Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul, the Fangtian Halberd, Empowers Me with Filial Piety

Chapter 55: The Power is Coming! Shrek's Glory?

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight shone on the stadium's arched roof, teams from various cities were already lined up neatly inside, waiting.

The opening ceremony of the Tianhai League Tournament was held in Tianhai Stadium.

The massive stadium, capable of holding 80,000 people, was bustling with activity. The stands were packed, and colorful flags fluttered in the wind at the edges of the stands, making the entire stadium exceptionally magnificent.

This demonstrates the grand scale and enthusiastic atmosphere of the event.

At first glance, the crowd was bustling with people, and the colorful school uniforms formed a dazzling sea, with the faces of the boys and girls filled with anticipation and excitement.

"Dear ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to stand here..."

On the podium, a senior official from the Tianhai Alliance held a microphone, his voice amplified throughout the venue.

"You young people are the future of our Tianhai Alliance. I wish you all a bright future, and I also wish our Tianhai Alliance prosperity and stability!"

The official's loud and infectious voice, coupled with perfectly timed gestures, made the atmosphere in the audience even more heated.

The audience burst into applause from time to time, like waves of music.

The Tianhai Alliance Competition was established more than two hundred years ago, with the initial purpose of selecting and motivating young talents.

Throughout the Federation, the Skysea Alliance is a powerful force, especially in the economic field, where it is considered one of the major giants.

However, the major cities of the Skysea Alliance are all located on the eastern coast of the Federation and are relatively new.

Despite their outstanding economic strength, they are far inferior to the ancient families in the inland areas with thousands or even tens of thousands of years of history in terms of the inheritance of soul masters and cultural heritage.

This makes each competition particularly noteworthy, with everyone eager to see if any amazing talents will emerge from the coastal areas.

Below the stage, Jiang Yi and his four companions mingled at the end of the Donghai Academy's line, maintaining an orderly queue just like the other students.

The teachers were naturally in charge of the draw ceremony for the competition; they were standing there mainly to soak up the atmosphere of the opening ceremony.

The official competition won't start for several days, so for now they just need to be spectators.

"so boring!"

Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help but yawn, her slender fingers unconsciously twirling the ends of her hair, her azure eyes filled with impatience.

She has hated such occasions since she was a child, as they are full of official jargon and empty rhetoric with no substance whatsoever.

"Wu Ling, I want some too, give me some dried fish."

Xu Xiaoyan suddenly turned her head, gave Tang Wuling a sly smile, and stretched out her fair little hand.

Putting the facts aside, they are still good friends!
"I don't have much left either, so you should eat sparingly."

Tang Wuling muttered something under her breath, but still grabbed a handful of dried fish from her pocket and placed them in Xu Xiaoyan's palm.

The opening ceremony has been going on for almost an hour now, and the snacks she bought on the street don't seem to last much longer.

"Brother, do you want some?"

Tang Wuling picked up a few more dried fish and held them to Jiang Yi's lips.

"No need, you eat it! I'll save you some money."

Jiang Yi shook his head and chuckled, reaching out to gently rub the top of her soft hair.

Because of her Golden Dragon King bloodline, this little girl is practically a bottomless pit, with an astonishingly large appetite.

"Actually... I only ate a tiny bit."

Tang Wuling blinked, her face slightly flushed.

With her level three blacksmithing skills, the reason she's ended up so penniless is because she spends a large portion of her earnings on food.

Just then, a weak voice suddenly came from behind them.

"I'm so hungry! Does anyone have anything to eat?"

The sound was very faint, and in the noisy stadium at that moment, it was almost insignificant.

Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow and looked back. Sure enough, he saw a chubby little boy with fair skin running around in the crowd, begging for food from the people around him.

The chubby boy was round and plump, with so much fat on his face that his features were almost squeezed together. His chin was pressed against his chest, and his neck was barely visible below his head, making him look like a giant hamster.

This appearance was clearly unpopular; wherever he went, people avoided him, their faces making no attempt to hide their disdain.

The chubby boy, however, seemed to have gotten used to this treatment and continued to persistently beg for food from those around him.

"Huh! Tianhai smoked dried anchovies?"

Suddenly, the chubby boy's nose twitched violently a few times, and his little eyes lit up instantly.

Over there!

