On the training ground, the brutal scene was still unfolding.
When Xiao Wu once again hurled Yu Tianheng into the air, this time she didn't slam him directly into the ground but flung him high into the sky.
Thus, the eight consecutive slams finally ended. Counting the initial airborne spin slam, Yu Tianheng had now been thrown a total of nine times.
Nine slams? That's more than the Eight-Part Throw!
This wasn't Xiao Wu's usual "Eight-Part Throw" anymore—it was an evolved version: the "Ten-Part Throw."
This self-created soul skill of Xiao Wu's had strong continuity and demanded considerable waist strength.
But Yu Tianheng was practically a corpse at this point, completely unable to resist. Coupled with Xiao Wu's powerful physique, as long as he couldn't break free, ten consecutive throws—or even ten more—wouldn't be a problem.
Yu Tianheng's body flew high into the air once more. Xiao Wu sprinted, leapt, bent her right knee, and launched a flying kick with explosive force.
"Boom!"Yu Tianheng was sent flying out of the arena and crashed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
Ye Lingling: "…"
In that moment, Ye Lingling, standing behind the Emperor Team, was utterly speechless.
She'd been watching Xiao Wu beat the crap out of Yu Tianheng. But as a healing-type soul master, her soul skills could only heal—not defend or intervene.
To conserve soul power and avoid waste, she'd planned to heal Yu Tianheng after Xiao Wu was done.
What she hadn't expected was that after Xiao Wu's combo, their strongest team captain Yu Tianheng would be instantly eliminated.
Her healing skills couldn't help if the teammate was already gone!
Elsewhere, Dugu Yan, who was facing off against Xiao Bai, was also incredibly frustrated.
Xiao Bai was a support-type summoning spirit with all auxiliary soul skills. But being a summoned creature, Xiao Bai's physique was equivalent to a soul beast of the same age—and over 9,000 years old! That alone made her strong enough to overpower any four-ringed Soul Sect.
Even more, Xiao Bai could buff herself. Her talent skill "Blessing" allowed her to enhance her own strength. In pure power, she could rival some weaker five-ringed Soul Kings.
That wasn't the worst part. The worst part was—Dugu Yan discovered her Bilin Snake Venom was completely ineffective against this big white lion.
Every time her poison touched the lion, a flash of white light would shimmer, neutralizing the toxins.
Xiao Bai's talent skill: "Purification" — dispels all negative effects.
For someone like Dugu Yan who specialized in poisons, Xiao Bai was a perfect counter. Her skills were entirely suppressed.
If it weren't for Shi Mo—the defense-type Soul Expert—providing backup and Ye Lingling healing him from the back, Dugu Yan and Shi Mo would've already been flattened.
Gotta say, Shi Mo's Black Tortoise was indeed a top-tier defense martial soul.
Its shell was crazy tough. Paired with high soul quality and a top-tier healer supporting from the rear, even though Xiao Bai had razor-sharp lion claws and the upper hand, she couldn't take down the duo in one go.
Seeing her poison was useless, Dugu Yan gritted her teeth and gave up on Xiao Bai, turning her attention to Chu Chengzhou in the back.
She was one of the Emperor Team's main forces, second only to Yu Tianheng in strength. If she couldn't handle the lion, she wouldn't waste time on it.
After all, that lion was summoned by Chu Chengzhou. If she took him out, the lion would naturally disappear.
Also, the three enemy supports were grouped together—a perfect chance to wipe them out in one go.
Dugu Yan: "Taking down three supports? Easy money."
With Xiao Wu KO'ing Yu Tianheng, Xiao Bai dominating Dugu Yan and Shi Mo (and even forcing Dugu Yan to abandon her lane), the tides started turning in the other two matchups.
Zhu Zhuqing's opponent was Oslo, a fellow agility-type soul master with the Ghost Leopard martial soul. But Oslo was a 36th-level Soul Elder, while Zhu Zhuqing was only level 28—a significant gap, especially with one less 1,000-year soul ring.
Even with Ning Rongrong's 30% buff to strength and speed, Zhu Zhuqing was still at a disadvantage.
As for Ma Hongjun vs. Yu Feng? Same story.
If Ma Hongjun had a real Phoenix martial soul, Yu Feng with his Windbell Bird wouldn't even be able to get off the ground. But unfortunately, Ma Hongjun's was a mutant chicken with phoenix traits—nowhere near the king of birds.
Seeing her sister and Ma Hongjun struggling, Xiao Wu retracted her Azure Cloud Armor and charged toward Oslo.
She didn't want people thinking her win was just because of the armor.
Meanwhile, seeing Dugu Yan charging toward him, Chu Chengzhou stepped up and blocked her path.
"This road is closed!"
Planting his flag in front of him, Chu Chengzhou smiled and declared.
"Third soul skill: Bilin Purple Poison!"
Her third soul ring lit up. With a pout of her red lips, Dugu Yan unleashed a dense purple mist that spread rapidly toward Chu Chengzhou.
