Douluo Dalu II: The Peerless Tang Sect

Chapter 199 Heavenly Spirit Academy: Shameful! Shrek Academy, a prestigious institution, is actually using cheat codes! (4.3k)

By mid-morning, all the participating academies and spectators had arrived.

"Silence!" A loud voice suddenly rang out and quickly spread throughout the entire venue.

Upon hearing this sound, all the soldiers stood at attention, raising their spears high. An aura of menace instantly spread, silencing the previously chaotic Xingluo Square.

All eyes turned to the imperial city gate tower, where the resounding announcement rang out once more: "His Majesty has arrived!"

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" All the people from the Star Luo Empire knelt down in unison, and the students from other countries also bowed slightly to show their respect.

They were not respecting the emperor, but rather the secular imperial power.

"Rise, my subjects!" Xu Jiawei said, his voice amplified by the loudspeaker to everyone's ears.

Everyone straightened up, their gazes unanimously focusing on Xu Jiawei atop the imperial city tower. There were many people from the Star Luo Empire present, but half of them were seeing their emperor for the first time, their eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions, which need no further explanation.

Xu Jiawei smiled and said, "The All-Continent Elite Soul Master Tournament is the most important event in the Soul Master world of Douluo Continent. I am honored to be here so soon after my ascension to the throne, to witness this tournament being held in my Star Luo Empire. Here, on behalf of the Star Luo Empire, I welcome the representatives from various academies, led by Shrek Academy. I hope you will show your true colors in the competition over the next month."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The academies, led by Shrek Academy, bowed again in gratitude.

Xu Jiawei smiled and nodded in their direction, then announced loudly, "I hereby declare the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament officially open!"

As the emperor finished speaking, the audience was instantly stirred, chanting in unison, "Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor!"

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom..." At the same time, the salutes that marked the official start of the competition began to roar, lasting for 108 shots before stopping. The atmosphere in Xingluo Square reached its climax, and even the soldiers on duty on the city walls of Xingluo City could hear the cheers.

After announcing the start of the competition, Xu Jiawei's tasks for this phase were completed. He stepped back slightly, sat down with the Empress in the specially arranged chairs, and then waved to the Grand Secretary beside him. The Grand Secretary immediately understood and gave the order to his subordinates to start the competition.

The loud voice from before rang out again, "According to the competition rules of the All-Continent Elite Soul Master Tournament, the first stage of the competition will be a knockout tournament."

This year's competition features 133 advanced soul master academies and advanced soul master training academies. Through a draw, one academy received a bye in the first stage of the competition, meaning the first stage will consist of 66 matches. The first stage is an elimination tournament; the losing team will be immediately eliminated from the competition.

The opening match of this tournament is about to begin. Now, let's welcome the two teams for the opening match: the Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy team from the Douling Empire, and the Shrek Academy team, the number one academy on the continent, with countless honors and having won almost every major tournament championship in the past thousand years.

As soon as the host finished speaking, the audience began chanting in unison, "Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"

Listening to the cheers of tens of thousands of people in the audience, people in different moods had different feelings. However, Zhu Ziyang was not in the mood to enjoy this intoxicating cheer. He was cheering on Huo Yuhao, who was about to go on stage and whose legs were trembling with nervousness.

That's right, Huo Yuhao will be playing in this first match, and his role is very important, as it will determine whether Shrek Academy can demonstrate its morale and deterrent power.

"Brother Ziyang, am I really sure I can do this?" Huo Yuhao asked Zhu Ziyang, looking at him with some uncertainty.

"Don't worry, just follow the plan. The rest is up to your sister Nannan and teacher Xiaoya!" Zhu Ziyang patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder firmly and said.

"Nannan, Xiaoya, you are the key to the success of the plan. Good luck!" As the team leader, Wang Yan said to Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya with a heavy expression. He did not want to agree to Zhu Ziyang's suggestion, but considering that they only had three main members, they could hide as much information about the strength of the preliminary members as possible.

Moreover, according to Zhu Ziyang's plan, he might be able to instill a sense of unknown fear in other colleges, thus giving them a psychological advantage when they meet in the future!

"Go for it!" Zhu Ziyang shouted, then held out his palm. Seeing this, the others also reached out and placed their hands on his palm, shouting in unison.

Following them, Huo Yuhao led the way, followed by Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya. Behind them were Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, and Wang Dong, who had come on stage as a precaution. The seven stepped onto the ring, facing their opponents across it, their faces expressionless.

