"You're back?"
Wang Yan rubbed his sleepy eyes. He was still guarding the top-floor lounge, and only relaxed when he saw Su Wen and Wang Dong'er return.
"Get some rest. You've got matches tomorrow."
"Okay…"
Wang Dong'er stuck out her tongue, dragged Su Wen into the room, and only after closing the door did she exhale like a thief. Her fair, pretty face flushed with excitement, as if she'd just done something thrilling. Tonight, from beginning to end, her eyes had been on Su Wen. As for that young master of the Cheng family, he'd been ignored—just a tool to push her and Su Wen closer. Sigh, is he dead? Seems like it…
She knew one thing: Su Wen did it for her.
To fly into a rage for a beauty—even seasoned, high-level women can't withstand that, let alone the green newcomer Wang Dong'er.
"Huh? Why was Teacher Wang Yan's reaction…"
Wang Dong'er settled her mood, responding a beat slow.
"Pretty normal?" Su Wen smiled.
"Yeah… Seeing me dressed like this, shouldn't he have been dumbfounded and then asked you who I am and where Wang Dong went?" Wang Dong'er counted on her fingers, her pale-blue eyes blank.
"The Bright Goddess Butterfly spirit can only be possessed by a woman. It's recorded in Shrek's ancient texts," Su Wen said casually.
Wang Dong'er froze.
She stiffly turned to Su Wen. "You're saying…the entire academy knows I'm a girl?!!"
"Not exactly. The inner court's teachers all know. Teacher Wang Yan is absorbed in research; it's not surprising he knows. As for the students—they don't." Su Wen yawned.
He took off his coat, turned off the light, and got into bed.
He glanced at the dazed girl still standing by the bed, stunned by the avalanche of information.
"Ahem?"
"Are we cultivating tonight?" Wang Dong'er bit her lip, bashful.
"Not tonight. Let me hold you for a while, so I'll have the strength to beat them tomorrow."
Su Wen wrapped an arm around the slender, soft waist of the girl at the bedside and, amid a stifled squeak, tugged her into the covers.
"Mmph…"
"Good night."
…
"Your Majesty! My grandson is dead! My own grandson!"
Star Luo Palace.
Cheng Gang's grief-stricken wail echoed, making nearby attendants tremble.
"You still have the face to mention your grandson!" Xu Jiawei gritted his teeth, jabbing a finger at Cheng Gang's nose. "Do you know what trouble that beast has caused me?! He had it easy, just ran away. What about me!"
"You've been in seclusion all these years, but you didn't cultivate your brain into mush, did you? Do you not know what Shrek Academy is?!"
"I—but my grandson…" Cheng Gang dropped to his knees, opening and closing his mouth.
"You still have the mind to worry about him! Cheng Gang, you're a martial fanatic, and I've treated you as a big fool, but now you'd better think about how you're going to explain yourself to Shrek Academy!"
Xu Jiawei ground his teeth.
"Don't force me to tie you up and send you to Shrek!"
"Your Majesty?!!" Cheng Gang was dumbfounded.
"Our Star Luo Empire is afraid of Shrek? That soul king leading them now—I can crush him with one finger. Is it really that serious?"
"Heh… heh heh…" Xu Jiawei actually laughed in anger.
"Fine."
He looked seriously at Cheng Gang.
"Don't say I'm heartless then. If Shrek comes for trouble, I won't plead for you. Now get out."
"I—" Cheng Gang's face twisted.
"Out!!!"
A surge of overwhelming pressure burst from Xu Jiawei, pinning Cheng Gang so hard he could barely breathe. The imperial aura shook the ring of attendants to their knees, shivering.
"You actually…" Cheng Gang swallowed, shock flashing in his eyes. He hurried out of the hall.
When the figure vanished, the vast hall finally fell silent.
Xu Jiawei flicked his sleeve and sat at ease upon the throne.
"Jiujiu, what do you think?"
