The next day. Martial Soul Arena.
All participating Inner and Outer Academy disciples gathered, standing on both sides facing each other.
The two leaders were naturally Ma Xiaotao and Lu Cheng.
The former was wrapped in a red-and-white school uniform, her proud figure on display. At this moment, she lacked her usual boisterous laughter; her beautiful face was exceptionally serious.
"Special training today." Xuan Zi rubbed his gums, leaning lazily on a seat.
"Mix it up, disperse. Dai Yueheng and Ma Xiaotao will be the captains of the two teams, but Ma Xiaotao is not allowed to use her Martial Soul True Body. Start choosing your team members—"
"I want Lu Cheng!" Ma Xiaotao spoke first.
"Then I want Gongyang Mo." Dai Yueheng's expression was relatively relaxed. At least for now, it seemed Lu Cheng only dominated among the Outer Academy juniors, which any of them could do, so there was no need to fight over him.
Gongyang Mo, a level 59 major support, had to be secured early.
Everyone present was at least a Soul King, and they were Shrek's inner court Soul Kings. This level of quality was almost comparable to an ordinary Soul Emperor.
Therefore, in their eyes, Lu Cheng's domination of the Continental geniuses would only happen at the Continental Spirit Master Tournament five years later. In this edition, he was at most a stronger-than-average starting member.
Of course, his martial soul attribute had a restraining effect on Ling Luochen's pure elements, which had to be considered.
A few seconds later, the final lineups were chosen.
Ma Xiaotao's team: Lu Cheng, Yao Haoxuan, Wang Dong'er, Xiao Xiao, Xixi, Ning Tian.
Dai Yueheng's team: Gongyang Mo, Chen Zifeng, Ling Luochen, Jiang Nannan, Bei Bei, Wu Feng.
With Wang Yan's command.
Both sides moved.
Ma Xiaotao took the lead, a smile curling her red lips. She gave Lu Cheng a look, then Divine Fire Phoenix flames surged over her body. A massive figure of a Divine Fire Phoenix slowly emerged, flapping its wings as it pressed toward Dai Yueheng and the others.
Meanwhile.
A brilliant seven-colored light emerged. Ning Tian wore a luxurious and exquisite long dress, her pale golden hair draped over her shoulders. She spread her slender hands, and a seven-story exquisite pagoda condensed in her palms.
Light spilled from it, covering her teammates.
Xiao Xiao also had a jade flute appear in her hand, placing it to her lips and blowing gently to boost her side and reduce the enemy's speed.
Yao Haoxuan and Xixi, their five-ring soul king combat power fully displayed—one power attack, one agility attack—pressed straight toward the opponent.
The main force of the battlefield was still the starting members.
The reserves were mostly there for support and sweeping the field. On this level of the battlefield, Wang Dong'er even hid behind, using long-range martial soul abilities to output damage.
On the other side, Dai Yueheng and the others were not to be outdone. With a powerful stance and Gongyang Mo's full support, he managed to block Ma Xiaotao. Chen Zifeng manipulated his Flying Sword to slash down, aiming straight at Yao Haoxuan.
The latter's body swelled up, looking like a little giant, but sword marks still appeared on his skin.
The suppression of soul power made Yao Haoxuan gradually unable to hold on, retreating step by step.
Bei Bei, Jiang Nannan, and Wu Feng also completely contained Xixi, even showing signs of suppression.
After all, with Gongyang Mo, a level 59 major support, providing powerful buffs, Ning Tian on Lu Cheng's side was lacking. Because she was only at the Soul Elder realm, her soul power consumption was extremely fast, and she could not compare to Gongyang Mo, who was close to a Soul Emperor and had nearly ten times her soul power.
Whoosh!
The next instant.
A crimson arrow shot out violently.
"Watch out!" Dai Yueheng, with a Divided Soul, shouted.
"I know!" Chen Zifeng was also guarding against this. Lu Cheng was one of the most troublesome guys on the other side; after all, an archer was inherently very difficult to deal with.
"Defend!" he shouted softly.
A flying sword around him suddenly became thick and wide, like a heavy blade, crossing in front of him to block the arrow.
Boom!
Sparks flew.
The crimson arrow shattered.
Chen Zifeng's pupils shook. A scorched black mark appeared on his defensive sword, and the force of that blow was so great that even the sword was almost knocked back.
Up to this moment, his hand behind his back was trembling slightly.
"Indeed, he has some skills." Chen Zifeng took a deep breath, his eyes serious.
"Flying Sword, not bad."
Lu Cheng nodded slightly.
This guy was considered a top genius in the original story, but unfortunately, he was harmed by Xuan Zi, lost half his body, and ruined his bright future.
"But—it's just not bad."
Lu Cheng curled the corners of his mouth.
An extremely rich and scorching aura rose from his body. This pressure, like that of a martial soul beast god, made all the beast-type martial soul owners present feel a sense of suffocation and shock. Only then did everyone clearly see what Lu Cheng's martial soul was.
In the endless sea of fire.
A three-legged golden crow stretched its body and flew, flapping its wings.
And that seemingly simple Fire Bow revealed dense patterns, like complex and long ancient texts.
"Sun-Shooting!"
Lu Cheng spat out two words gently.
A pitch-black ten-thousand-year soul ring slowly rose from under his feet.
Three crimson arrows left the string.
Boom!
One shot first at the defensive sword. Chen Zifeng's expression changed instantly. A ten-thousand-year soul ring also rose under his feet, further enhancing the defensive properties, making the Flying Sword even thicker.
But that crimson arrow gradually evolved into a three-legged golden crow in mid-air. The scorching heat rushed toward him. The moment it collided with the defensive sword, the ultimate flame even burned Chen Zifeng's soul, causing unbearable pain.
Boom!
Another crimson arrow arrived in an instant.
It tore that defensive sword to pieces. Before the cracks could spread, it was shattered. The last arrow shot straight toward Chen Zifeng's neck.
"Pfft~" Chen Zifeng felt cold all over, blankly and shockingly casting his gaze at the young man who stood in place, glancing at him indifferently.
Only by experiencing it personally could one feel the desperate gap between the two.
This guy—is he really just a soul king?
"Chen Zifeng, eliminated."
A large hand reached over, casually crushing the crimson arrow, and pulled Chen Zifeng out of the battlefield, a lazy voice saying.
"Don't think about it, kid; you are not his opponent." Xuan Zi looked at Chen Zifeng, whose Dao Heart was almost shattered, and chuckled.
"A monster rarely seen in a thousand years. He hasn't even used his hundred-thousand-year spirit ring yet; otherwise, I'm afraid even Dai Yueheng wouldn't be his opponent."
"What?!" Chen Zifeng swallowed a few pills, his eyes dull.
"Although I don't like that kid either, this is an indisputable fact."
"At Shrek Academy, whoever has the biggest fist has the loudest voice," Xuan Zi said quietly.
He also felt a bit of worry.
If this kid continued like this, the prestige he accumulated would be something Bei Bei could never catch up to in his life. At that time, Bei Bei's position as Pavilion Master of the Sea Gods Pavilion might not be stable.
What a headache.