Douluo Continent: The Holy Evil Emperor

"Disdain! This is blatant disdain!" Old Ma slammed his fist on the conference table, his face red and neck bulging, his voice filled with rage. "The Shrek Academy teams participating this year are so arrogant, they don't even consider us a threat!"

"Ma Rulong!!!"

"Here!" the tall young man shouted in a powerful voice.

Old Master Ma looked at his grandson and said solemnly, "You are the captain of the Sun Moon Team in this tournament. I want you to crush Shrek Academy's arrogance on the field and bring the championship back to our Sun Moon Empire. Can you do it?!"

I don't know if this old man Ma drank too much fake alcohol or what, but he started talking in his sleep before it was even dark.

Ma Rulong confidently agreed: "Arrogance is the original sin that leads to destruction. Shrek Academy is so arrogant and its fate is sealed. The mandate of heaven will surely return to us, Sun and Moon!"

"Pfft..." Just then, an untimely laugh suddenly rang out.

Everyone turned their attention to the source of the laughter, where a young man with silver hair, a handsome face, and strangely bright blue and green eyes was trying to suppress a smile.

"Laughing at the world, what are you laughing at?" Ma Rulong asked with displeasure.

"It's nothing, I just think you guys are acting so ridiculously. Are you putting on some kind of play?" Xiao Hongchen asked with a smile in his eyes.

Beside him, a girl with long, silver-white hair was playing with her slender fingers. Although her face was not clearly visible, her graceful figure suggested that she was also beautiful and charming.

"Xiao Hongchen, I'm not joking with you!" Ma Rulong's face darkened as he stared intently into Xiao Hongchen's eyes. "Shrek looks down on our Sun Moon Team so much, we must teach them a lesson. You should know that we only have one opponent in the competition, and that is Shrek Academy!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongchen merely chuckled lightly, then casually leaned back on the sofa, crossing his right leg over his left.

"Heh... Senior Ma, my only opponent is myself."

……

Let's leave aside how arrogant Xiao Hongchen is for now, since he'll soon be proven wrong.

After relaxing on the top floor of the Starry Hotel, the Shrek members returned to their rooms to rest. It wasn't until the next day, when Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo went to call them to gather, that they finally reunited.

"The opening ceremony is at noon, and the first battle officially begins at 9:00 AM. All teams need to arrive early for the opening ceremony on the first day." This is Zhang Lexuan's statement, and it is also the normal procedure for every competition in previous years.

As for the venue for the Soul Fighting Tournament, it's also very simple and straightforward.

The Star Luo Square, which you enter through the main gate of Star Luo City, is the competition venue. After all, the Soul Fighting Tournament is held only once every twenty years, and Star Luo City cannot leave such a large space as the Soul Fighting Arena unused just for a competition that only happens once every twenty years.

Therefore, Xingluo Square was temporarily converted into a Soul Arena. The center of the square was reinforced into a ring capable of withstanding battles between Soul Masters. The size of the ring was also quite amusing, a square area with a length and width of 100 meters.

It's safe to say that the author probably wrote this setting with their feet; Ye Qing doesn't even remember how many times they complained about the Soul Arena.

One hundred by one hundred, ten thousand square meters, does sound quite large, much larger than a football field, but that's for ordinary people. For a Soul Master, this space is far too small.

It seems that none of the battle arenas are large enough. To put it bluntly, Ye Qing's Divine Rain of Ten Thousand Blades could cover the entire arena several times over. With a 100,000-year soul skill, there's nowhere to hide.

Star Luo City is already considered large, after all, it was provided for the Soul Fighting Tournament; the other Soul Fighting Arenas are even smaller.

"It's better if it's smaller. Although it's hard to even stretch my legs, it seems to make it easier for me to show off." Ye Qing stretched and looked towards the city wall.

There, Xu Jiawei, dressed in a bright yellow imperial robe, stood on the city wall with his hands behind his back, watching the 133 teams filing into the arena.

This is also an old acquaintance.

I didn't see where Xu Jiujiu was. She's probably hidden away as a secret weapon, since her cultivation level is even higher than Dai Yueheng's now.

With the Qiluo Tulip given by Ye Qing, Princess Jiujiu said it would be an epic upgrade, and he even suspected that his princess girlfriend had the ability to solo Ma Xiaotao.

Ma Xiaotao was equipped with two leg soul bones, while Xu Jiujiu was equipped with two top-grade star-attribute soul bones, one 40,000 years old and the other 50,000 years old. With a similar soul power level, Xu Jiujiu, having consumed the immortal herb, was indeed able to solo Ma Xiaotao.

As Ye Qing was lost in thought, the surrounding noise gradually quieted down.

At this moment, the sun had already risen from the east and was gradually hanging high in the sky. From the position of the Soul Arena, it was right behind Xu Jiawei, as if setting off his figure.

"This brother-in-law is quite the actor."

Chapter 191 First Battle: One Punch Shatters the Champion's Dream

Xu Jiawei enjoys a high reputation in the Star Luo Empire, as evidenced by the deafening cheers from the audience in the Soul Arena, which sounded like a landslide and a tsunami.

They listened intently to Ye Qing's pre-match speech, which sounded as utterly meaningless as the principal's fart.

Whether this focus was genuine or not is another matter, but it certainly gave Xu Jiawei a lot of face and fully demonstrated the strength, prosperity, and peace of the Star Luo Empire.

"Brother Ye, it's our turn..." Ling Luochen, sitting behind Ye Qing, gently nudged his shoulder and whispered.

"Huh? Are you done talking?" Ye Qing wiped non-existent drool from the corner of his mouth and then looked up at the sky.

