Other than their first match against the Star Luo Royal Team, who had a bit of strength, all the teams Shrek Academy faced afterwards were very weak, easily defeated without much effort.
On the third day of the tournament, one of the more noteworthy matches was between the Spirit Hall team and the Windfire team.
Therefore, after finishing their own match, the Shrek team stopped to watch.
When the previous match ended, there was a ten-minute break in between, giving both teams some time to prepare.
Inside the Spirit Hall team's resting room—
A white-haired girl who bore some resemblance to the worshiper Guang Ling was polishing a finely crafted bow in her hands. Her appearance was somewhat similar to Guang Ling's, but she was taller and had an ice-cold, aloof personality completely unlike Guang Ling. She was Guang Ling's daughter, Guang Ning.
Standing beside her was a green-haired youth, gazing through the window at the arena outside. His name was Qing Ming, the son of the worshiper Qing Luan.
Apart from them, four more team members were on standby inside the room.
At that moment, the door opened. A tall, strikingly beautiful woman with wavy golden hair walked in, wearing long boots and jeans. This was Tian Yue, granddaughter of the worshiper Elder Crocodile.
"The time has come. Our opponents are the Windfire team."
"Who's going up?" Guang Ning asked.
"Everyone. Full lineup," Tian Yue replied.
"For just the Windfire team, is it really necessary to reveal our entire lineup?" Qing Ming asked.
Tian Yue said, "That is the Pope's order."
"Fine then." Qing Ming stretched his limbs and said, "We can use the Windfire team as practice."
Tian Yue casually grabbed a cowboy hat from the nearby coat rack, put it on, and led the team out.
Meanwhile, on their way to the arena, Feng Xiaotian made a special stop at Shrek's quarters. He said to Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, little sister, your brother is about to go face the Spirit Hall team."
"Mm. Brother Xiaotian, Xiao Wu wishes you the final victory." Xiao Wu replied sweetly.
Feng Xiaotian then said, "Xiao Wu, if I can somehow win the championship, then I'll take that hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit spirit bone as a dowry… and marry you. How about that?"
Before Xiao Wu could react, Tang San instantly lost his temper. He shouted harshly, "Feng Xiaotian, stop spouting big words. Your Windfire team only has one Soul King. With just that, you think you're fit to win the championship?"
Feng Xiaotian said calmly, "Yes, Windfire's chances at the championship are slim. But even if there is just a sliver of hope, Xiao Wu, I will strive for it with all I have." As he said this, he gazed at Xiao Wu with deep affection.
"Brother Xiaotian…" Xiao Wu looked back at him with starry eyes.
Seeing this scene, Tang San felt his hair turning green with jealousy. No way—surely Xiao Wu wouldn't actually leave him for Feng Xiaotian just for a spirit bone? But wait—that spirit bone wasn't just any spirit bone. It was her mother's spirit bone, and it meant everything to her.
"Wait, Xiao Wu—I can win it for you too!" That was what Tang San wanted to say next, but Feng Xiaotian cut him off.
Looking at Yu Tianheng, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Er Ming, and Tai Long, Feng Xiaotian said, "Shrek team, I know Windfire's odds are slim, but win or lose, we'll do our best to test Spirit Hall's true strength. If I lose, then the mission of winning Xiao Wu's spirit bone will fall to you."
Yu Tianheng extended his palm and said, "Do your best, Xiaotian. We're all doing this for Xiao Wu."
"Mm!" Feng Xiaotian clasped his hand tightly.
Two handsome men clasping hands firmly—meanwhile, standing awkwardly beside them was a short-legged, dark-skinned, ugly-looking fellow, staring with his thick lips parted.
Hey hey hey, what's going on here? Doesn't this make me, Tang San, look like a clown?
After this little display of "manly friendship," Feng Xiaotian led the Windfire team toward the arena.
The Spirit Hall and Windfire teams entered the stage from opposite sides.
Shrek team watched from the sidelines. Shaking off his earlier gloom, Tang San shifted his attention to Spirit Hall's lineup.
When he saw their captain, a woman in denim clothes and a cowboy hat, Tang San's dark body trembled involuntarily.
This Spirit Hall team was completely different from the members in his past life. There was no standard to compare against.
"San, don't they look… familiar somehow?" Oscar said, squinting.
"Like who?" Tang San asked.
"That's it! The worshipers—the Spirit Hall worshipers!" Oscar suddenly blurted out, pointing to the silver-haired girl at the back. "Doesn't she look just like Guang Ling?"
Tang San's eyes widened as he nodded repeatedly.
"That one looks like Qing Luan. And that one—like Crocodile."
Finally, the reborn Shrek quartet dug out fragments of memory from their past life—yes, these were the children of the Spirit Hall worshipers.
