Half a year ago, Xia Yi defeated Tang Wulin with a single punch, and at the time, no one found anything unusual about it.
After all, Xia Yi was already the undisputed number-one genius of Shrek Academy, while Tang Wulin was still "unknown."
It was a battle between a Soul Ancestor and a Soul Elder, and a one-move victory seemed completely reasonable.
It wasn't until Xia Yi and Gu Yue both entered seclusion, and the first-year students challenged the third years—when everyone witnessed Tang Wulin, as a Soul Elder, standing his ground against a third-year Soul King—that they realized he was far from ordinary.
It was only because of Xia Yi's overwhelming presence that his brilliance had been overshadowed all this time.
His talent was absolutely top-tier.
For Xia Yi to defeat him in a single move—one could only describe it as terrifying.
As the Star Luo Continent Exchange Delegation arrived in the Sun-Moon Federation, they extended invitations to elites from all walks of life to visit the Star Luo Continent for cultural exchange and study.
As the number-one academy in the world, Shrek Academy was naturally among those invited.
Sea God Pavilion Master Yali intended to select a few lower-year students to participate.
However, Long Yeyue believed that, in addition to the younger students, some Inner Court disciples should also go to represent Shrek.
And since they were meant to uphold Shrek's prestige, only the most outstanding geniuses could be chosen.
Thus, assessments were set for each cultivation level.
For Soul Kings, the test was simple—defeat Xia Yi.
If an Auxiliary System Soul King wished to participate, they could form a team with another Soul King and try to defeat Xia Yi and Gu Yue together.
Long Yeyue wasn't worried about Xia Yi refusing to emerge from seclusion.
With his level of talent, there was no way he would pass up this opportunity to train in the Star Luo Continent.
Sure enough, when the time came, Xia Yi finally stepped out of seclusion.
To be honest, Xia Yi wasn't particularly interested in going to the Star Luo Continent.
His main reason for going was to accompany Gu Yue.
Gu Yue wanted to travel and see firsthand the current state of soul beasts beyond the Star Dou Forest.
At the same time, she hoped to try her luck in finding the Dragon Valley Small World.
Ever since its spatial coordinates had been forcibly altered, she had completely lost track of its location.
She had already searched all of Douluo Continent to no avail.
So, she wanted to see if she could find any clues in Star Luo Continent.
Xia Yi would never let her go alone, so he decided to accompany her.
As it happened, Leng Yaozhu also supported Xia Yi in venturing out to gain experience.
"Please enlighten me!"
Standing before Xia Yi, Lin Pingzhi remained expressionless as he gave a brief explanation, then delicately pinched his left fingers in an orchid gesture while his right hand wielded the Bixie Sword, executing a graceful sword flourish in midair before thrusting it toward Xia Yi.
This trip to the Star Luo Continent came with guaranteed rewards, so long as the participants didn't embarrass Shrek Academy.
Among the rewards was even a ten-thousand-year soul spirit.
And that was exactly what Lin Pingzhi needed.
Although his first soul spirit was currently at the thousand-year level, it had originally been only a hundred-year spirit, which he had upgraded after advancing to Soul King in the Spirit Ascension Platform.
Because of this, his first soul spirit only granted him two soul rings.
His second soul spirit, at the thousand-year level, granted him three soul rings.
Now, he desperately needed a ten-thousand-year third soul spirit to grant him his sixth soul ring.
But the price difference between thousand-year and ten-thousand-year soul spirits was astronomical.
Without Shrek Academy's rewards, there was no way Lin Pingzhi could afford one.
This trip to the Star Luo Empire—he had to secure his spot.
Although he hadn't been in the Inner Court for long, he had already defeated several other five-ring Inner Court Soul Kings.
He was extremely confident in his strength.
"Behold my self-created technique—Heartless Sword Art! First move: First Page of the Sword Manual—Forget Your Beloved!"
Lin Pingzhi's gaze turned sinister, and his Bixie Sword appeared before Xia Yi at an incredibly cunning angle.
A single thrust—severing all emotions and love.
This was his greatest confidence—his self-created Heartless Sword Art, perfectly complementing his Bixie Sword.
With this, he could even hold his ground against ordinary Soul Emperors.
"Stop. You win. I surrender."
Xia Yi dodged the attack with a swift sidestep.
It wasn't because he was afraid of Lin Pingzhi.
Rather, he genuinely wanted to see Lin Pingzhi represent Shrek Academy in the Star Luo Continent exchange.
"Don't worry, I guarantee that among the Soul Kings, only you will represent Shrek Academy in Star Luo Continent."
Xia Yi laughed heartily and lifted his gaze toward the group of Inner Court disciples who had just arrived—each clad in Shrek Academy's signature red uniforms.
"Such arrogance! You couldn't even beat Lin Pingzhi—how do you expect to fight us?"
A young man stepped forward, his gaze icy.
