"Both teams, enter the arena!"
As the Chief Referee's voice echoed across the sky—amplified by soul tool loudspeakers—the massive refined-iron gates of Star Luo Plaza slowly rose, accompanied by a heavy metallic rumble.
Rumble—
In an instant, the attention of hundreds of thousands of spectators locked onto the tunnel on the left.
That tunnel belonged to the challenger—and to the greatest dark horse of this tournament. No… at this point, it could only be called the new king.
The first to step into view was the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy Team.
Leading the formation was the same tall, handsome youth as always—Liu Yuan.
Behind him, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, Ma Rulong, and the other main team members followed in a sharp V-shaped formation, every one of them calm, composed, and brimming with confidence.
The moment their figures were fully illuminated by sunlight, the entire Star Luo Plaza erupted.
"Sun Moon! Sun Moon!"
"Liu Yuan! Liu Yuan! Liu Yuan!"
The cheers surged like a tsunami, wave after wave, completely drowning out any noise from previous matches.
Once upon a time, when the Sun Moon Empire team appeared here, they were met only with boos, ridicule, and hostile silence.
As the mortal enemy of the three great nations of the original Douluo Continent, they had long been labeled "invaders" and "cheaters who relied on external tools."
But today, everything was different.
In the world of soul masters, strength was supreme.
Liu Yuan had shattered Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year myth with overwhelming power—and in doing so, he had also shattered the prejudice in people's hearts.
At this moment, in the eyes of countless spectators, he was the embodiment of strength itself, a war god worthy of reverence.
"Tsk, tsk. With this level of popularity, even Shrek at its peak might not have matched it."
In the VIP seats, Jing Hongchen toyed with a teacup, listening to the thunderous cheers as his grin stretched almost from ear to ear.
He even deliberately straightened his posture, thoroughly enjoying the envious, jealous, and resentful gazes cast his way by the leaders of the other academies.
Soon after, the tunnel on the right opened.
As the host nation—and the final remaining team from the three original Douluo Continent empires—the Star Luo National Academy Team stepped onto the stage.
Clad in golden competition uniforms, the team members looked valiant and imposing.
Walking at the front was the Star Luo Empire's princess, and the soul of the team—Xu Jiujiu.
However, compared to the overwhelming roar that greeted the Sun Moon Team, the applause for the Star Luo Team, though warm, was noticeably subdued, tinged with a sense of heaviness and tragedy.
Those who understood the situation knew the truth.
Although the Star Luo Team had reached the finals, luck played no small part.
In terms of overall strength, they were likely only third in this tournament.
The first tier belonged solely to the Sun Moon Team led by Liu Yuan—an existence all its own.
The second tier had originally been Shrek Academy. Even if they were inferior to the Sun Moon Team, their raw strength still surpassed Star Luo's.
Unfortunately, fate had been cruel.
Shrek encountered the Sun Moon Team in the Round of 16 and was sent home early by Liu Yuan himself.
Meanwhile, thanks to favorable groupings, the Star Luo Team had perfectly avoided this grim reaper, fighting their way forward until they stood on the stage of the finals.
"Sigh… even though it's our Star Luo Team, I really don't think they can win."
In the audience, an elderly soul master sighed to the person beside him.
"Yeah. The gap is too big. Even Shrek was crushed without any ability to fight back—our Star Luo Team… it doesn't look good."
Though the murmurs weren't loud, the pessimistic atmosphere weighed heavily on the Star Luo Team like a dark cloud.
On the arena floor, the two teams faced each other across a distance of one hundred meters.
"Captain Liu Yuan, I've long admired your reputation."
Xu Jiujiu looked at the calm young man opposite her, took a deep breath, and tried her best to maintain her royal dignity and composure.
But a careful observer would notice that her hands hidden within her sleeves were clenched tightly, her knuckles faintly white.
The pressure was overwhelming.
Facing a monster capable of shattering an eighth-rank soul tool with his bare hands, any tactics or strategies felt feeble and meaningless.
"You're too polite, Captain Xu." Liu Yuan nodded slightly, his tone as casual as if he were greeting a neighbor. "Let's begin. Let's finish early so everyone can get some rest."
The words were spoken lightly, but to Xu Jiujiu and the Star Luo Team, they carried absolute confidence—and unmistakable dominance.
"Both sides, step back! Prepare for the match!"
The Chief Referee's voice rang out at the perfect moment, breaking the suffocating tension.
Both teams quickly retreated and took up their formations.
To be fair, the Star Luo Team's ability to reach this point was no accident.
Their lineup was extremely well-balanced—a classic all-rounder team with no obvious weaknesses.
Every single member was a Spirit King.
These were elites painstakingly cultivated by the Star Luo royal family, their average spirit power above Rank 50, not far behind the Sun Moon Team's main lineup.
