Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

"Boom!" In an instant, the earth shook.

More than one-eighth of the edge of the playing platform instantly turned to dust and completely collapsed.

The protective shield on this side surged violently with light, and more than twenty of the Soul Masters maintaining the shield simultaneously coughed up blood.

On the collapsed ground, a huge silver-white palm print was imprinted on the spot, the area where it was struck was flat and smooth, as if it had been cast with molten copper.

Within this palm print, there were two places that hadn't collapsed. These included Huo Yuhao, and Zheng Zhan, the Unbreakable Douluo who stood in front of him, protecting him with his silver shield.

Zheng Zhan's arm trembled slightly. A barely perceptible look of horror flashed in his eyes.

As a Title Douluo, he should have been able to completely crush a Soul Saint. However, the downward strike of that palm just now made him understand why the Body Sect was so powerful.

Zheng Zhan could clearly tell that even if he reached the eighth ring of cultivation, he would never be able to unleash such a powerful palm strike without using a soul tool.

Even those Soul Masters who specialize in cultivating Martial Souls may not be this terrifying when they reach the eighth ring without using their Martial Soul True Body.

This is the power of the original martial soul!

"I have already paid the pledge of loyalty you mentioned."

Long Aotian stopped staring directly at Kong Tianxu, calmed his breathing, and slowly withdrew his stance.

He didn't say anything, but quietly took off a brass ring, closed his eyes, and began to meditate on the spot.

To be fair, I didn't win this match easily.

Long Aotian knew very well that without this teleportation ring with its own mental shielding properties, he would have had to suffer either the exposure of his sixth soul skill or the greater drain on his energy.

Soul tools have actually developed to this extent?

After this battle, even a staunch supporter of the idea that martial souls are stronger than soul tools, like Long Aotian, couldn't help but waver.

"Hey!"

"Hmm?" Long Aotian opened his eyes and looked at Huo Yuhao, who was coming off the stage but had called out to him.

"You keep looking at him," Huo Yuhao gestured towards Kong Tianxu's direction with his lips, blood seeping from his sunken nose. "It seems we have the same goal. Today, whoever wins the final battle, we'll continue the competition. To better preserve our strength to deal with the enemies later, how about we go straight into team battles?"

Long Aotian remained silent, then turned and left.

"What do you mean? Give me a straight answer!" Huo Yuhao frowned and shouted.

Long Aotian stopped in his tracks.

"He is not my enemy,"

"You are no match for me either."

"Whichever way you choose to lose, it's up to you."

……

“Arrogant,” Wang Qiu’er coldly concluded, then looked at Huo Yuhao, “Why aren’t you continuing to compete in the individual matches?”

Huo Yuhao said while rubbing his nose:

"This Long Aotian is too strong. Even if we wear him down, we are very likely to lose all our fighting power. There are other strong people in the Body Sect. My third senior brother and I have already been greatly weakened."

"But I also discovered their problem, which is the soul tool. Many times, even though using the invincible shield would have achieved a better effect, Long Aotian never used the soul tool. So, in team battles, we focused on this point."

Chapter 286 Best Sisters? A Victory Exploded Instantly?

After some discussion, everyone accepted Huo Yuhao's decision. Faced with Long Aotian's overwhelming individual strength, a team battle was indeed the best way to leverage Shrek Academy's overall advantages.

Only Wang Qiu'er's eyes still held a hint of resentment.

Jiang Nannan suddenly reached out and tightly grasped Wang Qiu'er's hand, the movement as practiced as if she had done it a thousand times.

Wang Qiu'er stiffened slightly, her body instinctively wanting to pull back, but then she heard Jiang Nannan say softly:

"Qiu'er, let's fight together. For Shrek's glory, we will definitely win!"

Her hand was held tightly by Jiang Nannan. Those slender hands, which were usually used to holding guns and clenching fists, seemed somewhat at a loss at this moment.

Wang Qiu'er was already used to being alone, used to crushing everything with her strength, and used to standing alone at the top and looking down.

But at this moment, the warmth from his palm and the earnestness in his eyes made her heart feel as if it had been gently struck by something soft.

“Yes, we besties together will definitely win!” Xiao Xiao came over with a grin and took Jiang Nannan’s other hand, the three of them forming a line.

A strange feeling, one that she had never experienced before, quietly began to grow in Wang Qiu'er's heart.

This is the bond between Shrek's Glory, this is... true sisterhood?

A barely perceptible ripple flickered in Wang Qiu'er's cool eyes. Her lips moved, but she ultimately did not utter a word of refusal.

She turned her head away, her voice still cold, but it lacked some of the aloofness she usually conveyed.

"Hmm... I understand."

On the other side, in the Snow Demon Sect's waiting area.

Long Aotian sat on a reclining chair, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing. Vina whispered something beside him, her fingertips occasionally emitting soft halos that fell upon him.

