But one has to admit, Jing Hongchen is also good at business. For the upcoming sparring match, Sun Moon students will have to buy their own tickets, and the price isn't low—one hundred gold soul coins per person.
However, 95% of the students who can enter the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy are descendants of nobles, disciples of sects, or children from wealthy merchant families. The proportion of children from poor families is actually very low, not much different from Shrek Academy. But with the academy's annual subsidy, one hundred gold soul coins isn't too much, and the latter students can afford it.
But what's most attractive is the reward Jing Hongchen gives to the Sun Moon students for winning. Whoever defeats a Shrek student will directly receive a reward of 500,000 gold soul coins, and non-Mingde Hall students will directly gain entry, while Mingde Hall students will receive a special rare metal reward. In addition, Jing Hongchen will also customize a soul tool of no more than level seven for them.
Look at this reward, it's not hard to understand why the Sun Moon students are so excited.
Even with the minimum requirement of Soul King cultivation, the number of applicants was endless.
Ultimately, however, only five students remained to compete.
Just as everyone's anticipation grew, the competition day arrived.
Early morning.
Led by Qian Duoduo and Fan Yu, the Shrek Academy students arrived early at the competition venue—
the Soul Tool Testing Ground. As for its appearance, it was basically similar to a stadium on Earth in their previous life.
There were seats all around, and a large open space in the middle, perfect for playing football.
The entire testing ground could accommodate 15,000 people. To liven up the atmosphere, Lin Jiayi had banners hung on the walls of the testing ground early on.
In an instant, when the Shrek students saw them, they felt like they were back in their own academy.
In the lounge.
"I guess the Red Dust Hall Master is getting a little cocky because Yu Hao is a Soul Master, thinking we're guaranteed to win this match," Qian Duoduo, as the main leader, joked.
"I need to think about which rare metals to choose next."
Hearing this, everyone exchanged smiles.
They were all well aware of Huo Yuhao's strength. Some Soul Masters truly possessed the strength of a Soul Master, while others were merely at the Soul Master level; generalizations were impossible.
Qian Duoduo looked at Huo Yuhao, "Yuhao, are you ready?"
"Of course," Huo Yuhao smiled calmly.
Qian Duoduo smiled, but then said seriously, "We can look down on our opponents now, but we absolutely cannot be careless during the competition. Remember, even a lion uses its full strength
to hunt a rabbit. Not just Yuhao, you all must remember to always be vigilant in future battles." "Of course, Yuhao, if you become a Limit Douluo in the future, then disregard what I said. In this Douluo Continent, unless a god descends, no one will be your match."
Everyone's expressions subtly changed.
Limit Douluo—what a distant realm! Any one of them was a nation-destroying existence.
The students couldn't help but look at Huo Yuhao. Could he really do it?
Huo Yuhao didn't say anything; his goal was naturally not simply to become a Limit Douluo.
Time ticked by, and gradually, the spacious testing ground filled with students and teachers who had come to watch the competition. The voices of tens of thousands of people mingled together, creating a deafening cacophony. Almost every student and teacher was discussing the likely outcome.
No one believed Shrek Academy could win, as this was their home turf.
Jing Hongchen and Lin Jiayi stood on the platform, their gazes fixed on the rest area.
"Jiayi, I don't know why my eyelid keeps twitching," Jing Hongchen said, frowning.
"Eyelid twitching? Which eye is twitching?" Lin Jiayi asked, startled.
"My left eye," Jing Hongchen replied.
Upon hearing this, Lin Jiayi smiled and said, "Good luck, Hall Master! We're sure to win."
"Really?" Jing Hongchen's tension eased somewhat. After all, he had agreed to the sparring match with Shrek Academy, and losing would be a disgrace for him as the Hall Master.
After glancing at the time, Jing Hongchen immediately stood up and walked to the megaphone. "Silence!"
His loud and authoritative voice rang out, and in an instant, the noisy test site fell silent. Everyone stared at Jing Hongchen's figure on the huge megaphone screen.
Facing the gazes of tens of thousands, Jing Hongchen calmly stated, "Whether you're a Soul Master or a Soul Instructor, ultimately, you must undergo the baptism of real combat. Adhering to the principle of making friends through martial arts and enhancing learning and exchange, I've discussed with the Shrek Academy team leader and decided to hold a friendly sparring match between the two academies."
"Next, Shrek Academy will send their student Huo Yuhao, who participated in the previous Soul Battle Tournament. I hope you can carefully observe and learn from the Soul Masters' combat techniques and experience the different combat habits between Soul Masters and Soul Instructors."
