Great Soul Arena, central main arena.
When the fourteen members of the Shrek Team and the Blue Sunshine Academy team walked out from the side tunnels and stepped onto the alloy arena, which was as smooth as a mirror and engraved with complex soul guidance patterns, a wave of discussion erupted from the stands.
The vast majority of the audience looked at the Blue Sunshine Academy with undisguised scrutiny and even a hint of pity, before naturally turning their attention toward the Shrek Team.
There was no other reason; the gap in strength between the two sides on paper was far too obvious.
On the Shrek side, the captain, Dai Mubai, was a level 51 Assault Type Battle Soul King with the Evil Eye White Tiger martial soul. His five soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and one black—pulsed rhythmically, radiating the formidable pressure of a Soul King. His gaze was arrogant, carrying an innate air of royalty.
The vice-captain, Tang San, was a level 45 Control Type Battle Soul Elder with the Man Faced Demon Spider martial soul. Two yellow, one purple, and one black! When that deep, ink-like fourth soul ring rose, a collective gasp of shock erupted from the stands!
"A ten thousand year fourth ring?!"
"My god! What is the background of this Shrek Academy? How can they have a genius with a ten thousand year fourth ring?"
"Aside from the precious darlings of the Tianxing and Martial Soul families, you could count the number of people with a ten thousand year fourth ring in this tournament on two hands, right?"
"Man Faced Demon Spider martial soul... strange, the Man Faced Demon Spider's boost to physique shouldn't be enough to withstand a ten thousand year soul ring."
Exclamations, doubts, and praises rose one after another. A ten thousand year fourth ring, even in this era of rapid development for the soul master system, remained the hallmark of a top-tier genius!
It meant that this soul master possessed a physique, willpower, and spiritual power far exceeding their peers, reaching a level that could be called exceptional! The name Tang San was instantly etched into the minds of countless people.
In fact, the process of Tang San absorbing this ten thousand year soul ring was extremely perilous. Thanks to the formidable physique granted by his second martial soul, the Crimson Gold Dragon, and the fact that while the Man Faced Demon Spider martial soul was not known for raw power, its boost to strength was still far superior to that of an ordinary Blue Silver Grass, Tang San's physique was not inferior to the original version, even without consuming any immortal herbs.
However, in terms of spiritual power, although he possessed the eye-training technique Purple Demon Eye, he was clearly inferior to the original Tang San without having consumed the immortal herb Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew. Fortunately, the ten thousand year Man Faced Demon Spider he hunted for his fourth soul ring was highly compatible with his martial soul, which reduced the difficulty of fusion. Furthermore, the Man Faced Demon Spider martial soul's boost to spiritual power was still much better than the trash martial soul Blue Silver Grass. This allowed Tang San, relying on his willpower to endure, to barely survive the soul shock of the ten thousand year soul ring (you might call the original Tang San a bad person, but he certainly possessed firm willpower).
(In the original work, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass martial soul was truly a trash martial soul before awakening the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline. In terms of six-dimensional attributes, only its life force could barely touch the edge of a high-tier martial soul. Its so-called tenacious life force was purely because the Blue Silver Grass was weak enough to grow and recover quickly, whereas the Man Faced Demon Spider could barely be considered a top-tier martial soul, with its lowest six-dimensional attribute still capable of touching the edge of a high-tier martial soul.)
Xiao Wu, level 46 Assault Type Battle Soul Elder, Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul, two yellow and two purple, her movements agile.
Oscar, level 44 Food System Tool Soul Elder, Sausage martial soul, two yellow and two purple.
Ma Hongjun, level 41 Assault Type Battle Soul Elder, Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul, two yellow and two purple.
Li Qingshan, level 44 Defense System Battle Soul Elder, Dragon Patterned Stick martial soul, two yellow and two purple.
Lu Ziqi, level 43 Control Type Battle Soul Elder, Star Luo Chess martial soul, two yellow and two purple.
An entire team with the optimal soul ring configuration! An average level exceeding 43! Plus a Soul King and a genius with a ten thousand year fourth ring! This academy team named "Shrek," upon its first appearance, displayed strength that made people sit up and take notice!
In contrast, their opponents, the Blue Sunshine Academy team.
The captain was a level 48 Control Type Soul Elder whose martial soul was a type of gem capable of refracting light, with two yellow and two purple soul rings.
