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At this moment, the Shrek Seven felt as if they were being played like fools.
Su Wen clearly possessed the strength to instant-kill nearly half of their team and retreat unscathed. Yet, after demonstrating that terrifying power, he had actually held back, staying his hand specifically to wait for their collective siege. To the Shrek team, this was either the mark of a madman or a sign of utter contempt. It was as if he didn't view them as worthy opponents at all.
"Tang San, you are the first enemies I have faced in a direct confrontation since I reached the state of a Soul King," Su Wen said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "Begin. Do not waste any more of my time."
"Go!"
A thunderous tiger's roar erupted from Dai Mubai's throat. Behind him, a shadow surged forward, and in an instant, he and Zhu Zhuqing were locked in a tight embrace. A blinding pillar of light erupted, illuminating the entire arena. Out of the radiance stepped a massive, translucent white tiger. Its fur was snowy white with pitch-black stripes, and its dual-pupiled eyes shimmered with a piercing purple light. It stood two meters tall and stretched eight meters in length—the Martial Soul Fusion Skill: the Hell White Tiger.
The moment it manifested, the Hell White Tiger lunged toward Su Wen with predatory ferocity. Simultaneously, Tang San closed the distance, his Eight Spider Lances extended to their limit, vibrating with lethal energy. At this stage, they believed only the Hell White Tiger and Tang San's external spirit bone stood a chance of wounding Su Wen.
However, the other four were far from idle. Ma Hongjun, having recovered from his previous injuries, unleashed his Phoenix Fire-Line and Bathing Fire Phoenix abilities, weaving a web of flames to seal off Su Wen's escape routes. Meanwhile, Xu Jiang and Tai Long charged forward, acting as shields and secondary attackers alongside the Tiger and Tang San.
Su Wen didn't bother dodging the Phoenix fire. He didn't move at all.
Above his head, the Heavenly Book drifted open. Its pages flipped rapidly, and sheet after sheet of paper flew out, transforming mid-air into massive boulders that crashed into the earth around him.
Boom!
A staggering aura of gravitational pressure suddenly erupted. Though the Shrek members had anticipated some form of resistance, the sudden weight caused their movements to stutter. Their rhythm wavered, but they forced themselves to push through the crushing force.
More pages took flight, shifting into a localized storm of wind blades and fireballs. Tornados began to form, swirling with infernal heat as they swept through the array of giant stones. The Hell White Tiger roared, colliding head-on with a fire-laced cyclone. The wind blades tore at its illusory body, causing its aura to flicker and weaken.
Tai Long, in his Vigor Ape form, unleashed all three of his offensive spirit skills, yet he was still blasted backward by the sheer force of a flaming vortex. Xu Jiang fared worse; his tortoise shell glowed a dull, angry red from the heat. His vision blurred, and he teetered on the verge of a heat-induced blackout.
Tang San fought to maintain his composure. He used the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step in tandem with his Eight Spider Lances to bleed off the gravitational pressure while weaving through the fire and wind. However, Su Wen had studied Tang San's footwork extensively. He understood the rhythm of the technique, and he manipulated the flames and tornados specifically to hem Tang San in, cutting off every possible path of advancement.
Once again, pages fluttered from the book. They folded and shifted with mechanical precision, manifesting as seven razor-sharp flying swords. Enveloped in sharp sword-qi, they curved through the air, diving toward the rear line where Oscar and Ma Hongjun stood.
The initial silence had lasted ten seconds. The first exchange, where Ma Hongjun attacked the Emperor Fighting Team's substitutes and Su Wen retaliated, took half a minute. The time spent for Ma Hongjun to heal took three minutes. The final "siege" of the Shrek Seven against Su Wen? That lasted barely thirty seconds.
The battle reached its abrupt conclusion. Tang San stood at his limit, his eyes burning with a mix of shock and pure, unadulterated indignation.
