The weak are all the same—ordinary. The strong, however, each have their own "cheats."
After a short break, the promotion matches officially began.
Sixteen teams were divided among fifteen arenas.
The central arena in Mingdu was divided into two sections, allowing two groups to compete simultaneously.
Only the teams from Group One (Mingdu Imperial Soul Engineering Academy) and Group Two (Shrek Academy) were qualified to compete in the central arena.
Unquestionably, the central arena was the liveliest among all the venues.
The Third Prince did not appear again to watch the matches.
Group One and Group Two's matches began simultaneously.
Coincidentally, the first match in both groups featured the Shrek Academy team versus the Mingdu Soul Engineering Academy team—making it hard not to suspect the organizers of deliberately fanning the flames.
Even more coincidentally, both teams entered from the same side of the tunnel and encountered each other face-to-face.
The captains—Huo Yuhao and Xiao Hongchen—locked eyes.
Behind them, the team members stared seriously at one another, their fighting spirit and hostility unhidden, as if their next opponent was standing right in front of them.
Oddly, Huo Yuhao gave a warm smile. Xiao Hongchen tried to spot a crack in Yuhao's expression, wanting to expose him as a fraud—but to his shock, Yuhao's smile seemed completely genuine. Just by looking at him, any sense of hostility melted away, and even Xiao's heart felt inexplicably warmed.
It was like facing a little sun.
If it weren't for the burdens of identity and allegiance, they might've become good friends.
This thought emerged unbidden in Xiao Hongchen's mind—and it startled him. He shook his head quickly to clear away the dangerous notion.
Then he glanced at his sister, Meng Hongchen, only to find her staring fixedly at Huo Yuhao, eyes wide and unblinking, almost as if a status icon had appeared above her head: [Charmed].
Sis, please snap out of it! Don't fall for the enemy's charm!
Weren't they just saying that no matter how handsome Yuhao was, they couldn't go easy on him?
Panicked, Xiao Hongchen stepped in front of his sister, blocking her view. If he waited any longer, he feared she'd start thinking about what to name their future nephew.
Meng Hongchen snapped back to reality, then looked at her brother with a grudgeful expression. She was just looking, wasn't doing anything wrong—why block her?
Xiao Hongchen ignored her look and stared hard at Yuhao, forcing down the warm feeling in his heart.
"Huo Yuhao, it's been a while! This time, we will definitely defeat Shrek Academy on behalf of the Sun-Moon Empire!"
"To face you on the battlefield, Brother Hongchen, is something I eagerly anticipate. It is my honor to compete with heroes from all across the continent." Yuhao replied sincerely, his tone and expression completely genuine.
Xiao Hongchen's expression froze. He didn't know how to respond. Somewhere in his heart, he even felt a little… pleased?
He called me Brother Hongchen. He said it was an honor to compete with me? He actually acknowledges me?
Being acknowledged by a rival is often more satisfying than being recognized by allies.
In that moment, Xiao Hongchen understood what people meant when they said, "Sincerity is the ultimate weapon."
Above his own head, a [Charmed] status seemed to appear as well.
Huo Yuhao, observing their reactions, wasn't surprised. Recently, he had been enhancing his image using certain methods. He discovered that when he activated the power of his "Destiny" Fate, he emanated a unique aura that made everyone—friend or foe—develop strong favorable impressions of him.
Of course, this only worked on beings native to Douluo Continent.
To non-natives, the effect might be reversed—into hostility.
"Brother Hongchen?" Huo Yuhao called softly, snapping Xiao Hongchen out of his daze.
"Ahem!" Xiao coughed and quickly recovered, forcing himself to glare menacingly. "Huo Yuhao, don't try distracting me with words! Do you dare face us in a match?"
Yuhao smiled regretfully. "As much as I would love to face Brother Hongchen directly, unfortunately, our teams won't meet in this round."
"Who says we have to face off directly? Let's make a wager—which team finishes off their opponent faster!" Xiao Hongchen suggested.
"Since Brother Hongchen is issuing the challenge, I will gladly accept," Yuhao nodded seriously.
Wait a minute, Xiao thought, why does it sound like we're the ones being challenged?
Before he could object, Xu Sanshi spoke up from behind Yuhao, smirking. "Yuhao, you're too kind. Since they're issuing a challenge, how could we not have a proper wager?"
Xiao Hongchen's eyes widened. "We didn't say—"
But Meng Hongchen suddenly leaned forward and cut him off. "Fine! If we lose, I'll personally craft a Soul Tool suited for your team's captain. Materials on me! With my current skills, crafting a Tier-7 Soul Tool is no problem."
