The top eight were decided one after another. One of the contestants was too seriously injured to take part in the next round, and his opponent was originally supposed to be Long Yue. In other words, Long Yue would receive a bye in the next round and directly advance into the top four.
However, no one thought that Long Yue had gained any real advantage. In fact, the two contestants in the previous match had fought so fiercely precisely because they knew that their next opponent would be Long Yue — someone they had no chance of defeating anyway. Rather than save their strength, they might as well go all out for a chance to secure a place in the top eight.
All kinds of news reports and publications flooded in.
Of course, more of the headlines were things like "Shrek, go back where you came from," and similar slogans.
But there was no doubt that this was, in a roundabout way, an acknowledgment of the strength of everyone from Shrek Academy.
Vice-Dean Tang Bingyao congratulated Elder Cai and said that the Federation would specially reward those who performed outstandingly in this tournament — of course, all of that would be discussed after they returned to Douluo Continent.
Next came the quarterfinals — the top eight advancing to the top four.
Gu You's opponent was originally Yuanen Yehui.
But she calmly withdrew from the match…
Long Yue and Lin San also entered the top four.
In the semifinals, Lin San did not withdraw like Yuanen Yehui, but instead chose to challenge Long Yue. The outcome was, of course, without any suspense. He was defeated, even though he displayed even greater battle power than when he had fought Xie Xie, and even though the amplification from his One-Word Battle Armor caused Long Yue some trouble. In the end, however, he still lost — and from beginning to end, Long Yue never even used his own battle armor.
In the other semifinal, Gu You also ended his match with ease.
The final matchup was thus decided.
This match was officially dubbed "The Battle of the Twin Dragon Kings."
After a day of rest, it would be held the next morning.
It was also regarded as the most heavyweight match of the entire tournament. At many betting venues, the odds for the two contestants were almost exactly the same.
In the hotel:
"Dragon King versus Dragon King — that really is interesting," Gu Yue teased Gu You.
"No. It's not Dragon King versus Dragon King." Gu You shook his head.
"Then what is it?" Gu Yue asked curiously.
"Dragon God versus Dragon King…"
Yuanen Yehui was quietly cultivating in her room. She had always been diligent — even with outstanding talent, she had never let that reduce her effort. Only she herself knew that her cultivation speed was actually not fast. Although her two top-tier martial souls were powerful, they did not belong to the same lineage and even repelled each other. Only by perfectly harmonizing their relationship could her cultivation continue to advance.
She worked hard because she had to become strong. Only sufficient strength would allow her to accomplish that one thing — that thing that haunted her dreams.
Xu Xiaoyan had already fallen asleep beside the bed. Le Zhengyu, however, was still awake. He lay on his side, looking at Xu Xiaoyan sleeping beside him, his eyes filled with tenderness.
Ever since the day he was injured, she had been taking care of him. They had not said much to each other — everything felt very natural and casual. Yet it was precisely that naturalness and casualness that made Le Zhengyu feel especially warm.
He had been born into a strictly hierarchical family, where the purity of bloodlines and even which branch of the family one belonged to were rigidly ranked. He was fortunate — he was the future heir of the main branch, the young master of the family. From childhood, he had grown up surrounded by care, admiration, and also jealousy. But he had never paid much attention to it. He always thought: I am who I am — I am the representative of the Holy Angel family.
Only after coming to Shrek Academy did he realize that he was not the strongest among his peers. The Holy Angel martial soul was indeed powerful, but he had not yet reached its ultimate level. The path toward becoming a true powerhouse was still very long.
Back in the family, he had always been treated like the center of the universe. When he was only ten years old, the family had even arranged for girls of "matching status" to play with him, hoping he would choose one he liked.
But that was during his most rebellious phase. The more they pushed people toward him, the less he liked them — especially those girls who deliberately put on airs to get close to him. Some pretended to be aloof, some pretended to be gentle, some refined and elegant — but to him, it all felt like acting.
So he insisted on entering Shrek Academy to escape the family's constraints. He wanted to see the outside world — to see what kind of beautiful fireworks it held.
And in those fireworks, he was fortunate enough to encounter…
Gu Yue lay flat on her bed, not asleep, simply staring at the ceiling. She did not feel like cultivating either — even she did not know why.
She felt restless. Tomorrow was the final, and she would face Long Yue.
"Ah…" Gu Yue let out a soft sigh. Perhaps this really was fate. Where exactly did his bloodline come from? It seemed as if everything had been arranged by some unseen will.
So what if it was fate?
A silver light flashed in Gu Yue's eyes.
Even if fate does not allow us to move forward, I will destroy that fate.
She suddenly sat up, but in her mind, the conversation between the two of them that day echoed again.
…
Morning.
Outside the hotel, a soul-guided car was already waiting. Today was the final of the individual competition, and to avoid unnecessary trouble — and to ensure Gu You could reach the venue as quickly as possible — the officials had specially arranged transportation.
This match was hailed as the ultimate showdown between Monster Academy and Shrek Academy, so all participating contestants from both academies were allowed to enter the waiting area to observe.
Eight people boarded the vehicle. The soul-guided car started up, escorted by security vehicles in front and behind, and headed straight toward the Star Luo Grand Stadium.
Not only was the stadium packed to capacity, but the areas outside it were also completely jammed. Every good spot with a view of the large outdoor screen was taken. Many people had arrived a day in advance — some had even brought tents.
To watch this match up close, the people of the Star Luo Empire had truly gone all out.
Everyone wanted to witness this peak battle as soon as possible.
Inside the stadium, every seat was already filled. On the VIP platform sat the Star Luo Emperor Dai Tianling, Monster Academy's headmaster En Ci, the leader of the Douluo Continent delegation Tang Bingyao, and Shrek Academy's outer court headmaster Cai Yue'er — all present.
Cai Yue'er had not wanted to sit on the platform, but she could not refuse the Star Luo Empire's enthusiastic invitation.
There was, of course, a political motive behind this — and in the end, Elder Cai chose to come.
The weather today was very good…
(End of chapter)