the sword shadow hovered over Jiang Zhu, who stood at the back of the team, her face pale.
Her healing soul skills were still in effect, but it was clear that they were no longer effective.
"..."
After a moment of stalemate, Su Cheng raised an eyebrow and said faintly, "Do you want to fight me alone?"
He didn't intend to seriously injure the members of the Shrek team.
If their condition was too poor, it would be difficult for them to secure a spot in the finals relying solely on Jiang Zhu.
Jiang Zhu finally reacted, hurriedly shaking her head and wisely retracting her martial soul.
Glancing at Tang San, who seemed as fragile as a thread of silk, she quickly spoke, "We surrender."
In fact, not only the members of the Shrek team, but even the six people standing behind Su Cheng at this moment had pale faces, finally understanding why Su Cheng had instructed them to be on the defensive beforehand.
Although they hadn't directly faced the power of this sword, the impact of that sword intent made them feel despair.
And during this process, Su Cheng's soul rings hadn't even lit up.
In other words, during the use of this sword, he hadn't used any soul ring skills to enhance it.
This was only natural.
During their journey through the Forest of Blue Silver Grass, the benefits Su Cheng gained from advancing to Soul King far exceeded their initial expectations.
His level had directly soared to level fifty-four.
Under the resonance of the soul rings, all of them had reached the level of ten-thousand-year-old soul rings, perfectly matching his body's limit of sixty-three thousand years.
With the combined effects of the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone, Five Elements Fullness, domain enhancement, and the Nirvana Scripture, his physical qualities were terrifyingly high, even beyond his own expectations of his body's endurance.
With this method of condensing soul rings, he didn't even need to use the secret method of acupuncture with silver needles anymore.
Because the principle of silver needle acupuncture didn't fundamentally improve his physical qualities, it was more like borrowing and then returning.
It was equivalent to borrowing a bit of physical potential for a short period of time, and then compensating for it after the enhancement of the attached soul rings.
In addition, there was also the insight gained from witnessing the scene of the world's destruction.
Regardless of how it would affect his future cultivation, just in terms of the derived offensive methods, it was simply absurdly strong.
It was not an exaggeration to say that even an ordinary Soul Saint using their martial soul true body might not be a match for him using only the Eternal Sword martial soul.
As for Qian Renxue at Soul Saint-level, it would also depend on him using all his techniques before it was known who was stronger.
The battle ended quickly, not even a minute had passed.
However, in the Tian Dou Great Spirit Arena, which accommodated tens of thousands of people, it was silent.
No shouts, cheers, or chants.
Only countless figures stood densely packed in the spectator stands, watching the battle intently.
It wasn't until now that they hadn't come to their senses.
Even the three sitting in the front row of the VIP stands stood up without realizing it.
The aged face of the Emperor Due Ye, at this moment, was like a withered tree experiencing spring, revealing a clear expression of surprise as he turned to Ning Fengzhi, "Master Ning, is this child..."
He knew that the Protector Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had taken on an apprentice, who was currently studying at the Tian Dou Royal Academy, and was in the same team as Ning Fengzhi's daughter.
Ning Fengzhi heard the Emperor's question, only then did he come to his senses, trying hard to calm himself down, nodding, "Yes, it's him."
In his heart, he sighed, regretting that Sword Douluo didn't come to watch.
Because there would only be one match on the opening day, although it was certain that the Tian Dou Royal team would participate, it would be too conspicuous for a Titled Douluo to come here.
In their view, Su Cheng's strength was evident, and they were well aware of his background. His character was not one to seek the limelight.
It didn't matter whether they came or not. It might be better to wait until the finals to see, perhaps there would be some exciting scenes.
Who knew that on the first day, Su Cheng would bring such a big surprise.
Standing beside him, Archbishop Salas, whose eyes had originally seemed half-asleep, was now shining brightly, staring at Su Cheng, his hands clenched tightly.
Then he had a thought.
He suddenly remembered the person he had seen from the Martial Soul City a while ago, who seemed to be a student at the Tian Dou Royal Academy.
At first, he thought that person would be on the Royal Combat Team, but now he realized that it was probably this child.
Thinking of this, he glanced subtly at the Emperor Due Ye beside him, with a hint of ridicule in his eyes, but he didn't speak, calmly sitting back down.
It wasn't until this moment that the referee reacted.
He quickly announced loudly, "In the first round of the preliminary round, the Tian Dou Royal Academy wins."
His voice also woke up countless spectators on the scene.
"Boom!"
The sound of discussion erupted instantly, becoming increasingly intense.
As for any conspiracy?
Joking, why would there be any conspiracy!
Moreover, were the members of the Shrek Academy team weak?
Even though their attire looked like they had just come out of a circus, not a single one of these students had a cultivation level lower than Soul Elder, and they all had the best soul ring configurations.
There was even a agility-type soul master with a fourth ten-thousand-year soul ring.
But even so, they were still swept away by someone with a single sword strike.