Don't underestimate the Hongchen siblings—they were not just strong, but also incredibly talented. Their capabilities had long exceeded their rank; they were only held back by raw power.
Hearing the wager, Xu Sanshi whispered excitedly to Yuhao, "A Tier-7 Soul Tool isn't cheap! Even an average one is worth as much as a basic 10,000-year Soul Bone. Say yes now—don't let the fat sheep escape!"
Thanks to their experience with flight-type Soul Tools, everyone on Shrek's side knew the value of such items—and a Tier-7 tool was a luxury.
The others were equally stunned. No wonder they're from the Sun-Moon Empire—they're rich!
Just casually throwing out a Tier-7 Soul Tool as a wager?
Tier-7 Soul Tools already counted as high-end. The materials were rare, and even a Tier-7 engineer couldn't guarantee 100% success in crafting one.
Shrek Academy's annual production of Tier-7 Soul Tools was limited—showing just how valuable they were.
Urged by Xu Sanshi, Huo Yuhao nodded. "I accept the wager."
"Then what if you lose?" Xiao Hongchen quickly asked.
Xu Sanshi's eyes gleamed—clearly up to no good.
But Yuhao calmly said, "Since a basic Tier-7 Soul Tool is worth a standard 10,000-year Soul Bone, then I'll wager one of those."
"Deal! That's settled!" Xiao Hongchen agreed enthusiastically. A Soul Bone was no joke. He and his sister were both Soul Saints; they could easily one-shot their opponents. Victory was in the bag!
Xu Sanshi and the others looked worried now—but the deal was made.
Thus, with the wager in place, the two teams separated and headed toward their respective arenas.
"Xiao… was I too impulsive just now?" Meng Hongchen asked her brother, now away from Yuhao's charm.
Xiao rolled his eyes.
Was that impulse? That wasn't even you! I don't even know what to call that!
But she was his sister—what could he do?
"Don't worry, Meng. Once we instantly wipe out our opponents, we'll have both victory and a Soul Bone!"
Meng nodded, finally reassured.
On the twin arenas, Shrek Academy and Mingdu Imperial Soul Engineering Academy each faced their respective opponents.
"Begin the match!" The referees for both arenas announced at the same time.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen immediately activated their martial souls.
Then…
From the neighboring arena, the referee's voice rang out:
"Shrek Academy wins!"
Xiao Hongchen: "???"
Meng Hongchen: "???"
Did they just cheat using tech or something?!
Although Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen didn't know what had happened, the judges and audience clearly saw everything.
The reason why Huo Yuhao won before Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen even started fighting wasn't because his opponents were weak—it was because Huo Yuhao skipped the process of summoning his martial soul entirely.
This year's Soul Master Tournament didn't allow either team to activate their soul rings in advance. Both sides had to summon their martial souls and rings when the match officially began.
Coincidentally (or perhaps not), both teams had drawn a team battle format this round. Whether or not it was truly a coincidence was up to the observer's judgment.
So, while the opposing team was still summoning their martial souls, Huo Yuhao dashed out. In the blink of an eye, he charged straight into their formation.
Before the opposing team had time to react, they had already lost the match. As they fainted, they vaguely heard Huo Yuhao's apologetic voice:
"Sorry—this was the gentlest way I could think of."
Then, Huo Yuhao looked at the stunned referee, reminding them to declare the result.
"Second Round, Group Two, Match One—Shrek Academy wins!"
It wasn't just the enemy team who was dumbfounded—so were Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and even Huo Yuhao's own teammates.
"Is that really the strength a Soul Sage should have?" Hua Yao muttered in disbelief. She certainly couldn't do what he had done. She turned to Wu Ming for confirmation.
Wu Ming shook her head.
"Don't look at me—I'm just a perfectly average Soul Sage. How could I compare to that kind of monster? Maybe only Xiao Tao and Luo Chen really understand how powerful he is."
Even the most outstanding inner court disciples seemed mediocre in front of Huo Yuhao.
Crushing enemies? Sure, they could do that too.
But one-shotting seven opponents without even activating a martial soul?
That was something they wouldn't even dream of doing.
"You should at least have realistic dreams!"
Hua Yao and Wu Ming both felt like they were seeing Huo Yuhao for the first time. They suddenly realized everyone had been underestimating him.
"Yuhao's too strong…" Xu Sanshi muttered to himself.
