"Hmph, making me, the princess, look so foolish, and you still want to hide in peace?"
Dai Yun'er mentally sneered, but her smile grew even brighter. With elegant steps, she walked directly toward Tang Wulin.
"Esteemed friend from Shrek," Dai Yun'er's voice was clear and pleasant, with just the right touch of playful innocence, "I'm truly sorry about the earlier misunderstanding. To express my apology, may I have the honor of inviting you for a dance?"
She slightly bent her knees, performing a perfect courtly invitation, her posture impeccable and flawless.
Instantly, countless pairs of eyes focused on them. There were envious glares from the young talents of the Star Luo nobility and scrutinizing looks from members of the Federation delegation.
Refusing an invitation from a princess in public, especially after the recent "unpleasantness," would undoubtedly be considered highly impolite and attract even more unwanted attention.
Alarm bells rang loudly in Tang Wulin's mind.
He had no affection for this spoiled princess, whether it was their previous conflict with her guards or the scream that almost caused chaos earlier. Although he knew something strange was behind it, Dai Yun'er was the instigator. Yet, under the watchful eyes of many, he couldn't refuse.
"Princess, you are too kind. It is my honor," Tang Wulin could only grit his teeth and mimic the noble etiquette he remembered from training, somewhat stiffly returning the gesture, then extended his hand.
A sly gleam flashed in Dai Yun'er's eyes as she lightly placed her hand on Tang Wulin's, and they stepped into the dance floor.
The melody of the dance music flowed gracefully, but Tang Wulin's steps felt unusually "heavy" and "clumsy." He wasn't entirely unfamiliar with dancing; he had received some basic etiquette training via the Soul Network before coming.
But at this moment, his mind raced, and a "brilliant" idea popped up—pretend! Pretend to be completely inept at dancing!
Thus, amidst Dai Yun'er's expectant gaze for him to make a fool of himself, Tang Wulin began his "performance."
"Ah!" Dai Yun'er let out a low cry, feeling her left foot being firmly stomped on. A clear shoe print appeared on her meticulously cared-for dance shoes.
"I'm so sorry, Princess! I... I'm not very good at this..." Tang Wulin feigned panic and remorse, flailing around awkwardly.
In the next spin, he "accidentally" stepped on Dai Yun'er's right foot again.
"Hiss..." Dai Yun'er winced in pain, her sweet smile faltering.
"I'm so sorry! I'm too nervous..." Tang Wulin continued to apologize sincerely, his movements growing even stiffer.
Within one short dance, Dai Yun'er felt as if her feet had been trampled multiple times. Her carefully designed plan to embarrass Tang Wulin seemed to have backfired, with him using even clumsier moves to counter her.
She maintained her sweet smile, but the fury and frustration in her eyes were almost bursting forth.
'You, Tang Wulin, dare to step on me, the princess! You'll pay for this!' Dai Yun'er clenched her teeth internally.
As the music ended, they parted ways. Dai Yun'er endured the pain in her feet, her smile still radiant, even glowing with a more "enthusiastic" light.
Just as the last notes of the music faded and everyone's attention hadn't fully shifted away yet, Dai Yun'er suddenly raised her voice, speaking loud enough for half the hall to hear clearly, with a tone full of girlish shyness and admiration:
"Tang Wulin! Your dancing... hmm... is quite unique," she deliberately paused, causing a ripple of low laughter, "but I know your strength. You're strong enough to easily subdue my guards on the street!"
Her tone shifted, becoming clearer and carrying an unmistakable declaration:
"I've decided! If you can win the championship of this All-Continent Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition, I will agree to be your girlfriend!"
Boom——!
With these words, the entire banquet hall fell into a strange silence momentarily, followed by an explosive uproar!
"What?!"
"Princess... choosing that kid from Douluo Continent to be her prince consort?!"
"Champion?! What a joke, the champion must be ours!"
"A toad wanting to eat swan meat, who does he think he is!"
"..."
Countless gazes, like tangible arrows, instantly focused on Tang Wulin. These gazes were filled with disbelief, shock, jealousy, anger, and naked hostility.
Especially from the young talents of the Star Luo Empire, their eyes burned with hatred towards Tang Wulin.
Princess Dai Yun'er was the sole jewel of the Star Luo royal family, the dream girl of countless young soul masters in Star Luo. This unknown kid from the Douluo Continent, what merit did he have? How dare the princess publicly make such a promise, and even condition it on winning the competition? This was nothing less than a provocation to all young soul masters of the Star Luo generation!
Tang Wulin was utterly stunned. He never expected Dai Yun'er to pull something like this—it was harsher than stepping on her a hundred times!
