After Diwu Huan'er swept all seven opponents and defeated the Heavenly Dragon Sect team, Shrek Academy successfully advanced to the semifinals.
Following a short midday break, the afternoon matches resumed. The third quarterfinal featured the Snow Demon Sect against the Proud Sword Sect.
As the name implied, all members of the Proud Sword Sect used sword-type martial souls. Their seven main team members were all remarkably gifted—two Soul Emperors and five Soul Kings. However, their opponent was the Snow Demon Sect, a name that belied its true identity: a disguised squad from the Body Sect. The Proud Sword Sect never stood a chance.
The match was straightforward. The Snow Demon Sect first secured all three wins in the individual battles, then opted to proceed directly to the team battle, where they steamrolled their opponents.
In the end, just as Zhu Ziyang predicted, the Snow Demon Sect advanced to the top four.
The final match of the day was about to begin: Tang Sect versus Mingdu Soul Engineering Academy.
The audience was particularly fired up. Since the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy had surrendered earlier in the day, most citizens of the Sun Moon Empire had pinned their last hopes on Mingdu Soul Engineering Academy. It was the first time this academy received such overwhelming support, and its participants were visibly thrilled.
By contrast, Tang Sect remained composed. When referee Zheng Zhan announced the entrance, Beibei led his team into the waiting area, followed by Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, Tang Ya, Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong'er. Anyone who had seen the last tournament in Star Luo City would recognize these seven as the previous Shrek Academy preliminary squad.
The two teams took the stage and announced their names.
"Tang Sect, He Caitou."
"Mingdu Soul Engineering Academy, Lu Jun."
On the Tang Sect's side stood He Caitou—dark-skinned, bald, and imposing in appearance, which made him rather unlikable at first glance. Lu Jun, on the other hand, was tall, handsome, and being a citizen of the Sun Moon Empire, received thunderous cheers from the crowd.
But this was a match of strength, not looks. He Caitou remained unmoved. All that was on his mind was how to secure a beautiful victory for his team.
The match began, and both sides coincidentally chose to activate their soul tools. Lu Jun took to the sky with a flying-type soul tool, widening the distance between them. He Caitou, however, fully deployed his turret mode. Cannons of various sizes and calibers rapidly assembled around him, transforming him into a metallic war platform.
Looking up at Lu Jun, He Caitou smirked. A cigar clamped in his mouth, eyes narrowed, his fingers worked deftly. In a flash, shells of different types and sizes spewed from his turret, trailing fiery tails behind them like a blossoming flower, streaking toward Lu Jun.
Lu Jun's expression turned grim. He quickly retaliated—his shoulders, arms, and legs extended multiple barrels, firing lasers in return to intercept the incoming shells while maneuvering backwards in the air to buy time.
Little did he know, this was exactly what He Caitou wanted. With a final puff of his cigar, He Caitou revealed a bright silver cannon barrel from his chest, ten centimeters in diameter. A surge of soul power poured into it without a single leak. In an instant, a white energy sphere formed at the muzzle. Less than a second later, a piercing silver laser blasted out.
The silver beam was lightning-fast, effortlessly slicing through everything in its path—He Caitou's earlier shells, Lu Jun's laser counterfire—like a blade through paper.
Lu Jun finally realized the danger, but it was already too late. In desperation, he activated his invincibility shield.
His Grade-6 soul tool shield, however, was pierced cleanly by the silver beam under his horrified gaze. As Lu Jun tried to ascend, the beam caught him, punching a ghastly hole through his abdomen.
Zheng Zhan immediately intervened, rescuing Lu Jun and halting He Caitou's advance. This round ended with a clear victory for He Caitou.
He Caitou cast a cold glance at Zheng Zhan, devoid of any respect for the Title Douluo. Instead, his eyes were filled with disdain and mockery. He made no effort to hide this attitude, and Zheng Zhan could clearly see it. Apart from feeling angered, Zheng Zhan also found the man oddly familiar. Something about He Caitou's presence reminded him of someone, even though his face was a total stranger. This puzzled Zheng Zhan.
Though Lu Jun had a hole burned in his abdomen, Zheng Zhan's timely intervention protected his life. However, he was out for the rest of the match.
Mingdu Soul Engineering Academy then sent out two more Soul Kings, only for both to fall to He Caitou as well. Their faces turned incredibly sour. If they had lost to a soul master in conventional combat, they could accept that. But being beaten at soul tool combat—their specialty—was a massive slap in the face.
After all, Mingdu was the second most prestigious soul engineering academy in the Sun Moon Empire—arguably the second on the entire continent. Yet now, one lone member from a minor sect had completely outclassed them in their own field. Not only were the academy's members humiliated, but even the audience felt embarrassed.
So, just as He Caitou was preparing to leave the stage and transition to the team battle, the Mingdu team's captain suddenly violated the rules by storming onto the platform.
"Hey, big guy, stop right there!" she shouted.
Zheng Zhan's face twitched slightly at the intrusion. He clearly knew who this person was, but to maintain fairness, he said, "You're violating the rules. Get down and prepare for the team match!"
"No!" the captain snapped. Though dressed in men's clothing and with a masculine appearance, anyone with eyes could see she was a woman. She yelled, "I can't just let him walk off like this—how are we supposed to save face for our academy?"
He Caitou paused at her voice, turned, and looked her over with a frown. "You need something?"
"Of course!" the girl grinned brightly—he'd stopped, which meant he was open to talk. "Big guy, how about we make a deal?"
"Hmm?" He Caitou looked puzzled. Down below, the Tang Sect members turned their attention to the Mingdu captain, curious to hear what she'd propose. After all, Tang Sect currently held the initiative and wasn't worried about tricks.
"We hold another individual match. If you beat me, our academy will concede immediately—no team match. But if I win, then we'll proceed to the team battle. How's that?" she proposed confidently.
He Caitou blinked. He hadn't expected such a proposal. No matter the outcome, this offer only benefited Tang Sect. He couldn't understand her reasoning. "Is this really necessary?"
"Yes!" she responded firmly.
He Caitou hesitated, then glanced toward his teammates. Seeing Beibei and Huo Yuhao nod, he felt reassured. "Alright, I accept."
"Phew!" The girl let out a visible sigh of relief. "Great, then let's get ready."
She directed her words to Zheng Zhan, who, though frustrated by the unnecessary theatrics, nodded. "Fine."
"Due to the Mingdu Soul Engineering Academy captain's request, we will now hold a fourth individual match. If Tang Sect wins, the match ends with Tang Sect's victory. If Mingdu wins, we proceed to the team battle," Zheng Zhan explained to the crowd. "Both sides, prepare."
The crowd erupted. Regardless of everything else, the Mingdu captain's bold move was admirable. It was clear she was defending her academy's pride.
"Tch, that Mingdu girl's got guts, but she's also pretty stupid," Ma Xiaotao remarked with a cutting smile.
"Can you blame her?" Zhu Ziyang responded. "They're a soul engineering academy and just lost three straight to another soul engineer. If she doesn't step up, their reputation will be in shambles. In that sense, this was the best choice."
He looked intently at the two combatants. "I wonder… should this be considered a battle between siblings?"
On the VIP platform, Juzi praised, "Your Highness, that girl really has backbone."
She couldn't shake the odd feeling from Xu Tianran's gaze—it seemed out of place. A trace of… affection?
"Really?" Xu Tianran replied casually, though there was a rare softness in his tone. "Well, she is nineteen already… a grown young lady."
Juzi froze slightly, realizing the girl's identity might not be ordinary. Could she be the royal family's only princess?
(End of Chapter)
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