"A ten-thousand-year soul ring!?"
The crowd gasped in astonishment, staring in shock at Shui Bing'er on the stage. They couldn't believe someone could obtain a ten-thousand-year soul ring at the Soul Elder level. In their understanding, this was unprecedented.
Even the members of Shrek Academy were taken aback, especially Tang San. A ten-thousand-year soul ring, and as a fourth soul ring no less—he had only seen it on Su Bai. But seeing it on another spirit master was a first for him.
He had never imagined that someone could achieve the feat of absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring as their fourth soul ring. His teacher had repeatedly said it was impossible. But now, his teacher's theory had been overturned.
Tang San clenched his fists. If it weren't for Su Bai, he might have been able to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring for his fourth ring as well. And with those celestial herbs, he would likely be at the fortieth level by now. The person receiving all the admiration should have been him, Tang San.
On the high platform, Emperor Xue Ye exclaimed, "I never expected such a genius to emerge in our Heaven Dou Empire. A ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring—a talent not seen in a century."
Ning Fengzhi nodded in agreement, casting a curious glance at Su Bai. Ning Rongrong's fourth soul ring was also a ten-thousand-year soul ring. Seeing Shui Bing'er's ring now, he suspected Su Bai's involvement.
Bibi Dong, meanwhile, looked at Su Bai and whispered, "Is that girl your new target?"
Others might not understand, but she did. Such a miraculous feat could only be accomplished by Su Bai.
Hearing this, Su Bai chuckled softly, "Dong'er, you know me well. I can't help it."
Bibi Dong rolled her eyes at him and gave him a playful pinch on his waist. This scoundrel—always eyeing beautiful women. There was no cure for him. Though she understood his needs were great, she couldn't imagine how many more women there would be in the future.
Su Bai merely smiled, unfazed by Bibi Dong's small gesture. With his physique, it didn't hurt at all.
On the other side, the Shrek team refused to be outdone. At their captain Dai Mubai's command, they activated their martial souls. Without the help of celestial herbs, only Dai Mubai had reached the fortieth level, while the others remained at the thirtieth level. This was normal, but among the team's high-quality soul rings was a single decade-old white ring, and it was the third ring on Tang San.
"A decade-old soul ring, am I seeing this right?"
"Yes, it's indeed a decade-old soul ring, and it's the third one."
"Are they serious, sending someone with a decade-old ring to compete?"
Laughter erupted from the audience, ridiculing Tang San. It was rare to see such a thing in a national elite competition, where all participants were top-tier from their respective academies.
Even Su Bai couldn't help but smile. The Shrek team felt embarrassed; Tang San's disgrace was theirs too. If not for their academy insisting on his participation, they wouldn't have let him compete.
Tang San's expression was dark and grim, filled with resentment towards Su Bai. He thought, "Why did you have to activate your martial souls? We're not performing for entertainment."
He swore to himself that he would show his true strength during the fight. A ten-thousand-year soul ring meant nothing in actual combat, where real power mattered. After days of recovery, Tang San's confidence returned. He vowed to make those mocking him regret it.
Determined, Tang San began to focus on the match.
Shui Bing'er glanced at the high platform before setting her gaze firmly. She decided that she couldn't disappoint Su Bai in her first battle with her ten-thousand-year soul ring.
"Let the match begin!"
As the announcement echoed, Shui Bing'er immediately turned to her vice-captain Xue Wu. "Use that move!"
"Now? Using our trump card right away?" Xue Wu hesitated. In her view, Shrek Academy's strength didn't warrant their fusion skill. Exposing their trump card would only make future opponents wary.
Shui Bing'er stared at her without saying a word.
"Alright, alright!" Xue Wu shook her head helplessly. "You're the captain; you decide."
Though unsure of Shui Bing'er's intentions, she complied. The two stood back to back, beginning to gather their soul power.
"Not good!" Tang San exclaimed, "Don't let them continue! They're about to use a martial soul fusion skill."
Despite his reduced strength compared to the original story, Tang San's sharp eyes saw through their plan using his Purple Demon Eyes. Dai Mubai and the others, realizing the urgency, moved to interrupt them.
"Too late!" Shui Bing'er sneered, "Ice and Snow Dance!"
A blizzard erupted on the battlefield, the result of Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu's fusion skill. Tang San's earlier disdain had irritated Shui Bing'er, and she wanted to make a strong impression on Su Bai, so she unleashed her ultimate move right away.
The Shrek team was in trouble. Before they could act, the ice and snow thwarted their assault. Tang San, exhausted from years of harsh training under Grandmaster, couldn't keep up with his strength and was frozen into an ice sculpture almost immediately. Dai Mubai and the others, with more soul power, managed to hold on.
Seeing the frozen Tang San, Dai Mubai angrily said to Ma Hongjun, "Fatty, help that useless guy."
Tang San's disgrace was Shrek's disgrace, and as a member of Shrek, Dai Mubai felt the sting.
"Tch," Ma Hongjun grumbled but complied. "First Soul Skill: Phoenix Fire Wire!"
He shot a line of fire, attempting to melt the ice around Tang San. But breaking through Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu's fusion skill was no easy task. Instead of freeing Tang San, it put him through a torturous ice-and-fire ordeal. Had he not been frozen, his face would've shown a colorful array of expressions.
Eventually, with Ma Hongjun's persistent efforts, Tang San was freed. As he regained mobility, he glared at Ma Hongjun. "Fatty, are you trying to burn me to death?"
Ma Hongjun sneered, "I was helping you, so you don't drag Shrek down."
"You—" Tang San was speechless, fists clenched in rage. But soon enough, he was frozen again, along with his teammates who couldn't counter the fusion skill. In the end, they had no choice but to concede.
Tianshui Academy emerged victorious.
The audience erupted in astonishment. A one-hit victory—it was incredible. Tianshui Academy was exceptionally strong, especially their captain Shui Bing'er, whose ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring marked her as a rare genius.
As she descended the stage, she slowly walked towards the VIP seats. Under everyone's gaze, she approached Su Bai and bowed slightly.
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