Chapter 38: A Rhapsody of the Opening Battle! One Minute Ends Royal Pride
On the opening day of the All-Continent Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academies in Tiandou City.
As the morning sun began to shine upon the bustling capital, the entire city was already abuzz with excitement. Tens of thousands of people surged toward the Heaven Dou Grand Arena, colorful flags fluttering and cannons booming. As a grand event held every five years in the world of Soul Masters, this was not only a stage for young Soul Masters, but also an arena for major empires and sects to showcase their strength.
In the rest area of the Grand Arena, teams from all over the world gathered.
"That's Shenfeng Academy? I heard their Feng Xiaotian is a genius." "Look over there, people from Chihuo Academy, Huo Wu is so beautiful!" "Wait... is that Tianshui Academy? Am I seeing things? Why are there men there?"
Amidst a cacophony of voices, a group of people dressed in black and silver team uniforms walked in. These uniforms were personally designed by Ye Feng, abandoning the original graceful dress style of Tianshui Academy and adopting a fitted trench coat cut, full of a cold, hard texture reminiscent of mechanical punk. A huge "umbrella"-shaped badge was embroidered on the back with silver thread, below which were two large gold-stamped characters—"Full-Time".
Leading the way was Ye Feng. One hand in his pocket, his expression calm, the confidence and composure emanating from him instantly silencing those around him who were about to mock him as a "gold digger." Behind him, the two-and-a-half-meter-tall Hu Yanli stood like a guardian deity, his muscular physique alone exuding an imposing aura. Further back were the aloof Dugu Yan, the haughty Shui Bing'er, the arrogant Leng Qianqian, and the talkative Ye Shaotian…
The team's good looks and charisma instantly made them the focus of the entire event.
"That's... Dugu Yan?" Not far away, among the Shrek students wearing turquoise school uniforms, Yu Tianheng (who was temporarily watching the battle from Shrek's side because he was still recovering from his injury) exclaimed in surprise.
At this moment, Dugu Yan was no longer sickly as before. Her skin was as white as snow, and the emerald green in her eyes was even deeper. She exuded a dangerous yet captivating charm.
"She actually joined that all-star team?" Tang San frowned. "And judging from her aura, she seems stronger than before. Could it be that her poison has already..."
"Hmph, traitors." On the other side, a group of arrogant young men in gold-embroidered team uniforms walked over. The man in the lead said sarcastically, "I was wondering why the Royal Fighting Team couldn't find anyone. Turns out they ran off to this third-rate cobbled-together team. Dugu Yan, you really are getting worse as you get older."
This group was the second team of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy. Relying on their royal background, they had always been arrogant and haughty.
Dugu Yan stopped and gave the man a cold look: "Before you speak, you'd better consider your own worth. Otherwise, I don't mind silencing you forever."
"You!" the man roared. "Fine! Very well! Pray you don't run into us on the field, or I'll show you the consequences of betraying the royal family!"
"No need to pray anymore." Ye Feng, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. He turned around, looked at the second team, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips. "Because our opponents in the opening match are you."
The main arena of the Great Soul Arena.
At this moment, the stands, which could accommodate 80,000 spectators, were packed to capacity. In the VIP section, Emperor Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire sat in the center, with Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and Sword Douluo Chen Xin on his left, and Salas, the Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall, on his right.
The emcee's booming voice resounded throughout the venue: "Through a draw (manipulated behind the scenes), the opening match of this tournament will be between Team Two of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy and—the All-Round Team from the Heavenly Water Academy!"
"Wow—!" The entire arena erupted in commotion. "Tianshui Academy? Isn't that an all-girls school? Why did it change its name to the All-Round Team?" "Who cares? Royal Team 2 will definitely win! They're the reserve team for the seeded team!"
Amidst a cacophony of discussion, the players from both sides took to the field.
On the Royal Second Team's side, basking in the cheers of their home crowd, they were all smug and even blew kisses to the audience. Meanwhile, the Full-Time Team was unusually quiet.
Ye Feng stood at the front, with six people lined up behind him: Hu Yanli, Dugu Yan, Ye Shaotian, Leng Qianqian, Shui Bing'er, and Bai Xiaochun. (Since it was a seven-a-side game, Shui Yue'er was a substitute on the sidelines). Mingyue, as the team leader, stood on the sidelines with her arms crossed, her eyes looking down on everyone.
"The rules of the competition are: no killing, no use of non-Martial Soul external forces. Time limit... never mind, no time limit," the referee announced.
"No time limit." Ye Feng held up a finger and waved it at the opposing Royal Second Team, his voice carrying throughout the arena via the amplified soul tool. "One minute."