"To ensure the safety of the match, I, the Hall Master, will personally act as the referee to protect the students. Now, please welcome Huo Yuhao from Shrek Academy to the arena."
With that, Jing Hongchen's body flashed, and he flew towards the arena at an extremely fast speed.
But no one looked at Jing Hongchen, because from the other side of the passage, a group of twelve people emerged.
Two of them were team leaders, and the remaining ten were students. All the students wore dark green school uniforms. And it must be said, perhaps because the first and second generation uniforms were incredibly ugly, the appearance of the uniforms had actually changed drastically over ten thousand years.
Huo Yuhao walked at the front, and He Caitou and Ye Xiaosheng patted him on the shoulder on either side, saying, "Good luck."
Huo Yuhao nodded and strode towards the competition area, facing the gazes of tens of thousands of people.
Instantly, the audience, who had been searching for Huo Yuhao, all turned their attention to him, while the students sitting at the back stared at the big screen.
Looking at that rather young and handsome face, everyone was filled with mixed emotions.
Also in the audience area, Xuan Ziwen's expression was particularly complicated. Ever since he learned that Wang Shaojie and Zimu had been defeated by the spherical soul tool created by Huo Yuhao, he understood why this kid had said upon meeting that he was saving the soul tool for his students.
Clearly, Huo Yuhao had anticipated that someone would cause trouble.
Because of Wang Shaojie and Zimu's misbehavior, these two are no longer Xuan Ziwen's students. That means only Huo Yuhao, Ju Zi, and Ke Ke still count.
"I heard Huo Yuhao is only fourteen. What kind of strength can he have? He was probably just a reserve team member in the last competition, winning a championship with the main team." Ke Ke, linking arms with Ju Zi, firmly believed Huo Yuhao would lose.
Ju Zi didn't say anything. She didn't really think Huo Yuhao could win either, but inexplicably, looking at the smiling boy on the big screen, she felt uncertain.
Maybe this guy really is capable?
She had heard about what happened in the laboratory.
Thanks to deliberate spreading of rumors, quite a few people knew Huo Yuhao's true cultivation level, while those who didn't, after asking those around them, were immediately astonished and began to discuss it amongst themselves. "
A Soul Master? What, do you think you're so high and mighty?"
Arriving at the competition stage, Huo Yuhao bowed to Jing Hongchen, who smiled and nodded in return.
Unlike the Shrek Academy members in the original story who displayed banners to provoke the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, no one did this in this life; everyone sat quietly on the sidelines.
Soon, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's participating students also entered the arena.
This was a young man over twenty years old, with a resolute face. Although not tall, he looked extremely robust.
"Wan Yijun, a sixth-year Soul Guidance Department student of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, please enlighten me."
Wan Yijun looked at Huo Yuhao, his expression calm. He was quite excited to be selected among so many applicants, but representing the academy in the competition still made him somewhat apprehensive.
"Huo Yuhao of Shrek Academy, please enlighten me." Huo Yuhao introduced himself.
Jing Hongchen nodded slightly. "Both sides, step back to one side of the arena and await my command."
The two opponents exchanged a glance, facing each other directly, before retreating, concealing their backs.
Due to the special nature of the competition, the arena was not 100 meters in diameter, but 150 meters.
Upon reaching the sides and seeing the poised and ready arena, every spectator's breath tightened.
"The match begins," Jing Hongchen announced immediately after everyone had taken their positions, without bothering with further words.
Huo Yuhao calmly walked forward, a spirit ring rising beneath his feet with each step. The more he did this, the more awe-inspiring it became, because his spirit rings were incredibly unique.
Black, purple, black, black.
Three of the four spirit rings were ten-thousand-year level.
"My god!!!" Upon seeing the colors of Huo Yuhao's spirit rings, the audience erupted in an uproar.
Jing Hongchen was also taken aback. He wasn't unfamiliar with impressive spirit ring configurations, but such spirit rings at the Soul Master level were truly unheard of.
Wan Yijun, as his opponent, was even more shocked. Without hesitation, he immediately donned his flying soul tool and quickly ascended into the air. Simultaneously, over a dozen cannons of different colors and thicknesses sprouted from his shoulders, abdomen, and arms.
His soul ring configuration was far inferior, consisting of only three yellow and two purple rings.
Once airborne, without a moment's hesitation, taking advantage of Huo Yuhao's slow summoning of his soul rings, he secretly activated the soul cannon on his chest to charge up.
