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Clang!
The Invincible Barrier activated.
Dai Yueheng's White Tiger Annihilation Strike failed to force out Su Yu's Invincible Barrier.
However, as Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Cloud-Piercer descended, Su Yu triggered the barrier.
He could withstand the attack without it, but there was no need.
Within the three seconds the barrier held, Su Yu's soul power and stamina rapidly recovered, and silver sword patterns flowed across his fourth soul ring.
The Divine Slayer Sword was unleashed!
The surrounding air was filled with chaotic evil flames.
Though Su Yu had consumed the Nine-Petal Snow Lotus Blue Silver Grass, granting him a degree of ice resistance, he had yet to gain any immunity to fire.
But everyone knew one thing—
Fire cannot incinerate a soul master's soul power.
He shrouded himself in soul power, insulating against the intense heat.
And with one strike—
A slash that shook the heavens!
A deep, bone-exposing sword wound appeared on Dai Yueheng's chest, with razor-sharp sword energy radiating through the injury.
Ma Rulong gathered strength for his next move, then swung down with another fierce attack.
The Sword of Judgement!
The black-and-white blade light struck Ma Xiaotao directly.
Already on the verge of losing control, Ma Xiaotao's evil flames flared wildly.
In an instant, her fiery red phoenix transformed, tainted by darkness, turning into a Black Phoenix.
"This is bad!"
Xuanzi cried out, sensing danger. He instantly appeared in the air above the arena, shattering its protective shield and subduing Ma Xiaotao into unconsciousness.
On Su Yu's telepathic prompt, Ma Rulong withdrew the Sword of Judgement immediately.
"Elder!"
The face of the Soul Douluo overseeing the arena turned grim.
Although Xuanzi had acted out of concern, his actions were a blatant insult to the competition.
In the stands, Xu Jiawei's expression was equally displeased.
Xuanzi had intruded upon the arena, rescuing his own team member.
Such behavior was, without question, unsportsmanlike.
And to make matters worse, he had forcefully shattered the soul-tool barrier that shielded the arena. The soul master responsible for maintaining the barrier suffered backlash injuries—severe ones, too.
Eighty-one Soul Ancestor-level soul masters, after all.
Outside the arena, the Star Luo Empire's Hammer Douluo, a member of the royal court, appeared.
"Elder Xuan, this is a competition. Your actions have severely disrupted its proceedings."
Xuanzi, his mind racing, knew Ma Xiaotao's Martial Soul had now mutated beyond control, with her condition worsening rapidly.
"Shrek forfeits the team match!" he announced, and with that, carried Ma Xiaotao back to the waiting area, where he channeled his soul power into her, slowing her Martial Soul's descent into chaos.
"With Xiaotao out and Yueheng severely injured, what are we going to do next...?" Wang Yan felt a wave of helplessness.
"What can we even do?"
"If only Yuhao were here," Wang Dong thought to himself.
"Shrek Academy, please send up your contestant!"
The referee's voice snapped everyone back to the present.
After the team match came the individual elimination rounds.
The Sun Moon Royal Battle Team selected Su Yu.
Up until now, his only appearance in the competition was in an individual elimination match, where he had swept through seven opponents in a row—a remarkable achievement unmatched in this year's Soul Dueling Tournament!
The arena fell into absolute silence.
Shrek seemed destined for defeat.
And the way they were losing was nothing short of brutal.
Their two powerful Soul Emperor-level fighters had been seriously injured, and with a best-of-three format, the first two rounds were on the verge of deciding the outcome. In fact, it was likely that Shrek would be swept in a seven-to-one rout in the second round alone.
Wang Yan closed his eyes in despair.
What he struggled to accept was that this loss was happening under his leadership.
Xuanzi's face darkened as he looked at Su Yu, who appeared nearly untouched and at peak form on the field.
It had been only five minutes, and yet Su Yu had already returned to his full strength.
At least, outwardly, he showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever.
"His Martial Soul is certainly not Blue Silver Grass!"
The Blue Silver Emperor, perhaps?
