They had encountered each other three times already, and anyone with eyes could see that this was no coincidence—it was clearly intentional.Only the organizers could turn coincidence into inevitability. It was apparent they deliberately arranged for the two major factions from the Douluo Continent to clash, forcing them into conflict and internal friction.
The Emperor of Star Luo arranged this mainly to ignite further tension between the two academies.He had heard of their long-standing feud—it could even be called a blood feud. By doing this, he added new hatred on top of old grievances, deepening their conflict, hoping they would eventually break into all-out war.
One was a super academy with a 20,000-year heritage, and the other was the Sun Moon Royal Academy backed by the Federation government.
Even if they didn't openly fight, so long as they continued to undermine each other, it would still be beneficial to the Star Luo Empire.But honestly, the emperor was overthinking it; even without this, the two academies were already like water and fire—there was no need to add more fuel.
All three previous confrontations ended with victories for the Sun Moon Royal Academy, leaving their board members overjoyed.They truly wanted to thank the Star Luo Empire for the perfect arrangements that aligned so well with their desires.
Of course, the Sun Moon Royal Academy hadn't gone completely unscathed. By the time the individual matches reached the top eight, only Yun Ze and Gu Yuena remained.
In the quarterfinals, Yun Ze's opponent was Dai Yueyan from Monster Academy, known within the academy as the "Tiger King."Besides being one of Monster Academy's Eight Heavenly Kings, he was also a prince of the Star Luo Empire and a highly likely future heir to the throne.
Yun Ze didn't treat him differently because of his status. He fought as he always did.
Dai Yueyan's martial soul was the royal inherited White Tiger, known for its offensive power and top-tier defense.Close combat was his specialty—but against Yun Ze, his strength became his weakness. He was completely crushed.
Throughout the entire battle, Yun Ze held the advantage. His attacks were flawless, making Dai Yueyan feel suffocated.After defeating Dai Yueyan, Yun Ze advanced to the semifinals.
Gu Yuena also defeated Dai Yun'er of Monster Academy and made it into the semifinals as well.
In the semifinals, luck was on their side—they didn't face each other. Yun Ze's opponent was Long Yue, while Gu Yuena faced Su Mu.
On this highly anticipated day, the individual semifinals began, starting with Yun Ze versus Long Yue.
One was Yun Ze from the Douluo Continent, who had made it this far without even releasing his martial soul—young, mysterious, and immensely powerful.
The other was a native Star Luo prodigy, the captain of Monster Academy, a mighty six-ring Soul Emperor—undoubtedly strong.
Their confrontation drew nationwide attention. Even Emperor Dai Tianling was eagerly awaiting the match.
Most of the spectators were cheering for Long Yue—after all, he was their own. Home advantage was clear.
Yun Ze and Long Yue stepped onto the stage, silently facing each other as they waited for the match to begin.
"I want to see if I can force your martial soul out," Long Yue said, eyes fixed on Yun Ze.
"Force it out? Not really necessary. I'll release it," Yun Ze replied. It wasn't that he couldn't win without his martial soul—but that doing so would be more troublesome and messy.
Releasing his martial soul would make things far easier. Since he could win effortlessly, why choose a harder path?
Before, he hadn't revealed it simply because it wasn't needed.
Now, facing a stronger opponent, it made sense to fight seriously—he had no reason to hide anymore.
Long Yue was momentarily stunned. He originally expected arrogance—something like "you're not worthy."Instead, Yun Ze's response surprised him and actually raised his opinion of him.
"You're different from what I imagined," Long Yue admitted.
"Mm." Yun Ze nodded, clearly uninterested in further conversation.
Seeing Yun Ze was done talking, Long Yue stayed silent as well, waiting calmly for the match to start.
Soon, the battle began.
Long Yue was the first to release his martial soul—a massive dragon phantom appeared behind him, exuding a heavy aura like a towering mountain.
Mountain Dragon King—Long Yue's martial soul. A true dragon species, ranked just below the Dragon God and the Golden/Silver Dragon Kings. Its quality was extremely high—considered a super martial soul.
Of course, his wasn't a completely authentic Mountain Dragon King. It was more accurate to call it a quasi Mountain Dragon King, having evolved by chance.Though visually similar to the true form, there were still foundational differences—it was a weaker version.
Upon seeing Long Yue's martial soul, Gu Yuena's eyes narrowed slightly as memories related to the Mountain Dragon King surfaced in her mind.
With the martial soul release, six soul rings rose from Long Yue's feet—three purple, three black—a Soul Emperor.He was under twenty years old and already at six rings—top-tier speed.
Yun Ze wasted no time and directly released his martial soul.
A sharp cry echoed—a phoenix phantom appeared behind him. The temperature skyrocketed, air distorted, and scorching waves radiated outward.
The phoenix spread its wings, head lifted high, its gaze regal and overlooking all beings.
In sheer aura, the phoenix completely surpassed the Mountain Dragon King, exuding innate nobility and majesty that was fundamentally superior.
Four soul rings rose—three purple, one black. Though two rings fewer than Long Yue, the shock it caused was far greater.
"A four-ring Soul Sect?!" many people cried out in disbelief. Even Emperor Dai Tianling was stunned.
"What kind of monster is this?" the emperor stood up, eyes wide with disbelief.
The elder beside him narrowed his eyes as well. Though they had speculated about Yun Ze's soul power, seeing it confirmed was still immensely shocking.
A four-ring Soul Sect at only seven or eight years old? They had never even heard of such a thing, let alone seen it.
Tang Wulin and the others were speechless, never imagining Yun Ze had already reached the fourth ring.
"Does a genius this monstrous really exist in the world…?" Cai Yue'er muttered in a daze.
It felt unreal to them—like a dream.
"Amazing… truly amazing," Long Yue couldn't help but praise, trying hard to steady himself.
Saying he wasn't shaken would be a lie. Who could calmly accept a seven or eight-year-old four-ring Soul Sect?
End of Chapter.