Chapter 174: Chapter 175 – Victory, the Scheming Lone Bamboo Sword
On the tournament stage, the aftershocks of the fierce battle had not yet fully dissipated. The air was still heavy with a mixture of tension and excitement.
Hovering in the air at the rear, Gongyang Mo descended slowly, his body surrounded by a faint rainbow-colored halo, like a resplendent drifting cloud.
Every movement he made was elegant and composed, and when he landed, he barely made a sound.
At the same time, Zhou Sicheng and Ling Luochen also retracted their martial souls. Their expressions were calm and unruffled, as though the intense battle they had just endured was nothing more than a trivial interlude.
At the center of the stage, Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao landed gracefully on either side of Dai Yueheng, resembling two noble phoenixes descending from the heavens.
Their postures were upright and imposing, their gazes brimming with an indescribable pride and confidence.
They withdrew their martial souls and seventh-rank soul tools at a measured pace. As the light faded from the Holy Radiant Sword and the Phoenix Divine Spear, it was as though all sharpness had vanished with them. Yet their lofty bearing still exuded a formless pressure that weighed heavily on everyone present.
They stood quietly like queens of the battlefield, surveying all from above.
After successfully collecting Douling Academy’s soul tools, Dugu Xianmeng allowed a faint smile to curl on her lips.
With light, graceful steps, like a flower swaying gently in the wind, she slowly returned to Ye Guyi’s side.
Her eyes glimmered with cunning and satisfaction, as though declaring to everyone that the outcome of this battle had long been under her control.
She wanted them to remember once more the fear of being dominated by the venom of the Jade Phosphor Serpent!
By now, the referee was left standing dumbfounded by this breathtaking, eerie clash.
His eyes were wide, his mouth agape, as if he had just witnessed the most inconceivable sight in the world.
It took him quite some time to recover. Clearing his throat, he summoned all his strength and loudly declared:
"Round of Sixteen Elimination Match, Shrek Academy versus Douling Academy—Shrek Academy wins!"
His announcement was like a massive stone dropped into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a storm of ripples.
The crowd erupted with thunderous cheers, their voices surging like tidal waves, shaking the entire arena with their force.
"Too strong!"
"So this is Shrek Academy’s true power?"
"The match didn’t even last three minutes, and Douling Academy’s seemingly invincible lineup was completely crushed!"
Excited chatter rippled through the audience. Their faces were lit with awe and exhilaration, as though they had just witnessed the birth of a new legend.
But for the other academies in the top sixteen, this spectacle pressed down on their hearts like the weight of Mount Tai.
The strength displayed by Shrek Academy’s new generation had utterly exceeded their imagination, shattering every expectation they held about the competition.
Reflecting carefully on the fight, many realized in shock that Shrek hadn’t even shown their full power.
In the entire battle, only Dai Yueheng had unleashed three soul skills in a direct frontal assault.
Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao hadn’t used a single soul skill. They relied solely on their seventh-rank soul tools. With Gongyang Mo’s precise support, that alone was enough to shatter Douling Academy’s so-called impregnable defenses.
And then there was Dugu Xianmeng. This seemingly delicate girl had perfectly combined her martial soul with a soul tool, amplifying the terrifying might of the Jade Phosphor Serpent’s venom to its absolute peak.
One auxiliary soul master, alongside three Soul Emperors, tore through Douling Academy’s defenses head-on. And the decisive blow? Delivered by a single five-ring Jade Phosphor Serpent Soul Master. How could anyone not be left shocked?
Once again, the horrifying power of the Jade Phosphor Serpent’s poison was displayed before all.
After that wave of sinister green mist, the Douling Academy team was not only defeated but left disfigured and writhing from the poison’s ravages.
Had Dugu Xianmeng not mercifully administered the antidote at the end, their fate would have been far worse. Not only would their soul tools have been seized, but the lives of seven talented soul masters might have been lost entirely.
Meanwhile, team captain Zhou Sicheng and the ice-control specialist Ling Luochen had scarcely acted at all.
The ice armor Ling had conjured for her teammates wasn’t even put to use before the enemy was overwhelmed by the venom’s assault.
Yet even so, their latent strength was clear for all to see.
Zhou Sicheng’s earlier feat of hurling Dai Yueheng like a human cannonball carried a terrifying force—something no ordinary Soul King could ever hope to achieve. Such an action required precise mastery of strength and immense soul power.
With this battle, Shrek Academy had once again proven their title as the number one academy on the continent.
Their overwhelming strength, seamless cooperation, and calm tactical execution had left every spectator in absolute awe.
