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As they stepped onto the stage, neither Xu Yuan and his two companions nor the four outer court students ahead of them showed any sign of worry. Instead, their faces were filled with pride and confidence.
Five years, for a soul master, could be either long or short.
For soul masters in their eighties or nineties, five years might not result in significant progress.
But for someone like Yu Yuanfeng, who had only been cultivating for less than a decade, an extra five years of training meant they had effectively doubled their cultivation time!
The spectators below, having identified Shrek Academy's lineup, quickly began analyzing the situation.
It was clear that the three at the back—Xu Yuan and his companions—were far from fifteen years old.
Xu Yuan, though physically mature for his age, still carried the youthful features of a child.
"The three at the back look about ten years old."
"The taller one might be twelve or thirteen, but that chubby boy and the little girl really do look like they're around ten."
"Wow, what's Shrek Academy up to?"
"Are they this confident?"
Tang Wulin watched both teams on the stage with a serious expression.
This wasn't just a junior division versus youth division match.
Shrek Academy hadn't even fielded a team where everyone was close to the upper age limit of fifteen. Instead, they brought along three "dead weights."
"Watch closely. This battle might be fascinating, and we could learn a lot," he reminded the Zero Class members.
Gu Yue stared intently at Xu Yuan on the stage, her gaze heavy with thought.
She wanted to see how this soul master, who possessed such terrifying spiritual power, would perform.
Over 2,000 points of spiritual power wasn't particularly frightening—what was terrifying was that it belonged to a ten-year-old soul master.
"The match begins!"
Both teams simultaneously released their martial souls, showcasing their soul rings.
At this moment, the scene was dazzling.
The display of martial souls was always one of the most eye-catching moments at the start of any soul master competition.
On the Tianhai Team's side, three members were four-ringed soul masters, each with two yellow and two purple soul rings. The other four were three-ringed soul masters, all with two yellow and one purple soul ring.
Standard configurations.
However, the audience's attention wasn't focused on the Tianhai Team.
Even the seven members of the Tianhai Team were fixated on Shrek Academy's team.
From Shrek Academy's team, the first to act was Xu Lizhi.
Two yellow soul rings appeared beneath his feet, and his first soul ring began to glow.
"I have a big meat bun!"
He quickly crafted six recovery meat buns and tossed them to the other six members.
Without hesitation, the others—including Xu Yuan—caught the buns and ate them immediately.
At this point, Xu Yuan and the others also unleashed their soul rings.
Ye Xinglan had two yellow soul rings.
Xu Yuan, however, displayed three purple soul rings, which were exceptionally eye-catching!
Even the three older outer court disciples, who had two yellow and one purple soul ring each, were overshadowed by Xu Yuan's brilliance.
Among the four outer court students, a young girl holding a seven-layer pagoda released all three of her soul rings simultaneously. Three beams of light shot forward, landing on Yu Yuanfeng's head.
Yu Yuanfeng then unleashed his soul rings one after another.
Yellow, yellow, purple, black!
His fourth soul ring was a pitch-black ten-thousand-year soul ring!
The dark soul ring seemed to devour all light as Yu Yuanfeng activated his fourth soul skill. A powerful explosion of blue light engulfed the entire stage.
The arena was covered in a domain of lightning, with twisting blue-purple arcs obscuring all visibility.
Even though the audience couldn't see the battle clearly, the constant bursts of thunderous energy sent shivers down their spines.
One minute passed.
The lightning faded.
All seven members of the Tianhai Team lay defeated on the stage.
Aside from eating the buns, Xu Yuan had only released his soul rings, as did Ye Xinglan and the other two outer court disciples. Their postures remained exactly as they had been at the start of the match.
An even match?
No!
This was a complete blowout!
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In a luxurious suite above the stadium, Shen Yi could clearly observe the battle unfolding below through the window.
Beside her stood a handsome young man with an icy demeanor.
"Senior Brother, after all these years, you haven't changed."
"Junior Sister, neither have you."
Shen Yi turned to face Wu Changkong, earnestly advising him: "Brother, you know Teacher's personality—he's only—"
"Junior Sister, there's no need to say more. It's my debt to Shrek Academy," Wu Changkong interrupted, his gaze shifting downward to Tang Wulin and the others. "I made a mistake, and I will make amends for it."
"How can they be so strong?" Tang Wulin muttered to himself.
Even though they were fighting across age groups and without any suppression of soul power levels, the battle still felt like a massacre.
Xie Xie's expression grew somber. "That girl's martial soul is the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, and that Xu Lizhi must be a food-based soul master capable of boosting his teammates. Moreover, their enhancements stack."
Though his analysis was reasonable, it missed the fact that Xu Lizhi's meat buns weren't particularly impactful in this battle since they were primarily used to restore soul power, stamina, and minor injuries.
"That Yu Yuanfeng's martial soul is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, which is terrifying in terms of explosive power. His fourth soul ring is a ten-thousand-year one, and he's very proficient in using that ten-thousand-year soul skill," Tang Wulin added.
While the stacking enhancements played a role, Yu Yuanfeng's terrifying explosive power was also a critical factor.
"They're not strong," Gu Yue suddenly interjected.
Tang Wulin and the others turned in surprise, shocked by her words.
Not strong?
"When we reach their age, we'll definitely surpass them," Gu Yue said confidently.
Her confidence spread to the other three.
Indeed, despite Yu Yuanfeng's fearsome abilities, they felt that catching up to him wasn't impossible.
"Surpassing them isn't enough," a cold voice sounded behind them. Wu Changkong had silently appeared.
He continued sternly: "That Yu Yuanfeng is merely an outer court disciple. What you truly need to focus on are the three youngest ones. They're the same age as you—all ten years old."
Ten years old.
Though they didn't know how Wu Changkong obtained this information, Tang Wulin and the others chose to believe it outright.
With this intelligence from Wu Changkong, the weight of Xu Yuan's presence now loomed heavily over their minds.
Ten years old, yet already a Soul Elder!
If his physical maturity matched his appearance, one might dismiss him as simply a thirteen-year-old with a youthful face. But he was ten!
At the same age, Tang Wulin was still at level seventeen. Though he possessed unique abilities that allowed him to surpass many Great Soul Masters in strength, his low soul power level was undeniable.
Moreover, Xu Yuan was already a Soul Elder. Was his strength limited to that level?
The more they thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
Was this the kind of speed humans could achieve in cultivation?
Wu Changkong gave the four some time to process this reality, but he himself was also grappling with it.
After learning Xu Yuan's age and soul power level from Shen Yi, his mind had been continuously shaken, and the impact hadn't subsided yet.
Looking at Tang Wulin—the student he had placed the highest hopes on—Wu Changkong couldn't help but reconsider. Did Tang Wulin have any hope of competing with Xu Yuan for the position of leader?
Given Tang Wulin's abilities and personality, if there was no leader role in a seven-person team, what role would suit him best?
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