Dai Mubai stepped forward, not to be outdone. Though his weight couldn't produce the same rumbling effect, his imposing aura was just as strong. "Shrek Academy team, captain — Dai Mubai. Level forty-four Strong Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor."
"Both teams, salute!" the referee bellowed.
Led by Dai Mubai and Huyan Li, all fourteen contestants from both sides bowed to each other simultaneously. The atmosphere on the field grew heavy in an instant.
"The second round of the preliminary tournament, first match — begin!"
The five matches happening concurrently all announced their start almost at the same moment. In that instant, seventy students from ten academies across the five stages activated their Soul Rings. Suddenly, the entire Great Star Dou Arena blazed with dazzling light. The roar of the crowd erupted as one.
Martial Soul Possession, Tool Spirit Summoning. In a flash, brilliant auras of Soul Rings filled the air.
The seven direct disciples of the Elephant Armor Sect standing before the Shrek Academy team simultaneously shed their shirts, revealing their immense bodies. Quickly, they demonstrated through their own transformations why they had stripped.
Their already colossal physiques swelled even further with the shout of Martial Soul Possession. What had been somewhat loose flesh rapidly hardened into exaggerated, terrifying muscles. A layer of dark yellow keratin surfaced on their skin, gleaming with a metallic sheen. What made them look even less human was their noses, which elongated and stretched at the same time. Their upper lips curled back, and two tusks, each a full foot long, protruded.
All seven lifted their right feet, then stomped down hard onto the arena stage. The thunderous boom drew the crowd's eyes while making everyone worry whether the platform could withstand their violent force.
Among the seven, the three in the center each bore two yellow and two purple Soul Rings — four rings total. The four on the sides each had two yellow and one purple — three rings total.
From their opponents' appearance, Tang San noted that these Elephant Armor Sect disciples seemed to grow stronger the larger their bodies were. You could judge each person's relative strength just by looking at them.
In the VIP box, Platinum Bishop Salaras turned to the mountain of flesh beside him. Huyan Zhen nodded and said in a deep voice, "Ah Li is the most outstanding disciple of my Elephant Armor Sect's younger generation, and also my eldest grandson. His innate talent surpasses what I had at his age. I expect him to become the first Titled Douluo in our sect's history."
Huyan Zhen made no effort to lower his voice. Not only did Salaras hear him, but so did Emperor Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, and Gu Rong in the front row.
Emperor Xue Ye smiled slightly. "Sect Master Huyan, having such a grandson is truly cause for celebration."
Huyan Zhen laughed heartily, his voice shaking the VIP box. "Your Majesty is too kind. Please watch Ah Li's performance. Our goal for this tournament is to reach the top three in the finals."
Emperor Xue Ye said calmly, "However, if I'm not mistaken, your grandson's opponents appear to have five Soul Ancestors above level forty."
Huyan Zhen paused. He hadn't even considered the possibility of his sect's disciples losing, and given their unique physiques, he hadn't paid attention to their opponents. Now, hearing the Emperor's words, his gaze finally fell upon the Shrek Seven Devils.
Just as Emperor Xue Ye had said. Besides the Evil-Eyed White Tiger Dai Mubai at the front, besides Jing Ling and Huang Yuan with three Soul Rings, the other four all had four rings. Most striking of all was Tang San's black fourth Soul Ring.
Huyan Zhen looked at Salaras in surprise, only to find the Bishop's expression similarly shocked.
In the previous match, the appearance of three Soul Masters above level forty from Shrek Academy had already surprised him greatly. Now, two more level-forty Soul Masters had appeared. This meant they had hidden their strength in the first match. Clearly, his assessment of this academy's power had been off the mark.
Emperor Xue Ye turned to Ning Fengzhi beside him. "Clan Master Ning, you know Shrek Academy well. Do you know who the current headmaster is? I'm truly curious about what kind of person could cultivate such outstanding students."
Ning Fengzhi smiled. "Your Majesty, the headmaster of Shrek Academy is named Flandre. Perhaps that name doesn't ring a bell. But you must have heard of the three rising stars who dazzled the Soul Master world twenty years ago with their Martial Soul Fusion Technique. They were known as the Golden Iron Triangle. This Flandre is the Soaring Angle of that triangle. Shrek Academy was founded by those three. These children were likely trained under the Wisdom Angle, the Great Master. The most talented among them, Tang San, is the Great Master's sole direct disciple."
