Douluo Continent: The Holy Evil Emperor.

Chapter 191 First Battle: One Punch Shatters the Champion's Dream

Xu Jiawei enjoys a high reputation in the Star Luo Empire, as evidenced by the deafening cheers from the audience in the Soul Arena, which sounded like a landslide and a tsunami.

They listened intently to Ye Qing's pre-match speech, which sounded as utterly meaningless as the principal's fart.

Whether this focus was genuine or not is another matter, but it certainly gave Xu Jiawei a lot of face and fully demonstrated the strength, prosperity, and peace of the Star Luo Empire.

"Brother Ye, it's our turn..." Ling Luochen, sitting behind Ye Qing, gently nudged his shoulder and whispered.

"Huh? Are you done talking?" Ye Qing wiped non-existent drool from the corner of his mouth and then looked up at the sky.

Good heavens, the sun is almost high in the sky, and Xu Jiawei's speech has lasted at least an hour. He's almost... no, he's already asleep. It's a good thing he wasn't sitting in the front row, otherwise tomorrow there would be news that Shrek Academy is disrespecting the Star Luo Imperial Power.

Seeing Ye Qing looking like he had just woken up, the others were also full of complaints.

Dai Yueheng, in particular, seemed hesitant to speak, but ultimately said nothing.

Never mind, let's just pretend we didn't see it.

As for Ye Qing, he felt no embarrassment at being caught slacking off. As long as he wasn't embarrassed, it was others who would be embarrassed. Besides, he wasn't openly slacking off, so it was all in the open and no one would gossip.

Looking up at the arena, the host, flapping a pair of cosplay wings, was enthusiastically introducing the competition rules. Just as Ling Luochen woke Ye Qing up, the host finished explaining the rules of the elimination rounds.

Next, naturally...

"For the first match of the knockout stage, please welcome the participants from both sides!"

"Let's go, let's finish this quickly." Ye Qing stood up from the sofa, stretched, waved to everyone, and then walked towards the contestant passage first.

The others followed behind him, their faces showing a degree of excitement.

After all, this is the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, a great place to make a name for themselves and the best stage to showcase their geniuses!

On the stage, the host had already stepped down, and a referee arranged by the Star Luo Empire had taken his place. Even while walking through the passageway, Ye Qing and the others could hear the referee's voice.

"The team members from Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy have all arrived. Next, let's welcome the top students on the continent, the members of the Shrek Academy team, to the stage!"

Just after the referee finished speaking, Ye Qing and the others walked out of the passage.

"Shrek!"

"Shrek!"

Shrek!!!

The cheers from the audience were even more overwhelming than when Xu Jiawei appeared. Even though Ye Qing was prepared, she was still taken aback by the sudden cheers.

Damn, Shrek Academy really knows how to spread its reputation!

At this moment, everyone's attention is focused on it!

After getting used to it for a bit, Ye Qing continued walking towards the arena with a smile on his face. "This is nothing. When you see my 100,000-year soul ring, you'll have your chance to shout."

To be honest, it's really exhilarating to be the center of attention, especially when you know everyone is waiting for you to show off and make a name for yourself. No wonder some loser always wants to look cool in front of everyone.

In the rest area, Huo Yuhao looked at Ye Qing and the other six as they walked onto the arena, and a hint of envy appeared in his eyes.

"This attitude... isn't this what I've always wanted?" Huo Yuhao murmured softly.

Even the rats in the sewers sometimes long for sunlight!

Hearing Huo Yuhao's mutterings, Zhang Lexuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, your time will come. Although with Qing around, we are confident of victory against any team, not every team is worth Qing's personal intervention."

"When you encounter a weaker team, you can play. This is a great stage to hone your skills."

Huo Yuhao was startled. He was speaking very softly; he never imagined that someone could hear him when he spoke so quietly.

Even though Zhang Lexuan's words were not malicious and even contained some comfort and encouragement, Huo Yuhao still felt like he had been dragged out of the sewer and exposed to the scorching sun, and his toes almost dug a sea god statue out of the ground.

He had only obtained his second martial soul and a 100,000-year soul ring and soul bone for two or three months, and had not yet developed any self-confidence.

Huo Yuhao was genuinely afraid of being criticized for being delusional.

Zhang Lexuan thought he just wanted to compete like everyone else, but in reality, he just wanted to shine as brightly as Ye Qing.

