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"Her situation is quite complicated. There's the three years of nurturing kindness she remembers, the bond of the Golden and Silver Dragon King bloodlines, and then that ambiguous emotional entanglement—it's all very tangled. Getting her to sort it out won't happen overnight." Bai Xu sighed helplessly.
Gu Yue, seeing Bai Xu's resigned expression, chuckled softly. "Heh, no rush. We still have a few years."
Three days later.
"Let's adjust the competition format. Change the original team battles to one-on-one round-robin matches. The second-year students are all at least four-ringed in cultivation—their strength is far beyond what the first-year squads can handle."
Cai Yue'er spoke to Shen Yi, Wu Zhangkong, and the homeroom teacher of Class Two, Grade Two standing before her. "We can't really let that little guy face an entire second-year team alone, can we?"
"Understood. I'll make the arrangements right away," Shen Yi replied.
"Many elders from the Sea God's Pavilion will be attending this time. They've heard about the 'monster' in the outer court and want to see the spectacle. The match has already drawn a lot of attention. If the kid loses this time, consider it a lesson—letting him be humiliated in public to temper his arrogance."
The sparring arena was bustling with activity today. Students from Class One, Grade One and Class Two, Grade Two had arrived early.
The first-year students were generally between thirteen and fourteen years old, while the second-years ranged from fifteen to seventeen.
Since the academy only had an upper age limit for enrollment but no lower limit, the age gap among students was quite noticeable.
At the front of Class Two, Grade One stood none other than Yuanen Yehui.
After the selection matches a few days prior, the atmosphere in Class One, Grade One had grown much more harmonious. Even Luo Guixing had voluntarily conceded defeat to Tang Wulin, so the other students had no reason to target him anymore.
As for Bai Xu, he was treated with distant respect by his peers—something he was perfectly content with, preferring to remain unnoticed.
Just then, a group of teachers filed in.
Leading them was the breathtakingly beautiful Holy Spirit Douluo Yali, whom they had seen just days ago. Walking beside her was the outer court's dean, Silver Moon Douluo Cai Yue'er—though Cai Yue'er deliberately lagged half a step behind Yali.
Next came the bickering duo from the previous generation of Shrek's Seven Monsters, the "Twin Dragons," who acted like a pair of mischievous old men.
Bai Xu paid little attention to them. Many in the previous generation of Shrek's Seven Monsters had harbored secret feelings for Yali—after all, love triangles were practically a hallmark of the Douluo Continent.
The competition began with Tang Wulin's forging match. As a future divine craftsman, his forging skills were indisputable. Suddenly, Bai Xu thought of something and turned to Gu Yue beside him. "Are you planning to make a battle armor set?"
Gu Yue looked surprised but answered, "Yes, my teacher is already preparing one for me. I might be able to fuse with it by the time I reach the four-ringed level."
She hadn't asked Tang Wulin to forge it for her again, even though he had offered.
"What? Feeling restless seeing Tang Wulin's forging skills?" Gu Yue teased.
Bai Xu shook his head. "I was just thinking that in the future, I might be able to use my metal manipulation for mecha or battle armor."
Then, he grinned. "Maybe I'll make you an 'Emperor's Armor' to wear!"
Gu Yue facepalmed, laughing. "There you go again with things I don't understand. But 'Emperor's Armor' does sound impressive!"
Even if she didn't get the reference, she could tell it was something grand.
"For the final match of today's exchange, the two sides will engage in a team battle. Given the first-years' younger age, Class One, Grade One may decide the number of participants," Shen Yi announced calmly, then glanced at Bai Xu.
Bai Xu stood up, leaped onto the stage, and declared in a solitary tone:
"One is enough."
The second-years erupted at his words—one person?!
Yuanen Yehui's eyes blazed with fighting spirit. She glanced at her classmates behind her and stepped forward. "Yuanen Yehui, Class One, Grade Two!"
On the Judges' Platform.
Holy Spirit Douluo Yali smiled and asked Cai Yue'er beside her, "Yue'er, wasn't the final match supposed to be a team battle? Why has it turned into a solo match?"
Cai Yue'er chuckled. "Sister Yali, Bai Xu is just one person. Having him face an entire second-year team alone would be unfair. Besides, I want to humble this little guy a bit and help him integrate into Shrek."
Yali smiled faintly. "We both saw his match the other day. Finding someone in the second year who can defeat him won't be easy."
Cai Yue'er replied, "Yuanen Yehui, the class monitor of Class One, Grade Two, has twin martial souls—both top-tier. She's also incredibly diligent in her training and recently broke through to the four-ringed level, the same as Bai Xu. Her strength and speed shouldn't be inferior to his, and her martial souls have unique traits that might give her an edge."