However, the instant Huo Yuhao's fourth soul ring appeared, a terrifying scene unfolded. A pair of crystal-like, dazzling wings instantly condensed behind him. With a leap, he hurtled forward like lightning, shattering the ground from the sheer force of the impact. A
holy, white-gold aura rippled in the air as the wings flapped. Hidden within, a magic array flashed by, dissipating into mist that combined with the ice elemental soul power in the air, making it extremely difficult to detect.
One hundred and fifty meters seemed far, but in reality, it was very close.
With a leap, Huo Yuhao was only about a hundred meters away from Wan Yijun.
His surging aura was palpable even from a distance.
Wan Yijun's pupils contracted sharply, and he immediately displayed the abilities of an elite student. He swiftly locked onto Huo Yuhao and then fired over a dozen soul beams of various colors, some even containing paralyzing rays.
After doing this, he activated the energy cannons in his chest and shoulders, ready to counterattack should Huo Yuhao charge.
With the strength of an elite student from Sun Moon Academy, a dozen soul beams at a distance of nearly a hundred meters had no problem achieving a 50% hit rate.
"What is Wan Yijun doing? Why did he miss so many shots?"
"Huo Yuhao is on the left, why are you shooting towards the middle?"
"Watch out for the left!"
But just then, a commotion erupted again from the audience area.
Wan Yijun blinked, the confusion in his eyes fading, and after looking closely, he froze.
The soul beam he fired continued its advance, heading towards the soul-guided shield protecting the arena. However, where was anyone in that direction? Where
was Huo Yuhao? He had just been there.
Wan Yijun's eyes darted around, and he was startled to find that Huo Yuhao had somehow appeared to his left, less than thirty meters away, his icy gaze seemingly crystal clear.
"Not good!"
Wan Yijun's breath hitched, and he immediately prepared to activate the soul-guided cannon on his shoulder to defend himself. A white light appeared at the muzzle, and a strong surge of soul power gathered, but suddenly, a silent afterimage flew from his right rear and pierced through the core array of the flying soul-guided device on his back.
It was an arrow radiating cold energy!
With a deafening explosion, the flying soul-guided device immediately lost power, and Wan Yijun's body plummeted from the air. Two dense white beams of light shot out from his shoulder, but due to the fall, his body tilted, and the cannon's muzzle was misaligned. The soul-guided energy cannon he fired did not go towards Huo Yuhao.
"When?"
Wan Yijun, about to plummet to the ground, was shaken to his core.
The arrow had come too stealthily; he hadn't sensed a single threat and was unable to react effectively, not even activating his triggered defensive soul tool.
Just as Wan Yijun was about to hit the ground, a white light enveloped his entire body. Wan Yijun's pupils contracted, and he quickly channeled his soul power to activate his level-five soul tool shield. Just as the shield began to condense and was about to take shape, a large hand accurately gripped his neck, and simultaneously, a terrifying chill swept through, freezing everything below his neck.
The charging soul tool cannon on his chest, which was in a charging state, was also instantly frozen.
Tens of thousands of people stared intently at one spot: Huo Yuhao, hovering in mid-air, his white dragon wings gently fluttering, a soft halo flowing around him. He extended his right hand, his eyes calmly gripping Wan Yijun's neck, as if performing this action was nothing more than a casual gesture.
The outcome was decided.
The audience area was silent. No one had expected a Level 5 Soul Master to lose so quickly and humiliatingly.
Referee Jing Hongchen's eyelids twitched. Wan Yijun was among the middle-ranked students, neither too strong nor too weak—just right. He had specifically chosen him; after all, he couldn't just send in the strongest student directly—that would be too unfair.
But now it seemed their side had been bullied…
Huo Yuhao's strength had definitely exceeded his expectations.
In a flash, Jing Hongchen's gaze shifted to Qian Duoduo's face. The latter smiled slightly at him.
Jing Hongchen's expression darkened, but quickly returned, maintaining his composure as he said, "First match, Huo Yuhao wins."
Huo Yuhao smiled, and with a thought, the ice on Wan Yijun's body rapidly melted into cold air, which then flowed back into him.
After releasing Wan Yijun from his frozen state, Huo Yuhao controlled his wings to land firmly on the ground, then released his right hand from Wan Yijun's neck.
"Cough cough." Wan Yijun, his face flushed, coughed a few times as his consciousness gradually returned. Seeing that the biting cold had subsided, he awkwardly but still earnestly thanked Huo Yuhao.
