On the competition stage, the referee took a deep breath and solemnly announced, "The match begins."
At the same time, the hundreds of thousands of spectators in Star Luo Square and those watching through soul guide screens focused their attention on the competition platform.
They wanted to see if Shrek Academy could create another miracle.
All the participating academies that had come to watch the match also perked up. According to their investigations, Shrek Academy was unlikely to win.
However, in the previous two matches, Shrek's Soul Ancestor had defeated a Soul King, and even a two-ringed Great Soul Master had dared to go head-to-head with a Soul King. This made them hesitant to draw any conclusions.
As the match began with the referee's shout, both sides simultaneously released their martial souls.
But unlike before, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong did not have six soul rings, nor did they possess a 100,000-year soul ring.
Instead, they only had two white soul rings.
"Were they bluffing before, and now they're showing weakness? Truth mixed with deception, illusion intertwined with reality. Heh!"
Liuxing chuckled softly. Were they trying to influence Just Sky Academy's judgment with this method?
As the battle on the stage progressed, Huo Yuhao revealed many things: his body-type martial soul, his identity as a spiritual-type soul master, and the fact that he was truly a two-ringed Great Soul Master.
Moreover, when Liuxing saw Huo Yuhao on the stage, his hands turning jade-white and entwined with a green aura, freezing the fire-attribute Soul Ancestor Yan'er into an ice sculpture, he showed a look of realization.
"Twin martial souls. I knew it."
As the second-generation protagonist, it was highly likely that he would possess twin martial souls, just like the first-generation protagonist. Liuxing had long suspected this.
"It's Ultimate Ice," Liuying said calmly.
"Although ice counters fire, the only way a two-ringed Great Soul Master could completely overwhelm a Soul Ancestor is if he possesses Ultimate Ice."
Liuxing also nodded in agreement.
"Ultimate Ice? Doesn't that mean he counters both you and Liuying?"
Hearing this, Xiao Hongchen and the others showed expressions of concern.
"Heh, counters? Fire and ice, counters are always mutual!"
Generally speaking, ice does counter fire, but it ultimately depends on which is stronger.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Liuying seemed to sense something and turned to look at Xue Nu.
At this moment, Xue Nu's eyes were filled with a crimson killing intent, fixed firmly on Huo Yuhao on the stage.
Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails pierced her palms, and drops of bright red blood fell to the floor.
Xue Nu's eyes were bloodshot, and she bit her red lips so hard that a metallic taste filled her mouth. What had she seen?
She had seen the faint scorpion pattern on Huo Yuhao's back and witnessed him using Bing'er's domain, Eternal Frozen Domain.
"Bing'er's soul bone?"
Xue Nu murmured softly, her voice hoarse.
No wonder she had always felt a sense of familiarity from Huo Yuhao. It was indeed Bing'er's aura. That was Bing'er's soul bone.
Although she didn't know how a two-ringed Great Soul Master like Huo Yuhao could absorb a soul bone from a fierce beast, nor did she understand how Bing'er, who was invincible in the Extreme North, could have been hunted, her rage now surged through her mind, and the killing intent in her heart could no longer be suppressed.
Just as she was about to leap out of the rest area and charge onto the competition stage, a hand on each shoulder pressed her down firmly.
Liuxing and Liuying stood on either side of Xue Nu, firmly restraining her.
"Although I don't know what's going on, you need to calm down first," Liuxing whispered.
If it weren't for Liuying's reminder, he wouldn't have noticed Xue Nu's unusual behavior.
She almost rushed out. No matter what she intended to do, under the watchful eyes of the entire continent, they had to stop her.
Restrained by Liuxing and Liuying, Xue Nu gradually regained her composure.
Although her killing intent was boiling, she knew now was not the time. She couldn't kill Huo Yuhao in front of everyone.
Even if she wanted to avenge Bing'er, she needed the strength to do so. She couldn't believe that Huo Yuhao had killed Bing'er.
There was only one possibility: someone from Shrek Academy had hunted Bing'er and allowed Huo Yuhao to absorb her soul bone.
Although there were still many unanswered questions, how Huo Yuhao had absorbed Bing'er's soul bone, and why Shrek Academy would let a two-ringed Great Soul Master absorb such a precious 100,000-year soul bone, she didn't care about those details.