The other six members consisted of three Soul Elders and three Soul Masters! Their soul ring configurations were merely standard, with nothing eye-catching.
Their average level had just crossed the threshold of level 40! Compared to the Shrek Team, they were completely outclassed in both top-tier combat power and overall level!
"Is there even a need to fight? This is a crushing defeat!"
"Blue Sunshine Academy is so unlucky to run into such a tough nut in the first round."
"It looks like that spirit bone for Vice Dean Flender is secure." In the stands, many began to pity the Blue Sunshine Academy; almost no one believed they could win.
In the Blue Sunshine Academy preparation area, Vice Dean Shi Nian had a livid complexion, his hands clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. He stared fixedly at the Shrek members on the arena, especially Tang San with his ten thousand year fourth ring, his eyes filled with jealousy, resentment, and a hint of... imperceptible madness.
"The match begins!" The referee ordered, waving his arm.
"Brothers, activate your martial souls! End this quickly!" Dai Mubai roared. The White Tiger Body Protection Barrier and White Tiger Vajra Transformation were activated instantly. His body expanded, and with an unstoppable momentum, he charged toward the opponent's formation like a fierce tiger descending from a mountain! He intended to use his absolute strength as a Soul King to forcibly tear open a gap!
Xiao Wu utilized her Waist Bow, her figure like a pink phantom as she followed Dai Mubai's flank. Ma Hongjun spat out phoenix flames, providing support from the air. Oscar's Flying Mushroom Sausage and Recovery Great Sausage were already prepared. Li Qingshan and Lu Ziqi stood guard and controlled, stabilizing the formation.
A purple light flashed in Tang San's eyes as he pushed his Purple Demon Eye to the limit. The phantom of the Man Faced Demon Spider emerged behind him, his Tough Spider Web ready to be unleashed at any moment.
A standard assault formation! The Shrek Team's intent was clear: they meant to use their raw strength to crush the opposition!
However, facing Shrek's fierce offensive, the seven members of the Blue Sunshine team made a move that surprised everyone!
They did not scatter, did not defend, and did not even release any offensive soul skills! The seven of them quickly huddled together, forming a strange circular formation, each holding a gem of a different color! Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple! Seven-colored lights lit up simultaneously!
"What are they doing?"
"What kind of formation is this?"
A chorus of confusion rose from the stands.
Flender frowned, a faint sense of unease stirring in his heart. That old fox Shi Nian was cunning and treacherous; he would never fight a battle he wasn't prepared for!
Just then, the captain of the Blue Sunshine team revealed a strange smile and hissed loudly: "Seven-in-One, Soul Power Fusion! Seven Asura Illusory Realm—activate!"
Hum--!
The seven gems suddenly erupted with a dazzling, brilliant light! Seven pillars of different colored light shot into the sky, converging in the center of the arena and instantly transforming into a distorted, rotating seven-colored light barrier that covered the entire arena! Inside the barrier, the scene changed drastically!
The arena vanished, replaced by a bizarre, constantly twisting and changing world! Countless hideous ghosts, man-eating demons, and distorted spatial rifts appeared out of thin air, emitting ear-piercing shrieks! The dense, extreme energy of the illusion surged toward the Shrek Seven Devils like a tide!
"It's an illusion! Be careful!" Tang San's pupils constricted. He pushed his Purple Demon Eye to the limit, the purple-gold light in his eyes surging as he attempted to see through the falsehood. He felt an incomparably powerful spiritual force smash into his mind like a heavy hammer!
"Ugh!"
"Ah!"
Screams rang out one after another!
Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Li Qingshan, and Lu Ziqi, whose cultivation levels were lower and whose spiritual power was relatively weaker, had their eyes go unfocused almost the moment the illusion formed. Their faces displayed extreme terror or wild ecstasy; they danced about, clutched their heads and screamed, or attacked their teammates frantically, completely trapped within the illusion!
Dai Mubai let out a muffled groan. His Soul King-level soul power forcibly supported him, and his White Tiger Body Protection Barrier shone brightly to resist the erosion of the illusion, but his eyes also began to glaze over, and his movements became sluggish.
The scene before Dai Mubai began to distort and shift! It was no longer the noisy arena, but the gloomy ancestral hall of the Star Luo Dai Family. His elder brother, Dai Weisi, laughed with disdain, glaring at him with a ferocious expression as he declared his failure in the competition...
