In the eyes of the audience, the outcome of this intense battle was already decided—a resounding victory for Shrek Academy!
In the underground gambling dens, the odds for this final match had reached an astonishing ten-to-one, a clear testament to the one-sided expectations.
Few were optimistic about the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's chances. Even among those who dared to bet against Shrek, most were reckless gamblers hoping to turn a bicycle into a motorcycle.
Rome wasn't built in a day, and Shrek's reputation was no exception. Their strength was undeniable, forged through generations of elite students, deeply ingrained in the hearts of all.
Though this year's team only had five core members, they were undoubtedly the strongest Shrek team in history.
Especially after Ma Xiaotao revealed her Soul Saint cultivation.
A twenty-year-old Soul Saint—truly a child of destiny!
The last time a Soul Saint had appeared in the Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament was hundreds of years ago. And as for a Soul Ancestor whose combat power rivaled a high-level Soul Emperor? That was unprecedented in history.
Even the legendary Sea God from back then paled in comparison, didn't he?
So what if they only had five members?
Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao alone were enough to carry the entire team.
That said, the Sun Moon Imperial Academy's lineup this year was also formidable.
The audience eagerly anticipated the final, looking forward to a spectacular clash between soul tools and soul skills.
Yet, no one had expected the battle to be so one-sided.
The moment Xu Sanshi's Xuanwu Replacement swapped the Sun Moon team's core member, Ma Rulong, into Shrek's formation, the match was already as good as over.
The Sun Moon team stood on the brink of despair.
It was him again!
Huo Yuhao!
At this moment, Ma Rulong could only bitterly curse his own stupidity.
They had known Huo Yuhao possessed twin martial souls, yet their attention had been entirely consumed by the terrifying lethality of his second martial soul—the Ultimate Ice.
They had completely overlooked his seemingly unremarkable Spirit Eyes.
But who could have predicted such seamless coordination in advance?
They had even equipped themselves with trigger-type spiritual defense soul tools to counter Xuanwu Replacement. Even if the grade wasn't high, it should have been enough to handle Xu Sanshi's current level.
So why had it failed?
Huo Yuhao's answer was simple: Yes, it was me.
By deliberately amplifying his spiritual fluctuations, he had drawn the Sun Moon team's attention while silently suppressing their spiritual defenses.
Moreover, if anyone had paid close attention, they would have noticed something peculiar.
The black thread of Xuanwu Replacement that Xu Sanshi had released, just as it was about to be blocked by Lin Xi's soul tool barrier, had curved unnaturally in midair, striking Ma Rulong with pinpoint accuracy.
The change had been too sudden.
No one had expected Xuanwu Replacement to be used in such a way.
Of course, Xu Sanshi alone couldn't have controlled it with such precision.
But with Huo Yuhao's spiritual guidance, everything became effortless.
As the swap succeeded, Huo Yuhao's fourth soul ring—a deep black—flickered.
A faint starlight mark slowly dissipated.
The phantom of the Star Crown materialized above him, and with Huo Yuhao at its center, a dazzling storm of starlight erupted.
A radiant barrier enveloped the six members of Shrek Academy—along with Ma Rulong.
Star Barrier!
The battlefield was instantly divided.
At the same time, the moment the swap was complete, Xu Sanshi raised his hand in surrender.
"My mission is complete!"
Heavenfiend Douluo swiftly pulled him off the stage.
Xiao Hongchen stared at the Star Barrier barrier, his vision darkening.
'What do we do now?'
'Old Ma… Old Ma! Damn it!'
As the top student of Mingde Hall and captain of the Sun Moon team, Ma Rulong reacted swiftly despite his dire situation.
"Tough Wall—save me!"
Before explaining this class 6 defensive soul tool, one must first understand the Invincible Barrier.
The Invincible Barrier was nicknamed the "miniature Tough Wall."
Because it was a single-use item, its cost was exorbitant.
The ones circulating in the market were typically class 6, requiring only a fixed amount of soul power to activate.
The special crystal inside would then provide enough energy to sustain the barrier for three seconds, granting defense comparable to an eight-ringed defensive-type Soul Douluo.
As for the Tough Wall—
Though its defensive power was slightly inferior to the Invincible Barrier, it was more than enough to withstand attacks from Soul Saints and below.
