As the match began, the lovely host, Dou Dou, ascended into the air. Thanks to her dove martial spirit, she could stay aloft for extended periods with minimal effort.
The beast spirit masters immediately activated Martial Spirit Possession. The tool spirit masters followed suit, releasing their martial spirits.
In an instant, yellow and purple soul rings illuminated the stage.
But when Shrek Academy's team activated their martial spirits, the entire arena fell silent.
Are you serious? They're going this hard in the very first match of the preliminaries?!
Three Soul Elders, two Soul Sects, and two Soul Kings!
Soul Kings?!
These were Soul King-level powerhouses!
For soul masters under the age of 25, a Soul King wasn't just rare—it was unheard of!
Of course, Dai Mubai wasn't really a Soul King.
The contestants from other academies in the Heaven Dou division were stunned.
The sheer power Shrek Academy revealed upon their debut left them all looking grave.
Two Soul Kings in one team?! This academy, whose name barely anyone recognized, had come out of nowhere with such a terrifying configuration.
"For some reason, when the captain of Shrek Academy released his martial spirit, I felt an inexplicable sense of dread," murmured a Soul Sage in the audience, his brows furrowing.
"It wasn't just you—I had the illusion for a moment that his strength was above mine!" replied another.
"You…?"
"I'm an 83rd-rank Contra."
"..."
"It must have been a trick of the mind. A 17- or 18-year-old achieving Soul King rank would already be a miracle—an ancestral blessing, really. How could he possibly be a match for us?"
The Soul Sage shook his head. "A Soul King at such a young age would be almost guaranteed to become a Titled Douluo, barring any accidents along the way."
At this moment, the audience began to understand why Royal Fighting Team II had entered the stage so dejectedly.
Shrek Academy fielded two Soul Kings and two Soul Sects, while Royal Fighting Team II's lineup boasted only one Soul Sect—barely at Rank 40. How were they supposed to fight against that?
Dai Mubai activated his martial spirit, his height surging to over two meters.
The gray scythe-like "tattoo" on his brow vanished, replaced by a vertical eye that opened in its place.
With a slight stretch of his body, a pair of massive, snow-white wings emerged from his back, lifting him gently into the air.
His soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black—shone brightly.
The sixth and seventh red soul rings were hidden, as revealing them would likely destroy the entire arena.
Even so, the presence of five rings was already overwhelming. Seven rings? The arena would explode!
Dai Mubai frowned slightly. The disguise skill borrowed from Huo Yuhao could conceal the appearance of his soul rings, but not their aura.
Instead, he relied on altering the visible color of his soul rings. However, their original energy was impossible to hide.
Fortunately, most people only judged the age of a soul ring by its color, without probing deeper. Otherwise, his concealment would not have worked.
Of course, if he activated a domain skill, he could fully mask their aura. But who would use a domain right at the start of a match?
"Tang San, you'll lead this fight. Sister Yan and I won't take action for now. Good luck—I have faith in you!"
Floating mid-air, Dai Mubai crossed his arms, his tone calm and indifferent.
Dugu Yan smiled as she moved to stand in front of Ye Lingling, acting as her shield.
The members of Royal Fighting Team II were overjoyed.
This guy actually kept his word and gave us a chance!
"You two, stay out as well. Let's make it 5v5," their captain said, gesturing at two teammates.
"Yes, Captain!"
The audience erupted into cheers.
"This Soul King captain from Shrek Academy is so gracious!"
"Yes! Handsome, powerful, and considerate of his teammates. He's treating this as a learning opportunity for them. I'm crying!"
"He's amazing! I'm a fan for life!"
The three education committee members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy nodded approvingly.
"Shrek Academy's captain seems like a fine young man. He's giving us plenty of respect."
"If there's a chance, I wouldn't mind offering him some guidance," said Meng Shenji with a smile, stroking his beard.
For a Soul King, advice from a Contra was a rare blessing.
Sitting nearby, "Xue Qinghe" (Qian Renxue) twitched her lips slightly.
Dai Mubai's current strength might fool others, but not me.
The last time they met, Dai Mubai had been at the peak of Rank 69. He hadn't come to the Spirit Hall for a week, having been in seclusion.
By now, he was either at Rank 70 or had already broken through to the Soul Saint level.
Does Meng Shenji plan to teach him how to delay reaching Contra until his seventies?
She smiled faintly, but no one noticed.
Meanwhile, Tang San glanced at the airborne Dai Mubai, visibly displeased.
How could Dai Mubai, as the captain, be so reckless? Why not let me, the only control-system soul master in Shrek, lead the team?
However, with Dai Mubai's decision already made, Tang San had no choice but to accept the responsibility.
Still, this was his chance. With Dai Mubai and Dugu Yan abstaining, it was Tang San's moment to shine. If he could defeat their opponents in front of this massive audience, he'd be the star of the match!
Ma Hongjun, Huang Yuan, and Jing Ling had no objections.
They were eager to see how their training over the past few months would hold up in battle.
If Dai Mubai and Dugu Yan participated, they wouldn't even get the chance to fight.
For most spectators, Dai Mubai's decision was commendable—a platform like this was meant for young soul masters to showcase their skills.
Of course, a few dissenters considered him arrogant.
But so what if he was? A "Soul King" had every right to be a little arrogant.
The match officially began!
"Hmph, let me test them out first with my first soul skill—Blue Silver Bind!"
Tang San's first soul ring lit up, and five slimy, vine-like strands of Blue Silver Grass shot toward Royal Fighting Team II.
With his current strength, he could easily entangle all the opponents at once.
In an instant, the entire Royal Fighting Team II, including their captain, was bound by Blue Silver Grass. Only the two "benched" teammates were left glaring helplessly.
"Ugh!"
"What kind of disgusting martial spirit is this?!"
Blue Silver Grass…
(End of Chapter)