"First match of the round-robin stage: Shrek Academy versus Yunluo Advanced Soul Engineer Academy. Please send forth your first combatant."
As Cheng Gang's voice rang out, Chen Junting's gaze swept across the outer academy students, finally settling on He Caitou.
"Senior Brother He, why don't you open for us? Since Yunluo specializes in soul guidance devices, let them see how a Shrek Soul Engineer truly fights."
He Caitou grinned, gave a thumbs-up, and said simply: "Leave it to me."
Under the watchful eyes of thousands, he stepped onto the dueling platform, walking side by side with Yunluo's captain.
Once both stood in position, Cheng Gang's deep voice echoed across the arena.
"State your names."
The Yunluo captain bowed slightly—polite, composed, neither arrogant nor subservient. "Yunluo Advanced Soul Engineer Academy. Level 4 Soul Engineer, Situ Yu. Please guide me."
Seeing his opponent's formal demeanor, He Caitou scratched his bald head, then returned the bow. "I'm He Caitou of Shrek Academy. Also a Level 4 Soul Engineer. But 'guide' is too much—I'm here to learn."
Situ Yu's eyes flickered with quiet delight.
Though his academy specialized in soul guidance devices, they were nowhere near the caliber of Shrek's Soul Engineering Department. Now, facing a top-tier student from that very department? This was a golden opportunity.
"Begin!"
As He Caitou and Situ Yu took their positions at opposite ends of the platform, Cheng Gang's voice boomed—and with a blur, he vanished from sight, leaving only the roar of the crowd.
He Caitou moved first: he slid a slender cigar between his lips, and without fire, it ignited with a soft hiss. He took a deep, slow drag.
Then, in perfect unison, both men moved.
Their stolid, mountain-like frames suddenly exploded into motion—metallic clanks and whirring gears erupted from every joint as dozens of armored tubes unfolded from their bodies. Within mere breaths, their combat systems were fully deployed.
But their approaches diverged immediately.
Situ Yu's legs extended into heavy metal stilts, locking him into a fortified, immovable stance—his body transformed into a living bastion.
He Caitou, however, mounted Soul Engine thrusters along his calves and back, turning himself into a mobile artillery platform.
When Situ Yu's four soul rings pulsed in alternating sequence, and the massive fan mounted on his back shimmered with concentric rings of white energy, it was as if he had fired the starting signal.
Instantly, both sides unleashed torrents of blinding white light—hailstorms of energy spheres and beams erupted into the air, surging like a white tidal wave toward each other.
The spectators sat frozen, eyes locked on the furious clash, as if held in place by invisible chains. The glow painted their faces in wild, ecstatic hues—adrenaline surged through every vein.
"He Caitou! He Caitou!"
"Situ Yu! Situ Yu!"
They were utterly captivated by the raw, explosive beauty of firepower.
Facing the incoming barrage, Situ Yu's chest glowed blue—his soul guidance device activated a massive energy shield that enveloped his entire form. The thunderous impacts detonated against it like a storm against a fortress… yet he stood firm, unmoved.
He assumed He Caitou would do the same—defend, absorb, endure.
But then—he saw it.
White flame erupted from He Caitou's thrusters.
The mobile platform launched forward, breaking free of the attack zone entirely. The white barrage exploded harmlessly behind him, rippling across the energy barrier like rain on glass.
And He Caitou was already closing the distance.
Situ Yu's face paled.
Instinctively, he tried to disengage his defensive stance.
But before he could move—
A cold pressure pressed against the back of his skull.
A thick, metallic cannon barrel, gleaming with polished steel, rested there.
Combined with He Caitou's dark skin, his shaved head, and the smoldering cigar dangling from his lips… if he'd just put on sunglasses, he'd look like the undisputed boss of a criminal syndicate.
Situ Yu swallowed hard.
He had no doubt—if that cannon fired, his head wouldn't even leave a stain.
Realization struck. He let out a dry, bitter laugh.
"I lose."
He'd expected defeat.
But not like this. Not so… utterly.
Cheng Gang's expression remained impassive. He announced the result without hesitation and called for Yunluo's next contestant.
He Caitou calmly deactivated his devices, extinguished the half-burnt cigar between his fingers, then—before Situ Yu could even react—slung an arm around his shoulders.
"You know," he began, walking slowly off the platform beside him, oblivious to the stunned crowd, "my teacher—a Level 8 Soul Engineer—wouldn't approve of your defensive stance. So my suggestion…"
And as he spoke, he continued guiding Situ Yu away, offering casual, detailed critiques of his technique, completely ignoring the thousands watching.
The entire crowd stared, dumbfounded.
What… was Shrek doing?
The victor didn't just leave—he was giving lessons to the defeated.
Yunluo's captain was even nodding earnestly, clearly absorbing every word.
Good heavens!
Do Shrek students enjoy giving unsolicited advice?!
