After this tournament, the royal family had two matters to deal with. One was to choose a husband for the princess, and the other was to announce the position of Crown Prince.
His daughter was already enough of a headache — he only hoped that the choice of heir would not go wrong as well. If Dai Yueyan could defeat Gu You, then even if he didn't end up winning the championship, announcing him as Crown Prince afterward would surely gain the approval of all sides. A successor who was accomplished in both civil and martial affairs was always easier for everyone to accept.
But if he lost…
Dai Tianling didn't dare think too much about it. Even with his authority, those stubborn old ministers might still stir up trouble.
"The next match is also today's highlight — Gu You from Shrek Academy versus Dai Yueyan from Monster Academy."
Fang'er's voice clearly rose in pitch, revealing her unsettled emotions. Her gaze involuntarily drifted toward Dai Yueyan, and her hands clenched into fists on her knees. You must win — you have to defeat him!
"Your Highness! Your Highness! Your Highness!"
Suddenly, thunderous chants rose from the stands.
Dai Yueyan, who had just stood up from the waiting area, felt his blood surge. As the future Crown Prince, no matter how steady his temperament was, hearing his people call his name with such unity made his emotions impossible to describe.
But he really couldn't beat Gu You! He had originally planned to concede, but how could he admit defeat in front of such a scene and still be fit to be Crown Prince?
"Ha ha — ahahaha!"
Just as Dai Yueyan was hesitating, ready to represent Monster Academy and fight Gu You, an extremely discordant burst of laughter suddenly rang out from the waiting area, drawing everyone's eyes.
Xie Xie was there, waving his arms and laughing wildly, even standing up, laughing so hard he was almost doubled over.
Dai Yueyan's facial muscles twitched. On purpose — this guy was definitely doing it on purpose!
"I understand! I finally understand! Ahaha — hahaha!" Xie Xie's laughter just wouldn't stop.
That guy…
Dai Yueyan clenched his fists.
Xie Xie laughed loudly. "I get it now! If a agility-type soul master wants to truly succeed, he can't be too serious. I was too serious — that's why I never trained properly!"
Dai Yueyan composed himself and walked out of the waiting area.
"What's wrong with you?" Yuanen Yehui couldn't help standing up and grabbing Xie Xie by the collar. But unexpectedly, Xie Xie opened his arms and pulled her into a hug.
"I understand — I really understand now!" Xie Xie's excitement didn't seem fake at all.
Yuanen Yehui instinctively tried to break free, but at close range, the first thing she smelled was the bloody scent on his body. Thinking about how he was covered in wounds, she finally held back and only said in a low voice, "Let go of me."
Xie Xie acted as if he hadn't heard her.
"Yuanen, I understand now, I truly do. When I was younger, I was too carefree and lazy in my cultivation, so I never fully developed my potential as an agility-type soul master. But ever since you stimulated me that time, I started working hard — desperately hard — to catch up to you, to be worthy of you. During that period I improved very fast, and my confidence kept growing. But just before we left this time, I felt like I'd hit a bottleneck — not in soul power, but in being an agility-type soul master itself. I lost my direction. Even though I trained just as hard, my techniques, speed, and understanding all stagnated."
"Until this battle just now — I finally understood. I hit that bottleneck because the string in my heart was pulled too tight. The essence of the agility path is freedom. If I can't let my speed merge with freedom, I'll never truly master what 'agility' means. So now I understand — I won't suppress myself anymore. I'll let my heart be free. I'll become strong. I will definitely be worthy of you…"
His voice grew weaker and weaker. By the end, his entire body weight leaned onto Yuanen Yehui — and he fell asleep.
With Yuanen's cultivation level, his weight was nothing, but she stood there in a daze, instinctively holding him. She could feel the deep obsession in his heart, that unwavering persistence.
Was all of that… for me?
A strange glimmer passed through Yuanen Yehui's eyes. She carefully supported Xie Xie and guided him back to the sofa, letting him lean there and sleep.
By now, Gu You and Dai Yueyan had both stepped onto the arena. The cheers outside disappeared as the soul-conducting barrier rose.
"Please advise me — and go easy on me," Dai Yueyan bowed.
"Of course," Gu You nodded.
After all, he was the future emperor of Star Luo — some courtesy was appropriate.
The two stood several hundred meters apart.
"Three, two, one — begin!" The referee announced as both sides were ready.
A faint divine light appeared on Gu You's face. Purple-gold scales and a pair of dragon claws emerged, his body lifting slightly as if stretching fully, with faint cracking sounds from his spine.
In Box Number Two, there were now not only Elder Cai and Wu Zhangkong, but also seven or eight dignified representatives of the Douluo Continent delegation.
When Shrek Academy first joined the tournament, they hadn't taken it very seriously. Some important representatives were even elsewhere for exchanges.
But as the competition progressed, Shrek Academy was criticized more — yet performed better and better. Only then did the high-level members of the delegation start paying attention.
They hadn't prepared at all for this All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Tournament — otherwise they wouldn't have sent only fifteen-year-olds. They should have had Shrek send twenty-year-old elites to ensure victory.
So they didn't care much about the results — what they cared about was whether Shrek's team could show the alliance's dignity.
As the results kept improving, one name came to mind:
Gu You.
With him here, wasn't first place guaranteed?
"Elder Cai, what do you think of that child Gu You?"
Standing beside Elder Cai, the delegation leader — Federal Senate Vice Chairman Tang Bingyao — asked quietly.
Tang Bingyao, on the surface, was not part of the delegation…
(End of Chapter)