The moment the Heaven-Shaking Douluo landed on the competition stage, his body trembled slightly. He subconsciously looked towards the rest area, his gaze falling precisely on the Shrek Academy team's side.
At some unknown time, right behind the Shrek team, a white-robed old man with an amiable face had appeared. Seeing the Heaven-Shaking Douluo's gaze look over, he just slightly raised his eyebrows. And the mighty Heaven-Shaking Douluo, Huang Jinxu's, eyes actually showed a trace of panic. He quickly turned his head away.
Because of this referee's gaze, the members of Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy had only just discovered the arrival of this white-robed old man.
"Dean Yan, you've come," Wang Yan called out with pleasant surprise.
Yan Shaozhe smiled faintly at him and said indifferently, "You command yours. Just pretend I don't exist. With this old one here, I suppose no one would dare to play any tricks."
Without a doubt, this Bright Phoenix Douluo had come to hold the line for Shrek Academy.
The Dean of Shrek Academy—what kind of status was that? As the rogue leader of the current continent's number one academy, he had the qualification to sit on equal footing with the emperor of any country. And, the dean of Shrek Academy was also surely an expert at the Super Douluo level, a truly top-tier existence on the Douluo Continent.
Seeing him, on the other side, the leader of the Sun Moon team, Old Ma, his face changed several times. Of course, he recognized Yan Shaozhe. In the investigation of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, the cultivation of this Bright Phoenix Douluo had at least already surpassed level ninety-five, ranking among the top experts of Shrek Academy. Everything about the Sea God Pavilion in Shrek Academy was too secret. They had only investigated this much.
The referee on the stage, the Heaven-Shaking Douluo, clearly also recognized Yan Shaozhe. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lost his composure. But he quickly returned to normal and said in a deep voice, "The finals of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. I am Huang Jinxu, the referee for the finals. Now, I will announce the rules of the final match."
Although the team members of both sides, including the common people, were long familiar with the competition rules, according to the order, it still had to be announced.
Accompanied by the announcement of the competition rules, the atmosphere of the entire Star Luo Plaza suddenly became tense. The millions of common people at this time became silent, quietly waiting. Even though the competition had not yet begun, they were unwilling to miss any single change on the field.
Wang Yan stood up. Facing all the more than twenty students of Shrek Academy, he said in a deep voice, "Everything will proceed according to the original plan. Shrek will be victorious."
"Shrek will be victorious!" Twenty people stood up at the same time. Besides the listless Ling Luochen, the rest all shouted in an abnormally firm tone, which made Huo Yuhao, who had been paying attention to their movements, feel a chill.
Wang Yan's gaze looked towards the leading Dai Yueheng and nodded at him. The latter also understood and nodded at the same time.
On the other side, the team members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy had also all stood up, listening to Old Ma's final arrangements.
One minute's time quickly passed.
"Team battle members of both sides, enter the stage," the Heaven-Shaking Douluo strictly calculated the time, not extending it by a single second.
On the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy's side, seven people immediately walked out. Walking at the very front was precisely their captain, Ma Rulong. And closely following behind Ma Rulong was surprisingly Xiao Hongchen, and then Meng Hongchen. Next was the level-five soul tool master, Mika, whom Huo Yuhao and the others had seen before. The three behind were also level-five soul tool masters. Based on each person's facial features, Huo Yuhao could call out their names. They were Xiao Xiafeng, Chen Fei, and Lin Xi respectively. Besides Meng Hongchen, all were male team members.
Seeing these seven people enter the stage, the Shrek preparatory team members couldn't help but be a little surprised, because Huo Yuhao, whose spiritual cultivation was enough to instantly kill a Soul King, had not gone on stage.
From the very first match of this tournament, Wang Yan had been silently observing the situation of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy. Just yesterday, he had carefully recounted the summarized information from his detailed analysis to the members of the Shrek team and had also made what he believed to be a thorough deployment. Whether they could block Huo Yuhao's spiritual power attack methods in today's battle, strategy and tactics were crucial.
For this, they had also purchased a batch of spiritual protection helmets from the Star Luo imperial family.
The result was that Huo Yuhao, whom they saw as the biggest threat, had not even gone on stage.
The opponent had already walked towards the competition stage. The Shrek Academy side was naturally the same. While everyone entered the waiting area, seven people also walked out. It was precisely the seven official team members of Shrek, led by Dai Yueheng.
The seven who appeared for Shrek Academy were: Captain Dai Yueheng, Vice-Captain Gongyang Mo, Ling Luochen, Xixi, Chen Zifeng, Yao Haoxuan, and a level-five soul tool master named Qi Zhu.
Xu Sanshi, Wang Dong, and Cao Jinxuan, who had contributed to turning the tide in the initial knockout tournament, were not in the lineup for the team battle, but were sitting down in the waiting area.
