You, a Title Douluo, dared to enter the Elite Tournament while hiding from the Spirit Hall? You'll die a miserable death!
Those were Shi Nian's last words before his body split in half, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
"Too bad... You won't live to see it," Lin Fan muttered coldly. He picked up the spirit bone from Shi Nian's head, erased all traces of the corpse, and calmly walked away.
"A head-type wisdom spirit bone with ten-thousand-year quality...
Too bad I already have a head spirit bone. I guess I'll keep it as a family heirloom."
The Next Day
As expected, Lin Fan faced off against Canghui Academy.
Like Shrek, Canghui also had eight wins and three losses, all three defeats coming from the Five Elemental Academies.
"We knew you were a Soul King, so we've prepared a special gift just for you," the Canghui team captain said with a sinister smile.
"Seven Asura Illusions."
"Hmph," Lin Fan replied flatly, "like teacher, like students... walking straight into your demise."
Did they seriously think that an illusion powerful enough to overwhelm Tang San's Purple Demon Eye could stand up against a Title Douluo's spiritual power?
Naive.
A dazzling aura of multi-colored gemstone light spread across the arena.
"Could this be a Seven-Person Martial Soul Fusion Technique?!" Flender exclaimed in shock.
"We're doomed. Lin Xuan might fall into a trap here," Qin Ming sighed helplessly.
"No… It's not what it seems," Yu Xiaogang said, staring intently at the battlefield.
"What's different about it?" Liu Erlong asked.
"It's a Seven-Person Soul Skill Fusion, not a Martial Soul Fusion," Yu Xiaogang explained. "Their martial souls are all gem-type. I suspect their third soul skills are similar. When combined, the soul skill effect is amplified."
"But Martial Soul Fusion is an evolution of the martial soul itself. A Seven-Person Martial Soul Fusion Technique? Please—even a Title Douluo couldn't control the fusion of seven martial souls."
"Think about us three. Even we couldn't accomplish that."
In the royal viewing box, Emperor Xue Ye watched in astonishment.
"This tournament is truly eye-opening… even a seven-person fusion skill has appeared!"
Ning Fengzhi shook his head gently, correcting him:
"Your Majesty, this isn't a true martial soul fusion. No one on the continent has achieved a seven-person Martial Soul Fusion. Not yet."
A yellow mist slowly spread across the arena—the moment anyone touched it, they were drawn into the Asura Illusion.
"Close your eyes. Hold your breath," Lin Fan calmly instructed Ning Rongrong and the others behind him.
Then, he stepped forward toward Canghui's formation.
"Heh heh," the Canghui captain sneered.
"He's walking into our trap himself. The closer he gets, the stronger the illusion's effects."
But Lin Fan stopped in front of him and said calmly,
"Isn't it tiring to hold that pose? Why don't you put your arms down?"
The Canghui captain's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait... you're not affected by the illusion?!"
"Don't flatter yourselves," Lin Fan replied coldly.
"Even your teacher couldn't stop me—what makes you think you can?"
The captain's expression changed drastically.
"No wonder Teacher Shi Nian didn't return last night… was it your people?!"
"Take a guess," Lin Fan said as his forehead, brow, and eyes all lit up with glowing radiance:
"Soul Bone Skill – Perception Breaker!"
"You—!" The captain's face twisted in terror, his eyes bulging like bells.
At the same time, the other six Canghui members all froze in shock, eyes wide with fear, before collapsing to the ground one by one.
Their gemstone martial souls exploded like fireworks—one after another, bursting into dazzling fragments in the yellow mist.
Their spiritual power couldn't withstand Lin Fan's strength.
The backlash didn't kill them… but left them as vegetables.
As the Canghui team lay defeated, their technique deactivated, and the yellow mist quickly dispersed.
When the crowd could finally see the stage again, Lin Fan had already returned to his original position.
Ning Rongrong and the others reopened their eyes.
"What happened?! Get medical help!" Canghui's teacher rushed onto the stage in a panic.
The host immediately called in medics.
"Report! The seven members are unconscious but alive," one of the medics confirmed.
The host nodded. "Good."
"Shrek Academy wins this match!"
Trouble After the Match
Before Shrek's team could even leave the Grand Spirit Arena, a royal envoy blocked their path.
"Apologies, everyone. You are not permitted to leave just yet," the man said calmly, standing at the door of their private room.
"What's the meaning of this?" asked Flender, stepping forward as the dean.
The man answered with practiced neutrality,
"The seven members of Canghui have awakened… but they are mentally impaired. Medical reports confirm that they are incapable of conscious thought—they've been reduced to idiots."
"You all know the tournament rules."
"The organizing committee will now question your seven fighters and supervising teachers. If we determine you've violated the rules, your team will be disqualified from the tournament."
Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and the others all turned their gazes toward Lin Fan.
Lin Fan crossed his arms and said coolly,
"Why are you looking at me? I didn't do anything."
The tournament committee consisted of members from the Heaven Dou Imperial Court and Spirit Hall.
Flender, Lin Fan, and the other six team members followed the envoy to the committee chamber.
"Teacher… will we be disqualified?" Tang San asked, watching their backs anxiously.
Yu Xiaogang clenched his teeth.
Although he wanted Lin Fan off the team, getting Shrek disqualified would ruin everything.
"No," he said firmly. "We won't."
Inside the meeting room, the envoy said,
"Please wait here for a few minutes. Think carefully about how you want to answer the committee's questions."
Before leaving, he shut the door.
The room fell into silence.
Flender turned to Lin Fan and asked,
"Lin Xuan, tell us what happened. What did you do to the Canghui team?"
Lin Fan replied calmly,
"They brought it on themselves. You all saw it—they cast a group illusion skill. But they couldn't control it and suffered backlash."
"That's it."
Flender turned to the others.
"You all saw this?"
"We closed our eyes as soon as the illusion activated," Ning Rongrong answered.
"Good," Flender said with a nod. "When the committee arrives, just stick to that story. Say you don't know anything."
Soon, the door opened.
Ten royal guards stepped in first, followed by Ning Fengzhi and Platinum Bishop Salas of Spirit Hall.
Ning Fengzhi represented the Heaven Dou royal family. With him was Bone Douluo.
They all took seats at the round table. Salas was the first to speak, his tone grim:
"Can someone explain what happened on that stage?"
Flender stepped up as the representative of Shrek and answered,
"Honorable committee members, I have already questioned my students. They were affected by Canghui's Seven-Person Soul Skill Fusion, entered an illusion, and by the time they regained awareness, Canghui's members had already collapsed. They don't know what happened."
"Nonsense!" Salas slammed the table and stood up in anger.
"If you refuse to explain, then for the safety of the other teams, I will move to disqualify you. You've crippled your opponents!"
"Father, we truly don't know what happened," said Ning Rongrong, looking toward Ning Fengzhi.
"The illusion was too strong. We all closed our eyes."
Ning Fengzhi gave Salas a calming gesture.
"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet."
"Hmph! This is well within my authority as a committee member," Salas scoffed.
"Lord Ning, your daughter is weak—I understand if she doesn't know. But what about him?!"
He pointed an accusing finger directly at Lin Fan