"Could it really be the Worship Hall's descendants?" Tang San muttered, glancing toward the Pope's Palace. "What on earth happened in Spirit Hall? Has Bibi Dong been sidelined?"
"Maybe it's the work of that possible reincarnator in Spirit Hall," Dai Mubai suggested.
Either way, this revealed an unsettling truth to Shrek's reincarnators: Spirit Hall might actually be more united than in their previous life.
When the referee announced the start and the release of martial souls, Spirit Hall's terrifying strength was revealed for all to see.
Golden light burst around Tian Yue as a massive golden crocodile appeared. Golden armor covered her body, making her look like a true Valkyrie.
Six spirit rings—purple, purple, purple, black, black, black—circled her body. Her power had already reached Rank 61, Soul Emperor.
The other worshipers' descendants followed. Guang Ning drew her Lightfeather Divine Bow, chilling the air around her. Her spirit rings—purple, purple, purple, black, black—marked her as a Rank 58 Soul King.
Qing Ming summoned his Blue Luan Bird with a clear cry, five spirit rings descending—purple, purple, purple, black, black—his strength at Rank 59 Soul King.
As for the remaining four, one was a Soul King and the other three were Soul Sects, all with strong ring configurations starting with triple purples.
The Spirit Hall team's debut instantly eclipsed all previous competitors. And Tian Yue, a Soul Emperor appearing in the Continental Tournament—this was unprecedented.
In comparison, Feng Xiaotian's lineup of one Soul King and six Soul Sects looked almost laughably weak.
Inside the VIP seats, Ning Fengzhi looked gravely in the direction of the Spirit Hall team. He murmured,
"Uncle Jian, can you tell how old they are?"
Chen Xin whispered in disbelief,
"How is this possible… her age is actually the same as Rongrong's? My god, a fourteen-year-old Soul Emperor?"
"A fourteen-year-old Soul Emperor." Ning Fengzhi drew in a deep breath and said,
"And not only that, it's the Golden Crocodile King—a top-tier martial soul, equipped with over-limit spirit rings."
"Clan Master, you saw it too. The Spirit Hall team's participants are all the same age as Rongrong, which means—" Chen Xin stopped speaking, the rest implied.
"A fourteen-year-old Soul Emperor, a fourteen-year-old Soul King, and a fourteen-year-old Soul Ancestor?" Ning Fengzhi had already placed Spirit Hall's threat very high in his heart, but even so, he had underestimated them. These prodigies—forget about a fourteen-year-old Soul King or Emperor being heaven-defying—just a fourteen-year-old Soul Ancestor was already enough to be considered monstrous.
The strength of a faction's visible experts represented its current foundation. But the achievements of the younger generation revealed that faction's future.
Spirit Hall already controlled more than half of the continent's Titled Douluo, putting immense pressure on all other powers. And now, with a younger generation this heaven-defying, how could any other faction hope to survive?
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi felt as though a heavy stone was pressing on his chest. Deep inside, he wanted to cry out to Bibi Dong and the upper echelon of Spirit Hall: How can your descendants be this outstanding? They shouldn't be this outstanding! Otherwise, I'll eat a pound of shit if you'd just stuff these little monsters back into their mothers' wombs! Please, I beg you, I'll kneel if I must!
"No wonder Spirit Hall dares to put up two hundred-thousand-year spirit rings as prizes for this tournament," Ning Fengzhi sighed.
"Clan Master, these prodigies are a real threat. What should we do?" Chen Xin asked gravely.
By Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect tradition, the way to deal with such geniuses was to eliminate them before they rose to prominence. But these youths were clearly descendants of the Worship Hall. Even if they had ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare act against them.
After all, it was impossible to handle such matters flawlessly. If they slipped up and left any trace behind, today they might dare to assassinate Spirit Hall's geniuses, but tomorrow the Worship Hall would dare to wipe out the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Fengzhi drew a deep breath.
"We're not the only ones feeling threatened by Spirit Hall. There's no need for us to take the lead—just sit back and watch things unfold."
In the audience stands, Flender was staring in shock at the Spirit Hall team's lineup, plunged into serious self-doubt.
"Do our Shrek little monsters even stand a chance?"
"Boss Fu," Liu Erlong said, "food is eaten one bite at a time. Shrek Academy has only just begun. There's no need to demand that our little monsters win the championship in a single tournament, right? They're still young. They can participate again in the next one."
"You're right," Flender admitted. "Originally, I expected our little monsters to take the championship. But I didn't expect this many freaks to show up this time. Looking at things now, if we can take third place, I'll already be satisfied."
On the other side, however, the Shrek team found this hard to accept—especially Tang San.
A Soul Emperor… In his previous life, he had only managed to reach Soul Emperor five years later, and that was only thanks to his beloved Xiao Wu's sacrifice.