Relying on the resilient soul of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and her agile movements, Xiao Wu struggled to dodge those illusory attacks within the realm, but her pale face showed she was clearly struggling to hold on. Yet soon, she also seemed to hear the roars of her mother, Da Ming, and Er Ming before their deaths...
"It's actually a Seven-in-One Soul Power Fusion Skill!" A knowledgeable powerhouse in the VIP seats exclaimed in shock, "Blue Sunshine Academy actually hid such a trump card!"
"It's over! The Shrek Team is finished! The power of this Seven Asura Illusory Realm is enough to rival a spiritual attack at the Soul Sage level! Aside from that Dai Mubai with his Soul King cultivation and Tang San who absorbed a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, the others simply cannot withstand it!"
"That old guy Shi Nian is truly devious!"
On the arena, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse! The Shrek Team lost four members in an instant, and Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu were also in grave danger! Only Tang San remained, relying on his Purple Demon Eye and the resilient will of someone who had lived two lifetimes, holding on desperately within the bizarre and fantastic illusion!
Countless phantoms assaulted his mind! His mother's tragic death, Xiao Wu's blood, Dai Mubai's mockery, Huyan Lian's sinister grin... The fears, regrets, and anger of his past and present lives were magnified infinitely, attempting to drag him into the abyss!
"No! These are all fake!" Tang San bit his tongue, the sharp pain keeping him a sliver of clarity. His Purple Demon Eye spun frantically, the purple-gold light in his eyes like two beacons, locking firmly onto the seven blurry figures of the Blue Sunshine students maintaining the formation within the illusion.
But his heart sank. His practice of the Purple Demon Eye had been short, and without the tempering of an Immortal Herb, his Spiritual Power was far from strong enough to forcibly break through this fusion illusion that combined the strength of seven people! If this continued, once his Spiritual Power was exhausted, everyone would be at the mercy of their opponents!
In the stands, Flender stood up abruptly, his complexion deathly pale. His right hand was already raised, ready to signal the referee to forfeit! Soul Bones could be found again, but the lives and futures of his students could not be lost!
Just as his lips parted and the word "forfeit" was about to escape—
A sudden change occurred on the arena!
"ROAR—!!!"
A roar that seemed to come from the Nine Netherworlds, filled with endless violence, slaughter, and madness, exploded from deep within Tang San's throat! This roar did not sound human; it was more like a primordial fierce beast being provoked!
Hum!
A dark red, viscous domain resembling blood mist suddenly expanded with Tang San at its center! The range of the domain was not large, only covering the area where the Shrek Seven stood, but it was filled with a tragic killing intent and a mad will that made the soul tremble!
The prototype of the Slaughter God's Domain—awakened!
At this life-or-death moment, under the extreme spiritual pressure of the Seven Asura Illusory Realm, the violent intent hidden within Tang San—derived from the Asura God's power, fused with the ferocity of the Man Faced Demon Spider, combined with the violent intent of the Dragon God hidden within the Golden Dragon bloodline, and fueled by the hatred and killing intent he had accumulated in this life—was finally completely ignited!
Wherever the dark red domain passed, those bizarre and fantastic phantoms faded, distorted, and collapsed like snow melting! The core of the illusion—those seven figures of the Blue Sunshine students maintaining the formation—let out a collective muffled groan under the impact of the killing intent domain, their faces turning instantly pale, their soul power circulation suddenly thrown into chaos!
"Pfft!" The Blue Sunshine captain even spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with unbelievable horror! "A domain?! How could he possibly have a domain?!"
The illusion was broken!
This prototype domain did not have much direct offensive power, but the "slaughter" and "madness" artistic conception it contained was the perfect nemesis for this type of illusion that relied on emotional guidance! It fought violence with violence, using more extreme negative emotions to collapse the structure of the illusion!
At the same time, the dark red killing intent domain, as if it had a life of its own, coiled around the six people who had just broken free from the illusion—Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, and the others—whose minds were unguarded and whose spiritual defenses had dropped to their lowest point!
"KILL!!!"
Dai Mubai's eyes turned blood-red instantly, and he let out a tiger's roar toward the sky. His originally handsome face twisted into a ferocious mask, the power of his White Tiger Vajra Transformation erupted without reservation, and he charged recklessly toward the nearest Blue Sunshine student!
