Shen Ce felt all his energy drain away as he looked dejectedly at the other end of the arena, where Xu Zihuang stood, proud and resolute.
"We, the Qi Ling Advanced Soul Master Academy, admit defeat."
Although Shen Ce felt deeply defeated inside, he had to admit the strength of Xu Zihuang.
Even his most powerful soul skill had been suppressed head-on.
The difference between them was just too great.
At the edge of the arena, the 108 Soul Kings responsible for maintaining the soul guide shields withdrew their soul power. The outcome of the first match between Shrek Academy and Qi Ling Advanced Soul Master Academy had already become clear.
The referee glanced deeply at Xu Zihuang, then walked to the center of the arena.
Though he was a Soul Saint-level powerhouse himself, his achievements had stopped there. However, Xu Zihuang, though still only a Soul Zong at this moment, was destined to reach the peak of Title Douluo in the future, becoming an existence that even he would look up to. There was even a hint of awe in his gaze when he looked at Xu Zihuang.
Shrek truly lived up to its title as the number one academy on the continent.
"The first elimination round: Shrek Academy vs Qi Ling Advanced Soul Master Academy, Shrek Academy wins!" the referee gathered his emotions and loudly announced the result of the elimination match.
The Xingluo Square, which could accommodate hundreds of thousands of people, including participants and teachers from over a hundred other advanced Soul Master and Soul Mentor academies, as well as Emperor Xu Jiawei of the Xingluo Empire and his civil and military officials, fell into a brief silence.
But after a moment of stillness, it was followed by even more frenzied cheers.
One against seven, yet still dominating the opponent completely. The spectators, both common folk and academies, had never imagined that the first round of the elimination tournament would end like this.
Their eyes were filled with not just shock but wild excitement.
This was Shrek Academy, the legendary institution that had maintained an undefeated myth for thousands of years!
Xu Zihuang slowly turned and walked in the direction of Shrek Academy. His black, medium-length hair floated behind him with the same grace and composure. His indifferent expression, combined with the overwhelming power he displayed in crushing Qi Ling Advanced Soul Master Academy, made other participants from different academies in the contestant area quickly avoid his gaze, too intimidated to meet his eyes.
On the side of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Mentor Academy, Xiao Hongchen's face darkened terrifyingly, his fists clenched tightly.
A question emerged in his mind.
If he alone had faced Qi Ling Advanced Soul Master Academy, would he have won?
Perhaps yes, but it would have been nothing like Xu Zihuang's effortless victory.
"This guy's soul skills..." Xiao Hongchen muttered under his breath.
In his battle against Qi Ling Advanced Soul Master Academy, Xu Zihuang had only used two soul skills: the second soul skill, Mirror Destruction, and the fourth soul skill, Seal.
With Xiao Hongchen's understanding, he could tell that Xu Zihuang's second soul skill had a deep connection to the Evil Demon Tiger Whale's core soul skills. However, what concerned him the most was Xu Zihuang's strange fourth soul skill.
The Silver Eagle Beast only existed in a few wild soul beast gathering places from the original Douluo Continent. Moreover, the Silver Eagle Beast had been on the brink of extinction in ancient times, and there were only a few records about this soul beast even in the original Douluo Continent, let alone in the Sun Moon Empire.
This soul skill, which could copy the opponent's abilities, was something Xiao Hongchen had never seen before.
He had always been a proud person, never believing that anyone in this world was more talented than he was. But Xu Zihuang's appearance had started to shake that belief.
Wang Yan led the Shrek Academy team to meet Xu Zihuang.
As their gazes met, Xu Zihuang instantly understood Wang Yan's meaning and joined the team, walking with them out of the Xingluo Square.
They maintained an air of mystery.
All eyes in the arena were drawn to Shrek Academy, watching them until they disappeared into the Star Emperor Hotel on the eastern side of the square.
Because of Shrek Academy's early departure, the entire tournament was halted for several minutes.
Emperor Xu Jiawei of the Xingluo Empire stood up without anyone noticing.
When he stood, the civil and military officials behind him naturally stood as well, a hundred people frozen in awe.
Xu Jiawei's eyes flickered with a sharp light, and he instructed his attendants.
"Send someone to investigate his information."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
...
The members of Shrek Academy maintained their cold, proud expressions and only fully relaxed when they returned to the meeting room under Wang Yan's guidance.
The meeting room provided by the Star Emperor Hotel was soundproof. Since the other academy participants were still in the arena, they didn't worry about being discovered for the disguise they had just used.
Xu Zihuang's aloof, high-and-mighty expression vanished, and his gaze softened.
Xu Sanshi let out a mischievous laugh and placed his hand on Xu Zihuang's shoulder.
"Tianhuang, you really did it. You managed to intimidate everyone like that."
"It was all according to Teacher Wang's plan," Xu Zihuang replied with a bright smile, completely different from the demeanor he had shown during the match.
Wang Yan took the main seat at the table, gestured for everyone to sit, and smiled as he spoke.
"Everything relies on Tianhuang's own strength. Don't be modest. This battle displayed the momentum of Shrek Academy, and it exceeded my expectations. Now, in the eyes of the other academies, Shrek Academy represents both mystery and power. I can safely say that no academy will want to face us in the upcoming round-robin matches."
At this point, Wang Yan looked at Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yuheng, Chen Zifeng, and Gongyang Mo.
"Xiaotao, how are your injuries recovering?"
Ma Xiaotao thought for a moment before answering, "After last night's cultivation, my injuries are recovering well. I should be fully healed within half a month. If I push it, I could be ready in ten days, but it might worsen my condition."
Dai Yuheng added, "My situation is similar to Xiaotao's."
On the other hand, Chen Zifeng and Gongyang Mo's injuries were lighter, and they would probably be fully recovered in about ten days.
"Ten days... That means you two, Zifeng and Gongyang Mo, should be able to participate in the third or fourth round of the round-robin matches," Wang Yan nodded.
If Chen Zifeng and Gongyang Mo could participate, the pressure on Yu Tianhuang, Bei Bei, and the others would be greatly reduced.
Wang Yan continued, "From now on, Xiaotao, you four focus on recovering in the hotel. Bei Bei, Sanshi, and Caitou, the three of you too. In two days, during the round-robin matches, we may need all of you to give your best. Now, I'll make the arrangements for the round-robin matches."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are 40 early chapters available on Patreo
[email protected]/facficmax10