"Bye round: Guyou's team."
There were a total of seventeen teams, so one team inevitably got a bye.
Although this was only an internal class competition, sparks began to fly almost immediately. Every match was intense and full of highlights.
Once the matches started, some students realized that the woman seated at the side—Holy Spirit Douluo—was actually the referee for today's battles.
Every time a match was decided or someone was on the verge of serious injury, she would intervene—from a distance.
Gentle rays of light would land in the arena, healing the wounded in an instant.
Yali's healing ability was too powerful—anyone bathed in her light would see their injuries vanish completely.
The first round had eight matches and lasted more than an hour. Luo Guixing, Wu Siduo, and their five-member team won easily—or rather, their opponents directly forfeited. It wasn't an official bye, but it had the same effect.
Second round draw: this time, Luo Guixing's team got the bye.
Nobody dared to fight Guyou's team, still haunted by the memory of being crushed in the virtual world last time. So, their opponents forfeited.
The second round took half the time of the first. Nine teams to five. Five teams advanced to the third round.
"We forfeit.""We also forfeit.""Forfeit!"
Before the third round even began, the other three teams that had made it to the top five all announced their withdrawal.
There was no suspense in this competition.
One team had a monster—Guyou. The team had five people on the Genius Ranking; there was simply no way to win.
After all the forfeits were announced, even Yali looked up with interest at the last two teams remaining. Of course she could sense the shift in atmosphere.
"Very well. In that case, let's begin the final match of the selection tournament," Wu Zhangkong announced calmly.
"To ensure fairness, Guyou's cultivation will be sealed at the three-ring level," Shen Yi said, glancing at Guyou.
Guyou didn't object. Winning this way would allow them to clearly prove who the true geniuses were.
7v7 format.
Fourteen people stepped onto the platform in succession.
Guyou stood at the front of his team. Facing him, at the front of the opposing team, stood Yang Nianxia. When their eyes met, Yang Nianxia suddenly shivered involuntarily.
In that brief moment, he felt his entire mind and body struck by a powerful force—just from Guyou's confident gaze. Even sealed at the three-ring level, how could he be so confident? Especially against five of the top-ranked geniuses?
It wasn't just Yang Nianxia—the others on the Genius Ranking were also shocked.
They couldn't understand how Guyou had this level of self-assurance at the same level of cultivation.
They had done a thorough analysis of their opponents. Other than Guyou, whose information was sparse, they had a decent understanding of the rest of the team.
"Both sides, prepare. Five-second countdown," Wu Zhangkong's cold voice rang out, bringing focus back to the shocked students.
So what if he's confident? In the face of absolute power, confidence is meaningless.
Your cultivation is sealed—how can you compare with us now?
And not to mention others, just Wu Siduo alone—ranked in the top 10 at age 13—was already a rarity in history. Four soul rings, twin martial souls… even in Shrek Academy, she was a shining star destined to enter the Inner Court.
"Five, four, three, two, one—begin!"
All fourteen moved simultaneously. Under Guyou's feet, three purplish-golden blood soul rings rose.
That color?!The audience let out a collective gasp—it was their first time seeing such a color on soul rings.
Behind Guyou, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, Xu Lizhi, Xu Xiaoyan, Tang Wulin, and Ye Xinglan also released their martial souls. Soul rings gleamed one after another.
Students in the audience noticed that Xu Xiaoyan's soul rings were all ten-thousand-year level.
The battlefield was now alive with excited discussions.
The opposing team released their soul rings as well. They didn't seem surprised by Guyou's unusual colors.
When Wu Siduo and Xu Yucheng both displayed four rings, even Yali, watching from the side, was visibly impressed. Four rings at age 13 was truly extraordinary—even if it was nothing to her as a Titled Douluo.
"Begin!" Wu Zhangkong shouted.
The decisive battle for Class 1's strongest team had begun.
Yang Nianxia abandoned his usual underhanded tactics, let out a loud roar, and activated his Darkgolden Bear Martial Soul, his body instantly growing over two meters tall, covered in dark golden fur, and charged toward Guyou head-on.
Luo Guixing vanished behind Yang Nianxia, while Wu Siduo accelerated from the side like a bolt of lightning, bypassing Guyou entirely and charging toward the back—her target: Xu Xiaoyan.
Strength contest?Guyou's body shimmered as dragon scales appeared. His left dragon claw expanded in size.
Rend effect activated.
Boom!
The Bear Claw collided with Guyou's dragon claw. A terrifying force rippled through the arena, making everyone's legs tremble involuntarily.
"AHHH!"
Yang Nianxia was the first to cry out. It felt like a thousand rats were chewing on his hands—he fell rolling to the ground in pain.
Behind him, Luo Guixing, not having time to react, was crushed under Yang Nianxia's large body. As they rolled, Luo Guixing got flattened and screamed in pain.
"You! Get the hell off me!" Luo Guixing yelled furiously, activating his second soul ring.
He teleported out from under Yang Nianxia.
Pig-headed teammate!!
Luo Guixing cursed inwardly.
Meanwhile, Zheng Yiran's entire body began to glow with a faint green light. Though not fast, wherever she passed, a thick green mist rose from the ground, slowly spreading forward.
Xu Yucheng, almost as fast as Wu Siduo, was flanking from the opposite side—creating a pincer attack.
Wu Siduo was a power-attack and agility-attack dual-system battle soul master, while Xu Yucheng was a pure agility-type. His speed was just barely slower than hers.
Yue Tian, covered in yellow scales, had his soul rings suspended by his side…
(To be continued)