As Su Wen lowered his head, biting into a steamed bun and thinking, a shadow fell over him. The entire cafeteria gradually fell silent, and the strange atmosphere made him slowly look up.
A handsome young man, bearing a longsword and wearing a sixth-year uniform, stood right in front of him.
His eyes stared fixedly at Su Wen.
In them, a scorching battle intent was rising.
Su Wen: "…"
"And you are…?"
"Ji Juechen!" the young man said solemnly. Su Wen could tell he wasn't good with words. Suddenly, it clicked for him: at the Soul Emperor, around seventeen years old, and a master of the sword. You wouldn't find many such talents in the entire Sun Moon Empire.
Add to that such striking looks—perhaps even slightly superior to Su Wen's—no wonder he's near the top of the story's power ceiling.
"So you're Su Wen, right?" Ji Juechen seemed oblivious to how mocking his tone sounded. With utter conviction, he said, "I want to challenge you!"
"Uh, sorry, he's got a bit of a problem in the head, please don't mind him…" Not far away, a girl in a sixth-year uniform burst out from the crowd, hurriedly pulling on Ji Juechen's arm, her face full of apology.
"I'm not stupid," Ji Juechen shook his head.
"I just want to experience what it feels like to be crushed by someone my age. But unfortunately, such a person doesn't exist in the Sun Moon Empire."
With one sentence he offended quite a few students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy. Some looked indignant, but no one retorted—because the man's strength was a fact. With his extreme sword intent, challenging across ranks was easy for him.
"You'll die…"
Jing Ziyan tugged at his clothes with teary eyes, but he didn't budge.
"So what if I die? My heart is set on—"
"Alright."
Su Wen nodded.
"I accept your challenge."
…
The Duel Arena.
Just like at Shrek Academy, the duel arena is also a hot spot at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy. Grudges, dislikes, or simply testing strength—all can be settled here.
But people do die here.
The referee teachers are mostly for show. Their strength is around Soul Emperor. They might stop fights between lower-tier students, but for higher tiers… sometimes they can't even protect themselves, let alone save others.
So even though Ji Juechen stepped onto the stage, Jing Ziyan still wore a face full of worry.
Su Wen's strength was a mystery to the entire Sun Moon Royal Academy. After the tournament, the returning senior students described Su Wen as a Demon King, a dominance so overwhelming among the younger generation that it was unprecedented.
Precisely for that reason—
A battle between the sword-obsessed Ji Juechen and Shrek's Demon King Su Wen drew massive attention—nearly half the outer court and Mingde Hall flocked over. A venue that could hold ten thousand people, usually sparse, was now packed to the brim, with crowds surging like waves.
In the stands—
"Waa, go Su Wen!"
A silver-haired girl jumped and cheered. She wore the uniform of a Mingde Hall disciple yet was cheering for Shrek Academy—a scene that drew many resentful looks. But when they saw who she was, they gave up with a sigh.
Mingde Hall's number one fangirl, and—alongside Xiao Hongchen—the hall's number one beauty: Meng Hongchen.
She became a striking sight in the stands.
Most others were cheering for Ji Juechen. Arrogant and socially inept as he was, he was still one of their own…
Ju Zi and the others also came to watch.
Ke Ke looked at the sea of people and sighed, "So many people…"
"They're all here for Su Wen's name. Clearly, everyone's really looking forward to Senior Su Wen's strength," Huo Yuhao said with his harmless smile and squinted eyes.
But in truth, he was trembling inside.
Ever since yesterday, the meaningful glances Su Wen cast his way had made him restless. It was obvious the good persona wouldn't fool Su Wen; they were already mortal enemies—that wouldn't change. Since that's the case, know yourself and your enemy to win a hundred battles.
He had sparred with Ji Juechen before, experienced that extreme sword intent, and lost by a hair. Hopefully, Ji Juechen could force Su Wen to reveal a few of his cards.
A strange light flashed in Ju Zi's eyes. She stayed silent, quietly waiting for the match to start.
"Begin!"
With the referee's shout—
Six soul rings rose under Ji Juechen's feet—two yellow, two purple, two black—yet they seemed to merge into one, all converted into his sword intent. His entire being radiated an extreme, razor-edged presence.
Gasps erupted from the stands.
Clearly, Ji Juechen wasn't just boasting. The strength he revealed so casually was rare among his peers across the outer court, even in Mingde Hall.
"I'm making my move!"
Unprecedented seriousness filled Ji Juechen's eyes.
He lunged forward. The heavy black meteoric iron sword he dragged behind him scratched a long line into the ground like a fire poker, his sword intent lingering in the scar.
In a blink he was in front of Su Wen.
He gripped the hilt with both hands and chopped down at Su Wen.
What made everyone gasp was—
At that moment, Su Wen still hadn't made a single preparatory move. He watched the descending blade with a smile.
"Openings everywhere!"
Ji Juechen's heart wavered.
Su Wen's whole body seemed full of openings—chest, ribs, neck all exposed. And yet Ji Juechen felt as if he'd stepped into an ice cave—as if he would be the one to die in the next instant.
"Hah!"
In a flash—
He didn't hesitate and put everything into the downward strike.
Vmmm—!!!
The hum rang through the arena.
In the distance, Xuan Ziwen shot to his feet, shocked by the scene inside. Ripples spread from the point where blade tip met Su Wen's fingers, a shockwave sweeping across the venue like a storm. The fierce gusts forced him back a few steps.
At the very center, Su Wen remained calm. The wind whipped his clothes, snapping their hems—but at some point, two fingers had extended and firmly pinched Ji Juechen's descending blade.
The air seemed to freeze.
Ji Juechen hung in mid-air. First dazed, then terrified, then shocked, then despairing…
Because the strike he had so highly valued—one he thought could force Su Wen to reveal something—had been casually caught between two fingers.
Crack—
It was like something shattered.
Ji Juechen slowly half-knelt. Blood ran from the tiger's mouth of his grip into his sleeve; blood also dribbled from the corner of his lips. He knelt like a statue before Su Wen.
The entire venue fell silent.
Countless faces stared, stunned or disbelieving.
If Su Wen had won, perhaps that alone wouldn't shock anyone—the Demon King was known to be absurdly strong. But this scene meant he hadn't even gone all out. It was like using a simple, casual tap to block the opponent's ultimate—and even counter.
The gap was like a chasm.
Only now—
Did all the disciples of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy truly understand what their seniors had felt during the tournament…
Despair.