Then, under the gaze of countless people, he hurriedly left the competition stage.
Jing Hongchen looked at Huo Yuhao and asked if he wanted to rest for a while.
Huo Yuhao shook his head and refused, saying it was nothing.
Seeing this, Jing Hongchen didn't waste any words and gestured for the second Sun Moon student to come up on stage.
Soon, a young man with an extremely robust physique, almost as tall as He Caitou, walked up. He looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with bronze skin, long arms, and unusually thick arms, although his skin looked very rough.
"It's Shen Musu, this should be a sure thing now."
Upon seeing the second Sun Moon student, the atmosphere in the audience area immediately became lively, and many people showed joyful expressions.
Off the field, Qian Duoduo frowned, thinking to himself, "That old fox, he's already sent out a level six soul master from Mingde Hall in just the second match."
"Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, Mingde Hall, Shen Musu."
"Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao."
The two looked at each other and exchanged a brief conversation.
Shen Musu had originally planned to suppress Huo Yuhao with his aura, but after releasing it, not a single ripple was made, immediately making him more wary.
Huo Yuhao, on the other hand, noticed the helmet Shen Musu was wearing, which had a colorless gem on it, emitting a faint fluctuation—clearly a soul tool for defending against mental attacks.
Yes, as a member of Mingde Hall, Shen Musu knew that Wan Yijun couldn't have missed his soul beam for no reason; it must have been caused by a mental soul skill attack.
So he quickly borrowed a level six soul tool mental defense helmet from his teacher.
After the two retreated to their designated positions, Jing Hongchen's voice rang out, "The match begins."
Shen Musu knew how to strike first. His strong body suddenly sprang into action, his speed not particularly fast, but steady. Six soul rings—two yellow, three purple, and one black—rose, showcasing his powerful Soul Emperor strength. At the same time, a faint earthy yellow light shone from his hands, and two broadswords, each about 1.3 meters long, materialized.
As soul power flowed into the two soul-guided swords, a heavy and solid aura began to spread.
Shen Musu was a typical close-combat Soul Master.
His martial soul was rock.
Soul Emperor versus Soul Master. The students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy might have sensed that Huo Yuhao's strength was off, but they didn't feel anything was amiss.
Only Jing Hongchen, Lin Jiayi, and the teachers understood that, in a sense, they had already lost the match.
Watching Shen Musu rush towards him, Huo Yuhao also chose to leap forward at top speed. The distance between the two gradually closed, one light and agile, the other heavy and imposing.
Clearly, this was about to be a head-on clash, which made everyone look forward to it.
When the distance was within a certain range, but not yet within his attack zone, Shen Musu's legs swiftly unleashed flames, propelling his soul tool. His speed wasn't particularly fast to begin with, and he rarely used it under normal circumstances, only accelerating suddenly at crucial moments to catch his enemies off guard.
Using the flames, he closed the distance between himself and Huo Yuhao to within the range of his soul-guided twin blades. Shen Musu's third and fifth soul rings lit up, and an even heavier, more substantial aura emanated from him, significantly increasing his overall presence.
Clearly, his third soul skill was a power-enhancing skill; as for his fifth soul ring, that remained unknown.
The powerful twin blades slashed down, almost distorting the air. Even a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast would have to retreat in the face of such force.
As the slash, amplified by sudden acceleration, was about to strike Huo Yuhao, the audience widened their eyes. Huo Yuhao, however, seemed to have anticipated Shen Musu's movements. As he raised and brought his twin blades down,
he subtly shifted his position with a slight tap of his toes. Simultaneously, a wisp of emerald light separated from his left arm, channeling his soul power to burrow into the ground and hide.
Huo Yuhao dodged the attack, but Shen Musu didn't stop. Even after Huo Yuhao dodged several steps, he continued his relentless slash.
With a deafening roar, the floor shattered from the terrifying earthen-yellow blade light. However, the attack seemed far from over. An earthen-yellow light instantly spread from the ground, and numerous sharp earth spikes, each over three meters tall, surged forth from the shattered surface, layer upon layer, spreading outwards from Shen Musu.
Fifth Soul Skill: Earth-Splitting Spike Slash.
Huo Yuhao wasn't in the air to begin with. The earth spikes surged and leaped out with incredible speed, seemingly about to pierce his body. However, a surprising scene unfolded.
The ground, from which numerous earth spikes had grown, inexplicably emitted an icy blue light. An extreme cold swept through, freezing the broken ground and the countless earth spikes.
