The progression of the individual matches in the Youth Soul Master Tournament moved like a high-speed gear, fierce and brutal.
As one thrilling battle after another concluded, the names that finally stood on the quarterfinal stage made Emperor Dai Tianling of Star Luo and Elder En Ci's faces grow extremely solemn.
In the list of eight finalists, only Long Yue, Dai Yueyan, and Bo Xi belonged to Monster Academy, while Gu La, Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Bai Yuan, and Wu Sido were all students from Shrek Academy.
Shrek Academy occupied five out of the eight spots in the quarterfinals!
Meanwhile, the Monster Academy, which the Star Luo Empire had poured all its resources into, had only three entrants! If not for Bo Xi, the "Ninth Heavenly King" who appeared out of nowhere to save the day, they would have had only Long Yue and Dai Yueyan qualifying for the quarterfinals.
This result was like a cold reality, slapping every Star Luo citizen who had placed high hopes on Monster Academy right across the face.
The spectators in the stands, whose enthusiasm had been high, now felt as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown over them. The atmosphere turned somewhat oppressive and somber. Their proud Eight Great Heavenly Kings appeared so "thin" in front of Shrek Academy's brilliance.
"Shrek… truly lives up to its reputation…" some spectators sighed softly, with a sense of helplessness.
"They're too strong… Gu La, Tang Wulin, Gu Yue… they all seem unfathomable…"
"And that Bai Yuan and Wu Sido… they're monsters too!"
"Wait, Wu Sido? Netherworld Spirit Cat and White Tiger martial souls? Aren't those our Star Luo inherited martial souls? Doesn't that make her one of us?"
"That's right, Netherworld Spirit Cat and White Tiger are both royal lineage martial souls. Even though she's from Shrek Academy, her martial soul and bloodline belong to us, Star Luo!"
"So… among the eight finalists, four have Star Luo bloodlines!"
"Four against four! We haven't lost! Against Shrek, even a draw is a win!"
"Yes! Not losing is already a victory!"
"Monster Academy, keep it up, Star Luo will prevail!"
It must be said, self delusion does have miraculous effects at certain times.
The Star Luo spectators quickly found their "spiritual victory method," forcibly claiming Wu Sido, who possessed the top-tier Netherworld Spirit Cat inheritance, as part of their own camp. Instantly achieving a "four-on-four" psychological balance, the previously low spirits were reinvigorated, and cheers once again filled the Star Luo Stadium.
Dai Tianling watched this unfold from the high booth, his lips twitching slightly but making no move to stop it.
The people needed confidence and an outlet; although this "calculation" was far-fetched, it stabilized public sentiment, which was better than nothing.
However, his gaze toward the direction of Shrek Academy grew even more profound. The talent of this generation of Shrek surpassed his expectations.
The referee's loud voice silenced the commotion:
"The All-Continent Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition, Individual Quarterfinals, First Match!"
"Shrek Academy, Bai Yuan, versus Monster Academy, Dai Yueyan."
Two figures slowly walked onto the central main stage from the contestant tunnel. On one side was Bai Yuan, wearing Shrek's dark green uniform, calm and composed, with a hint of indifference in his eyes.
On the other side was Dai Yueyan, clad in Monster Academy's red uniform, dignified and sharp-eyed, the Fourth Prince.
Bai Yuan had not shown his true strength in previous matches, revealing very little intelligence.
But the Star Luo Empire was not completely unprepared. After Shrek Academy's crushing defeat by Sun Moon Academy, the Star Luo Empire paid special attention to Shrek's "revenge" match. As both a prince and a Heavenly King, Dai Yueyan naturally possessed some information about Bai Yuan:
Some kind of dark attribute martial soul with bizarre devouring abilities, suspected domain soul skills, immense strength, and a fierce and efficient fighting style.
Dai Yueyan didn't dare to be careless. He took a deep breath and called out, "Martial soul—Activate!"
A brilliant light shone as the White Tiger martial soul attached to his body. Immediately afterward, a set of silver-white one-word battle armor covering most of his vital points, engraved with roaring white tiger patterns, appeared and quickly equipped itself.
With the battle armor enhancing him, his aura skyrocketed, exuding a fierce and domineering tiger's might.
At the same time, three purple and two black soul rings under his feet glowed brightly. His status as a Level 58 Strong Attack system Battle Soul King was fully revealed.
With the amplification of battle armor, his combat power was now infinitely close to that of a true Soul Sage, the basis of his "Tiger King" title.
On the other hand, Bai Yuan still wore his ordinary school uniform, without even releasing his martial soul.
His gaze remained calm, even tinged with… boredom? Since that time when he nearly lost his sanity controlled by the instinct to devour, Bai Yuan had been striving to suppress and control that terrifying desire emanating from the depths of his martial soul, seemingly able to devour everything.
