The effect of the level-five soul power storage device was indeed impressive. A silvery-white glow emanated from it, and pure soul power flowed steadily into Xu Zihuang's meridians.
Among the Shrek Academy team, the one with the strongest physical constitution was not the Soul Emperor-level powerhouses Ma Xiaotao or Dai Yueheng, but Xu Zihuang.
Although Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng had access to various rare treasures from a young age to build their foundation and enhance their potential, Xu Zihuang, as the only son of a powerful prince of the Sun Moon Empire in his past life, enjoyed treatment no less lavish than theirs.
Moreover, he possessed twin martial souls, an ultimate martial soul, two external soul bones, and the top-tier Thunderous Hellvine Right Leg Bone. The combination of these enhancements resulted in his extraordinary physical constitution.
After fusing with the Thunderous Hellvine Right Leg Bone, Tianmeng Iceworm, during a rare moment of wakefulness, had told him that with his current physical condition, he could easily assimilate a soul ring with a limit of around 50,000 years once his soul power reached level 50.
Under normal circumstances, even a Soul Douluo's eighth soul ring typically fell within this range.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Xu Zihuang's soul power was fully replenished.
Meanwhile, Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng—the three inner courtyard disciples—and Beibei were still in a meditative state.
The competition stage, previously damaged beyond recognition, had been restored to pristine condition by several earth-attribute soul masters dispatched by the Star Luo Empire.
Heavenly Fiend Douluo Huang Jinxu stood at the center of the stage, signaling that the second round of the elimination matches was about to begin.
The lineup had already been submitted, and both the individual elimination matches and, if necessary, the 2-2-3 battle format would follow this roster. Regardless of whether Shrek Academy won the individual elimination matches, Gong Yangmo, He Caitou, Wang Dong, and Ning Tian would not need to compete.
Xu Zihuang exchanged a smile with Ning Tian, then leaned back comfortably on the soft sofa, preparing for the upcoming individual elimination matches.
With Meng Hongchen, a unique poison soul master, in the fray, winning the individual elimination matches would not be easy.
Through memories from his past life, he knew that Meng Hongchen's martial soul was the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad, and its potent poison could pose significant trouble for the team.
However, this was his greatest secret, one he could not proactively share with Wang Yan.
"The individual elimination matches begin. The first participants from both sides, take the stage. Shrek Academy: Xu Sanshi. Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy: Meng Hongchen."
Heavenly Fiend Douluo's voice rang out across the stage. Xu Sanshi, who had been unsuccessfully trying to pursue Jiang Nannan, stood up from the sofa, a trace of lingering frustration on his face.
"Sanshi, it's up to you. Defense-type soul masters have an advantage against soul engineers, especially those below level five. Your task is to deplete as much of your opponent's soul power as possible," Wang Yan said, stepping forward to pat Xu Sanshi's shoulder, his tone serious.
Xu Sanshi nodded. Though usually carefree and jovial, his expression turned grave at this moment.
"Don't worry, Teacher Wang. Leave it to me."
With that, he strode confidently toward the competition stage. However, his serious demeanor didn't last long.
Meng Hongchen ascended from the other side of the stage. Around the same age as Jiang Nannan, her stunning beauty was no less captivating. Her rare wine-red hair cascaded behind her, exuding a unique charm. Yet her eyes were not red but a pure, crystalline ice-blue. She slightly raised her fair chin, resembling a proud swan.
At just fourteen years old, her figure was remarkably well-developed.
Xu Sanshi's composure instantly crumbled, his eyes gleaming.
Meng Hongchen's delicate brows furrowed. The sight of Xu Sanshi's sleazy demeanor made her stomach churn. For some reason, she instinctively glanced toward Yu Tianhuang in the opposing preparation area.
The contrast between the two was like night and day.
Xu Sanshi was considered handsome in his own right, but unfortunately, he was being compared to Xu Zihuang.
Given this premise and her preconceived notions, Meng Hongchen naturally had no favorable impression of Xu Sanshi.
Had it been Xu Zihuang behaving this way, Meng Hongchen might have reacted differently.
"What are you looking at?"
"Nothing, nothing," Xu Sanshi hurriedly shook his head.
But his attempt to cover up only made his sleazy appearance more apparent, intensifying the coldness in Meng Hongchen's eyes. After taking a few deep breaths, however, she calmed her emotions.
