Ning Fengzhi and his companions focused their attention on Shrek Academy, while Salas and Huyan Zhen turned their eyes toward Elephant Armored Academy.
As one of the seven great sects, the Elephant Armored Sect's strength was naturally unquestionable.
The seven members of Elephant Armored Academy were all outstanding geniuses of the sect's younger generation. Their team captain, Huyan Li, was even Huyan Zhen's own grandson. At only twenty years old, he had already reached level forty-three, with the potential to one day surpass Huyan Zhen and break through to the realm of a Title Douluo.
Although Salas had mentioned that Shrek Academy was quite strong, with three Soul Sects possibly more Huyan Zhen still had complete confidence in Huyan Li and his companions when it came to this kind of arena battle.
Unless they faced one of the Five Element Academies or the first team of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, the Elephant Armored Academy team would not be at much of a disadvantage.
When it came to other academies, especially newcomer academies like Shrek Academy, Huyan Zhen was extremely confident.
Besides, he had left Huyan Li with a powerful trump card. In his heart, Huyan Zhen was almost certain they would win this match.
He was already inclined toward the Spirit Hall, since they had offered him far too much for him to refuse.
And now, the Spirit Hall's Platinum Bishop had, for the first time, asked him as an ally to handle a task. If Huyan Zhen could do this well, the relationship between the Elephant Armored Sect and Spirit Hall would become even closer in the future.
On the arena platform, Dai Mubai, Tang San, and the others looked at the seven members of the Elephant Armored Academy team as they stepped onto the stage.
When they saw the opponents they were about to face, they could not help but draw a sharp breath.
Were these really humans?
When the seven members of Elephant Armored Academy stepped onto the central platform, the entire stage trembled with every step, as though seven mountains had climbed onto it instead of seven men.
They all wore brown-yellow uniforms. Among the seven, the shortest stood just over two meters tall, while the tallest was over 2.3 meters.
Standing in front of the Shrek Academy team, they looked down from above, like seven massive walls of flesh completely blocking their view.
Even more terrifying than their height was their weight. Just by looking, it was obvious that the lightest weighed well over three hundred jin, and the tallest might exceed five hundred jin.
All seven had the same hairstyle: the sides of their heads were shaved clean, leaving only the middle hair tied into a strange ponytail. Standing in a row, they were like a solid wall, completely obscuring the view of the Shrek team.
The man in the center, whose physique was the most imposing, took one step forward. The ground shook violently twice with a loud boom.
"Teams, salute." The referee shouted as the fourteen competitors bowed toward each other, and the atmosphere instantly grew heavy.
"Second round of the preliminary matches, first battle begin. Both teams have one minute to release their spirits."
At the referee's words, the seven members of Elephant Armored Academy took a synchronized step forward. The terrifying force made the entire platform shake again.
They tore off their upper garments, revealing their fat bodies. Soon, they showed everyone why they had removed their shirts.
Their already huge bodies swelled even larger under their spirit possession. Loose fat tightened rapidly into exaggerated, terrifying muscle. A shining keratin layer formed over their skin, glinting like diamonds.
Even more beastly, their noses lengthened, and their upper lips curled back to reveal two enormous tusks, each a foot long. They now looked like seven giant Diamond Mammoths.
All seven stomped their right feet down at once. The deafening noise not only grabbed everyone's attention but also made them worry whether the platform could withstand such brutal power.
"Elephant Armored Academy Team, captain, Huyan Li, Spirit: Diamond Mammoth, level forty-three Defense System Soul Sect."
Huyan Li's voice was deep and rumbling, and the fat on his body seemed to tremble with it. Two yellow and two purple soul rings rose slowly around him as his small eyes locked fiercely on Dai Mubai.
On his left and right stood two more four-ring Soul Sects, both at level forty-one. The four on the outer edges were three-ring Soul Elders, with soul power levels of thirty-nine, thirty-eight, thirty-eight, and thirty-seven respectively.
In the VIP section, Platinum Bishop Salas glanced at the massive figure beside him. Huyan Zhen nodded slightly and said in a deep voice: "Ali is the most outstanding disciple of the younger generation of my Elephant Armored Sect and my eldest grandson. His natural talent is even better than mine back then. I hope he will one day become the sect's first Title Douluo."
Huyan Zhen did not lower his voice, so Salas, Emperor Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, and Chen Xin in the first row could all hear clearly.
