At the Star Luo Grand Stadium, the venue for the finals of the Continental Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition's individual matches.
Led by Jing Shaoyu, the seven Shrek Academy students arrived early at the waiting area beneath the finals stage. Apart from them, there were also eight students from Monster Academy present.
Yes, eight students—Dai Yueyan had also come. After nearly a week of recuperation, his injuries had stabilized, so at his strong insistence, Dai Tianling agreed to let him accompany the others.
However, he arrived in a wheelchair.
The two teams were separated by a twenty-meter-wide walkway, each seated in their respective areas. Only Dai Yuner stood behind Dai Yueyan's wheelchair, glaring fiercely at Jing Shaoyu. But as the sunlight shone just right, her expression soon shifted from hostility to infatuation.
Dai Yueyan was also looking toward the Shrek side, though not at Jing Shaoyu—his gaze was fixed on Wu Siduo. Despite having been severely beaten by her, Dai Yueyan harbored no resentment. Instead, his eyes were filled with envy.
He understood clearly that his injuries were the result of being outmatched. He had no interest in blaming fate or others. Temporary defeat was no disgrace; recognizing one's shortcomings and striving to improve was the mark of a true man! But he envied Wu Siduo. As a White Tiger Spirit Soul Master, Dai Yueyan knew full well the significance of possessing the Martial Soul Fusion Skill Netherworld White Tiger.
Throughout the generations of the Star Luo Empire, the emperor and empress had always been top-tier experts who wielded the Netherworld White Tiger. The current emperor, Dai Tianling, and his empress, Zhu Shi, were no exception. However, the Zhu family of this generation had yet to produce a woman capable of resonating with Dai Yueyan—one of the main reasons Dai Tianling had delayed naming him crown prince.
The union of tiger and cat was the very foundation of their imperial lineage; there could be no room for error.
Though this was not Dai Yueyan's fault, it frustrated him immensely. What could he do? His uncles had failed to bear daughters. Among the other branches of the Zhu family, while there were many women of his generation, none of the right age could fuse with him.
Was he supposed to look to the previous generation? Even if his father and mother agreed, Dai Yueyan himself would never do such a thing—it wasn't yet time. His brothers were in the same situation. Without the support of their wives' families, Dai Yueyan undoubtedly held an overwhelming advantage.
Originally, according to Dai Tianling's plan, he intended to select a fiancée for Dai Yueyan from the next generation of Zhu family women. Though Dai Yueyan wasn't opposed, he still found the idea somewhat undignified.
Wu Siduo's appearance gave him another idea. If the Zhu family in Star Luo had no suitable young women, what about the Zhu family in Douluo? Though relations between the two sides were strained, they shared the same roots. Thus, Dai Yueyan began considering a trip to the Douluo Continent—though he hadn't yet mentioned it to Dai Tianling. His gaze at Wu Siduo now was partly to inquire about the situation there.
But the timing wasn't right, so Dai Yueyan refrained from speaking up.
As Dai Tianling's speech from the podium concluded, Jing Shaoyu and Long Yue simultaneously stood up and strode confidently toward the competition stage.
"Brother Shaoyu, do your best!" Xu Xiaoyan cheered.
"Big Brother Long, crush your opponent!" Dai Yuner shouted back, equally spirited.
The gazes of the two girls met midair, sparks flying. Although the match hadn't officially begun, the tension between them had already reached its peak. The grudge between these two teams would be settled in this final showdown.
The sky above the grand stadium suddenly darkened as two spotlights illuminated Jing Shaoyu and Long Yue. Accompanied by rousing music, they ascended the stage, standing hundreds of meters apart, facing each other from a distance.
As they waited, the atmosphere in the venue reached a fever pitch. The audience's cheers rose and fell, with the overwhelming majority shouting for Long Yue and cheering for Monster Academy. This wasn't surprising—after all, to the spectators, Jing Shaoyu and Shrek Academy were merely outsiders.
The beautiful commentator Fang'er's voice resounded throughout the stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you've all been eagerly awaiting this highly anticipated final match! To be honest, I'm just as excited as all of you! This is bound to be an epic duel that will go down in tournament history!
First, let me briefly analyze our two competitors!
Contestant Jing Shaoyu hails from Shrek Academy, with Soul Power estimated between levels 55 to 59. At just fifteen years old, he possesses Twin Martial Souls. His primary Martial Soul is the Green Angel with three pairs of wings. After careful comparison with all known angel-type Martial Souls, I couldn't find any that matched this one.