"Shrek Academy Inner Court, fifty-seventh-rank Assault System Battle Soul King—Yu Longri."
Yu Longri, a prodigy of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, had recently defeated Lin Pingzhi.
Though the fight had left him disgusted to the point of nausea, he had still won.
"I have no interest in knowing who you are. I know the rules. Make your move."
Xia Yi's voice was indifferent.
"Very well. I'd like to see what makes Shrek Academy's so-called 'number-one genius' so special!"
Since things had already escalated to this point, Yu Longri wasted no more words.
Purple, purple, purple, black, black—five soul rings appeared.
As his hands transformed into dragon claws, his entire body became engulfed in lightning.
His fifth and third soul rings lit up simultaneously.
Yu Longri's eyes turned pure white from the sheer concentration of lightning.
"Shatter the darkness with thunder—Thunderclap Dragon Claw!"
With a furious roar, Yu Longri's body transformed into lightning, moving at a speed far beyond Lin Pingzhi's.
His enormous Thunderclap Dragon Claw, empowered by his fifth soul skill, shot toward Xia Yi's head.
"Last time, you all didn't see clearly. Today, watch closely—this is my punch aimed at the entire Douluo Continent."
Facing the terrifying Thunderclap Dragon Claw, Xia Yi's fourth soul ring lit up—Exorcist Fist—First Form.
He raised his hand and threw a single punch.
Just like last time, it looked completely ordinary—a simple, unremarkable punch.
Against the monstrous Thunderclap Dragon Claw, it seemed utterly weak.
But in the next moment, before everyone's shocked gazes, Xia Yi's punch pierced straight through the Thunderclap Dragon Claw—striking Yu Longri squarely in the chest.
Most bystanders only saw a blue streak of lightning flash across the air.
The next instant, Yu Longri's body was embedded into Shrek Academy's outer wall.
"This... Is he even human?"
A Soul Ancestor had just obliterated a Soul King—not just any Soul King, but an Inner Court disciple possessing the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul.
The so-called "Lightning Dragon King of Shrek", Yu Longri, had been utterly destroyed.
And yet, he was utterly defeated—reduced to a wreck in just one punch. It was so unbelievable that it felt unreal.
"His ribs are completely shattered, and his internal organs are severely damaged. You spectators, you can take him back for extensive repairs now." Xia Yi clapped his hands lightly and spoke in an indifferent tone.
A beam of holy light descended from the sky, enveloping Yu Longri and carrying him away toward the inner court.
"What do you think?" Long Yeyue looked at Yali, astonished by Xia Yi's terrifying strength.
"His ribs are all broken, and his internal organs are damaged, but his life isn't in danger. Xia Yi must have held back," Yali said in a serious tone.
"Held back? You're saying that punch just now wasn't even his full strength?" Long Yeyue couldn't help but take a sharp breath.
"Call the others back. No Soul King can be his match anymore," Yali sighed softly.
"An attack like that must have consumed a lot of energy. Yu Longri got overconfident—he didn't use his battle armor immediately. If he had activated it in time and endured that strike, he might have had a chance to turn the tide," Long Yeyue said, unwilling to accept the outcome.
The inner court disciples were supposed to be Shrek Academy's top geniuses.
Yet one of them was utterly crushed in a single move—by Leng Yaozhu's student, no less!
That meant…!
Her husband!
Did this mean Shrek Academy was inferior to the Spirit Pagoda?
The thought made her deeply unwilling to accept reality, and she wanted to let someone else challenge Xia Yi.
"Xia Yi's forging talent is something even Zhen Hua has to learn from. When it comes to crafting One-Word Battle Armor, do you think anyone in Shrek Academy can surpass him?" Yali asked solemnly.
"Uh…!" Long Yeyue was instantly at a loss for words.
"Fine! I'll have them stand down." Long Yeyue nodded reluctantly. She never expected that using Xia Yi to evaluate Shrek Academy's Soul Kings would lead to such a result.
"If he continues to grow at this rate, for the next few centuries, Shrek Academy might find itself completely suppressed by the Spirit Pagoda," Long Yeyue suddenly voiced a terrifying thought.
"Sister Yue, you should know what will happen if the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo loses her temper," Yali warned, catching the brief flash of cold determination in Long Yeyue's eyes.
"I don't understand what you're talking about," Long Yeyue replied coolly before turning and walking away.
Watching her retreating figure, Yali's beautiful eyes flickered with hesitation. "Is this… still the Shrek Academy I once knew?"
"Sister Yue is just wholeheartedly dedicated to Shrek Academy—she's only lost herself to obsession. Don't worry, she won't do anything reckless," Yun Ming appeared behind Yali, speaking in a steady tone.
"I hope so… Sister Yaozhu has bet everything on Xia Yi. If anything were to happen to him, she would stop at nothing to take revenge," Yali's frown deepened.
An enraged Limit Douluo—
Even Shrek Academy would struggle to handle that.