Such a lineup was very strange. Not to mention their opponents, the team from Tianling Academy, even the other academies present and the emperor on the city wall were very puzzled and did not understand what Shrek Academy was trying to do.

The referee took his position and gestured for both teams to come forward. The players from both sides quickly gathered in the center and approached the referee. As they got closer, the referee and the Tianling Academy players could clearly sense the youth of the Shrek Academy team. The referee was taken aback, the Tianling Academy players were furious, but the Shrek Academy players remained expressionless.

The referee, suppressing his surprise, said in a deep voice, "First round, elimination round, team battle. Both sides may use most soul tools in the competition. However, if one side concedes during the battle, the other side may not continue to attack. Soul masters cannot use high-damage equipment such as fixed soul tools in combat. Do you all understand?"

"Understood!" Beibei replied coldly as the captain of the preliminary team.

"Understood!" The captain of Tianling Academy, a tall and slender young man, replied, but his gaze remained fixed on the Shrek students, a slight unease creeping into his heart. Although the Shrek Academy students were all young, they were Shrek Academy! Wasn't Shrek Academy all about producing monsters? These young competitors might very well be a bunch of monsters!

See, this is the advantage of being famous. You don't even need to say anything; your opponents will automatically come up with a series of reasons for you.

The referee nodded and said, "Alright, both sides step back to the sides of the arena. The match will begin on my command. No one may release their Martial Soul before I announce the start. Otherwise, they will be disqualified."

The Shrek Academy members returned to the edge of the arena and formed a 1-2-4 formation, placing Huo Yuhao at the very front, with Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya behind him, followed by Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Cai Tou, and Wang Dong. Instantly, tens of thousands of eyes were fixed on Huo Yuhao. Everyone wanted to know what made this boy, who looked no more than thirteen or fourteen, qualified to represent Shrek Academy and stand at the very front!

With so many people watching him, Huo Yuhao naturally couldn't control his nervousness. However, when he thought of Zhu Ziyang's encouragement and Wang Yan's trust, his nervousness dissipated by most of it.

"Yuhao, it's up to you now!" Tang Ya, standing behind Huo Yuhao, could naturally sense his nervousness, so she spoke up to encourage him.

"I know!" Huo Yuhao said with a determined look in his eyes.

The arena was activated, and a soul power shield separated the world on and off the arena. The opposing Tianling Academy team adopted the traditional 3-2-1 formation, watching Shrek Academy members with bated breath. Huo Yuhao and the others, however, were still in the 1-2-4 formation. If Huo Yuhao were replaced by Ma Xiaotao or Zhu Ziyang, this formation would be a standard offensive assault lineup.

Unfortunately, Huo Yuhao is not Zhu Ziyang or Ma Xiaotao, and this lineup is not a strong offensive lineup. However, only the Shrek Academy students understand this, while the opponents and spectators all accept it.

Seeing that both sides had set up their formations, the referee announced loudly, "The match begins!"

As soon as the referee gave the whistle, everyone's eyes were glued to the two sides on the stage. The Tianling Academy team immediately released their martial souls and spirit rings; with four Soul Masters and three Soul Venerables, their overall strength was only average among all the academies. In contrast, Shrek Academy's behavior was quite puzzling. They didn't release their martial souls and spirit rings immediately, but instead focused their attention on the teammate at the very front.

All eyes turned to Huo Yuhao once again.

Ma Xiaotao and Zhu Ziyang, watching from below the stage, asked, "Do you think the plan will succeed?"

"I believe in Nannan!" Zhu Ziyang said with a faint smile.

On the arena, Huo Yuhao, under the spotlight, felt a sense of calm. Recalling Zhu Ziyang's teachings, he then made his move.

As Huo Yuhao moved, an indescribable terrifying aura suddenly appeared on the arena. The crimson light illuminated the entire arena in an instant, and a terrifying and powerful aura filled with majesty, coldness, and domineering force suddenly erupted.

Then, a scene that made everyone's eyes widen occurred. Five crimson spirit rings slowly rose from Huo Yuhao's body. The terrifying pressure unique to 100,000-year spirit rings instantly penetrated the spirit power shield and landed on the audience in the front row, causing their faces to turn pale instantly.

The aftershocks of a 100,000-year soul ring were terrifying, let alone the Tianling Academy team facing this pressure head-on. Almost simultaneously, all seven members were crushed by this terrifying pressure, their already weak fighting spirit collapsed completely, and they all stood frozen in place.

