Shrek Academy directly announced their forfeit, and Lan Fozi also immediately conceded defeat.
No one had expected the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament's doubles competition third-place match to end in such a dramatic fashion.
This left many spectators who had purchased tickets feeling dissatisfied.
Protests erupted one after another.
To avoid stirring public resentment, the Star Luo Empire officials immediately sent representatives to discuss with Xia Yi whether they should hold the final match today instead.
After all, Xia Yi, Gu Yue, Long Yue, and Dai Yun'er were all present and in peak condition. There was no difference between fighting today or tomorrow.
Moreover, since Chen Xinjie was also present, whoever won could receive their reward right away.
"Fine, let's fight then." Xia Yi shrugged, looking completely indifferent.
Naturally, Monster Academy had no objections.
They had great confidence in Long Yue's strength.
Years ago, Long Yue had already reached Rank 69.
However, due to his inability to control the negative effects brought by the Mountain Dragon King, he had never dared to break through to the Soul Sage level.
Otherwise, he would have long since become a Soul Sage.
Without a doubt, he was an individual standing at the pinnacle of the Soul Emperor realm.
Even though he was only a Soul Emperor, with the Mountain Dragon King Martial Soul, few Soul Sages could stand against him.
A Soul Emperor of this caliber was far beyond the likes of the "Tang Sect Four" (F4).
This time, Xia Yi and Gu Yue finally stepped onto the stage together.
Facing Long Yue and Dai Yun'er across from them, both of them appeared very calm.
Yali leaped onto the stage.
Since Tang Wulin had been severely injured by Long Yue's stomp yesterday, seeing Xia Yi and Gu Yue about to face Long Yue, she volunteered to serve as the referee for this match.
With her powerful healing abilities, she had frequently acted as a referee back when she was at Shrek Academy.
If she had been on the stage yesterday, Tang Wulin wouldn't have been injured so badly.
Long Yue was too strong, and even with bloodline suppression, Tang Wulin was still no match for him.
Coupled with his uncontrollable emotions, Yali feared that Xia Yi and Gu Yue would end up in the same state as Tang Wulin.
Although she trusted Xia Yi, facing an opponent like Long Yue, she had no choice but to be cautious.
Yesterday's events made it impossible for the Star Luo Empire to refuse her request to act as referee.
As Long Yue stepped onto the stage, Kirin Douluo (En Ci) did not give any special instructions to his junior disciple.
Despite his burly, crude appearance, Long Yue was no simple-minded brute. To become the leader of the Eight Heavenly Kings, he was far more than just muscle.
"I won't go over the rules. Same as before—ten-second countdown!"
Yali glanced at Xia Yi, wasting no words before directly announcing the countdown.
Since this was the final match, the countdown had been extended from five seconds to ten.
"Ten, nine, eight… three, two, one—match, begin!"
As Yali's gentle, soothing voice announced the start of the final battle,
on the main spectator platform, everyone—including Dai Tianling—immediately sat up straight, their gazes locked onto the match.
He, too, wanted to witness an exciting battle, a resounding victory.
The outcome of this match was not just about determining the recipient of the 400,000-year-old Demon Octupos King's Soul Spirit and Soul Bone.
It was also the peak clash between the younger generations of both continents.
Dai Tianling firmly believed that Long Yue would lead Dai Yun'er to victory over Xia Yi and Gu Yue.
Long Yue was four to five years older than Xia Yi and Gu Yue.
His cultivation far surpassed theirs.
Before absolute strength, all schemes and tricks were meaningless.
There was no reason for Long Yue to lose.
Now, the only question was how he would win.
The moment the match began, Xia Yi immediately entered Martial Soul Possession and released his battle armor.
Gu Yue followed closely behind, also releasing her Martial Soul—but not her battle armor.
Xia Yi's figure flickered as he dashed directly toward Long Yue and Dai Yun'er, like an arrow shooting straight at Long Yue.
"Good!" Long Yue roared, always on guard against any tricks Xia Yi might pull.
He hadn't expected Xia Yi to choose a direct confrontation.
But that was fine.
He also wanted to see just how strong this so-called genius, praised to the heavens on the Douluo Continent, really was.
Long Yue strode forward in large steps, facing Xia Yi head-on. His Martial Soul was released, his body expanded, and a pair of dual-tipped spears appeared in his hands. His eyes gleamed sharply as he locked onto Xia Yi.
Six soul rings rose swiftly from beneath his feet, surrounding him in a protective formation.
Then, his body swelled up, as if he had become a living mountain. A massive tail appeared behind him as well.
"Mountain!" Long Yue shouted.
At that moment, he raised his hands toward the sky, and a towering mountain suddenly erupted upward.
Although it wasn't a real mountain, in that instant, it felt as if an actual mountain had manifested on the stage.
"Absolute Zero!" Xia Yi roared.
An overwhelming chill spread from his body, and in an instant, even Long Yue's mountain was frozen solid.
"Break!"
Long Yue showed no panic. The entire mountain trembled, and the ice shattered into countless fragments.
But that brief instant was all Xia Yi needed.
His fourth soul ring lit up. Mental power and soul power converged entirely into his right fist.
Wherever his terrifying punch passed, the massive mountain crumbled into dust.
Xia Yi's punch did not lose momentum, continuing straight toward Long Yue's chest.
Xia Yi's strongest attack—Exorcism Fist, First Form!
"This…!"
On the main platform, the Star Luo Empire's high-ranking officials all stood up in shock.
In the audience, countless spectators also rose to their feet.
Although this was only Long Yue's first soul skill,
a single punch shattering a mountain was still a breathtaking sight.
Xia Yi's performance was vastly different from the shameless trickster they had imagined.
"Being shameless doesn't mean being weak," Chen Xinjie said calmly.
He had long since investigated Xia Yi.
He knew all of Xia Yi's soul skills, so he wasn't surprised.
Luckily, the opponent was Long Yue. If it were an ordinary Soul Emperor,
without battle armor, they could very well be crippled by Xia Yi's punch.
"Good, you didn't disappoint me—but it's not enough!"
Long Yue laughed heartily. He could feel the terrifying power behind Xia Yi's Exorcism Fist.
Without hesitation, his fifth soul ring lit up.
Once again, a mountain erupted from the ground—but this time, it was inverted, crashing down toward Xia Yi in an attempt to suppress him.
At the same time, Long Yue raised his spear high above his head.
Wielding it like a staff, he swung it downward toward Xia Yi.
"If we were the same age, I wouldn't be able to take that punch. But as you are now—fall!"
Long Yue roared.
The moment his spear came crashing down, the air itself trembled and roared.
His powerful strike produced thunderous howls as dazzling light burst forth.
With the mountain pressing down from above and the spear descending from the front, Xia Yi had no way to escape.
"I'm not alone."
Xia Yi suddenly retracted his fist.
A silver light flashed across his body.
The next moment, he vanished from where he stood.
"Spatial teleportation! Yun'er, be careful!"
Long Yue reacted immediately.
By now, he had expanded to over ten meters in height, his entire body radiating an overwhelming sense of power.
He turned sideways, swinging his massive tail behind him to protect Dai Yun'er.
…