Chapter 78: The Ultimate Terror!
"Di'ao Academy!" "Heaven Soul! Heaven Soul!!!" "Go for it!"
Emerging from the tunnel, the cheers from hundreds of thousands of spectators were deafening, as countless heads crowded together, creating an imposing atmosphere. Even Du Qianjue felt slightly uncomfortable in the face of such a massive crowd.
On the opposite side, seven members of the Fancypants Advanced Soul Master Academy team appeared.
Both teams ascended the stage, and with a wave of the referee's hand, 128 soul-guiding columns released a transparent soul force shield enveloping the arena. The strength of the shield was enough to withstand attacks from titled Douluos, designed to prevent soul master attacks from straying and to protect the spectators.
"State your names!"
"Fancypants Advanced Soul Master Academy team, captain Hao Yu," said the calm young man at the center of the Fancypants formation.
"Di'ao Academy team, Body Sect Du Qianjue," Du Qianjue nodded in response.
"The Body Sect?" Hao Yu's face changed, his expression darkening.
Although the Body Sect was secretive, its fame and the power of its body spirits were well-known across the continent.
Hearing Du Qianjue declare his affiliation, Hao Yu's displeasure was evident; practitioners of the Body Sect's spirit arts were exceptionally strong.
"Step back!" The referee instructed both sides to move back before raising his hand high and then swinging it down sharply.
"The match begins!"
At the referee's signal, the seven members of the Fancypants team quickly released their spirit rings, which rose from beneath their feet.
Leading them, Hao Yu's five spirit rings ascended, the final one shockingly a black ten-thousand-year ring.
Gasps filled the spectator stands at the sight of Hao Yu's spirit rings—the first appearance of a Soul King level competitor in this tournament and the debut of a ten-thousand-year spirit ring.
While the Fancypants team braced themselves for battle, the atmosphere on the Di'ao Academy side was somewhat peculiar; aside from Du Qianjue standing resolutely at the forefront, his six teammates seemed somewhat disengaged.
Wei Na and Yang Lian were even chatting and betting.
"Wei Na, how many moves do you think junior will need to defeat them? I think one move per person," Yang Lian said with interest.
"Hmph, junior is so powerful, I think just one move in total should be enough. Why would it take one per person?" Wei Na scoffed.
"Shall we bet? The loser buys breakfast tomorrow!"
"You're on!"
Hao Yu overhearing Wei Na and Yang Lian's bet, instantly seethed with anger, his face turning beet red, his eyes nearly shooting fire.
His teammates were no less incensed, glaring at Wei Na and Yang Lian as if they wanted to leap over and strike them down.
The audience murmured in surprise; although the soul force shield blocked sound, the referee inside had a microphone that broadcasted the players' conversation onto the big screens.
"Are the Di'ao Academy people that arrogant?"
"Well, they are one of the four great imperial academies of the empire, so they definitely have the credentials to be arrogant."
"But still, that's no way to treat people, right?"
"Maybe they're just confident?"
"I hope they really are that strong! Go Di'ao Academy!"
Unaffected by the whispers in the stands, Du Qianjue remained upright, hands clasped behind his back.
"They say you'll defeat us all with one move?" Hao Yu said darkly, his eyes filled with rage.
"Didn't you hear them clearly just now?" Du Qianjue's tone was casual.
"So, you think the same?" Hao Yu grew even angrier.
How presumptuous!
So what if it's a royal academy? Nobility doesn't guarantee superiority!
But as the saying goes, if you can't beat them, being angry is pointless.
"One move to defeat you is not impossible," Du Qianjue said with a gentle smile, "Are you ready? I'm about to make my move."
Du Qianjue started walking slowly towards the Fancypants team.
As Du Qianjue advanced, the Fancypants team tensed up, unsure of what trick he was about to play.
With each step Du Qianjue took, it felt like he was stepping directly on the hearts of the Fancypants team. By the third step, his spirit had materialized behind him—a pale golden figure that bore his exact likeness.
From the fourth step onwards, with each step, a spirit ring rose beneath him, circling around him.
Ding, ding, ding! Yellow, purple-purple, black-black-black... Red!
By the tenth step, all seven spirit rings were displayed, and the immense pressure of a Soul Saint level swept across the arena, making it difficult for the Fancypants team to breathe.
"How is this possible!!!"
Whether it was the seven on the stage or the hundreds of thousands in the stands, everyone was thinking the same thing.
How could there be such a young Soul Saint! "How old is he? Fifteen?! And he's already a Soul Saint?!" someone exclaimed in disbelief.
"And his spirit rings..." "Such a perfect combination! At such a young age and with such high-level skills, he deserves to be called the number one young prodigy of the continent!"
"A hundred-thousand-year spirit ring, that's a hundred-thousand-year ring!"
At the highest seats in the spectator stand, the top officials of the Star Luo Empire all stood up, faces full of disbelief as they watched the young but remarkably dignified figure on the stage.
Yes, a youth. Du Qianjue's appearance was even too young to be called a young adult.
But it was this youth that stunned the hundreds of thousands present.
"When did the Heaven Soul side produce such a genius? Why haven't I ever heard of him?" Emperor Xu Jiawei said grimly.
"Are all you intelligence officers just loafing around?"
"Your Majesty, calm your anger!" The ministers trembled, falling to their knees.
Despite having the Moon Empire as a common enemy and the three countries of the Douluo Continent presenting a united front, there were still frequent small frictions and disputes among the three empires.
There was plenty of bad blood between the Heaven Soul and Star Luo empires, and seeing such an unparalleled genius emerge from the Heaven Soul side, Xu Jiawei became very unsettled.
"You bunch of incompetents! Find out everything about this young man as fast as possible!"
Although Huo Yuhao had also astonished Emperor Xu Jiawei, Huo Yuhao was a student at Shrek Academy, which wasn't a direct rival like Di'ao Academy, and there was a chance to win him over.
But Du Qianjue might not be so amenable.
That's why Xu Jiawei was so visibly upset.
"You..." Hao Yu's lips quivered, his voice thick with fear.
A Soul Saint with a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring! In front of a hundred-thousand-year ring, Du Qianjue's second thousand-year ring and fourth ten-thousand-year ring seemed almost insignificant.
It wasn't arrogance; it was absolute confidence.
The hearts of the seven Fancypants team members were bitter. Facing such a minor team, was it really necessary to deploy a Soul Saint? What did they ever do to deserve this?
"I said it: just one move. If you can withstand it, then I won't make another move, and I'll let my teammates fight you," Du Qianjue said cheerfully.
"You really think highly of us..." Hao Yu said, sounding very aggrieved.
(End of Chapter)
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