Upon hearing that Xu Tianxi was about to make a move, Ma Rulong's face instantly showed a playful smile. "It seems our Young Master Kong has taken an interest in talent again."
Xu Tianxi spread his hands, his tone relaxed. "Senior, don't make fun of me. Everyone knows the Royal Academy is a talent pool reserved by the Four Great Empires for themselves."
"Most of these people probably have an agreement with the Douling Royal Family, unlike Zheng Tian Academy, which is easier to deal with."
"And to be honest, there's really no one worth noting among those Soul Kings. Probably only the captain and vice-captain have some potential. Everyone else is far inferior to those three from Zheng Tian Academy."
As Xiao Hongchen said, the Douling Royal Academy's captain's cultivation was even lower than Zheng Tian Academy's Ye Wuqing, so there was no need to elaborate on their talent. The vice-captain, with a Soul Power of level 53, had no advantage compared to Yu Mengdi. His highlight was that his Martial Soul was a lesser form of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, the Terrorclaw Bear.
If he remembered correctly, in the original story, this group encountered Shrek Academy. Their tactic was for each person to carry a part of the Soul Guided equipment, preparing to assemble a Level 7 Soul Guided Cannon. However, Xu Sanshi used Xuan Ming Displacement to swap out the Guzhu Sword, and the cannon was ruined due to missing materials before it could even be assembled.
Xu Sanshi then used another Xuan Ming Displacement to swap in Ma Xiaotao, who directly annihilated the six team members other than the one with the Guzhu Sword.
The one with the Guzhu Sword, who was teleported to the Shrek Battle Team, was besieged by five Shrek members and had his limbs broken by Dai Yueheng, a rather miserable fate.
Now that Xu Tianxi was on stage, he just wanted to test his methods.
Two quarters of an hour passed quickly. The Sun Moon Battle Team's full strength lineup appeared on stage. Xu Tianxi, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen stepped forward together. Ma Rulong did not appear, sitting below at his leisure, watching the spectacle.
Lin Xi, standing next to him, watched his teammates enter with Xu Tianxi and the other two, and couldn't help but complain, "Captain, why do I feel like we've become the reserve team and they're the main team?"
Ma Rulong smiled slightly. "Isn't it good not to be on stage? I'm confident my strength can temporarily suppress the Hongchen siblings, and in previous competitions, captains rarely appeared in the Round of 16."
"I'll just consider it conserving strength and hiding my brilliance. We are the nominal main team, and this glory will accompany us for life. What's there to be dissatisfied with about such a great thing?"
Lin Xi pouted softly. "I'm just lamenting that these three are too monstrous. The Hongchen siblings' strength is still within the realm of genius, but that Junior Brother Kong—his strength is too outrageous, unfathomable."
"If he were to seriously make a move, those few from Douling Royal Academy wouldn't even have a chance to resist."
During their previous combat exercise, Xu Tianxi, with one spear, swept through three opponents, taking them all down in a single move. The shock was too strong, and Lin Xi remembered it vividly.
"That statement is problematic," Ma Rulong corrected. "It's not just Douling Royal Academy; it's all academies."
Lin Xi was stunned for a moment, then nodded heavily. "Right, it's all academies."
...
Meanwhile, at the Shrek rest area.
Shi Yang now found everyone from the Sun Moon Battle Team displeasing to look at. He snorted, "These people from the Sun Moon Battle Team are truly arrogant. They actually sent three little reserve team brats up there. Aren't they afraid of capsizing in a ditch?"
As his words fell, the expressions on Zhang Lexuan, Du Weilun, and others' faces became strange.
Qian Duoduo noticed everyone hesitating to speak and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Could it be that these three little reserve team members have some special abilities?"
Zhang Lexuan pondered for a moment, then whispered, "The little guy walking at the very front is the reserve team captain. Besides the captain of the Sun Moon Battle Team's main squad, his strength should be the strongest in the Sun Moon Battle Team."
"The two silver-haired youths walking beside him are Jing Hongchen's grandchildren. Their strength is also above that of the main team members."
"When did the Sun Moon Battle Team fall to this point?" Shi Yang asked, his face full of surprise.
Zhang Lexuan was a little speechless. "...You'll know in a moment."
These old folks, they're really hard to communicate with.
At this moment, both teams had entered the arena.
On the Douling Royal Academy's side, the captain, Guzhu Sword, who had a large frame and gaunt cheeks, stepped forward a few paces to Star Shattering Douluo's side. He squeezed out a faint smile towards the Sun Moon Battle Team.