Cheng Gang, however, remained perfectly calm.
He'd known about this arrangement since the draw.
As long as it broke no rules, he had no grounds to interfere.
Meanwhile, down in the waiting area, Chen Junting watched the first match conclude, then turned to the others.
"Who's up for the second round? Xiao Tian—want to give it a try?"
"No thanks," Ning Tian smiled, waving her hand. "I'm not cut out for combat. Let someone else have the chance."
Chen Junting didn't press her.
Instead, he nodded to Bei Bei.
The outcome? Predictable.
Bei Bei dispatched his opponent with effortless precision—and afterward, he offered three concise, insightful tips on soul guidance device positioning and timing. The Yunluo student bowed deeply, visibly enlightened.
One by one, the remaining outer academy students took their turns.
Who fought next?
That was decided by draw.
And the unlucky one? Xu Sanshi.
As the round-robin neared its end, Huo Yuhao activated three abilities of his Spirit Eyes martial soul—and before his opponent, a mere Soul Grandmaster, could react, he switched his Soul, disarmed him with a single fluid motion, and ended the match in under thirty seconds.
Though Huo Yuhao won easily, the crowd's reaction was sour. To them, it looked like he'd simply walked over, knocked the device out of his opponent's hands, and called it a day.
If this hadn't been Shrek Academy, they'd have suspected a fixed match.
Still, Huo Yuhao had now drawn the attention of multiple hidden factions. Two figures with grotesquely malformed limbs vanished from the stands the moment he stepped down.
Finally, the last combatants stepped forward.
Shrek's representative? Chen Junting.
Yunluo's final fighter? A tall, powerfully built female student.
The sight made Xu Sanshi whistle low under his breath, adopting an air of profound wisdom.
"Pity."
"Pity?" Bei Bei smirked, eyes glinting with mischief. "You're not saying you're disappointed you didn't face her, are you?"
In an instant, a wave of murderous intent washed over Xu Sanshi.
He glared daggers at Bei Bei.
You bastard. You're f*cking evil.
Panicked that Jiang Nannan might misunderstand, he rushed to explain: "I meant it's a pity for Junting—he already has Ning Tian! It'd be better if this chance went to Caitou. He's the only one among us older guys without a girlfriend!"
"What? Me?!"
Hearing his name dragged into this, He Caitou turned beet red, flailing his hands. "I—I don't even like girls like that!"
The moment he said it, curiosity exploded.
But on the platform, Chen Junting and Shang Yue had already exchanged formal greetings and names.
Cheng Gang, clearly done with the theatrics, simply declared: "Begin."
Whoosh!
Shang Yue, acutely aware of who she faced—this was the boy who'd flung a referee into the stands—showed no hesitation.
Both hands snapped back, drawing twin longswords from her back. As her Soul Power activated, her features subtly shifted—her eyes sharpened, her frame grew denser.
Four soul rings flared.
She dropped into a low stance, her long legs exploding forward in a blur—and before she even reached him, twin beams of blinding white energy, each three feet long, sliced through the air toward Chen Junting.
Chen Junting stood firm, sword in hand.
He lifted his gaze.
Whoosh!
The twin blades vanished—reduced to glittering motes of light.
The next instant, Chen Junting was inside her striking range, standing perfectly still—as if inviting her full assault.
Shang Yue didn't hold back.
She'd learned the truth: this wasn't just a match—it was a lesson.
So she unleashed her swords like a storm of steel.
Chen Junting flowed through the chaos—light, effortless steps weaving between the blades. At perfect moments, he'd strike—not to disarm, not to wound—but with pinpoint precision, tapping the very base of her sword grips.
Each strike nearly wrenched the weapons from her hands.
She fought through it, gritting her teeth, absorbing every motion.
But the weight of the twin soul guidance devices, combined with their energy drain, began to tell. Her movements slowed. Her breath grew ragged.
Seeing his opening, Chen Junting moved.
Two quick flicks.
Clang. Clang.
Her swords flew from her grasp.
The match was over.
Yet Cheng Gang did not announce the result.
Instead, he watched intently—curious. What would this boy say now?
Chen Junting didn't hesitate.
"You're not suited for twin greatswords."
He looked at her, calm and direct.
"Your Martial Soul is indeed built for raw power—but I can see your speed is no slouch. One greatsword? Perfect. But two? You're burdening yourself. You lose mobility, and your power becomes unbalanced."
"Remember—more weapons aren't always better. Unless… you can master the synergy of all of them."
Shang Yue stood motionless, her expression thoughtful.
Chen Junting said nothing more.
With a gentle flick of his Seven Kill Sword, the twin blades flew back into her hands.
As Cheng Gang's voice rang out—"Victory: Shrek Academy"—Chen Junting turned and walked off the platform.
Shang Yue snapped back to awareness, re-sheathed her swords, then bowed deeply to his retreating back.
"Thank you for your guidance."
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