He instantly felt like a target surrounded by enemies, as if thrown into boiling oil! He opened his mouth, wanting to explain or refuse, but Dai Yun'er didn't give him a chance.
After finishing her speech, she playfully winked at him, as if saying, "Good luck," then turned and floated away like a light butterfly, leaving Tang Wulin alone to bear the overwhelming hostile gazes.
Gu La held a glass of red wine, standing at the edge of the crowd, calmly observing this dramatic scene.
He looked at Tang Wulin's dumbfounded expression—"Who am I, where am I, what happened?"—and then glanced at the surrounding Star Luo youths who wanted to devour him alive. The corners of his lips curled up almost imperceptibly.
'From their first meeting to Tang Wulin dozing off, their relationship seems to have accelerated.'
Gu La gently tilted his head back, drinking the last of his wine, 'Is this the effect of the Chosen One? Connecting people and things that resonate with him.'
He pondered deeply, though still struggling to harness his immense fortune, he gained a different understanding.
This commotion naturally caught the attention of the core area of the banquet hall.
Star Luo Emperor Dai Tianling was conversing with the high-ranking members of the Federation delegation when he heard the noise. His brows furrowed slightly as he turned to look.
When he saw Tang Wulin, surrounded by countless hostile gazes, looking somewhat helpless, a faint glint of sharpness flickered in his deep eyes.
Holding his wine glass, he slowly approached. As he passed, the crowd automatically parted, and the noise quickly subsided, leaving only suppressed breathing.
Dai Tianling stopped in front of Tang Wulin. The powerful aura of an emperor made the surrounding air feel almost stagnant.
He appraised Tang Wulin carefully, his gaze lingering on his youthful yet already resolute face, his somewhat rigid but undeniably upright suit, and finally on a faint martial soul mark on his wrist that accidentally revealed itself.
"Young man," Dai Tianling's voice was steady and magnetic, betraying no emotion, "you are Tang Wulin from Shrek Academy?"
Tang Wulin took a deep breath, forcibly calming his inner turmoil, and respectfully bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Hmm," Dai Tianling nodded slightly, his face showing a seemingly gentle smile, "Yun'er is young and mischievous. Don't take her words to heart. It's good for young people to have vitality and goals. The competition is approaching; work hard."
His words sounded like easing his daughter's embarrassment and encouraging Tang Wulin, but the underlying meaning and invisible pressure made Tang Wulin's heart even heavier.
Whether it was the royal family or the elders, they tacitly believed Long Yue would be the top person of the Star Luo Empire in this era and the perfect husband for Dai Yun'er.
Regardless of Long Yue's potential or his teacher En Ci being a Limit Douluo, this marriage alliance wouldn't change according to Dai Yun'er's will.
After finishing, Dai Tianling gave Tang Wulin another deep look, as if to remember him thoroughly, then turned and returned to the core circle, as if casually chatting with a young junior.
But these few words, a seemingly casual glance, were like pouring oil on fire.
The Emperor personally intervened, though not explicitly supporting it, nor did he severely reprimand the princess's mischief, and even encouraged that boy?!
What did it mean? Did His Majesty silently approve of the princess's "joke"? Or… did this Tang Wulin really have something special?!
The young talents of the Star Luo Empire looked at Tang Wulin with even more ill will, their hostility almost solidified.
This Shrek student from Douluo Continent not only became a stumbling block on their path to the championship but also their biggest rival in vying for the princess's favor, someone they must trample underfoot.
Tang Wulin felt countless piercing gazes around him and inwardly sighed repeatedly.
He knew that from this moment, his journey in the Star Luo Empire would definitely not be peaceful.
This spoiled princess Dai Yun'er had dug a huge pit for him. And those seemingly casual words from the Star Luo Emperor put him thoroughly on the hot seat.
But he still had to participate in the competition. Based on the information he gathered recently, the reward—a spirit bone—was practically tailor-made for the top talent of Star Luo. Rumor had it that it was a sub-dragon spirit bone over fifty thousand years old, incredibly compatible with his Golden Dragon King bloodline. He wouldn't miss it for anything.
And…
Tang Wulin's gaze shifted to Gu La and Bai Yuan. He was confident in breaking the fifth seal of the Golden Dragon King soon, presenting him with an opportunity to defeat Gu La.
No matter what, he wouldn't concede defeat prematurely.
Tang Wulin's eyes were resolute. As for Dai Yun'er, he believed the Star Luo Emperor would prevent her rash impulse.
The banquet concluded in an eerie atmosphere, and everyone returned to the hotel.
In the following days, the Federation delegation had their own visitation tasks, while the Shrek Academy group stayed at the hotel awaiting the start of the Young Soul Masters Competition.