As the second greatest genius of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, surpassed only by her brother Xiao Hongchen, she was not only exceptionally talented in cultivation but also highly intelligent.
After a moment's thought, she saw through Xu Sanshi's intentions. He was simply trying to provoke her.
Beibei, sitting next to Xu Zihuang and having just finished meditating, watched Xu Sanshi's performance on the stage with a knowing smile.
"That guy Sanshi is up to his tricks again. Too bad she's not falling for it. This fight won't be easy."
With the situation so favorable, even the typically calm and rational Beibei felt the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy had little chance.
As he spoke, he turned to Xu Zihuang with a teasing grin.
"Tianhuang, I noticed from the start of this All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament that Meng Hongchen's been watching you. If you were the one up there, it might have an unexpected effect."
"Ugh, being too popular is such a burden," Xu Zihuang said with a slight smile, his tone carrying a hint of jest.
Beibei's mouth twitched. No one understood this better than he did.
When they first met in the Star Dou Forest, Tang Ya had shown clear interest in Yu Tianhuang, just like Meng Hongchen.
In terms of talent, strength, appearance, and charisma, Beibei was outmatched in every way.
Back then, he had even wondered what he would do if Yu Tianhuang tried to steal Tang Ya's affection or if she fell for him.
No matter how mature and clever he was, he was still just a boy not yet fifteen.
Fortunately, Yu Tianhuang had never shown such intentions.
Their conversation ended there, as the first match of the individual elimination round was about to begin.
Under Heavenly Fiend Douluo's direction, Xu Sanshi and Meng Hongchen retreated to opposite sides of the stage.
Seeing his provocation had no effect, Xu Sanshi's expression grew serious, and he shifted strategies. Without yet releasing his martial soul, he exuded a faint sense of unyielding stability, like a mountain.
"Match, begin!" Heavenly Fiend Douluo shouted from the center of the stage, his figure vanishing instantly.
Xu Sanshi released his martial soul almost immediately.
Amid surging black light, the heavy Mysterious Underworld Turtle Shell Shield appeared in his right hand, black ripples pulsing across it like water waves.
Two yellow and two purple soul rings emerged from beneath his feet. As a defense-type battle soul master, he didn't attack rashly. Instead, he positioned the massive Mysterious Underworld Turtle Shell Shield at a slight angle in front of him, exuding an unshakable aura. His gaze became firm and profound.
As Wang Yan had said, defense-type soul masters were the natural counter to soul engineers. Even if Meng Hongchen was a level-five soul engineer, breaking through his defense wouldn't be easy.
However, Wang Yan had overlooked a critical issue: Meng Hongchen's martial soul was not as weak as those of typical soul engineers.
Meng Hongchen gazed at Xu Sanshi from afar, a faint curve forming at the corner of her lips.
Her expression was calm, and unlike in the team battle, she didn't immediately unleash soul tools for ranged attacks.
Instead, she stepped forward, moving toward Xu Sanshi with light, graceful steps.
Already strikingly beautiful, standing on the wide competition stage, she exuded an ethereal, otherworldly charm.
Her wine-red hair transformed into snowy white as it flowed in the wind. Her clear, ice-blue eyes turned blood-red in an instant, so vivid they seemed to drip with blood.
Anyone who met those eyes would tremble, even feel fear.
An indescribable chill swept over the arena. At this moment, Meng Hongchen's presence felt more demonic than ever.
As she approached Xu Sanshi, she raised both palms. Her face, hands, and all exposed skin turned snowy white, flawless and translucent, like the finest jade in the world.
Only her blood-red eyes stood out starkly. Within her fair palms, faint cyan light flickered.
Two yellow, two purple, and one black soul ring—five in total, the optimal configuration—pulsed around her delicate frame. As the granddaughter of Illustrious Virtue Hall Master Jing Hongchen, such a configuration was only natural.
As her first soul ring lit up, Meng Hongchen thrust out her palms. A white, cyan-tinged stream of air, over a foot in diameter, shot toward Xu Sanshi.
Behind her, a faint silhouette slowly emerged.
It was a jade-white toad with blood-red eyes, identical to hers after releasing her martial soul.
The weather today was poor. Amid the cold wind, fine threads of rain fell. When the rain touched the stream of air, it naturally merged into it, causing the airflow to take on a swirling, vortex-like form.