To Xuanzi's knowledge, the only higher forms of Blue Silver Grass were the Blue Silver King and the Blue Silver Emperor.
Yet, even the Blue Silver King couldn't explain the state Su Yu was in now.
Although it looked different on the outside, Xuanzi thought, "Su Yu's fourth soul ring is surrounded by silver sword markings, a detail that replaces the Blue Silver Emperor's typical gold markings with silver sword patterns. This wouldn't be impossible to explain either."
The Blue Silver Emperor line was one that bore continuity.
Su Yu could either be a physical manifestation of the Blue Silver Emperor or possibly its descendant.
Then there was his unusual life force as well.
"Shrek Academy, send out your contestant," the referee prompted again.
Wang Yan sent Ye Wushuang to the stage.
Su Yu unleashed his fourth soul skill, Grass Sword Technique, using sword energy to quickly defeat Ye Wushuang.
Next was He Caitou.
But even He Caitou's Source of Destruction fell short in front of Su Yu, as he was restricted at every turn. The entangling Blue Silver Grass made it nearly impossible for He Caitou to fire his soul cannons, forcing him to a quick defeat.
After He Caitou, it was Dai Yueheng's turn.
This was Shrek's last stand.
However, already gravely injured, Dai Yueheng could only be worn down in a battle of attrition against Su Yu.
Within the Blue Silver Domain, sword energy surged, invading Dai Yueheng's wounds as it gradually wore him down.
Even with his Soul Emperor-level soul power holding back Su Yu's Cutting Technique, Dai Yueheng ultimately succumbed.
"Shrek Academy admits defeat," Wang Yan announced, refraining from sending anyone else to the stage.
Losing three matches in a row was already the limit.
They couldn't afford to lose anyone else in a single sweep.
Though the panel of referees from the Star Luo Empire had anticipated this outcome—even from the moment Xuanzi intervened in the group match—the final result still left them hesitant.
Shrek had lost.
Xu Jiawei's face was grim.
So many prodigies, and they still lost in the end.
Each year, not just from the Heavenly Soul and Dou Ling Empires, but from the Star Luo Empire alone, countless geniuses flowed into Shrek Academy.
And yet, how was it that they couldn't even produce a few Soul Kings under the age of twenty?
Were they all off on Inner Court missions?
"The champion of this Continental Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament is… the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy," the head referee announced with finality.
The crowd erupted in boos.
Shrek had actually lost.
"Wait!" Xuanzi's voice rang out, stopping the Sun Moon Royal Team in their tracks.
Su Yu took a step back from Ma Rulong, turning to face the wrath of the Gluttonous Douluo.
"Hand over that soul tool!" Xuanzi demanded.
Ma Rulong, still depleted from the earlier fights, hadn't had time to recover for the individual elimination rounds. Now he appeared visibly weakened under Xuanzi's soul power pressure.
Old Ma couldn't bear to watch his grandson suffer; he immediately stepped in front of Ma Rulong to shield him from the pressure.
Though he was feeling the strain himself, he wouldn't stand by and let his grandson be humiliated.
"Shrek loses the match and now wants to seize the soul tool from our Sun Moon Royal Team?"
Despite only being a Soul Douluo and an eighth-ranked soul engineer, Old Ma showed no fear in the face of Gluttonous Douluo, a ninety-eighth-ranked powerhouse.
Even under the oppressive force, his words were unyielding.
Because he knew he had powerful allies of his own.
"Hm?"
Xuanzi made no attempt to explain himself, merely extending his soul power in an all-encompassing wave.
"Hah! Does Shrek intend to use brute force to settle this?"
Kong Deming suddenly appeared beside Old Ma, a protective shield manifesting around them, deflecting all the oppressive soul power.
"Silvermoon Douluo!" Xuanzi's face darkened.
Xu Jiawei shot up from his seat in alarm.
Duke White Tiger, Dai Hao, instantly activated his martial soul, nine soul rings materializing around him as he stood on guard before Xu Jiawei.
"Hmph, Xuanzi, I demand an explanation today!"
"Even if your Sea God were here, Shrek would still be in the wrong this time!"
(End of Chapter)