Huo Yuhao: That year, at the age of thirteen, during the Soul Battle Tournament, I stood like a nobody. At that time, I swore that everyone would see me!

On the arena.

The referee had finished explaining the rules, and the Shrek Team and the Celestial Spirit Team each took their places on opposite sides of the arena.

"I hereby declare the first match of the knockout stage, a team battle, officially begun!"

The entire Tianling team released their martial souls the instant the referee finished speaking, preparing for the highest level of alert. They had already turned pale when they learned that their first opponent was Shrek Academy.

This current behavior is just an attempt to avoid a humiliating defeat.

As for winning?

LOL, I never even considered that possibility.

Compared to the tense and anxious atmosphere on the Tianling team's side, Shrek's side seemed relaxed and comfortable. Everyone was still, except for Ye Qing, who slowly walked out of the queue.

Ma Xiaotao and the other six lined up behind Ye Qing, surrounding him in the middle. Ye Qing slightly opened his arms, and eight pure white wings instantly unfolded behind him. At this moment, even the sun in the sky seemed to lose its light.

One that glows is enough!

The dazzling light was almost blinding, but fortunately it didn't last long. As the light gradually dimmed, Ye Qing's invincible and terrifying spirit ring configuration slowly rose from his body.

Yellow, purple, black! Black! Red! Red!

A gentle breeze lifted his body up, making him float in mid-air. He had six spirit rings under his feet. At this moment, he was like a god!

"What?!...A 100,000-year soul ring!" Xu Jiawei, who was at the highest point, immediately stopped laughing, his eyes widened and he stood up in shock, his hands supporting him on the city wall as he exclaimed in disbelief.

He desperately wanted to convince himself that it was fake, that no soul master could absorb a 100,000-year soul ring with their fifth soul ring, but the two soul rings on Ye Qing's body were indeed releasing the aura of a 100,000-year soul ring, as well as the terrifying soul power fluctuations unique to 100,000-year soul rings!

The gasps from the audience never stopped; everyone stared with fervent eyes at Ye Qing, who seemed like a true god above the arena.

At this moment... the whole world is focused on him!

None of the civil and military officials of the Star Luo Empire could speak; everyone's actions were so standard: raise their hands and rub their eyes!

Even after they put their hands down, Ye Qing's two 100,000-year soul rings still exuded a terrifying aura and sky-piercing blood light!

The seven members of the Tianling team were so terrified they wet themselves on the spot, huddled together, trembling.

To be honest, Ye Qing didn't quite understand how Huo Yuhao could use a thousand-year-old simulated soul skill to simulate the aura of a hundred-thousand-year-old soul ring and make it look so real. It was simply unrealistic.

Ultimately, aura depends on an individual's ability. Given Huo Yuhao's strength, he can only simulate color at most. With his mental and soul power, how did he manage to make the soul ring almost indistinguishable from the real thing? How can one make an aura look real if their mental power is insufficient?

Ye Qing still can't understand it. Under normal circumstances, shouldn't someone with a higher mental strength than Huo Yuhao be able to sense this aura that is strong on the outside but weak on the inside?

He could only conceal the color of his spirit ring and suppress its aura, but he couldn't make his spirit ring's aura stronger.

The mere simulated soul skill of the Thousand-Year Ice Silkworm...

I can't figure it out, I really can't figure it out.

Ye Qing glanced down at his soul ring, then at the hundreds of thousands of people in the audience who were grinning from ear to ear, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

The show has been over long enough; to maintain a certain level of mystery, it's time to bring it to a close.

He pointed one finger to the sky, and his fifth spirit ring suddenly lit up. The intense light even shrouded the entire arena in a bloody hue, and his already powerful aura rose even higher. Everyone felt the unparalleled pressure of the 100,000-year spirit ring.

"A 100,000-year-old soul skill! It's a 100,000-year

"Wow! I never expected the Shrek Academy students to use a 100,000-year-old soul skill in their very first match! This is unbelievable!"

"The strongest member of the Heavenly Spirit Team is only a Soul Master, right? If this expert from Shrek Academy uses a 100,000-year-old Soul Skill on them, isn't that like using a level-nine fixed-position Soul Guidance Cannon to swat a mosquito?"

"Hey, who cares if it's like using a cannon to kill a mosquito? Just tell me if you want to see the power of a 100,000-year-old soul skill!"

