When Zhu Ziyang arrived at the dining hall, the rest of the team was already there.
Upon seeing him, Tang Ya teased with a smile, "Well, well! I never thought I'd see the day you'd sleep in, Zhu Ziyang!"
"It wasn't exactly sleeping in. I had a breakthrough last night," Zhu Ziyang replied casually as he sat down beside Jiang Nannan and accepted a bowl of rice porridge and steamed buns from her.
"Breakthrough?" Tang Ya's smile immediately froze, and she cried out in mock agony, "Come on! This is just too unfair. You break through so easily—it makes the rest of us average folks feel like giving up!"
Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi both nodded in agreement, wearing equally helpless expressions.
"If your talent is 'average,' then there are no geniuses left in the world," said Wang Yan with a wry chuckle. Although he was genuinely pleased by Zhu Ziyang's breakthrough, concern lingered in his heart. Turning to Ziyang, he said, "Even though you've made a breakthrough, we still don't need you to take the field yet. Just hold back a little longer, alright?"
"I understand," Zhu Ziyang replied with a nod.
Wang Yan's thinking was simple. As long as Elder Lin hadn't arrived, it was best to keep Zhu Ziyang out of the spotlight. His hundred-thousand-year soul ring was too conspicuous, and there was no guarantee that some reckless soul master or ambitious power wouldn't try to eliminate him. Only with a Super Douluo at his side would Wang Yan feel safe enough to unleash Zhu Ziyang.
Ziyang himself was tempted to mention that he had five Titled Douluo-level undead warriors traveling with him at all times, making him unafraid of assassination. But he knew better. Those beings—the Hell Knight, the Lich King, and the others—were pure undead. If they ever appeared in public, the world would instantly label him an evil soul master. And once that label stuck, the soul master world and the secular world would unite to ostracize and destroy him.
At that point, it wouldn't matter if the accusations were true or not. Public perception would rule. Opportunistic factions would use it as justification to take him down.
Even Shrek Academy itself would be in peril. Its millennia-long reputation was built not just on its strength, but on its relentless pursuit of justice—especially its staunch opposition to evil soul masters. If Ziyang were exposed, their enemies—especially the Sun Moon Empire—would leap at the chance to smear Shrek's name, claiming the academy harbored evil. Public outrage could then be harnessed to destroy Shrek Academy itself.
It had happened before—ten thousand years ago, the mighty Spirit Hall was erased in just this way.
So unless it was a matter of life and death, Zhu Ziyang would never reveal his undead forces.
But why wasn't there the same concern about Huo Yuhao?
Simple:
The deception was too obvious. Anyone familiar with soul master basics would realize his five red rings were fake. They were shocking at first glance, yes—but fall apart under scrutiny.
Yuhao didn't actually possess any hundred-thousand-year rings. So there was no risk that anyone would genuinely view him as a threat worth assassinating.
In short, no one attacks you for pretending. They attack when the threat is real.
And in truth, whether it was Huo Yuhao or Zhu Ziyang, once a child possessed a real hundred-thousand-year soul ring, it implied they could eventually have two, three, or more. That potential was what truly terrified people.
After breakfast, the Shrek team left the hotel and headed toward Star Luo Plaza.
At the entrance, they ran into their old rivals—the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy team, coming down from a different hallway.
Normally, the two sides would just pass each other by. But when they met face-to-face like this, tension was inevitable.
"Well, well," sneered one of the Sun Moon team members with a mocking tone. "I never thought I'd see the day when the mighty Shrek Academy would send a bunch of charlatans and frauds to the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament."
His sarcasm made the rest of the Sun Moon team chuckle. The Shrek pre-selection team, however, looked furious.
Even Ma Xiaotao, walking at the front, wore an angry scowl. Her beautiful eyes glinted with fire as she growled:
"A good dog doesn't block the road. Get lost!"
As she spoke, she unleashed her aura—the full pressure of a peak Soul Emperor. The two students standing at the front of the Sun Moon team were instantly blasted back several meters before they could stabilize themselves.
Ma Xiaotao didn't even spare them a glance. Holding her head high, she said coldly:
"Now that the dogs are out of the way, let's go."