"That technique… is it some kind of combat art?" Jiang Nannan wondered, intrigued.
"So powerful!" Xiao Xiao gasped.
Cao Jinxuan was too shocked to even speak.
Wei Na simply smiled without saying a word.
"Is that what a real monster looks like?" Wang Dong couldn't help but think to herself. She felt a surge of frustration and resentment. She realized that no matter how hard she tried, she might never be able to catch up to Huo Yuhao. Instead, she felt the gap between them growing ever wider.
Back when they trained together, Huo Yuhao had been hiding this level of strength.
Had he been treating them like children?
Wang Dong had an epiphany:
Some things can't be reached with just talent or background alone.
But what was she chasing, exactly?
If she were to ask Huo Yuhao, he'd just pat her head gently and say:
"It's called plot armor, silly girl!"
This team battle featured the official lineup since they still needed more time to polish their teamwork. Also, given the special tournament rules, they needed to secure an advantage whenever possible.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen finished their individual duels as quickly as they could and rushed off the stage to find Huo Yuhao.
And they found him—waiting with the Shrek team at the exit tunnel.
Having won the bet, the Shrek team members were visibly pleased, casting proud glances at the Mingdu Royal Soul Engineering Team.
Only Huo Yuhao still wore a warm, gentle smile and didn't say a single mocking word—just as always.
The fiery emotions inside Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen gradually cooled under that gentle gaze. The rebukes they had wanted to shout got stuck in their throats.
In the end, Xiao Hongchen turned to Meng Hongchen, and she simply said,
"Huo Yuhao, I will fulfill the terms of our bet."
"Then I look forward to your work, Miss Hongchen," Huo Yuhao replied with a smile.
He called me Miss Hongchen…~
Meng Hongchen stared at Huo Yuhao, her gaze growing dazed and her cheeks flushing unnaturally red.
[Charmed]
It wasn't until Xiao Hongchen shook her shoulders that she snapped out of it. By the time she came to, Huo Yuhao and his teammates had already disappeared.
"Xiao—where did Huo Yuhao and the others go?" she asked urgently.
"They left, of course. You've been standing here like that for quite a while," Xiao Hongchen replied, now truly worried about his sister. Even he, as dense as he was, could see something was off.
But seriously, how did it escalate this quickly without any buildup?
Is this just lust, or is it love?
Xiao Hongchen warned her gravely:
"Meng, remember your identity. It's impossible between you two."
Meng Hongchen glanced at him, opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing. Her head drooped, and her mood fell to an extreme low, silently following behind her brother.
This only deepened Xiao Hongchen's worry.
I have to tell Grandpa about this, he thought.
Though he didn't want to interfere in his sister's fate, the current state of the Hongchen family was precarious. Their grandfather, Jing Hongchen, was walking a tightrope.
If Meng Hongchen got involved with Huo Yuhao and things were exposed, it could be catastrophic. Jing Hongchen could lose all trust from both the imperial court and the Soul Engineering world, and the entire Hongchen family might collapse.
Compared to the cruel, hypocritical former Crown Prince, Xiao Hongchen feared this new Third Prince even more—unpredictable, temperamental, and ruthlessly effective.
The unknown is the most terrifying of all.
The former Crown Prince needed to win people over.
This Third Prince only needed to identify traitors.
Huo Yuhao had finally experienced what it felt like to be the protagonist of a power-fantasy web novel—able to win over beauties instantly.
From Meng Hongchen's reaction, he realized he had really reached the "girls fall at your feet" stage.
It's like playing a single-player RPG with cheat codes.
Raising favorability? Easy.
In this world, he was practically invincible. But what worried him were threats from outside this world—those "deus ex machina" type enemies.
Shrek Academy's matches were done for the day, and the next one was scheduled for tomorrow, giving everyone ample time to rest.
It was also a perfect opportunity to gather intel on other teams—especially those with Soul Sage-level members.
As captain, Huo Yuhao naturally took on the task.
He was joined by Zhang Lexuan and teachers Wu Ming and Hua Yao, forming a four-person intel team.
Xian Lin'er, Cai Mei'er, Ma Xiaotao, and Ling Luochen stayed at the hotel to guard the rest of the team.
Their first stop was Group Three, where the Body Sect was competing. Since the Body Sect hadn't gone yet, Huo Yuhao and the others arrived in time to watch their match.
The Body Sect had drawn a 2-2-3 team format.
This meant there wouldn't be a solo sweep, so it would be easier to gather information.
