On the stage, Shi Xing of the Sun Moon team was utterly humiliated by Wang Dong'er's playful teasing. Burning with shame and fury, he decided to hold nothing back. With a roar filled with killing intent, he unleashed his most prized soul tool—a sixth-level soul cannon equipped with a high-precision targeting system: the Blazing Fire Cannon.
"Go to hell!" he shouted.
The cannon roared to life. A pillar of crimson fire burst forth, coalescing midair into a blazing fireball that radiated blistering heat. The air rippled and distorted around it as it streaked toward Wang Dong'er like a miniature sun.
Under the collective gaze of the audience, Wang Dong'er didn't even try to dodge. Instead, she calmly opened her arms—as though to embrace the incoming inferno. A moment later, her fifth spirit ring flared, shining with brilliant black light.
Her delicate figure transformed into pure, translucent golden crystal, gleaming with divine radiance.
Goddess of Light Butterfly's Fifth Soul Skill – Divine Light Possession!
Upon activation, for three seconds Wang Dong'er became a body of pure light essence, completely immune to all elemental and physical attacks except those of darkness. Moreover, the next soul skill she released would have its power doubled—and any dark-type enemies struck would receive triple the damage.
The massive fireball drew near, but as it approached, Wang Dong'er's crystalline body shimmered, releasing waves of golden light. The fireball's immense energy weakened instantly, its momentum faltering as though it had struck an invisible barrier of light.
Then, under everyone's stunned gaze, Wang Dong'er closed her arms around it—hugging the fireball directly.
A mocking smile touched her lips.
"Here—have it back."
With a graceful motion, she lifted the fireball over her head and hurled it downward. The blazing sphere shot toward Shi Xing, trailing a long golden-red tail of flame, its power now amplified by Wang Dong'er's own force.
Shi Xing's face turned deathly pale. Though panic gripped him, he reacted instantly, activating his Invincible Barrier.
The fireball struck.
BOOM!
The resulting explosion shook the arena to its core, leaving the once-smooth stage cracked and cratered. As the flames faded, Shi Xing reappeared—ashen-faced, trembling, but alive.
The Invincible Barrier had absorbed most of the impact, but at a steep cost. His soul power was nearly drained, and the barrier's core matrix was heavily damaged. Victory was now impossible.
Yet when he glanced up, Wang Dong'er was nowhere to be seen.
A chill ran down his spine.
Then her voice, sharp and taunting, echoed from above. "Idiot. Look up."
Shi Xing's head snapped upward just in time to see Wang Dong'er descending with her next attack already prepared. Desperate, he poured every last drop of his soul power into his damaged barrier.
"I surrender!" he shouted, voice breaking with fear and frustration.
The referee reacted immediately, signaling the match's end. Wang Dong'er halted her attack mid-motion, landing lightly on the stage with a faint smirk. But her expression darkened when the referee—clearly biased—hesitated before announcing the result.
"Winner of the first individual match—Tang Sect!"
Before his words even finished echoing, a bloodcurdling scream rang out from above.
Everyone looked up just as a figure plummeted from midair—the referee barely managed to catch him. It was Shi Xing.
But by then, he was already beyond saving. His chest caved in, his breathing shallow and ragged. Within seconds, his body went limp—his life snuffed out like a candle flame.
"You! You killed him!" the referee roared, eyes blazing with anger as he glared at Wang Dong'er.
Wang Dong'er blinked, utterly innocent. "Me? Which of your eyes saw me kill him? The moment he surrendered, I landed. I've been right here beside you."
Her tone was calm, even teasing—but the Sun Moon team's faces darkened with fury. They all knew she was the culprit, yet without evidence, they could only swallow their rage.
The match continued, but the tension was suffocating.
The second battle began almost immediately.
The Sun Moon team's next fighter, Zhou Xinghao, stepped onto the platform, his heart burning with grief and anger. As soon as the referee signaled the start, he released all his soul tools at once.
Dozens of cannons surrounded him, forming a compact fortress of metal and energy. Countless shells rained down toward Wang Dong'er like a storm of death.
But to his disbelief, Wang Dong'er activated her own equipment—a sixth-level flight propulsion system.
With her speed boosted to the extreme, Zhou Xinghao's stationary fortress tactic became useless. His cannons could only track her faint afterimages while she darted effortlessly through the air.
He couldn't even move—his soul tool array had locked him in place for stability. Now, it was nothing more than a trap of his own making.
Wang Dong'er took full advantage. Her attacks came swift and merciless, dismantling his defenses piece by piece. Soon, Zhou Xinghao's soul cannon array was on the verge of collapse, the glowing formation flickering unsteadily.
One more hit, and both he and his platform would have been obliterated—if not for the referee's intervention.
"Enough!" the referee shouted, cutting in at the last moment. "The contestant can no longer fight. I declare this match over—Tang Sect wins!"
Wang Dong'er's brow furrowed. She clearly wanted to protest, but seeing the referee's stern expression, she merely shrugged and turned to leave with a disdainful smile.
Just as she reached the edge of the stage, however, Zhou Xinghao suddenly moved.
"I haven't lost yet! Go to hell!"
With a crazed scream, his torso snapped backward, revealing eight silver cannon muzzles embedded in his chest and abdomen. A blinding light burst from them—eight concentrated soul-beam blasts, all aimed straight at Wang Dong'er's back!
The crowd gasped. No one had expected such treachery—and the referee didn't even react in time.
"Bastard!" Ma Xiaotao shot to her feet, fury burning in her eyes. Even though Tang Sect was technically independent from Shrek, Wang Dong'er was still one of their own—an Inner Court disciple.
She was about to intervene when Zhu Ziyang caught her wrist.
"Don't," he said quietly. "She'll be fine. And we can't interfere."
Ma Xiaotao hesitated, then bit her lip and sat down, her fists clenched in silent rage.
Onstage, the eight beams struck home—only for a blinding flash of golden light to answer them.
BOOM!
The explosion that followed was brief but catastrophic. When the smoke cleared, Zhou Xinghao's body was gone—scattered into fragments of blood and light across the arena floor.
He was dead.
Wang Dong'er stood amidst the chaos, her expression unreadable. A faint burn mark marred her back, but she was otherwise unharmed.
The audience was stunned into silence. Then chaos erupted—Tang Sect and the Sun Moon team both rushed forward, faces contorted with fury.
For a moment, it seemed a full-scale brawl would erupt right there on the stage.
But just as tensions reached the breaking point, a calm yet powerful voice resounded through the arena.
"Enough!"
A golden light flashed—and a tall man appeared between the two teams, his aura overwhelming.
It was Zheng Zhan, the Chief Referee of the tournament and a Rank 9 Soul Engineer, a powerhouse at the level of a Titled Douluo.
In an instant, the chaotic soul power surging through the air dispersed.
Zheng Zhan's stern gaze swept over the stage. "The referee in charge of this match is dismissed. From now on, I will personally oversee the remainder of today's battles."
Faced with his authority, neither side dared to protest.
The next match proceeded under his supervision. The Sun Moon team sent out their third fighter, while Tang Sect replaced Wang Dong'er with He Caitou.
Despite Wang Dong'er's injury, it wasn't serious—three scorch marks on her back at most. Thanks to Tang Sect's healing-type Soul King, she would recover in no time. Still, they chose to let her rest.
From the sidelines, Zhu Ziyang noticed Huo Yuhao's grim expression. His fists were clenched tight, his usually gentle eyes burning with barely restrained anger.
Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but smile faintly, shaking his head.
Looks like my little junior brother's finally about to awaken his fighting spirit.
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