Tang Ya had finally made up her mind.
The Sun Moon Empire and the former three kingdoms of the Douluo Continent no longer mattered. What truly mattered now was the revival of the Tang Sect and the many disciples under its name. For the sake of the Tang Sect, she was willing to do anything.
The supervising teacher quickly finalized the lineup for the upcoming matches. The first battle would feature the sibling duo Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, while Ma Rulong would fight alongside Tang Ya in the second match. As for the third round, it would be entrusted to Jiang Shengyu, Nana, and one of the official team members, Aicao.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had been unconscious ever since their last match and had yet to awaken.
Huang Jinxu stepped onto the stage and summoned the participants from both Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
Dai Yueheng and He Caitou ascended the platform, facing off against the siblings Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen. Dai Yueheng turned to He Caitou and said, "Junior He, I'll need your soul tools for support. I'll deal with them quickly!"
"Don't worry, Senior," He Caitou nodded seriously.
"That's him? Xu He?"
Meng Hongchen stood beside her brother, staring intently at He Caitou. After a closer inspection, she nodded and said, "Now that I look more carefully, he does have some royal features."
"I wonder if Shrek Academy is even aware that he's a member of the Sun Moon Empire's royal family," Xiao Hongchen muttered.
Just as Huang Jinxu was about to announce the start of the match, Xiao Hongchen raised an objection.
"Your Excellency, shouldn't both sides introduce themselves before the battle begins?"
"Aren't you all already familiar with each other by now?" Huang Jinxu looked at him curiously, unsure why he would bring this up at such a late stage. Normally, names were only introduced during the first round—this was the finals, so there was really no need.
Xiao Hongchen pointed at He Caitou and said, "I don't think this one has revealed his real name, has he?"
Huang Jinxu looked toward He Caitou, who now frowned, his expression growing solemn. He said, "I don't understand what you're talking about."
"Oh, you'll understand," Xiao Hongchen sneered. "Your real name is Xu He. You're a member of the Sun Moon Empire's royal family. Your parents fled to the territories of the former Douluo Continent's three kingdoms after losing a political struggle within the royal court, didn't they?"
As soon as these words left Xiao Hongchen's mouth, all eyes turned to He Caitou.
The Sun Moon Empire's royal family?!
The revelation immediately stirred an uproar among the spectators.
Even Dai Yueheng looked over in shock. Only a few high-level members of Shrek Academy, such as Xian Lin'er, knew of He Caitou's true origins.
He Caitou visibly tensed, his brows furrowing as he instinctively glanced toward Jiang Qingtong in the audience. Xiao Hongchen continued, "Don't bother looking. Your soul tools are designed in the Sun Moon Empire's distinct style, and your royal features make it easy to trace your origins."
The audience buzzed with whispers, many pointing and gesturing toward He Caitou.
He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and declared, "So what if that's true! My parents left the Sun Moon Empire long ago. I was raised in the Heavenly Soul Empire, and I've never thought of myself as part of the Sun Moon Empire's royal family!"
Dai Yueheng nodded firmly in support. "That's right. He's one of us—he's from Shrek Academy!"
Xiao Hongchen clapped mockingly and said, "Do you even believe that yourself? You're using soul tools based on Sun Moon Empire technology, and yet you say you're not one of them?"
"If we had stayed in the Sun Moon Empire, we would have died!" He Caitou shot back. "Have you ever considered that?!"
Xiao Hongchen shrugged. "Winners take all. If your family had won the struggle, wouldn't someone else's family be the ones who died? You may resent your royal blood, but it's not something you can change. You were born royal, and that means you have royal responsibilities. You'll never live like a normal person."
"We would never go to such ruthless extremes as your empire!" He Caitou countered sharply.
Xiao Hongchen chuckled coldly. "Easy to say. Anyone can talk big."
Seeing the situation spiraling, Huang Jinxu coughed lightly to cut in. "Can we begin the match now? If not, both sides can step down."
Xiao Hongchen apologized. "My apologies, Your Excellency. We've wasted time because of internal matters from the Sun Moon Empire."
That final jab enraged He Caitou even further. Down below, Xuan Zi watched with a frown and said quietly, "This won't do. Just a few words, and his emotions are already in disarray. He Caitou is still too young. They're clearly trying to provoke him."
"Should we request a pause?" Wang Yan asked tentatively.
Xuan Zi glanced at him and said firmly, "How would that look for Shrek Academy? Our reputation cannot be tarnished. There will be no pause."
As soon as Huang Jinxu declared the match open, He Caitou quickly set up his soul tool cannon array. Glaring fiercely at Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, he fired immediately.
Dai Yueheng charged forward at the same time, heading straight for the sibling duo.
Meng Hongchen unleashed the icy mist of her Zhuqing Ice Toad spirit, shrouding the space between them and Dai Yueheng in toxic fog. But Dai Yueheng, powered by his Evil-Eyed White Tiger spirit in its possessed state, forced his way through the poisonous haze without hesitation.
Seeing Dai Yueheng completely ignore the venom, Meng Hongchen quickly retreated.
Xiao Hongchen shouted, "Golden Boil!"
His Three-Legged Golden Toad spirit flared with radiant light, coating his entire body in a golden glow. He charged forward with fists blazing, heading straight for Dai Yueheng.
He Caitou's soul tool rays landed amidst the chaos, and though far weaker than Ma Rulong's earlier bombardment against the Star Luo team, the firepower was still enough to disrupt Xiao and Meng Hongchen's assault.
Now forced to dodge both soul rays and a powerful Soul Emperor, the sibling duo found themselves under enormous pressure.
Though Xiao Hongchen had fully ignited his soul power, enhancing himself in all aspects, Dai Yueheng was going all-out in return—pure offense, disregarding defense altogether. This made his attacks especially fierce.
Meng Hongchen's gaze shifted toward He Caitou. Just as she was about to make a move, Dai Yueheng suddenly grabbed Xiao Hongchen by the arm and flung him straight at her.
"Brother!"
Meng Hongchen cried out in alarm and rushed forward to catch him.
Xiao Hongchen, panting, looked down at the tiger claw marks on his arm and said grimly, "Shrek Academy's Soul Emperors are no joke. Little sister, take him out. I'll buy you some time."
"Understood!" Meng Hongchen nodded and darted toward He Caitou.
Dai Yueheng moved to intercept her, but Xiao Hongchen blocked his path once more. Metal elements swirled around him, condensing into sharp spikes that shot toward Dai Yueheng.
"You'll have to get through me first!" Xiao Hongchen roared.
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