On the Star Luo continent, influenced by Huo Yuhao from ten thousand years ago, individual heroism was prevalent. The most anticipated event was the individual competition, not the team competition as in Douluo Continent.
The registration requirement was to be under twenty years old, with no other restrictions. Participants could use any personal lethal means they could handle, including but not limited to martial souls, spirit bones, battle armor, mechas, hidden weapons, etc.
Thus, the excitement level of the individual competition far surpassed that of the Douluo Continent. Every three years, the month-long registration period often sold out tickets on the first day.
The registration was handled by the two elder masters, and Wu Changkong was responsible for arranging the competition participants.
All students from Shrek Academy who came this time registered for the individual competition.
To enhance teamwork and tactics and secure more resources, they formed five pairs and registered for the two-on-two competition.
For the seven-person team competition that was crucial to Shrek, the main lineup consisted of Bai Yuan, Tang Wulin, Wu Siduo, Xu Xiaoyan, Yuanen Yehui, Le Zhengyu, and Ye Xinglan. Xu Lizhi, as a food-based soul master, along with Xie Xie, served as substitutes.
Gu La and Gu Yue were disciples of the Spirit Pagoda. Combined with Bai Yuan's strength, they were sufficient to lead the team to victory and didn't register for the team competition.
The curtain of the grand competition quickly rose. The preliminary stage of the individual competition adopted a completely random draw system. It was conducted simultaneously in dozens of sub-arenas within the largest "Star Luo Grand Stadium" in Star Luo City, efficiently filtering out contestants.
The Star Luo Empire did not interfere in this foundational stage. Even Princess Dai Yun'er, with her esteemed status, lacked the ability to tamper with the fair draw system in broad daylight.
Most of the preliminary opponents for the Shrek group came from various soul master academies and sects within the Star Luo Empire, with varying levels of strength.
Gu La's number for the individual competition was 666. His first opponent, number 233, was a nineteen-year-old young soul master named Ba Song from the southern part of the Star Luo Empire, specifically from the "Zeman Academy."
Ba Song's martial soul was the Nine-Pulse Wandering Snake, a rare top-tier snake-type soul beast from the tropical rainforests deep within the Star Luo continent.
Though not particularly large, it possessed astonishing flexibility and speed. Its scales were extraordinarily slippery, allowing it to move unpredictably and attack in complex environments. More remarkably, it inherently possessed a trace of spatial attributes, making its movement elusive, nearly impossible to capture or lock onto.
Ba Song's soul power level was fifty-four, with a configuration of two yellow and three purple soul rings, which was quite formidable among the preliminary competitors. His goal was to enter the top sixteen.
When he saw his opponent's number and name, a spark of excitement and fighting spirit flashed in his eyes. 666? Never heard of his name; it seemed his luck was good.
The match began.
Ba Song wasted no time on probing; his martial soul instantly activated.
His body seemed to lose its skeleton, becoming abnormally flexible. His skin was covered with fine, glossy scales, and his pupils turned into cold vertical slits.
With a shift of his footing, his entire body moved like a real snake, hugging the ground, sliding at high speed in a zigzag pattern that defied physics. His trajectory was erratic, creating streaks of afterimages. The air even produced subtle ripples akin to spatial distortions—this was the core ability granted by the second spirit soul of the Nine-Pulse Wandering Snake Martial Soul—Shadow Glide!
His objective was clear: use his speed and unpredictable movements to approach his opponent, then strike with lightning-fast precision to deliver a fatal stranglehold!
However, when he rushed to within ten meters of Gu La, an indescribable, terrifying sensation of scorching heat, as if standing under the midday sun, suddenly descended. The temperature in the sub-arena skyrocketed dramatically.
Gu La didn't move an inch, simply standing calmly in place.
A faint yet incredibly dense aura spread silently from him, instantly covering a hundred-meter radius!
"Radiant Sun Domain!"
The fifth soul ring granted by the Sun Elf spirit soul.
Within this domain, the light became exceptionally dazzling and pure, distorting the air with intense heat. Fiery flames scorched Ba Song like clinging insects.
Ba Song's proud Shadow Glide was instantly suppressed. Those slippery scales felt as if scorched by invisible flames, making every movement sluggish and difficult.
The trace of spatial attribute that created erratic trajectories was violently repelled and disrupted within the pure and domineering field of light and heat, akin to oil droplets in boiling water. They lost their smoothness and natural flow, even becoming uncontrollable.
Ba Song was shocked. What kind of soul skill was this? How could it so terrifyingly suppress the characteristics of his martial soul?! He felt as if he were trapped in a thick, burning golden swamp!
But he didn't give up. His first soul ring lit up, "Poison Mist Exhalation!"
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