"Is everyone alright? Jiang Zhu, hurry and treat them… The next rounds will be even harder. How can we keep fighting like this?"
Watching as the Shrek team was carried off the stage, the Grandmaster frowned gloomily and sighed.
Jiang Zhu quickly nodded. Her face was pale, and her soul power was almost depleted, but she still managed to pull the entire team back from near death to decent health.
"Uncle, I… I plan to return to the clan for a bit…"
Yu Tianheng stood up slowly, unable to look at the Grandmaster, shrinking back as he spoke.
"Tianheng, don't be willful. I'm more anxious than any of you! You can return to the clan any time, but the tournament is only held once. Didn't you come to Shrek Academy because you refused to lose—to prove yourself to your family?"
"But with our condition now… I don't even think we can make it to the finals."
Yu Tianheng hesitated.
"Don't worry. Leave tactics to me."
Forcing out a weak smile, the Grandmaster tried to sound confident.
"But their side… Su Lin… It seems like he found a way to advance his Martial Soul. I don't think their strength is fake at all—it's real."
Ma Hongjun muttered quietly.
"Nonsense!"
The Grandmaster's eyes widened, though clearly feeling guilty, but still pressured them aloud.
"There's no such thing as a method like that in the Martial Soul world! If you can find one, show me! If he really could advance a Martial Soul, the entire continent would be turned upside down by now!"
"Back to training! Now!"
The Grandmaster's face clouded.
"And Ning Rongrong, especially you! You couldn't even dodge the enemy's agility attacks—how can you call yourself a proper support? I told you before: a support's job is to protect themselves first. But what happened? You were the first one knocked down!"
"Extra physical training for you!"
"Bullshit!"
Ning Rongrong finally snapped.
"Grandmaster, I think Su Lin was right: you're a useless waste! Making an auxiliary soul master ignore soul power and talk about stamina, are you brain-damaged?"
"No matter how much I train my stamina, can I outrun an agility-type soul master?"
"My innate soul power was rank nine! I reached level 26 before admission, but after two damn years, I've only reached 31. Isn't it all because of your idiotic 'physical training?'"
"Now you're blaming all our problems on us to cover your own ass? You know why your nephew wants to leave? Because he sees right through you: a waste who's only dragging the whole team down and doesn't even realize it!"
Ning Rongrong went on a full rampage, her words sharp as knives.
The group was speechless as the Grandmaster's face turned liver-red with embarrassment.
"You… you…"
But even now, no one defended him.
Because, in their hearts, everyone else shared the same sentiment—only out of respect for Flender's face did they restrain themselves. At least Flender, however greedy or stingy, had discovered and trained the likes of Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, and Oscar himself—his kindness was felt deeply, which is why they'd never thought to leave Shrek.
And now… with Liu Erlong, their Vice-Principal, madly smitten by the Grandmaster, they dared not offend him further.
Some things were better left unsaid.
Breaking this last layer of civility only led to more pain.
"Hmph!"
The Grandmaster glared fiercely at Ning Rongrong, spun around, and stormed off.
"Rongrong…"
Tang San opened his mouth awkwardly, sounding a bit reproachful.
"Got guts, huh?"
Sure enough, the next moment, a thunderous voice made all the Shrek members shudder. Liu Erlong marched over, her fierce presence like that of a dragon, staring down at Ning Rongrong.
"Ning Rongrong, this is my Academy! The Grandmaster is a special-appointed teacher here! If you don't like it, you can go back to your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan anytime!"
"..."
The air froze in silence.
Flender appeared behind Liu Erlong, tugged her sleeve, and shook his head.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Clan, the best support in the land—if they lost them at this tournament, it'd be like cutting off a limb. Her importance to the team was indisputable.
"Hmph! At least some of you know what's right. The Grandmaster's spent nights preparing tactics for this competition and all he gets is this? Ungrateful wolves!"
Liu Erlong gave a cold humph but turned and left to catch up with the Grandmaster.
"Rongrong, you okay?"
Oscar quickly rushed over to comfort her.
The rest of Shrek's monsters also gathered. They admired her for saying what was on their minds. This match really exposed the gap…
The gap with their instructors.
A good teacher could improve a team this much!
Qin Ming looked embarrassed. If Shrek won, he could boast and maybe get brought back to Heaven Dou Royal Academy with honors. But now… the Emperor of Heaven Dou might just tell him to resign quietly.
"Didn't I tell you guys the Royal Academy's weak spots? Didn't anyone notice?"
He couldn't help but ask.
"Senior Qin Ming, did you not watch the match?"
Ma Hongjun mocked.
"Heaven Dou's main team is insanely strong. No weak spot matters if the other side just crushes you outright. It's night and day compared to back when you led the team. Only a few months, and…"
Dai Mubai poked Ma Hongjun in the ribs, who awkwardly stopped and scratched his head.
"The weather's nice today."
Qin Ming: "…"
Elsewhere
Liu Erlong found the pensive Grandmaster, her love-struck eyes sparkling.