To everyone's disappointment, the Body Sect didn't deploy any Soul Sages—only seven ordinary team members. But each one of them was a Soul Emperor, with incredibly strong combat techniques. Still, it left quite an impression.
"So this is the depth of the Body Sect? No wonder they can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Sea God's Pavilion," Hua Yao said in a serious tone.
If even their "ordinary" disciples had such standards, then Shrek's inner court would have a tough time matching them.
And indeed—this was the Body Sect's true strength.
After watching the match of the Body Sect team, the other teams with Soul Sages had mostly completed their battles as well, and, naturally, they all won easily.
Only the match of the Tianhun Bai Clan team hadn't started yet.
Huo Yuhao and his companions began watching the Tianhun Bai Clan's match.
The Tianhun Bai Clan actually had some connection with the family behind Sister Qiyu, Bai Shanshan. To be precise, the family behind Bai Shanshan used to be a branch of the Tianhun Bai Clan.
Later, due to changes in their inherited martial spirit, the branch completely split off. Bai Shanshan's family then moved to the Star Luo Empire and established itself as an independent family: the Star Luo Bai Clan.
The Star Luo Bai Clan didn't participate in the tournament this time, because aside from Bai Shanshan, the younger generation lacked strength.
Their inherited Silken Thread Martial Spirit could barely be considered high-grade. It required absorbing soul rings from spider- and silkworm-type soul beasts to gradually strengthen the threads before gaining real combat power.
However, due to its unique properties, the Star Luo Bai Clan had significant advantages in the textile and clothing industries, making them a wealthy family in the Star Luo Empire.
It wasn't until Bai Shanshan's thread martial spirit mutated into the Red Thread Martial Spirit, with naturally higher strength, that it evolved into a top-tier martial spirit.
Bai Shanshan then became the family's great hope. She was named the clan's young leader and provided with a vast amount of resources, including a rare soul bone purchased at high cost before the tournament for her to fuse with.
The Tianhun Bai Clan's inherited martial spirit was the Yingluo Embroidered Ball—which looked like a decorative item woven from threads, but in fact, was a powerful top-tier tool-type martial spirit with both offense and control capabilities.
Since the embroidered ball is traditionally seen as a symbol of joy and auspiciousness, the Tianhun Bai Clan often held ceremonial positions in the Heaven Soul Empire.
On the tournament field—
The team captain of the Tianhun Bai Clan, a proud-looking young woman about eighteen or nineteen years old, stood with narrowed eyes, casually watching her opponents.
In her palm floated a red embroidered ball about the size of a volleyball. On the surface hung ornate beads and tassels that jingled lightly—this was the Yingluo Embroidered Ball Martial Spirit, surrounded by seven soul rings: two yellow, two purple, and three black.
She was Bai Bingjie, captain of the Tianhun Bai Clan team and the clan's heir apparent.
All of her team members—men and women alike—had similar embroidered ball martial spirits floating beside them.
However, unlike the others, Bai Bingjie's ball was adorned with pure white jade beads, emitting a brighter light, with faint traces of light-element energy.
This was the result of her cultivating the "Jade Nourishing Art," which significantly enhanced her martial spirit's power.
Upon summoning her spirit, Bai Bingjie immediately hurled her Yingluo Embroidered Ball. Though it appeared light, it shot forth like a meteor.
The rest of the Bai Clan team followed suit, but their attacks paled in comparison to Bai Bingjie's.
Their opponents turned pale at the incoming meteor-like assault.
They couldn't block it—there was no way to block it!
In the nick of time, the referee intervened and deflected the attack, saving the seven-person team that trembled under the pressure of the incoming balls.
Although the referee for this match wasn't Douluo Mo Ying or Douluo Qingci, he was still a high-level Soul Douluo with powerful defenses and an invincible soul tool shield, allowing him to block attacks if needed.
"Match over! Victory to the Tianhun Bai Clan!" the referee quickly announced, wiping sweat from his brow.
His eighth-level soul tool shield had cracks in it.
That was close...
In the stands—
Wu Ming couldn't help but exclaim, "This Bai Clan's embroidered ball martial spirit seems just as powerful as my Golden Crow Martial Spirit!"
"Ming-jie, actually, Bai Bingjie was once a student at our Shrek Academy too," Huo Yuhao said with a grin.
"What? She studied at the Academy too?"
Zhang Lexuan, Hua Yao, and Wu Ming were all surprised.
Huo Yuhao nodded. "Yes, she was once one of the first members of my Huo Alliance."
