Chapter 100: The Battle's Turning Point – Shrek's Last Hope
As Jing Hongchen's voice faded, the referee, Tiansha Douluo, took immediate action, appearing in a flash and forcefully blocking Ma Xiaotao's fiery assault.
Seeing her attack stopped, Ma Xiaotao collapsed to her knees, her expression filled with frustration and resentment.
But she wasn't kneeling out of emotion—she couldn't stand even if she wanted to.
The power unleashed by the fusion ring was immense, but so too was its backlash. The consumption was terrifying. In the first tournament, Huo Wu had collapsed after using the fusion ring. In the second, Xu Sanshi had been bedridden for days afterward, relying entirely on Jiang Nannan for support.
The only person who had stayed on her feet post-fusion ring use was Mu Qingxue. But that had been due to her special circumstances—her Angel Martial Soul and the nature of her opponent. The evil spirit she fought had allowed her martial soul to absorb feedback energy, aiding her recovery. In a standard scenario, even Mu Qingxue would've ended up like Ma Xiaotao—utterly drained and crumpled on the ground.
Yan Shaozhe rushed onto the competition field and began transferring soul power into Ma Xiaotao's body. At the same time, he gently placed a piece of chocolate into her mouth and carried her off the battlefield.
"The fusion ring is certainly powerful," Xiao Qiang muttered, watching the scene with mixed emotions. "But the aftermath is terrifying. Brother Tianmeng, is there any way to eliminate this weakness period?"
Tianmeng's voice echoed calmly in his mind.
"You don't need to worry. The essence of the fusion ring is to force multiple spirit rings to merge, releasing power beyond the user's current level. But to control that power, one must have a deep understanding of high-level spirit skills. Using a hundred-thousand-year skill without proper comprehension is dangerous."
"So you're saying Ma Xiaotao suffered because she never actually used a hundred-thousand-year skill before? It was backlash from her lack of understanding?"
"Exactly. You, on the other hand, have a million-year soul skill. Even if you fuse other rings to that level, the backlash will never be as harsh for you."
Xiao Qiang grinned. "As expected of Brother Tianmeng!"
...…
Despite Shrek's technical victory in the match, the atmosphere on their side was grim.
Victory had come at a terrible cost.
A Soul King had died. The bearer of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda had fallen. Beibei and Xu Sanshi were gravely injured, and Ma Xiaotao had drained her soul power completely from using the Melting Ring. She couldn't even stand.
Of the main team, only Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, and a few substitutes remained battle-capable.
But among the substitutes, only Jiang Nannan and He Caitou had four soul rings. The strongest among the rest was Dai Huabin—who was only at level 37. A joke compared to the five-ring Soul Kings of the enemy.
In essence, Shrek had only two real high-end fighters left, while their opponents were a full team of Soul Kings. Hope seemed distant.
"Don't be discouraged!" Wang Yan suddenly stood up, his voice firm. "We can still win this decisive battle!"
"Teacher Wang Yan, but we…"
"Don't panic. We still have an advantage. Both Yueheng and Xiaotao are with us. Xiaotao has only entered a temporary weakness period. As long as we can buy some time, she will recover."
As if to reinforce his words, Yan Shaozhe stepped forward. "Wang Yan is right. Don't worry about Xiaotao. With some time, she will recover."
"Really? Dean?" Dai Yueheng's eyes lit up with renewed hope. If Ma Xiaotao could return, the battle might not be lost after all.
"Of course. I came prepared for this very situation. I brought some special chocolate with me—just in case."
"Chocolate?" The students from the outer courtyard were puzzled.
But those from the inner courtyard, like Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen, were visibly shaken.
While the outer courtyard students didn't understand the significance, the inner courtyard students knew well: in the Sea God Pavilion, there was a food-type Soul Douluo whose Martial Soul was chocolate. Despite only having eight rings, he was allowed into the Pavilion due to his incredible utility.
His chocolate creations could be preserved and used later—even remotely—which made him an invaluable asset. The chocolate could accelerate recovery and restore soul power.
"Dean, what soul skills did you bring with the chocolate?"
"I brought them all. The third and seventh skills are especially useful for accelerating Xiao Tao's recovery. It'll take some time, but she'll definitely return to normal."
With this assurance, Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's right," Wang Yan said, stepping forward to organize the plan. "All we need to do is stall until Xiao Tao returns to peak form. We might not win the next one-on-one, but that doesn't matter."
"We still have two Soul Emperors and one Soul King. And thanks to the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda's support, that combination can overpower even two enemy Soul Kings."
"If Xiao Tao teams up with the Glazed Pagoda support, they can take out the strongest enemy duo. And if Yueheng and Luochen work together, they can handle the remaining threats. All we have to do is protect our remaining core."
Dai Yueheng nodded. "Our only concerns are Xiao Tao's recovery speed—and that blinding light Xiao Qiang used earlier."
"It's manageable," Wang Yan assured. "As long as Xiao Tao recovers, everything else can be dealt with."
Just as he finished speaking, Elder Xuan appeared before the group, holding two helmets.
"Elder Xuan, what are these…?"
"These are the only two spiritual defense soul tools available in the entire Xingluo Empire. They'll protect against mental attacks and sudden flashes of strong light."
"You bought them?" everyone thought in unison, doubting Elder Xuan's claim. But no one said anything aloud.
With only two helmets, it wasn't much—but it was enough. For one-on-one or two-on-two matches, it would suffice.
Though they might have just drained the Empire's supply of such tools, for the sake of Shrek's honor, it had to be done.
"Kids, hang in there," Elder Xuan said firmly. "If you can just hold out until Xiao Tao recovers, we'll win this."
A spark of hope reignited in their eyes.
The path ahead was still treacherous, but with the right planning, teamwork—and a little chocolate—Shrek still had a chance at victory.