Although the cultivation of the Shrek preparatory team members was not strong, in the previous battles, they had left an extremely deep impression on the audience.
Whether it was Cao Jinxuan's unsolvable time-stop domain or Xu Sanshi and Wang Dong who possessed a martial soul fusion skill, they were all existences that could not be underestimated. And also the twin Lan sisters and the Dai Huabin-Zhu Lu pair who also possessed a martial soul fusion skill, and the absolute healing martial soul, the Nine Heart Begonia soul master Ye Linlin, would all be the core strength of the Shrek team in the next tournament.
The reason why the preparatory team members were not sent up was because Wang Yan had great confidence in the official team members. This was the strongest batch of disciples in their Shrek inner court. Of course, if that Ultimate Fire Soul Sage Ma Xiaotao were still here, he could go back now and lie down with Auctioneer Qing Ya to discuss matters after winning the championship.
Under his calm exterior, Wang Yan's heart was filled with excitement. When he had first led the Shrek preparatory team to Star Luo City, he had almost no confidence at all. But as the competition deepened and the official team members recovered one by one, not only did he become more and more confident, but he also had more ideas about strategy and tactics.
After Shrek Academy had defeated the Di'ao Academy in that one match, in Wang Yan's heart, there was only one goal left, and that was the final championship, the championship that would continue their Shrek glory. And on the road blocking the Shrek team from the champion's throne, there was only one real opponent.
As long as this group of official team members successfully won this team battle, then the subsequent matches basically didn't need to continue. In a one-on-one, the disadvantage of a soul tool master became obvious. Among the members of the Sun Moon team, the only ones who could contend with their invincible Dai Yueheng were also only their captain, Ma Rulong, and Huo Yuhao, whose strength was a question mark.
Today, the final battle had arrived. There was no longer any need to hide anything. The seemingly calm Wang Yan was going to display his talent through the performance of the Shrek team members in today's battle.
In the time that the various factions were conversing, the team battle members of both sides had already entered the stage, splitting into two lines, standing on the left and right of the referee, Heaven-Shaking Douluo Huang Jinxu.
"I have already announced the competition rules just now and will not repeat them. Both sides, retreat and prepare to begin. Until one side has no one left who can continue to fight, then the match is over."
Dai Yueheng's two eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze cold and arrogant as he stared at the opposing captain, Ma Rulong. On his body, the aura belonging to a Shrek Soul Emperor was gradually rising.
This was caused by the prestige of Shrek Academy. Dai Yueheng continuously fantasized in his heart how he would prove himself to his father.
The team members of both sides slowly retreated. The originally nervous Xiao Hongchen's eyes began to reveal a look of excitement. He was originally a competition-type team member. The more nervous his mood, the stronger the combat power that would erupt. To be able to participate in this final as a preparatory team member, he and his sister Meng Hongchen had already proven their powerful strength. This was also their first appearance in this year's tournament. To be used as a secret weapon, he and his sister indeed had the capital to be proud.
Gradually, the team members of both sides had approached the edge of the competition stage. On Shrek Academy's side, it was still Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng standing at the very front. Xixi stood behind the two of them, and then came Ling Luochen and Qi Zhu. Gongyang Mo and Yao Haoxuan were at the very back.
Their combination was a typical seven-person team pairing. There were two power-attack-type battle soul masters, one auxiliary-type battle soul master, one agility-attack-type battle soul master, two control-type, plus one soul tool master. Overall, if they cooperated well, they could erupt with a considerable combat power.
On the other side, the formation of the Sun Moon team didn't look so good. A simple cone formation. Ma Rulong was at the very front, and the others formed a triangle behind him.
The spirits of both sides were all in a state of high concentration. Just at the moment they arrived at the edge of their respective competition stages, accompanied by a loud shout from the Heaven-Shaking Douluo Huang Jinxu, "The match begins."
This first battle, which would decide the final ownership of the championship of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, had finally begun!
The moment Huang Jinxu's two words "begin" were shouted out, the formations of both sides rapidly changed. A surprising scene appeared.
The Shrek team and the Sun Moon team, as if they had agreed beforehand, the team members of both sides simultaneously moved towards the center, actually all lining up in a single file.
On Shrek Academy's side, the one standing at the very front was no longer Dai Yueheng or Chen Zifeng, but had been changed to Yao Haoxuan.
After the Sun Moon team had lined up in a single file, the one standing at the very front had also surprisingly changed. It was changed to Lin Xi.
While the formation was changing, both sides also released their martial souls at the same time. The Sun Moon team was also simultaneously releasing their soul tools.
The Shrek team, seven in one. The seven people were completely standing in a straight line. The Yao Haoxuan at the very front, his seemingly very thin body suddenly accelerated and charged forward. His right foot heavily stomped on the ground, and he charged forward with great strides. The other six, while releasing their martial souls, followed closely behind.
