Douluo: The Glory of the Peerless Angel

Chapter 109 The Return of Ten Thousand Blades to One: The Blazing Emperor's Slash - Genius is merely an admission ticket to see me (Part 1)

"Teacher Wang, are we really going to be allowed to participate in the knockout stage?"

The person who asked this question was Huo Yuhao. He and Wang Dongning were the youngest in the class, and they were a little afraid that if the reserve team lost the elimination round, the number one academy on the continent would be eliminated in the first round, and they would probably never be able to hold their heads high again.

Wang Yan smiled wryly and said, "It's pretty much a sure thing. We'll have Ling Bai lead six substitutes in the knockout stage. As long as we don't encounter the four royal academies or a few particularly powerful academies, winning shouldn't be a problem."

By the way, we are the defending champions, and we will be the first to play in the opening match of the tournament the day after tomorrow.

Upon hearing this, the reserve team members' faces immediately tensed up. Even though they hadn't even taken the field yet, they felt an invisible pressure, like a mountain, pressing down on them and making it hard to breathe. They couldn't help but lick their dry lips.

"Squeak—"

The door to Shrek Academy's conference room was suddenly pushed open, and Ling Bai walked in, carrying two large bags of colorful fruit. He calmly said:

"I heard noises coming from inside when I passed by; you guys were much faster than I expected."

"Brother Bai, where did you go?" Ning Tian asked curiously.

"We're buying local specialties," Ling Bai said matter-of-factly. "The Star Luo Empire is located in the south, and the fruit there is much sweeter than in other places. Here, would you like some?"

Two large bags of fruit were piled in the center of the round table in the conference room. Wang Yan and the reserve team looked on with mixed feelings of amusement and exasperation. They were as anxious as ants on a hot plate, but this guy actually had the leisure to go out shopping for fruit.

They particularly admired Ling Bai's mentality; even though Shrek Academy was on the verge of collapse, he remained calm and composed.

"Xiao Tian, ​​have a Blue Spirit Fruit."

Ignoring the various expressions on the faces of the crowd, Ling Bai picked out the largest and most vibrant blue fruit and calmly handed it to Ning Tian.

"Forehead……"

Ning Tian held the blue spirit fruit, her face slightly flushed. She was embarrassed to eat it alone, and the atmosphere didn't seem suitable for eating.

Wang Yan scratched his head, sighed, and said, "Ling Bai, you're back just in time. The elimination rounds will be decided by a single team battle. Shrek Academy's strategy revolves around you. Who would you like to play alongside you?"

Ling Bai was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Teacher Wang, the elimination rounds are for the regular team members. Since Xiao Tao and Yue Heng are temporarily unable to fight, then it's the same if I fight alone."

"What?!"

Wang Yan's eyes widened, and he slammed his hand on the table with a loud bang, startling the reserve team. Their expressions twisted as they exclaimed, "This is too childish! You don't just represent yourself, you represent the eternal reputation of Shrek Academy! If we lose, who will bear the responsibility?!"

"We'll resist!"

As soon as the words fell, three figures slowly walked into the conference room: Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochen, the three main members of the Shrek Seven Devils!

Despite her still-healing injuries and pale face, this did not diminish the domineering aura of the Evil Fire Phoenix. With just a glance, Wang Yan's anger instantly subsided. Ma Xiaotao said in a deep voice:

"The Soul Master Tournament is the home ground of the Shrek Seven Devils. As long as there is one member of the main team who can fight, the reserve team will not be made to bear responsibilities that they should not have to bear at this age!"

On behalf of the main team, I unconditionally support Ling Bai's decision. If he loses the elimination round, the four of us will share the responsibility. Teacher Wang Yan, you and the reserve team don't need to worry about the elimination round. You've had a long and tiring journey, please go back to your room and rest early!

"That's right," Dai Yueheng added. "Ling Bai is the strongest among everyone present, and he has the right to decide the fate of Shrek Academy."

"They were using all my words," Ling Luochen said quietly.

"You...you all..."

Seeing the three stubborn mules in front of him, Wang Yan was so angry that he almost had a heart attack. His body trembled and he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

"Teacher Wang, have some fruit to cool down."

Ling Bai kindly handed over a red, sweet and spicy fruit, and said with a smile, "Think about it from another angle. If I can't handle a team, sending in the reserves is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. It's better to create a smokescreen, and I can go on the field alone to cover up the fact that the main players are injured."

This makes sense. Wang Yan began to think. In the previous opening matches, Shrek Academy would send out its main players to crush the opponents with overwhelming force, demonstrating the prestige of the number one academy on the continent.