"It's an honor to compete against your Sun Moon Battle Team. I hope to learn something from this battle. Please guide us."
Xu Tianxi stepped forward, returning a smile. "Guidance is too much to say. Let's just both do our best."
"You are from the Royal Academy, so I won't try to poach you. If you're interested in visiting the Sun Moon Empire, you're welcome to find me. Also, I'm quite strong, so you'd best be careful."
A hint of surprise flashed in Guzhu Sword's eyes. He nodded, said nothing more, and retreated to his team.
They knew there was no hope of winning this battle; all they could do was try their best. And in a sense, his wish to learn something was not just polite talk.
Below the competition stage, in the Zheng Tian Academy rest area, Ye Wuqing and the others' expressions became very interesting when they heard Xu Tianxi say he wouldn't poach from the Royal Academy.
So, they actually got a good deal?
Star Shattering Douluo announced the start of the match and ascended into the air.
Both sides unleashed their Martial Souls and Soul Rings. Xu Tianxi applied a six-ring illusion to himself and Xiao Hongchen. Meng Hongchen had already exposed her true Soul Rings in the previous round-robin matches, so Xu Tianxi didn't bother to hide hers anymore.
He and Xiao Hongchen had both previously displayed their genuine Soul Emperor strength, so it didn't arouse suspicion, except from the four new powerful individuals from Shrek.
"How is this possible?" Shi Yang's rough face was filled with intense doubt, his two large, bell-like eyes brimming with disbelief.
Lin Huiqun and the other two didn't speak, but the expressions on their faces conveyed the exact same meaning.
Zhang Lexuan said nothing, merely gesturing for the four of them to see with their own eyes.
They watched as Chi Hengyu, the defense-type Soul King from Douling Royal Academy, plunged his Martial Soul, the Adamantine Giant Shield, into the ground. He then lit up his fifth Soul Ring, and the Adamantine Giant Shield instantly transformed from one to two, two to four, and four to eight, turning into a vast shield wall in an instant, completely blocking the competition stage.
Qing Feng, a control-type Battle Soul Ancestor, activated his fourth Soul Ring to create a massive earthen wall on the competition stage. Thick earthen spikes also emerged in front of Chi Hengyu's Adamantine Bulwark. Tang Niuniu, a support-type Tool Soul Ancestor, used a Soul Skill to amplify Qing Feng's Soul Skill.
At first glance, Douling Royal Academy's defense was impregnable. Xu Tianxi chose to unleash Xiao Hongchen. "Old Xiao, open fire! Break through this turtle shell."
"Understood!"
Xiao Hongchen, with his Three-legged Golden Toad Martial Soul attached, swiftly manipulated one hundred and fifty-six Level 5 Soul Guided Cannons to fire simultaneously. The four main team members used the Soul Guided Cannon platform tactic, transforming into four powerful firing points, launching a strong assault on the opponent's defense.
Without Xuan Ming Displacement, they would resort to a strong frontal assault.
Xu Tianxi extended his right arm, clenching his palm. A long, spear-shaped melee Soul Guided Device, about a zhang long, with dual effects of lightning and paralysis, appeared in his hand. The spearhead gleamed with cold light, and blue Soul Light swept from the spearhead to the shaft, leaving trails of chilling lightning arcs.
With the battle spear in hand, Xu Tianxi's demeanor shifted. His gaze instantly became calm and oppressive, and it seemed as if wind and thunder flashed in his eyes.
Two of the four main team members flinched when they saw Xu Tianxi's long spear again—Xu Tianxi had used that very spear to sweep them all aside before!
*BOOM!*
"Senior Meng, let's go together!"
Within three breaths, the fierce Soul Guided Cannons shattered all of Douling Royal Academy's defenses. Xu Tianxi called out to the fully armored Meng Hongchen, enveloped them both in Wind Element, and shot forward like a blue shadow.
The next moment, sounds of primal human exclamations like "Ah!", "Ugh!", "Wha—!", and "This isn't normal!" successively erupted from the competition stage.
Most of the audience only saw a flash of blue-green light charge into the Douling Royal Academy team. Then, the seven members of Guzhu Sword were sent flying off the stage at unbelievable speeds and angles. Three fell out of the arena, and four crashed into the dome-shaped light barrier above the stage.
*BANG! BANG!*
When the four Douling Royal Academy members slammed into the light barrier, the force generated was immense, making it difficult for the 108 ordinary Soul Ancestors responsible for maintaining the barrier. About twenty of them flushed crimson, and several were even thrown backward by the sheer power, stumbling when they landed on the ground and retreating step after step.
