Respectful yet filled with admiration—That was Dai Yueyan.
But Dai Yuner, on the other hand, couldn't hide her emotions at all. Her little red lips kept pouting in dissatisfaction.
"Who made our little princess angry?" Dai Tianling asked with a gentle smile.
Dai Yuner didn't answer. Instead, she furiously stabbed at the food in her bowl with her utensils.
Dai Tianling chuckled."These days you've been busy competing. With no one causing trouble in the palace, everyone says things feel strangely quiet. Without your mischievous antics, the palace seems a bit lifeless. Tell me, if we get used to this and you get married one day, what will we do without you?"
"Father~!" Dai Yuner protested coquettishly, face full of displeasure.
Dai Tianling burst into hearty laughter.
Even Dai Yueyan couldn't help smiling. Indeed—Princess Yuner, the infamous little troublemaker, always stirred the harem into chaos, yet everyone adored her. Even Dai Tianling couldn't bear to punish her.
Dai Tianling then asked with a soft smile,"Judging from your expression, the matches aren't going well?"
Dai Yuner's face paled."Not well at all. That Gu You is terrifying. Brother Long Yue said even he might not beat him."
Dai Tianling remained smiling."Of course you won't win. I looked into that child. Any nine-year-old who can challenge a high-level evil soul master is beyond anything we can handle. His accomplishments are many—you should look them up."
"Then what—are we just going to keep losing?"Dai Yueyan stood up angrily, but immediately realized what he was doing, his expression paling again as he sat back down.
Dai Tianling frowned slightly."Do your best. That's all I can say."
Hotel Restaurant – Shrek Side
"Hey, have you all noticed? Teacher Wu hasn't shown up for days. Old Cai too—we haven't seen her in a long time, right?"Xiao Yueran asked while eating.
"They're probably busy. After all, they represent Shrek and the Sun-Moon Federation. There must be a lot to handle," Le Zhengyu replied casually.
Yuanen Yehui said thoughtfully,"I think Teacher Wu is trying to train our confidence—reduce our dependence on him."
"Sounds reasonable," Xie Xie said immediately.
Le Zhengyu clicked his tongue."You think anything Yuanen says is reasonable."
Xie Xie looked proud."So what if I do?"
Le Zhengyu sighed dramatically."Yuanen, honestly… a guy with zero masculine backbone like him doesn't deserve you."
"You're dead!"Xie Xie lunged and grabbed Le Zhengyu by the throat.
Le Zhengyu twisted his body and easily threw him aside—Xie Xie wasn't his match in strength.
Yuanen didn't even look at the two idiots."I'm full. I'm going back."
"I'm full too."Ye Xinglan stood up.
A steady personality like Yuanen paired with Ye Xinglan's quiet stubbornness—they were alike in many ways.
Gu You simply ate silently.
That strange sense—It was getting stronger…
Hotel Room
Wu Zhangkong stood by the window, looking into the distance. His face was calm as he murmured:
"You don't know it yet… but I have nothing left to teach you.The next stretch of road…You must walk on your own.That is the path of growth."
Shrek passed the 2v2 and 7v7 first-round group stages without difficulty. Now the 1v1 group stage was about to begin.
Everyone checked their assigned groups immediately.
The one with the worst expression was—Le Zhengyu.
Because in his group…Was the one opponent he least wanted to face:
Dragon King Long Yue.
Yes—he and Long Yue were assigned to the same group.
"It's fine. It's just group stage. Top four in each group advance. Just skip the match with Long Yue. Aren't you afraid you won't qualify?"Xie Xie said with barely disguised schadenfreude after seeing the bracket.
Le Zhengyu suddenly turned toward him, expression serious like never before.
"Members of the Holy Angel Family may lose—But we never retreat."
"Let me test this Long Yue for everyone."
Xie Xie froze."You're not serious, are you?"
Le Zhengyu rolled his eyes."Do I look like I'm joking? We've faced strong opponents before. How do you know I'll lose?"
Xie Xie gave him a thumbs-up."First time I've felt you look like a real man. But honestly? If it were me, I'd make the same choice."
"Tch—get lost. You? Compared to me?"
"YOU—!"
The 1v1 Group Stage – Round 1 Begins
Before each match, the system would announce matchups only minutes beforehand.
No one expected that among Shrek's group, the first match for Le Zhengyu would be—
Le Zhengyu vs. Long Yue.
Le Zhengyu's brows furrowed. Facing Long Yue… how could he possibly feel no pressure?
He had watched every one of Long Yue's previous matches. The terror this person radiated was beyond imagination.
In every single previous match, regardless of category—Long Yue had never once released his martial soul.
Yes.From the start of the competition until now, Long Yue had defeated every opponent without ever using his martial soul.
No one from Shrek knew his true cultivation level.And that—was the most frightening part.
Le Zhengyu sat cross-legged in the waiting area, eyes closed, calming himself. He needed to be in peak condition to face Long Yue.
"You really plan to fight him? I'm telling you—there is no hope.Even I need to take him seriously."
Gu You approached, offering a sincere reminder.
Le Zhengyu opened his eyes lazily."No hope, so I shouldn't fight?"
Gu You sighed.At his core, Le Zhengyu possessed an unshakeable pride—one Gu You couldn't stop.
The Holy Angel lineage had produced spirit masters who ascended to godhood. Even though that figure was later branded a villain and stripped of divinity, he still had become a god.
Such martial souls were called God-grade martial souls, standing at the peak of the continent.
Though, not all god-grade martial souls were strong.For example: Blue Silver Grass. Tang San became the Sea God with it. So by that logic, even Blue Silver Grass was a god-grade martial soul.
The Match Begins
"Le Zhengyu, Long Yue!"
The electronic voice sounded across the waiting area.
In that instant, every competitor turned to look at Shrek's side.
Gu You lifted his head…
(End of Chapter)