Shrek Academy, Sea God Island, Hall of the Sea God Pavilion.
Aside from Yan Shaozhe, who was in secluded cultivation, and Xuanzi, who was still recovering from injuries, all other elders were gathered in the Sea God Pavilion's main hall. They were meeting to discuss the sudden incident that had just occurred—and the mysterious organization that had suddenly appeared: the Holy Spirit Sect.
"…And that's everything," Elder Lin finished, recounting the events in full detail. The room fell into heavy silence after he spoke.
After a long pause, Cai Meier finally broke the silence. "An organization that has two Limit Douluo and over a dozen Title Douluo? That's absurd! How could we have never heard of this Holy Spirit Sect before?"
"Back when the Body Sect caused that beast tide, how many people had heard of them before that?" Xian Lin'er responded grimly. But her real concern lay elsewhere. "Elder Lin, are you sure Elder Xuanzi was injured by a Class 8 soul tool shell?"
"Yes," Elder Lin confirmed with a nod.
"This…" The other elders couldn't hide their horror. A soul tool powerful enough to injure a Hyper Douluo? That was shocking—even to these experienced, battle-hardened Title Douluo. None of them had ever imagined that the soul tools they used to scoff at could reach such a terrifying level of power.
"Heh, surprised, aren't you?" Elder Mu finally spoke, his voice calm yet serious. "We've kept ourselves isolated for too long. It's time to change. Not long ago, I personally visited the Sun Moon Empire, and what I saw left me stunned. Their soul tool technology has far surpassed what we thought possible."
"I even saw a supermassive soul tool that required multiple operators—one powerful enough to threaten my life, maybe even turn the tide of a war. If we keep clinging to the glory of the past and refuse to change, Shrek Academy's destruction is only a matter of time."
Everyone's expressions shifted—from horror to fear. A soul tool that could endanger a Limit Douluo? If they encountered something like that, wouldn't they be walking straight to their deaths?
It was clear now—Elder Mu's words had struck home. The elders had no objections anymore.
People only truly change when their own interests are at stake.
Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with excitement and anticipation as they looked at Elder Mu.
Elder Mu continued slowly, "Xuanzi's injuries were a wake-up call. So I am announcing that for the next five to ten years, we will fully support the development of the Soul Tool Department. Even if we can't catch up to the Sun Moon Empire, we must close the gap."
"Yes!" Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo responded first, visibly thrilled. The other elders also nodded in agreement, realizing the urgent need for technological advancement.
With the first decision finalized, Cai Meier asked, "Teacher, what about the Holy Spirit Sect?"
The elders had nearly forgotten. This newly emerged sect of evil soul masters wasn't just powerful—it rivaled, and possibly exceeded, Shrek Academy in top-tier strength.
Though the Body Sect had also caused them trouble before, it hadn't clashed with Shrek in matters of core interest. But the Holy Spirit Sect was different—anyone could see they were coming for Shrek directly.
"The Holy Spirit Sect… don't worry," Elder Mu said, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. "First, I'm still alive. Second, Ziyang is rising, and you all must have faith in him!"
Hearing this, the elders finally relaxed, their worries easing as they responded in unison, "Understood!"
"Elder Mu, what about the Soul Master Tournament? Should we select a new student from the inner court to support Ziyang, Xiaotao, and the others?" Xian Lin'er asked.
"No need," Elder Mu replied decisively. "We must trust Ziyang—and give him the opportunity to grow."
"Alright!" Xian Lin'er nodded and said no more.
"Elder Zhuang, I'll leave the treatment of those three students to you," Elder Mu added.
"Leave it to me!" Elder Zhuang smiled in response.
The meeting concluded, and the elders departed. Elder Mu leaned back in his rocking chair, his expression softening with nostalgia as he murmured, "Xishui… was it you…"
Star Luo City
Zhu Ziyang and his group finally arrived in Star Luo City the day before the tournament began.
They were led directly to the designated lodging for the competing teams—a luxurious hotel called the Star Sovereign Hotel, located adjacent to the competition grounds at Star Luo Plaza.
As the reigning champions and the number one Soul Master Academy on the continent, Shrek Academy's team was given top-floor suites. Each student had their own private room, and a dedicated conference room was provided for team meetings.
At the moment, all ten members of the team, along with their instructor Wang Yan, were gathered in that very conference room for a pre-tournament briefing. They had barely checked in that morning and hadn't even had time to rest before Wang Yan called them together.
Wang Yan sat at the head of the table. On his left was Ma Xiaotao, looking visibly unwell—her injuries had worsened due to the exhausting travel. What should have taken two or three days to recover would now take at least five. Beside her sat Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan. Across from them were Beibei and the rest of the pre-selection team.
"Teacher Wang, today's the last day for registration. What do we do?" Beibei asked, his expression grim and filled with concern. "Will Senior Dai Yaoheng and Elder Lin make it in time?" The weight of Shrek Academy's honor was too great for seven Soul Elders from the pre-selection team to carry alone.
"We'll proceed with registration as planned," Wang Yan said calmly. "I've received word from the Academy. Gongyang Mo and Ling Luocheng are recovering well and should arrive no later than the start of the second stage. As for Dai Yaoheng… sigh, let's not talk about him."
"But… don't participants have to be present to register?" Tang Ya asked, unsure.
