The Battle Arena.
Most of the inner and outer court students had already gathered here. Even the Elder's Council had turned out in rare numbers, taking their seats upon the dais.
Xuanzi sat at the central seat of honor, with Elder Song beside him. The other Elders were seated in order, their gazes all fixed upon the ring below. For this "friendly match," Elder Zhuang had been assigned as referee, to ensure that no accidents occurred.
Seated next to Xuanzi was Poison Undying. Since assuming the position of Pavilion Master of the Sea God's Pavilion, Xuanzi's bearing had become far more proper and dignified. Poison Undying, in contrast, remained as unkempt and careless as ever.
His real reason for remaining here today was simple: he wanted to probe Jiang Shengyu's true depth. Over the past half month, he had even considered secretly making a move on Jiang Shengyu—testing whether the boy could truly summon Di Tian as his battle spirit. But when he thought it through—if Di Tian really did appear, he himself would not be able to suppress it. Worse, it would forever seal away the possibility of unbinding the four sealed Titled Douluo. In the end, he set the thought aside.
From the stands, the students' voices boomed in unison, chanting Shrek, Shrek, Shrek! In one of the rest areas by the arena waited two teams: one from the inner court, and one from the outer court.
The inner court team was captained by Dai Yaoheng and Ling Luochen; the outer court team was led by Beibei and Jiang Qingtong.
Because Jiang Shengyu's group only had four participants, the inner and outer court teams were also restricted to four members each.
Outer court's four: Jiang Qingtong, Wang Dong'er, Beibei, and Ning Tian.
Inner court's four: Dai Yaoheng, Ling Luochen, Chen Zifeng, and Xixi.
Chen Zifeng and Xixi, who had been injured before, had already recovered under Elder Zhuang's treatment.
Though they had not displayed much during the last Continental Soul Master Tournament, the fact that they had been chosen as part of the Shrek Seven Devils spoke for itself—their strength was beyond question.
This friendly match had a cultivation cap of Soul Emperor; anyone above Soul Emperor level was barred from entering. As a result, the roster was basically fixed.
On the ring, Xiao Hongchen swept his gaze around at the crowd, at the waves of students shouting Shrek's name. Smiling, he said to Jiang Shengyu:
"This really feels like the Tournament back then. But if we win this time, it'll be even sweeter!"
Watching her brother's smug confidence, Meng Hongchen reminded him:
"Brother, don't trip and fall in the gutter."
Xiao Hongchen waved it off with a grin:
"Then we'll just fill in the gutter and take the land route."
At that, Jiang Shengyu sighed faintly:
"Wouldn't that be even more exhausting…? Why don't we just avoid rowing in the gutter altogether?"
The banter between Jiang Shengyu and Xiao Hongchen—years of teasing and repartee—flowed naturally.
Suddenly, Xiao Hongchen chuckled:
"Say, when we win, should we put up a statue in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy? Carve into it: On this day, Xiao Hongchen stood alone against Shrek Academy's chosen, and emerged victorious!"
Meng Hongchen shook her head helplessly:
"That's only if you actually win. The inner court has both Soul Emperors and even Soul Saints. Do you really think it'll be that easy?"
Jiang Shengyu sighed again:
"Forget a statue—I'll put up a gravestone for you instead."
"A gravestone works too," Xiao Hongchen nodded seriously. "But make sure the material is good."
On the opposite side, Jiang Qingtong was already stepping onto the ring alongside Beibei, Wang Dong'er, and Ning Tian.
Meng Hongchen waved cheerily at her, grinning, and Jiang Qingtong returned the wave with a bright smile, as though the two were close friends meeting after a long time.
Watching this, Beibei asked her quietly:
"Back in the Sun Moon Empire… were you two close?"
"Of course. We grew up together," Jiang Qingtong nodded.
Beibei cast another glance at Meng Hongchen, took a deep breath, and said firmly:
"Then I'll show some mercy."
"...Ah?" Jiang Qingtong froze, while even Jiang Shengyu looked over at Beibei with an odd expression.
What was wrong with this guy?
But Beibei only continued earnestly:
"Recently, I've been comprehending the insights Grandmaster Xuan left me regarding the Radiant Holy Dragon. I'm no longer the same as before! QingTong, Wang Dong'er—this time, we will win."
Hearing this, Jiang Qingtong suddenly understood.
So, he really had gained something valuable from Mu En's legacy!
Elder Zhuang called both teams to the center and ordered them to declare their names.
On the ring, the lowest cultivation present was already four-ring Soul Ancestor. Beibei himself was at the peak—level 49, just one step away from breaking through to Soul King. Only Ning Tian remained at three rings, but as a support-type soul master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, her assistance was formidable even at the Soul Elder level.
With the announcement—"Begin!"—Beibei was the first to release his martial soul.
Two yellow, two purple—four soul rings rose at once. Blue lightning crackled across his body, and within that storm of azure thunder flickered faint streaks of platinum radiance. Behind him, the majestic figure of a tyrannical dragon emerged.
But this Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was no longer the same as before. Its tail had lengthened, its scales were whitening, and upon its head, pale scales had begun to form—bearing even the stub of a budding horn.
Head held high, aura overwhelming!
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon had never possessed horns. This change signified one thing—Beibei's martial soul was evolving toward the Radiant Holy Dragon!
The massive dragon head lifted, loosing a thunderous roar.
In the stands, every student with a beast-type martial soul instinctively lowered their head in submission, especially those with draconic bloodlines. Even though Beibei's martial soul had not yet fully evolved into the Radiant Holy Dragon, it already carried a trace of true dragon's might.
This was the power of the Dragon Core within his body.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen both frowned deeply. Xiao Hongchen muttered:
"His martial soul… it's different. Back at the Tournament, it didn't carry this kind of pressure."
Jiang Shengyu, however, remained perfectly calm.
"His Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is mutating toward the Radiant Holy Dragon. Among beast spirits, dragon-type martial souls rank at the very peak. With his cultivation close to Soul King, the suppression on you two will be heavy. Stand behind me and Ai Cao."
As he spoke, his right hand lifted.
One purple, three black—four soul rings rose in succession. He did not even bother releasing his hundred-thousand-year ring.
The audience collectively gasped in shock.
This ring configuration was even more terrifying than Jiang Qingtong's two purple, one black. Just when they thought they had seen it all, Jiang Shengyu once again shattered their expectations.
"With soul rings like that—how the hell is he even human?!" Poison Undying swore outright.
Beside him, Ai Cao's Chains of Time and Space coiled slowly around her arms. Standing firmly by Jiang Shengyu's side, she said to the younger Hongchen siblings behind her:
"Don't worry, junior brother, junior sister. I'll protect you."
But Xiao Hongchen only waved a hand, grinning arrogantly:
"Relax, senior sister. It's just a mutated dragon. Even a golden toad can swallow a dragon—it's not impossible."
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