If Zhang Lexuan were to describe Cai Meier's current expression, she would use the phrase "looking like she wants to devour someone."
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Cai Meier's face was ashen, like molten iron, and a chilling killing intent continuously emanated from her. Under the influence of her Soul Power, the Shrek group felt as if they were in the dead of winter.
When the Sun Moon Battle Team reached the resting area near Shrek Academy, Xiao Hongchen couldn't help but shiver.
He cursed, "What's wrong with the environment here in Star Luo Empire? It's clearly a hot day, yet it's so freezing."
Xu Tianxi followed the chill with his gaze and, predictably, saw Cai Meier's murderous eyes. He shook his head and sighed,
"I'm afraid this has nothing to do with Star Luo. No matter how warm a place is, it can't withstand an unreasonable lunatic showing up, especially a powerful one."
Meng Hongchen understood and whispered, "Why do I feel like that person wants to eat Fu Ying and us too? She seems to be the vice dean of Shrek's Martial Soul Department, right?"
Fu Ying was the Cat Eagle Soul Master's name.
Xu Tianxi spread his hands, indicating he didn't know. "I think so too. I wonder what we said that provoked her."
Could it really be, 'You betray the glory of Shrek, why don't you die quickly?' Cai Meier, as a veteran Shrek member, truly has an incomprehensible way of thinking.
On that note, the Sun Moon Empire was indeed inclusive towards people from the Original Three Kingdoms, but all necessary political background checks were still conducted. If they were merely run-of-the-mill individuals from the Original Three Kingdoms, they might be able to relax a little. However, if they had stayed in that dreadful place called Shrek, the political scrutiny had to be intensified.
The seven of them strolled further away from the Shrek combat team, finding a warmer spot to sit down.
As soon as Xiao Hongchen sat down, he patted his chest and gasped, "Old Xu, you're really brave to play such a thrilling game. I thought Director Lin or Old Ma would be the ones to say those things."
Despite his usual goofy, fearless demeanor, he naturally understood the true implications.
The words they spoke today were enough for Xu Jiawei to develop a murderous intent and kill them ten times over; in his eyes, it was an absolute act of treason.
If Xu Jiawei, in a fit of rage, directly sent a Titled Douluo to the field, they could only hope that the academy's Level 9 Soul Engineers were strong enough.
Of course, the main brunt of the attack was on Xu Tianxi. Although he and Meng Hongchen's back-and-forth also embarrassed Xu Jiawei, his direct, half-day long verbal assault certainly took priority.
Xu Tianxi chuckled, "Originally, according to the Dean's plan, Director Lin and the others were supposed to speak, but I thought their words wouldn't be as impactful as mine, so I took it upon myself to do it. After all, some of the script was written with my involvement."
"What old people say isn't necessarily what people want to hear. Someone young like me is more suited for this."
Meng Hongchen thought about the lines Xu Tianxi had telepathically transmitted to them before his speech, and felt that perhaps more than just "some" of the script was written by Xu Tianxi. She said with some concern,
"We spoke so harshly, will people from the Original Three Kingdoms really yearn for the Sun Moon Empire after hearing those words? I think what you're doing might be dangerous."
"Don't worry, not only from the academy's side, but people from my family have also secretly arrived. Director Lin and Old Ma are not to be trifled with either; ordinary small fry won't be able to harm us."
Aside from the threat from Shrek, there was also a possibility of being approached by members of the Body Sect during this competition. Xu Tianxi had already called for reinforcements early on. He continued,
"And just as Old Xiao said, the three of us are quite famous in the Sun Moon Empire. Anyone with decent intelligence gathering capabilities knows our information, they don't even need to look us up."
"That's true."
"It's just a pity that Cai Meier from Shrek is too timid. If she had actually dared to make a move, the Dean and the others would have had a chance to eliminate another Titled Douluo from Shrek. Her Level 94 Titled Douluo strength is no match for the Dean."
Meng Hongchen exclaimed, "Grandpa is truly cunning!"
Somewhere in the audience, an elderly man in a black robe, who wished to remain anonymous, sneezed and muttered, Strange.