Hua Yao and Wu Ming suddenly understood, and Hua Yao remarked, "That explains her strength."
A soul master from the Huo Alliance being strong? That made perfect sense.
And if she came from the Huo Alliance, which was associated with a Shrek Academy club… then by extension, she was part of Shrek.
That made Hua Yao and Wu Ming feel a sense of pride.
Shrek Academy really was incredible!
Only Zhang Lexuan looked at Huo Yuhao with a subtle, unreadable expression. Though she rarely returned to the Academy anymore, she was well aware of Huo Yuhao's true position and influence within the Huo Alliance.
Huo Yuhao, completely at ease, stood up as the Tianhun Bai Clan team left the field and said, "Pardon me, senior sisters. I need to go say hello to an old friend."
"Go, go. There are no more high-level matches today anyway. We'll go shopping," Wu Ming replied casually with a wave.
Wu Ming had suggested accompanying the team on this trip partly to help Hua Yao recover from her grief—her former crush had been killed—and to prevent her from doing something reckless, like going to the Star Luo Empire for revenge.
It wasn't that she had given up on vengeance, but that they currently had no idea where the evil soul master responsible was. Not even the elders had tracked him down, only that he was very powerful.
They would take revenge eventually—once they were stronger.
Both Wu Ming and Hua Yao had the potential to reach Titled Douluo. When that day came, the evil soul master would have no escape.
Wu Ming's strategy was working. At least Hua Yao was no longer acting rashly.
Zhang Lexuan looked away from Huo Yuhao and chose to accompany Wu Ming and Hua Yao for shopping—leaving Huo Yuhao to his own business.
Because she had neither the identity nor the right to judge or question Huo Yuhao.
Half an hour later—
The same noble and domineering Bai Bingjie who had overwhelmed the arena had become... Huo-ge's little plaything.
The contrast was as vast as night and day.
Back when Huo Yuhao traveled the continent under the pretense of visiting charitable followers, he had already "claimed" Bai Bingjie—and also several of her clan's female followers she had nurtured.
The Yingluo Embroidered Ball martial spirit was naturally well-suited to light-element power. After Huo Yuhao helped Bai Bingjie and her female followers comprehend the power of light, their martial spirits fully awakened to the light element, gaining even more strength.
After cultivating, Huo Yuhao felt the growth of light power within him but frowned slightly.
Compared to more common elements, rare ones like light had slower growth.
At present, the strength of his understanding of the 13 elemental attributes ranked as follows:
High Mastery (No Divine Gear Required for God Techniques):
Water
Fire
Earth
Wind
Moderate Mastery (Enhanced with Divine Gear):
Light
Darkness
Space
Life
Stability
Low Mastery (Only With Divine Gear):
Evil
Destruction
Kindness
Time
"Time being mysterious is understandable," Huo Yuhao mused, "but why is kindness ranked so low?"
Hearing his muttering, Skydream Iceworm reflexively replied, "Because you don't have any, duh."
Huo Yuhao looked incredulous. "Impossible! I'm the Child of Destiny! A symbol of righteousness! I am fate itself—how could I not be kind?"
"My kindness is true kindness!" Huo Yuhao declared.
And with that, his grasp of the attribute of kindness quietly advanced a little.
"Second Group of the Advancement Tournament, Round Two, First Match — Shrek Academy vs. Star Luo Che Clan."
As day turned to night and night turned to day, it was time for Shrek Academy's second match.
This time, Shrek Academy sent out the team led by Bai Shanshan — the preparatory team. In truth, the strength of this preparatory team alone was enough to surpass most other teams in the tournament. Advancing from Group Two posed no difficulty at all.
Huo Yuhao and the main team members watched from the sidelines.
"The inherited martial soul of the Star Luo Che Clan is the Blade Soul, a high-level power-type weapon soul. However, not all of their team members possess this martial soul. There are also control-type and support-type soul masters, making for a relatively balanced composition," Huo Yuhao explained, giving a brief overview of the Che Clan's inherited martial soul and team setup.
The preparatory team, including Bai Shanshan, had already studied this information before the match. While data on other groups might not be fully compiled yet, after one round of matches, Huo Yuhao had already collected complete information on all teams in Group Two.
Huo Yuhao: "Never underestimate my intelligence network!"
"In my judgment, based on the intel, the Che Clan is no match for our preparatory team," Huo Yuhao concluded.
The others nodded in agreement, trusting his intelligence and analysis completely.