At this moment, Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya took action. Huo Yuhao had successfully completed the first step of the plan, and now it was their turn.

Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya simultaneously released their martial souls and soul rings. Tang Ya immediately unleashed her third soul skill, a skill derived from the Thousand-Year Life Grass soul ring, called Wrath of Life. Its effect was simple: it could enhance the power of one of her companions' soul skills by fifty percent.

The wrath of life fell upon Jiang Nannan, or more precisely, upon her fifth soul skill. As Tang Ya unleashed her third soul skill, Jiang Nannan simultaneously activated all her amplification skills: her first, third, and the soul skill derived from the Moon Shadow Rabbit's right leg bone. She instantly reached her maximum power level, then unleashed her fourth soul skill, rushing to the front of the Heavenly Spirit Academy team in the blink of an eye, her fifth soul ring gleaming brightly.

Jiang Nannan leaped into the air, a silver full moon appearing behind her. The moon emitted a soft yet cold silver glow, illuminating her like a Valkyrie in the moon. Then, she curled her right leg and straightened her left leg. The moonlight energy transformed into purple flames that gathered on her left calf and left foot. Finally, the entire silver moon embedded itself into her delicate body, bathing her in dreamlike moonlight. Like a giant arrow, she crashed into the Tianling Academy's team with the terrifying force of a falling meteor.

"boom--"

As Jiang Nannan landed, a loud bang followed, and the seven students from Tianling Academy finally regained their senses. However, it was too late. They had all been hit by Jiang Nannan's full-force attack, and none of them escaped. They were all injured and incapacitated.

The match ended just like that, in less than a minute. The crowd erupted in uproar, because it all happened so fast. They were still reeling from the terrifying power of five 100,000-year spirit rings, and the battle was over just like that. They hadn't even seen Jiang Nannan's cool aerial kick!

Only the other academies witnessed the entire event. Whether it was Huo Yuhao's five red spirit rings or Jiang Nannan's spirit skill that was powerful enough to defeat seven people with one kick, they looked at each other in shock and dismay.

"Referee, you can announce the result of the match now!" Huo Yuhao said coldly, feigning indifference, as Wang Yan had requested.

"Oh!" The referee, regaining his senses, exclaimed, "I declare Shrek Academy the winner!"

Ignoring the shouts of the audience, the Shrek academy members maintained their aloof demeanor, stepped off the stage, went to the rest area, and then left the arena with Zhu Ziyang and the other two. They didn't even want to stay and watch the match. Their arrogant and cold behavior made the audience exclaim, "This is Shrek Academy!"

Back at the hotel, everyone immediately dropped their pretense and burst into laughter. Tang Ya laughed and said, "Yuhao, you were so funny just now! I almost thought you were a hidden, aloof, domineering CEO!"

"Teacher Xiaoya, please stop teasing me, I'm so nervous!" Huo Yuhao said helplessly as Tang Ya teased him.

"Great job! Your imitation was very convincing. You successfully fooled everyone. Not bad, not bad!" Zhu Ziyang said with a smile, patting Huo Yuhao on the shoulder.

Zhu Ziyang and Wang Yan's plan was to intimidate their opponents by leveraging Shrek Academy's long-standing reputation and Huo Yuhao's second soul skill, Simulation. Once the opponents were intimidated, Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya would join forces to execute them. This way, they could defeat their opponents while also concealing information about other students to the greatest extent possible.

The specific steps involved having Huo Yuhao simulate a 100,000-year spirit ring. For a spirit master, nothing is more intimidating than a 100,000-year spirit ring. Although Huo Yuhao himself didn't have a 100,000-year spirit ring, Zhu Ziyang did. Therefore, the 100,000-year spirit ring that Huo Yuhao displayed on the stage was actually five spirit rings of Zhu Ziyang's Heavenly Frost Sacred White Dragon Martial Soul, simulated through his spirit skill.

Jiang Nannan, who was responsible for defeating the opponent, used her fifth soul skill, Silver Moon Charge Kick, which is a powerful group attack soul skill. She once kicked a 12,000-year-old soul beast to pieces in one move. Such powerful strength is also the reason why Zhu Ziyang chose to let her finish off the opponent. Combined with the auxiliary effect of Tang Ya's third soul skill, she delivered the amazing blow that amazed everyone just now.

I believe that after today, both Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan will be the subject of intense research by people from various academies, which is exactly what Wang Yan and Zhu Ziyang are happy to see.

(End of this chapter)