"Hey, it's not your fault. The problem is with Tang San. He didn't follow your battle plan at all, and he didn't even speak up for you just now."
"Here—"
She took out a storage ring and spoke gently.
"This is my savings from Blue Tyrant Academy, and this is my gold card from the auction. Use it to treat yourself."
"Trying to tell me how to live?"
The Grandmaster frowned.
"No, no…"
Liu Erlong shook her head sweetly.
"And don't badmouth my students in front of me."
The Grandmaster lightly took the gold card, pretending indifference.
"That's exactly why I like you—so much backbone!"
Liu Erlong's eyes sparkled with adoration.
"You know, everyone at Blue Tyrant Academy admires you. If we had more teachers like you, our Academy would flourish."
The Grandmaster's pride returned a little.
"This tournament—we can make top three, don't you think?"
"Of course I believe that!"
Meanwhile
"Dugu Yan's martial soul evolved!"
Shui Yue'er declared.
"When I fought her before, her martial soul was clearly a Green Phosphor Serpent, but now she's turned into a dragon!"
"Not just her," added Skywater Academy's head teacher, eyes shining with awe.
"Their whole team's changed drastically. I asked old friends at Heaven Dou Royal Academy—Qin Ming left half a year ago. The one in charge now is a worshipped instructor named Su Lin."
"Su Lin?"
All the Skywater students were stunned—except Shui Bing'er, who noticed their teacher's odd look and asked:
"Teacher, you… know him?"
"..."
After a long silence, the teacher finally spoke.
"Half a month ago, a fearsome beast appeared out of nowhere and burst into the Spirit Hall headquarters in Spirit City. A dozen Titled Douluo tried to stop it, including the current Pope Bibi Dong herself, and were all badly injured."
The girls gasped. They couldn't understand what this beast had to do with the tournament.
"Rumor says it was the ancient, lost Gold Behemoth. Before it swaggered out, it spoke aloud: 'Here by order of my master, Su Lin.'"
"..."
Silence fell like death.
Everyone's scalp tingled.
Everyone knew who the continent's true top power was. Not even the three great clans together could budge them.
But for the legendary Golden Behemoth to rampage through Spirit Hall, home of the strongest, and leave unscathed—its power was monstrous.
And this supreme beast actually bows to a human master?!!
"That Su… Su Lin, is he here watching?"
Shui Yue'er whispered.
"He is."
The teacher looked toward the VIP seating.
A white-clad man chatted and laughed with the Emperor of Heaven Dou.
All eyes turned his way.
"It's him?!!"
Shui Bing'er's pale blue eyes turned to shock, then awe.
No wonder! Only such a person could make the ruler of the realm nervous.
All those around him were top powers, each lording over their own fiefdom.
Who was he… really?
"They're even stronger now! This group…,"
Yan said in disbelief, leaning on the spectator rail.
"Qin Ming made a good call leaving…"
Xie Yue sighed.
"Heaven Dou Royal sure got lucky, meeting someone like that. That guy should've been a senior in our Spirit Hall! He should be instructing us!"
Hu Liena folded her arms and huffed.
"Nana!"
Xie Yue warned her.
"Oh…"
Hu Liena glanced around. Although that man was a Spirit Hall senior, it had been long, and he was at odds with the current Pope.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent a beast to rampage through Spirit Hall—an open warning to Bibi Dong.
"Nothing to do but get ready for battle."
Xie Yue shook his head.
"With our Martial Soul Fusion Technique and the other four Soul Kings, for now we still have the edge…"
Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan
Surrounded by endless mountains, the ancestral land of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragons was nearly isolated from the world since their No.1 spot Hi Tian Clan went into seclusion.
In the clan's core tower—ancestral hall—a white-bearded old man sat in meditation. Suddenly, the doors burst open and a brawny middle-aged man entered, resembling the elder by seven or eight parts.
"Dad! Something's happened!"
"Calm down…"
The old man sipped his tea, unmoved.
"This concerns the entire clan!"
The middle-aged man was frantic.
"Oh?"
The old man raised a brow.
"Tell me."
The man explained everything. The clan didn't participate directly in the tournament, but always watched, since Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin were involved and great talents might be recruited.
But today's matches had nearly scared him to death.
First, he couldn't find Yu Tianheng among Heaven Dou's main team, only to discover him with Shrek Academy. He soon learned—
This brat had abandoned Heaven Dou Royal Academy to follow Qin Ming to some upstart school!
Worse—this upstart school was on bad terms with that person!!
Even worse—Shrek Academy's original sponsor was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan itself—set up as a distraction for his uncle's illegitimate daughter, Liu Erlong, as Blue Tyrant Academy!
And Liu Erlong had given it away to Flender, who immediately changed its name to Shrek Academy.
And as he dug deeper—god!
Shrek Academy's leading instructor was his own younger brother, Yu Xiaogang!
What had driven a wedge between them years ago was now making even bigger trouble!
"WHAT?!"
"RUMBLE!"
Yu Yuanzhen burst into a rage, slapping the table and making the entire tower shake, his angry roar echoing through the mountains.
"Damn him—!"