The morning sun was just as gentle as usual, and the azure sky was spotless. Outside Mingdu City, the arena was packed with a sea of people. Smiles of anticipation filled everyone's faces as they awaited the upcoming finals of the Soul Master Tournament.
Today was bound to become a historic day—no matter how you looked at it.
On the main stage, Xu Tianran, Juzi, and a group of officials from the Sun Moon Empire had been seated for quite some time. Xu Tianran wore a calm smile, showing no signs of displeasure from the recent disturbances. As the regent and crown prince of the empire, he was in high spirits. Last night, he had secured an alliance with the Holy Spirit Sect's Grand Priest Ye Xishui. With the support of two Ultimate Douluo, how could he not be thrilled?
"Your Highness, the Tang Sect's team doesn't seem to be present," Juzi whispered into his ear.
Xu Tianran was momentarily taken aback. He looked toward the contestant resting area and, sure enough, saw only Shrek Academy's team present—no sign of the Tang Sect. He immediately understood what had happened and muttered, "Looks like today's match won't happen. Shameless!"
Juzi remained expressionless, clearly having already anticipated this outcome.
Indeed, the Tang Sect had forfeited. As inner court disciples of Shrek Academy, Tang Ya and the others were all too familiar with the strength of Zhu Ziyang's team. They knew they stood no chance. Rather than humiliating themselves, they made the rational choice to withdraw. The night after the semifinals, Tang Ya and Beibei personally informed Zhu Ziyang of their decision. By now, they were likely already on their way back to the Star Luo Empire.
Soon, the scheduled time for the match arrived. Referee Zheng Zhan glanced at the empty Tang Sect rest area and immediately understood the situation. With a grim face, he announced, "Since the Tang Sect team has forfeited, I declare Shrek Academy the champions of this Soul Master Tournament!"
The crowd instantly erupted. Jeers and curses filled the air. They were furious—this was supposed to be an exciting final! And now? The Tang Sect ran away without even a fight? What a joke! Many had waited since before dawn, only to be handed this disappointment.
The scene was chaotic, but none of the tournament officials cared about the audience's complaints. Zhu Ziyang stood up and told his teammates, "Stay here. No matter what happens next, don't act rashly. Understood?"
"Yes!" Shrek's team responded in unison.
Zhu Ziyang then calmly walked onto the stage. After all, the champion's reward was a Class 9 Soul Tool—he wasn't about to let that slip away.
On the stage, Zheng Zhan looked at Zhu Ziyang approaching step by step and felt a chill down his spine. If it weren't for the pride he held as a Title Douluo, he might have already dropped to his knees. Zhu Ziyang's display of power before had been utterly terrifying. Zheng Zhan was nothing more than a minor Title Douluo—how could he compare to such a monster?
"The prize. Hand it over. Let's not waste everyone's time," Zhu Ziyang said bluntly, skipping all formalities.
Zheng Zhan froze but couldn't make the call himself, so he turned to Xu Tianran. Not wanting to interact with Zhu Ziyang at all, Xu Tianran simply nodded. Seeing this, Zheng Zhan waved his hand, and a group of men carried a peculiar-looking Soul Tool cannon shell onto the stage. It radiated an intense aura—one glance told you it wasn't ordinary.
"This is a Class 9 Stationary Soul Cannon Shell—" Zheng Zhan tried to explain, but Zhu Ziyang had no patience for that. With a wave of his hand, the shell, which had taken five or six people to carry, vanished on the spot.
Zheng Zhan was stunned, his eyes wide, stammering, "Y-You—how did you do that?"
He was genuinely shocked. A Class 9 Soul Tool couldn't be stored in ordinary spatial devices. Even high-level Soul Engineers had to rely on special methods. And yet, this man—clearly not a Soul Engineer—had effortlessly stored one. How?
Shrek Academy shouldn't even have a Class 9 spatial Soul Tool! What Zheng Zhan couldn't possibly know was that while Zhu Ziyang didn't have such a Soul Tool… he did possess a half-Demiplane! Far superior to any Soul Tool.
