That night, Jing Hongchen seized the opportunity to entrust the Level 9 God Sealing Platform to a Level 9 Soul Engineer who had accompanied him to the Star Luo Empire. He arranged for the Soul Engineer to leave the city through Mingde Hall's special channels in Star Luo City.
Too many powerful individuals secretly coveted the God Sealing Platform, so only by sending a Level 9 Soul Engineer could Jing Hongchen feel at ease. Watching the Level 9 Soul Engineer's figure gradually disappear from view, Jing Hongchen smiled as he looked into the distance before returning to the Star Emperor Hotel.
We'll meet again. No matter how many of you come next, I'll be here waiting!
...
The moon rabbit vanished, and the golden crow rose in the east.
Outside Star Luo City, four streams of light streaked through the air, landing and materializing within five hundred meters of the city gate. They were four elders; the two relatively younger ones looked to be in their forties or fifties, while the other two appeared to be in their eighties.
"It's been a long time since I've been to Star Luo City. It really brings back memories."
The oldest-looking elderly woman among the four sighed, her face full of nostalgia.
"Old Lin, if you like it here, we can stay a bit longer this time," Martial God Douluo Xian Lin'er said with a smile, showing great respect for the elderly woman who oversaw Shrek's Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
Lin Huiqun shook her head. "I'm old, so old. I'm not used to being outside anymore. We'll just rescue Mei'er this time, and then go back after the competition ends."
Another elder from the Sea God Pavilion was a burly old man. He folded his arms and spoke loudly:
"Speaking of the competition, I'm quite eager to see how far the Shrek children can go. I think they'll at least get second place."
"Old Shi, Old Xuan had already spoken with the Star Luo Royal Family. They should remember the countless contributions Shrek has made over the years and arrange for us to reach the finals."
Qian Duoduo's eyes gleamed with shrewdness as he chuckled, "If the Star Luo Emperor is smart enough to have the major strong teams repeatedly clash with the Sun Moon Battle Team before they reach the finals, significantly depleting the Sun Moon Battle Team's strength, then this time, the championship will definitely still be ours, Shrek's!"
Old Shi nodded slightly, then suddenly sighed, "It's just a pity that Old Xuan won't be able to see us, Shrek, standing on the champion's podium. Sigh…"
Qian Duoduo forced a smile and offered comfort, "Old Shi, Old Xuan has finally laid down his burdens. He's drinking and eating meat every day, living a carefree life. It's not so bad."
Old Shi's expression remained wistful: "That old turtle from the Xuanming Sect was too ruthless. Not only did he cripple Old Xuan's Soul Power and Martial Soul, but he also scattered most of his life force. Now, Old Xuan only has less than five years left to live. Five years… how much longer can he live carefree?"
"Whenever I think about what happened back then, I get furious. We, Shrek, must never forget that humiliation. The Clear Sky Sect and Xuanming Sect took advantage of Mu Lao's severe injuries to bully Shrek. We must remember this disgrace and let our descendants avenge us!"
"And that hateful Mingde Hall, sticking their noses where they don't belong!"
Fearing that Old Shi's words would lead him to dislike Soul Guided Devices by association, Xian Lin'er quickly changed the subject with a forced smile:
"Old Shi, Old Lin, I heard from these passersby that today is the round of sixteen. Shrek is definitely playing first. If we go in, we might even catch their match."
"Right, let's not talk about unhappy things. Let's go see the children." Qian Duoduo also quickly interjected, urging the two elderly seniors to go watch the match.
The strength of these two was second only to Old Song in the Sea God Pavilion. Both were Level 96 experts, and their support was crucial for the long-term development of the Soul Tool Department.
"Alright, let's go."
Immediately, the four transformed into streams of light again after entering the city, heading straight for Star Luo Square.
...
"First match of the round of sixteen, Shrek Academy versus Zheng Tian Academy. Zheng Tian Academy forfeits all team and individual elimination matches. Shrek Academy advances to the quarterfinals!"