But the problem was—
They lacked that one decisive factor.
Whether compared to Shrek, which had possessed a Spirit Saint with Ultimate Fire like Ma Xiaotao, or the Sun Moon Team, which had an outright monster like Liu Yuan, the Star Luo Team lacked an absolute spearhead capable of delivering a finishing blow.
Their strongest attacker was Ye Wuqing.
This prodigy, owner of the Golden Leaf Spirit, had reached Rank 58—just one step away from becoming a Spirit Emperor. In previous tournaments, he would have been a top contender for the championship.
But in front of Liu Yuan?
Rank 58?
Ma Xiaotao was a Spirit Saint—and even with an eighth-rank soul tool, she had been rendered helpless by a single punch. What was Ye Wuqing supposed to fight with? His head?
As for Xu Jiujiu herself, despite possessing the extremely rare and powerful Star Crown Spirit, she was only Rank 53, specializing in control and support.
"Hoo…"
Xu Jiujiu fixed her gaze on Liu Yuan, resolve slowly hardening in her eyes.
If they couldn't win head-on, then they could only rely on teamwork—on control.
As long as she could restrain Liu Yuan for even an instant, just an instant, and concentrate the full force of the team…
Maybe—just maybe—there would still be a one-in-ten-thousand chance.
"Match start!"
With the referee's command, the finals officially began.
Boom—boom—boom—
Almost simultaneously, brilliant soul ring light erupted across the arena.
On the Star Luo Team's side, all seven members released their Spirits at once.
At the core of the formation, Xu Jiujiu stood with five soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and one black—pulsing beneath her feet. Above her head, a dazzling golden crown manifested out of thin air.
Clear and crystalline, the crown was inlaid with countless tiny gems, radiating gentle yet unmistakable starlight.
Star Crown Spirit!
The inherited Spirit of the Xu royal family—a top-tier control and support Spirit.
"Star Guardianship!"
Xu Jiujiu didn't hesitate. The instant the match began, she activated her Spirit Ability.
With her clear cry, the Star Crown flared brilliantly. Streams of golden light flowed out like ribbons, instantly linking to the six teammates before her, including Ye Wuqing.
At the same time, a pale-gold light barrier began to rise, attempting to envelop the entire Star Luo Team in a solid defensive formation.
This was her tactical core—boost the team's attributes through the Star Crown while constructing a defensive system capable of withstanding Liu Yuan's first assault.
As long as they could block that initial strike, they could counterattack with numbers.
However—
The plan was beautiful.
Reality was merciless.
At the exact moment Xu Jiujiu finished calling out her Spirit Ability—when the golden starlight had only just descended and the defensive barrier had yet to fully form—
The opposite side moved.
No.
More precisely—
Liu Yuan vanished.
"Extreme Speed."
A soft whisper seemed to echo through the air, so faint it felt unreal.
There was no earth-shattering impact, no roar of thrusters, not even an afterimage.
To the eyes of the hundreds of thousands watching, Liu Yuan was simply erased from where he stood—then instantly pasted into another position.
That position was the very center of the Star Luo Team's formation.
Behind Xu Jiujiu.
"What?!"
Ye Wuqing, stationed at the front line, felt his vision blur. A chill shot straight from his spine to his scalp.
He tried to turn. Tried to move. Tried to react.
But his body was impossibly slow compared to his thoughts.
Too fast.
The difference was like that between a soul tool train at full speed and a crawling snail.
At the rear, Xu Jiujiu—fully focused on controlling her Star Crown—noticed nothing at all.
She was still pouring spirit power into the forming barrier, trying to make it just a bit thicker.
Until—
A warm breath suddenly brushed her ear.
It wasn't killing intent.
It was a terrifying calm.
"This light is a little too dazzling."
A faint voice spoke.
Xu Jiujiu's pupils shrank to pinpoints. Her heart seemed to stop altogether.
She wanted to scream. To turn around. Even to detonate the defensive soul tool on her body.
But it was already too late.
Liu Yuan's slender palm had transformed into an unbreakable hand blade, slicing cleanly through the air—simple, precise, and ruthless—as it struck the back of Xu Jiujiu's neck.
Slap.
The crisp sound rang out, painfully clear in the silent arena.
The golden spirit power that had just begun to surge around Xu Jiujiu flickered like a lamp with its power cut—and instantly went dark.
The radiant Star Crown above her head let out a faint whimper before dissolving into scattered points of starlight.
Even the warning cry that had reached her lips was swallowed back.
Darkness engulfed her vision.
Her consciousness vanished.
And her body collapsed forward.
Thud.
Less than two seconds after the finals began, Xu Jiujiu—princess of the Star Luo Empire, supreme commander and brain of the Star Luo Team—lay unconscious on the arena floor.