"Thi—this…" Hua Lantang's mouth hung open in shock. When someone suddenly asked him a question, he was at a loss for words."Th-this probably shouldn't be possible…" he finally managed to reply after a long pause, though even he didn't sound sure.
"He didn't even release his martial soul, yet he could send a Soul King flying like that. If he did release it, just how strong would his power be?"
Dai Yueyan's throat was dry. The scene he had just witnessed made it hard for him to stay calm—the more he thought about it, the more shaken he felt.
"I wonder just how strong his physical power actually is," the bald man, Long Yue, murmured, a glint of excitement flashing in his eyes.Though his opponent was young, that raw power was something even he had to take seriously. He really wanted to know—if they fought head-on, who would be stronger?
The ones stunned by the swift and decisive battle weren't just the Monster Academy students.In the Shrek Academy rest area, Tang Wulin, Ye Xinglan, and the others all wore heavy expressions. A shadow hung over their hearts that wouldn't fade.
They knew Yunze was powerful once he donned his battle armor, but now they realized—he was formidable even without using his martial soul.
The blow hit them hard. Even with their martial souls released, none of them could have defeated a Soul Ancestor or Soul King so quickly.They had always considered themselves geniuses, yet before this person, they suddenly felt… rather ordinary.
"This guy's bloodline power is unbelievably strong," Yuanen Yehui said in a low voice. Her Titan Giant Ape martial soul already granted her immense strength, yet compared to Yunze, the gap was still overwhelming.
"I feel like even if he doesn't use his battle armor, we might still not be able to beat him," Xie Xie muttered, clearly discouraged.
"At least in a one-on-one match, no one could probably win against him," someone added.
Normally, such words would be seen as discouraging, but Tang Wulin and the others didn't argue—because it felt true.
The solo match had caused an uproar, instantly becoming the hottest topic of discussion. Conversations about Yunze and Gu Yuena's terrifying strength were endless.
"Before the match started, I think they said those two were from some Sun and Moon Royal Academy," one spectator remarked.
"Sun and Moon Royal Academy? I've never heard of that place before," another said.
"Were you not listening earlier? They said it's an academy from the Douluo Continent—of course you wouldn't have heard of it."
"Who says I haven't? I've heard of a Shrek Academy from there."
"No kidding, they mentioned it at the start of the individual competition.""Hey, what do you guys think—which academy is stronger, Shrek or Sun and Moon Royal?"
"I think the Sun and Moon Royal Academy looks stronger."
"I heard Shrek is the number-one academy on the Douluo Continent, so shouldn't they be better?"
"Really? Do they also have seven- or eight-year-old geniuses who can instantly crush Soul Kings?"
Conversations like that were everywhere. Many citizens of the Star Luo Empire secretly compared the two academies to see which was stronger.
Most people believed the Sun and Moon Royal Academy had the advantage—after all, the power those two students displayed was terrifyingly overwhelming.
It wasn't often that a battle ended in under thirty seconds unless someone surrendered outright—and this wasn't surrender.
Later, the Shrek students' performance in the two-versus-two matches only reinforced this impression. Judging by their execution, the Sun and Moon Royal Academy was clearly superior.
Of course, that was mainly because Yunze and Gu Yuena were representing them—the two strongest of the bunch.
The tournament continued in an orderly fashion. Aside from the first round of solo matches, which took three days, most of the later rounds ended within a single day.That was largely due to the culture of the Star Luo Empire, which valued individual combat prowess—naturally, there were many entrants for the solo category.
After the elimination rounds came the official matches. The schedule became more diverse, no longer focusing on a single event type.
On the day of the opening ceremony, the Star Luo Emperor, Empress, and numerous nobles attended.
As the emperor's voice echoed through the arena, the Youth Soul Master Tournament officially began.
The second round commenced, with fifteen arenas running simultaneously.Those who had made it this far were all skilled, and the matches became much more exciting—the audience loved it.
Whether by design or by coincidence, Yunze's opponent in the second round turned out to be Ye Xinglan from Shrek Academy.
For Yunze, this meant nothing—he didn't even react when he learned his opponent's name.Ye Xinglan, however, looked miserable. Upon hearing who she was up against, her expression turned pale.
She had no choice but to go up—she couldn't very well concede before the fight even began; that would disgrace Shrek Academy.
Unfortunately, even after stepping up, she couldn't defend Shrek's honor. Yunze defeated her with a single move.Ye Xinglan, a level 44 Soul Ancestor—three levels higher than Yunze—barely put up a fight.
He once again didn't release his martial soul; instead, he condensed a longsword of flame and met her in a single strike.
The sword's aura alone shattered her will to fight. Ye Xinglan surrendered on the spot and walked off the stage like a soulless puppet—her confidence utterly destroyed.
Once again, Yunze became the center of attention. Defeating a Shrek student in one move without even releasing his martial soul—his power was beyond belief.
As the tournament progressed, everyone kept a close eye on Yunze, hoping to see his martial soul and spirit rank.But to their disappointment, he never revealed it—even after more than ten matches.
Those matches weren't all solo battles; they included the two-on-two and seven-on-seven team rounds as well.The team matches progressed more slowly—only three had been completed so far, about half the pace of the others.
The opponents they faced weren't particularly strong, so Yunze had no need to release his martial soul.
During this time, the Sun and Moon Royal Academy students clashed with Shrek's team multiple times.Twice, Yunze himself faced them—once against Ye Xinglan, and once against Le Zhengyu.
Gu Yuena, on the other hand, met Tang Wulin. It was quite the coincidence—and the outcome, needless to say, was obvious.
Having already reached the Soul King rank, and possessing the proto–Dragon God martial soul, Gu Yuena completely overpowered Tang Wulin, who only had Soul Ancestor strength.
After his bloodline awakening, Tang Wulin's cultivation speed had improved greatly, and he had reached level 42, a four-ring Soul Ancestor.But there was no suspense in the fight—Gu Yuena won decisively, utterly dominating him.
She didn't hold back. Though her strikes weren't meant to kill, they were far from gentle.
When Tang Wulin was blasted off the stage, his clothes were in tatters, his body covered in blood, and several bones were broken. He looked utterly miserable.