As the four Shrek powerhouses flew into Star Luo Square, they happened to see Star Shattering Douluo accept Zheng Tian Academy's lead teacher's application, declaring Zheng Tian Academy's surrender.
"Hahahaha, it seems Shrek Academy's prestige still holds. Zheng Tian Academy is an old, established academy, yet they forfeited without a fight, hahahaha…"
Old Shi burst into hearty laughter, while Old Lin, Xian Lin'er, and Qian Duoduo also smiled. Shrek was indeed Shrek!
In the Sun Moon Battle Team's resting area, the crowd who had come to watch but saw nothing looked bewildered for a moment, then showed understanding.
Shrek's kill record was too terrifying. Forfeiting to save their lives was a very smart choice.
Jing Hongchen noticed four powerful auras descend into Shrek's viewing area. He gestured to the two Level 9 Soul Engineers beside him, and they understood, their faces showing vigilance.
Xu Tianxi also noticed the appearance of Lin Huiqun and the other three. Information about this group quickly surfaced in his mind:
"Two Level 96 Super Douluo, one Level 95 Super Douluo, and one Level 94 Titled Douluo. Shrek has deployed half of the Sea God Pavilion's elite this time."
Xiao Hongchen asked curiously, "Among those four, I only know that the two younger-looking ones are Shrek's dean and vice-dean of the Soul Tool Department. Do you know about the other two old folks?"
Xu Tianxi nodded and transmitted, "That old man is named Shi Yang, possessing the Golden Lion King Martial Soul. He's a Level 96 assault-type Super Douluo.
The old woman, Lin Huiqun, oversees the Treasure Pavilion in Shrek City and possesses the Ten Thousand Treasures Heavenly Plate Martial Soul. She's a Level 96 control-type Super Douluo. If these two team up, it won't be easy for the Dean to deal with them for a while."
"It seems Shrek is serious this time," Xiao Hongchen stroked his chin, gaining a better understanding of Shrek's strength.
With Shrek's four top experts all present this time, it wouldn't be easy for Jing Hongchen to handle them alone. Fortunately, they also had many people here, so they wouldn't fear a group attack.
In fact, Soul Engineers were best at group battles.
Just then, Shi Yang's booming voice came from afar, making everyone in the Sun Moon Battle Team tremble.
"Hey, Dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy! Didn't you see we're all here? Why haven't you released our Academy's vice-dean yet!"
Jing Hongchen rose with a cold face, using a Soul Guided Device to counteract the oppressive aura Shi Yang emitted, and said coldly:
"Are Shrek's elders all so impolite? To try and intimidate a group of juniors."
Shi Yang said nonchalantly, "This old man has been shouting with this loud voice for over a hundred years. I've lived my whole life like this. You can't make me change."
"Enough talk. We've brought the Soul Bone you wanted, all top-grade! If we find that Mei'er is missing even a single hair, we'll make you pay!"
Jing Hongchen smirked, "Alright, then let His Majesty the Star Luo Emperor and all the spectators here bear witness. We'll exchange the person for the Soul Bone, fair and square!"
With that, he wiped the Living Creature Storage Soul Guided Device at his waist and extracted a figure from it. It was none other than Cai Meier, whom he had captured earlier.
Seeing this, anger flared in the eyes of the four Titled Douluo from Shrek. To put their Dean into a Soul Guided Device was truly disrespectful!
Jing Hongchen acted as if he didn't see the fury in their eyes. No matter how angry they were, they still had to hand over the Soul Bones, whole and intact.
"Alright, I've brought out the person you wanted. Now, where are the things I want?"
Lin Huiqun scoffed, sweeping his Storage Ring. Four boxes of different materials appeared out of thin air. When opened, four strong Soul Lights rose, steaming several meters high without dissipating.
"These are all top-tier Soul Bones, over thirty thousand years old. Is that enough?"
"Excellent." Jing Hongchen smiled and nodded.
"Then let's make the exchange quickly." Qian Duoduo, with a pained expression, closed the boxes, waved his hand, and tossed them to Jing Hongchen.