He usually deliberately suppressed his devouring power to maintain mental clarity, not wanting to become like Shrek's Gluttonous Douluo Xuanzi, who caused mishaps due to his appetite and left regrets.
As his cultivation increased and his research into his martial soul deepened, Bai Yuan began to guess the truth about his martial soul: that abyssal maw, that terrifying ability to devour everything, likely had something to do with the legendary ninth child of the Dragon God, Taotie.
His martial soul was probably a hybrid born from the combination of a fallen Taotie corpse and Abyssal power, inheriting the primal force of Taotie's universal devouring ability and infused with the mysteriousness of the Abyss.
This conjecture was verified by Gu La regarding the timeline, and the figure he saw was actually his inner devouring desire, attempting to make him lose his mind and continuously devour.
But he naturally wouldn't easily lose himself. Shrek Academy provided him with convenience, and his two-word battle armor was only missing one component to be complete. Under the empowerment of god alloy-crafted two-word battle armor, it would allow him to directly escape uncontrollable states.
But he did not use it now. Facing Dai Yueyan, he felt it was unnecessary. Using it would be too boring.
"Match begins!" the referee commanded.
Dai Yueyan moved first. He knew Bai Yuan's devouring ability was extremely troublesome, so he had to end the fight quickly.
Under the enhancement of his battle armor, his speed burst to the extreme, like a streak of silver lightning instantly crossing tens of meters.
His second soul ring shone as the tiger claw tore through the air, producing a piercing sound, aiming straight for Bai Yuan's chest—it was the signature soul skill of the White Tiger martial soul, White Tiger Fierce Light Wave.
Facing this fierce attack, Bai Yuan finally moved. He didn't dodge, merely casually raising his right hand, fingers spread, palm facing the incoming tiger claw light wave.
"Devouring Domain—Activate."
There was no earth-shattering spectacle, just an invisible darkness, as if capable of devouring light, instantly spreading out from Bai Yuan.
That imposing White Tiger Fierce Light Wave, upon entering the dark region, disappeared like a mud ox entering the sea, its brilliance rapidly dimming and dissipating, not even causing a ripple.
It was as if a miniature black hole had formed in Bai Yuan's palm, swallowing all energy completely.
Dai Yueyan's pupils contracted. Although he had anticipated it, seeing his attack neutralized so easily still weighed heavily on his heart.
His assault didn't stop. His third soul ring lit up, activating White Tiger Vajra Transformation!
His body instantly expanded, his strength and defense skyrocketing. His fists, accelerating continuously, unleashed countless condensed soul power orbs, raining down on Bai Yuan like a storm.
Bai Yuan still hadn't released his martial soul, his figure moving like a ghost within the Devouring Domain.
Those soul power punches, capable of shattering rocks, fell into the domain's range, akin to stones dropped into a deep pool, barely creating weak energy ripples before being silently decomposed and devoured by the domain!
In a sense, Bai Yuan's Abyss Domain almost countered all area energy attacks, much like how Xuanzi's Gluttonous Taotie martial soul, newly evolved into Taotie, could devour Di Tian's semi-divine powers.
At the same time, Dai Yueyan was horrified to discover that his soul power was slowly and continuously draining, as if countless invisible straws were siphoning his strength through his battle armor and soul power shield.
This was Bai Yuan's most terrifying aspect: unless he could be defeated instantly, anyone caught in his Devouring Domain would be continuously weakened and consumed, ultimately succumbing to exhaustion.
He had almost no weaknesses. His strength, nurtured by his martial soul and honed through physical training, was even stronger than Dai Yueyan's enhanced physique with battle armor.
Dai Yueyan gritted his teeth. He knew he couldn't drag it out any longer. His fifth and fourth soul rings, two ten-thousand-year soul rings, lit up successively.
White Tiger Demon God Transformation!
His aura surged again, a massive White Tiger Demon God phantom appearing behind him, exuding a world-shattering presence. His claws closed together, forming a terrifying light blade capable of tearing space apart—White Tiger Demon-Breaking Slash!
This was Dai Yueyan's strongest single-target attack soul skill. Combined with battle armor and Demon God Transformation, its power was enough to threaten a Soul Sage.
"Break!" Dai Yueyan roared, slashing the light blade fiercely toward Bai Yuan.
Facing this earth-shattering strike, a flicker of seriousness finally passed through Bai Yuan's eyes.
He still hadn't released his true martial soul form, simply stepping back slightly with his right foot, settling his stance, and tightly clenching his right fist. The power of the abyss surged through his veins, and the forces of the Devouring Domain concentrated instantly at his fist.
"Boom!!!"