Emperor Xue Ye smiled slightly. "Sect Master Huyan, having such a grandson is truly something to celebrate."
Huyan Zhen laughed heartily, his voice shaking the VIP seats. "Your Majesty flatters me. Watch Ali's performance. Our sect's goal this year is the top three in the finals."
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi said lightly: "Sect Master Huyan, if I am not mistaken, this Shrek Academy seems to have a Soul King."
Huyan Zhen froze for a moment. He had never considered that his disciples might lose, and because of their towering physiques, he had not paid close attention to the opponents.
Following Ning Fengzhi's reminder, he finally looked carefully at the Shrek Seven Devils.
At the very front, Dai Mubai's golden hair floated behind him. His eyes were calm, not the slightest bit shaken by the opponents' massive bodies. He stepped forward, soul power surging, and a terrifying aura spread out.
"Dai Mubai, Shrek Academy team member, level fifty-five Assault System Soul King."
As soon as he finished speaking, the White Tiger Spirit possessed him. White fur covered his body, and a 王 symbol appeared on his forehead.
Most astonishing of all were the two yellow, two purple, and one black soul rings shining brilliantly around him.
His powerful level fifty-five soul power burst forth, and his aura alone suppressed the pressure of all seven members of Elephant Armored Academy.
Golden hair fluttering, Dai Mubai's fighting spirit burned fiercely. He raised the corner of his mouth in a wicked smile and stared at Huyan Li.
Besides Dai Mubai, Shrek Academy had two Soul Sects: Zhu Zhuqing, the level forty-five Nether Civet, and Tang San, the level forty-four Blue Silver King.
Tai Long, Jing Ling, Huang Yuan, and Jiang Zhu each bore two yellow and one purple rings.
Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing were considered normal after all, Soul Sects were the main force in the tournament but Dai Mubai's five shining soul rings were dazzling.
A Soul King? Level fifty-five?
Huyan Zhen looked in shock at Salas, who was equally stunned.
In the previous match, seeing Shrek Academy field three level forty-plus soul masters had already surprised Salas. This time they had one fewer Soul Sect, but they had revealed a level fifty-five Soul King.
This meant that Shrek Academy had hidden its true strength in the first match, and Salas had clearly underestimated them.
Even Emperor Xue Ye's eyes showed astonishment. He turned to Ning Fengzhi. "Sect Master Ning, you are familiar with Shrek Academy. Do you know who the current dean is? I am very curious what kind of person can train such outstanding students."
Ning Fengzhi smiled. "Your Majesty, the dean of Shrek Academy is named Flender. Perhaps you have not heard of him, but you must have heard of the three new stars who shone in the soul master world twenty years ago with their Spirit Fusion Technique."
"They were known as the Golden Iron Triangle, and Flender was the Flying Corner of the trio. He founded Shrek Academy, and these children are his proudest students."
When Emperor Xue Ye asked this in the original story, the answer was different, but this Shrek Academy had already deviated from the original, and there was no so-called Master anymore.
"Flender? Golden Iron Triangle?" Emperor Xue Ye was simply curious, but Salas's face changed dramatically as if recalling something.
Being one of Bibi Dong's close subordinates, Salas knew about her past with Yu Xiaogang. Otherwise, he might not have been able to sit so securely in his current position.
Salas also knew about Flender's relationship with Yu Xiaogang, so upon hearing that Shrek Academy came from the Golden Iron Triangle, he immediately thought of Yu Xiaogang.
He quickly suppressed these thoughts and focused on Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai was only seventeen years old. A seventeen-year-old Soul King at level fifty-five even the Spirit Hall's Golden Generation could not compare. Why was such a genius not part of Spirit Hall?
In fact, everyone in the audience who saw Dai Mubai's five soul rings had the same reaction first shock, then either joy or regret.
Those who bet on Shrek Academy were ecstatic, while those who bet on Elephant Armored Academy regretted it deeply.
A shadow flickered in Salas's eyes, but he soon thought of Yu Xiaogang and Flender's relationship, as well as Bibi Dong's past with Yu Xiaogang. Perhaps, in the future, Shrek Academy might not remain outside Spirit Hall's reach.
Huyan Zhen's expression also changed several times. He had never imagined that Shrek Academy would have such a monstrous genius.