There was no way around it, that person was just too strong, terrifyingly so.
The only thing that puzzled people was why this person wasn't in the first Royal Combat Team?
The teachers and students from participating academies in the region were now focusing their attention on Su Cheng. The discussion was lively but much more restrained, and the analysis was more professional.
"Who is this person? A Soul King, and with two ten-thousand-year soul rings?!"
"That move he just used, is it a self-created soul skill?"
"Can we withstand that one sword?"
"It's hard to say, but don't worry too much. The Shrek Academy has six Soul Elder and one Soul Ancestor. Facing a Soul King naturally doesn't give much chance."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Do we have a chance against a Soul King?"
"It's not too bad, after all, besides the captain, the rest of the Tian Dou second team are just Soul Elders."
"I really don't understand, why would someone like him come to compete with us for a spot? Why not just become the captain of a team directly?"
"It doesn't matter, there are still four spots in the finals."
The demeanor of the Shrek Academy's teachers was much more serious compared to the relaxed attitude of teachers from other academies during the discussion.
Flender, Yu Xiaogang, Qin Ming, and others looked at each other for a while, unsure of what to say.
Could they blame the students?
When the opponent's strength reached this level, it was useless to say anything, and they couldn't help but feel somewhat disheartened.
"Qin Ming, is this what you meant by just having relatively strong personal strength?"
Flender turned to Qin Ming, his expression somewhat speechless.
He wasn't blaming Qin Ming, mainly because the intelligence was too far off. Could this be called "relatively strong"?
Qin Ming gave a wry smile, not knowing how to explain at this point.
This level of strength had already surpassed the understanding of ordinary people. If he remembered correctly, that Su Cheng was only fourteen years old, right? Who was the real monster here?
Liu Erlong looked at the downcast appearance of the people beside her and couldn't help but feel a bit dissatisfied.
With a snort, she said, "He's just a Soul King, nothing to worry about. That move may be powerful, but the consumption must be considerable. It may seem easy on the surface, but it might actually be more difficult than it appears."
After speaking, she glanced coldly at Su Cheng on the platform.
She had acknowledged Xiao Wu as her goddaughter. Although they hadn't spent much time together, she had already developed extremely deep feelings for her. Besides, she wasn't the type to be bullied.
At this moment, seeing Xiao Wu being seriously injured and unconscious, she felt extremely distressed.
She secretly made up her mind.
"I must find an opportunity to teach that kid a lesson."
Su Cheng didn't pay attention to the discussions around him, he turned and led his team towards the platform.
Before leaving the platform, he glanced at Tang San, who was still staring at him, shook his head, and said, "Is this also considered innate full soul power? Blue Silver Grass is such a garbage martial soul..."
Before he could finish his words, he turned his head and jumped off the platform.
At this moment, his expression changed slightly as he noticed Zhu Zhuqing coldly staring at him nearby.
Su Cheng's previous sword strike had only knocked her down to the platform below and hadn't caused much harm to her.
After a short while, her breathing had stabilized.
Su Cheng didn't care either, just passing by her, he stopped for a moment to look her up and down.
The peculiar team uniforms of the Shrek Academy, worn by Zhu Zhuqing, always had a strange contrast, adding a touch of comedy.
Su Cheng smiled and nodded at her, "Nice clothes, very distinctive."
As soon as she heard this, Zhu Zhuqing's fair face instantly turned red, gritted her teeth, turned angrily and left, not even caring about her teammates on the platform.
After Su Cheng left, the members of the Shrek Academy slowly walked down the platform with the help of Zhu Zhu and other substitute members.
Tang San raised his head with some unwillingness and glanced at Su Cheng's departing figure, silently clenching his fists.
The words of the opponent just now echoed in his ears.
"Innate full soul power..."
He knew the situation of his innate full soul power, but why was it that even with the Mysterious Heaven Technique, his cultivation speed couldn't keep up with Zhu Zhuqing and Su Cheng?
"And Xiao Wu..."
Tang San turned his head to look at Xiao Wu, whose face was pale and lips still stained with blood, feeling extremely distressed.
He had sworn that he would never let her get hurt at any time. Whoever dared to hurt her would surely pay a hundredfold in return.
However, on the platform just now, he had failed to protect her again, letting her get hurt.
Moreover, the shadow in Xiao Wu's heart was not alleviated, but rather became heavier due to the repeated collisions with Su Cheng...
Tang San walked towards the direction of the rest area with a heavy heart.
At this moment, the discussion next to him suddenly entered his ears, "That captain of the Tian Dou Royal team has such a powerful sword martial soul, I wonder how it compares to the world's number one weapon martial soul, the Haotian Hammer?"
"It should be the Haotian Hammer, that's the legendary martial soul, the heritage martial soul of the world's number one sect."
"That's right..."
"Haotian Hammer?" Tang San's footsteps paused slightly, looking down at his left hand.
There, hidden was his second martial soul.