On the arena—
The soul battle had begun.
Both teams activated their martial souls and soul rings simultaneously.
The seven members of the Che Clan team were all Soul Kings (5-ringed), with optimal soul ring configurations.
Shrek Academy's preparatory team consisted of six Soul Kings and one Soul Emperor (6-ringed), also with optimal configurations.
The audience erupted in gasps of astonishment.
The Che Clan team members were all 18–19 years old, with their captain right at the age cap of 20. In contrast, the oldest member of Shrek's preparatory team — Bai Shanshan — had just turned 15.
The spectators were shocked by how young and strong Shrek's preparatory team was. And, of course, since all of them were beautiful young women, that only added to their popularity and attention.
The battle began.
The Che Clan team chose an all-out offensive strategy. With a level disadvantage, going full force was their best shot at snatching a win.
They were likely betting on intimidating the younger Shrek team with sheer momentum.
However, the preparatory team remained calm. They had sparred with opponents much stronger and more terrifying than the Che Clan.
Bai Shanshan struck first. Her red thread martial soul extended and wove into a massive net, covering half the arena and trapping all of the Che Clan team members within.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Red Thread Net — Ensnaring Lovesickness."
"Close!"
The red net began to contract.
The Che Clan captain swung his Blade Soul at the net, but it merely produced the sound of clashing metal — unable to even leave a scratch.
"These threads are too tough! We can't let ourselves be trapped. Burn them!" the captain shouted.
Failing to break through, the Che Clan members quickly regrouped to avoid contact with the tightening net.
Fire-attribute soul masters in their team conjured blazing flames and launched them at the red net.
If this had been a regular thread-type martial soul — or even Bai Shanshan's previous version of her Red Thread — it would have been weak to fire despite its improved toughness.
But things were different now.
When the flames touched the net, Bai Shanshan didn't panic. In fact, she smiled faintly.
The red net pierced through the flames unaffected, continuing to shrink and trap the Che Clan team.
"What?!"
The fire-using soul masters were stunned.
Is this red thread even legit?!
"What's going on?"
Even in the rest area, Shrek's main team members were surprised — during training, Bai Shanshan's martial soul had still been weak to fire.
Everyone turned toward Huo Yuhao.
Naturally, the only one who could answer was the person who had "personally" trained the preparatory team — Huo Yuhao.
"Shanshan's martial soul has mutated again. It now has dual water and fire attributes, so it's no longer afraid of fire," Huo Yuhao explained with a smile. "Just like the theory left behind by the Grandmaster ten thousand years ago — the weaker the martial soul, the greater its adaptability. Such souls are more likely to mutate and evolve. It's not surprising that it now contains both fire and water attributes."
(Of course, whether that theory truly came from the Grandmaster… well, opinions vary.)
Xu Sanshi and the others accepted this explanation and turned back to watching the match.
Wu Ming commented, "As expected of the preparatory team captain. Her talent and fortune are truly extraordinary."
Hua Yao, however, sensed something off. She quickly realized — Huo Yuhao had explained the result, but not how the mutation had occurred.
Isn't the mutation method the most important part?
When she looked over at Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen, she saw they were calm and unsurprised — as if they already knew the truth.
Zhang Lexuan and Wei Na were the same.
There's a secret.
Hua Yao made a mental note but remained silent.
Xian Lin'er and Cai Meier exchanged a glance, clearly understanding what the other was thinking — Bai Shanshan's second mutation was undoubtedly Huo Yuhao's doing.
Xian Lin'er bit her lip, cursing Huo Yuhao inwardly. Her body felt a little hot.
Cai Meier just sighed. She was the one with the weakest martial soul among the four deans — still top-tier, but there was always a hierarchy. She had once hoped her martial soul could improve, especially to match Xian Lin'er's. But she wasn't overly obsessed with strength, and was content with her current state.
Back on the arena—
The red net had tightened enough to trap the Che Clan team in close quarters.
Bai Shanshan narrowed her eyes. If she allowed the net to shrink further, it could slice them all to pieces.
But in the end, she didn't choose to go that far.
Instead, Jin Yu and Huyan Xue charged forward and released their soul skills together:
"Fifth Soul Skill: Golden Crocodile Slam!"
"Fifth Soul Skill: Mammoth Drill Rush!"
Two immensely powerful attacks exploded forward.
The Che Clan team members turned pale, panicking.
"Get us a shield!"
"Support, help—!"
The attacks struck simultaneously, blasting the Che Clan team out of the arena and handing Shrek the victory.
