"Shrek Academy versus Zhengtian Academy. Round Two of the 2-2-3 format: Shrek Academy wins!"
"Shrek Academy secures a two-match winning streak against Zhengtian Academy!"
The referee's voice echoed slowly across the arena as Yu Mengdi was knocked off the stage by Long Xiangyue's four-hit combo.
The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers.
Everyone had known that Cao Jinxuan's time-based abilities were formidable, but the way he combined acceleration and deceleration in rapid succession was utterly dazzling.
And now, with Long Xiangyue's brilliant performance, the audience was left even more stunned.
"Wait, this guy had that much power all along?!"
The way his massive dragon bone shuriken and his entire body vanished simultaneously—was that spatial power?
"One controls time, the other manipulates space?"
"Just how overpowered is Shrek's reserve team?!"
Everyone had expected Shrek to send in their main team against three Soul Kings from Zhengtian Academy.
Instead, the main team didn't even appear, and Shrek's reserve team directly secured a 2-0 sweep.
First there was Bei Bei's awakened bloodline, and then Xu Sanshi's ever-annoying Xuanming Displacement.
Now even Cao Jinxuan's absurd control abilities had evolved into something even more disturbing. As for Long Xiangyue, who had previously kept a low profile, he finally revealed his true power.
Never mind his bizarrely vanishing martial soul and body—just his four consecutive teleportation strikes that knocked out Yu Mengdi were enough to leave everyone speechless.
And only Shrek's students knew:
"Long Xiangyue hasn't even used his spirit bone yet."
It seemed like every single member of Shrek's reserve team had some trump card hidden away, and once revealed, they'd undoubtedly shine.
Now that Shrek had swept Zhengtian Academy with their reserve team, the so-called elite trio of Soul Kings hadn't even displayed the strength expected of Soul Kings.
Long Xiangyue supported the soul power-drained Cao Jinxuan as the two walked off the stage with smiles on their faces, unhurried and relaxed.
Today's match against Zhengtian Academy had been far easier than expected.
In fact, only Bei Bei had really exerted himself.
But considering his mastery of his martial soul, he'd likely recover fully in just three days, and it wouldn't even affect the next match.
Looking at the remaining matches in the round-robin phase, only Changning Academy still had a Soul King among its team members.
Shrek's group had only eight teams, meaning they needed to play seven matches total.
That meant—with Zhengtian Academy defeated—Shrek's reserve team alone would be enough to handle the rest of the round-robin matches.
After all, in the round-robin format, only two teams from each group advance to the top 16, based on match victories.
And Shrek had already defeated the strongest team besides themselves—Zhengtian Academy.
Which meant... the main team wouldn't even need to show up.
Realizing this, the crowd cheered for Shrek once more.
Yet, many fans were also disappointed.
Because during the round-robin phase, they wouldn't get to see Shrek's main team at all.
Whether it was the "Succubus" Zhou Sichen, or the beauties accompanying him, fans would only get a glimpse of them during Shrek's matches.
Naturally, everyone desperately wanted to see the main team compete—especially since the reserve team was already this powerful. Just how strong would the main team be?
Meanwhile, in the Sun Moon Empire's resting area, Ma Rulong and the others sat there, completely speechless.
They had fully expected Shrek's reserve team to screw up against Zhengtian's three Soul Kings.
Who would've thought those Soul Kings were so underwhelming?
"You already know Xu Sanshi's ability is annoying. Why didn't Ye Wuqing, a Level 58 Soul King, prepare for it?"
The spectators were just as frustrated, even while celebrating Shrek's win.
"Isn't Tang Xiaolei a long-range Soul King? If they had just sent her in, how could Xu Sanshi's weak little shield stop a five-arrow volley?"
Many believed that Ye Wuqing had invested all his talent into cultivation and not much else. His flashy Golden Leaf skill looked amazing in earlier rounds, but now? Two Soul Ancestors just clowned him.
Even Ye Wuqing himself hadn't expected this outcome.
In his mind, no matter how impressive Shrek's reserve team looked, that was only because their previous opponents were weak.
His real goal had always been to challenge Shrek's main team, so he hadn't taken the reserves seriously.
But now? Defeated twice in a row by Shrek's benchwarmers?
Ye Wuqing's mental state was visibly shaken.
Too bad there's no medicine for regret.
A loss is still a loss.
Standing beside him, Tang Xiaolei gently patted her captain's shoulder.
"It's alright. Losing to Shrek is nothing to be ashamed of. As long as we secure second place in the group and make the top sixteen, we'll get another chance to face them in the top eight. We can reclaim our pride then."
Ye Wuqing didn't even try to smile. He just raised a hand helplessly.
"I'll remember this lesson. From now on, no matter who I face—even if they're ordinary—I'll never let my guard down again."
Seeing Ye Wuqing's change in attitude, the teacher leading their team smiled in relief.