"The Great Master?" At these words, Emperor Xue Ye didn't react much, but Platinum Bishop Salaras's face changed dramatically. Without any pretense, he immediately used sound transmission to whisper something to Huyan Zhen beside him.
Huyan Zhen looked at him, stunned, and muttered, "But the match has already started. It's probably too late."
Salaras's expression turned extremely ugly. He murmured to himself, "How could it be him? How could it be him?"
This time, even Ning Fengzhi felt a bit puzzled and couldn't help asking, "Bishop Salaras, you know the Great Master as well?"
Salaras snapped back to attention, his face hardening. "Who hasn't heard of the Golden Iron Triangle? This Great Master is known for being unmatched in theory, isn't he? His relationship with our Spirit Hall is... rather special. I didn't expect he would end up at some academy. No wonder then. Only he could cultivate such exceptional disciples."
Ning Fengzhi paused. He knew Salaras's temperament well — the man was not only stubborn but also vindictive. He had already made it clear that he had close ties to Shrek Academy, yet here Salaras was praising the Great Master. Combined with the anxious look on his face, there had to be some hidden agenda.
Emperor Xue Ye smiled. "Since both of you speak so highly of this Great Master, I look forward to meeting him someday. For now, let us watch the match."
Indeed, while this exchange of subtle barbs occurred in the VIP box, the preliminary matches on all five stages had officially begun.
The seven mountains of flesh facing Tang San's group did not charge forward aggressively like the seven Strong Attack System Soul Masters of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team had in the previous match. Instead, they stood in a line, their first Soul Rings flashing simultaneously, and advanced one slow, steady step at a time.
Under the effect of their first rings, the dark yellow keratin covering their bodies gained a crystalline sheen, as if each were coated in a layer of glaze. Their bodies were simply too massive. Advancing from the center, they occupied nearly half the diameter of the circular arena. Though their pace was slow, with each step forward, their aura intensified, placing immense pressure on the Shrek Academy seven — both physically and in terms of Soul Power.
"Fall back," Tang San commanded in a low voice. This time, he didn't instruct his teammates to launch a direct attack.
Dai Mubai and Huang Yuan, the two Strong Attack System Soul Masters, along with the close-combat specialist Xiao Wu, retreated quickly. The two Agility Attack System Soul Masters, Jing Ling and Zhu Zhuqing, simultaneously pulled back to Tang San's flanks. It was then that the black Blue Silver Grass made its appearance.
The grass, looking like black vines, spread rapidly along the ground. One tendril wrapped around the thick leg of an Elephant Armor Sect disciple. But a terrifying scene followed: even with Tang San's four Soul Rings empowering it, the Blue Silver Grass only managed to halt the opponent for a moment before the sound of it snapping filled the air.
Tang San's pupils contracted sharply. Through this simple test, he instantly grasped several things. These Elephant Armor Sect disciples not only possessed monstrous strength but also knew how to leverage their advantages. Their terrifying body weight wasn't just for show; it allowed them to conserve Soul Power by relying on physical strength. Furthermore, when body and Soul Power were combined, they could unleash even more horrifying power and defense. His Blue Silver Grass, while tough, wasn't sufficient in limited quantities to restrain the terrifying strength they exhibited while using their Martial Souls. The sheer power of their opponents was evident.
Since the arena was circular, both sides initially occupied the widest central area. As the opponents continued to advance, the space available to the Shrek Seven Devils on the flanks grew increasingly narrow. Their opponents' massive bodies allowed them to control far more space than ordinary fighters. Once forced to the sides with no room to maneuver, the Elephant Armor Sect's power could be unleashed to its fullest.
This was precisely why the seven Elephant Armor Sect members hadn't rushed to advance quickly. They intended to leave no openings. While there was space on the flanks now, by maintaining their formation, they didn't need to catch every opponent. Taking out the non-Agility Attack System members, especially the support types, would be victory enough. Defense was another word for endurance. These seven Elephant Armor Sect disciples were far from comparable to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team from the previous match. Seeing that four of their opponents had reached level forty, they immediately employed the most reliable offensive strategy.
(End of Chapter)