"We'll see. I'll serve as their referee." With that, Yali stood up and drifted onto the stage with effortless grace.
"Final thirty seconds. Prepare yourselves," Shen Yi's voice called from afar.
Neither spoke. They stepped forward, their auras surging violently.
Bai Xu radiated golden light as always, while Yuanen Yehui stood like an immovable mountain.
In terms of cultivation, the two were nearly equal—both at the Soul Ancestor level. Their energies clashed and collided, creating visible ripples of power on the stage.
"Three, two, one—begin!"
Bai Xu maintained a defensive stance, waiting to see how his opponent would attack.
Yuanen Yehui, however, wasted no time. Activating her Titan Giant Ape martial soul, her body rapidly expanded as she charged forward.
Her third soul skill, King Kong Titan, amplified her already massive form. With a stomp of her left foot, she launched herself like a cannonball toward Bai Xu.
"Good move!" Bai Xu roared.
Golden energy condensed around his arms as he braced to meet the attack head-on.
BOOM!
The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward. Bai Xu's feet carved deep grooves into the stage as he was forced back ten meters before halting—yet he had withstood the blow.
With a kick, he sent the giant ape flying back.
The two were evenly matched.
Yuanen Yehui, never one to back down, refused to accept that he could rival her strength. Activating her first soul skill, Titan's Strength, she combined it with her third and charged again—this time even fiercer.
Her already formidable body grew even sturdier, her aura intensifying.
"Only slightly stronger than the Golden Dragon Claw. Not by much."
Bai Xu gathered golden energy into his fists and unleashed a full-force punch, mimicking Tang Wulin's "overwhelming force" approach. The strike sent Yuanen Yehui stumbling back dozens of steps before she regained her footing.
Shock flashed across her face—this was the first time she had ever been overpowered in raw strength.
"Compared to the Golden Dragon Claw, this is just brute force—no special shattering effect. Breaking through it isn't hard."
His thoughts drifted, and he found himself growing bored. Martial souls were like this—once their specialty was countered, they became useless.
If even the Titan Giant Ape couldn't match him in strength, what else could it do?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a violent shockwave slammed into him. The impact sent Bai Xu staggering, though his golden barrier absorbed most of the damage, leaving him unharmed.
It was Yuanen Yehui's second soul skill—an air cannon-like ability.
Her body now bore a dark golden hue, her expression savage—likely an effect of a soul ring from a King Kong Baboon.
"I'll pass on seeing the Fallen Angel. I've lost interest."
Bai Xu raised a finger, and golden light flooded the arena. A hundred golden swords materialized behind him as he spoke coldly for the first time:
"Be careful."
Yuanen Yehui's eyes widened. How is this possible with just a martial soul?!
So far, Bai Xu hadn't used a single metal-element soul skill, nor had he activated his first martial soul, the Heavenly Eye. He was relying purely on his control over metal and his physical strength.
Yuanen Yehui stomped down with all her might, distorting the space around her slightly and deflecting some of the swords—but dozens more remained, razor-sharp and unrelenting.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Titan Giant Ape's hide was thick—though several swords pierced her body, she remained standing, having protected her vital areas.
"Still conscious?"
Bai Xu blinked, impressed by her endurance, then followed up with a mental shock. Yuanen Yehui collapsed.
"Yuanen Yehui defeated! Next—Yue Zhengyu!"
The same scene repeated. Even flight couldn't save Yue Zhengyu from Bai Xu's assault. One against six—Bai Xu had achieved a feat that placed him far beyond his peers.
His unapproachable dominance overshadowed everyone else in their generation. Whether it was Tang Wulin or Gu Yue, in this lifetime, only one figure would stand above all.
Cai Yue'er's face darkened, while Holy Spirit Douluo Yali merely smiled, praised Bai Xu, and left.
The name Bai Xu became legendary. No one could stand beside him—the title Immortal Monarch was born, and his classmates regarded him with awe.
The storm passed, and life returned to normal—training, eating, more training. Days were simple and uneventful.
Until the end of the semester approached, with final exams just three days away. That was when an extra bed appeared in Bai Xu's dorm, disrupting the quiet life he and Gu Yue had shared.
Na'er's bed was placed beside Gu Yue's, opposite Bai Xu's. She glanced at him nervously, her former pride as the Dragon Spear Goddess gone—only her peerless beauty remained.
"So… you're coming now?"
"Mhm." Na'er nodded.
"Why not stay in Tang Wulin's dorm? He wouldn't mind." Bai Xu sighed.
"I… don't want my brother to see me like this…"
Bai Xu: "…He's going to find out eventually."