The reserve team barely managed to defeat the enemy after a fierce battle, which easily led people to suspect that there was a problem with the main team. More importantly, he realized that due to his own weakness, he was unable to command the four main team members at all. Especially today, he finally saw Ling Bai's true colors. He usually appeared gentle and refined, but in reality, he was the most arrogant among them, directly declaring that he would take on an entire team one-on-one.

"It's settled then, Ling Bai will go alone."

Ma Xiaotao didn't give Wang Yan a chance to refute, reaching out to grab Ling Bai's sleeve. Then, she turned and left the meeting room with Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen, leaving the reserve team staring at each other. Xu Sanshi nudged the stunned Bei Bei with his elbow and said with a grin:

"Xiao Bei, what are you thinking about?"

Beibei brushed the pig's trotter off Xu Sanshi's plate, stared at the closed conference room door, and said wistfully:

"I'm just a little dazed. I met Ling Bai a little earlier than you guys. I was the one who brought him into Shrek Academy. I just realized something. He's actually younger than all of us, about the same age as Yuhao, Wang Dongning, and Tian.

"We wouldn't let the reserve team bear responsibilities that someone their age shouldn't have to, but Ling Bai voluntarily took on that responsibility all by himself."

Xu Sanshi's smile faded: "So... you've realized the difference now?"

"Yeah, it's really disheartening to have a monster among your peers. But you have to admit... with him carrying the load, the burden on our reserve team seems lighter. Maybe this is what they call an easy win..."

"What nonsense! What kind of talk is that!"

Xu Sanshi declared righteously, "Who won by doing nothing? The cheerleaders are exhausted!"

"Get lost, you shameless bastard!"

Whoosh! Whoosh!

On the other side, the three main members moved with lightning speed, dragging Ling Bai into Ma Xiaotao's room. The three of them formed a semicircle, staring intently at Ling Bai, giving off a feeling of a mother disciplining her son.

Ma Xiaotao suddenly grabbed Ling Bai's shoulders, her stunning face almost touching his, and said seriously, "You promise us you must win the elimination rounds!"

The woman's warm breath brushed against his face, but Ling Bai felt no romantic feelings whatsoever. He asked strangely, "No, do you even believe me...?"

Dai Yueheng cleared his throat and said seriously, "The Seven Devils are one. We'll definitely support you outside, but behind closed doors, let's all speak the truth. The elimination rounds are about the reputation of the academy and us personally. You must win, and you must win beautifully. We know you're definitely hiding a lot of trump cards. Show us what secret techniques of the Angel Clan you have in the opening match!"

"What if I draw one of the four Royal Academies in the opening match and lose?" Ling Bai joked. Considering the excitement of the tournament and political reasons, the seeded teams will not meet in the first round, and even the round-robin matches will be deliberately divided into different groups until the quarterfinals.

The three of them actually took the joke seriously. After exchanging glances, they said in unison, "Then the three of us will kill you first, and then jump off the top floor of the Star Emperor Hotel, going to the Yellow Springs together, all neat and tidy!"

"...Fine, fine, you guys win!"

Ling Bai wiped the spittle off his face and said, "Speaking of which, I can handle the knockout stage by myself. The main event is the round-robin tournament. I will do my best in the individual and team battles, but the 2-2-3 formation is best-of-three and I can't play twice. No matter how strong I am, I can only win one game. This will be a tough test for the reserve team."

When will the three of you be fully recovered and able to relieve some of the pressure on the reserve team?

Ma Xiaotao crossed her arms and gave a precise timeframe: "Twelve days of full-fledged recuperation."

Dai Yueheng replied, "My cultivation is inferior to Xiao Tao's, by about fifteen days."

Ling Luochen said calmly, "There weren't many corpses around me at the time, so the damage from the corpse explosion was relatively minor, lasting about seven days."

After a quick calculation, Ling Bai confidently told Ling Luochen, "You should be able to play in the third round of the round-robin tournament. It's only two rounds. I'll draw the lots myself, and I'm sure you won't get 2-2-3."

Ling Luochen frowned: "I heard your luck seems to be a bit..."

"stop!"

A slender index finger stopped Ling Luochen from uttering the harsh words he was about to say, and Ling Bai slowly but resolutely shook his head:

"Stop talking, it'll be impolite if you do."

Ling Luochen: ...

At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight pierced through Xingluo City, this ancient imperial city with a history of ten thousand years exuded an aura of solemnity.

The streets surrounding Xingluo Square were completely blocked off by soldiers in bright armor. As the accommodation area for contestants from various academies, Xingluo Emperor attached great importance to the Xinghuang Hotel and dispatched thousands of soldiers to guard it.

