The Grand Arena – Championship Day
The sun hung high over the joint-capital, bathing the colossal arena in golden light. Over a hundred thousand spectators filled the seats—nobles in silks, commoners in colorful robes, soul masters from every corner of the continent. Both emperors sat in the imperial box. Ning Fengzhi and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile elders occupied a prominent section, faces tense with pride and worry.
At the highest tier, Bibi Dong presided like a dark goddess, crimson robes flowing, Rakshasa aura subtly veiled.
Below, on the vast competition platform, two teams faced each other across the divided field.
Shrek Academy: seven green-clad figures in perfect formation.
Spirit Hall Academy: Hu Liena, Xie Yue, Yan, and four elite support members—gold-trimmed white uniforms gleaming with sacred authority.
The referee—a Title Douluo from the neutral organizing committee—raised his voice, amplified by spirit power.
"This is the final match of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament! Team battle format—seven versus seven! Victory by surrender, incapacitation, or ring-out! No killing blows permitted!"
The crowd roared.
Luo Feng's POV – Team Bench
Luo Feng stood with Flender and Grandmaster, arms folded, divine sense blanketing the entire arena like an invisible dome.
He felt it immediately: threads of insidious spirit power weaving toward the platform—subtle, disguised as arena amplification arrays. Rakshasa corruption aimed at auxiliary channels. Designed to overload Ning Rongrong's spirit during high-output boosts.
Bibi Dong's contingency.
He could sever it in an instant. But Rongrong's words echoed: Trust us to handle it.
So he waited—ready, but restrained.
In the Arena – Ning Rongrong's POV
She felt the foreign energy the moment the referee's flag dropped—like cold fingers brushing her spirit sea.
Poison. Mental corrosion. Meant to fracture her control mid-battle.
Her lips curved in a fierce smile.
Not today.
"Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda—true body!"
The pagoda materialized in brilliant light, four treasures spinning.
Dream Veil exploded outward—not just restorative, but actively purifying, illusion threads weaving a subtle barrier that shredded the incoming corruption before it could take root.
Hu Liena's eyes widened fractionally across the field.
The Battle Begins
Spirit Hall struck first.
Hu Liena's Charm Fox possession activated—pink mist rolling across the platform, seductive whispers invading minds.
Xie Yue's twin moon blades spun into existence, forming his Spirit Fusion Ability preparation.
Yan erupted in hellfire, charging like a demon lord.
Shrek did not flinch.
Tang San's Purple Demon Eyes flared, shattering charm illusions for the entire team.
"Formation—Devil Subduing Circle!"
They moved as one.
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing split wide, beginning the charge for Nether White Tiger fusion.
Ma Hongjun ascended in phoenix flame, countering Yan's fire with purified bursts.
Xiao Wu blurred forward, targeting support members.
Oscar's sausages flew—recovery, agility, attack boosts stacking seamlessly with Ning Rongrong's pagoda.
And at the center, Ning Rongrong's voice rang like a war goddess.
"First treasure: strength, one hundred percent increase!
Second treasure: speed, one hundred percent increase!
Third treasure: defense, ninety percent increase!
Fourth treasure: spirit power recovery, seventy percent increase!"
The impossible percentages hit.
Shrek became demons.
Hu Liena's POV
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
Her charm, normally irresistible below rank 50, shattered against the team's unified will—and the auxiliary girl's purifying veil.
Xie Yue's moon blades met Blue Silver Grass prisons that refused to break.
Yan's flames were swallowed by a fatty whose phoenix fire burned hotter, purer.
The support members fell one by one—Xiao Wu's waist throws, Zhu Zhuqing's shadow strikes, hidden weapons raining like death.
And the girl—the pink-haired devil—never faltered.
One hundred percent boosts.
No spirit backlash.
No weakness.
Hu Liena's composure cracked.
"Fusion—Demon Charm Moon!"
She and Xie Yue initiated their secret weapon: a seductive lunar demon spirit, charm and sharpness combined.
The platform darkened under illusory moonlight.
Tang San's POV
Perfect.
"Everyone—final phase!"
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing completed Nether White Tiger—massive white form roaring into existence.
Ma Hongjun descended with Phoenix Ascension.
Tang San's hidden weapons locked trajectories.
Ning Rongrong's pagoda blazed brighter than the sun.
"Dream Veil—full amplification! All attributes, one hundred twenty percent!"
The crowd gasped.
Over limit.
Impossible.
Shrek's fusion attacks collided with Spirit Hall's.
Nether White Tiger met Demon Charm Moon in a cataclysmic explosion of light and shadow.
Phoenix fire consumed hellfire.
Blue Silver Grass prisons snapped around Hu Liena and Xie Yue mid-fusion.
Yan was buried under combined assault.
One by one, Spirit Hall's members were forced off the platform or surrendered.
The referee's voice boomed, stunned.
"Spirit Hall Academy… eliminated!
Shrek Academy are the champions!"
The arena erupted—thunderous, disbelieving, joyous.
Luo Feng's POV
He was moving before the echoes faded—vaulting the barrier, landing on the platform as the team gathered in exhausted, triumphant celebration.
Ning Rongrong ran to him, throwing herself into his arms.
He caught her, spinning once, burying his face in her hair.
"You did it," he whispered, voice thick. "All of you."
She laughed through tears. "We did it."
The team swarmed them—hugs, shouts, tears. Even Grandmaster smiled openly. Flender wept over prize money.
In the high box, Bibi Dong rose slowly, expression unreadable.
The corruption threads had failed.
Her Golden Generation lay defeated—publicly, undeniably.
She turned and left without a word.
The threat was not ended—only changed.
But today belonged to Shrek.
Victory Ceremony
Both emperors descended to present the championship trophy—a massive soul bone prize and continental recognition.
Ning Fengzhi approached afterward, eyes shining as he embraced his daughter.
"I was wrong to doubt you," he said quietly. "You've become magnificent."
She hugged him back, then returned to Luo Feng's side—hand in his, unashamed.
The continent would talk for years: the unknown academy that toppled Spirit Hall's pride.
But for the eight monsters on the platform—seven students and one cosmic guardian—the victory was simpler.
They had fought together.
They had won together.
And whatever shadows lingered, they would face them the same way.
That Night – Private Celebration
The team claimed a quiet garden terrace overlooking the capital lights.
No crowds. No politics.
Just them.
Ning Rongrong pulled Luo Feng away from the group eventually, leading him to a secluded corner beneath flowering vines.
She pressed him gently against a pillar, kissing him with all the joy and relief of the day.
"We're champions," she whispered against his lips.
"You always were," he replied, hands sliding down her back.
The kiss deepened—hungry, celebratory. Clothes stayed on (barely), but hands wandered freely, reaffirming life, love, victory.
When they parted, breathless, she rested her forehead against his.
"What now?" she asked softly. "The tournament's over. Spirit Hall won't forget this."
He smiled—calm, certain.
"Now we go home. Train. Grow stronger. Live."
He cupped her face.
"And whatever comes—Bibi Dong, gods, the end of this world—we face it together."
She smiled, radiant.
"Together."
Under the capital's stars, champions embraced.
A new era had begun on Douluo Continent.
One forged by monsters.
One guarded by a man who had devoured stars.
And at its heart, a love that burned brighter than any spirit ring.