Without another word, she strode forward, Zhu Ziyang and the rest following closely behind. They headed toward the plaza, ignoring the furious glares coming from their rivals.
Only once the entire Shrek group had left did the Sun Moon team resume their own march.
On the way to the stadium, Elder Ma asked, "Rulong, what's your assessment?"
Ma Rulong answered grimly, "Just as we suspected—Ma Xiaotao is strong. If we go one-on-one, none of us can beat her."
"Hmph! Give me five years, and I'll stomp her into the dirt!" snarled Xiao Hongchen, face dark with humiliation. He had been one of the two students forced back by Ma Xiaotao's aura, and the shame burned in his prideful heart.
"So, we can't expect much from the individual battles," Elder Ma summarized.
"Correct," Rulong agreed. "But if Shrek keeps fielding the same lineup as before, we'll have the upper hand in the duo matches and team battles. That means we have a good chance of winning the match 2–1—and more than a 66% chance of taking the championship."
A gleam of excitement appeared in his eyes.
"Ha!" Xiao Hongchen snorted. "You're getting ahead of yourselves. With the way Shrek is playing, it's not even certain they'll make the finals."
"Xiao Hongchen!" Elder Ma finally snapped. "Don't let your arrogance blind you to your enemies. Shrek Academy is the Empire's greatest threat. If they were truly this weak, how could they have held off our Empire's armies and Soul Engineer legions for centuries?"
"Maybe that just means the Empire's been using idiots all this time," Xiao Hongchen said coolly.
"You—!" Elder Ma nearly choked in rage, but something in his heart stopped him. In the end, he let out a long sigh. "Forget it. Let's head to the arena."
At Star Luo Plaza, the scene was just as lively as the previous day. The stands were packed, and a sea of cheers filled the air. On the royal balcony, Emperor Xu Jiawei appeared once again with his empress and ministers.
Today marked the third round of the group stage, and it was Shrek Academy's fourth match. Despite their "performance" two days ago—fooling the entire audience with their fake rings—no one held it against them.
When it comes to the strong, people are always surprisingly forgiving.
As Shrek's team entered the plaza, they were met with thunderous applause. And they accepted the praise with no shame at all—after all, their predecessors had earned it, and it was now their turn to carry that legacy.
Once they reached the rest area, the match preparations began.
Today, their opponent was Zheng Tian Academy, the second-strongest team in Group 1 after Shrek.
At the drawing of lots, Bei Bei once again represented Shrek as the captain of the pre-selection team, while Zheng Tian was represented by their own captain—Ye Wuqing, a cold, detached young man whose demeanor matched his name, which meant "Ruthless."
The draw was completed.
Shrek Academy vs. Zheng Tian Academy – Individual Battles!
The moment the result was announced, Ma Xiaotao stood up, eyes gleaming as she fixed her gaze on Wang Yan.
Under her fiery stare, Wang Yan felt a chill down his spine. Finally, he gave in with a resigned nod.
"…Fine. Xiaotao, you can take this one."
"Haha! Finally, it's my turn!" Ma Xiaotao cheered, punching the air and grinning. She clapped Zhu Ziyang on the shoulder and said, "Watch closely—fifteen minutes tops, and we'll be back at the hotel relaxing."
"Really?" yawned Wang Dong, rubbing his eyes. "Senior Sister Xiaotao, you'd better win quick. I've been ready to nap since breakfast."
"Don't worry, I've got this!" Ma Xiaotao said confidently.
Curious, Tang Ya asked, "Wang Dong, what did you do last night? You've been yawning all morning!"
Bluntly, Wang Dong replied, "It's all Yuhao's fault. He kept tossing me around until nearly dawn—I barely got any sleep!"
"…Excuse me?!" said Xu Sanshi, raising an eyebrow. "Yuhao, Wang Dong… you two aren't…?"
"What are you talking about?!" Huo Yuhao panicked. "We were just cultivating, okay? No funny business!"
As the room erupted into laughter, Ma Xiaotao was already on her way to the prep area, ready to take the stage.
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