Crucially, it was trigger-based. Even if Ma Rulong was caught off guard, the Tough Wall would automatically activate to protect him.
This made it far more practical than the Invincible Barrier.
The downside?
It relied entirely on the user's soul power—either for activation or sustained defense.
The consumption was immense!
Now, Ma Rulong had no choice but to trust his teammates.
All he could do was pray the Tough Wall bought him enough time.
Xiao Hongchen did not disappoint.
After a brief moment of shock, he immediately took command.
"Stick to the plan—BLAST THEM!"
In an instant, the soul tools that had been primed and ready unleashed their fury.
Beams, energy spheres, and artillery shells filled the sky like a peacock spreading its tail, blotting out the sky as they rained down upon the Star Barrier with ear-splitting shrieks.
Never underestimate a pill-enhanced Soul King!
Even if their foundations were unstable, their soul power was undeniably real.
As soul engineers, they wielded soul tools with the force of Soul Kings—their attack frequency was terrifying, and their firepower surpassed that of traditional soul skills.
In their previous match against Di Ao Academy, the Sun Moon team had used this very same all-out barrage tactic to suppress their opponents from range, securing an easy victory.
This time, facing Shrek, they had planned to maintain distance and prevent close-quarters combat.
Ma Rulong's sudden abduction had thrown a wrench into their strategy—but it also presented an opportunity.
More is beautiful. Bigger is better.
Xiao Hongchen was a devout follower of the More Turrets, More Better doctrine.
His martial soul, the Three-Legged Golden Toad, granted him control over metal, making him perfectly suited for soul tool warfare.
With a wave of his hand, hundreds of metal spheres scattered into the air.
Then, crouching slightly, his first and third soul rings lit up in succession.
"First Soul Skill: Metal Manipulation!"
"Third Soul Skill: Golden Coagulation!"
The suspended metal spheres became cores, morphing into 128 distinct soul cannon barrels.
His second and fourth soul rings flared.
"Second Soul Skill: Golden Surge!"
"Fourth Soul Skill: Golden Sacrifice!"
The 128 soul cannons—all class 5—ignited with golden flames, their dazzling brilliance radiating a terrifying aura that made the audience shudder.
With a deafening roar, a storm of metal and destruction descended upon the Star Barrier.
Meanwhile—Ma Rulong was already locked in close combat with Shrek's team.
Led by Ma Xiaotao and supported by Ling Luochen, the team trapped him in a deadly pincer of ice and fire.
In the blink of an eye, the Tough Wall drained over 30% of Ma Rulong's soul power.
Worse yet—The barrier shattered.
The so-called "advanced trigger-type Invincible Barrier" was utterly powerless now.
Ma Rulong immediately activated his real Invincible Barrier.
It wasn't that he didn't want to attack—he simply had no time.
Aside from defensive tools, he couldn't activate anything else!
Shrek's team had prepared thoroughly for this.
Caught off guard by the sudden swap, Ma Rulong had no chance to react before the Tough Wall auto-activated.
And now, as it broke, the Invincible Barrier took over seamlessly.
Under its protection, Ma Rulong finally caught his breath.
Without hesitation, he triggered his soul power amplification and soul power explosion soul rings.
A massive helmet materialized on his head, a dark light pulsing from it.
His martial soul—the Bigheaded Spirit Ape—was a support-type beast soul that enhanced his mental power, crucial for controlling high-level soul tools.
It was also why he could wield class 7 soul tools despite not being a Soul Saint.
Now, with a golden class 7 soul cannon mounted on his shoulder, Ma Rulong's hands remained steady.
His gaze burned into Ma Xiaotao—the greatest threat.
If he was going down, he'd take her with him.
As for his trump card, the class 8 Judgment Sword?
He'd save that for the one-on-one battles later.
Using it now would only expose his ace prematurely, hastening his defeat.
Though his class 7 cannon was single-shot, its destructive power was immense.
If he was going to fall, he'd drag someone down with him.
Ma Rulong, cornered and desperate, began his final struggle.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Deafening explosions rocked the starlit barrier as the sheer force of the bombardment forced the 108 soul masters maintaining the arena shields to pour in more soul power to stabilize it.