"If one minor loss is enough to break Ye Wuqing's arrogance... then we've gained far more than we've lost."
"Shrek Academy versus Zhengtian Academy, second match in the 2-2-3 format—Shrek Academy wins!"
"Shrek Academy scores back-to-back victories against Zhengtian Academy!"
As Yu Mengdi was knocked off the stage by Long Xiangyue's explosive four-hit combo, the referee's voice rang out calmly.
The crowd erupted with deafening cheers.
Everyone had already known how powerful Cao Jinxuan's control over time was, but seeing his seamless manipulation of acceleration and deceleration in battle had left them speechless.
Now, after witnessing Long Xiangyue's dazzling performance, they were simply stunned.
Was this guy always this strong?
That massive dragonbone chakram vanished at the same time as he did—was that spatial power?
One manipulates time, the other manipulates space?
Just how overpowered is Shrek's reserve team?
Many had assumed that, with Zhengtian Academy fielding three Soul Kings, Shrek would be forced to bring out their main team.
Instead, not only did the main team stay off the field—Shrek's reserve team alone had secured two back-to-back wins!
Beibei had unleashed his awakened bloodline; Xu Sanshi's disgusting Black Tortoise Displacement was still as annoying as ever.
Now Cao Jinxuan, already known for his "bug-like" control abilities, had grown even more dangerous, and Long Xiangyue, who'd been fairly quiet until now, finally revealed his terrifying strength.
Let's not even talk about his disappearing martial soul or the teleport combo that took down Yu Mengdi in an instant—every move had dazzled the audience.
And only Shrek Academy knew… Long Xiangyue hadn't even used his spirit bone yet.
It felt like every member of this Shrek reserve squad had something terrifying hidden up their sleeve. Once revealed, it was bound to shine.
With two victories already under their belt, Shrek's reserve team had completely outclassed Zhengtian Academy's three Soul Kings, who hadn't even managed to show the might expected of their rank.
Long Xiangyue supported a heavily drained Cao Jinxuan off the stage, both of them smiling leisurely as they walked back.
Today's match against Zhengtian was a lot easier than expected.
The only one who'd exerted himself much was Beibei—but given his control over his martial soul, he would fully recover within three days, with no impact on upcoming matches.
Among the remaining matches in their round-robin group, only Changning Academy fielded a Soul King.
There were only eight teams in Shrek's group, which meant they needed just seven matches to finish the group stage.
In other words, after beating Zhengtian Academy, Shrek's reserve team could likely handle the rest of the group stage without needing the main team to appear at all.
From each group, only two teams would advance into the top sixteen, based on win-loss records.
Having already taken down the strongest team in their group (aside from Shrek themselves), the reserve team could now carry Shrek all the way through the round-robin.
Realizing this, the crowd roared once more in Shrek's honor.
Though, many in the audience also felt disappointed—because this likely meant the main team wouldn't appear in the round-robin at all.
Whether it was the "Succubus" Zhou Sichen, or any of the other beauties surrounding him, the audience only had a chance to glimpse them during Shrek's matches.
Of course they wanted the main team to appear! If even the reserve team was this strong, just how powerful would the official team be?
Over in the Sun Moon Empire's rest area, Ma Rulong and the others sat in stunned silence.
They had expected Shrek's reserve team to crash and burn. Who would've thought Zhengtian's Soul Kings were this weak?
They knew how disgusting Xu Sanshi's ability was—yet Ye Wuqing, a level-58 Soul King, didn't even prepare a counter?
As the audience marveled at Shrek's overwhelming victory, many were also left shaking their heads.
Isn't Tang Xiaolei a long-range specialist? If she had just gone up against Xu Sanshi, surely his puny little shield wouldn't have blocked her Five Arrow Barrage?
It felt like Ye Wuqing had dumped all his talent into raw cultivation. His Golden Leaf technique was certainly flashy… but in the end, he'd been outplayed by two Soul Ancestors.
To be fair, Ye Wuqing himself had never imagined such a result. No matter how the reserve team had performed before, he'd always assumed it was because their opponents were weak.
His target was always Shrek's main team, so he had underestimated the reserves.
But now that the match was over, having been double-eliminated by just the reserves… Ye Wuqing's confidence was shattered.
Unfortunately, regret came too late. A loss was a loss.
Beside him, Tang Xiaolei gently patted her captain's shoulder. "It's alright. We lost to Shrek, after all—it's not that shameful. As long as we secure second place and make it to the top sixteen, we'll have another chance to fight them in the quarterfinals and reclaim our pride."
Ye Wuqing didn't smile at all. He just sighed and waved his hand. "I've learned my lesson. From now on, I'll never underestimate anyone—even ordinary people."
Seeing this change in attitude, their supervising teacher was secretly pleased.
If one inconsequential defeat could reshape Ye Wuqing's overconfidence, then this loss was well worth it.
****
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