The situation on the arena shifted in an instant.
From the moment Xu Jiujou's fifth soul skill, Star Domain, was broken by Xu Zihuang's right leg bone skill, Thunder Hell, only a brief moment had passed—yet five members of her team had already been eliminated.
The Star Luo Imperial Academy's overall strength was indeed formidable, but Shrek Academy's individual power was simply overwhelming.
Whether it was Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, the two Soul Emperors with unmatched combat strength, Chen Zifeng, the weapon-type Soul Master with terrifying attack power, or the completely unpredictable Xu Zihuang, each was far beyond ordinary standards.
In a one-on-one confrontation, any of the five defeated members from the Star Luo team would have been completely suppressed.
Even more so with Gongyang Mo, the Soul Emperor of the auxiliary system, providing powerful support.
Once Star Domain was shattered, the Star Luo team could no longer follow their original strategy and were forced to confront Shrek's offensive head-on.
Princess Xu Jiujou had actually prepared other plans for this battle against Shrek Academy—but none of it mattered now.
Only two members remained on her side. No matter what they did, it was impossible to resist Shrek Academy's five-person onslaught.
Though the latter stages of the fight saw Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Chen Zifeng display their formidable strength, Xu Jiujou knew clearly that the one who truly decided the course of this match was Yu Tianhuang.
Having recovered slightly and regained some of her soul power, Xu Jiujou gazed steadily at Xu Zihuang.
Her fourth soul ring glowed purple as intense starlight burst forth from her body, brilliant and dazzling as the sun. That starlight condensed into a radiant golden shield, enveloping Xu Zihuang within it.
She could accept defeat—for she knew that even if this battle had gone perfectly according to her strategy, the chance of the Star Luo Imperial Academy defeating Shrek Academy was still slim.
When the opponent's individual power reached such a degree, no amount of teamwork could bridge that immense gap.
But at the very least, she wanted to lose convincingly—to acknowledge it with her own eyes.
As an auxiliary-type Battle Soul Master, all of Princess Jiujou's soul skills were naturally of the supportive variety.
Dai Yueheng immediately understood her intent and stopped where he was.
He was familiar with her and knew she was acting out of pride and unwillingness.
"The outcome is already decided. Jiujou's soul skill has no offensive power."
He signaled to Chen Zifeng, who ceased his attack as well.
The two then turned toward Xu Zihuang's direction. Having defeated Dugu Shangshan and Huang Heyun, Ma Xiaotao also looked over, her originally pink eyes now glowing an eerie crimson from fully unleashing her martial soul.
She had heard Dai Yueheng's words too.
Not only she—everyone was curious about the true effect of Yu Tianhuang's right leg bone skill.
Thunder Hell, as the widest-ranged domain-type attack skill of the Thunder Prison Vine, existed only in ancient records.
Even they had only learned of such a creature's existence through Wang Yan's teachings.
Few in the modern Soul Master world had ever witnessed Thunder Hell firsthand.
Eighteen dazzling golden stars sparkled on the surface of the barrier as Xu Zihuang stood bathed in the brilliant light.
The fourth soul skill Xu Jiujou used was another inherited skill of the Star Crown Clan—Star Guardian, known as the "Attribute-Isolating" area defense soul skill.
Star Crown Soul Masters could only cultivate at night, and only by absorbing starlight could they increase their power.
Every skill required stored star energy to activate.
Among them, Star Guardian demanded the longest accumulation time. The eighteen golden stars required a full eighteen days to absorb sufficient starlight—a kind of "charged" power.
In return, its defensive strength was extraordinary and unaffected by the soul ring's own quality.
The downside, however, was clear—it could only be used once every eighteen days.
Because of this, Star Guardian's defense was unparalleled. At Xu Jiujou's Soul King level, her Star Guardian defense could rival that of a defensive-type Soul Emperor's full-strength shield.
Noticing the faint challenge gleaming in her azure eyes, Xu Zihuang merely lifted his right hand, leveling it with his brow.
He had wanted to test the might of his soul bone skill anyway—and Xu Jiujou's challenge provided the perfect opportunity.
