"The draw result is out!"
Flander barged into Yu Xiaogang's room with a grin plastered across his face. Inside, Tang San, Dai Mubai, and the others were already gathered, waiting anxiously.
"Our opponent this time is Xingluo Royal Academy," Flander announced proudly.
Relief washed over the room. To think they had actually managed to avoid running into that monster Lu Yuan—it felt like an absurd stroke of luck.
Just yesterday, Yu Xiaogang had told them that as long as fate wasn't stacked hopelessly against them, anything was possible.
"Little San, it's all on you this time!" Flander added. "We must win no matter what."
Dai Mubai's expression twisted in panic. His heart sank.
After all, destiny had caught up to him sooner or later. Of all places, he still ended up facing Davis in this elite competition. But now, with Zhu Zhuqing whisked away by Lu Yuan, he no longer even had a partner to unleash their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
And this was the very first fight!
If he lost to Davis here… how humiliating would that be? He could practically see that bastard's mocking grin already. The thought alone was enough to make him furious.
His only hope now lay with Tang San.
"Boss Dai, why are you so nervous?" Ma Hongjun asked, cocking his head in confusion.
Dai Mubai sighed heavily. "Actually… I've been hiding something."
Once the marriage contract with Zhu Zhuqing was annulled, the Xingluo imperial family had thrown him away as if he was nothing more than dead weight. Now, he was little more than an abandoned son in their eyes.
If Davis deliberately targeted him here… it would be hard to even survive in this competition.
At this point, the burden on his shoulders was too heavy to bear alone. He could only reveal his true identity and seek the protection of Shrek Academy.
"Xiao Bai, you're a prince?!" Zhao Wuji's eyes widened in surprise. "Hah! Then tell me—what exactly do princes usually eat?"
Dai Mubai was dumbstruck.
Really, Teacher Zhao?! At a time like this, you want to discuss food? How can you be thinking about meals when I'm drowning in pressure here!?
"We'll definitely win, Boss Dai," Tang San said firmly, his eyes radiating unshakable confidence.
The strength in his words steadied Dai Mubai's heart. Tang San clearly had cards hidden up his sleeve. He would not let them fail.
"Mubai," Yu Xiaogang spoke at last, his voice calm. "This is Martial Soul City. The hands of the Xingluo Royal Family cannot reach here. Set your worries aside and just fight with everything you have."
"Exactly!" Oscar chimed in, patting him on the shoulder. "Boss Dai, you've got nothing to worry about with us here."
Even Ning Rongrong gave him a reassuring nod.
Dai Mubai's breathing eased as he looked at his companions. Their faith in him, and their ability to fight alongside him, made the suffocating weight on his chest feel a little lighter.
The very next day, the final stage of the Continental Soul Master Academy Elite Competition officially began.
The Tiandou Royal Academy's team moved steadily along the path toward the arena.
"Uuughhaaa"
Qin Ming stretched and yawned loudly, rubbing his shoulders as though he had just woken from a nap.
"So, who are we fighting today?" he asked casually, glancing at Yu Tianheng, the team's calm and steadfast captain.
"Martial Soul Temple Academy," Yu Tianheng replied, exasperation lacing his tone.
As their instructor, was this sort of attitude even acceptable? Sleeping like a salted fish all day, not even caring about who they were facing?
If this was what teaching looked like, wasn't it too easy of a job?
"Ohhh," Qin Ming said flatly, as if the answer barely registered.
It was obvious—he had only asked so that his students wouldn't complain he wasn't paying attention. As for who the opponent actually was? He couldn't care less.
After all, the result was already set in stone. No matter who they faced, they'd end up losing all the same.
When Tiandou Royal Academy finally arrived at the venue, Shrek Academy and Xingluo Royal Academy were locked in a fierce battle.
On stage, a massive Netherworld White Tiger mercilessly smashed Dai Mubai down into the ground again and again, as if he were nothing more than a rag doll.
And in those cold, predatory eyes, there seemed to be no other enemies at all—only Dai Mubai.
"How much hatred do these people have?" Yu Tianheng muttered in shock.
"This is way too much," another teammate echoed. "If this keeps up, Dai Mubai might actually get beaten until he soils himself."
