Chapter 80: Convert Fanaticism, Dai Hao Appears
Because Shrek's reputation had been damaged—and Ma Xiaotao had previously accidentally killed a contestant from another academy—many spectators and teams from Star Luo Empire were looking forward to witnessing a spectacle.
The almost desperate fanaticism that had originally been present had completely disappeared, replaced by an eagerness to see Shrek fall from grace. Almost everyone was particularly interested in such an event.
Destroying a "god" and watching it struggle and fail step by step is far more interesting than creating a "god."
"May both academies' contestants please enter the arena!!"
Following the referee's command, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy and Shrek Academy walked onto the competition stage.
Strangely enough, even though Shrek was supposed to be the beacon of justice, the atmosphere in the arena had changed from usual. There were far more spectators cheering for Sun Moon Team than those waving flags for Shrek.
However, this could not shake Shrek's foundation—their glorious image. In the eyes of many, Shrek was still the symbol of righteousness, the leader of justice on the continent.
This phenomenon is called convert fanaticism, or the convert effect. In psychology, it refers to people who have not officially joined a certain group or are fanatically loyal to a system, often exhibiting more extreme loyalty and fanaticism than original members.
Evidently, for many, Shrek— their sacred place they yearned to join but lacked the talent for—was the faith of their lives. Even if they knew Shrek had problems, they would deceive themselves, believing their faith would not falter.
So, next, it was time for the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy to shatter this disgusting, fanatical belief—akin to that of a traitor.
Alright, before the match officially begins, it's time for the enjoyable pre-match trash talk segment.
Our comrade Xiao Hongchen was already impatient and eager, launching the first wave of hurtful attacks against Shrek.
"Oh~, isn't this the invincible Shrek Academy? Look at their murderous aura; I thought some evil Soul Master had been released."
"Yuhao, what does it mean if an academy is full of trash?"
Huo Yuhao immediately understood and said with a faint smile, "There are only two possibilities: either this academy is a waste recycling center that picks up trash, or this academy itself is trash!"
Xiao Hongchen spread his hands and shrugged. "No wonder they're called Shrek; is that why they eat sh*t?"
Facing this verbal assault from the Sun Moon Team, how could Shrek possibly tolerate such insults?
"Bastards, once the match starts, I'm going to kill you!"
Weak and powerless, Huo Yuhao couldn't even listen anymore. The donkey hadn't done anything all day but kicked these Shrek guys in the head. Could such murderous words be spoken to their faces?
Dai Huabin stepped forward. Huo Yuhao's appearance had changed drastically, and even though there had been some disputes earlier— and Shrek had thoroughly investigated Sun Moon Team's information—he couldn't recognize him at all.
"Huo Yuhao, you're nothing but a traitor! What right do you have to show off here?!"
Facing such unthreatening words, Huo Yuhao felt like laughing. The attack power was incredibly low— not even half of what my Goldenling Vice-General Guocheng has.
"I think I've said these words to you before. What, were you born in Shrek City? Or did the Star Luo Royal Team not have room for you, so you're here representing Shrek?"
Dai Huabin was somewhat annoyed, but Huo Yuhao's retorts continued unabated.
"A dog enters the toilet, and as soon as it opens its mouth, it starts making things up. Oh right, I forgot—you're called Shrek!"
Fists clenched, no matter how bad Shrek was, they couldn't tolerate being insulted repeatedly like this.
"You just wait—Shrek will show you who the true victor is!"
Ma Rulong and the others weren't good with words, so they just stood behind, watching Xiao Hongchen and Huo Yuhao take turns verbally assaulting Shrek.
Honestly, while merely satisfying their verbal cravings was somewhat undignified, it felt really good!
The audience was also buzzing with discussion. Of course, they weren't concerned about the trash talk itself but rather the inside information that the Shrek members had just revealed.
As the most watched individual, Huo Yuhao— who had previously achieved a one-versus-seven victory— was arguably one of the most highly anticipated participants.
Now, with Shrek suddenly revealing that he was originally from the Star Luo Empire, many Star Luo spectators felt unsettled.
"What's going on? How did their super genius suddenly go serve Sun Moon? What kind of joke is this?!"
"Silence!!"
Without allowing the clamor to continue, a sudden appearance of a person disrupted the previously noisy atmosphere.
From the Star Luo Imperial family's viewing box, a middle-aged man with a majestic appearance and golden hair stood beside Xu Jiawei. He was the Star Luo Empire's commander of the three armies, the commander of the Western Army Corps—White Tiger Duke Dai Hao.
"Oh? Did he return early?"
Facing Dai Hao's appearance, Huo Yuhao remained unfazed. Now that all the characters were in place, it was time to begin executing his plan.
"Captain, Xiao, do you remember what I told you before?"
Huo Yuhao transmitted his voice to everyone. The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy members, upon hearing him, subtly revealed smiles.
"Of course, we will give you the opportunity for the final blow."
Nothing could be more interesting than personally killing one of his own sons right under Dai Hao's nose.
One family, two geniuses—what an honor! But this honor, along with Shrek, would be buried in the dust of history.
Since it wasn't the final, Xu Jiawei didn't speak this time either. Dai Hao's early appearance might have been because Shrek was facing the overwhelmingly powerful Sun Moon Team, and no one was confident that Shrek could reach the finals.
He wanted to cheer on his remaining son and witness this peak duel that might be recorded in history.
As for Dai Yueheng, as expected, Shrek hadn't yet informed White Tiger Duke Dai Hao of his true condition. After all, they had to get through the tournament first, right?
The only thing Dai Hao knew was that Shrek's team had been attacked by evil Soul Masters, and his eldest son was recovering from injuries at Shrek, thus missing this competition.
So, will Shrek's glory continue, or will it fall from grace, pushing Sun Moon to a new peak? Stay tuned.
The referee for this match was Star Luo Empire's Heaven Fiend Douluo Huang Jinxu, who was slightly more reliable than the Protector Douluo Cheng Gang.
He was incredibly nervous at the moment because the Taotie Douluo below was watching him sternly. Having experienced the incident where Shrek killed contestants from other academies but was protected, he was now extremely wary of that Old Monster.
If he suddenly intervened in the match, he truly wouldn't be able to stop him.
"Kid, I don't care if those little brats from Shrek live or die, but if anything happens to Sun Moon's genius, this Old man guarantees I'll kill you!"
A voice entered Huang Jinxu's mind. He subconsciously glanced toward the source of the voice, and this made his soul almost leap out of his body.
Damn it, that old fellow came too! Sure enough, how could the Sun Moon Team not have powerful experts secretly protecting them?
As a Super Douluo of the Star Luo Empire, how could he not know Kong Deming, the Sun Moon Empire's pillar of stability?
Each of them had deep backgrounds, and this lord didn't even bother to act, directly threatening him. What else could he do? Protect his own! Neither Shrek nor Sun Moon Team could have problems. I'll be impartial to everyone, won't I?
"The All-Continent Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, Semifinals 7v7 Team Battle, now begins!"
End of Chapter