As everyone's eyes fell on her, Jiang Qingtong remained calm. She nodded and admitted plainly,
"That's right. I do have a third martial soul."
Gasps of shock swept through the group.
Twin martial souls were already considered a heaven-defying talent—but three martial souls?
Triple martial souls? That was completely unheard of!
Ling Luochen wasn't done. Not even caring about her disheveled appearance, she rushed straight up to Jiang Qingtong and stared her down.
"And… your third martial soul is Ultimate Ice, isn't it?"
Ultimate Ice!
Ling Luochen's words hit like a bombshell. One revelation after another—each more shocking than the last.
Jiang Qingtong simply nodded again.
"Yes."
"Damn… this is too—uh, hey, Xi Xi, help me out with a word here," Gongyang Mo muttered, shaking his head as he looked at her. He lightly tapped Xi Xi on the shoulder.
"Freakish." Xi Xi replied flatly.
"Hey, why are you insulting me?" Gongyang Mo blinked.
"You told me to give you a word," Xi Xi replied, deadpan. "With talent like hers? What else can you call her but a freak?"
Gongyang Mo nodded rapidly.
"True, true. Junior sister, your talent is just… freakish!"
Dai Yueheng also looked at Jiang Qingtong, admiration and amazement undisguised in his eyes.
"Now I understand how you were able to take Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao and challenge the entire Outer Court freshman class."
If he had the chance, he'd definitely try to get Star Luo Empire to win her over.
With Dai Huabin in the preparatory team, he could ask him to build a rapport with Jiang Qingtong and express goodwill on behalf of the Duke White Tiger's estate.
As for her identity as a citizen of the Sun Moon Empire? That didn't matter. If she remembered their kindness, the payoff would be more than worth it.
Up in the air, Elder Xuan watched everyone's stunned reactions with his hands behind his back and said,
"Now you understand why I chose to let these little ones onto the team, right? They may still be young and not at your level of cultivation, but their talents are enough to influence a match at your level. Don't believe it? We can shuffle the teams and run it back."
"No need! We'd definitely lose!" Dai Yueheng waved his hands immediately.
He looked at Jiang Qingtong and praised sincerely:
"With talent like hers, she'll lead any team she's on to victory."
Well, well—already laying on the goodwill.
Ma Xiaotao stepped forward and stood beside Jiang Qingtong.
"Of course she's strong—Qingtong is my junior sister. She's learning from our teacher, so that makes her part of the family."
Though Jiang Qingtong hadn't formally apprenticed under Yan Shaozhe, she did train with him. As far as Ma Xiaotao was concerned, that was good enough to claim her as a junior.
Dai Yueheng understood what Ma Xiaotao was trying to signal and didn't argue.
Elder Xuan asked with a smirk,
"You don't want a rematch? The others still want a shot at winning. What do you say, Xiaotao?"
"We definitely want a win, Elder Xuan!" Ma Xiaotao replied quickly.
"Great. Then Beibei, He Caitou—you two swap with Xiao Xiao and Qingtong." Elder Xuan pointed and arranged the new teams.
Beibei and He Caitou's expressions turned bitter.
With the way this lineup looked… weren't they just being thrown to the wolves?
Sigh…
The two trudged over to Dai Yueheng's team with downcast expressions. He didn't look thrilled either.
Look at that other team—Ma Xiaotao, Jiang Qingtong, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao. The Outer Court's legendary trio was reunited.
And now that they'd experienced firsthand how Jiang Qingtong could reshape a battle?
Yeah, this was going to be bad.
Unsurprisingly, the second match ended even faster than the first. With Jiang Qingtong enhancing her teammates, Ling Luochan's ice-type martial soul temporarily ascended to Ultimate Ice, and the field was instantly frozen solid.
After that, Ma Xiaotao went around knocking people out one by one.
Dai Yueheng put up the most resistance, but that was about it.
When the mixed-team match was over, everyone had only praise and admiration for Jiang Qingtong.
Even Ling Luochan, whose pride had just been thoroughly trampled, had no hesitation in showing her respect.
She'd already made up her mind—she needed to build a relationship with Jiang Qingtong.
A martial soul at the level of Ultimate Ice was too valuable to ignore.
Seeing everyone crowding around Jiang Qingtong, trying to get closer, Ma Xiaotao—this self-declared senior sister—couldn't help but sulk.
It felt like her treasure had suddenly been discovered by everyone else.
"What a sinful woman!" she thought bitterly.
Meanwhile, Jiang Qingtong looked helpless as everyone swarmed her.
What is this, "Succubus of the Living World"?
Seeing the crowd, Elder Xuan finally interjected:
"Losers, each of you shout 'I'm a pig' a few times, and then treat the winners to a meal."
Only Jiang Qingtong and Xiao Xiao were exempt from this "pig call" punishment.
Once the losing team had done their bit, Elder Xuan declared the assessment over. The rest of the day was now free time.
They were all young people—no need to be too formal. The group went out to eat together, and Dai Yueheng took the initiative to pay for everyone.
After all, the Duke White Tiger's estate was loaded.
"As the tournament will be held in Star Luo City, that makes it our turf. If you're free, how about visiting the Duke's estate?" Dai Yueheng asked with a pleasant smile.
Ma Xiaotao frowned and said flatly,
"Have you forgotten the Academy's rules, Dai Yueheng? As students of Shrek, we're not supposed to involve ourselves with our respective factions while enrolled."
Her cold reminder immediately made the mood awkward.
Everyone knew Ma Xiaotao's personality—but even so, no one had expected her to call it out here and now.
Low emotional intelligence? Maybe. But she could afford it.
Having grown up within the Academy and mentored by a Hyper Douluo like Yan Shaozhe, Ma Xiaotao had never needed to play politics or network.
The respect she commanded came from her strength, not her social charm.
Dai Yueheng cleared his throat and quickly explained,
"Of course I know the rules. I was only making a friendly suggestion. Star Luo City is the capital of Star Luo Empire—an international metropolis. Having a local show you around might be helpful."
"My brother's right," Dai Huabin chimed in.
"Star Luo City is incredibly prosperous—every bit as impressive as Shrek City. One of the most vibrant cities on the continent."
"That part's definitely true," Wang Dong agreed with a nod.
Xiao Xiao giggled, "Well then, once we're there, I'll count on you two to show us around! I've never been to Star Luo City before.
Sister Nannan, have you ever been there?"