The dense hail of soul tool fire—enough to make even Soul Saints tremble—was completely blocked.
The Star Barrier stood unshaken, though its glow dimmed slightly.
Only a dozen or so stars still shimmered faintly.
Thanks to the age of Huo Yuhao's soul rings, his Star Barrier was even sturdier than Xu Jiujiu's.
Unless facing a Soul Douluo, breaking through in a short time was impossible.
Thus, the situation unfolded as follows.
This was Shrek's version of battlefield separation.
Compared to the Star Luo Empire's defensive counterattacks, Shrek's approach was more proactive, more refined.
With Xuanwu Replacement, Shrek could switch between offense and defense effortlessly, their tactics unbelievably flexible.
They had identified the Sun Moon team's fatal flaw—Soul power reserves.
Soul power level determined both quality and quantity.
Generally, stronger attacks required greater consumption.
On the Sun Moon team, only Ma Rulong had reached Soul Emperor.
One Soul Emperor and six Soul Kings might seem impressive, but against Shrek's two "Soul Saints," it wasn't enough.
Of course, Huo Yuhao's ability to wield Soul Saint-level combat skills wasn't just due to his Ultimate Ice.
Thanks to the Wine Gu's refinement, his soul power's purity surpassed that of ordinary soul masters.
And with the Level 4 Tianyuan Treasure Lotus Gu replenishing his reserves, he had no worries about exhaustion.
Tactics were, at their core, a battle of intelligence.
With foresight on his side, Huo Yuhao dictated the flow of battle.
Victory was inevitable.
As the saying went: When weak, outmaneuver. When strong, overwhelm.'
Truthfully, with Ma Xiaotao's strength, Huo Yuhao could have simply crushed the Sun Moon team with sheer firepower if he revealed a bit more of his power.
But there was no need.
No benefit in it.
Besides, he'd already copied the Star Barrier.
Why not put on a show?
He wanted to see their faces—the frustration, the helplessness!
"This… This is impossible!!" The Sun Moon team stared in horror at the unscathed Star Barrier, their expressions twisted in disbelief.
Xiao Hongchen, in particular, was utterly crushed.
His proudest attack had been effortlessly blocked.
It was Meng Hongchen who snapped them out of it.
"Stop! Don't waste any more soul power!"
Her words were a wake-up call.
The others quickly realized—Shrek was draining them deliberately.
After a brief hesitation, they abandoned their rescue efforts.
"Captain… Old Ma… Farewell!"
They weren't giving up—they were regrouping.
The six members quickly consumed Xiao Xiafeng's steamed buns to recover their soul power.
Especially Xiao Hongchen, who had burned through nearly half his reserves in that barrage.
Meanwhile, they prepared their next wave of soul tools.
The moment the Invincible Barrier faded—Ma Rulong's soul power erupted.
A blood-red beam lanced out, aimed directly at Ma Xiaotao.
The class 7 High Temperature Laser burned hotter than even her Phoenix Flames at the Soul Emperor level.
Even a Soul Saint would be instantly killed if struck unprotected.
But with Huo Yuhao's warning, Ma Xiaotao had no intention of taking it head-on.
Her fifth soul ring ignited.
The Phoenix Flames around her surged as her body dissolved into fire.
The beam pierced through the flames, leaving a trail of scorched air in its wake.
At the same time, Huo Yuhao opened a tiny gap in the Star Barrier, allowing the ray to shoot harmlessly through and out of the arena.
The crowd gasped as the attack vaporized a distant cloud.
Meanwhile, Ma Xiaotao's flames coalesced into a blazing phoenix, diving straight for Ma Rulong—now frozen by Ling Luochen and Tang Ya.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Phoenix Cloud Piercing Strike!"
Before he could even raise his hand to surrender, Ma Rulong was engulfed in ice and fire, knocked unconscious on the spot.
This was the price of greed.
Had he conceded earlier, Huo Yuhao might have let him go.
He could have preserved his strength for the one-on-one matches.
But trying to trade one for one?
Not on his watch.
Xu Sanshi was already out—did he really think he could take another down with him?
Dream on.
Huo Yuhao even added a soul shock to ensure he stayed down.
"We're ending this in one battle." Huo Yuhao had no intention of dragging this out.
One team battle was enough.
The championship was theirs.
…
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