A moment later, Long Aotian opened his eyes, his narrow pupils slowly sweeping over Vina with a complex expression.

“Vina, it seems I was wrong before. The power of soul tools is far greater than I imagined. No wonder Master made that choice.”

Vina smiled bitterly: "Yes? Otherwise, why would Father insist on expelling me from the Heavenly Soul Royal Family? Perhaps this is the best outcome."

Long Aotian nodded, then turned his gaze to the other five people in the waiting area and said in a deep voice, "Have you all learned how to use the things that the sect leader sent over?"

The five nodded in unison, their eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.

Vina smiled slightly: "The sect leader said that the fusion of my Divine Favor lineage's original martial soul and soul tool will surely shock the world. Today, let Shrek Academy be the first witness."

Long Aotian stood up, his fair skin faintly visible beneath his skin.

"Then let them see what the strongest form of the original martial soul truly is."

"With the agreement reached by both teams, the second match of the third round will be changed from an individual elimination match to a team match. Team members, please come to the stage!"

Zheng Zhan's booming voice resounded throughout the arena via the amplified soul tool, instantly igniting the already noisy audience. The individual matches were already this exciting; what sparks would the team battles ignite?

On Shrek's side, seven figures filed out. When everyone saw He Caitou being pushed onto the competition stage in a wheelchair, a buzz of discussion arose throughout the stands.

"This...this is too outrageous! A cripple in a wheelchair can actually fight in a team battle?"

"Is Shrek Academy out of people?"

A murmur arose, but He Caitou paid no heed. His wheelchair, large and heavy, made entirely of metal, made a dull thud as its four wheels landed steadily.

He rested his hands on the armrests, looking calm, but the hatred in his eyes was hard to quell.

These are the ignorant people under the rule of Xu Guoyi and Xu Tianran... Very good.

Zheng Zhan frowned as he glanced at the extravagantly designed wheelchair, but said nothing, only waving his hand to signal both sides to prepare.

"Both parties share the same name."

"Shrek, Wang Qiu'er."

"Shrek, and Radish."

"Shrek, Xu Sanshi."

"Shrek, Jiang Nannan."

"Shrek, Xiao Xiao."

"Shrek, Huo Yuhao."

"Shrek, Wang Dong'er."

the other side.

"Snow Demon Sect, Long Aotian."

"Snow Demon Sect, Vina."

"Snow Demon Sect, Wang Yanfeng."

"Snow Demon Sect, Gu Tong."

"Snow Demon Sect, Jiang Yixi."

"Snow Demon Sect, Chen Lu."

"Snow Demon Sect, Chen Yu."

Besides the relatively familiar Long Aotian and Vina, among the other five members of the Snow Demon Sect, the ones who could attract Huo Yuhao's attention the most were Wang Yanfeng, Chen Lu, and Chen Yu.

Unlike Long Aotian and his group, they weren't wearing standard tight-fitting white team uniforms. Instead, they were wrapped in cloaks. The young man named Chen Yu was even a bit hunched over, with his body slightly bent, but his eyes were very sharp.

Huo Yuhao habitually used his mental detection to probe the other party's strength and weakness.

However, the moment their mental energy made contact, it was like a clay ox sinking into the sea, without any response whatsoever.

Huo Yuhao frowned slightly.

The two sides stood in two rows, dozens of meters apart, observing each other. An invisible tension filled the air, as if it would explode at any moment.

"Game start!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Shrek's formation immediately unfolded.

Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong'er, and Wang Qiu'er charged ahead, forming a trident-like formation that subtly surrounded Long Aotian, clearly targeting the strongest member of the Body Sect.

Jiang Nannan, Xiao Xiao, and the out-of-form Xu Sanshi stayed in the rear to provide support, maintaining a formation that could provide assistance at any time.

He Caitou's wheelchair came to a steady stop in place, his hands resting on the armrests, his eyes gleaming.

On the Snow Demon Sect's side, Long Aotian took the lead, a bright white light flowing around him, and his aura of oneness with heaven and man instantly enveloped the entire area.

Behind him, Wang Yanfeng and Chen Lu followed closely on either side, Gu Tong and Jiang Yixi were on either side, and Chen Yu was at the very back.

Something could be vaguely seen colliding beneath their cloaks, with occasional metallic clanging sounds.

Just as the two were about to collide, He Caitou made a move.

He gently patted the armrests with both hands, and a series of dense metallic friction sounds were heard. Dozens of metal mechanical arms extended from the four legs of the wheelchair at the same time.

The robotic arm, with its sharp, cone-shaped tip, pierced through the reinforced metal platform in an instant, embedding itself deeply and firmly fixing the entire wheelchair to the ground.

Each robotic arm was shimmering with complex soul-guiding array patterns, and a massive surge of soul power instantly spread out.