In Dai Tianling's heart, his teacher had always been an insurmountable existence, a barrier that could never be crossed. He had never once seen his teacher show such emotions. Could it be that the Douluo Continent was truly…
En Ci smiled faintly."You don't need to overthink it. Although I don't believe I could win there, I have no trouble protecting myself. Once a true successor appears, I will be able to chase another world without regrets. Even if I cannot see it clearly in fate, I must still try."
Dai Tianling nodded."Teacher, I truly envy you."
En Ci shook his head."Your ambition does not lie in that direction, so there is nothing to envy. Rest assured—Long Yue's talent is no less than mine back then. With him, Star Luo can be guarded for at least another hundred years."
It was the first time Dai Tianling had ever heard En Ci speak of someone so highly. His gaze instinctively fell to the arena, landing on Long Yue who had already stepped onto the stage.
So in the teacher's heart, this Long Yue was actually this exceptional. If so, then he must not lose. If he did, would that not prove that Monster Academy was separated from Shrek by an unbridgeable chasm?
The relaxed expression on Le Zhengyu's face vanished the instant he stepped onto the platform.
Long Yue's towering figure felt like a massive mountain pressing down on his heart.
As a student of Shrek Academy, his fundamental judgment was never wrong. The moment he first saw Long Yue, he had already felt it.
Long Yue still wore his usual smile, completely unchanged from how he faced any other opponent.
The referee glanced between the two, taking a deep breath. He knew that Monster Academy could not afford to lose. But the All-Continent Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament was before the entire Star Luo Empire—there could be no favoritism. Everything had to be absolutely fair.
"Three—two—one—match begin!"
With the referee's shout, the clash between the two great academies began. This was also the first time Long Yue faced an opponent from Shrek Academy.
The moment the referee spoke the word begin, Le Zhengyu suddenly stepped forward—a large and powerful stride.
Long Yue raised an eyebrow. His gaze toward Le Zhengyu subtly shifted.
Such a simple motion, yet when executed by Le Zhengyu, its meaning was extraordinary. With one step, his entire aura underwent a dramatic transformation.
Golden light wrapped around his body, flames seeming to burn within his eyes.
Long Yue stepped forward as well, still smiling.
Boom!The entire ring trembled violently—as if the world itself quaked.
In Le Zhengyu's vision, a towering mountain reaching beyond sight appeared before him, tilting and crashing down upon him. The immense pressure made the golden flames surrounding him flicker violently, forcing a muffled groan from his throat. Four soul rings rose beneath his feet like bolts of lightning, golden light erupted into the sky, forming a pillar capable of holding up the heavens—finally stabilizing his stance so he did not retreat.
What terrifying power!
Long Yue stepped forward again.
BOOM—!
Le Zhengyu felt as if his entire body were being crushed beneath enormous force. The mountain before him grew heavier and heavier, like a colossal hammer falling from the heavens, pressing against his sacred light until it was on the verge of collapse.
With a low shout, Le Zhengyu raised his right hand as his second soul ring lit up. A holy sword appeared out of thin air, its blade flashing—splitting heaven and earth!
Golden light sliced forward, splitting the crushing pressure apart. Immediately, Le Zhengyu's body began to change.
A faint layer of white radiance spread across him, covering most of his upper body.
Battle armor?
At last, surprise appeared in Long Yue's eyes. It was not because battle armor was rare, but because armor that merged so perfectly with one's martial soul was extremely uncommon.
On the commentary platform, Fang'er blurted out almost instinctively:"That's spirit-refined alloy single-word battle armor! Someone really accomplished it!"
This ends now.
Long Yue's surprise vanished. Facing Le Zhengyu, he abruptly raised his right hand.
His body expanded, bones crackling like thunder.
Martial soul possession!
Long Yue transformed—his appearance was shocking.
His body became covered in giant brown scales, each round scale massive and bulging outward like a halved sphere. A long thick tail dragged behind him, his muscles bulged with terrifying strength, his shoulders broad as stone pillars.
And then—Long Yue released his soul rings!
Purple, purple, purple—three thousand-year rings, already darkening toward black.
Then—black soul rings!
Four, five, six, seven…
And the final ring descended—an unusual earthen-brown color.
"How is that possible!?"In the waiting area, Xie Xie cried out uncontrollably.
Aside from Gu Yue, this was the second time someone had shocked him so deeply.
The entire arena fell silent. Long Yue's strength exceeded all expectations.
Gu Yue watched with complicated eyes.
Le Zhengyu felt his heart go blank. He instinctively retreated, wings on his back flapping hard as he shot backward to widen the distance.
Long Yue's face grew much larger, dark-red light flickering in his eyes."You are the first Shrek student I face as an opponent. So—you are qualified to witness my martial soul. What comes next, forgive me. Even I sometimes struggle to control this power. My martial soul is—Mountain Dragon!"
As his words fell, Long Yue threw his upper body back. Behind him, a massive shadow appeared. It shifted constantly—at times a wingless dragon, at times an ancient city.
Looking closer, one could see the city rested atop the dragon's back, which shifted again into a mountain range.
Such an incredible scene shocked both Le Zhengyu and every spectator.
In the stands, Gu Yue, sitting alone, murmured,"True Dragon… how could it be that? One of the strongest among true dragons. I still remember the saying—the Mountain Dragon shall be king."
"Talking to yourself like an idiot. Since you seem to know something, tell me the story."
A voice sounded beside her, startling her.
"When did you get here?" Gu Yue stared suspiciously at Gu Yu.
"Just now. Go on—explain." Gu Yu smiled.
Gu Yue looked at—
(End of chapter)