"Those people are all evil soul masters — you must be extremely careful!" Yan Shaozhe stood before the group about to take the field, his voice filled with grave warning.
Bei Bei's expression was solemn. He raised his hand and assured Yan Shaozhe, "Dean Yan, rest assured — we'll eliminate every last evil soul master. It's our duty as students of Shrek Academy!"
Standing behind Bei Bei, Jiang Shengyu looked toward Yan Shaozhe and suddenly asked,
"All the evil soul masters must be eliminated — no matter what their past identities were, no matter the reasons that drove them into darkness! Evil soul masters are evil soul masters, right, Dean Yan?"
Yan Shaozhe didn't quite understand Jiang Shengyu's intent, but he nodded. "Of course. Once someone becomes an evil soul master, they bring nothing but harm to the continent. They must be eradicated."
Jiang Shengyu nodded lightly. "Understood."
Xu Sanshi glanced sideways at Jiang Shengyu and muttered to Bei Bei,
"Wasn't that obvious? Why'd he even ask? Hmph, people from the Sun Moon Empire will always be from the Sun Moon Empire."
The last part he said in a whisper — clearly aware those words were best not overheard.
"Sanshi! Don't speak nonsense." Bei Bei frowned and rebuked him sharply.
Seeing Bei Bei's stern expression, Xu Sanshi grunted in reply, closed his mouth, and said no more.
The group stepped onto the stage, facing the seven members of the Holy Spirit Sect. Jiang Shengyu and Bei Bei stood at the forefront, eyes locked on the seven-ringed Soul Sage leading the enemy.
Jiang Shengyu raised his hand and drew his Twilight Sword, while beside him, Bei Bei unleashed his Radiant Holy Dragon martial soul — his right hand transforming into the Light Dragon Claw. Jiang Qingluo spread her hands, activating her Spirit Eyes martial soul's Spiritual Detection Sharing, linking everyone together.
Ning Tian released her Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, enhancing the entire team with support buffs.
Jiang Feixin held her Golden Dragon Spear, her face cold and unyielding as she fixed her gaze on the Holy Spirit Sect.
Xiao Xiao and Xu Sanshi released their martial souls as well, taking positions to Ning Tian's left and right, guarding the auxiliary-type soul master in the center. Though it looked as if three fighters were occupied with protection, the four in front were all top-tier assault-type soul masters.
The battle was about to erupt.
A clear dragon's roar burst from Jiang Feixin's mouth, disrupting the Holy Spirit Sect's preparations. In that brief instant of distraction, Jiang Shengyu had already dashed up to the enemy leader — the Dark Phoenix Soul Sage. His Twilight Sword slashed out a gleaming crescent, tearing through the defenses of the black flames.
Though the opponent's dark fire had reached the level of Ultimate Fire, it was still suppressed before Jiang Shengyu's Ultimate Ice.
The corrupted, impure flames couldn't compare even to ordinary Ultimate Fire!
Yet the Dark Phoenix Soul Sage did not sit idle. She raised her head and let out a piercing cry. Behind her, a pair of black phoenix wings unfurled, and in the sky above, countless blazing black fireballs appeared — descending like a meteor shower toward Jiang Shengyu and his companions!
Seeing this all-too-familiar soul skill, Yan Shaozhe's heart skipped a beat.
"Old Song… isn't that Phoenix Meteor Shower and Phoenix Sky Soar?"
Elder Song's brows furrowed tightly, realizing what this meant.
Shrouded in black fire, the Dark Phoenix Soul Sage took to the air, her wings blazing. The entire sky above the dueling arena was cloaked in black flames. The searing heat felt as though it could burn the heavens themselves to ash.
Jiang Shengyu stopped in his tracks and released his soul rings.
Four black and one red — the sight instantly set the audience ablaze with shock.
"What's going on? Wasn't his first soul ring at the thousand-year level?" Yan Shaozhe stared in disbelief.
How could his soul ring configuration have changed? Could it be his second martial soul's rings?
In that case — does he have ten-thousand-year rings on both martial souls?
Impossible!
"Ten-thousand-year soul ring… my god!"
"This is a Shrek Academy student? How is that even possible?!"
"To nurture such a soul master — truly worthy of the name 'Monster Academy!'"
Those who didn't know Jiang Shengyu's true origins looked upon the crimson glow of his hundred-thousand-year soul ring with renewed awe toward Shrek Academy.
On the stage, Jiang Shengyu opened his palm — a lotus of fire blossomed within it, black and white intertwined at the core.
Within that two-colored flame, terrifying power was brewing.
With a flick of his finger, he launched the lotus skyward.
"He's going to counter Ultimate Fire with Ultimate Fire?" Yan Shaozhe's pupils shrank.
They'd never taught Jiang Shengyu such a technique!
Who tries to dissolve an attack using the same element? That's just brute force against brute force!
Elder Song frowned as well. "Is he insane?"
Fire against fire — that could only end in mutual destruction!
But the lotus had already reached the sky.
As it bloomed, an overwhelming jet-black flame erupted outward. Compared to the Dark Phoenix's black fire, Jiang Shengyu's Vacuousd-Devouring Flame was purer, darker — a flame born to consume.
The Vocuous-Devouring Flame surged and expanded, swiftly swallowing the other black flames entirely. It devoured them whole, refined their essence into raw energy, which was then purified by the Nether Lotus Flame and absorbed back into Jiang Shengyu's body.
A torrent of energy poured through him, and his soul power instantly rose to level sixty.
Only by swiftly suppressing it did he stop himself from breaking through to sixty-one.
Watching the flames being devoured so easily, both Yan Shaozhe and Elder Song — who had thought Jiang Shengyu reckless — were now stunned.
This… actually worked?!
When all the black flames had been consumed, the Holy Spirit Sect soul master plummeted from the sky, charging straight at Jiang Shengyu.
His eyes flashed with icy brilliance; the Water-Moon Martial Soul behind him shimmered with frost. Without hesitation, he struck.
She faced his slash head-on, her hands engulfed in dark fire. Behind her, the Black Phoenix erupted with furious flames as she clashed with Jiang Shengyu's Ultimate Ice.
A massive blizzard exploded outward from the point of impact. The shockwave engulfed even the Holy Spirit Sect members behind her.
Though Jiang Shengyu's cultivation was only at the sixtieth level, with four ten-thousand-year rings and one hundred-thousand-year ring amplifying him — not to mention Ning Tian's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda supporting him from the rear — his explosive strike rivaled that of a seventy-first-rank Ultimate Ice Soul Sage.
The black fire melted the ice, but far too slowly.
Jiang Shengyu lifted his sword and knocked aside the black mask covering his opponent's face — revealing Ma Xiaotao.
"Xiaotao!"
Yan Shaozhe's eyes widened, his heart shaking violently.
Even Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and the others on stage were dumbfounded — they had never imagined that the evil soul master they faced would be Ma Xiaotao!
But Jiang Shengyu had already raised his sword toward her.
Yan Shaozhe, without hesitation, shouted, "Stop!"
His voice, charged with soul power, echoed across the entire arena — halting Jiang Shengyu in his tracks.
Jiang Shengyu turned his head; Yan Shaozhe had already leapt onto the stage.