The second round of the round-robin tournament had begun, and once again, Shrek Academy was scheduled for the first match of the day.
The team arrived at the venue to find Star Luo Plaza packed as usual. In the royal box, Emperor Xu Jiawei had come as promised, eager to watch Shrek's next performance.
In the waiting area, the team lounged casually on the sofas, awaiting the results of the draw conducted by Bei Bei.
Today's match had been well-prepared for by Wang Yan and the seven members of the pre-selection team. In fact, Xu Sanshi had even boasted beforehand that there would be no need for Zhu Ziyang and the other main team members to take the stage—they could win this match on their own.
The draw results came in: Shrek Academy vs. Qianling Academy — a team battle!
Wang Yan couldn't help but let out a breath of relief. Compared to individual or paired combat, a full team battle was undoubtedly the most favorable format for the pre-selection squad. It also gave them the best opportunity to conceal some of their trump cards.
Still… there was a downside. After this match, the mystique and intimidation built around Huo Yuhao would likely vanish. That disappointed Wang Yan somewhat, but it was also a good thing: after Yuhao's "smoke and mirrors" faded, the true strength of Zhu Ziyang would shock their enemies even more when he took the stage.
"Bei Bei, Yuhao—this one's up to you. Do your best!" Wang Yan said solemnly, snapping out of his thoughts.
"Don't worry, Teacher Wang. With me and Bei Bei together, nothing can go wrong!" Xu Sanshi said with a cocky grin, slinging his arm around Bei Bei's shoulders.
"That's right! Just wait for good news," Bei Bei added confidently.
"I believe in you!" Wang Yan nodded. "Now go!"
The seven members of the pre-selection team left for the stage, leaving behind Wang Yan and the three main team members in the rest area.
"I mean, if we're not even going to fight, why are we even here?" Ma Xiaotao grumbled, clearly displeased. "Just to cheer them on?"
"You really want to fight that badly, don't you?" Zhu Ziyang chuckled. "I had no idea you were so eager for the spotlight."
"Bah! I just want to fight, that's all!" Ma Xiaotao huffed. "Watching these academy battles the last few days has been killing me. I need to vent!"
"Don't be impatient, Xiaotao," Wang Yan said, trying to soothe her frustration. "You were in the pre-selection team during the last tournament—you should understand my reasoning. These weaker teams aren't worth the effort of our main lineup. It's important for the pre-selection members to get experience and feel the pressure of the competition early. That's part of their training too."
"Fine, fine, I get it," Ma Xiaotao replied, rolling her eyes. "But can't I even complain a little?"
"…Alright," Wang Yan sighed. "No need to be so uptight. I'll let you fight in the next match—when we go up against Zheng Tian Academy. They're the only ones in the group stage truly worthy of the main team."
"You better keep that promise!" Ma Xiaotao's expression lit up at once.
While they chatted, the pre-selection team, led by Bei Bei, had taken the stage. As soon as Huo Yuhao appeared, the crowd erupted with excitement. Countless people had come just to witness the boy who supposedly possessed five hundred-thousand-year soul rings.
But today… they would be sorely disappointed.
"Brother, it's him—Huo Yuhao!" In the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy's rest area, Meng Hongchen immediately pointed him out to Xiao Hongchen.
"I see him," Xiao Hongchen nodded, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Let's find out whether you're real… or just smoke and mirrors."
And they weren't the only ones watching. Other powerhouse academies—like Di'ao Academy from the Heavenly Soul Empire, Star Luo Academy from the Star Luo Empire, and Dou Ling Academy from the Dou Ling Empire—were also intently observing Huo Yuhao.
During the first match, everything had happened so suddenly that they hadn't had time to properly assess him. But this time, they would leave no stone unturned.
If Shrek Academy really had a twelve-year-old genius with five hundred-thousand-year soul rings, then the four royal academies—and their backers—would never sleep soundly again.
If they couldn't make such a genius their ally… then he would have to be eliminated.