In Shen Musu's view, as long as Huo Yuhao didn't leave his ten-meter radius, he would definitely not escape the earth spike attack. But this time, the earth spikes only spread to a radius of seven meters before being frozen solid.
And the distance Huo Yuhao covered after dodging was exactly seven and a half meters.
"What's going on?" Shen Musu, who was encased in the frozen earth spikes, was dumbfounded. He could use his martial soul to control the extension and retraction of the earth spikes, but he couldn't do that with the frozen earth spikes. He felt as if he were locked up.
Even his slashing movements were impossible because the range was too narrow.
"Red Dust Hall Master, please save him."
Suddenly, a clear laugh rang out, enveloped in soul power. The hearts of the thousands of people present jumped. They had all heard it. Huo Yuhao lightly touched the ground with his toes and quickly moved away from Shen Musu's area. His left arm was emitting a green light.
With a snap of his fingers, the frozen earth spikes suddenly emitted a green light and vibrated. The soul power inside was like a cannonball about to explode.
Jing Hongchen's pupils contracted, and a cannonball shot from his hand, landing where Shen Musu was, then transforming into a golden light shield.
"Boom!"
Just after the golden light shield formed, a violent roar suddenly rang out, and a bone-chilling cold air, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami, surged and spread outwards. The ice powder swept in the shockwave floated in mid-air like dust, even swallowing the sunlight.
Outside the arena, everyone was stunned by this sudden explosion. A few seconds later, as the ice powder dispersed, the scene inside the arena became clear.
"Hiss."
Countless people gasped.
The ground, which had only been slightly broken, had now turned into a crater a meter deep and more than fifteen meters in diameter. Fifteen meters away, the ground was also broken like a spider web, but it was frozen by the cold air and as smooth as a mirror.
At the epicenter of the explosion, a golden light shone like a golden bell, and Shen Musu himself stood within it. His face was deathly pale, and his robust body trembled uncontrollably. No one knew what it felt like to witness an explosion firsthand.
It was a feeling that shook even the soul, as if the body would turn to ice and be completely torn apart.
"The explosion radius caused by ice condensed from ordinary soul power is about fifteen meters. According to the original story, detonating a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast could even reach a hundred meters in diameter. This soul skill is truly a wonderful thing," Huo Yuhao thought calmly, gazing at the crater.
When the golden light disappeared, Jing Hongchen immediately appeared before Shen Musu. "How are you feeling? Are you alright?"
Shen Musu's lips twitched slightly at the question, but he knew Jing Hongchen was concerned about his injuries. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
Hearing this, Jing Hongchen breathed a sigh of relief. Every student of the Mingde Hall was a valuable talent for the empire; losing even one would be painful.
It was obvious that Huo Yuhao had warned him in advance, thus saving a student from death.
Even though Shen Musu had a triggered invincibility shield, he would have been fine without Huo Yuhao's help.
But Huo Yuhao didn't know that, so he warned him beforehand.
While amazed, Jing Hongchen also felt a slight liking for Huo Yuhao, but at the same time, his apprehension deepened. This young man would surely be a major threat to the empire in a few years.
"Huo Yuhao wins the second match. Due to damage to the arena, the match will be temporarily suspended while awaiting repairs," Jing Hongchen immediately announced the result of the second match. "
Clap clap clap."
Suddenly, applause began. Everyone had heard Huo Yuhao's warning. Although they were rivals, on the competition stage, only victory and defeat mattered. Huo Yuhao won both matches decisively and with style.
Such a performance naturally earned the approval of the Sun Moon Academy students, and everyone's gaze towards Huo Yuhao softened considerably.
Smiling and waving to the audience, Huo Yuhao returned to his group, where many earth-type soul masters were entering the arena to carry out repair work.
"Well done!" Qian Duoduo gave a thumbs up.
The group exchanged smiles and immediately gathered to chat.
However, Huo Yuhao didn't notice that in another corridor, three figures were watching him.
One man and two women.
Reading the original novel, the scene with the Shrek banner provocation almost made me dig a hole in my three-bedroom apartment with my feet.
Provocation wasn't the problem, since Huo Yuhao planned to end the exchange program early, and provoking anger was necessary for him to leave sooner. But the method of provocation was incredibly stupid.
The banner read: [Shrek! World! Number! Number! Invincible! ]
[Tang Sect! A Thousand Autumns! Ten Thousand Years! Unifying! The! Jianghu! ]
[Come and Fight If You Dare!]
I just want to ask everyone, what's your reaction to seeing this?
..........
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