All she knew was that Bing'er's soul bone was on Huo Yuhao, and Bing'er was dead. Nothing else mattered.
She wanted Shrek Academy and Huo Yuhao to pay.
Seeing that Xue Nu had calmed down, Liuxing and Liuying subtly released their restraint.
Although they didn't know why Xue Nu had suddenly gone berserk, now was not the time to ask.
Everyone else's attention was focused on the stage. Only Elder Ma, a ninth-rank soul engineer, and Gu Yuena noticed something and glanced in their direction.
"Don't act rashly. Someone like him must have Shrek Academy's protection in the shadows, possibly even a Title Douluo. Revenge can wait. A gentleman's revenge is ten years in the making," Liuxing reminded her.
He was afraid that Xue Nu might impulsively attack Huo Yuhao after the match, which would be suicidal.
Shrek Academy was filled with powerful individuals. After so many days, Liuxing didn't believe that Shrek Academy wouldn't send strong experts to oversee the competition.
"I know," Xue Nu took a deep breath, her expression calm again. She whispered, knowing that Liuxing's words made sense.
She could kill Huo Yuhao, but only if he had no life-saving trump cards or if Shrek Academy wasn't protecting him in the shadows.
For now, swallowing her anger was the wise choice. Although she wanted to tear Huo Yuhao to pieces, her rationality overcame her rage, temporarily suppressing her killing intent.
But Liuxing knew that if Xue Nu encountered Huo Yuhao in the competition, she might directly try to kill him. They would have to be careful.
"Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track? Hidden weapons?"
Watching the stage, as Shrek Academy's captain, Bei Bei, used the Tang Sect's secret techniques, Ning Rongrong, Ma Hongjun, and others in front of the soul guide screen turned to look at Tang San.
Tang San also showed a look of confusion and shock.
Did people from that world really know the Tang Sect's secret techniques? It wasn't just the name of the Tang Sect they possessed?
"Golden Holy Dragon?"
Seeing Bei Bei transform into a Golden Holy Dragon, Yu Xiaogang and Flender's expressions turned interesting.
They had thought it was just the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon from another world, but they hadn't expected it to evolve into a Golden Holy Dragon.
After all, their Golden Iron Triangle's martial soul fusion skill was the Golden Holy Dragon.
At this moment, everyone was filled with curiosity about the other world.
Tang San wanted to know the relationship between the Tang Sect there and the one from his previous life.
Yu Xiaogang and the others wanted to know how the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon had evolved into a Golden Holy Dragon.
If they could obtain this method, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family would become even stronger.
The changes on the competition stage were happening too fast to follow.
First, Just Sky Academy's Yan'er was frozen by Huo Yuhao and knocked off the stage.
Then, Bei Bei erupted, his martial soul evolving into a Golden Holy Dragon, clashing head-on with Ye Wushang.
Finally, he was turned into a golden statue by Ye Wushang's Golden Leaves, losing consciousness and the ability to fight.
After that, Huo Yuhao erupted, firing a green beam that froze Ye Wushang, and both collapsed together.
Now, only Just Sky Academy's Shangguan Can and the exhausted Wang Dong remained conscious on the stage.
At this point, in everyone's eyes, the outcome was decided. Wang Dong was out of soul power, while Shangguan Can still had some left.
A Soul Ancestor with remaining soul power against a Soul Master without any? It should be an easy victory.
"Is this the end for Shrek Academy?"
This was the shared thought of all the spectators on-site and those watching through the screens.
However, when Wang Dong raised a dark black hammer in his right hand, some people's faces showed horror.
"Twin martial souls? Clear Sky Hammer?"
Yu Xiaogang was stunned. Twin martial souls seemed too common in that other world, appearing one after another.
Besides the Seraphim and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, they even had the Clear Sky Hammer. Did they also have the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?
Tang San touched his left hand, looking at Wang Dong's Clear Sky Hammer on the stage, feeling an unprecedented sense of familiarity.
As Shangguan Can was sent flying by the Clear Sky Hammer, Shrek Academy once again defied everyone's expectations, turning the tables and winning the third match.
They had won. Shrek Academy had won, albeit in a grueling and hard-fought manner.
Watching the cheering Shrek Academy members, Liuxing smiled and said, "They should enjoy their laughter while they can. Soon, they won't be able to laugh anymore."