The last lightning sphere exploded, and the thick, oppressive black-violet plasma dripped from Xu Zihuang's palm before sliding downward.
Even while using his Golden Eye martial soul, his soul power still contained the essence of Extreme Thunder.
The black-violet plasma pooled around him, forming a massive thunder pool centered on his body. The substance writhed like something alive, and with each pulse, the granite floor of the arena sank deeper, electric light flickering wildly.
Under his control, the plasma condensed into nine enormous thunder dragons that simultaneously raised their heads and struck against the golden shield of Xu Jiujou's Star Guardian.
Within just a few breaths, the eighteen golden stars on the barrier dimmed rapidly.
Xu Jiujou's eyes widened.
She felt her blood surge and her ornate star crown emit a sharp, crystalline crack.
A fine web of fractures spread across the gem at its center—and then Star Guardian collapsed.
The defense of Star Guardian was indeed powerful, but its strength lay in resisting single-point attacks.
Its essence relied on consuming stored starlight accumulated over eighteen days. When subjected to overwhelming energy attacks, that reserve would be drained in moments.
But Xu Zihuang's right leg bone skill—Thunder Hell of the Thunder Prison Vine—was famed for its immense range and devastating power.
The black-violet plasma of the thunder pool was condensed from countless external lightning elements, containing an almost unimaginable amount of energy.
If Star Guardian was the nemesis of elemental-type soul skills, then Thunder Hell was its own natural counter.
While Star Guardian required eighteen days to gather power, Thunder Hell needed only a few moments to concentrate vast lightning energy.
And this was when Xu Zihuang's soul power was still relatively weak—he couldn't yet unleash its true might.
At full power, Thunder Hell could obliterate an entire mid-sized city in one strike, leaving behind a lifeless lightning wasteland.
That was why the Thunder Prison Vine was said to grow only deep within remote mountain forests—its skill was too destructive for life to exist nearby.
With a wave of his right hand, the black-violet plasma dissolved back into pure lightning elements, and the darkened sky brightened once more.
The once-flat arena was now etched with molten, smooth grooves—only the ground beneath his feet remained intact.
Xu Jiujou stumbled backward to the edge of the platform.
Beside her, Sheng Yi exhaled in relief as he released his Martial Soul Possession.
However, traces of the invasive plasma still lingered within him, leaving his meridians in searing pain—he wouldn't be able to use his martial soul or soul power for at least a month.
Xu Jiujou stood dazed for a moment, realizing she had been utterly overwhelmed.
This was absolute suppression—not something she could contest, though frustration still lingered.
Especially since that Thunder Prison Vine right leg bone had essentially been delivered into Yu Tianhuang's hands by her own team.
Was the Thunder Prison Vine's soul skill truly this powerful?
She shook off the thought, raised her head, and gave Xu Zihuang a deep look before signaling to Mighty Strength Douluo Cheng Gang.
"Star Luo Imperial Academy surrenders in the team battle."
Leaving those words, she turned and leapt from the stage.
Compared to her, Emperor Xu Jiawei—standing atop the imperial city wall—remained calm, though his deep eyes glimmered with excitement.
"So it is indeed an Ultimate Attribute—Extreme Thunder."
Even among the Ultimate Attributes, there were levels of strength—and Extreme Thunder was undoubtedly among the most destructive.
Even Extreme Fire paled in raw power before it.
Once Yu Tianhuang reached the rank of Titled Douluo, he would become a figure of epoch-making significance.
Such a genius must be won over at any cost.
Xu Zihuang had never once revealed his second martial soul's aura. Xu Jiawei's deduction that his second martial soul possessed the Extreme Thunder attribute came purely from observation—specifically, from the collision between Thunder Hell and Star Guardian.
No one knew Star Guardian better than the emperor himself.
For it to shatter so swiftly, the energy level of Thunder Hell had to vastly exceed the starlight power within it.
There was only one explanation—Extreme Thunder.
After a brief silence, the audience in Star Luo Square erupted into thunderous cheers once again.
