Xu Sanshi stood proudly atop the Soul Dueling Platform, basking in the cheers of the crowd.
His tactics might have been somewhat shameless, but the flair of his performance brought a fresh and entertaining change for the audience.
After countless brutal and bloody matches, a bout like this—light-hearted and quirky—was oddly refreshing and even enjoyable to watch.
Most importantly, Xu Sanshi won.
If he could continue like this and take down all seven of Yunluo Academy's members, it would undoubtedly become one of the tournament's biggest highlights.
Just as he was enjoying the crowd's enthusiastic support, Yunluo Academy's third contestant stepped onto the platform.
This student had a frosty look on his face but remained composed. He bowed slightly to Xu Sanshi and said calmly:
"Yunluo Advanced Soul Engineering Academy, Situ Yu."
Seeing his serious expression, Xu Sanshi sensed something different and toned down his relaxed demeanor slightly.
"Shrek Academy, Xu Sanshi."
Situ Yu spoke in a low, steady voice:
"I know your real strength isn't what you've shown so far. As the captain of Yunluo Academy, I hope we can have a fair and honorable fight—so I can truly understand the gap between us."
"If you defeat me, there will be no need to continue the match. The same applies if I win. I want to earn your respect through strength."
Xu Sanshi was momentarily stunned by the direct challenge. Then, his grin widened.
"So, you want to make this a high-stakes gamble? Fine, as you wish."
Though their voices weren't loud, Cao Jinxuan and the others in the waiting area clearly heard the exchange.
One match to decide it all.
If Xu Sanshi lost this battle, Shrek Academy would lose their first round in the round-robin stage.
He was now carrying the entire team's hopes.
Yet none of the Shrek team—Cao Jinxuan, Bei Bei, or even the lowest-ranked Wang Dong—showed any nervousness. In fact, they looked even more relaxed.
That was because they had complete faith in Xu Sanshi.
Thanks to Zhou Sicheng's personal training, everyone on the team had a clear grasp of each other's strengths.
Just like they had already experienced the power of He Caitou's top-tier auxiliary-type Martial Soul, they were also well aware of Xu Sanshi's true capabilities.
Though he was currently only at Rank 43, when going all out, there was no way a four-ring Soul Ancestor like Situ Yu could reverse the situation.
In fact, none of them believed Situ Yu could even force Xu Sanshi to go all-out. After all, this guy wasn't just powerful—he was a master of trickery.
At the referee's signal, both Xu Sanshi and Situ Yu slowly stepped back to their starting positions. Xu Sanshi still looked relaxed, the soul power–enhancing cigar between his lips burning only halfway through.
Situ Yu, however, appeared extremely focused. Since the wager was accepted, this match was of critical importance.
If he could win this and defeat Shrek Academy in the first round, Yunluo Academy's reputation would soar.
Once the referee saw they were ready, he announced:
"Begin!"
As the match officially started, Situ Yu did not launch an immediate attack.
Instead, his body began to emit radiant light, followed by the sharp clanking of mechanical parts. Numerous metal tubes rapidly extended from various parts of his body.
In just a few breaths, Situ Yu's body swelled nearly twice its size.
From each of his legs extended three thick metallic struts, sharp-tipped and as thick as forearms, which slammed into the ground and anchored him like a fortress.
From the shins upward, dozens of attack-type soul tools unfolded from his armored suit.
Xu Sanshi didn't rush forward. He simply observed, calm and unbothered.
He noticed that as the soul tools deployed, six unusual lights flared from different parts of Situ Yu's body. It was clear that these lights were activating and affixing soul tools to him.
On either side of his lower legs were three short, thick tubes.
By now, Situ Yu was completely encased in a heavy metal shell, resembling a towering bunker.
All over his body, over thirty metal barrels protruded outward. The largest was situated on his chest—a soul cannon, glowing faintly with a dark golden hue and measuring over half a foot in diameter.
In this state, Situ Yu resembled a steel behemoth ready for war—a walking weapon of destruction.
His aura exuded a chilling sense of killing intent. From his feet rose two yellow and two purple soul rings—a standard Soul Ancestor configuration.
Behind him, his Martial Soul activated, glowing with white light as it unfurled into a massive fan-shaped array, like a giant unfolded fan strapped to his back.
Despite this intimidating display, Cao Jinxuan and the others remained perfectly calm.
Even He Caitou, a Grade 4 Soul Engineer, merely chuckled:
"If it were anyone else, this guy's mobile soul cannon platform tactic might be intimidating. But too bad he's up against Senior Xu Sanshi. What a pity."
Back on the stage, facing this "steel titan," Xu Sanshi maintained a nonchalant expression.
A fully-powered Grade 4 soul cannon platform could indeed pose a threat even to a five-ring Soul King, provided the distance was ideal.
Even Xu Sanshi wouldn't dare to take such an onslaught head-on.