Even though support-type soul masters had used shields in time, some front-liners still suffered injuries.
Jin Yu and Huyan Xue's power wasn't on par with the ultimate power of the Golden Dragon, but they were still among the continent's strongest.
"Looks like my attack packed more punch," Huyan Xue smiled at Jin Yu.
"Hmph, but my destructive force was greater!" Jin Yu fired back, unwilling to admit defeat.
Then came the judge's official announcement:
"Round Two, First Match — Shrek Academy wins!"
The audience marveled at the strength of Shrek Academy's preparatory team. Just three members had easily defeated seven opponents with minimal effort.
Other factions were astonished by the potential of Shrek's team.
For most forces, having even one Soul Emperor (six-ring) under the age of twenty was a major accomplishment—teams built around such talents were already considered strong contenders in previous tournaments. Yet in this generation and likely the next, Shrek might field multiple Soul Emperors. How could they not feel envious and amazed?
One had to admit: Shrek Academy's heritage and foundation were leagues beyond ordinary factions.
Interestingly, teams with Soul Sage (seven-ring) members in this tournament didn't seem particularly concerned. After all, Soul Emperors were still a step below them, and many believed their own teams could still produce under-twenty Soul Sages in the future.
Even if the younger generation's talent was slightly lacking, as long as they had the resources, they could continually cultivate outstanding disciples and students.
Many of these teams were now eyeing Shrek's millennia-long dominance in the Soul Master Tournament with ambition.
The millennia-long glory of Shrek Academy—perhaps it can be broken!
The only thing that made them cautious was Huo Yuhao, the team captain who had yet to reveal his spirit rings.
But at most, what could he be? A Soul Sage? Could he possibly be a Soul Douluo (eight-ring)? He was just one person. Surely, defeating him wasn't impossible.
This line of thinking stemmed from the fact that not every faction understood the concept of "Ultimate Attribute Soul Masters." Few knew that such individuals, even at the Soul Sage level, could battle Titled Douluo (nine-ring).
...
Xian Lin'er had specifically investigated the battle schedules of teams with Soul Sage members. After selecting a few to observe, Huo Yuhao and others got the chance to watch the battles of three teams:
The Body Sect, the Holy Spirit Sect, and the DouLing Xie Family.
These three teams—and the factions behind them—were ones that the higher-ups of Shrek Academy kept a close eye on.
First, the Body Sect. As Shrek's traditional rival, the fact that it had produced three Soul Sages under the age of twenty was taken very seriously by Xuan Zi, Xian Lin'er, Cai Mei'er, and others.
They wanted to understand how the Body Sect had cultivated such extraordinary talents. Were the Body Martial Souls and the Sect's secret techniques really that powerful? And what about those seemingly illogical spirit ring configurations? What secrets lay behind them?
Fortunately, Xuan Zi didn't act impulsively. He refrained from abducting anyone for interrogation and chose instead to observe quietly. Having previously fought the leader Du Busi (Poison Undying), he was aware of his strength and didn't dare act rashly.
In reality, the Body Sect had far more than just three Soul Sages under twenty. They could easily field a full seven-person team of Soul Sages. The three competing now were merely randomly selected.
After all, the Body Sect had been secretly developing for years, and Huo Yuhao had funneled extra resources into it.
This was because the Body Sect had a direct connection to Huo Yuhao's body clone. The stronger the Body Sect became, the more fortune and destiny it funneled back to Huo Yuhao.
In the match, the Body Sect did field a Soul Sage, though it wasn't Long Aotian. Instead, it was a disciple named Wang Yanfeng—tall, with the Martial Soul "Twin Palms," and a soul power of level 72. His ring configuration: one yellow, two purple, four black.
In the original novel, Wang Yanfeng also appeared but was only a Soul Emperor, with a standard two-yellow, two-purple, two-black configuration. Still, he was considered a genius.
Now, not only had he broken through to Soul Sage, but his soul ring quality had improved, and he had already completed his Martial Soul's silver-tier awakening.
The other Body Sect disciples didn't even need to fight. Wang Yanfeng alone used his fourth soul skill, delivering two massive slaps that sent all seven opponents flying—easily winning the match.
"The dominance of a Soul Sage in a confined battlefield is truly terrifying!" Cai Mei'er couldn't help but comment.
"Body Soul Masters are physically strong by nature. This kind of performance is to be expected. Ordinary Soul Sages of the same level can't match their prowess," Xian Lin'er added.