Just then, new teams entered the arena. When the citizens of the Star Luo Empire saw one of the teams appear, the shouts of cheer were almost as strong as when Shrek Academy appeared, and far more enthusiastic than when the Sun Moon Battle Team entered.
"Next match: Star Luo Royal Academy versus Sun Moon Empire's Tianyang Soul Engineer Academy."
Playing on home turf, the Star Luo Empire audience gave the Royal Academy the utmost respect and cheers. The Royal Academy did not disappoint this enthusiasm, sending out their full main team.
Xu Tianxi was surprised to see Xu Jiujiu personally leading the team, with Huang Heyun, Dugu Shangshan, and others following behind.
"Are they so shocked by our presence that they have to come out themselves? Interesting."
Both sides took their positions on the Soul Duel Stage. The Star Luo Royal Academy, led by Xu Jiujiu, released their Martial Souls one by one, showcasing their strongest lineup in a century: two Soul Emperors and five Soul Kings, each with optimal Soul Ring configurations.
Xu Tianxi attempted to use his Detection Glasses to scout everyone's cultivation. He found that Xu Jiujiu, possessing the Star Crown Martial Soul, had an innate ability to block detection, so his Level 5 Detection Glasses couldn't read her. However, the other members were completely visible.
"Dark Demon Tiger Soul Emperor Huang Heyun is Level 63. The Soul Power of the other team members is all above Level 55. Xu Jiujiu's is unknown, but her Soul Power shouldn't be higher than Huang Heyun's. Considering the versatile role of the Star Crown Martial Soul, this lineup is almost on par with Shrek's full-strength main team."
Xu Tianxi secretly evaluated the Star Luo Royal Academy team, then said to those around him, "I now think our opponent in the finals might not be Shrek. Everyone, prepare for other possibilities."
Xiao Hongchen shed his frivolous expression, intently staring at the two Soul Emperors from the Star Luo Royal Academy, his eyes eager for a challenge.
The battle result was no surprise. Tianyang Soul Engineer Academy was one of the top five academies in the Sun Moon Empire, but against the ace academies of the Four Great Empires and Shrek Academy, defeat was inevitable. Huang Heyun led a charge and swept them all off the stage.
Perhaps to counter Xu Tianxi, Xu Jiujiu actually pulled out a sound-amplifying Soul Guided Device after the match and delivered a vivid patriotic speech in front of the thousands of spectators.
In her speech, she expressed her willingness, as a Star Luo princess, to welcome the public to visit the Star Luo Royal Academy. The Star Luo Royal Family had always cherished talent from their own country and the Three Great Empires, and was willing to offer the most generous support to talented individuals from the Four Great Empires, even waiving tuition fees and so on.
This brazen move left Shrek Academy and the royal academies of Tian Hun and Dou Ling speechless. Well, well, the Sun Moon Empire is recruiting talent here, and you guys are also getting in on it, huh?
The Star Luo Empire's princess, long known for her virtuous reputation, personally came out to poach people. So, everyone's dropping the act now, are they?
Xu Jiujiu showed no unusual expression, thinking to herself, If you want to blame someone, blame those people from the Sun Moon Empire for being so unscrupulous and lowering the bar. Let's just compete savagely together.
When returning to the resting area with her team, Xu Jiujiu maintained a noble and graceful demeanor, smiling equally at both Shrek Academy and Sun Moon Academy.
From the high platform, Xu Jiawei saw Xu Jiujiu's extreme save and nodded with satisfaction. His little sister's ability to handle such situations was truly improving.
Ever since that incident more than two years ago, his little sister had seemed like a changed person, acting much more mature than before and handling various situations with ease.
But the Sun Moon Empire's actions still angered him greatly; they were simply too aggressive!
The Reserve Team captain spoke up, the Hongchen siblings chimed in, and then there were the four students who hadn't spoken but possessed Martial Souls deeply connected to the Three Great Empires and Shrek. This propaganda battle was waged far too fiercely.
