From the central rostrum, one could faintly sense several auras, each heavy as a mountain.
The moment the Shrek group stepped into the Grand Soul Arena, the previously noisy stands suddenly fell silent. For an instant, more than a hundred thousand eyes focused entirely on the six of them.
Even with the best mentality, being subjected to that scale of attention created an immense pressure in their hearts.
Xu Xiaoyan and Xu Lizhi were in the worst condition—their faces already paling.
After all, nearly everyone present carried hostility toward them. Every individual exuded their own aura, and when these were combined into a single oppressive wave, it struck heavily at their mental strength and mindset.
They walked toward the center of the arena. Already waiting there stood six people.
All of them wore the white uniforms of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. Surprisingly, they really did seem to be about the same age as the Shrek students.
Besides the six, there floated a middle-aged man in midair. He looked to be in his forties, clad from head to toe in armor—soul armor. Judging by its brilliance, it was actually three-word battle armor.
"The rules will now be announced." The man in midair spoke with a deep voice.
"This match is primarily for sparring. However, in order to ensure that both sides can fully display their true strength, unless you are in danger of severe injury, crippling, or death, as the referee, I will not stop the battle. I may also eliminate certain competitors. Victory will be decided by whichever team still has members able to fight after the other side has been completely defeated. Do you all understand?"
Gu Yue spoke up: "So basically, as long as we don't kill them, everything else goes, with no real restrictions, right?"
The six opponents all glared at her angrily, but under the referee's oppressive presence, none dared to make a sound.
"You can interpret it that way," the man said coldly, a flash of icy light in his eyes.
"Raise the barrier." He gestured behind him.
A transparent white shield slowly rose around the arena, stretching high up into the sky and sealing itself a hundred meters above.
The barrier also blocked sound. Instantly, the world became silent.
"Prepare for the match." The referee flew higher into the air.
"Long Chen." At the head of the Sun Moon Academy's team stood a tall, handsome youth, his body glowing faintly with radiance. He looked only fourteen or fifteen, yet his build rivaled that of an adult.
Introductions were made for both sides…
Amusingly, one of the Sun Moon Academy's female competitors bore the bizarre name Zhan Kuangtian ("Battle Mad Sky").
The teams withdrew, opening a distance of one hundred meters.
"The match begins!"
The six students from Sun Moon Academy released their martial souls.
Long Chen stepped forward. A dragon's roar resounded from his body as his figure grew three inches taller. Four soul rings rose at his feet.
Three purple, one black!
Long Chen—ranked just behind Wu Siduo on the youth genius list. If not for Wu Siduo's twin martial souls and innate fusion technique, he would unquestionably rank above her.
The rest of his teammates were all three-ring Soul Masters.
Xie Xie wasn't particularly shocked by their soul ring setup. In the past, he might have dismissed the battle as pointless. But now, with Xu Xiaoyan possessing a ten-thousand-year soul ring, their team's strength had reached a terrifying level—more than enough to face their opponents head-on.
Long Chen pushed off the ground, leaping into the air.
His second soul ring lit up—accompanied by a piercing dragon's roar.
Second Soul Skill: Dragon's Roar!
Waves of sound burst forth, almost tangible, while faint golden light took the shape of a dragon around him. A mighty aura of light exploded outward.
His martial soul—Radiant Holy Dragon. The trump card of the Sun Moon Academy!
He was praised as the youth most likely to become a four-word battle armor master. Here, he was a true prodigy.
Gu Yue watched silently from the platform. Without the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, would this fight really be so easy?
The result, however, was astonishing. Gu Yue unleashed the Heart of Elements, fusing seven immense elemental forces together. With a single devastating elemental "nuclear blast," she overturned the battle.
"You win," the referee said bitterly. The Sun Moon Academy's competitors had all been severely injured.
Intermission.
The second round began…
Gu You stepped onto the stage. His heart was unsettled—he wanted to finish things quickly.
His opponent was a twenty-year-old man, utterly ordinary in appearance and aura.
"Long Batian. Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Rank 75, assault-type Battle Soul Master."
Gu You's lips curled into a faint smile. Did the Sun Moon Academy really have such a fixation on dragon martial souls? And this didn't even match his request—after all, how many Contra-levels under twenty existed in the world? Still, his semester exam would be fine; Gu Yue and the others had spare credits to cover him.
This was nothing but a crushing mismatch. Utterly meaningless.
"Match, begin!"
Both sides released their martial souls. The opponent's setup was utterly ordinary.
But the moment Gu You revealed his soul rings, an uproar swept through the audience.
Though he couldn't hear it due to the soundproofing barrier, the shock was unmistakable.
Long Batian's blood suddenly boiled uncontrollably. In his eyes, Gu You's figure loomed larger and larger, impossible to resist.
Fear flashed in his eyes. How could he possibly fight this? His opponent had multiple hundred-thousand-year soul rings. What was he in comparison?
The opponent immediately declared surrender.
The entire arena fell silent. Was the Sun Moon Academy really humiliated like this?
This was Shrek!
Throughout Mingdu, the air felt thick like steel. Outside the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, the crowds swelled until not a single street was passable.
The battle had been broadcast across all of Mingdu's massive screens—both in private homes and public spaces.
Using Gu Yue's spatial teleportation, the group successfully left.
Inside the Sun Moon Academy's high-level conference room—
"Well then, what are everyone's thoughts on today's battle?" an elder at the head seat asked darkly.
"With him present, we cannot win." Another person passed over a file.
The elder glanced at it, his expression changing dramatically…
Wu Zhangkong appeared in his usual unorthodox way—descending directly from the sky in a flying car.
Everyone boarded. They celebrated their victory, but also spoke of their upcoming separation—the holidays were about to begin.
Gu You first booked a ticket to Heaven Dou City, then returned to Shrek Academy to attend the end-of-semester address.
This trip to Heaven Dou City was for an auction. Word had it that this was a grand event of the century, with countless treasures up for bid.
End of Chapter