Although the golden mist from Xu Jiujou's Star Domain had blocked their view earlier, the final collisions were spectacular enough.
Especially Xu Zihuang's Thunder Hell—its power was so immense it changed the very heavens.
In the resting area, the contestants and instructors from other academies all wore grim expressions.
Shrek Academy's strength far exceeded their expectations.
And for those who had attended the elite auction days before, their gazes all locked onto Xu Zihuang.
Thunder Hell. Thunder Prison Vine right leg bone. Yu Tianhuang.
Putting those clues together, they reached only one conclusion—
Yu Tianhuang possessed a twin martial soul, and his second was a top-tier lightning attribute martial soul.
"Damn it!"
Xiao Hongchen's eyes turned bloodshot, his jaw clenched tight.
Having witnessed the terrifying might of Thunder Hell and realizing Yu Tianhuang's twin martial souls, his once unshakable confidence crumbled.
Even someone as proud as he could not deny it—Yu Tianhuang's talent was so extraordinary it stirred jealousy in his heart.
Beside him, Meng Hongchen's icy-blue eyes shone with delight.
"So he really has twin martial souls."
As Xiao Hongchen's twin sister, her standards were exceedingly high.
With her brilliant brother as a benchmark, she had unconsciously compared every man she met to him.
For years, Yu Tianhuang was the first who surpassed Xiao Hongchen in every aspect.
Ma Rulong furrowed his brow as he glanced at Xiao Hongchen beside him. Though he knew Xiao's personality had flaws, he had always believed that Xiao would one day lead the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy to victory over Shrek.
But now, with Yu Tianhuang's emergence, even that conviction began to waver.
Elsewhere, Mighty Strength Douluo Cheng Gang announced the result:
"Round of Sixteen—Team Battle. Shrek Academy defeats Star Luo Imperial Academy."
Under the gaze of the crowd, the members of Shrek Academy descended from the arena.
Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, and Gongyang Mo exchanged glances, their eyes filled with mixed emotions as they looked at Xu Zihuang.
But Xu Zihuang remained calm. Pointing toward Beibei and Xu Sanshi, still unconscious on the sofa under Wang Yan's care, he smiled gently.
"Senior Dai, Senior Chen, Senior Gongyang—please give me a hand. Let's get Senior Bei and Senior Xu back to the hotel."
The three nodded and hurried to assist.
Ma Xiaotao silently walked at the rear, head lowered, lost in thought.
Wang Yan approached the group, giving her a brief glance but saying nothing.
Though Ma Xiaotao had failed somewhat in her duty as captain, he didn't place all the blame on her.
Who could have anticipated that Princess Jiujou possessed such a powerful domain skill?
After surveying everyone, Wang Yan nodded slightly.
"Beibei and Sanshi aren't seriously hurt—the Star Luo team held back. Don't blame yourselves. I, too, share part of the responsibility for this match."
At his words, Ma Xiaotao lifted her head and met his gaze.
"No. I failed as captain to coordinate everyone properly."
Wang Yan looked at her in mild surprise before his expression softened with approval.
"Let's not dwell on that now. Let's return to the hotel."
Xu Zihuang and Dai Yueheng supported the unconscious Xu Sanshi, while He Caitou, smiling sheepishly, stepped forward to take over carrying Beibei from Gongyang Mo.
Ning Tian met Xu Zihuang's eyes with a gentle look and moved to his other side.
Jiang Nannan and Wang Dong followed closely behind.
Together, the group made their way toward the Star Emperor Grand Hotel.
In an inconspicuous corner of Star Luo Square—
A middle-aged man with an especially muscular right arm excitedly sent a soul power transmission to another burly middle-aged man beside him.
"Second Brother, that kid has twin martial souls?!"
It was Yu Tao, who had met Xu Zihuang previously, and beside him stood Lang Ya.
Lang Ya's bright eyes gleamed with delight.
"It should be certain. Yu Tianhuang is a descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—his second martial soul is likely the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon itself. Our Body Sect has truly found a treasure this time. Once we bring him back to the sect, the sect master will surely name him the next heir apparent."
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