Clearly, something terrifying had just happened on the competition stage; Douling Royal Academy had been completely swept.
All the teachers and students from the top sixteen academies, including Shrek Academy, who were watching this battle, were involuntarily stunned.
Some were dumbfounded, others looked dazed, and some had their mouths agape, unable to close them for a long time.
As the light pollution from the Soul Guided Beam dissipated, two young figures appeared where the Douling Royal Academy team had been standing.
Xu Tianxi, in his moon-white robe, looked refreshed, smiling towards the sun. His long spear was held diagonally in his palm, pointing distantly towards the sky, as if hinting at something.
Meng Hongchen wore ice-blue armor, her ice-blue twin swords reflecting her soft white hair and crimson eyes. A beautiful curve graced the corners of her delicate lips.
"Everyone, thank you for the challenge."
After smiling and saying this to the seven members of Douling Academy who had been instantly defeated, Xu Tianxi put away his spear, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and then strode off the competition stage with clean, decisive movements, drawing countless gazes.
Meng Hongchen, Xiao Hongchen, and the four main team members followed suit, heads held high, youthful faces beaming with spirit. As they walked, it was as if a gentle breeze accompanied them.
Ma Rulong watched from below, mesmerized, then suddenly cursed, "Damn it, those four bastards got to show off! I should've gone up there too!"
Lin Xi nodded in profound agreement, and at the same time, a hint of disdain, unnoticed even by himself, crept into his gaze towards Ma Rulong.
This captain doesn't seem very capable. He needs to be replaced. I'll have to push him harder to cultivate when we get back.
A similar scene unfolded across various academies. Many academy captains, usually highly respected, suffered undeserved misfortune. While secretly cursing the Sun Moon Battle Team for showing off, they also felt a strange, inexplicable envy. Their gazes towards the junior reserve team members turned unfriendly.
These junior students don't seem very capable. They need to be replaced. I'll have to push them harder to cultivate when we get back.
Aside from Shrek Academy, all the senior and junior students in every other academy reached an unspoken consensus.
Meanwhile, Shrek Academy's atmosphere fell into an eerie silence. The four powerhouses displayed various expressions: astonishment, admiration, longing, and disbelief—
—The only commonality was that they all, in the face of the facts, acknowledged the absolute strength of this Sun Moon Battle Team's reserve captain!
After a moment, Xian Lin'er let out a sigh, breaking the still air:
"I never thought such a promising talent could emerge from a place like the Sun Moon Empire. This reserve captain's Soul Guided Device talent is still unknown, but his combat power is truly outstanding. The four physical techniques he displayed were exceptionally good."
She was a Martial God Douluo, and though she also cultivated Soul Guided Devices, she only saw them as tools to assist her in combat. She preferred direct, powerful, head-on battles, and Xu Tianxi's fighting style perfectly suited her taste.
Based solely on the aura Xu Tianxi exuded when he swept the Douling Battle Team with his four spear strikes, she could affirm that Xu Tianxi was definitely not one of those "drug addicts" who only knew how to consume potions; he possessed genuine ability.
One could even say that in all her years as the Dean of the Soul Tool Department, she had never encountered a second close-combat Soul Engineer genius as outstanding as Xu Tianxi.
Why haven't I found such a talent in my Soul Tool Department all these years? Xian Lin'er thought with a touch of bitterness.
Qian Duoduo nodded emphatically, agreeing with his nominal wife's words:
"Lin Er is right. This reserve team genius is truly formidable. Caitou and the others are no match for him, certainly not right now, and it's hard to say even five years from now."
"Perhaps his only flaw is his origin in the Sun Moon Empire. His elders probably used overly aggressive methods, giving him large amounts of medicine to quickly raise his cultivation, greatly diminishing his potential. What a pity, truly a pity..."
As he spoke, a hint of regret actually appeared in Qian Duoduo's eyes as he looked at Xu Tianxi. How wonderful it would be if such a genius were to appear at his Shrek Academy. Then, their Extreme Individual Soldier Plan would have a more suitable candidate. Oh, right, if this person's Martial Soul talent was too high, that scoundrel Yan Shaozhe would definitely snatch him away first.
Remembering this, Qian Duoduo couldn't help but ask the others behind him, "Do you know what this person's Martial Soul is? Is it powerful?"
Du Weilun and Wang Yan's expressions immediately turned strange. They all looked at Zhang Lexuan in unison.
Qian Duoduo: "???"
-----------
Translation by: randomtranslator.com
Read 2500+ original & fanfic translations and Translate for Free at: randomtranslator.com