And now—
He thought about everything he'd gone through: his spirit bones ripped away, the loss of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's immortal herbs, his Blue Silver Emperor bloodline stolen, and the first four rings of his Clear Sky Hammer wasted. Tang San felt suffocated with jealousy.
A Soul Emperor? Why? Why are you more outstanding than me, the Son of Destiny? How about this—I'll eat a pound of shit if you freaks just vanish already. Don't provoke me any further, okay?
On the Spirit Battle Arena, Tian Yue calmly faced the Windfire Academy team and said,
"So, do you still think there's any point in fighting? I'll give you a chance to admit defeat with dignity."
Feng Xiaotian shook his head.
"Your strength is impressive, but that doesn't mean I don't have the will to fight. Win or lose, it should be decided on the battlefield."
"In that case, we'll just have to help you keep some dignity later," Tian Yue said.
She then ordered,
"Before the semifinals, we have no desire to reveal too much. Lu Ling, Lu Yi, proceed as planned."
The two female spirit masters behind him responded in unison,
"Yes, Captain!"
"Ding, ding, ding—"
The bell rang. The match officially began.
At the instant the bell sounded, everyone held their breath, watching Spirit Hall's debut battle closely, unwilling to miss a single detail.
Tian Yue snapped her fingers. Behind her, Lu Ling and Lu Yi—both Soul Ancestors—received the signal. They embraced each other, their spirits both Mist Elves. Behind them, their martial spirits released a radiant glow of fusion.
The Windfire team knew they were about to use a Martial Soul Fusion Technique, but they had no way to stop it. The two girls were in the backline, and not even Feng Xiaotian could break through Spirit Hall's layered defenses to interrupt them.
"Martial Soul Fusion—Domain of Mist!"
Mist spread outward from the center of their fusion. In an instant, both Spirit Hall and Windfire teams were swallowed by the fog. The entire Spirit Battle Arena was shrouded in a hazy mist. The audience lost all vision of the battlefield and couldn't see what was happening inside.
Offstage, Tang San hurriedly activated his Purple Demon Eye, trying to pierce through the mist. But his spiritual power wasn't strong enough to penetrate this fusion technique.
That was when Tang San remembered: in the past, to please Xiao Wu and maintain her high-spending lifestyle, he had wasted much time forging metal for money, running errands, shopping with her, and so on. As a result, he had delayed his training of the Purple Demon Eye. Without the Autumn-Water Dew to aid him, his spiritual power could never pierce illusions to perceive reality.
Thinking of this, Tang San was filled with deep regret. Of course, what he regretted wasn't that he had spent so much time pleasing Xiao Wu, but that he hadn't trained the Purple Demon Eye harder while looking after her.
The mist came quickly and dissipated quickly. Soon, it thinned, and everyone could see the battlefield again. The Spirit Hall team stood intact on their side of the arena, while the Windfire team members were sprawled all over the ground.
The referee froze for a moment, then stepped onto the stage. He checked over the Windfire team carefully before finally announcing,
"Spirit Hall Team—victory!"
So… that was it?
What exactly had happened inside the mist just now??
But regardless, only the victors earn the final applause. The audience began to cheer loudly for the Spirit Hall team's victory.
After the Wind and Fire Team was defeated and carried off, all the participating teams grew extremely solemn.
In the past, a team with even one Soul King could aim straight for the championship. But now, such a team was eliminated so quickly, in such an eerie manner.
The mighty Spirit Hall Team had become a boulder pressing down on everyone's hearts.
The following matches continued in full swing. Shrek Academy did not encounter any strong opponents and advanced smoothly step by step.
Meanwhile, the Heaven Dou Academy team, which also had a Soul King, faced off against the Star Luo Team in the competition and was ultimately defeated.
Before the semifinals, Shrek, Star Luo, and Spirit Hall—these three teams never clashed against one another, so all three advanced to the semifinals. They would now head to the highest seat of power in Spirit Hall, the Pope's Palace, to take part in the semifinals and finals.
The Pope's Palace glittered with golden splendor, resembling a celestial dwelling. In front of the grand hall, two rows of palace knights stretched from the gate all the way down the mountain. Their bright silver armor and heavy knight swords made the place all the more awe-inspiring.
The eliminated teams had already left. They were not even permitted to watch the final day's battles. Only the truly powerful young contenders had the qualification to step onto this plaza before the Pope's Palace.
Early that morning, the twenty-one contestants from the three remaining teams were already waiting quietly before the palace.
The Spirit Hall Team and Xinghuo Team appeared relaxed, while only the Shrek Team kept a very low profile.
Shrek lined up their seven: Tang San, Yu Tianheng, Er Ming, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar. Ning Rongrong stood at the substitutes' side with Tai Long, Jing Ling, Jiang Zhu, and Huang Yuan.
From the side gate of the Pope's Palace came twelve men—cardinals whose status ranked just below platinum bishops. The one leading them cried out loudly:
"Her Holiness the Pope arrives!"