Fist met light blade in a violent collision!
Contrary to the imagined energy explosion, the light blade, capable of annihilating everything, seemed to meet its nemesis upon touching Bai Yuan's fist.
The raging energy was voraciously devoured and decomposed by the profound darkness on his fist. Bai Yuan's body only swayed slightly, and the ground beneath the arena remained intact. The energy itself was compressed and swallowed by the Devouring Domain!
Meanwhile, Dai Yueyan felt his full-powered strike hit what seemed like an endless abyss. His strength was voraciously drained, and his martial soul briefly lost control. A trace of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes as he decisively severed the connection between his soul power and soul rings. The rebounding force made his blood surge, and he retreated several steps, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth.
The outcome was clear!
Dai Yueyan's face turned pale as he gazed at the still calm figure within the domain, a sense of helplessness welling up inside him.
The opponent hadn't even fully unleashed his martial soul, relying solely on his domain and physical strength to withstand his strongest attack.
The mastery and precise control of devouring power made Dai Yueyan feel as if he were facing a Title Douluo.
Bai Yuan slowly retracted his fist, the Devouring Domain still enveloping Dai Yueyan. Dai Yueyan could clearly feel his soul power draining away like floodwaters breaking through a dam, his body growing heavier by the second.
"You… how much strength did you use?" Dai Yueyan asked unwillingly, his voice hoarse.
Bai Yuan looked at him, paused for a moment, and replied indifferently, "About… seventy or eighty percent."
Dai Yueyan's strength wasn't weak, but against Bai Yuan, not using battle armor or soul skills, he had nearly exhausted all his strength.
Dai Yueyan's body trembled violently, then a bitter self-mocking smile spread across his face. Seventy or eighty percent… he had given his all, even using battle armor and his strongest soul skill, yet in the other's eyes, it was only worth seventy or eighty percent?
And he didn't believe for a second that Bai Yuan lacked battle armor. The gap between them was like an insurmountable chasm.
He knew he had lost, thoroughly and utterly, without a doubt. Continuing would only bring further humiliation.
"I… lost." Dai Yueyan forced out the three words with difficulty. Though quiet, they echoed clearly throughout the arena.
As a prince, he shouldn't have admitted defeat, but his soul power was nearly depleted, leaving him unable to fight on. Unable to sustain the battle armor, it spontaneously detached, leaving him standing pale-faced, his eyes filled with loss and confusion.
The referee immediately signaled the medical team to enter the stage, announcing, "Quarterfinals, First Match, Winner—Shrek Academy, Bai Yuan."
The entire arena erupted in shock. Although everyone knew Bai Yuan was strong, no one expected Dai Yueyan, the Tiger King of Monster Academy and the Fourth Prince of Star Luo, to be defeated so quickly and thoroughly!
Completely dominated, without even forcing the opponent to reveal his martial soul, Shrek Academy's strength once again shattered everyone's perceptions.
Below the stage, Dai Yun'er clenched her small fists tightly. Seeing her older brother defeated so easily, she was frantic, her eyes reddening.
Instinctively, she looked toward Long Yue sitting not far away. In the past, whenever this situation arose, she would immediately think of asking the powerful Dragon Brother to teach a lesson to those who bullied her or her loved ones.
"Brother Long…" Dai Yun'er instinctively wanted to ask for help, hoping Long Yue would avenge her older brother. But just as the words reached her lips, she suddenly stopped. She noticed Long Yue's current state.
Though seated, Long Yue's body was taut like a fully drawn bowstring, his fists clenched tightly, knuckles white from the force.
His resolute face bore no expression, but his eyes were fixed on Bai Yuan, who calmly exited the stage. Deep within his eyes burned a flame of near madness.
It was a mixture of unwillingness, humiliation, and an even stronger fighting spirit. He had just suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Bo Xi, and now he witnessed Dai Yueyan being utterly crushed by Shrek's Bai Yuan… For the proud Dragon King, this was a double blow.
Dai Yun'er's heart tightened painfully. She knew Long Yue's mood must be terrible. Earlier, he had stood up for her and been defeated by Bo Xi, suffering an unprecedented blow to his pride.
At this moment, asking him to avenge her older brother… wouldn't that be like rubbing salt into his wounds? Wouldn't it make him feel like she only saw him as a thug?
Though spoiled, Dai Yun'er wasn't completely oblivious to human emotions. She hesitated, and the plea for help stuck in her throat, unspoken.
She could only watch anxiously as the dispirited Dai Yueyan walked off the stage and glance at Long Yue, who was suppressing a violent aura, her heart filled with complex emotions.
The overwhelming shadow of Shrek Academy loomed like a thick cloud over the hearts of Star Luo's younger generation.
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