*Gulp...*
In the deathly silent air, someone swallowed hard.
Though the sound was faint, at this very moment, it was like a fuse that instantly ignited the shock and horror that had been building up in Star Luo Plaza for a long time.
*Whoosh—!!!*
In the next second, the originally silent plaza was like a calm sea hit by a depth charge, instantly whipping up stormy waves.
The clamor, the cries of surprise, and the sound of people sucking in cold breaths converged into a massive wave of sound that shot straight into the clouds, nearly shaking the protective barrier above Star Luo Plaza until it buzzed.
"Lost... Shrek Team's Ma Xiaotao, that Spirit Saint, lost again?!"
"Not only did she lose, even an eighth-rank soul tool was shattered by a single punch. Why does Liu Yuan's strength feel even more ferocious than last time?"
"It looks like Shrek Academy really is going to be eliminated..."
The noisy discussions continued to pour in. Although the result hadn't been truly finalized, basically all the spectators had already guessed the subsequent outcome.
...
On the main stage.
The body of the Emperor of Star Luo, Xu Jiawei, swayed slightly. If the old eunuch beside him hadn't been quick-eyed and quick-handed enough to support him, this sovereign of the realm might have lost his composure and slumped onto his dragon throne.
Although he had already had an ominous premonition earlier when he saw Liu Yuan stack six layers of Dragon Dance,
when this scene actually occurred, the impact still left him feeling a wave of dizziness.
"It's over..."
Xu Jiawei's face was pale as he muttered to himself.
He too had seen the conclusion of Shrek Academy being eliminated.
A deep sense of regret and resentment welled up in Xu Jiawei's heart.
In order to prevent the Sun Moon Empire from winning the championship, he could be said to have gone through painstaking efforts.
He had even gone so far as to "gift" a large number of eighth-rank soul tools to Shrek's hands through the top-tier auction.
The price paid for this was by no means small.
But the result?
Shrek still lost!
"Useless... What a bunch of useless trash!"
Xu Jiawei couldn't help but curse viciously in his heart. The gaze he directed toward Shrek's waiting area no longer held any of its previous respect, replaced instead by a hint of irritation.
"I have already gone to such lengths, yet I still can't stop a single Liu Yuan?!"
"It seems the championship of this tournament really is going to fall into the hands of the Sun Moon Empire..."
Thinking of this, Xu Jiawei's mood became heavy to the extreme.
A Sun Moon Empire victory not only meant the shattering of Shrek's myth of invincibility, but also meant that spirit tools would usher in an unprecedented explosion of prestige across the entire continent.
The three original Douluo Continent empires, which were already at a military disadvantage, would likely have to face a high-spirited and well-equipped Sun Moon army at their borders in the days to come.
For the Star Luo Empire, this was undoubtedly a massive disaster.
...
While compared to Xu Jiawei's irritation and worry, from Xuan Zi's perspective, it was filled with even more despair and deathly stillness.
*Clang.*
A crisp sound rang out.
The wine gourd in Xuan Zi's hand slipped to the ground. That precious aged spirit spilled everywhere, emitting a rich aroma of wine, but at this moment, the scent smelled only of bitterness and irony to Xuan Zi.
He stared blankly at the bottomless pit outside the stage and at Ma Xiaotao, who was being urgently carried away by medical Spirit Masters. The man seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.
"It's over... It's all over..."
Xuan Zi's originally cloudy eyes were now filled with emptiness.
As the teacher leading the team, as the Vice Commander of the Shrek Supervisory Group, and as a rank ninety-eight Super Douluo,
he knew better than anyone what Ma Xiaotao's defeat signified.
It meant that the record of winning the All-Continent High-Rank Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, which Shrek Academy had taken pride in and never broken since its founding ten thousand years ago, was going to be completely terminated in his hands!
"How did it turn into this? Why did it turn into this?"
Xuan Zi's hands trembled uncontrollably. Deep within his heart, the regret that bit at him like a venomous snake reached its peak at this moment.
He looked at the high-spirited Liu Yuan on the stage, the scenes from back then constantly replaying in his mind.
If he hadn't driven Liu Yuan away back then, the one winning now would be their Shrek!
With Liu Yuan present, plus Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, this year's championship would have been practically in the bag!
In fact, for the next few hundred years, Shrek would have stood firm because of having Liu Yuan!
However, all those "ifs" had been personally strangled by him.
It was he who had personally pushed this peerless Genius to the opposing side.
It was he who had personally cultivated the most terrifying gravedigger for Shrek!
"I am guilty... I am Shrek's sinner!"
Xuan Zi closed his eyes in pain, two lines of cloudy tears flowing down his wrinkled face.
He didn't dare imagine how he would speak when he returned to the academy and faced those students full of expectation, and faced Elder Mu, who had dedicated his life to the academy.
The image of being pointed at by a thousand accusing fingers made this Super Douluo feel an unprecedented fear.
...
Of course, some were happy while others grieved.
After seeing the result of Ma Xiaotao's defeat, Xuan Zi and Xu Jiawei were miserable...
But on the stage, the rest of the Sun Moon Team students felt incredibly excited.
Just as they had repelled Dai Yueheng and the others in a single blow, they saw the scene of Ma Xiaotao's defeat.
One by one, they immediately burst out laughing.
Xiao Hongchen: "Brother Liu Yuan! You succeeded!"
Meng Hongchen: "Brother Liu Yuan defeated Ma Xiaotao. I want to see how you're going to fight us now?!"
The morale of the Sun Moon Team instantly surged, while Dai Yueheng and the others on the opposite side became completely disheartened.
They didn't continue fighting here because they all knew that continuing to fight would be completely meaningless.
Looking at Liu Yuan on the other side, who had already fully stacked his Dragon Dance and whose Aura was terrifyingly strong...
Dai Yueheng and the others knew very well that as long as Liu Yuan was willing, he could speedrun through them all by himself right now.
So...
What was the point of fighting?
Even if deep in their hearts they felt extreme reluctance and indignation,
at this moment, Dai Yueheng and the others no longer had the desire to continue the battle.
"We surrender."
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Dai Yueheng directly raised his palm and announced their surrender.
On the other side, the referee responsible for this match had no choice but to directly make a declaration after hearing Dai Yueheng's words.
The referee's voice rang out quickly and loudly, instantly spreading throughout the entire venue.
"In view of Shrek Academy's voluntary choice to surrender..."
"I announce that in this All-Continent Soul Master Tournament, in the Round of Sixteen, the Shrek Team is eliminated!"
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