The tournament host's voice rang through the arena: "Let us first welcome the team members from Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy onto the stage!"
From a position further back in the competitors' area, a team of pale-faced young members walked out. Their steps were a bit light, and their complexions were as white as if they had just been fished out of an ice cellar; before they even stepped onto the stage, their Aura had already lost more than half its strength.
Seeing this, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but sigh softly: "It seems Shrek's reputation is still too great... This way, a simple Spiritual Shock will be enough to knock them all down."
He had originally been pondering: should he Simulate a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring, or the Aura of a Titled Douluo plus nine spirit rings, or all of the above? Now it seemed there was no need for such trouble at all.
The simplest Spiritual Shock would suffice, because the opposition no longer had any Battle Intent left to speak of. If they did, he would have had to control the intensity of the Spiritual Shock more precisely to avoid actually hurting them.
The corners of Wang Dong's mouth curled up, his eyes flashing with mischievous light: "Then let's save the performance of the Titled Douluo and the hundred-thousand-year spirit ring for the next match! Let's give them a surprise."
Wang Yan nodded, his tone steady: "Mm, do your best. I believe in you."
Furina tilted his head, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness: "The Laws of victory have already been determined."
Elder Xuan, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke, his voice deep and powerful: "Go, children. This is your stage."
He had originally wanted to mention the words 'Shrek's Glory,' but as the words reached his lips, he forced himself to swallow them back down.
Glory or not, it was no longer important. What mattered was believing in these kids; they would surely achieve the best results.
"Good! The members of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy have already taken the stage!" The host's voice rose again, piercing the clouds. "In this moment of global attention, next, let us welcome the continent's number one academy, the true king among academies—the Shrek Academy representative team!"
Star Luo Plaza instantly turned into an ocean of cheers for "Shrek." The sound waves surged like a tide, each wave higher than the last.
Even the Emperor of Star Luo, sitting atop the city wall to watch the battle, couldn't help but stand up, an excited expression appearing on his face.
As the oldest student, Bei Bei naturally took on the role of captain. He took a deep breath and, with steady steps, led everyone onto the high platform ahead. The seven of them walked with synchronized steps and firm gazes, like seven sharp swords that had just been unsheathed.
The two sides, seven people each, gathered in a corner of the competition platform, facing each other from a distance.
When the students from Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy clearly saw that Shrek Academy had sent out such a young lineup, they couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
These people coming up... are they Shrek Academy's preparatory team? But this is an elimination round! Are they not afraid of capsizing?
Almost everyone in the spectator stands had the same question—except for Jianan Academy.
Because the members of Jianan Academy knew Huo Yuhao and the others' strength; among their peers, they were definitely top-tier. Moreover, Huo Yuhao and the others were practically members of the Axis Cult, so in their hearts, they were naturally cheering for them rather than just watching the spectacle.
Xiao Hongchen sat in the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's contestant area, his gaze narrowing slightly: "As I expected, this team definitely has something special about it. That Supreme Pontiff of the Axis Cult is certainly not ordinary."
Beside him, Elder Ma said in a low voice: "You're right. I've already received some intelligence; that Axis Cult is a Sect organization founded only two or three years ago. It's said they started by giving out free cake and treating the sick. But now, their influence covers the entire Star Luo Empire, and they've been named the state religion by the Star Luo Empire. Besides our Sun Moon Empire, they've also infiltrated the Heaven Dou Empire and Dou Ling Empire."
He turned his gaze toward the direction of the Jianan Academy team, his voice lowering even further: "Rumor has it they have a Limit Douluo backing them. But now I'm certain—it's not a rumor, it's true."
Xiao Hongchen followed his gaze; though they were far away, he could vaguely sense a bottomless Aura coming from that direction.
His heart jolted: "A Limit Douluo? This... fine! It seems it really is necessary to consider this..."
He fell into deep thought.
The Emperor of Star Luo was also stunned. He turned to the Prime Minister beside him and asked in confusion, "What is Shrek Academy doing? Why didn't they send their main force? Why hasn't Dai Hao's son come on stage either?"
The Prime Minister opened his mouth, but he couldn't provide an answer either.
But a match is a match; no matter how many people were confused, the match still had to continue.
The referee sent by the Star Luo Empire was already in place, making a gesture for both sides to come forward.
The seven students from both sides quickly gathered in the center of the field. From up close, the Shrek Seven Devils could see their opponents' unsightly complexions even more clearly—pale, stiff, and with beads of sweat even seeping from their foreheads. Countless historical precedents had proven that encountering Shrek Academy in the first round basically resulted in only one outcome: defeat.
The students of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy also made a discovery: up close, the ages of Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao drew even more of their attention.
Even Bei Bei and the others were clearly on the younger side! This was undoubtedly a preparatory team, and one with an average age far below fifteen. Shrek Academy truly lived up to its name as the "Monster Academy"; what exactly were they planning?
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"