Jing Hongchen continued operating the spirit tool in his hand, recording everything without pause.
The lens rotated almost imperceptibly, precisely capturing every detail on the battlefield.
Dai Yueheng's initial movements when activating his Spirit Skills, the time it took for his soul power to condense.
The intensity of Gongyang Mo's support buffs, the intervals between each enhancement.
The range and approximate destructive power of Ma Xiaotao's attacks…
Even their coordination habits were documented in full—such as who filled the gap when Ma Xiaotao charged forward, and who was responsible for covering the flanks. Every bit of information was stored inside that small Shadow Storage Core.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…"
While manipulating the spirit tool, Jing Hongchen shook his head inwardly.
"Truly generous."
"Under normal circumstances, this kind of data would be a team's deepest secret, never revealed until the decisive moment…"
"But the Shrek Team actually delivered it to us on a silver platter, all for the sake of so-called face."
Jing Hongchen found it more amusing than anything else.
Was this really a competition?
This was practically a live tactical demonstration class for the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Finally—
With a deafening explosion, the opposing team's final member was blasted off the stage.
The match was over.
"Shrek Academy wins!"
As the referee's voice rang out, the entire arena erupted once more in thunderous cheers.
"Shrek is invincible!"
"So strong! This is what a true powerhouse looks like!"
"That Phoenix Flame just now was incredible! And that White Tiger Meteor Shower was insane!"
The audience was completely fired up.
In their eyes, this kind of overwhelming bombardment—packed with dazzling visuals—was far more exciting and impressive than the Sun Moon Team's swift, one-second victories.
On the stage, the Shrek Team basked in the cheers, each of them standing tall with expressions full of pride.
Ma Xiaotao flicked her fiery red hair, arrogance blazing in her eyes as if it could pierce the sky.
Dai Yueheng even raised both fists high, as though the championship trophy was already in his grasp.
Even Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and the others were swept up in the frenzy, a deep sense of pride surging in their hearts.
"Hmph, as expected—the audience knows what they're looking at."
Below the stage, Xuan Zi listened to the deafening chants of "Shrek" and finally felt the pent-up frustration in his chest ease considerably.
He slowly stood up, his gaze passing through the boiling crowd and landing once more on the rest area of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
This time, there was no avoidance in his eyes—only provocation and disdain.
He stared straight at Liu Yuan, his gaze clearly saying:
"See that, you little brat?"
"This is Shrek's strength! This is our foundation!"
"Those cheap tricks of yours might fool amateurs, but when it comes to real power, you're nowhere close!"
A contemptuous sneer curled at the corner of Xuan Zi's mouth as he lifted his chin in a victor's posture.
Meanwhile, in the Sun Moon Team's rest area—
Liu Yuan clearly caught Xuan Zi's provocative stare.
Faced with that look, not only did he not get angry—he nearly laughed out loud.
He genuinely wanted to walk over, pat Xuan Zi on the shoulder, and say a heartfelt "thank you."
Thank you for being so cooperative.
Thank you for being so foolish.
Thank you for revealing every last trump card the Shrek Team had worked so hard to conceal, all for the sake of face.
But he held himself back.
At a time like this, it was best not to ruin the old man's mood.
After all, the higher one climbs, the harder one falls.
Thus, Liu Yuan merely gave Xuan Zi a calm glance before turning away expressionlessly and walking over to Jing Hongchen.
"Dean."
He lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear.
"How is it? Did you get everything?"
Jing Hongchen patted the spirit tool in his hand, a smile as sly as an old fox appearing on his face.
"Don't worry, Little Yuan."
"Every detail has been recorded."
"Now we can go back and study it properly."
Hearing this, the corners of Liu Yuan's mouth finally lifted slightly.
"Excellent."
This was the power of technology.
While Shrek was still indulging in primitive, head-on clashes of Spirit Skills, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was already standing at a higher dimensional vantage point.
"Since the objective has been achieved, there's no need to stay and watch a monkey show."
Liu Yuan turned around and waved to the team members who were already packed and ready.
"Everyone."
"Back to the hotel."
"Yes!"
Ma Rulong, Xiao Hongchen, and the others responded immediately.
The group quietly exited the venue just as the match concluded and the cheers for Shrek were still shaking the arena.
Their departure attracted little attention from the audience.
However, Xuan Zi—who had been keeping his eyes fixed on Liu Yuan—noticed it immediately.
Watching the Sun Moon Team's retreating figures, Xuan Zi froze for a moment. Then the smile on his face grew even wider—borderline sinister.
"Heh heh…"
He let out a low, malicious chuckle.
"Running?"
"Running just like that?"
In his eyes, Liu Yuan was scared.
After witnessing Shrek's overwhelming strength, he must have realized the insurmountable gap between them and felt too ashamed to remain.
"Weren't you so arrogant earlier?"
"Didn't you dare provoke this old man with your eyes?"
"What, now that you've seen true power, you finally realize you're just a frog at the bottom of a well?"
The more Xuan Zi thought about it, the better he felt. All the anger and frustration he had been holding onto were completely swept away.
"Hmph, utterly laughable!"
When Ma Xiaotao and the others stepped off the stage, they also noticed that the Sun Moon Team's seats were now empty.
"Huh? Where did they go?" Dai Yueheng asked in surprise.
"Tch, they must've seen how strong we are and slipped away in fear."
Ma Xiaotao wiped the sweat from her forehead indifferently, disdain written all over her face.
"After all, they're just Soul Engineers who rely on external tools. It's normal for them to feel nervous when they see our real combat power."
"Exactly. That Liu Yuan acted so lofty earlier, but in the end, he didn't even dare show his true abilities before running off."
Chen Zifeng, Gongyang Mo, and the other Inner Court students chimed in as well, their words dripping with mockery.
Standing at the back of the crowd, Huo Yuhao stared at the empty seats, his brows knitting tighter and tighter.
Were they really just afraid?
From what he knew of Liu Yuan, he didn't seem like someone who would be intimidated so easily.
Leaving early likely meant he had another plan.
"What a shame…"
Huo Yuhao had wanted to warn Xuan Zi and the others.
But seeing how exhilarated Xuan Zi, Ma Xiaotao, and the rest were, he opened his mouth—only to swallow his words again.
Forget it.
Anything he said now would be useless.
As for Xuan Zi—
At this moment, he felt thoroughly vindicated, brimming with confidence.
He waved his hand, no longer interested in watching the remaining matches.
"Let's go! We're heading back too!"
"Time to celebrate properly—this Soul Master Tournament is basically ours!"
-------------Author---------------
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