Although he trusted his grandson's strength, the gap between a Soul King and a Soul Sect was too wide. Moreover, Shrek Academy still had two Soul Sects, both stronger than Huyan Li.
While everyone was still reeling from Dai Mubai's power, the battle on the five platforms had already begun.
Spirit possession, weapon summons, and dazzling soul rings lit up as the second round officially started.
The seven giants before Shrek Academy did not attack aggressively like Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's second team had in the previous round.
Instead, they stood in a line, and their first soul rings lit up as they took slow, steady steps forward.
Under the effect of the first soul skill, their diamond-like armor gained a crystal-like sheen, and each of them manifested a massive diamond shield.
Their bodies were so enormous that the seven shields linked together into a wall, covering half the diameter of the circular arena.
Their advance was slow, but with each step, their aura rose higher, pressuring the Shrek team both physically and spiritually.
Dai Mubai, however, simply stood there, calmly studying the shield wall, as though searching for its weakest point.
Behind him, Tang San's pupils quietly turned purple as he activated his Purple Demon Eye to the extreme, locking onto the weakest member of the Elephant Armored team the one at level thirty-seven.
Although the shield wall gave them immense defensive power, that person was still the weakest link.
Seizing the opportunity, Tang San's first yellow soul ring lit up, and countless Blue Silver Grass surged toward the opponents.
In the past, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass might not have been enough to restrain them, as their raw power could have torn it apart instantly.
But things were different now. His Blue Silver Grass had evolved into the Blue Silver King, its toughness massively increased. Unless an opponent's spirit or attribute countered it directly, even assault-type soul masters might not easily break free.
The moment Tang San attacked, Dai Mubai charged forward. His first and third soul rings lit up simultaneously.
"First Soul Skill: White Tiger Barrier!"
"Third Soul Skill: White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
With both enhancement skills activated at once, all his stats surged to their peak. Golden light gathered in his right palm as he rushed toward the level thirty-seven Soul Elder.
Zhu Zhuqing dashed out alongside him, her first soul skill, Nether Thrust, making her so fast that she left afterimages across the arena.
Countless Blue Silver Vines were blocked by the diamond shields, but Huyan Li and the others grew serious the Soul King was charging.
Seeing Dai Mubai's five soul rings had already shaken their hearts.
A Soul King at level fifty-five the gap was simply too big.
Even Huyan Li, the genius of Elephant Armored Sect, was unsure whether their proud iron-wall defense could withstand him.
But they would not give up easily. Under Huyan Li's command, the seven of them burned through soul power as their second and third rings lit up.
Their shields grew even tougher, and diamond armor formed on their bodies, drastically increasing their defense.
Dai Mubai's expression remained unchanged. In just a few breaths, he reached the level thirty-seven Soul Elder and unleashed the golden light in his palm.
"Comet Burst!"
This was Dai Mubai's self-created soul skill, derived from his fourth skill, White Tiger Meteor Shower. Unlike the wide-area attack of Meteor Shower, Comet Burst concentrated all his power into a single devastating strike.
Boom!
The enormous diamond wall shook violently. At the spot where Dai Mubai struck, a thin crack appeared on the shield.
Dai Mubai raised an eyebrow. "Not bad. Let's see how many more you can take!"
Golden light flared again in his palm as he struck the same spot.
The shield wall stopped advancing. Huyan Li's expression turned grim.
If their opponent had only been a Soul Sect, they would have counterattacked without hesitation.
But this was a Soul King, who had so far used only two soul skills. If they gave up the united shield, Dai Mubai could crush them instantly.
And with Zhu Zhuqing darting around unpredictably and Tang San's vines ready to strike the moment the wall fell, they dared not drop their guard.
If they were restrained even briefly, Dai Mubai's attack could finish them.
The Elephant Armored team had no choice but to remain passive, watching as Dai Mubai pounded on the level thirty-seven Soul Elder's shield again and again.
With his terrifying power, even their defense would last no more than thirty seconds.
Once the wall fell, their greatest advantage would be gone and only defeat would remain.
Among Shrek's other four members, Tai Long, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan stood ready behind Tang San, waiting to rush in the moment Dai Mubai broke the wall.
Jiang Zhu stood back, holding her healing staff, casting her second soul skill, Recovery Formation, on Tang San and Dai Mubai to keep their soul power replenished.
Follow me on my patreon for 60 Advanced chapters and 3 chapter daily updates pat*eon.com/GodofTranslation889