But aside from a newfound respect for Shrek’s might, the other academies gained little concrete insight into their strategies.
The only certainty was this: in all matches to come, they would have to be on guard against Dugu Xianmeng’s infamous Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison.
The sheer terror of seeing Douling Academy’s seven members collapse into such miserable, nauseating states in mere moments spoke for itself.
After the referee announced the result, Zhou Sicheng raised his hand and waved it lightly in the air. The motion was simple yet commanding, as though orchestrating a grand performance.
Afterward, Zhou Sicheng led his teammates down from the stage in steady, unified steps.
Their departing figures radiated confidence and resolve. They didn’t return to the resting area but, as always, chose to leave Star Luo Plaza directly—as if this victory were nothing out of the ordinary, unworthy of lingering celebration.
In the resting area, Shrek’s reserve members, who had been watching the match, all stood the moment the referee announced the result.
Their faces beamed with pride, their eyes shining with the same confidence and dignity as the main team.
They strode out of the plaza with the same poise, as though it had been they who crushed Douling Academy on stage.
Their footsteps were light yet powerful, as if declaring to everyone that Shrek Academy’s strength did not lie solely in those seven main fighters—every student of Shrek carried formidable power and unshakable confidence.
Even after Shrek Academy had departed, the plaza still roared with noise.
The audience remained completely enthralled by Shrek’s crushing victory, unable to pull themselves from the excitement.
Faces still shone with thrill as voices buzzed nonstop about the dazzling battle and Shrek Academy’s awe-inspiring strength.
On the other side, the leader of Douling Academy was drenched in sweat, his mind frantic.
He quickly led the staff in hurried disarray, rushing their defeated team back to the resting area.
The moment they arrived, he summoned healing-type soul masters, and tense treatment began at once.
After some time, Gu Zhu Jian finally stirred awake. His eyes were clouded with confusion, his entire being dazed and disoriented.
As the captain of Douling Academy, he hadn’t even managed to release a single soul skill before losing the match inexplicably. The suffocating sense of frustration and injustice gnawed at him.
Recalling the battle, he remembered the moment when Xiao Feng cast the Purple Illusion Domain to disorient Shrek. For a brief moment, they had seen a glimmer of hope.
They had hurried to finish assembling the Thunder Cannon.
When the cannon was nearly complete, Gu Zhu Jian’s lips had curled almost to his ears, heart brimming with joy and anticipation.
With the devastating firepower of that seventh-rank soul tool, they had believed they could at least trade blows evenly with Shrek—perhaps even pull off a miraculous reversal.
But fate had played a cruel joke.
Just as excitement surged within him, that chilling sound of something tearing through the air reached his ears, followed by waves of violent explosions.
Then, the terrifying poison spread like a surging tide.
The blast carried the venom outward with impossible speed—far too fast for them to react. Before they could mount any defense, they had all been caught.
Not a single one had the chance to resist. One by one, they let out wretched screams.
Under the venom’s torment, it felt as though countless ants gnawed at their flesh, the pain unbearable.
At last, overcome by the venom’s ravaging force, they collapsed unconscious, robbed of all awareness.
Even now, after waking, Gu Zhu Jian’s mind was still a blur. He couldn’t even tell whether they had won or lost.
Yet cruel reality soon set in.
From his teacher he learned they had lost—and worse, their painstakingly assembled Thunder Cannon had been taken by Shrek.
The news struck him like a knife driven deep into his heart, stealing the very breath from his lungs.
That weapon was worth millions of gold soul coins!
The thought alone filled his eyes with anguish and unwillingness.
But when his mind drifted back to Dugu Xianmeng’s horrifying venom, fear surged anew.
If the Thunder Cannon still carried traces of that poison, reclaiming it might only invite further suffering. He absolutely did not wish to endure that torment again.
Yet to abandon it entirely—it was simply too much to accept.
At this moment, no one understood Shrek Academy’s strength better than Douling Academy.
They had experienced firsthand the sting of this crushing defeat, and they knew full well the curiosity other academies now held toward Shrek’s power.
But no matter how others inquired, the members of Douling gritted their teeth and kept silent. Not a single word would leave their mouths.
"Hmph, we suffered this much—why should we make it easier for you? May you all taste that venom yourselves, may you all know the agony of pustules spreading across your bodies!" Gu Zhu Jian cursed inwardly.
They resolved to bury the pain of defeat—and their fear of Shrek—deep within their hearts. At the same time, they were determined not to let the other academies learn Shrek’s secrets so easily. Let them suffer the same torment in the battles to come.
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