"I want to see it!"

"Want to see +1"

"Want to see +10086"

……

The audience was stunned, while the members of the Tianling team looked ashen-faced.

"Big brother, aren't you giving us too much credit? Using a 100,000-year-old soul skill against us, isn't that making a mountain out of a molehill?" The young captain of the Heavenly Spirit Team forced an ugly smile and asked, on the verge of tears.

Ye Qing grinned: "No, no, no, as my first opponents in this competition, I feel it's necessary for me to give you the highest level of respect and let you experience my true strength!"

"Ah, this..." Captain Tianling wanted to say something, but Ye Qing's soul skill had already been successfully condensed.

Countless dazzling arrows coalesced in the sky into a thick golden 'cloud,' each arrow carrying an incomparably sharp edge. Even before they fell, the seven members of the Heavenly Spirit Team who were locked onto felt a stinging sensation on their skin.

The death threat of being locked by a 100,000-year-old soul skill caused the other six people, except for Captain Tianling, to kneel down directly before Ye Qing, their legs going weak.

This scene is strikingly similar to God judging sinners, while the sinners kneel and beg for forgiveness.

"Holy... Rain of a Thousand Blades!" Ye Qing softly uttered the name of the soul skill, as if the true God were giving the final judgment to sinners.

Endless arrows of light rained down from the sky the instant Ye Qing finished speaking, covering the entire arena from all angles!

Holy crap, are you serious?!

Captain Tianling's pupils constricted. He had thought Ye Qing was just bluffing and wouldn't actually use his soul skill, but he hadn't expected him to use it without saying a word.

This is a 100,000-year-old soul skill! If they were hit solidly, the seven of them probably wouldn't even be left with ashes.

"We surrender!!!" Captain Tianling let out a shriek, his body reflexively raising his hands high in a perfectly standard French military salute.

As for the referee?

The Soul Saint referee stared blankly at the Divine Thousand Blades Rain falling, but he couldn't move an inch. Not to mention the seven members of the Heavenly Spirit Team, even he, the referee, felt the threat of death under this Soul Skill.

save people?

What can be done to save us?

If he dares to go and rescue people, not only will he fail to save them, but he himself will probably lose his life!

Fortunately, Xingluo City doesn't only have him as a referee; there are others who can step in even if his strength is insufficient.

A dazzling starlight shone on the arena, which then formed an inverted bowl-shaped starlight shield, enveloping the seven members of the Tianling team.

Immediately afterward, the endless arrows formed by the Divine Rain of Blades landed instantly, engulfing the entire arena in a powerful explosion. Smoke and dust billowed everywhere, and the arena was unsurprisingly shattered into pieces by the explosion. Outside the protective shield, in areas not covered by smoke and dust, everyone could see terrifying cracks spreading from the top of the arena, even tearing the hard ground outside the arena into fragments.

At this moment, no one will doubt the authenticity of Ye Qing's soul ring color.

Because he demonstrated the terrifying power of a 100,000-year soul skill to everyone through his actions, even a Soul Saint-level referee dared not save someone under the influence of a 100,000-year soul skill!

When the smoke and dust filled the arena, making it impossible for anyone to see what was happening, attention naturally shifted to other places, to the most eye-catching spot.

One meter above the linked shield, an elderly man with white hair, dressed in a purple robe, stood quietly, radiating beautiful starlight.

Of course, this is not enough to draw people's attention to him. The main reason people pay attention to him is the nine spirit rings he is standing on!

Two yellow, two purple, and five black—titled Douluo!

In order to save the lives of the seven members of the Tianling Team under Ye Qing's command, a Soul Saint referee was not enough; only a Title Douluo could do it. This further confirms the authenticity of Ye Qing's Soul Ring.

At this moment, all the spectators once again erupted in thunderous cheers and applause.

Meanwhile, the other 131 teams watching the match turned pale. Their fighting spirit, which had been gradually rising since the start of the match, was extinguished on the spot by Ye Qing's 100,000-year soul skill.

Their championship dreams were shattered by Ye Qing's single punch!

On the arena, the smoke and dust suddenly dissipated, and Ye Qing retracted his right hand that had been swung out, flapped his wings and fell from the sky, his clothes not even a little dirty.

"I'm right here. Please welcome the next genius Soul Master to come and challenge me!"

(End of this chapter)