If they had just been spouting nonsense, Xu Jiawei wouldn't have been so angry, but they were speaking the truth, which was enough to inspire fear.
Most common folk might just shrug it off, treating it as entertainment, but certain high-ranking intellectuals and nobles from the Three Great Empires would surely take note. Even if only one-tenth of them felt unsettled, that was still a huge destabilizing factor.
Thinking this, Xu Jiawei couldn't help but feel a certain approval for the Reserve Team captain who had spoken throughout. To dare to speak such words himself instead of using his leading teacher as a mouthpiece, and to gamble that Xu Jiawei wouldn't immediately retaliate—he didn't know whether to call him arrogant or deeply confident.
Xu Jiawei had some impression of this person, but not a deep one. Before, he had only considered him a prodigy, but now he had to elevate him to the same level as those Level 8 or higher Soul Engineers.
After a moment of thought, Xu Jiawei looked at his intelligence chief:
"Wen Qing, if my memory serves me correctly, that Reserve Team captain should be Kong Tianxi, the Millennial First Genius from the Sun Moon Empire who has recently risen to prominence. It's rumored he comes from the Sun Moon Imperial Family and possesses a Moon Martial Soul. Do you have any more specific information?"
Wen Qing bowed respectfully and replied, "To Your Majesty, this person's talent as a Soul Engineer can be described as unprecedented. In just over a year, he broke through five stages. A year ago, he was already a Fifth Level Soul Engineer, and it's likely he is now a Level 6 Soul Engineer, though this has been kept secret."
"As for his specific abilities, your servant does not know much, only that he has the ability to become invisible and his dual guns are unerringly accurate. He has never been defeated on the Soul Duel Stage of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and is skilled in using various types of Soul Guided Guns, such as those that paralyze or freeze. Some call him the Invincible Divine Gun."
"As for the other two young people who echoed him, they should be the grandchildren of Mingde Hall Master Jing Hongchen, who was the Number One Genius of the Sun Moon Empire before Kong Tianxi. It is said one excels at long-range attacks and the other at close-quarters combat. They both demonstrated their abilities just now."
Xu Jiawei nodded slightly, pondering, "Then, in your opinion, are they truly Six Ring Soul Emperors already?"
Without waiting for Wen Qing's answer, Xu Jiawei answered himself, "My question is meaningless. They definitely possess Soul Emperor-level combat power. If they are, that's good; if not, it's even more terrifying."
Wen Qing lowered his head, repeatedly saying, "Your Majesty is wise."
"Alas, I had thought that this generation, with Xu Jiujiu and her peers, was the strongest talent Star Luo has seen in a century. Who would have thought their luck would be so bad? The Sun Moon Empire also produced three unparalleled geniuses, adding many variables to the championship title—"
Xu Jiawei sighed, a glint in his eyes. It seemed his plan of sending a gift to Mingde Hall and using a borrowed knife to kill would have to be put into motion.
He wasn't like Cai Meier, who couldn't face the truth. When geniuses of this caliber appeared, only a fool would give them medicine that harmed their future potential to extract more power. They were already so terrifying now; it was likely these three would reach the Soul Sage realm in five years. By then, they would form a team stronger than any seen on the continent in a thousand years.
Who knew how much stronger they would become in a few more years? As the Star Luo Emperor, he couldn't afford not to take action.
"Mingde Hall Master, I hope you like the gift I've prepared for you—"
That night.
At the Star Emperor Hotel, where the Sun Moon Battle Team was staying, hotel staff delivered a stack of invitations.
"To meet the needs of various participating teams for Soul Guided Devices and other rare materials, the Starlight Auction House has carefully prepared a batch of suitable Soul Guided Devices for all academies. All academies are welcome to attend."
"Time: The evening after the elimination rounds conclude, from 7:45 PM to 9:45 PM. All academies may enter 15 minutes early with an invitation (a Ranked List Carving Knife will appear at this auction)."
Xu Tianxi: The Ranked List Carving Knife wouldn't happen to be that cursed Living Being Watch, would it? The Starlight Auction House is really good at doing business, dangling that as bait.