Good heavens, the sun is almost high in the sky, and Xu Jiawei's speech has lasted at least an hour. He's almost... no, he's already asleep. It's a good thing he wasn't sitting in the front row, otherwise tomorrow there would be news that Shrek Academy is disrespecting the Star Luo Imperial Power.

Seeing Ye Qing looking like he had just woken up, the others were also full of complaints.

Dai Yueheng, in particular, seemed hesitant to speak, but ultimately said nothing.

Never mind, let's just pretend we didn't see it.

As for Ye Qing, he felt no embarrassment at being caught slacking off. As long as he wasn't embarrassed, it was others who would be embarrassed. Besides, he wasn't openly slacking off, so it was all in the open and no one would say anything.

Looking up at the arena, the host, flapping a pair of cosplay wings, was enthusiastically introducing the competition rules. Just as Ling Luochen woke Ye Qing up, the host finished explaining the rules of the elimination rounds.

Next, naturally...

"For the first match of the knockout stage, please welcome the participants from both sides!"

"Let's go, let's finish this quickly." Ye Qing stood up from the sofa, stretched, waved to everyone, and then walked towards the contestant passage first.

The others followed behind him, their faces showing a degree of excitement.

After all, this is the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, a great place to make a name for themselves and the best stage to showcase their geniuses!

On the stage, the host had already stepped down, and a referee arranged by the Star Luo Empire had taken his place. Even while walking through the passageway, Ye Qing and the others could hear the referee's voice.

"The team members from Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy have all arrived. Next, let's welcome the team members from Shrek Academy, the number one academy on the continent!"

Just after the referee finished speaking, Ye Qing and the others walked out of the passage.

"Shrek!"

"Shrek!"

"Shrek!!!"

The cheers from the audience were even more overwhelming than when Xu Jiawei appeared. Even though Ye Qing was prepared, he was still taken aback by the sudden cheers.

Damn, Shrek Academy really knows how to spread its reputation!

At this moment, everyone is watching!

After getting used to it for a bit, Ye Qing continued walking towards the arena with a smile on his face. "This is nothing. When you see my 100,000-year soul ring, you'll have your chance to shout."

To be honest, it's really exhilarating to be the center of attention, especially when you know everyone is waiting for you to show off and make a name for yourself. No wonder some loser always wants to look cool in front of everyone.

In the rest area, Huo Yuhao looked at Ye Qing and the other six as they walked onto the arena, and a hint of envy appeared in his eyes.

"This attitude... isn't this what I've always wanted?" Huo Yuhao murmured softly.

Even the rats in the sewers sometimes long for sunlight!

Hearing Huo Yuhao's mutterings, Zhang Lexuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, your time will come. Although with Qing around, we are confident of victory against any team, not every team is worth Qing's personal intervention."

"When you encounter a weaker team, you can play. This is a great stage to train yourselves."

Huo Yuhao was startled. He was speaking very softly; he never imagined that someone could hear him even when he spoke so quietly.

Even though Zhang Lexuan's words were not malicious and even contained some comfort and encouragement, Huo Yuhao still felt like he had been dragged out of the sewer and exposed to the scorching sun, and his toes almost dug a sea god statue out of the ground.

He had only obtained his second martial soul and a 100,000-year soul ring and soul bone for two or three months, and had not yet developed any self-confidence.

Huo Yuhao was genuinely afraid of being criticized for being delusional.

Zhang Lexuan thought he just wanted to compete like everyone else, but in reality, he just wanted to shine as brightly as Ye Qing.

Huo Yuhao: That year, at the age of thirteen, during the Soul Battle Tournament, I stood like a nobody. At that time, I swore that everyone would see me!

In the arena.

The referee had finished explaining the rules, and the Shrek Team and the Celestial Spirit Team each took their places on opposite sides of the arena.

"I hereby declare the first match of the knockout stage, a team battle, officially begun!"

The entire Tianling team released their martial souls the instant the referee finished speaking, preparing for the highest level of alert. They had already turned pale when they learned that their first opponent was Shrek Academy.

This current behavior is just an attempt to avoid a humiliating defeat.

As for winning?

LOL, I never even considered that possibility.

Compared to the tense and awkward atmosphere on the Tianling team's side, Shrek's side seemed relaxed and comfortable. Everyone was still, except for Ye Qing, who slowly walked out of the queue.

Ma Xiaotao and the other six lined up behind Ye Qing, surrounding him in the middle. Ye Qing slightly opened his arms, and eight pure white wings instantly unfolded behind him. At this moment, even the sun in the sky seemed to lose its light.

Shiny, one is enough!

The dazzling light was almost blinding, but fortunately it didn't last long. As the light gradually dimmed, Ye Qing's invincible and terrifying spirit ring configuration slowly rose from his body.

Yellow, purple, black! Black! Red! Red!

A gentle breeze lifted his body up, making him float in mid-air. He had six spirit rings under his feet. At this moment, he was like a god!

"What?!...A 100,000-year soul ring!" Xu Jiawei, who was at the highest point, immediately stopped laughing, his eyes widened and he stood up in shock, his hands supporting him on the city wall as he exclaimed in disbelief.

He desperately wanted to convince himself that it was fake, that no soul master could absorb a 100,000-year soul ring with their fifth soul ring, but the two soul rings on Ye Qing's body were indeed releasing the aura of a 100,000-year soul ring, as well as the terrifying soul power fluctuations unique to 100,000-year soul rings!

The gasps from the audience never stopped; everyone stared with fervent eyes at Ye Qing, who seemed like a true god above the arena.