He narrowed his eyes but didn't move. Behind him, the towering Azure Tree Summon fired a green beam into his body.
In the blink of an eye, a translucent green soul power shield enveloped him.
Azure Tree's talent skill: "Protection" — forms a soul shield that can also be shared with allies.
A second later, the deadly mist engulfed him.
"Zzzzz—"
A soft sizzling sound followed as Chu Chengzhou watched his soul shield get slowly corroded.
"Wow… this big sister's breath is a bit much."
But he wasn't worried. Xiao Qing's shield might not be top-tier, but it was comparable to a Soul Elder's 1,000-year defensive soul skill—not easy to break.
With a few swings of his flag, he stirred up a wind that scattered the poisonous mist.
"Damn it!"
Dugu Yan gnashed her teeth. Why was this guy, just like that white lion, immune to her soul skills?
"Big Sis Dugu, why don't you sit here with me and watch the rest of the fight?"Chu Chengzhou offered with a grin.
"You—!"
Dugu Yan fumed.
He was a support with a monster summon, chilling on the sidelines. But she, a main attacker, couldn't afford to just stand around!
If not for that damn soul shield that even her Bilin Poison couldn't break quickly, she'd have made him pay already.
She turned to go after Ning Rongrong and Oscar.
No way his summon could keep shielding everyone.
But Chu Chengzhou wasn't going to let her get away. With a light step, he flashed behind her and struck her waist with his flag like a staff.
"Bam!"
The hit sent her flying several meters, landing face-first in the dirt.
"Ptooey!"
Spitting out sand, she scrambled up in frustration. She never imagined this so-called "support" had such physical strength.
"Told you this road's closed. Don't even think about touching our support crew."
Chu Chengzhou chuckled.
Dugu Yan, too angry to reply, spewed another mouthful of Bilin Poison.
But Chu Chengzhou, protected by his turtle-like shield, ignored it. He spun his flag like a ribbon and flung her toward Xiao Qing.
Before she hit the ground, the Azure Tree sent out vines that snared her midair and left her hanging upside-down.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed.
Chu Chengzhou turned his head and saw Yu Feng—who had been flying—slam into the ground.
Turns out Xiao Wu had quickly helped Zhu Zhuqing take out Oslo, then used a charm soul skill on Yu Feng mid-flight.
He froze and fell from the sky like a rock.
Flying soul masters needed to flap their wings. No flapping? No flying.
The higher you fly, the harder you fall. Poor guy.
Luckily, with Ye Lingling on the field, as long as he wasn't dead on impact, he could still be healed.
With Yu Tianheng and Oslo KO'd, Yu Feng grounded, Shi Mo flattened, and Dugu Yan tree-strung—the only one left was the healer, Ye Lingling.
"I declare Shrek Academy the winner!"
Seeing that only Ye Lingling remained, Emperor Team's teacher Qin Ming announced the result.
With victory sealed, Chu Chengzhou had Xiao Qing release Dugu Yan and withdrew the summoned beasts.
"Hmph!"
Landing, Dugu Yan shot him a vicious glare.
Her first time being tied to a tree. If Grandpa were here, she'd definitely bring him in for revenge.
Chu Chengzhou: "…"
Meanwhile…
"Old Zhao, you think we can call ourselves the Empire's strongest academy next enrollment season?"
Flander rubbed his chin, quietly asking Zhao Wuji beside him.
Shrek students had crushed the Emperor Team in fair combat. That meant they were stronger than the Empire's top official academy.
Zhao Wuji: "…if it makes you happy."
He was speechless. Where do you get the audacity to call Shrek the Empire's strongest?
You really think Shrek's victory was thanks to your training?
Shao Xin: "Boss Flander, instead of worrying about titles, maybe focus on securing a spot in the Soul Master Tournament. These little monsters are too talented to waste."
Shao Xin's calm words hit like a dagger to the ribs.
Yeah… with how ragtag Shrek was, did they really deserve students like this?
Flander fell into silence.
Among all the injuries that day, the worst wasn't Yu Tianheng or Shi Mo—it was Yu Feng's skyfall.
But Nine-Star Begonia, the continent's top healing martial soul, saved the day.
A few white petals floated down, and soon, Yu Feng was walking like nothing happened.
The Emperor Team recovered physically—but emotionally? Not so much.
They were the pride of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the elite of elites, yet they lost this badly to an unknown school.
The taste of defeat was bitter.
"What's with the long faces? One loss and you're all falling apart?"
Seeing their dejected looks, Qin Ming spoke.
"I'm sorry, Teacher Qin Ming. We lost."Yu Tianheng said, full of guilt.
Qin Ming said nothing—just looked at him.
"Today's failure was all my fault. I was eliminated by Xiao Wu right away. As captain, I let everyone down. If you must punish someone, let it be me."
Qin Ming was no gentle mentor. He believed in tough love and punished failure heavily.
The others wanted to defend Yu Tianheng.
But Qin Ming raised his hand and said:
"In this battle, you weren't wrong. If anything was… it was that the enemy was too strong "
Just as he said, this was not a fault of battle—it was simply because the opponent was too strong.