"Long live, long live, long live!" The threefold chant rolled like a landslide, echoing through the whole Spirit City.
The palace doors slowly opened. All eyes turned that way.
Bibi Dong emerged, dressed in a golden ceremonial gown from head to toe. A purple-gold crown rested on her head, a scepter in hand, her face solemn as she gazed loftily over the square.
All members of Spirit Hall fell to one knee at once: "We greet Your Holiness, the Pope."
Behind Bibi Dong followed seven figures, clad in scarlet ceremonial robes. Unlike the cardinals, their garments were embroidered with gold and silver designs. On their chests gleamed gemstones the size of a baby's fist, making the attire all the more luxurious.
They were: Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, Ghost Douluo Gui Mei, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, Holy Dragon Douluo Yu Xiaomen, Destiny Douluo Huo Qiqiang, Xinghuo Academy's leader Snow Maiden, and Ning Fengzhi.
With Bibi Dong's appearance, it was natural that both the tar Luo and Spirit Hall Teams immediately knelt.
But for the Shrek Team, this created a very awkward situation.
Tang San glared at Bibi Dong with deep hatred. His tragic fate in this life had begun because of her. In his previous life, even his most powerful asset, the Eight Spider Lances that had evolved into the Sea God's Eight-Winged divine tool, was snatched away by this woman before he could even make proper use of it.
And in that past life, he had become none other than the exalted Sea God and Asura God. To him, a mere Pope of Spirit Hall was nothing more than an ant. His pride made it impossible for Tang San to kneel before Bibi Dong.
Thud—
A kneeling sound reached Tang San's ears. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yu Tianheng kneeling.
Tang San sneered inwardly: Hmph, as expected. This useless fool could never be one of the Shrek Seven Devils. He doesn't even have the pride of a monster. Bowing to Bibi Dong like some spineless weakling—pathetic.
But this works in my favor. Yu Tianheng doesn't even know that Bibi Dong is Xiao Wu's mother's killer. Kneeling before her like this… I wonder what Xiao Wu will think of him now.
Thud—
Er Ming also knelt.
Tang San froze for a moment. Er Ming? Aren't you supposed to be the Titan Giant Ape in disguise? Yu Tianheng might not know who Xiao Wu's enemy is, but you do. How could you kneel to her?!
Quickly, Tang San found an explanation: Too cowardly, too intimidated by Spirit Hall's authority. That must be it. Truly useless.
Fine then. You weaklings kneel if you want. This just proves even more clearly who the real man here is.
Thud—
Xiao Wu knelt.
Tang San was struck dumb.
No… Xiao Wu, why you too? Have you forgotten Bibi Dong is your mother's murderer?!
Ah—I get it. You're just enduring humiliation to bide your time, right? Xiao Wu, you don't need to do this. With me here, how could I ever let you be wronged?
But still, Xiao Wu knelt. And Tang San thought: No, I could never kneel to Bibi Dong. I am the Sea God and the Asura God! Even the God of Destruction had no right to make me kneel, let alone her.
The three remaining Shrek members hesitated.
Yu Tianheng barked angrily: "What are you waiting for? Kneel now, unless you want us all killed! Don't you know the rule? Anyone who meets the Pope must kneel, or face punishment!"
This rule had not existed in Tang San's previous life. That was why back then, the Shrek Seven Devils could march into the Pope's Palace with their heads held high.
The three looked at one another.
Dai Mubai said, "San, maybe we shouldn't be stubborn. Under another's roof, we still have to bow our heads."
Then—thud! Dai Mubai knelt.
No! Dai Mubai, in the last life you bathed in the glory of the Seven Devils and even became a God of War in the Divine Realm. How could you abandon your pride and kneel to Bibi Dong now?
But even more shocking to Tang San—
Thud! Thud!
Ma Hongjun and Oscar knelt too.
Oscar turned to Tang San: "San, I think Boss Dai is right. We shouldn't resist. Spirit Hall isn't like before. With this rule in place, if we defy it—who knows what will happen?"
All three—Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar—had once ascended to godhood. Their pride should have made it impossible to kneel. But…
The night before, during a group Martial Soul Fusion with Xiao Wu, they had agreed: Tang San's father had long-standing enmity with Spirit Hall. Today, even knowing of the rule, Tang San would surely refuse to kneel. So to help Xiao Wu ruin Tang San, the three decided to put down their pride and kneel together, leaving Tang San isolated, stuck standing there.
"I will never kneel to Spirit Hall," Tang San declared proudly, tilting his chin up like a defiant boy.
And so, under the scorching sun in the Pope's Palace square, before Spirit Hall's supreme ruler, every single person knelt—except for one short, black-skinned figure, with long arms and short legs, standing all alone.
He raised his dark face high in arrogant defiance.