Everyone thought Su Mu would easily block that attack. But the final result left them all speechless, jaws dropping to the floor.
When the dragon shadow vanished, Su Mu was lying flat on the ground—completely naked, not a single piece of clothing left on him. The shattered fragments of his battle armor scattered around him. Several girls in the audience screamed in shock.
Huh?
Some spectators rubbed their eyes hard, confirming they weren't hallucinating.
The one ranked third among Monster Academy's Eight Heavenly Kings…Just collapsed instantly?
Long Yue watched with a grave expression. Su Mu definitely should not have activated his battle armor first. Long Yue had personally experienced just how abnormal Su Mu's martial soul abilities were.
Su Mu's martial soul was the Nine-Tailed Fox, an extremely rare top-tier martial soul. Fox-type spirits were considered among the most intelligent in the animal kingdom. The Nine-Tailed Fox was a symbol of supreme intelligence—naturally gifted with incredible abilities and extraordinary sensitivity to the world's elemental energies.
Nine-Tailed Fox spirit masters were exceedingly rare. In fact, on the Douluo Continent, such martial soul lineage was nearly extinct. Su Mu's ancestors were the original inhabitants of the former Star Luo continent, and the Nine-Tailed Fox had once wielded enormous influence in ancient times.
With every soul ring level-up, Su Mu would grow another tail, each growth bringing a qualitative leap in his power. Every tail represented one ability.
And each ability was terrifying beyond belief, and could even be used simultaneously.
1st Ring Ability — Aura Skill, White: Slowing Aura
2nd Ring Aura — Seven-Colored: Spirit Power Stripping Aura
3rd Ring Aura — Dark Green: Reversal Aura
4th Ring Aura — Black: Devouring Aura
5th Ring Aura — Gold: Destruction Aura
Ancient legends said:
A Nine-Tailed Fox spirit master with nine rings… could slay gods.
Gu You expressionlessly walked off the stage. No matter how strong a fox was—It was still just a fox.
Star Luo City erupted into chaos. Su Mu, ranked third among the Eight Heavenly Kings, had been defeated—no, instantaneously eliminated.
A top-tier control type losing to a power attacker was already shocking…But the one known as Monster Academy's strongest controller being instantly defeated? That was beyond comprehension.
Gu You's name exploded across Star Luo City, then swept across the entire Star Luo Continent.
Irrational voices spread—insults, curses, threats. Some even tried to storm the Star Luo Royal Grand Hotel and had to be forcibly removed by the military.
Under the pressure of public opinion, the home-field pressure of the Star Luo Empire, and the anger from Monster Academy, Gu You returned to his room to "cultivate."
Cultivate?
In reality—He went back to lie down and sleep.
Gu You's presence didn't weaken the event's popularity—it intensified it. The Star Luo Empire government maintained order but offered no explanation. They simply let events develop freely.
Quiet Room
Su Mu sat cross-legged on his bed, face twisted in pain. In front of him, five large tails swayed weakly. Their fur had loosened and softened, but each tail bore deep, bone-revealing wounds.
One tail had even snapped over two-thirds of the way through—nearly broken entirely.
Soft light pulsed over the wounds, helping them heal—but the pain was unimaginable.
Sitting opposite Su Mu was Dai Yueyan, the Fourth Prince of Star Luo and also one of Monster Academy's Eight Heavenly Kings—the Tiger King.
His aura was unstable. This was the first time this prince had ever been truly angry.
Only now had he learned just how severe Su Mu's injuries were. No wonder Su Mu never used his battle armor in the end—activating it would have risked snapping the damaged tail completely. That would have been a devastating blow.
But losing this match was not only a personal blow to Su Mu—it placed enormous pressure on the entire Monster Academy.
In the Star Luo Empire, Monster Academy held prestige, but nowhere near the untouchable status of Shrek Academy. Their funding all came from the imperial government. Obviously, Emperor Dai Tianling was very displeased with this match's outcome.
"Gu You…"Dai Yueyan narrowed his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing within them.
The second round of the 1v1 matches took two full days. Another half of the contestants were eliminated, reducing the numbers significantly. But more eliminations would follow until only 128 remained, who would then be divided into eight groups for group-stage round robins.
Group matches were single-round robin. The top eight from each group advanced into the Top 64, and then to the final knockout rounds.
Overall, the tournament was extremely long—nearly twenty matches required to reach the championship.
Thus, every All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament lasted almost two months.
The 2v2 and team tournaments used similar formats but were quicker due to fewer participants.
And Gu You?
For ten consecutive days, he never even went to the arena—
Because his opponents took one look at the bracket and immediately forfeited.
In the 2v2 matches, Shrek Academy's four pairs performed excellently—every pair entered the round robin. Unlike the 1v1 bracket, the 2v2 group stage only had 64 teams. Eight groups, only the top two advance to the top sixteen and enter knockout stage.
As for the team battle?
No need to fight.
With Gu You present, opposing academies directly surrendered.
After this, the tournament entered a kind of "fallow period." No one dared face Monster Academy, and only a few gutsy academies challenged Shrek in hopes of stealing attention.
But the results?
Regardless of opponent strength—Shrek's students won every match.
Shrek Academy's fame skyrocketed.
Reports flooded every headline.
"The Wolf Has Arrived!"
These three words dominated Star Luo City's media.
Royal Dining Hall
Dai Tianling smiled as he looked at his son and daughter seated below him. He was in a very good mood.
Though burdened with national affairs, he cherished family deeply. His favorite time was dining with his children—watching them grow, even as he himself aged.
Joining him today were the Fourth Prince Dai Yueyan and Princess Dai Yuner.
Dai Yueyan's expression was calm and respectful as he—
(End of Chapter)