Moreover, Qin Ming saw very clearly that Shrek hadn't gone all out in this fight.
Throughout the entire spirit battle, the highest-ranked spirit power user, Xiao Wu, only used her first and second spirit abilities; her third and fourth abilities weren't used at all.
Likewise, Chu Chengzhou also only used his first and second spirit abilities, summoning only a tree and a lion. Qin Ming could easily predict that Chu Chengzhou's third spirit skill's summoned beast would definitely be even stronger—after all, it wouldn't make sense for the third ability to be weaker than the second one, right?
"We weren't wrong… the opponent was just too strong?"
Hearing this, the members of the Royal Fight Team opened their mouths, but couldn't come up with a rebuttal.
Yeah, they hadn't even had the chance to make any mistakes before they were completely crushed.
Ugh… maybe that's even harder to accept than losing because of a mistake?
After all, mistakes can be corrected. If you don't repeat the same mistake next time, you might still win. But if you lose purely because the other side is stronger, then there's no hope of victory.
Especially since the students from Shrek Academy seemed quite a bit younger than them. As time goes on, the gap between them would only grow larger, not smaller.
Thinking this way, the members of the Royal Fight Team became even more dejected.
"Alright, one loss doesn't mean everything."
"Besides, among the many strong individuals on the continent, who hasn't suffered defeat? Even powerful Titled Douluo can't avoid it."
"As long as you pick yourselves up, remain humble in victory and unshaken in defeat, you'll definitely become top powerhouses in the future!"
Seeing how dispirited the Royal Fight Team was, Qin Ming smiled and encouraged them.
"Yes, Teacher Qin Ming!"
After being served a bowl of motivational "toxic chicken soup," the Royal Fight Team regained some morale.
At noon, Shrek Academy Cafeteria.
Qin Ming didn't leave in a hurry. It wasn't easy for him to come back, and he had just led the Royal Fight Team in a spirit battle against the juniors. If he left right after losing, it would seem like he had come just to challenge them.
Flander also wanted to show some hospitality, so he asked the village cooks to prepare two large tables full of good food.
Flander and the others sat at one table with Qin Ming, while Chu Chengzhou and the Royal Fight Team shared another.
While they were eating, suddenly, Dugu Yan frowned deeply, a hint of pain showing on her face.
"Yanyan, are you alright?"
Immediately, Yu Tianheng and her friend Ye Lingling, who were sitting next to her, looked at her with concern.
"I'm fine."
Waving her hand, Dugu Yan endured the discomfort and pulled out a porcelain bottle from her storage soul tool. She poured out a dull gray pill and swallowed it directly.
This scene didn't surprise the Royal Fight Team members at all.
They knew that their vice-captain had a minor condition. Every time it acted up, she'd take one of those pills.
"You're taking medicine? Are you sick?"
Sitting just one person away from Dugu Yan, Xiao Wu blinked curiously and asked.
"Yeah."
Dugu Yan nodded but didn't elaborate.
"Why don't you let my brother take a look? He and Xiao Bai can cure all kinds of minor issues."
Although they hadn't known each other long, Xiao Wu was naturally lively and loved making friends. Plus, treating such a small issue was just a matter of using one of Xiao Bai's innate spirit abilities, so she casually suggested it to Dugu Yan.
"Xiao Bai?"
Hearing this, Dugu Yan was momentarily confused. Who was Xiao Bai?
"That big lion my brother summoned with his martial spirit!"
Dugu Yan: "…"
That huge lion… you call that Xiao Bai ("Little White")? What part of it is little?
But thinking back to the earlier spirit battle, that large white lion had been unaffected by her poison-type spirit techniques. It wasn't impossible that it could cleanse the toxins in her body.
With this in mind, Dugu Yan looked toward Chu Chengzhou.
Meeting her gaze, Chu Chengzhou didn't refuse. He manifested his True Spirit Banner, lit up his second spirit ring, and with a surge of spirit power, a golden-maned little white lion, about half a meter long, suddenly materialized.
"It really is Xiao Bai?!"
Seeing the little lion in front of her—its body size suppressed, looking adorably fierce—Dugu Yan's eyes widened.
At Chu Chengzhou's signal, Xiao Bai emitted a white light. A stream of radiant energy surged out and entered Dugu Yan's body.
Immediately, Dugu Yan felt a refreshing sensation wash over her entire body. The pain from the poison's backlash instantly vanished, and she could feel that all the toxins that had built up in her system recently were also completely cleared out.
Why only the toxins accumulated recently? That's because Dugu Yan wasn't completely without ways to detoxify.
Soul skills come in all shapes and forms. There were plenty of soul masters whose skills involved detoxification—like Oscar's second soul skill, the Detoxifying Sausage.
Plus, her grandfather, Dugu Bo, was a Titled Douluo and an imperial guest of the Heaven Dou Empire. If she needed a soul master who could detoxify, it would be the easiest thing in the world to arrange.