"If he can be saved, we should try. It's not easy for the Empire to cultivate a Titled Douluo. But the trouble he stirred up may be beyond saving… Brother always calls him a martial idiot, but he's sly. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been hemming and hawing just now—he was testing your bottom line, trying to leverage Star Luo to recoup some losses." A graceful figure walked out from behind.
It was Xu Jiujiu.
"Hahaha, you're as perceptive as ever." Xu Jiawei laughed heartily.
"We'll do as you suggest."
The emperor nodded slightly.
Star Luo's power web was crisscrossed like a spiderweb, roots tangled deep. Several previous emperors left him a mess. With such a prime soul tool resource border (adjacent to the Sun-Moon Empire), they hadn't developed it. Noble factions, the military, and various clans and sects turned Star Luo into a stew.
He was ambitious, immensely talented, and keen on reform, but touching noble interests brought organized resistance.
Fortunately, he inherited the royal consecrates and cultivated a cadre of his own, barely suppressing the nobles. Cheng Gang was one of those he'd "hammered out" with resources after ascending the throne.
If Shrek chopped him down, he'd truly ache.
But as ruler, while stabilizing internal affairs, he also needed external support. Shrek Academy was a major piece, and in a future continental war launched by the Sun-Moon Empire, Shrek would be Star Luo's most reliable ally.
This tournament, he wanted to use to build ties.
But the little beast ruined it all!
"By the way, Jiujiu, that 100,000-year soul beast embryo…" Xu Jiawei narrowed his eyes.
"We've bought it. That Sun-Moon Empire ninth-rank soul engineer only asked for 30 million gold soul coins—an absolute steal, brother! His only condition: no auctioning, it must be for our own use."
At this, Xu Jiujiu's eyes lit up too.
"Heh, looks like the Sun-Moon Empire isn't monolithic."
Xu Jiawei's lips curled.
Clearly, the only way that embryo made it to their hands was the ninth-rank engineer feared it would be 'snatched' cheaply by stronger figures if auctioned inside Sun-Moon. Everyone knows the dangers of flaunting treasure. But if even a ninth-rank engineer can't keep his own prize…
The Sun-Moon Empire is damn dark.
Jing Hongchen's hand covers the sky.
"So, brother, are we still auctioning?" Xu Jiujiu asked, worried.
"Of course." Xu Jiawei grinned.
"Having the God-Sealing Platform openly appear at the Star Luo Imperial auction will be enough to disgust the Mingde Hall Master—never mind my follow-up plan… That 100,000-year embryo is bait."
"Mm!"
"But that Su Wen… he's truly a monster," Xu Jiawei sighed.
"Charging into the Cheng estate with only soul ancestor cultivation, toying with them like a dragon in a pond, slipping away with none able to stop him. No wonder he's the next Sea God Pavilion's skip-generation successor."
"Indeed." Xu Jiujiu murmured.
"How about I betroth you to him? Let him become Star Luo's son-in-law—maybe the matter will blow over." Xu Jiawei looked at the girl with a smile. She was a stunning beauty with royal bearing; as a princess, few men could refuse.
"Brother~"
Xu Jiujiu was helpless.
"All right, hahaha. This tournament is also for you young people to mingle. Why not deepen the bond? Even if it goes nowhere, feelings remain." Xu Jiawei chuckled.
"Yes…" Xu Jiujiu nodded shyly.
Princesses yearn too—especially at this age—upon meeting a life-upending figure. He had entered the pool and displayed the bearing of a true dragon. Across human history, he'd be an epoch-defining presence. Such a man is both fortune and misfortune.
…
"So… you're a girl?!!" Ma Xiaotao stared wide-eyed at Wang Dong'er.
The latter nodded shyly.
"Your real name is… Wang Dong'er?!!" Ma Xiaotao's cheek twitched.
Wang Dong'er nodded again.
Good grief—they're not even pretending anymore! Straight-up house-breaking!
Ling Luochen, Ma Xiaotao, and even Jiang Nannan looked at Wang Dong'er with a touch of hostility.
Who could guard against that!
No wonder she snuck into Madam Jiang's gathering last time!