Jing Hongchen didn't waste words, simply and directly throwing Cai Meier's body over.
Catching the four boxes, Jing Hongchen keenly noticed that the greedy gazes fixed on him had multiplied significantly. He scoffed, casually putting away the Soul Bones and returning to his seat.
With a roll of his eyes, Jing Hongchen tossed one of the boxes to Star Shattering Douluo and loudly declared:
"Mingde Hall stated upfront that capturing this person was for justice. This Soul Bone is what I, the Hall Master, promised to sponsor this academy's participation in the tournament. Star Shattering Douluo, please deliver it to His Majesty, the Star Luo Emperor, on my behalf!"
Star Shattering Douluo looked at Jing Hongchen in surprise, then nodded slightly. "Alright, Hall Master of Mingde Hall, rest assured."
No sooner had he spoken than Star Shattering Douluo felt four unfriendly gazes shoot over from Shrek's side. While secretly thinking Jing Hongchen was heartless, he didn't mind. He flew with the Soul Bone to Xu Jiawei.
Let them misunderstand. Our Star Luo Empire acts with integrity. You yourselves caused trouble and left yourselves vulnerable, and you couldn't even defeat Jing Hongchen. Can you really blame us, Star Luo, for not helping?
In the Shrek resting area, Shi Yang, Lin Huiqun, and the others looked extremely displeased, even a hint of something else in their eyes as they looked at the Star Luo Empire's people.
"I wondered why Mei'er was captured in Star Luo City. So it turns out this Star Luo Emperor also took benefits from Mingde Hall! Hmph, an ally in distress and he doesn't help, instead colluding with the enemy. I think he wants his country destroyed!"
Shi Yang growled in anger, slamming his fist on the glass table, clearly very dissatisfied with Xu Jiawei.
Lin Huiqun pressed Shi Yang's arm, whispering, "Don't act recklessly. The situation here is complicated. Let's make a decision after we've figured things out."
Xian Lin'er, Qian Duoduo, and Zhang Lexuan also quickly chimed in, urging caution. The joyful atmosphere in Shrek suddenly became very strange.
All of this was recorded by Xu Tianxi with his recording device. He would take it back as material, process it, and it could be released as a short film titled "Mingde Hallism Aids Its Own Academy, Friendly Neighbors, Shrek's Incompetent Rage."
If he could add a few more segments of Mingde Hall battling Shrek at the end, that would be even better.
At this moment, Xu Jiawei on the city wall seemed to be instructing Star Shattering Douluo about something. The latter nodded, then flew down to the competition stage and loudly announced:
"Given that Zheng Tian Academy has conceded to Shrek Academy, the top eight have been decided early; the organizers have made the following temporary decision:
This afternoon's team battle between the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and the Dou Ling Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy will be held early; all participants please adjust your state within fifteen minutes and prepare to enter!"
"Huh?"
A commotion arose simultaneously in the resting areas of the Sun Moon Battle Team and the Douling Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy. Neither side had expected that with Shrek's battle concluded, the organizers would move their battle up.
This truly was... worth the audience's ticket money.
"The situation is sudden, let's discuss it, how to defeat them."
Xu Tianxi beckoned for everyone to gather around, beginning to discuss tactics. After returning from the auction last night, they had all rested separately, originally planning to discuss strategy while watching the matches this morning. They hadn't expected to be sent into battle immediately.
Of course, another reason was that Douling Royal Academy was too weak to warrant an all-night strategy session.
Ma Rulong said, "I think this is simple. You three from the reserve team, and us four from the main team, we'll win no matter how we fight. Their main team only has five Soul Kings."
Xiao Hongchen laughed, "Their strongest captain is only at Soul Power level 57, not even as good as Ye Wuqing. It's no challenge at all."
Meng Hongchen asked Xu Tianxi, "Tianxi, are you going to participate?"
Xu Tianxi glanced at the Douling Royal Academy's resting area, where they were busily discussing tactics, and nodded. "Yes, I'll go. It's a rare chance to appear."
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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