The Tiandou members stared with wide eyes, stunned by the viciousness of the fight. They didn't know what sort of deep grudge existed between the two sides, but what they were witnessing went far beyond a normal tournament match.
Still, they didn't have time to dwell on it. Their own game was set to start next.
"Shrek Academy wins!"
The referee's voice rang across the arena, signaling the end of that bloody clash. Now, it was Tiandou Royal Academy versus Martial Soul Temple Academy.
Both teams stood in their respective formations, but the difference between them was night and day.
On Martial Soul Temple's side, seven fighters stood ready, tense muscles coiled like springs as they awaited the referee's command.
In contrast, Tiandou Royal Academy's team radiated calm relaxation, as if they were on an afternoon stroll rather than stepping into battle.
"I won yesterday's chess game," one of the Shi brothers declared proudly.
"No way, you cheated," the other retorted. "You used your knight like a rook. That doesn't count."
And so, while waiting for the fight to begin, the pair bickered over their chess match from the previous day.
The referee shook his head. "Begin the match!"
And just like that—the one-sided game began.
Yan charged forward like a boulder rolling down a mountain. His job was to buy the time Xie Yue and Hu Liena needed to unleash their deadly Martial Soul Fusion. Their plan had been discussed and solidified the night before.
"Second Soul Skill, Granite Rock!"
Golden-yellow light flared around his body, and instantly a thick layer of granite-like armor formed across his skin.
"Fourth Soul Skill, Magma Surge!"
Yan slammed his right fist into the stage, and molten magma gushed forth like an inferno unleashed, flooding toward Tiandou's formation.
The air itself twisted and warped from the heat. The arena felt like it had been dragged into the middle of a volcano.
"Hiccup~"
Lu Yuan, already tipsy, burped loudly. He lazily drew his sword, its dark steel glinting.
The moment he moved, Yu Tianheng and his teammates instinctively stepped backward in unison. Even their retreat was practiced, as though they had silently agreed beforehand not to clash head-on.
"…Why does this bastard look at me like that?" Lu Yuan mused when he met Yan's burning eyes. For some reason, there was a hostility in them sharp enough to pierce. Did they have some kind of deeper grudge?
Whatever. Didn't matter.
If someone looked at him like that, then the only answer was to cut them down.
Channeling soul power into his left arm bone, dark flames erupted, coiling across his blade. Sword lifted high, he swung—
and an obsidian serpent of fire uncoiled through the magma.
The ground split apart under that single strike, magma divided cleanly into two streams with a passage in the middle.
With that sword tip raised, Lu Yuan's slashes carved out crisscrossing streaks of pitch-black Sword Qi.
"Fifth Soul Skill—Raging Firestorm!"
The black spirit ring beneath Yan flared, wind shrieking louder than a typhoon as fiery sand blasted outward in a storm.
The heat grew unbearable, the gale ripping the stage apart as if to suffocate the world around it.
"Mm… your fifth soul skill feels weak."
Lu Yuan's voice cut sharply through the chaos as his form blurred. The Sword Qi surged forward, and in a blink he had appeared behind Yan.
His hand clamped down on Yan's ankle—
"Boom!"
With a savage arc, he smashed him into the ground.
The impact made the stage quake.
Yan's body went limp. He had fainted.
Lu Yuan snorted softly. Old Man Meng had already warned him not to hit too hard—otherwise, not only might he end up disqualified, but worse, they'd confiscate his wine. And that? That was absolutely unacceptable.
Still, Yan had served his purpose. Buying a single moment was enough.
A wave of red smoke erupted across the stage, quickly expanding until half the arena was swallowed by it.
Within the cloying mist, a figure appeared—long hair flying, two crescent moon blades shimmered coldly in hand.
"Little fox, can you hear me?" Lu Yuan muttered, unperturbed even within the smoke's grip.
The voice that answered was eerie—neither distinctly male nor female. "Wait… you can see me?"
That shouldn't have been possible. The Martial Soul Fusion of Hu Liena and Xie Yue wasn't about raw destruction like the Netherworld White Tiger. Instead, it created absolute control. Their red mist was an illusion that blurred perception itself, causing even Title Douluo to lose sight of reality.
Yet Lu Yuan could clearly perceive them?
Impossible!
If their trump card didn't work on him… then how on earth were they supposed to fight this monster?
--
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