The Glory of the Sun and Moon in the Peerless Tang Sect

Seeing Xu Sanshi's pitiful appearance, everyone couldn't help but find it amusing, and their tense mood eased considerably.

However, the scene looked quite different to the participants from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, who were glancing at Shrek Academy from time to time.

"How arrogant Shrek Academy is." Xiao Hongchen narrowed his eyes and looked at the competition stage again.

"Let me see what gives you your confidence."

With Xu Jiawei's permission, the prime minister nodded to the referee, who then mobilized his soul power and said in a deep voice.

"Both sides, step back to the sides of the arena and await my instructions to begin the match. Before I announce the start, no one is allowed to release their Martial Soul; otherwise, they will be immediately disqualified."

The two sides separated, and the referee, standing in the center of the field, slowly raised his right hand. The Xingluo Square, packed with spectators, instantly fell silent.

They and Xiao Hongchen shared the same thought: they wanted to know where Shrek Academy's confidence in taking on seven opponents single-handedly came from.

In an instant, hundreds of thousands of eyes in the entire arena focused on Xu Zihuang alone.

"The match begins!" the referee shouted.

The participants from Thousand Spirits Advanced Soul Master Academy, who maintained the same formation as before, released their martial souls almost as soon as the referee announced the start.

The four Spirit Shield Soul Masters standing at the front shone with a dark yellow light. Due to the release of their Martial Souls, the muscles on their already exceptionally strong bodies bulged wildly. Their skin was covered with a layer of dark yellow luster.

The most significant change was in their right arms; the muscles on their forearms seemed to writhe, growing out a shield that was also a dark yellow color. The shield was covered with layers of thick keratin.

Four shields, each a meter in diameter, formed an impenetrable wall, shielding Shen Ce and his companions behind them.

An Lengye and Fei Yuyan both possessed beast-type martial souls, but their bodies did not exhibit the changes that occur when possessed by a beast-type martial soul master. Instead, a frosty blue ice bear and a fiery red tiger with black stripes appeared before them, respectively.

But the one whose momentum surged the most was Shen Ce, the team leader.

He opened his arms, making a gesture of embracing. Immediately afterwards, a dazzling silver light rose up from behind him.

A two-headed spear, twelve feet long and entirely silver, appeared in the silver light and landed steadily in his right hand. Rising from beneath his feet were five spirit rings—two yellow and three purple—which then slowly undulated around the Thousand Strike Spear.

As a Soul King level expert, Shen Ce's aura after releasing his Martial Soul was already astonishing. However, on this competition stage, he was still being relentlessly suppressed by Xu Zihuang.

purple!

purple!

purple!

black!

Four spirit rings, far exceeding conventional understanding, appeared one after another around Xu Zihuang. With each appearance of a spirit ring, the gasps of astonishment from the crowd grew louder and louder.

A surge of violent soul power suddenly swept over.

What shocked everyone present was not Xu Zihuang's Soul Master level cultivation, but the bizarre soul ring ratio.

The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament has been held for tens of thousands of years, and there has never been a case of anyone having a first soul ring that is at the thousand-year level.

Among the 108 Soul Kings who were in charge of the soul-guided shield, several were a beat too slow to react, causing the shield to fail to take shape for a long time.

Xu Zihuang's golden eyes had strange, obscure patterns and swirling halos in the center.

Shen Ce was the first to react, loudly reminding him, "He's just a Soul Master, don't panic!"

He was also surprised by Xu Zihuang's soul ring configuration.

"As expected of Shrek Academy, which is known for cultivating monsters. But if you think you can face our entire team with only the cultivation of a Soul Master, you are seriously underestimating us."

Shen Ce was the first to react, but An Lengye was the first to activate his soul skill.

Under her control, the Frost Bear strode forward, its two yellow spirit rings lighting up simultaneously.

As fellow control-type Soul Masters, how could An Lengye possibly gain the upper hand against Xu Zihuang?

A magnificent purple aura emanated from Xu Zihuang's second spirit ring, and Xu Zihuang's gaze sharpened. The next instant, strange dark red ripples enveloped the entire area.

"Second Soul Skill, Mirror Annihilation."

A calm voice rang out, and all seven students from the Thousand Spirits Advanced Soul Master Academy, including Shen Ce, were enveloped in a thick layer of dark red crystal.

The sharply angled, dark red crystal refracts a dazzling halo of light, like a mirror.

The previously silent scene was replicated once again.

Instant kill?

The crowd was stunned for a moment, and then the whole place erupted in cheers that shook the heavens once again.

Shrek!

Shrek!

"..."

Countless spectators were flushed, their excitement palpable.

Xu Zihuang perfectly illustrated why Shrek Academy is known as the number one academy on the continent. A Soul Master, he instantly killed six students from Thousand Spirits Advanced Soul Master Academy, who were also Soul Masters, and even a Soul King.

How could this not make them feel excited?

It took Shen Ce a full one or two seconds to break free from the dark red crystal. The first three of the five spirit rings on the Thousand Strike Spear flashed in succession, and his face was extremely ugly as he held the Thousand Strike Spear.

The other one to break free was An Lengye. An icy blue halo shone on her smooth, fair forehead, and the strange fluctuations of her soul power allowed many knowledgeable soul masters present to discern its secrets.

Without a doubt, An Lengye possessed a head soul bone. But even with the power of the head soul bone, it took her a fraction of a second longer to break free than Shen Ce.

