When Su Wen led his team to the rest area.
They happened to run into the entire Thousand Spirits Advanced Soul Academy team. All the main team members, seeing Su Wen, wore the same look of terror as An Lengye the day before, struggling to suppress their fear as they passed by. Anyone watching closely could see their legs trembling.
The reserve team members, on the other hand, were confused about why their seniors looked so ridiculous.
"Looks like after yesterday's match, your reputation has peaked," Wang Dong'er said, smiling.
"…" Su Wen was speechless.
But to be fair, from An Lengye's perspective, it really was like a horror movie—wandering into a place she'd never even dreamed of, right at the heart of the Extreme North, meeting a group of legendary beasts. And just after forgetting about this strange adventure, she runs into one of them again in the tournament…
But he didn't feel like explaining.
Anyone above Title Douluo level could see through a soul beast's hundred-thousand-year transformation. As long as Xu Jiawei, or any other power, saw for themselves, they'd know the truth.
…
Although the referee had already announced the first elimination match, the format for the round robin would still be decided by drawing lots, with both teams sending players up to draw.
"You're up against Cloud Luo today," Xu Jiujiu said with a smile, leading the Star Lou Royal Academy team over, but stopping outside Shrek's rest area to chat with Su Wen across the fence.
"Yeah, hopefully we won't run into Your Highness before the top sixteen," Su Wen replied politely.
"Jiujiu doesn't want that either."
Xu Jiujiu, rarely playful, showed a side that left her team dumbfounded.
The usually dignified princess was acting differently with this boy. Her lively charm was simply unimaginable to them…
"Vice captain…" Du Gushangshan nudged the captain, winking. "So jealous of this guy, getting the princess' favor. Is talent really a privilege?"
"Shut up!" The burly leader snorted, glaring at him, then whispered sternly.
"On the Douluo Continent, strength is everything; treatment comes in layers. If you had that talent, the princess would look at you differently too. Criticize her again and I'll beat you!"
"Yes…"
Du Gushangshan muttered, shrinking back.
Huang Heyun, after scolding his teammate, glanced at Xu Jiujiu, a touch of sadness in his eyes.
Xu Jiujiu was stunning, poised, and, most importantly, a princess! Which young noble in Star Lou didn't admire her? With her beauty, intelligence, and political connections, he couldn't help but be attracted too.
Previously, he'd been team captain, a level 59 Soul King. Since Xu Jiujiu parachuted in, he'd become vice-captain, but bore no grudge, understanding his own position.
Seeing this, he couldn't deny feeling bad.
But he could only bury his frustration. If the empire really could ally with Shrek through marriage, His Majesty would do everything to make it happen. He was upset, but he knew his limits…
The two chatted for a while, attracting many eyes.
This was a gathering of the continent's most outstanding young talents, each representing a force of their own, not to mention Su Wen and Xu Jiujiu's friendly conversation.
…
Sun Moon Empire Rest Area.
"Star Lou and Shrek are getting close again?" Lin Xi snorted.
"Doesn't matter. If the empire really wants to act, Shrek can't stop us. But if they want war, they'd better hurry up—if that boy grows up, he could turn the tide," Elder Ma narrowed his eyes.
The Sun Moon Empire had spent four thousand years licking its wounds, but the bitter memory of loss and humiliation, nearly being conquered, couldn't be erased. Now, their soul tool technology was stronger, and the pro-war faction in the army ever louder. In their view, a full-scale war was likely in just a few years.
"If war breaks out, it won't be just a few Title Douluos fighting—it'll be fifty or more, and the army will mobilize over a million. At that scale, can one or two people really make a difference? Only Limit Douluos can have any real influence," Ma Rulong argued.
The Sun Moon Empire's soul tool doctrine emphasized teamwork, not individual heroics. So once the numbers reached a certain point, even Limit Douluos would have limited impact.
Besides, the original powers on the continent didn't have a single Limit Douluo now.
"Since the tournament began, do you know what his martial soul is?" Elder Ma asked.
"Uh…" Ma Rulong hesitated.
"His abilities are too strange. Until today, we still don't know what his martial soul is. In the future, he might be the empire's biggest obstacle on the battlefield," Elder Ma said.
Ma Rulong said nothing, just tapping the railing quietly.
Everyone's gaze fell on Su Wen, with different thoughts in their hearts.
…
"Why do you have lovers everywhere?" Ma Xiaotao took off her sunglasses, her scarlet eyes a bit jealous.
"Not lovers—just friends," Su Wen's face twitched, looking around.
She was a princess, after all—what would this look like for Xu Jiujiu if word got out?
And this was Star Lou, for heaven's sake…
"Hmph, men." Ma Xiaotao snorted, rolling over on the lounge chair to read a magazine.
"…"
Su Wen was helpless.
Just then, the referee's voice sounded from the stage.
"Captains of both teams, please come up to draw lots!"
"Except for Sun Moon, all the soul tool academies are weak, Cloud Luo included. Doesn't matter what format—we'll win even if it's a team battle," Wang Yan said quietly.
"Okay."
Su Wen nodded.
He left the rest area, leaping lightly onto the stage like a white arc, landing in an instant.
This simple move shocked the Cloud Luo captain.
Their strategy had pegged Su Wen as a beast tamer or summoner—obviously, such people's weakness was their own body, so whatever the match format, the plan was to target Su Wen first.
But this move shattered their plan.
Even their agility-type Soul Ancestor, with the help of soul tools, might not manage such a leap!