So it was already…
Ma Xiaotao was heartbroken.
The blossom she painstakingly cultivated for years—its first bite was secretly taken by Wang Dong'er!
If I'd known, I should've struck first!
"Because we have a martial soul fusion technique, we cultivate together every night." Wang Dong'er hunched her shoulders, sensing killing intent, and spoke gingerly.
"Sleep together every night…" Ma Xiaotao's heart hurt even more.
Even she didn't get that treatment.
"Ahem, shall we, uh, discuss the match?" Wang Yan broke the awkwardness.
"Who's our first opponent?" Su Wen asked appropriately.
"Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy," Wang Yan said at length. "I've checked them: five soul ancestors, two soul elders in the main roster. In the Dou Ling Empire's academy ranks they'd be top ten. But with our strength, it should still be easy…"
"I can do it alone," Su Wen said.
"Uh…" Wang Yan frowned. "But you're our trump card. If you reveal yourself too early…"
"These few aren't enough to make me show my trump," Su Wen said softly, looking at Wang Yan. "Right now, our team morale is low, and the outside world doubts us. We urgently need a victory that speaks for itself. Don't we, Teacher Wang Yan?"
"This… very well." Wang Yan gritted his teeth.
This was the knockout stage.
Shrek's reputation was at stake.
If they slipped and got eliminated, it'd be the scandal of the year. But if they won, and did it lightly… it would boost Shrek's morale immensely, and make others more wary.
Don't underestimate that "wariness."
Beyond knockouts there are round robins and group stages, which aren't single-elimination but point-based. Against strong teams, many hopefuls concede directly or send in reserves to go through the motions.
After all, in the original, the Academy Tournament could be lethal—over a hundred knockout matches saw more than twenty deaths and countless injuries. Challenging elites was not worth it…
Teams like the Sun-Moon Royal Academy, Shrek, and favorites like the Heaven Dou Academy enjoyed this "unwritten rule." Besides the knockouts, they basically laid low until the top 16.
But in the original, Yuhao and the others struggled because their disguise was seen through; countless small fry craved trampling Shrek, their warmongering ignited, making the path tough…
So this hit Wang Yan's weak spot.
He didn't truly grasp Su Wen's power—mostly hearsay—but if one man could mow through the field, the road ahead would be much smoother.
"All right, let's go…"
Su Wen waved.
"Xiaotao, rest up and don't wander."
Passing the still-sulking Ma Xiaotao, he couldn't help pinching her dewy cheek. Her crimson pupils rounded. "Who are you calling Xiaotao?!!"
…
Star Luo Plaza.
As the side gates opened, the crowd surged in like a tide, filling the open space. Hundreds of thousands watched; several thousand guards were posted just to keep order. The event's draw across the continent was obvious.
They said the hosting rotated among nations, but in practice the four empires gobbled it all up.
Every tournament brought boundless wealth.
The economy of Star Luo's capital would spike. Such good fortune was beyond the small countries.
At dawn, each team's teachers drew lots.
Luckily, they didn't draw the Sun-Moon in round one—otherwise it'd be a final at the start.
When Shrek arrived, countless gazes fell on them.
Greedy, mocking.
About the Cheng family last night: Su Wen had barely left before several Titled Douluo arrived on Xu Jiawei's orders and suppressed the matter. So besides Princess Xu Jiujiu, few teams knew.
To them, Shrek was a lamb among wolves.
Drooling eyes on them.
Who didn't want to step on Shrek to rise?
There was no better time than today…
Even one stomp would be enough to brag for a lifetime.
"When will Elder Xuan arrive?" Bei Bei whispered, back soaked with sweat under the stares.
"Today." Su Wen grinned.
He stood foremost, drawing the most attention.
But he was unruffled.
That confidence came from his strength and Shrek itself.
He glanced up at the city wall. Xu Jiawei and ministers sat there, barely visible.
He smiled.
Once Elder Xuan arrived, Cheng Gang would die!
Let this first victory consecrate his head.