"Tear you apart!" The pink light in Xiao Wu's eyes was covered by a blood-red hue. Her soft skill turned into a pure dance of slaughter, her figure moving like a ghost, every strike aiming for a vital point!
Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Li Qishan, and Lu Ziqi were like beasts that had lost their reason, relying on instinct and soul power to pounce madly at their opponents!
Berserk! The remaining six members of the Shrek Team had all fallen into a berserk state triggered by the slaughter domain! Although they lost their tactical coordination, their attack power, speed, and fearlessness had increased by several times over!
"Not good! Defend quickly!" The Blue Sunshine captain screamed in terror. But it was too late! The seven of them had consumed massive amounts of soul power to maintain the Seven Asura Illusory Realm, and with their minds injured, their frontal combat capability was already weak. Now, facing six opponents who had gone berserk and were already stronger than them, how could they possibly block?
It was a landslide victory!
Dai Mubai swiped a claw, sending a Blue Sunshine Soul Ancestor flying; the sound of bone fracture was clearly audible! Xiao Wu's Waist Bow acted like a death noose, instantly strangling another Soul Elder! Ma Hongjun's phoenix flames burned one person until they screamed and rolled on the ground! Oscar even used a Copy Mirror Sausage to transform into Dai Mubai's appearance, knocking one down with a single punch! Li Qishan and Lu Ziqi also each found their own opponents!
In just over ten seconds, screams rose and fell! The seven members of the Blue Sunshine Team were like straw being ravaged by a storm, beaten to the ground without any power to resist, all suffering heavy injuries and falling into a coma! Only seven panting Shrek members remained on the arena, the blood-red hue still lingering in their eyes, looking as if they had crawled out of a blood pool, along with Tang San, who stood in the center, pale-faced but with eyes as cold as blades.
The dark red domain slowly receded. Tang San's body swayed, but he forced himself not to collapse. Forcibly triggering this unformed domain was a huge burden on his spirit.
The entire venue was dead silent!
Everyone was stunned by this sudden reversal! From Shrek falling into a desperate situation, to Tang San unleashing a bizarre domain, to the entire Shrek team going berserk and turning the tables in an instant—the whole process took less than a minute! Yet it made people's hearts feel like they were about to jump out of their chests!
The referee was stunned for several seconds before he reacted and announced loudly: "Sh... Shrek Academy Team, wins!"
Whoosh—!
After a brief silence, a tsunami-like roar erupted from the stands! There was shock, horror, curiosity about that strange domain, and admiration for the tenacious will of Shrek!
"A domain! That was definitely the power of a domain!"
"Shrek Academy... they are truly hiding dragons and crouching tigers!"
"That Tang San... he doesn't look like an ordinary person, does he?"
"Hehe, it looks like this tournament is going to be interesting. Maybe we'll even get to see the Five Elements Academy get upset; even if I died, it would be worth the price of admission!"
In the Blue Sunshine Academy preparation area, Shi Nian looked ashen, slumping into his chair with hollow eyes.
It was over... everything was over... Not only did they lose the match and forfeit the Soul Bone, but their most critical trump card, the Seven Asura Illusory Realm, had also been exposed... He could already foresee the thunderous rage of the dean when he returned to the academy.
Flender let out a long sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and sat back down, his face showing a complex expression of lingering fear and excitement. He looked at Tang San on the arena, his eyes filled with immense complexity. This kid, just how many more secrets was he hiding?
Soon, medical staff entered the arena to carry away the heavily injured Blue Sunshine members for treatment. Shi Nian walked onto the arena with a livid complexion and threw a cold jade box to Flender; inside was the Thousand-Year Soul Bone that had been the wager. He glared at Flender and the Shrek team with venomous hatred, then turned and left without a word.
Flender weighed the jade box in his hand and chuckled, completely unbothered by Shi Nian's threat. He looked at his team members walking off the arena while supporting each other, especially Tang San, who was being tightly supported by Xiao Wu, his eyes filled with pride.
The first battle was a success! And it was done in such a thrilling and triumphant way! The name of Shrek Academy, after this battle, would surely resound throughout the entire tournament!
However, Tang San's mood was not light. He felt the restless killing intent within his body and the exhaustion in his spirit, his brows furrowing slightly. Was this uncontrollable power a blessing or a curse? The path ahead seemed even more mysterious and uncertain.
But regardless, they had taken a solid first step. The journey of the tournament had only just begun.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan