Chapter 105: Mirror Flower, Shattered Moon
Seeing Dai Yueheng's first soul skill, the White Tiger Body Barrier, effortlessly destroy Xiao Hongchen's 128 soul guide cannons, every knowledgeable soul master in the arena felt a chill run down their spine.
Blocking the concentrated fire of twenty-eight Level 5 Soul Cannons and even reflecting their force—such a feat shouldn't be possible for a Soul Emperor, even one wielding a ten-thousand-year soul skill.
Whispers rippled through the crowd, especially among high-level soul masters of the Empire. Many were already vaguely aware of Shrek Academy's underhanded methods. In the past, Shrek's "cheating" had always remained subtle—unseen, unspoken. But now, faced with the immense pressure from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, and emboldened by being on foreign soil, Shrek's tactics had turned blatant.
The strength displayed by Dai Yueheng's first soul skill was clearly unnatural. Any soul master above level 70 could sense the distortion, but no one dared to say it aloud.
Even more infuriating to the engineers of the Sun Moon side was the unexplained teleportation soul skill and the strangely overpowered White Tiger Barrier. Yet, as much as they wanted to shout injustice, they were deep in enemy territory. Worse yet, Dai Yueheng and his team were both contestants and referees.
Even if they caught Shrek red-handed, the Academy would simply deny it. The shared vision ability? Passed off as "teamwork." Any inspection requests? Casually refused. There was simply nothing the Sun Moon Academy could do here in the Xingluo Empire.
"Alright then… If this is how you want to compete…" Jing Hongchen's fists clenched, his expression livid. Wait for the next match… Shrek, your day will come.
As Jing Hongchen silently cursed from outside the arena, danger loomed large for Xiao Hongchen inside it.
The reflected cannon fire had barely faded when White Tiger Destruction roared toward him like a blazing avalanche. It was too fast. Too close. Too late for even an Invincible Shield.
In that crucial moment, Xiao Hongchen could only grit his teeth and activate his fifth soul skill, Golden Attachment, to desperately dampen the impact.
But before the blow landed, Xiao Qiang moved.
Not missing a beat, he sensed something was wrong and instantly struck Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen with Palm Thunder, breaking their momentum. Then, without hesitation, he switched to Jiang Nannan's Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul, teleporting beside Xiao Hongchen. Using gravity control, he yanked Hongchen back just in time.
The golden body activated just in time, shielding Xiao Hongchen from the full brunt of the White Tiger Destruction. Though injured, he wasn't seriously hurt.
"You should be more careful," Xiao Qiang said coolly, glancing down at him. "Don't pay money just to get beaten next time."
Xiao Hongchen, lying on the ground, trembled with a face full of frustration. Xiao Qiang's casual remark was like a blade twisting in his pride. Tears threatened, but he said nothing.
With a casual wave, Xiao Qiang tossed Xiao Hongchen out of the battlefield, eliminating his burden. Then he turned his gaze directly toward Dai Yueheng.
"You're not even trying to hide your cheating anymore?" Xiao Qiang's tone was calm, but every word struck like thunder. "For your so-called ten-thousand-year-old glory, cheating has become tradition?"
Dai Yueheng flinched but held his ground. He knew this would backfire eventually. Still, driven by pride and indoctrinated faith in Shrek's legacy, he answered firmly.
"Shrek doesn't need to cheat. We never have. But your soul tools—did you invent them yourself?"
Xiao Qiang smirked. "Funny. You say that like all your soul bones were hunted by your own hands."
The tension escalated.
"No more words," Ling Luochen snapped coldly. "For Shrek's glory… Will you surrender, or should we beat you into the ground like we did on the first day? Or do you need a reminder—like the Lone Bamboo Sword whose limbs we shattered recently?"
Xiao Qiang's smile sharpened.
"Shrek's glory, huh? You talk about pride, but lie and cheat with no shame. Fine then…"
His eyes glinted.
BOOM.
A million-year soul ring gleamed as Xiao Qiang activated his third soul skill—Mental Impact—at full force.
But he wasn't aiming at Dai Yueheng. Nor Ling Luochen.
His target was Mo Xuan, hidden far away in a private room.
Now unburdened by needing to link with Xiao Hongchen, Xiao Qiang expanded the range of his spiritual detection silently as he spoke. Within seconds, he locked onto Mo Xuan's position.
With precision honed over five years, Xiao Qiang unleashed his mental shock. Despite the soul guide barriers and distance weakening its power, it still struck true.
Even diminished to one-tenth strength, the soul skill—backed by a million-year soul ring and the immense spiritual energy of Tianmeng Ice Silkworm—was devastating.
Mo Xuan, a mere four-ring soul master without a single ten-thousand-year ring, stood no chance.
Instantly, he froze. Literally and mentally.
The impact of the soul shock didn't just disrupt him—it severely damaged his mind. Though not fatal at this distance, it was enough to leave him crippled.
The effects were immediate.
On the battlefield, Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen suddenly faltered.
The buffs that had been artificially boosting their strength, speed, and coordination—gone. The phantom amplification vanished. Both of them felt it: a sharp decline in power, like the floor falling out from under them.
"What did you do?!" Dai Yueheng shouted in panic.
He could feel it—Mo Xuan was down. Their secret weapon. Their trump card. Their war changer. If something happened to Mo Xuan, Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen wouldn't just lose this match—they might lose their futures at Shrek.
Xiao Qiang tilted his head. "Nothing much. You said there was no cheating, right? So I just helped clean up the 'non-cheaters' on your team. He's probably still alive… I think."
"You're dead!!" Dai Yueheng bellowed, leaping toward Xiao Qiang with fury, tiger claws outstretched.
He struck—
—but hit Ling Luochen instead.
"Huh?! Luochen?! What's going on?!"
The battlefield blurred for a moment, then stabilized.
Xiao Qiang now stood exactly where Ling Luochen had just been.
He stepped forward slowly, a faint smile on his face.
"I told you," he said softly. "My Mirror Flower, Water Moon controls the five senses completely. But tell me…"
He raised a hand.
"…When did you start thinking I wasn't using it already?"