"Haha, interesting. It's been a long time since I've met such a fascinating opponent." A trace of madness flickered in Long Yue's eyes.
"This brother from the outer continent — see you in the arena." After speaking, Long Yue shook his head slightly and left with the students of Monster Academy.
"Brother Long, is his strength really greater than yours?" Dai Yun'er asked curiously, staring at him.
Long Yue's expression grew solemn. "He might actually be stronger than me."
What? Impossible!
Dai Yun'er was well aware of Long Yue's terrifying power. How could that Gu You possibly surpass him—especially with such a huge difference in age?
"But thinking about it… having a chance to fight him sounds thrilling." Long Yue suddenly laughed heartily. Truth be told, it had been a long time since he'd tasted defeat.
Being invincible for so long had been lonely. Now that he'd finally encountered someone stronger, he intended to cherish it.
When Xie Xie returned after making some inquiries, he brought back information about the so-called "Mad Dragon."
"A once-in-a-millennium genius?" When the Shrek Academy team heard this description, they were all a little stunned—except for Gu You, who remained calm.
Once in a millennium?
To him, even once in ten thousand years wouldn't be an exaggeration.
After all, the Mountain Dragon King was one of the nine sons of the true Dragon God, possessing divine power at its peak. It was said that the Mountain Dragon clan once served as the backbone of the ancient continent itself—their vast bodies carrying mountains and seas, supporting life for all creatures.
"According to rumors," Xie Xie continued, "when Long Yue entered Monster Academy at ten years old, he was already a three-ring Soul Elder. Born with divine strength, by sixteen, he'd defeated every other student in Monster Academy, becoming the foremost of the Seven Heavenly Kings—and the undisputed leader.
"After that, he rarely appeared in public. He's become more of a legend than a reality. No one truly knows his current strength. But judging from his soul power alone, he's at least a One-Word Battle Armor Master—and not an ordinary one. We might really be facing a worthy opponent this time."
Le Zhengyu spoke first. "Then we'll just give it our all. We're younger anyway. Even if they win, it won't mean much."
A "once-in-a-millennium genius"? So what?
"Look, they're up next," Xu Lizhi suddenly said.
Everyone turned toward the large display screen on the waiting-area wall. Sure enough, the Monster Academy team appeared in the first round of the group battle.
However, among the seven contestants, Long Yue himself did not take the stage. He merely stood below, the madness gone from his face—yet his very presence felt like an immovable pillar holding the world in place.
As the seven team members stepped onto the platform, each of them glanced back at him. Long Yue gave a slight nod, and immediately their aura surged like a tidal wave.
There was no suspense in the match. With a single coordinated clash, their opponents were utterly crushed.
The team commander was none other than Fourth Prince Dai Yueyan.
"Five rings… five rings… five rings… all of them are five-ring Soul Kings!" Xie Xie muttered, his face turning grim.
Every single member of Monster Academy's lineup was at the five-ring level—and not just with ordinary spirit rings.
None of them had a single yellow ring. Three had five purple rings. Three others had black spirit rings. Dai Yueyan had two black rings, while Dai Yun'er's configuration was three purple and two black!
Just from the quality of their spirit rings, they already crushed their opponents. As for their true strength, it was impossible to gauge—the battle ended too quickly. The only clear thing was that their teamwork was flawless.
Gu You's eyes sharpened slightly. If all of them are equipped with One-Word Battle Armor, then yes… that's an elite Soul King-level team.
But he still wasn't impressed.
With his Battle Armor enhancing him to Titled Douluo strength—who could possibly stand in his way? Especially in a team match, where his allies could tie down others for him?
The group battle stage was far larger than before—nearly 300 meters in diameter, with a sturdy, reinforced barrier glowing faintly overhead.
When the third match began, Gu You and the Shrek team stepped onto the platform.
Their opponents, dressed in bright yellow combat uniforms, looked visibly wary. They'd all witnessed Gu You's earlier power struggle with Long Yue in the waiting area.
Judging from appearances alone, the young man before them had won that exchange. Facing such an opponent, how could they not feel intimidated?
And they were right to fear him—though in truth, their fear was misplaced. Gu You didn't even need to act. The rest of the Shrek team alone could crush them.
They should've been more worried about everyone except Gu You.
Because this battle would be over before he even raised a hand.
"Begin!"
With the referee's signal, the first round of Shrek's group battle commenced.
"Ahhh!"
Almost instantly, the arena filled with screams. Yuanen Yehui, after transforming, swung her massive fists—each blow sending an opponent flying as easily as if she were swatting flies.
It was brutal, fast, and oddly satisfying to watch.
Victory!
The match ended so quickly that even the audience hadn't processed what happened.
"Shrek!""Number One on the Continent!"
The crowd roared.
At that moment, it was as if the light of ten thousand years had returned—the same brilliance seen when Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao led Shrek in the soul master tournaments of old.
Even now, Shrek remained an unshakable legend.
After several days of intense competition, the atmosphere in Star Luo City had reached a fever pitch.
The elimination rounds were cruel—those who lost in the first round were done for, their three-year dreams shattered. For soul masters over eighteen, this was their final chance to participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Youth Tournament.
Yet even after being eliminated, few were willing to leave. They wanted to witness the strength of their generation's top prodigies—to see just how far the ceiling of power truly reached.
Among them was Ling Wuxie, one of the most tragic figures of the first round.
A One-Word Battle Armor Master, a five-ring Soul King, he had aimed for at least the top thirty-two in the individual division.
But—who could have imagined—he was eliminated in the very first round.
Even worse, it happened so fast he hardly understood how.
Although his teacher hadn't scolded him much, Ling Wuxie knew the truth: he lost because he underestimated his opponent.
His enemy's explosive power had overwhelmed him so swiftly that he couldn't even activate his armor before defeat.
(End of Chapter)