Meng Hongchen's current fighting style resembled that of a traditional soul master more than a soul engineer.
"What kind of martial soul is this?" The question arose in the minds of nearly everyone present.
Even Wang Yan and Elder Xuan, who had studied martial souls for decades, couldn't immediately identify Meng Hongchen's martial soul.
Xu Sanshi's brows furrowed, and without hesitation, he activated his first soul skill, Mysterious Underworld Shock. Facing an unknown martial soul and soul skill, especially with Meng Hongchen's soul power far surpassing his, he dared not be careless.
A massive black energy shield emerged from the Mysterious Underworld Turtle Shell Shield, covering an area of over ten square meters. It emitted a booming sound as it formed.
The white, cyan-tinged vortex of air was shattered by the black energy shield and dissipated into the air.
Meng Hongchen let out a cold snort, then tapped her toes repeatedly, retreating instead of advancing, widening the distance between her and Xu Sanshi.
After releasing her martial soul, her jumping ability seemed to increase dramatically. Each leap easily covered dozens of meters, and her speed was astonishing.
Her snowy-white hair fluttered in the air as she moved, chaotic yet beautiful.
Xu Sanshi watched her actions with confusion, but his gaze suddenly turned vacant, a trace of disbelief surging within. Then, the light in his eyes rapidly dimmed.
The Mysterious Underworld Turtle Shell Shield martial soul vanished instantly, and his sturdy frame collapsed heavily to the ground.
The sudden turn of events sent a wave of shock through the audience, their faces filled with astonishment.
Meng Hongchen, pleased with the crowd's reaction, looked toward Shrek Academy's preparation area and said coldly, "Next."
However, when her gaze met Xu Zihuang's, it flickered slightly.
In the Sun Moon team's preparation area, Xiao Hongchen, also with snowy-white hair, wore a smile that suggested everything was under control.
"Though my sister's strength isn't as balanced as mine, her unique abilities might produce unexpected results."
He had closely observed earlier that, on Shrek Academy's side, only Captain Ma Xiaotao's martial soul abilities might counter his sister.
If Meng Hongchen could poison and defeat several Shrek Academy members, they still had a chance to turn the tide in the subsequent 2-2-3 battle format.
In a corner of Star Luo Square, two middle-aged men with peculiar builds looked surprised.
One was small and thin with an unusually large head, while the other stood out for his exceptionally thick right arm.
They were Lang Ya and Yu Tao from the Ontology Sect.
Yu Tao turned to Lang Ya and asked, "That girl's martial soul is actually the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad. Second Brother, should we warn that kid Yu Tianhuang? It'd be troublesome if he got hit by the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad's poison."
Though the Ontology Sect was domineering and ruthless, they were fiercely protective of their own.
And Yu Tianhuang had long been considered one of their own by the sect.
"No need," Lang Ya replied cryptically, his eyes glinting with strange golden light as he looked toward Elder Xuan in Shrek Academy's preparation area.
Elder Xuan, who had been deep in thought, seemed to sense something and abruptly turned, locking eyes with Lang Ya across the crowd.
An invisible clash of mental energy surged like waves, yet the surrounding spectators were unaffected.
When Elder Xuan withdrew his gaze, Yu Tao noticed beads of sweat on Lang Ya's forehead.
Lang Ya, ranked second among the Ontology Sect's second generation, possessed the top-tier Brain martial soul with a silver-level secondary awakening. His soul power had reached level 89, just a step away from Titled Douluo.
His mental strength surpassed even some Super Douluo, yet he had come up short in this mental clash.
This shocked Yu Tao greatly.
"Second Brother, is that old man from the Sea God Pavilion?"
"His cultivation is on par with the Sect Master's. He must be the Gluttonous Douluo from the Sea God Pavilion. I didn't expect him to come in person," Lang Ya said, his expression turning unprecedentedly grave for the first time.
Relying on his formidable mental strength, his earlier probe had allowed him to gauge Elder Xuan's depth.
On the other side, Elder Xuan's mind grew heavy.
Given the Ontology Sect's style, since they had their sights set on Yu Tianhuang, they would surely take action. The fact that someone of Lang Ya's caliber hadn't acted recklessly suggested the Ontology Sect was planning something big this time.
"What a hassle. I knew we shouldn't have let that kid Yu Tianhuang compete. I hope that old monster moves slowly. That old thing is capable of anything and has no regard for reason."
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