All of them were ready, waiting for Huo Yuhao to show his five dazzling red soul rings. The moment he did, they'd begin their highest-level investigation.
But they would be disappointed.
Shrek Academy had already given up on playing that card. The time for bluffing was over.
On the stage, the two teams assumed their formations.
Qianling Academy arranged themselves in a 4-1-2 formation: four Lingxi Shield Soul Ancestors in the front line, their captain—Shen Ce, a Soul King—in the center, and two control-type Soul Ancestors at the back. It was their strongest formation: Four Shields United, Fortress Impregnable, Ice-Fire Dual Control, and Thousand Strike Spear.
By contrast, Shrek's setup looked rather… unorthodox.
Bei Bei stood at the front, flanked by Tang Ya and He Caitou. Behind Tang Ya was Wang Dong, and behind Caitou was Xiao Xiao. Huo Yuhao stood at the very back, while Xu Sanshi occupied the center of their formation.
To outsiders, the formation made little sense. Even Qianling Academy was baffled. In fact, none of the other observing academies could make heads or tails of it either. Their intel on Shrek's team was too scarce—they didn't even know that Xu Sanshi was a defensive-type soul master.
And that was the point—Shrek's lineup was designed for surprise.
Once the referee signaled the start of the match, both teams immediately unleashed their martial souls.
On Qianling's side, the four Lingxi Shield Soul Masters summoned their shields with synchronized movements, standing like immovable mountains. Shen Ce gripped his spear, radiating sharp energy. Behind him, the control-types An Lengye and Fei Yuyan released their souls: an Ice Bear and a Blazing Tiger, forming their signature dual control combo.
The audience admired the beautiful coordination, but their focus quickly shifted to Shrek Academy.
Bei Bei, Tang Ya, He Caitou, and Xu Sanshi were all standard Soul Ancestors—impressive but not surprising given their age. Most assumed they were second-string members.
But then came the shockers.
Wang Dong—a Soul Elder, with one yellow and two purple rings. A rare and impressive configuration.
Xiao Xiao—a Grandmaster, with two yellow rings. Still acceptable, if underwhelming.
And finally… Huo Yuhao—the legendary genius with five red rings, now revealing only two white rings, marking him as a mere Grandmaster!
The disappointment was thunderous.
The contrast between expectation and reality was too vast. The spectators felt cheated. The other academies felt mocked.
But while the crowd murmured in dismay, the real action was about to unfold.
Qianling Academy was already growing annoyed. To them, Shrek's lineup looked like a joke. Captain Shen Ce was just about to charge forward when—
—his body was suddenly surrounded by a faint dark glow.
A moment of confusion passed—and then, in the blink of an eye, he found himself inside Shrek's formation.
Shen Ce was stunned. His teammates were stunned. None of them could understand what had just happened. Their proud captain, the mighty Shen Ce, had somehow turned into a cigar-chomping weirdo in a blink!
Before they could react, Shrek Academy struck.
As Xu Sanshi swapped places with Shen Ce using his fourth soul skill, the rest of Shrek's team launched a devastating focused assault.
Bei Bei's third skill. Wang Dong's third skill. He Caitou's soul tool barrage. Tang Ya's first skill. Xiao Xiao's control techniques. All of it was unleashed at once, targeting Shen Ce, who had zero time to defend.
Caught off guard and bombarded by six different attacks, Shen Ce had no chance. He was instantly knocked out.
And with their main attacker down, Qianling Academy's entire formation collapsed.
The remaining six members—four shield-type defenders and two control-types—had almost no offensive capability. They couldn't even break through Xu Sanshi's defense, let alone hold off the rest of Shrek's lineup.
In less than two minutes, the match was over.
Shrek Academy won decisively, securing another victory in the group stage.
The audience sat in stunned silence, trying to process what had just happened. Then, as Shrek's team walked off the stage—
The entire arena exploded with noise.
Boos, curses, and roars of laughter filled the air.
"This… was totally unexpected," muttered Emperor Xu Jiawei with an awkward laugh. He truly didn't know how to evaluate the match.
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