Zhu Ziyang glanced at him and added, "Also hand over the runner-up prize for the Tang Sect and the third-place prize for the Snow Demon Sect."
"Y-Yes, of course!" Zheng Zhan immediately complied, handing over an eighth-rank Soul Tool and a seventh-rank Soul Tool.
"You did well," Zhu Ziyang said approvingly before stepping off the stage.
Xu Tianran was extremely irritated by this anticlimactic scene but had no choice but to bear it. He turned to leave… when everything suddenly changed.
"Xu Tianran! You treacherous beast who murdered your father and betrayed your king—prepare to die!"
A Soul Sage leapt from the audience, soul rings shining—seven in total—and charged at Xu Tianran with suicidal resolve.
The crowd was stunned. No one expected this suicidal assassination attempt. Just as the man reached the platform… he exploded on the spot! The audience jumped in fright.
Everyone looked again—standing in front of Xu Tianran was a black-robed man, expressionless, toying with a dagger in his hand. Nine soul rings glowed around him—he was a Title Douluo, Xu Tianran's personal guard: the Shadow Douluo, martial soul: Shadow Dagger.
"Fool," Xu Tianran said coldly, dismissing the threat as trivial. But he soon lost that calm.
This Soul Sage assassin was merely the prelude, meant to signal to the world that someone was trying to kill Xu Tianran. The real performance was about to begin.
"It's begun," Zhu Ziyang muttered in the rest area. Only Ma Xiaotao was beside him—he had already placed Jiang Nannan and the others into his Holy Law Demiplane. A grand battle was coming, and they weren't strong enough to help.
"Xu Tianran! You murdered the Emperor—today, I'll avenge my royal father!"
The play had begun. Second Prince Xu Tianci appeared on the stage with several cloaked figures. Pointing at Xu Tianran, he shouted righteously.
Everyone's attention turned to him. The crowd suddenly regretted not leaving earlier—what was this? They came for a tournament and got caught in a royal coup?
"Xu Tianci!" Xu Tianran's gaze turned icy, rage boiling within him. "Fool. You think you can touch me? Kill them all!"
At his command, the Shadow Douluo lunged forward, and several figures emerged behind Xu Tianran—Title Douluo, including the Hall Master of Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen!
"What?!" Xu Tianci was dumbfounded. This wasn't part of the plan! He looked to his companions in confusion, but one of them had already rushed forward to clash with Xu Tianran's forces.
It got worse—Xu Tianran's group outnumbered theirs by one Title Douluo. That extra one charged directly at Xu Tianci. Terrified, he fell to the ground screaming for help… but no one responded.
Moments later, Xu Tianci was killed with a single strike. Xu Tianran couldn't be more pleased. He hadn't even planned to kill his foolish brother—Xu Tianci had leapt to his death all on his own!
With the second prince dead, his remaining guards began to retreat, but Xu Tianran wasn't about to let them go. He gave the order to chase them down and kept his eyes locked on Zhu Ziyang in the rest area. Though puzzled by the absence of the other Shrek students, seeing Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao present put him somewhat at ease.
Xu Tianran had long known that Xu Tianci had allied with the Heaven Soul and Star Luo Empires to assassinate him. His only concern was Shrek Academy. Now that they hadn't gotten involved, he felt relieved.
"Your Highness…" Juzi whispered with concern. She wanted Xu Tianran to return to the palace for safety. After all, she still needed him for her own revenge.
"No need," Xu Tianran said confidently. His deal with the Holy Spirit Sect included protection from Ye Xishui herself. Even if Zhu Ziyang made a move, she would ensure his escape.
But just as Xu Tianran was basking in smug satisfaction, he suddenly felt a searing pain in his chest. He looked down instinctively—only to see a delicate, pale hand holding a still-beating heart. His heart.
So red…
That… was his final thought.
(End of Chapter)
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