Their words caused Hua Yao and Wu Ming to grow solemn.
Zhang Lexuan, Ma Xiaotao, and Ling Luochen were not present—they were back at the hotel caring for others.
Xuan Zi quietly appeared. Seeing the group's serious expressions, he cleared his throat and turned to Huo Yuhao:
"The Body Sect has quietly developed to a level no weaker than Shrek Academy. Fortunately, we still have Yuhao. At least in this era, not even the Body Sect has a peer more outstanding than Yuhao."
Everyone looked at Huo Yuhao. Seeing his calm smile, their tension eased.
"That's right—we still have little Yuhao!" Wu Ming laughed, pulling Huo Yuhao into a headlock and ruffling his hair. "Yuhao, when we face the Body Sect, you better give them a proper beating!"
"Ming-jie, that's… too tight!" Huo Yuhao quickly blushed and struggled.
"Don't play innocent! You're really acting shy now?" Wu Ming looked incredulous. Huo Yuhao had so many girlfriends—how could he still be shy?
Yet both Hua Yao and Wu Ming couldn't help but feel that Huo Yuhao genuinely seemed bashful and pure.
Wu Ming finally released him awkwardly.
"Sorry."
"It's fine."
The atmosphere between Wu Ming and Huo Yuhao became quite awkward.
Cai Mei'er, like Hua Yao and Wu Ming, was confused.
Xian Lin'er and Zhang Lexuan both had complex expressions. They also didn't quite understand Huo Yuhao. He was clearly not innocent—during private moments, he wasn't shy at all—but the moment he put his clothes on, he became easily embarrassed, like an inexperienced boy.
Next was the Holy Spirit Sect's match.
They appeared using their real name—no cover or disguise.
As a result, every other faction immediately recognized the Holy Spirit Sect as a sect of evil soul masters, drawing widespread suspicion and hostility.
But since the Sun-Moon Empire allowed the Holy Spirit Sect to compete, there was little the others could do—even if they disapproved.
All they could do was publicly condemn the Sun-Moon Empire and the Holy Spirit Sect…
…and warn their own disciples to be careful. Even if there were referees present, they might still be harmed by the innately evil soul masters.
Fortunately, the referees in this tournament were reliable. So far, the Holy Spirit Sect had not caused any fatalities.
Even Xuan Zi hadn't acted against the Holy Spirit Sect yet, since they had Limit Douluo among their ranks—it wasn't wise to provoke them lightly.
Even when Bei Bei appeared, Xuan Zi refrained from acting, planning instead to rescue Bei Bei after the tournament.
If he acted during the match, it could spark conflict with the Sun-Moon Empire—damaging Shrek Academy's already precarious position.
It would also expose Bei Bei's identity, harming Mu En's and Shrek's reputation.
Now shouldering the burden of protecting the Academy, Xuan Zi had grown wiser—but also more hesitant and cautious.
Unfortunately, after their debut match, Bei Bei vanished, leaving Xuan Zi with no opportunity to act.
This time, neither Bei Bei nor Tang Ya appeared. The match was fought by Soul Emperors and Soul Kings—evil soul masters—who won easily.
Tang Ya wasn't foolish. Knowing Shrek had sent strong individuals, she made sure to hide Bei Bei.
In fact, their first match had been a deliberate bait, hoping to provoke Shrek into action. Tang Ya knew Long Xiaoyao was secretly protecting them.
Had Shrek taken the bait, it would have triggered a political storm—exposing Bei Bei's identity and stirring chaos between factions.
But it didn't work.
So she changed tactics. Keep hiding the bait—lest the fish grow too cautious.
Finally came the DouLing Xie Family match.
This faction had been chosen at Huo Yuhao's suggestion. Originally, Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er had wanted to watch the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's match instead.
Huo Yuhao's reasoning:
"Those who hide their strength must have their reasons!"
Unfortunately, the suspected Soul Sage did not appear—or even show up at the venue.
Had they shown themselves, Huo Yuhao could have analyzed their strength.
They had been hiding well, and he'd missed them before.
Still, the DouLing Xie team fielded two Soul Emperors, surprising everyone.
Turns out the DouLing Xie Family was much stronger than expected.
Excluding teams with high-profile Soul Sages, these two Soul Emperors were among the strongest across all teams, easily ranking in the top four.
The two were a brother-sister pair, with top-tier martial souls: Moon Blade and Flame Lord.
Huo Yuhao was impressed by the power of these rare and powerful martial souls—on par with Shrek's inner court elites.