Back when Xu Zihuang had used his third soul skill to restrain Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's Netherworld White Tiger, Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo had already risen to their feet.
On the stands, once the two most prestigious deans stood, the rest of the teachers naturally dared not remain seated.
The next moment showed Xu Zihuang once again crushing Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's Martial Soul Fusion Skill completely.
"Those defeated by me will never again be considered opponents. I'll give you time to catch up—until you can no longer even see me."
Xu Zihuang's voice wasn't loud, yet it carried clearly to everyone's ears.
What kind of youthful arrogance was this?
Qian Duoduo's slightly weathered face showed a trace of reminiscence. Dazed, he asked Yan Shaozhe beside him:
"Old Yan, back then you were also the most talented, most outstanding freshman of our year. If it had been you, could you have spoken such words with such confidence?"
"You know what things were like in our year. Lin'er and you—your talents were no worse than mine. I only cultivated desperately to avoid being overtaken by you all. To be honest, even the three of us back then, facing this kid now, would have fallen far short."
Yan Shaozhe shook his head with a bitter smile. "Truly, the younger generation surpasses us."
As he spoke, he seemed to recall something, and his brief sigh vanished instantly. His expression turned playful as he glanced at Qian Duoduo.
"Old Qian, I'd better warn you in advance. This child's teacher already told me he is very likely to be groomed as the heir to the Sea God Pavilion's Master."
"Elder Mu? The Sea God Pavilion's heir?!" Qian Duoduo was utterly shocked.
"Old Yan, you're not playing with me, are you? This kid even startled Elder Mu?"
But then, thinking about Yu Tianhuang's astonishing talent and strength, it wasn't impossible.
Still, that meant he definitely couldn't recruit him into the Soul Tool Department.
The meaning behind "heir to the Pavilion Master" was extraordinary. Though Yan Shaozhe had only said "likely," in nearly a hundred years of Shrek Academy's history, only the current inner court's top disciple, Zhang Lexuan, had qualified.
And Zhang Lexuan, not yet thirty years old, was already an eight-ring Soul Douluo.
If before, his only rivals had been Yan Shaozhe and the Martial Soul Department, now even without Yan Shaozhe, the elders of the Sea God Pavilion would never agree to let him take Yu Tianhuang.
Shrek Academy had always been called the continent's number one because of its Martial Soul Department, not its Soul Tool Department.
As a potential heir of the Pavilion Master, Yu Tianhuang would certainly receive the academy's full support. To expect him to divide his focus into learning soul tool forging and usage was unrealistic.
Qian Duoduo had to admit: among the very top powerhouses, the deep-rooted traditional spirit masters still held the advantage.
The Sun Moon Empire's soul tool technology had been ahead of the original three Douluo empires by a thousand years, yet in the great war four thousand years ago, they had still been defeated. That was proof enough.
Thinking of this, his face twisted as if he had swallowed a fly.
Yan Shaozhe noticed Qian Duoduo's shifting expressions and nearly burst out laughing. But on the surface, he maintained a calm, gentle demeanor as he sat back down.
Getting under this stingy man's skin really did lift his mood.
Qian Duoduo of course knew Yan Shaozhe had seen through his motives. So he no longer bothered to pretend. Snorting coldly, he plopped down beside him without caring about appearances.
Yan Shaozhe smiled casually. "Old Qian, who do you think will win the next match?"
"You old bastard, why didn't you say this earlier?" Qian Duoduo glared fiercely at him.
"Say what earlier?" Yan Shaozhe feigned innocence.
"Yan Shaozhe, you haven't changed a bit since we were young. Still just as shameless." Qian Duoduo growled.
Yan Shaozhe's smile didn't fade. He turned to Du Weilun behind them and gestured.
"Weilun, once this match ends, have Yu Tianhuang come see us. Old Qian and I want a word with him."
"Old Qian, you seem very interested in him. You won't mind me taking the liberty here, will you?"
On the stands, the other teachers—including Mu Jin—were all too stunned by what had just happened in the arena to notice Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo's exchange.
Du Weilun nodded solemnly, though a faint smile flickered in his eyes. These two were towering figures across the entire continent, yet here they were, playing such games.
And clearly, it was Dean Qian on the losing side this time.
Only with Dean Yan could Dean Qian end up at a disadvantage like this.
Qian Duoduo rolled his eyes furiously, seething inside. He wanted to storm off and avoid the irritation, but if he left now, he'd only be swallowing the loss whole.
At the very least, he had to properly learn more about Yu Tianhuang.
So, forcing down his emotions, he ignored Yan Shaozhe beside him.
On the field, Dai Huabin's emotions surged violently at Xu Zihuang's words. His qi and blood churned, his fists clenched so tightly around his bloodstained knuckles that they trembled.
His unwillingness, anger, and jealousy all erupted at once.
"Give me time to catch up? Until I can't even see you?!"
"Impossible!"
"I won't always be beneath you!"
As the thoughts echoed in his mind, Dai Huabin gradually lost consciousness.
Beside him, Zhu Lu, her cultivation only in the twenties, had already collapsed unconscious. The backlash of their shattered fusion skill had hit her even harder.
By now, the outcome of the match was beyond doubt.
Stepping past Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, Xu Zihuang raised his head toward Cui Yajie, the last member of Class Five's team.
Perhaps his earlier crushing of the Netherworld White Tiger had been too overwhelming, or perhaps his current aura was too intimidating. Cui Yajie instinctively stepped back a few paces under the inexplicable pressure.
But she quickly steadied herself. Her pink, alluring eyes openly shone with admiration for Xu Zihuang. With a bright smile, she parted her red lips lightly:
"I admit defeat."
Due to the peculiarity of her martial soul, once released, Cui Yajie naturally exuded a strange charm.
The referee snapped back to his senses and stepped to the center of the field, announcing loudly:
"First match of the semifinals—Yu Tianhuang's team wins!"
The assessment grounds, silent until then, seemed to reconnect with the world once more.
Not only were the four participating teams of freshmen deeply shaken, but so too were most of the teachers on the stands.
A three-ring Soul Elder had singlehandedly overpowered both another Soul Elder and a Spirit Grandmaster's Martial Soul Fusion Skill—and won a crushing victory.
It was simply too shocking.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 early chapters available on Patreon: [email protected]/facficmax10