Fast—too fast!
Just like on the first day of elimination, when the white ape swept away Tianling Academy.
And the scariest part was, he hadn't even used a soul skill…
The crowd cheered, impressed by Su Wen's little show, while the other teams' agility-type soul engineers and Cloud Luo's captain wore the same shocked expression.
"That's pure physical strength," the Imperial Mystical Academy captain's eyes narrowed.
"No martial soul, no soul skills—must be…" a female teammate beside him said, her body glowing faintly as the light faded and she grew serious.
"To do that with just his body—what is Su Wen's martial soul?!" Jiang Peng frowned tightly. He realized his earlier judgment was way off. Su Wen was like a fog, hanging over all the teams.
The speed itself wasn't rare—many here could match it—but the difference between going all out and doing it effortlessly was huge.
"Let's just watch." Jiang Peng took a deep breath.
…
On the stage.
The referee handed over a large ball.
Inside were red, yellow, and blue small balls. The two captains tossed the big ball up, and whichever color fell out indicated the match type.
Red: team battle. Yellow: individual elimination. Blue: 2v2v3.
Su Wen looked at the big ball with interest.
It was easily manipulated. If you were a psychic soul master or had telekinesis, you could secretly influence the result. There were no strict rules about this—maybe because it didn't matter much.
Only in the final sixteen, when the strong teams clashed, would they have a Title Douluo host to prevent cheating.
"Begin!"
The big ball was tossed.
A yellow ball dropped out first.
Cloud Luo's captain looked disappointed.
They'd already paid a high price to get through the eliminations, with several main members injured. Rather than another elimination, it'd be better to just surrender in a team battle…
Su Wen didn't care. After the referee announced the individual elimination, he returned to the rest area.
"Elimination, good!" Wang Yan nodded.
"These soul tool academies, I can say for sure—their strongest is just a Soul Ancestor, maybe not even that; they rely mainly on soul tools," he commented. "Without advanced Sun Moon Empire technology, and abandoning the traditional soul master path, I can only say they're fumbling in the dark—masters of nothing…"
For the individual elimination, Su Wen went up.
The other side sent a chubby youth: Ma Yingjun.
Dull and silly.
"No stationary soul cannon allowed. Individual elimination is seven-on-seven—last team standing wins… Begin!"
The referee gave a few reminders, then left the stage.
Ma Yingjun broke out in a nervous sweat. Hearing the rules, he suddenly became nimble as a monkey. His sleeves and shoulders sprouted metal tubes, wings unfolded on his back, and a breastplate shield appeared—he shot into the air.
The idea was to last as long as possible, exhausting Su Wen's soul power, or at least not lose too badly.
But in the next instant, his expression froze.
His teammates below were shouting warnings.
Warning? About what?
Suddenly, a bone-chilling cold swept over him. Ma Yingjun stiffened and looked up—only to see a white ape looming behind him, its massive form completely blocking him out. The speed was horrifying—no one expected such a huge creature to move so fast.
Thud—
Ma Yingjun spat blood midair. After the white ape punched him in the back, he shot into the shield barrier, passed out, and slid down to the ground.
Cloud Luo's team rushed over and carried him away.
"Next."
Su Wen stood where he was, glancing indifferently at the Cloud Luo captain.
The whole stadium fell silent.
So fast!
Not just the white ape's speed, but the speed at which the match ended.
The result was expected, but people were still surprised.
From start to finish, Su Wen hadn't used any soul skills at all—he was fighting purely with soul beast physique!
And it was utter domination.
"…I'll go!" Cloud Luo's captain stopped the next girl from going up.
"Captain?" Shang Yue hesitated. "I'll go up to drain his soul power first…"
"Drain what?!" Situ Yu gritted his teeth. "Look what happened to Ma Yingjun! He's too strong—so strong we can't even compare. If you go up, it'll just be another punch from the ape. I just want to see how far we are from that kind of monster!"
"Yes." Shang Yue nodded.
The rest all looked to their captain.
At this point, they didn't expect to win.
They just wanted to see if their captain could force Su Wen to reveal anything, and to measure the gap between them…
"Situ Yu."
Cloud Luo's captain jumped onto the stage.
"Su Wen."
Su Wen nodded.
"I ask you to go all out. I want to see how far I am from the continent's top geniuses. If you beat me here, Cloud Luo will forfeit," Situ Yu said solemnly.
Su Wen raised an eyebrow with interest.
"All out?"
"All out!"
Situ Yu nodded hard.
"Then the referee might not save you in time…" Su Wen smiled.
Situ Yu: "…"
Look down on me that much?
Not far away, the referee's face twitched. He was a Soul Emperor, after all—could he really not save someone in time? Wasn't that looking down on him?
"Then… could I ask you to go easy?" Situ Yu asked cautiously.
Su Wen laughed.
He thought Situ Yu would be stubborn, but the guy actually listened.
The match began.
A hundred and twenty-eight beams of light rose, forming a barrier around the stage.
Situ Yu and Su Wen faced off.
Dozens of cannons sprouted from Situ Yu like a hedgehog. In seconds, he built a mini steel fortress, including defensive and long-range soul tools of every kind.
"I'm making my move!"
Feeling the safety of his iron shell, Situ Yu shouted.
Su Wen nodded.
Dozens of cannons fired instantly, a sweeping attack covering Su Wen's entire area.
Some frowned.
Xiao Hongchen even stood up, staring at the spot covered in fire.
Su Wen… didn't seem to dodge.