But he wasn't some stationary dummy. Besides his fourth soul skill, he had many tricks up his sleeve.
Thus, compared to Situ Yu's dramatic transformation, Xu Sanshi looked rather plain.
He stood there casually, holding his Black Tortoise Shell Shield, still puffing on his cigar. After the match was declared open, he didn't activate any soul skills—he just started walking toward Situ Yu, quickly closing the distance.
Seeing this, Situ Yu's face tightened.
He hadn't expected Xu Sanshi to be so dismissive of him. Very well—he'd show no mercy either.
Situ Yu raised his arms, elbows locking into his sides, merging with connectors on his suit's flanks.
Then, six metal tubes on each arm erupted with blinding white light.
Simultaneously, his four soul rings began to flash alternately, and the massive fan-like device behind him shone with flowing light, emanating layers of radiant white halos.
Countless white orbs of light exploded outward in an instant. Each one was the size of an egg, forming a storm-like barrage of light projectiles that surged toward Xu Sanshi.
This was the Six-Barreled Miniature Soul Cannon, a high-powered Class 4 soul tool.
Its advantages and disadvantages were equally obvious.
Its strengths: high burst damage, wide area coverage, and intense offensive power.
Its flaw: massive soul power consumption, enough to be fatal in drawn-out battles.
But at this moment, Situ Yu had gone all-in on a one-strike victory. If he could overwhelm Xu Sanshi with a single, overwhelming wave of attacks, then he wouldn't have to continue fighting—victory would be his.
Facing this barrage, Xu Sanshi raised his Black Tortoise Shell Shield, planted his feet, and charged forward with swift and intricate footwork.
As the rain of light bullets fell, most of them missed entirely thanks to his strange and elusive movement technique. Those that couldn't be avoided were all blocked by his shield.
Tang Sect Secret Technique: Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!
Like in the original work, Xu Sanshi had also joined the Tang Sect.
In fact, aside from Cao Jinxuan, Long Xiangyue, and He Caitou, all the other members of the Shrek Academy preliminary team had already joined the Tang Sect for various personal reasons.
Zhou Sicheng hadn't interfered—so long as it didn't affect him, he didn't mind.
Realizing his Six-Barreled Cannon had failed to make any meaningful impact, Situ Yu activated every soul tool on his body at once.
He didn't care about soul power consumption anymore—he had to go all-out. He absolutely couldn't allow Xu Sanshi to get close.
Twin dark-colored cannons on his shoulders fired beams of energy. Dozens of miniature soul rockets erupted from every angle, while the massive cannon at his chest charged up a giant energy orb.
Xu Sanshi, undeterred, continued to advance. While doing so, his second soul ring lit up, and the Black Tortoise Shell Shield in his hand shattered into dozens of fragments, flying out to intercept the incoming soul rockets.
Before the projectiles even reached him, they were preemptively detonated by the fragment shields.
As for the twin shoulder-mounted energy beams, Xu Sanshi relied on the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, weaving like a phantom to slip right past them.
Watching all of this, Situ Yu's composure finally cracked.
His massive chest-mounted cannon finished charging and unleashed a terrifying beam of light directly at Xu Sanshi.
But Xu Sanshi didn't stop.
He charged forward at full speed as if he were heading straight into the blast.
Just as the beam was about to strike him, the fragmented shield had already reassembled and returned to his hand without anyone noticing.
The surface of the Black Tortoise Shell Shield glowed with a deep black light, becoming as smooth and reflective as a mirror.
Holding the shield slightly angled in front of him, Xu Sanshi caught the terrifying energy blast.
The shield trembled subtly as it absorbed the impact. With perfect control, the beam was deflected off the side of the shield, bouncing away and slamming hard into the protective barrier surrounding the arena.
Tang Sect Secret Technique: Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon!
Combined with the principle of "four ounces to move a thousand pounds," and the shield's unique properties, Xu Sanshi managed to completely neutralize an attack powerful enough to threaten even a Soul King.
His feet held steady like bedrock.
Even before the deflected energy beam fully dispersed, Xu Sanshi charged forward like a roaring lion, slamming his shoulder directly into Situ Yu's fortified cannon platform.
With a deafening boom, Situ Yu was hurled through the air, crashing into the protective barrier. Chunks of stone and metal were ripped from the ground by the sheer force of the impact.
Even with the cannon platform increasing his total weight to over 500 jin (roughly 250 kg), Xu Sanshi sent him flying like a ragdoll—a testament to his terrifying strength.
Standing at the edge of the platform, Xu Sanshi retracted his Martial Soul. He took a long drag from the cigar still clamped between his teeth, now down to its final third.
Looking down at the groggy and battered Situ Yu, he said calmly:
"A real man keeps his word. I hope you meant what you said."
Situ Yu looked up, met Xu Sanshi's gaze, and after a moment's silence, gave a firm nod.