As for the other five participants from the Thousand Spirits Advanced Soul Master Academy, they showed no sign of breaking through the dark red crystal.

Xu Zihuang's second soul skill originated from the powerful innate soul skill of the Demonic Tiger Whale, and was later enhanced to five thousand years with the primordial power provided by the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm.

With his current cultivation level, even a Soul Master of the same level would find it extremely difficult to break free on their own unless their Martial Soul was exceptionally powerful or they possessed special abilities. An Lengye only managed to break free thanks to the power of his Soul Bone.

The reason why Xu Zihuang's second soul skill was not too powerful was simply because the opponents he had faced in the past were too strong.

The Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Human-Faced Demon Spider, Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei who awakened their Light Holy Dragon bloodline and Xuanwu bloodline respectively, and the inner disciples of Shrek Academy.

At this moment, the power of Mirror Annihilation was fully revealed when facing the relatively ordinary soul masters from Thousand Spirits Advanced Soul Master Academy.

Xu Zihuang's expression remained unchanged, as if he had only done something insignificant.

He flicked a strand of purple hair that fell across his high, straight nose with his right hand, and his cool, noble gaze fell on Shen Ce.

"I'm giving you one last chance. Use your strongest attack. I hope you won't disappoint me."

The Soul Kings who were hosting the event were a little slow in their movements, and the Soul Guidance Shield had not yet fully enveloped the arena. The audience also fell silent again after Shen Ce and An Lengye broke through Xu Zihuang's Soul Skill one after another.

Although Xu Zihuang's voice was not loud, it was clearly audible to everyone.

This statement sounded arrogant, but everyone felt it was only natural and their hearts were filled with excitement.

Witnessing today's match alone made the trip worthwhile. Shrek Academy is still Shrek Academy, a mountain that no advanced Soul Master or Soul Master Academy can easily surpass.

On Shrek Academy's side, the inner court disciples were also astonished by Xu Zihuang's methods.

Wang Yan breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes filled with satisfaction.

It seems that Tianhuang has fully understood my intention. Only in this way can the deterrent effect of this battle be maximized.

Because of his sense of defeat, Shen Ce was now much calmer. He looked up at his girlfriend An Lengye beside him, and An Lengye also gave Shen Ce an encouraging look.

"I regret it now that I didn't take the Shrek Academy entrance exam back then."

Shen Ce took a deep breath, and when he looked at Xu Zihuang again, the frustration in his eyes had been replaced by composure.

“Shrek Academy is indeed an existence we cannot contend with. But now, I want to know just how big the gap is between us.”

After saying this, the purple fifth spirit ring on his Thousand Strike Spear suddenly shone, and a brilliant silver flame began to spread across the densely inscribed Thousand Strike Spear.

Xu Zihuang's response was simple: he extended his right hand forward.

A dark red crystal spear, identical to the Thousand Strike Spear in Shen Ce's hand, began to materialize in his palm.

Following closely behind was the deep, ten-thousand-year-old fourth soul ring, which lit up immediately.

Golden flames danced on the spear tip, and Xu Zihuang mimicked Shen Ce's throwing motion.

Shen Ce's pupils contracted, but in this critical moment, he had no choice. With a sudden shout, he hurled the Thousand-Strike Spear at Xu Zihuang.

At the same moment, a dark red crystal spear also flew out from Xu Zihuang's hand.

In an instant, the golden and silver flames at the tips of the two spears collided, rippling like waves, the gold and silver clearly distinct.

"boom--"

A violent roar resounded, and the extremely sharp aura emanating from the two spears seemed to tear space apart.

The impact of the soul power caused the dark red crystals on the other five advanced soul masters of the Thousand Spirits to crack.

The referee, realizing what was happening, quickly waved his right hand and used his powerful soul force to send the five people off the field.

At that very moment, the brilliant gold overwhelmed the brilliant silver.

The dark red crystal spear that Xu Zihuang conjured slammed into Shen Ce's Thousand Strike Spear, and then, with undiminished momentum, swept past Shen Ce's cheek and slammed heavily into the soul guide shield, creating ripples.

It lasted for several seconds before exhausting all its momentum. Finally, under Xu Zihuang's control, it turned into countless fragments.

The shattered crystal fragments, like scattered snowflakes, resembled a silent hymn.

Chapter 163 The Elimination Rounds End

Shen Ce's sharp edge vanished, and he looked dejectedly at Xu Zihuang, who stood proudly at the other end of the competition stage.

"We, Thousand Spirits Advanced Soul Master Academy, concede defeat."

Although he was very frustrated, he had to admit Xu Zihuang's strength.

Even his most powerful soul skill was suppressed head-on.

The difference is just too great.

At the edge of the arena, the 108 Soul Kings responsible for maintaining the Soul Guidance Shield withdrew their Soul Power. The outcome of the first match between Shrek Academy and Thousand Spirits Advanced Soul Master Academy was already clear.

The referee gave Xu Zihuang a deep look, then strode to the center of the competition platform.

Despite being a Soul Saint-level powerhouse, his achievements in this life have reached their limit. Xu Zihuang, though currently only a minor Soul Master, is destined to reach the pinnacle of the Title Douluo realm, becoming someone he can only look up to.

Even now, his gaze towards Xu Zihuang held a hint of awe.

Shrek Academy truly lives up to its reputation as the number one academy on the continent.

"In the first match of the elimination round, Shrek Academy will face Thousand Spirits Advanced Soul Master Academy. Shrek Academy wins!" The referee composed himself and loudly announced the result of the elimination round.