The chubby boy's gaze finally fell on Tang Wuling's pocket, where half of a familiar packaging bag was visible, containing the Tianhai specialty dried fish that he had been longing for.

His eyes lit up instantly, almost turning green, and driven by hunger, he reached his groping hand into Tang Wuling's pocket.

Just a little bit! I'll pay later...

The chubby boy convinced himself of this.

The other person was a girl, and based on his past experience, most girls would be disgusted by his appearance, so he figured he should fill his stomach first and apologize later. However, just as his fingers were about to touch the packaging, a hand descended from above and precisely grabbed his wrist.

The powerful force squeezed his wrist until it ached, and the chubby boy immediately let out a series of pig-like screams.

"It hurts! It hurts! Let me go!"

The chubby boy arched his back in pain, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

"Taking something without asking is stealing!"

Jiang Yi said coldly, adding a bit more force to his hand, and easily threw the round body to the ground.

"what happened?"

Hearing the commotion, Tang Wuling and the others turned around and saw a chubby white figure being thrown to the ground by Jiang Yi.

Tang Wuling wrinkled her delicate nose and subconsciously took two steps back, hiding behind Jiang Yi.

The chubby boy smelled of sweat and some indescribable greasy odor, which was really unpleasant to look at.

"Ouch! That hurts so much! Why did you hit me..."

The chubby boy struggled to his feet, rubbing his reddened wrists, and cried out in a pitiful voice.

His pitiful appearance would likely make an uninformed person think he was a victim.

"You know it yourself."

Jiang Yi took out a tissue from his pocket and slowly wiped the oil from his hands.

Jiang Yi had already guessed the identity of this chubby boy: Xu Lizhi, one of the Shrek Seven Devils from the original story.

However, Xu Lizhi's character is timid and cowardly, and he likes to exploit other people's sympathy. His performance in the original work is far inferior to that of Oscar from 20,000 years ago.

Xu Xiaoyan and the others' gazes immediately sharpened. They knew Jiang Yi; he would never attack someone without a reason.

"I...I just wanted to buy some dried fish from her...Isn't this a bit unnecessary?"

Under the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, the chubby boy stammered, his chubby face turning bright red, and his voice growing softer and softer.

Upon hearing this, the group instantly understood what had happened.

"So it was thief!"

Xu Xiaoyan curled her lips in disdain and looked at the chubby boy on the ground with an unfriendly gaze.

"It wasn't stealing...it was buying!"

Xu Lizhi blushed and loudly defended himself.

The surrounding audience had already noticed the commotion and were casting curious glances at them.

"What's happening here?"

"It looks like he stole something and got caught."

"Oh, it's that fat guy. Serves him right, always begging for food like a starving ghost. So annoying, he's treating this place like his own home..."

"Exactly, I bought a ticket to watch the game, not to be a zookeeper."

Some viewers who had long disliked him didn't hold back in mocking him.

Many people took time out of their busy schedules to watch the opening ceremony, but were repeatedly harassed by this chubby boy who asked for food, which inevitably made them feel dissatisfied.

"Call the staff over here!"

Xie Xie glanced coldly at Xu Lizhi, his tone indifferent, and he didn't have any good feelings towards him.

Just do things officially, and after this interruption, he lost all interest in watching the performance on stage.

"No...no! I won't do it again."

Xu Lizhi was so anxious he was almost crying; his chubby face was filled with panic.

He never imagined that his impulsive act would cause such a big problem. If he were really taken away by the staff, Teacher Shen Yi would definitely not let him off easily.

Just then, a cold yet melodious voice rang out from not far away.

"Little foodie, didn't I tell you not to run around?"

Everyone looked up and saw a slender, tall figure walking towards them.

It was a blonde girl who looked to be about the same age as Xu Lizhi, and she was wearing the same kind of poop-green school uniform.

Her long golden hair was tied into a neat single ponytail, swaying gently behind her head with each step, and her large, beautiful blue eyes were stunning.

The girl's skin was fair and delicate, with a jelly-like texture under the sunlight, as if it could be broken with a touch. Her straight nose added a touch of heroism to her exquisite face. Although she was still young, she already showed remarkable temperament.

She walked in with a calm gait, her gaze sweeping across the room before finally settling on the disheveled Xu Lizhi, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly.

　The author has a personal bias against the chubby boy; those who mind can skip this.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)