"Xiao Ya, we're from Shrek Academy, remember? We have special privileges," Jiang Nannan answered with a proud smile. "Because we're the defending champions, we're allowed to substitute team members mid-tournament."
"Mid-tournament substitutions?" The pre-selection team was stunned. That seemed incredibly unfair to the other academies. Surely they would object?
"That's right," Ma Xiaotao explained. "But we only get one opportunity, and we can only swap out up to three team members. Anything more would be too unfair."
"Alright then, we'll register this afternoon as planned," Wang Yan said. "Next, let me explain the tournament rules."
"There are 133 participating academies this time. The competition is divided into three stages."
"The first stage is the preliminaries—a single 7v7 team battle. Matchups are determined by random draw. Winners advance, losers are eliminated. You only get one match. And for this stage, at least four members of the pre-selection team must participate. Prepare yourselves mentally."
"The second stage is the round-robin tournament. Match types will vary between 1v1 knockout, 2-2-3 group battles, and 7v7 team battles, determined by random draw. I'll explain the details when the time comes."
"The third stage is the finals. That's also for later."
"Tomorrow is the opening ceremony, and as the defending champions, we'll be fighting in the very first match. Make sure to rest well tonight and be at your best for tomorrow!"
"Rest well tonight? Ha…" Tang Ya gave a bitter smile. "That's easy for you to say, Teacher Wang. With all this pressure, how can we sleep?"
The pressure was enormous. Of the seven-member pre-selection team, Beibei, Tang Ya, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan bore the heaviest burden. Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao were unlikely to be chosen for the first round, though Wang Dong had a small chance. The others? They were definitely going in.
"Xiao Ya, come on—have some fighting spirit! With me and my brother here, what are you afraid of?" Jiang Nannan said, smiling at Tang Ya to cheer her up.
"You're right! I forgot you two will be fighting too!" Tang Ya perked up immediately. "This is great! The three of us can fight side by side again. Let's bring back the glory of the Freshmen Tournament Champion Team!"
"Xiao Ya-jie, we're the real champions of the Freshmen Tournament!" Wang Dong teased.
"Go away, I meant our class's tournament!" Tang Ya laughed, throwing a mock glare at him.
The tension in the room eased instantly with that playful exchange.
Meanwhile, in another room on the same hotel floor, the team from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy was also holding their pre-match meeting.
But unlike Shrek's small group, the Sun Moon team was at full strength. Two supervising teachers sat at the head of the table, with fourteen students neatly seated in rows. The room's atmosphere was tense.
One of the teachers looked grim as he said, "According to our intel, Shrek Academy only brought ten students this time. Only one of them is around twenty years old—the rest are even younger."
"We activated our agents inside the Star Luo Empire and confirmed their official registration list. Only one of their participants is nineteen. The others are all fifteen or younger!"
"That means Shrek Academy didn't even send seven full main team members this year. Of the previous reserve squad, only one came. The rest are all new faces! Do you know what that means?"
The students hadn't yet reacted when the lead instructor, Elder Ma, slammed the table in fury. "It means disrespect! Open, naked contempt for us—the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy! They think they can defeat us with just their reserve team!"
"This is a slap in the face, do you understand? Registration closes today, and this is the lineup they expect to challenge us with? Ma Rulong!"
"Yes, sir!" a powerful voice rang out. Ma Rulong, the captain of the main team, stood up, his tone full of determination.
"If we lose to this version of Shrek Academy, you're out of Mingde Hall!"
"Understood!"
"Now, now, Elder Ma, don't get so worked up," a handsome boy from the reserve team said. Barely fifteen years old, with slender, jade-like hands, his name was Xiao Hongchen—the greatest genius in the Sun Moon Academy's history.
Elder Ma frowned. "What do you mean, 'don't get worked up'?"
Xiao Hongchen glanced at his own fingers as if admiring a treasure. "Shrek Academy isn't stupid. Don't you think they realize that a single main team member can't beat us? I trust Brother Rulong. I think… maybe something happened on their end. Hasn't Shrek always taken us seriously? Would they be so careless?"
His words made Elder Ma's face twitch. Deep down, he knew this was the most reasonable explanation. His earlier rant had just been to fire up the students.
"I hope you're right. Xiao Hongchen, focus on those under-fifteen Shrek students. They'll be your real rivals in the next tournament."
Xiao Hongchen finally raised his head and smiled—a dazzling, almost ethereal smile. "Elder Ma, my only rival is myself."
Ma Rulong's face darkened. "Xiao Hongchen, behave."
"I am behaving, Brother Rulong!" Xiao Hongchen said with a playful grin. "But you all better not lose to this version of Shrek. What a shame it would be if you get the first win over Shrek Academy!"
"You—!" Ma Rulong's eyes flashed with cold anger.
"Sit down," Elder Ma snapped. "Let's move on to planning the lineup for the first match."
Though Xiao Hongchen was only the reserve team leader, his grandfather was the head of Mingde Hall, one of the Sun Moon Empire's most powerful figures. Even Elder Ma and Ma Rulong had to tread carefully around him.
Despite his smiling face, it was impossible to hide the proud arrogance in Xiao Hongchen's eyes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 early chapters available on Patreon: [email protected]/facficmax10