"I lost. I accept my defeat. Yunluo Academy… concedes."
As soon as he admitted defeat, the referee's voice rang out:
"First round of the round-robin matches—Shrek Academy wins!"
At those words, Xu Sanshi raised his arms toward the waiting area, twisting his body in his trademark over-the-top swagger, much to his teammates' exasperation.
Shrek Academy had won their first round-robin match, and they did so with a clean 7-0 sweep.
Or rather, Xu Sanshi alone had crushed all seven opponents—his teammates didn't even get the chance to appear.
Even more impressive, he hadn't gone all-out. He'd only used two soul skills.
Cheers erupted throughout the arena.
Among the observing Soul Master students, many began to reflect in silence.
From his Martial Soul alone, Xu Sanshi clearly appeared to be a defense-type soul master. But his fighting style… was nothing like that of a traditional tank.
And how could a defensive soul master move so quickly and precisely? Was that all just the effect of soul skills?
Because of Xu Sanshi's quirky yet overwhelming performance, Shrek had once again delivered a near-mythical result.
As Xu Sanshi returned to the waiting area, his eyes swept over to the rest area of the Sun and Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, a provocative grin tugging at the corners of his lips.
Over the past few days, although the Shrek team had stayed mostly inside the hotel training, they were well aware of the brewing tension between their academy and the Sun and Moon Academy.
By now, the drama had spread so widely it was common knowledge.
But Xu Sanshi and the others didn't believe they were weaker than the Sun and Moon preliminary team. Anyone could talk big.
So what if they had two Soul Kings?
There were three match formats in the round-robin. Even with some difference in soul power levels, Shrek didn't believe the Sun and Moon team had any real chance.
In team battles, Cao Jinxuan could take full control of the battlefield. In the 2-2-3 format, Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei formed one duo, and Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue the other—almost guaranteeing two wins.
As for one-on-one battles, Shrek only needed to secure four victories to win the round. No matter the format, they were fully confident.
From across the arena, the Sun and Moon team returned scornful looks in response to Xu Sanshi's provocation.
Shrek had its strengths, yes—but the Sun and Moon preliminary team had their own pride.
This wasn't a match between main teams. If they wanted to compare preliminary squads, then they'd fight that battle.
Xiao Hongchen and his sister Meng Hongchen exchanged a glance, and both saw the same burning fighting spirit in each other's eyes.
Who was truly stronger?
The battlefield would decide.
In the midst of roaring cheers, Xu Sanshi returned to his teammates, basking in their praise.
Today, he'd finally stepped into the spotlight. It wouldn't be long before the name Xu Sanshi spread far and wide.
Unfortunately for him, Jiang Nannan didn't even spare him a glance.
The simp gets no love.
In Shrek's massive resting area, Zhou Sicheng rose from his seat as soon as the match ended and left Star Luo Plaza without a word.
The main team members silently followed their captain, completely unconcerned about the rest of the day's matches.
The preliminary members trailed behind as well, uninterested in any further fights.
Just like during the knockout rounds, Shrek Academy made it clear they didn't care about anyone else's performance. Their arrogance was practically tradition.
As rumors swirled that the Sun and Moon team would topple Shrek, Shrek remained completely unbothered, making the Sun and Moon team appear more and more like petty clowns.
People watched as all fourteen Shrek members in green uniforms calmly exited the arena, indifferent to the remaining matches—and no one questioned it.
Because they were Shrek.
If you had that kind of strength, you could act that way too.
Once they left, everyone's eyes turned to the Sun and Moon Academy.
With so much hype, and Shrek pulling off a clean seven-win sweep… could the Sun and Moon team do the same?
In competitions like this, momentum mattered. Whoever flinched first was already halfway to losing.
Ma Rulong, captain of the Sun and Moon main team, clenched his fists.
He didn't like being drawn into this rivalry—but now that they were, he couldn't let their prelim team lose to Shrek's.
Xiao Hongchen's smile didn't waver:
"They want a show? Then we'll give them one. From this moment forward—Shrek will be beneath our feet."
His sister Meng Hongchen murmured beside him:
"Brother, maybe don't speak so soon. We're only talking about the preliminaries. According to what we've gathered, we may not even be able to beat their main team…"
Xiao Hongchen's smile froze. He recalled the data reports and couldn't help but picture Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao—both devastatingly beautiful and incredibly strong.
"Impossible. Even I might not be able to match them… maybe it's all a bluff?"
Meng Hongchen sighed:
"If it's Shrek… then maybe not."
Xiao Hongchen gave her a sidelong glare:
"Don't talk them up. Unless their main team shows up, it's all just smoke and mirrors. Why would Shrek suddenly rely on their prelim team this time?"
Meng Hongchen nodded slowly.
"That's true... but we haven't heard of anything unusual happening to Shrek. What are they up to this year?"
****
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