"What?" The captain of the Royal Second Team was stunned.
"Defeating you will only take one minute. One second longer, and I'll admit defeat." Ye Feng's words struck like a thunderbolt.
Arrogant! Utterly arrogant! The entire audience erupted in cheers and boos. "Who is this kid? So cocky!" "One minute? Dream on! The entire Royal Second Team is level 35 or higher, who does he think he is?"
In the VIP section, Emperor Xueye frowned slightly: "Although this boy has an extraordinary temperament, he is far too arrogant." Ning Fengzhi smiled slightly, his gaze falling on Ye Feng, his eyes flashing with wisdom: "Your Majesty, perhaps he has the right to be arrogant? That child... is not simple."
"You're asking for it! Brothers, cripple him!" the captain of the Royal Second Team roared. "Activate your Martial Soul!"
The dazzling light of the spirit rings shone brightly. Although the Royal Second Team had bad luck, their strength was indeed around level 35, and they all had the best configuration of yellow, yellow, and purple spirit rings.
However, the boos from the entire audience stopped abruptly the next second.
"Full-time team, activate your martial spirits," Ye Feng ordered calmly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Seven terrifying auras surged into the sky.
Hu Yanli: Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple (The fourth ring is an illusion; in reality, it's close to ten thousand years of aura). Dugu Yan: Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple. Shui Bing'er: Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple. Ye Shaotian & Leng Qianqian: Yellow, Yellow, Purple. Ye Feng: Yellow, Purple, Purple-Black!
The purplish-black, nearly ten-thousand-year-old soul ring pulsed beneath Ye Feng's feet, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression that drew everyone's attention like a black hole.
"Ten thousand...ten thousand years, third ring?!" Bishop Salas suddenly stood up, crushing the teacup in his hand. "How is this possible?!" Ning Fengzhi's pupils also shrank: "Breaking the ironclad rules of the Soul Master world? What kind of monster is this child...?"
On the arena, the members of the Royal Second Team were trembling with fear. What kind of god-like lineup was this? Everyone had the best spirit rings, and there was even a monster with a third spirit ring that had lasted for ten thousand years?
"Start the timer." Ye Feng didn't make a move, not even fully opening the Thousand Chance Umbrella. He simply stood there with his hands in his pockets. "Yanzi, Lao Hu, I'm leaving it to you."
"Yes, Captain!"
Huyan Li grinned maliciously, took a step forward, and the ground trembled violently. "Fourth Soul Skill: Golden Mammoth Transformation!" (Evolved version of the original Diamond Mammoth Transformation) Roar—! A five-meter-tall golden mammoth phantom appeared behind him. Huyan Li's entire body was covered in golden scales, like a golden chariot. Ignoring all the opponent's control and attacks, he crashed directly into the Royal Second Team's formation.
"Bang bang bang!" The defensive-type Soul Masters of the Royal Second Team were like paper in front of him, and were directly knocked away.
"This power... how is this possible?!"
Before they could even react, an even more terrifying nightmare descended.
Dugu Yan hovered in mid-air, her original legs transforming into a massive emerald green snake tail, but this tail was covered in purple patterns, exuding an aura of royalty. That was the evolved form of her Martial Soul—the Azure Phosphorous Serpent Emperor!
"Third Soul Skill: Azure Phosphorous Purple Poison!"
Dugu Yan opened her mouth and spat out a thick cloud of purple poisonous mist, instantly enveloping the entire arena. However, this poisonous mist was not fatal (according to the competition rules), but it had a strong paralyzing and corrosive effect.
"Ah—! My soul power!" "I can't move my body!" The members of the Royal Second Team were horrified to discover that as soon as they came into contact with even a trace of poison gas, their soul power began to drain away rapidly, and their bodies became as stiff as stone.
"Harvest time!" Ye Shaotian and Leng Qianqian moved. One unleashed a torrent of sword energy, the other moved with ghostly speed. Under the onslaught of Hu Yanli and the poison control of Dugu Yan, the Royal Second Team became sitting ducks.
"Get off the stage!" Ye Shaotian kicked the captain of the Royal Second Team off the stage. "You're ugly and you still dare to scare people. Go back and get some plastic surgery!"
"Thump thump thump—" One after another, the sounds of falling into the water rang out (there was a pool of water around the arena).
In just forty seconds, only the seven members of the full-time team remained standing on the stage. The entire Royal Second Team had fallen into the water and were unconscious.
Ye Feng raised his wrist, glanced at a watch that didn't even exist, and said calmly, "Forty-five seconds. It seems I overestimated you."