No! My Tang Sect Hidden Weapon techniques... I haven't used them yet! My Bat Wing Reincarnation... I didn't even get the chance to show it!
Damn it! Su Wen, it's because you're too weak! You couldn't even last long enough to break my Eight Spider Lances!
It was a battle that defied all logic. Su Wen's victory was an absolute crushing of his opposition. Even against a Martial Soul Fusion Skill that theoretically allowed Spirit Elders to contend with a Soul King, Su Wen had ended it without moving from his original spot.
Ignoring the referee's official declaration of victory for the Emperor Fighting Team's second unit, Su Wen turned his gaze toward the high seats where the Pope resided.
I have proven my potential. Now, the requirements for my Academy should no longer be an issue.
Bibi Dong looked down at the young man. As their gazes met, a complex swirl of emotions rose within her. Truthfully, if one set aside the advantage of Twin Martial Souls, Su Wen was not inferior to her in her youth—in fact, he surpassed her significantly.
"To think a child with only Level 5 Innate Spirit Power could reach such heights..." Bibi Dong mused inwardly, her heart heavy with calculation. She could read the silent message in Su Wen's eyes. Recalling the requests Su Wen had funneled through Salas previously, she began to weigh the scales of profit and loss.
Beside her, Platinum Bishop Salas also wore a complicated expression. He finally understood Su Wen's bargaining chip. A sixteen-year-old Spirit Ancestor was talented, but a sixteen-year-old Soul King was unheard of—a freak of nature. He wondered if even the young mistress of the Hall had reached such a level at that age.
The shock Su Wen left in his wake lingered, but the tournament marched on. As subsequent battles took place, the memory of Su Wen's overwhelming display began to fade slightly from the public's immediate focus, buried under the excitement of new matches.
The Emperor Fighting Team's second unit sailed through the third and fourth rounds as their opponents surrendered or were easily dispatched. Finally, they reached the fifth round—the semi-finals.
Only three teams remained: the Spirit Hall Seeded Team, the Emperor Fighting First Team, and the Emperor Fighting Second Team. Remarkably, the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy had claimed two of the three final spots.
"Sigh, what a pity. The draw resulted in our two Emperor Fighting teams facing each other in the individual elimination round first."
The rules for the final stage were unique. A draw decided which two teams would participate in an individual elimination match (similar to the promotion rounds). The winning team would advance directly to the final, while the losing team would fight a full team battle against the third team. The winner of that team battle would then face the winner of the elimination match for the championship.
Unfortunately, the two Heaven Dou teams had been drawn together for the 1v1 elimination.
"We forfeit." Dugu Yan, who knew exactly how terrifying Su Wen was, had long since convinced her teammates to concede. Others only saw a Soul King, but Dugu Yan knew Su Wen was at least a high-tier Soul King. Furthermore, he had the support of Ning Rongrong, a Spirit Ancestor whose buffs provided a staggering 50% increase across four attributes. Trying to fight them was a fool's errand.
They knew they stood no chance against Spirit Hall's main team either, but they could at least act as a buffer. By forfeiting against the second team, they ensured Su Wen's team remained at peak condition.
"Tianheng, if possible, I don't need you to exhaust the Spirit Hall team in the next round," Su Wen told Yu Tianheng privately.
Yu Tianheng and the members of the first team frowned. However, they knew Su Wen well. Despite their doubts, they chose to trust his judgment.
The team match began shortly after.
"Emperor Fighting Team versus Spirit Hall Team! Both sides, prepare!"
"Begin!"
"Referee, we concede." Yu Tianheng and his team didn't even bother to release their Martial Souls or Spirit Rings, surrendering immediately.
"Damn it... they're looking down on us." Yan glared toward the waiting area of the second team. Watching Su Wen, his heart burned with irritation. Yan had always been arrogant, but he lived by a simple code: respect for the strong. He accepted that Su Wen's talent eclipsed his own, but Su Wen's dismissive attitude was something he found intolerable.
(End of Chapter)