After so many matches, he had figured out a lot. This second-generation protagonist was indeed a cheat.
A million-year first soul ring, twin martial souls, body-type martial soul, ultimate-type martial soul, spiritual-type martial soul, he had stacked all the powerful buffs.
It was almost as if he was blatantly telling everyone that he was a cheat.
But even facing this cheat protagonist with all his buffs, Liuxing was absolutely confident of victory.
Not to mention the difference in cultivation levels, Huo Yuhao knew nothing about him, while he had almost completely figured out Huo Yuhao.
Although Liuxing, Liuying, and a few others didn't think Huo Yuhao could threaten them, Xiao Hongchen, Ma Rulong, and the others looked grave.
After all, Ye Wushang was extremely strong. Even Xiao Hongchen wasn't confident of defeating him one-on-one.
Yet such a powerful Ye Wushang had been taken down by a two-ringed Great Soul Master and a four-ringed Soul Ancestor.
"Everyone, please quiet down. I am Wang Yan, the lead teacher of Shrek Academy. I have a few words to say."
At this moment, a voice came through the amplification soul guide.
Everyone on the field was drawn to Wang Yan, who was in tears.
"All friends present, you have seen how our students fought with blood and sweat to achieve victory."
"I know many of you are questioning why Shrek Academy sent such weak students to compete. Originally, I shouldn't have spoken about this, but seeing the miracles these children have created with their all, I couldn't help but want to justify them."
"That's right. The students you see are not the main team members of Shrek Academy this year but the reserve team members. We had no choice but to let them compete."
Hearing this, everyone looked at Wang Yan with curiosity. Although they had guessed as much, they were still curious about what had happened to Shrek Academy.
"On our way here, our main team members went to do something else, to eliminate a group of bandits hiding in the Ming Dou Mountains.
These bandits were led by an evil soul master, committing all kinds of atrocities. For the sake of the merchants and common people passing through the Ming Dou Mountains, Shrek Academy took it upon ourselves to act."
"Eventually, we found those evil soul masters in a cave. In terms of strength, we had the absolute advantage. However, the evil soul master detonated all the corpses in the cave.
Caught off guard, our main team members were severely injured. One died on the spot, and the other six sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Some were sent back to the academy for emergency treatment. That's why we came here with a depleted team. The three main team members who could still compete are recuperating in the hotel, so these reserve members had to take their place."
"Actually, from the first match of this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Competition, we have been struggling.
It is through their collective efforts that Shrek Academy, with only the reserve team, has made it this far. They have given everything they could for Shrek's glory.
As a teacher of Shrek Academy, I am proud of them. They will always be Shrek Academy's most brilliant students."
"Here, I ask everyone not to be too harsh on these children. The youngest is only twelve, and the oldest is not yet fifteen.
What more can we ask of them? Even if Shrek Academy ultimately loses this tournament, in my heart, they have already won. That's all I wanted to say. Thank you."
Wang Yan put down the amplification soul guide and bowed deeply.
"How interesting," Liuxing chuckled upon hearing this. By claiming they had fought with a depleted team to eliminate evil soul masters, Shrek Academy had won the sympathy and support of the common people.
After all, evil soul masters threatened their lives. If Shrek Academy had sacrificed so much to eliminate them, how could the common people blame Shrek Academy?
The thunderous applause from the audience was evidence of that.
But from another perspective, this also exposed the incompetence of the Star Luo Empire's officials. The Ming Dou Mountains were within the Star Luo Empire's territory.
If evil soul masters were running rampant, it should have been the Star Luo Empire's army that dealt with them, not Shrek Academy.
Liuxing really wanted to see the expressions of the Star Luo Empire's higher-ups now. He had a feeling it would be quite amusing.
Originally, this was something tacitly understood, but Wang Yan's speech had placed Shrek Academy in a position of greatness and justice, while exposing the Star Luo Empire's incompetence and inaction to the common people.
If the country couldn't protect us, then we should turn to Shrek Academy. Many common people would undoubtedly think this way.
As for the Star Luo Empire's army also providing assistance, the common people wouldn't know about that.
They would only remember that Shrek Academy, despite their sacrifices, had eliminated the evil soul masters and protected their safety.
On the city wall of the imperial palace, Star Luo Emperor Xu Jiawei showed no change in expression. Instead, like the common people, he led the applause for Shrek Academy.