The entire stadium fell silent. The 80,000 audience members stood with their mouths agape, like ducks being choked, unable to utter a sound.
This isn't a competition; it's a massacre! It's a dimensional attack! Especially that kid who's stuck at the third ring for ages, he didn't even move an inch from start to finish!
"We won...we won! Team All-Stars has won!" The referee's trembling voice broke the silence.
Boom—!!! A deafening roar erupted, nearly lifting the dome off the building. In this world that reveres the strong, the All-Star Team conquered everyone with their absolute, brutal aesthetics.
Players' entrance.
The Shrek Seven Devils stood there, watching the All-Round Team descend, each of them with an extremely solemn expression.
"So powerful…" Dai Mubai clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm. "That Hu Yanli's power is even more terrifying than last time. And Dugu Yan's poison can even corrode soul power."
Tang San stared intently at Ye Feng. "A third-level ring of ten thousand years… how did his body withstand that? And that poison from Dugu Yan just now—that was the poison of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent King, far stronger than the previous Jade Phosphorous Serpent poison." A strong sense of crisis rose in Tang San's heart. He originally thought that possessing the Tang Sect's ultimate techniques and twin martial souls made him incredibly powerful, but this Ye Feng was practically a bug!
Ye Feng stopped in his tracks as he passed by Tang San.
"What? Stunned?" Ye Shaotian leaned closer with a sly grin. "Do you think we're too handsome? Don't feel inferior. Even though you're dressed like toads, you're still pretty... unique."
"You!" Ma Hongjun was so angry he was about to breathe fire.
Ye Feng stopped Ye Shaotian, his gaze calmly fixed on Tang San. "Prepare well. Hopefully, you can last two minutes in the final round." With that, he led the group of beauties away, leaving behind only a mysterious and enigmatic figure.
That evening, in a luxurious mansion somewhere in Tiandou City.
Ning Fengzhi, the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, was sitting in his study, listening to his subordinates' reports. Gu Rong, the Bone Douluo, stood to the side.
"Sect Master, we've found out. That Ye Feng comes from a small village in the Northern Territory. He's an orphan, born a commoner. He awakened his mutated weapon spirit, the Thousand Chance Umbrella, at the age of six and has innate full soul power." "He joined Tianshui Academy three years ago and has always kept a low profile." "And that team leader, Mingyue, just broke through to level seventy a month ago and became a Soul Saint."
Ning Fengzhi tapped the table lightly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. "Commoner background, yet possessing a nearly ten-thousand-year-old third ring, and able to collectively evolve the martial souls of his teammates (he noticed the changes in Dugu Yan and Hu Yanli)..." "Uncle Gu, do you think it's possible that this child has obtained some kind of ancient inheritance?"
Bone Douluo's voice was hoarse: "Very likely. Moreover, that Dugu Bo is very close to him. I heard that Dugu Bo's poison array was broken some time ago, and it seems that this kid is involved."
"Rongrong is also at Shrek Academy. It seems this competition is going to be interesting." Ning Fengzhi stood up and walked to the window, looking towards the Great Soul Arena. "This Ye Feng must be won over. If he can't be used by my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School… we can't let him fall into the hands of the Spirit Hall."
"Tomorrow, I will personally go and meet this 'Full-Time Master'."
Meanwhile, in the hotel room of the full-time esports team.
"Achoo!" Ye Feng sneezed and rubbed his nose. "Brother Feng, were those weaklings from the Royal Second Team cursing you?" Ye Shaotian was counting the gold soul coins he had won from betting today, his eyes practically turning into gold coin shapes.
"No." Ye Feng shook his head, glanced at the night outside the window, "It's because that old fox has his eye on it."
He turned around and looked at the women in the room. Shui Bing'er was cultivating, Leng Qianqian was tending to her claws, Dugu Yan was researching a new poison formula, and Bai Xiaochun was reading a book.
"Everyone, get some rest. Today's matches are just an appetizer." Ye Feng took out the Thousand Chance Umbrella, his eyes deep. "Next up are the Elephant Armor Sect, the Divine Wind Academy, the Blazing Fire Academy... and that Spirit Hall team hiding in the shadows." "The real battle has only just begun."
"By the way, where is Teacher Mingyue?" Ye Feng suddenly asked.
"The teacher said she's going to see an old friend." Shui Yue'er blinked. "I think her name is... Liu Erlong?"
Ye Feng was taken aback. Liu Erlong? Blue Tyrant Academy? It seems Teacher Mingyue is going to cause trouble for Shrek Academy.