"Dong—" A dull, loud sound made the entire plaza tremble with it, as if the earth dragon had turned over. It was hard to imagine that Yao Haoxuan's thin body could actually burst out with such huge power.
Immediately after, his body, with the help of that tyrannical stomping force, impressively charged up into the air. His four limbs spread out, and then one could see terrifying muscles crazily bulging. In just a flash, his whole person had turned into a huge, exaggerated, big man.
Every muscle on Yao Haoxuan was exaggeratedly bulging. His skin surface even more so had a thick keratinous leather, entirely an iron-gray color. His pair of eyes had even more so turned a ghostly green. When he crashed to the ground, he, who was originally not even as tall as Ling Luochen, at this time his height had impressively surpassed four meters.
"Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong..." Amidst the dull, loud sounds, all the spectators could clearly see that one after another of yellow halos were spreading from Yao Haoxuan's body. Every member of the Shrek team was covered in a layer of yellow light, their aura clearly becoming a few points sharper.
And on Ma Rulong's side, hearing the low voice, their minds all began to feel a little dizzy. However, the Sun Moon team did not move from their original spot. For a soul tool master, a sufficient distance was most conducive for them to display their own strength.
Lin Xi, standing at the very front, had at the first moment released a soul tool. It was also a shield, but it only looked to be the size of an ordinary plate. A light flashed on the metal shield's surface, and a layer of a yellow halo spread out, transforming into a light shield with a diameter of two meters, not only protecting him within, but also protecting the others behind the Sun Moon team.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see why the Sun Moon team was doing this. It was clearly to guard against Yao Haoxuan's martial soul, the Heaven-Shaking Ape's, soundwave interference soul skill.
The soundwave interference soul skill had already played an important role in the team battles between the Shrek team and their opponents who knows how many times. Once Yao Haoxuan completed his interference, then not only would the opponent be affected by the soundwave and be unable to accurately judge the timing of their move, but it would also interrupt the verbal communication or secret signal reminders between the members.
Whether it was being unable to aim at the opponent to open fire due to the interference, or having their judgment of the battle situation affected by the soundwave, it was not a good thing for the Sun Moon team.
Unlike the original novel, this time Yao Haoxuan finally got to appear on the stage of this year's tournament. In terms of field control ability, he was in no way weaker than the former Ling Luochen, and was even superior.
If the Yao Haoxuan from the original novel could see this, he would probably be unable to help but cry his heart out. Among the original Shrek official team members, he should have been the one to die the most tragically!
Heaven will not let me, Yao Haoxuan, perish!
When the members of the Shrek team saw Lin Xi charging at the very front, a knowing smile appeared on their faces. In their view, the defense of the Sun Moon team was clearly quite perfect. At least Yao Haoxuan's soundwave interference had lost its effect.
This was just the formation change of both sides at the very beginning. Immediately after, countless light balls condensed from soul power and released through soul tools, like a peacock spreading its tail, were instantly released from the bodies of the Sun Moon team members behind Lin Xi.
These light balls first rapidly scattered to both sides and into the air. Flying in the air, they were actually still accelerating and gathering. From their trajectory, these light balls would, without exception, all land on the seven from Shrek Academy without any waste.
The soul tool masters of the Sun Moon team were at least at the level-five cultivation. Even if their soul power was raised through various medicines and secret methods and could not be compared with a true battle soul master, their soul power cultivation was real.
A soul tool driven by Soul King-level soul power, its power was even greater than a soul skill directly used by a Soul King. What's more, it was so many level-five soul tool masters casting skills together.
Previously, in the team battles against most of the academies, the Sun Moon team had used this kind of all-round soul tool outbreak to forcefully suppress their opponents. Relying on continuous strikes, they had forced many teams off the competition stage.
However, just as the large number of soul tool light balls on their side were rising into the sky, among the seven from Shrek Academy who were lined up in a single file, the White Tiger Meteor Shower, amplified by Gongyang Mo, had also arrived.
The timing he chose was extremely good. It was when the soul tool light balls on this side had been released and were beginning to converge towards the center in the air. These meteor showers suddenly descended from the sky. The attacks that erupted from both sides almost collided in the very center of the competition stage.
As the fourth soul skill of a Soul Emperor, its power was surely more formidable than a level-five soul tool master activating a level-five soul tool. And it itself was only used for interception. From the initial collision, it instantly evolved into a full-scale collision and explosion.
At the same time, Ling Luochen, controlling the ice staff in her hand, raised a high ice wall in front of the Shrek members. The ice wall was not thick. After barely blocking the aftershocks of the explosion, it shattered.
Just from the response of this first round of attacks, the Shrek team had done much better than the other academies that had previously encountered the Sun Moon team.