This Martial Soul grants him control over multiple elements, giving Jing Shaoyu a diverse array of combat techniques. His fighting style leans toward battlefield control and counterattacks. There are also rumors that this is actually a healing-type Martial Soul—if true, that would be truly astonishing.
His secondary Martial Soul is the Black Spear, which has only appeared once without any attached Soul Rings, making its combat potential impossible to estimate. However, we can catch a glimpse of its potential from his sister Jing Na'er's performance. Presumably, Jing Shaoyu also possesses considerable spear skills.
As for contestant Long Yue, I doubt I need to introduce him much? The leader of Monster Academy's Eight Great Heavenly Kings, Dragon King Long Yue, a six-ring Soul Emperor at twenty years old. His strength is formidable, and his temperament steady.
In summary, looking purely at strength, today's final seems evenly matched between these two competitors. However, I personally favor Long Yue—after all, the difference between a Soul Emperor and a Soul King isn't just one extra Soul Ring.
Alright, both competitors are ready! The strongest showdown among the younger generation on the continent is about to begin!"
As the official commentator for the Star Luo Tournament, Fang'er knew how to maintain balance—providing detailed analysis of Jing Shaoyu while keeping her remarks about Long Yue brief, barely stopping short of openly showing bias.
However, Jing Shaoyu inside the arena didn't hear any of this. The Soul Guidance Barrier for the finals had been reinforced, with far superior soundproofing compared to previous matches, along with the best protective effects to minimize any chance of accidental harm to spectators.
Jing Shaoyu and Long Yue stood at opposite ends of the stage. At the center stood an elderly man with restrained aura—the referee for this match, also the chief judge of the tournament's referee panel and a Star Luo Imperial Guardian, a Titled Douluo.
"The rules for this final match remain the same as previous matches. Ten-second countdown begins now!"
"Ten, nine, eight, seven... three, two, one!"
As the count reached "one," the old man instantly vanished from the stage. The final had officially begun—yet neither Jing Shaoyu nor Long Yue made their first move immediately. They remained standing in place, staring at each other.
"Jing Shaoyu, I've been waiting for this match for a long time," Long Yue said.
His deep voice carried a hint of excitement, clearly reaching Jing Shaoyu's ears despite the hundreds of meters between them.
"Likewise," Jing Shaoyu replied calmly.
"Regarding Teng Teng's matter, I apologize," Long Yue continued.
"Isn't it a bit late for apologies now?" Jing Shaoyu raised an eyebrow, showing a trace of surprise.
However, Long Yue didn't respond to that. Instead, he said, "But concerning Dai Yueyan's incident, I'm furious. Are you prepared to face the consequences?"
"Ah!" Jing Shaoyu suddenly understood. "So you're using the tactic of lowering before raising."
"Dai Yueyan had his limbs and ribs broken by you all. As retribution, today I'll break yours as well," Long Yue's voice was heavy, a menacing aura slowly rising around him.
Jing Shaoyu couldn't help but laugh. "You're that confident you can take me down?"
"Confidence comes from strength!" Long Yue said coldly. Then, his aura exploded violently, releasing an overwhelmingly powerful presence.
"Roar—" A deep, resonant dragon's roar erupted from Long Yue's mouth. The ancient, primal shadow of the Mountain Dragon King appeared behind him. The massive dragon stretched its body, revealing the ancient city before the world. Beneath this shadow, Long Yue transformed into a Dragon Beast, his body swelling to five meters tall. Thick, brown scales covered him like armor, and a long, powerful tail dragged along the ground. Above his head, six Soul Rings—three purple and three black—shone brightly.
"Roar—" As his Martial Soul manifested, Long Yue let out another savage, frenzied, and domineering roar.
The roar stirred turbulent air currents that rolled across the arena, kicking up dust and smoke. Yet, Jing Shaoyu on the opposite side remained unhurried.
A faint smile even appeared on his face. He spread his arms, and six emerald-green wings unfurled. A gentle wind swirled around him as the Staff of Stars lightly tapped the ground, instantly calming the swirling dust and smoke.
Primal Spirit, manifest!
Long Yue couldn't help but frown. On the viewing platform, Dai Tianling and En Ci also furrowed their brows, murmuring in their hearts.
Why wasn't Jing Shaoyu using his spear Martial Soul? Could it be that his spear truly had no attached Soul Rings?
Even Tang Bingyao frowned, glancing suspiciously at the composed Cai Yue'er beside him. What was Shrek Academy playing at? Did they really not care about winning the Star Luo Empire tournament?
Strange! Truly strange! Bizarre to the extreme!
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/QueenTL
Thanks!