When Zhu Ziyang shattered the Absolute Defense Soul Tool, the match had reached a stalemate.
The Star Luo team still had six members on the field. Though Huang Heyun had been injured by Ma Xiaotao's earlier explosion, with the assistance of Wind Element Soul King Wang Shiying, he was still able to keep Ma Xiaotao at bay. She couldn't push forward to threaten Xu Jiujie, nor could she fall back to help Jiang Nannan, leaving her visibly frustrated.
On Jiang Nannan's end, she had initially held the advantage over Chen Xiaojie due to her superior speed and martial soul, but with the arrival of Dugu Shangshan, the balance shifted. Facing two Soul Kings at once, she was forced into evasive tactics—dodging, weaving, and counterattacking when openings appeared. While she couldn't do significant damage, she was irritating the two men enough to keep them busy.
As for the last two—Sheng Yi never strayed from Xu Jiujie's side. His only task was to protect the princess.
Xu Jiujie, however, had no attention to spare for the battlefield. After Zhu Ziyang broke through the soul tool, he headed straight for her.
Without hesitation, Xu Jiujie activated her second soul skill, unleashing a storm of starlight at Zhu Ziyang. But he dodged it with ease.
Sheng Yi, seeing Zhu Ziyang charge their way, didn't dare be careless. His fifth soul ring lit up, and the iron-gray wings on his back expanded and curved around to form a protective dome, shielding both himself and Xu Jiujie.
Zhu Ziyang sneered at the sight. With a burst of speed, he leapt above them and slashed down with his Judgment Scythe. The first strike merely caused the wings to tremble. The second strike—imbued with killing intent—landed harder, and the wings shook even more violently.
Beneath the wings, Sheng Yi turned pale. Before he could recover, the third strike landed.
This time, the force was too much. His knees buckled, his legs gave out, and a trail of blood spilled from his lips.
Xu Jiujie watched in horror as Sheng Yi collapsed. She felt helpless—trapped by her role as a support-type soul master. When things turned dangerous, there was little she could do but watch her comrades suffer.
She bit her lip and whispered, "Sheng Yi… just give up. Don't force yourself."
Sheng Yi looked up, managed a bitter smile, opened his mouth as if to speak—and then froze. The next second, his muscular body collapsed, the enormous wings retracting before vanishing entirely.
He had fainted.
Xu Jiujie was stunned.
Then she saw Zhu Ziyang, still floating in midair, smiling down at her.
"That guy wasn't bad," he said casually. "He actually withstood four of my strikes."
"You…" Xu Jiujie stood frozen, staring at him in disbelief, instinctively stepping back.
Zhu Ziyang said nothing. He raised his scythe and pointed it at her. A sovereign aura exploded forth, and a terrifying soul pressure crashed down on her through the weapon.
Xu Jiujie stumbled and fell backward, her delicate body trembling in fear and shock.
"Your Highness, you've lost," Zhu Ziyang said with a bright smile—though his actions were anything but gentle. He flicked his scythe so that its tip passed beneath her legs, and with a swift upward motion, sent her flying through the air.
Xu Jiujie was completely dazed. She only regained her senses after being caught by Huang Jinxu, the referee. Her face flushed red with humiliation and rage. She clenched her jaw and shouted:
"You have no sense of chivalry!"
Zhu Ziyang's move had been seen by everyone.
Up in the imperial viewing platform, Emperor Xu Jiawei let out a bitter smile.
"That… was certainly embarrassing for Jiujie."
But Elder Luo, standing beside him, had a different perspective.
"Your Majesty, I believe this could actually be a good thing. Jiujie may not be as talented as Zhu Ziyang, but within Shrek Academy, she'd still rank among the top. If we could…"
The emperor's eyes narrowed as he caught the implication.
"You mean…?"
Though Elder Luo hadn't finished his sentence, the emperor already understood, and his gaze turned contemplative.
Zhu Ziyang paid no attention to Xu Jiujie's anger. After knocking her out of the ring, he turned toward Jiang Nannan, intending to assist her—only to discover that she no longer needed help.
Some time during his fight, she had managed to eliminate Chen Xiaojie.
It turned out that once Zhu Ziyang had broken out of the soul tool, the Star Luo team's morale had plummeted. The psychological pressure of facing someone with a 100,000-year soul ring weighed heavily on them. When their plan to isolate and overwhelm his teammates failed, their confidence faltered.
Chen Xiaojie was momentarily distracted—and that was all Jiang Nannan needed. She activated Silver Moon Flash Step, caught him in mid-motion, and threw him from the stage.
With Chen Xiaojie gone, Dugu Shangshan posed no real threat on his own. Zhu Ziyang shifted his focus—now heading to help Ma Xiaotao.
But it turned out she didn't need help either.
Though Huang Heyun and Wang Shiying had been holding her back with their combination of strength and control, Ma Xiaotao had kept a clear head, looking for weaknesses.
And then, she found it.
She seized a narrow window between their attacks, struck with precision, and eliminated the relatively weaker Wang Shiying. Without her assistance, Huang Heyun quickly lost the upper hand.
The outcome was clear.
With Ma Xiaotao defeating Huang Heyun and Jiang Nannan defeating Dugu Shangshan, all seven members of the Star Luo team were eliminated.
"First match of the semifinals, Team Battle!
Shrek Academy defeats Star Luo Royal Academy!"
announced Skyshroud Douluo Huang Jinxu from the center of the stage.
The victory was decisive. The afternoon's individual matches would be meaningless.
Shrek Academy's key players, Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao, were both in top condition. The Star Luo team, on the other hand, had only Xu Jiujie left standing. The other six had suffered various degrees of injury.
Unsurprisingly, the Star Luo Academy's coach didn't even wait for the afternoon. He stepped onto the stage and spoke quietly with Huang Jinxu.
Back in the rest area, Zhu Ziyang and his teammates smiled knowingly.
"Teacher Wang," someone said, "Looks like the afternoon matches are canceled."
"That's good news," Wang Yan replied cheerfully.
Sure enough, a moment later, Huang Jinxu raised his voice:
"Due to injuries sustained during the team match, and after internal discussion,
Star Luo Royal Academy forfeits the individual matches.
As such, I officially declare:
Shrek Academy advances to the Grand Final!"
No one was surprised. For the audience, Star Luo's decision was perfectly logical.
After all, with Zhu Ziyang and Ma Xiaotao on the opposing side, who could possibly stand a chance?
After the announcement, the crowd began to disperse. The four semifinal teams also left through their designated tunnels.
"Alright, everyone. Let's head back to the hotel," said Wang Yan with a big smile.
The team stood up and left the rest area. And as luck would have it, they ran into the Star Luo team in the corridor.
Their opponents looked crestfallen—the very image of defeat.
"Zhu Ziyang!" Xu Jiujie spotted him instantly and called out through gritted teeth.
"Oh! Your Highness," Zhu Ziyang responded with a grin.
"You… you're something else. I'll remember you," she growled, her cheeks flushing with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
"Is that so? Then it's truly my honor," he replied, flashing a smile that only irritated her more.
"Humph!" With an angry stomp of her delicate foot, she turned and left in a huff.
Zhu Ziyang watched her walk away and burst out laughing—only to immediately regret it.
Two elegant hands pinched his waist from either side.
"Was Her Highness that pretty, big brother?" asked Jiang Nannan, smiling sweetly.
Compared to her, Ma Xiaotao looked like she was ready to explode.
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