Spectators from all over the mainland arrived early at the stands, eagerly anticipating the event. The crowd was so dense it was almost overwhelming, and many contestants felt immense pressure upon seeing them. The young geniuses under the age of twenty maintained their composure and gracefully walked into the rest and preparation areas belonging to their respective academies around the square.

A giant arena was built in the center of Xingluo Square, with 108 metal pillars erected around its edges. These metal pillars are a kind of soul-guided shield. 108 high-level soul masters constantly inject soul power to form a protective shield to prevent soul skills from overflowing and avoid harming innocent people or damaging the city.

Emperor Xu Jiawei of Xingluo, dressed in a bright yellow robe, arrived at the viewing platform with his empress and civil and military officials. His gaze, gentle yet authoritative, swept over his people as he delivered his pre-match speech:

"The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament is a grand event held every five years on the Douluo Continent, and I am delighted that this year's tournament is being hosted by the Star Luo Empire. On behalf of the Star Luo Empire, I welcome all the academies that have traveled from afar, and I hope that you will demonstrate your true prowess during the month-long tournament."

I hereby declare the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament open!

With Emperor Xu Jiawei of Xingluo making a passionate announcement, the curtain was officially raised on this grand ceremony on the continent. Representatives from various student groups took turns drawing lots to determine their opponents for the first round of elimination matches, secretly praying that they would not encounter Shrek Academy or any of the major royal academies.

The tournament referees confirmed the matchup and announced via amplified soul tools: "The first match of the elimination rounds features Shrek Academy, the number one academy on the continent, which has won all the major tournaments in the Douluo Continent for the past ten thousand years, against the Heavenly Spirit Advanced Soul Master Academy of the Battle Spirit Empire. Please bring your contestants to the stage!"

"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"

On the Douluo Continent, both commoners and soul masters share a deep admiration for strength. Shrek Academy's millennia-long glory perfectly embodies this. For other academies, the Soul Master Competition is generally just a competition for second place. Before the rise of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, the three former empires couldn't even find a worthy opponent.

As soon as the referee team announced the news, the atmosphere in the entire Star Luo Square immediately reached its peak. The shouts of Shrek Academy echoed in almost every corner of the square. As for that so-called Heavenly Spirit Advanced Soul Master Academy, it was just a stepping stone for Shrek Academy to warm up the atmosphere, and no one cared about them at all.

In the back of the contestants' area, a group of pale-faced youths walked out, trembling with fear, wishing they could quit the competition on the spot. When they stood on the competition field, they suddenly found that there was only one figure on the other side.

The radiance transformed into a golden veil, draped over the slowly approaching youth, its soft light illuminating his handsome face with a delicate, oil-painting quality. Just looking at him seemed to banish all the surrounding noise.

His face was devoid of any extraneous expression as he calmly ascended the platform, step by step.

We're doomed to lose.

An indescribable sense of loss filled the hearts of the seven people.

"Xiao Hongchen, look! Doesn't he look like your future brother-in-law!"

In the rest area of ​​the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, Meng Hongchen excitedly held Xiao Hongchen's hand.

Xiao Hongchen shook his head, speechless, and said, "Wait a minute, sis, you've been scolding me like a son for two days, calling me a big pervert and a love-struck idiot! What's going on? I need a perfect explanation!"

"Explain your idiot! Handsome, look here!"

Meng Hongchen waved frantically at Ling Bai. Both siblings were attracted to good looks and couldn't resist the opposite sex who appealed to their tastes.

The rest area of ​​the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy was very close to the competition stage, and Ling Bai clearly heard Meng Hongchen's shouts. He thought to himself that trouble was indeed coming again.

Even though she didn't want to admit it, the Six-Winged Angel and the Goddess of Light Butterfly were both Light-type Martial Souls, and Ling Bai and Wang Dong had a similar aura. The difference was that Ling Bai's golden hair and golden eyes were more in line with people's fantasies about light, and Ling Bai looked more mature than Wang Dong. Meng Hongchen naturally couldn't take her eyes off him, and was even more excited.

"Shut up!"

A sharp shout suddenly rang out, and Elder Ma, an eighth-level Soul Master, pointed at the upright figure on the stage, his thick eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown:

"Shrek isn't stupid. The fact that they dared to send only one student to compete in a single-elimination tournament already says two things."

First, this student is incredibly strong; he once easily achieved a complete one-against-seven victory.

Secondly, Shrek Academy was unwilling to prematurely reveal the abilities of its other team members, using him to attract the attention of its competitors.

"Laughing at the Mortal World, Dreaming of the Mortal World, you two won't appear before the finals. You're our trump card, so be sure to observe his abilities carefully!"

(End of this chapter)