Chapter 93: The Illusion Shattered
Elder Xuan walked at the very front of the group. Though his strides appeared steady and measured to the outside observer, every step felt hollow, as if he were treading on thin air.
Beneath his calm facade, a stormy sea of intense regret churned violently in his chest.
Just moments ago at the city gates, goaded by Du Busi's sharp tongue, he had acted on a hot-headed impulse. He had agreed to a bet that could only be described as reputational suicide.
Three kowtows.
What kind of absolute humiliation was that?
If Shrek Academy won, they would certainly trample the Body Sect's pride into the dirt. But what if they lost?
'If we lose, not only will I have failed to make amends for driving Liu Yuan away, but I will have permanently stained Shrek's glory in front of the entire continent. Elder Mu will never forgive me.'
Elder Xuan closed his eyes. The darkness behind his eyelids offered no comfort, only flashing images of Du Busi's arrogant, booming laughter and the cold, mocking gaze of Liu Yuan's Double Pupils.
He knew his own hand all too well. It was a terrible hand.
Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng were still present, yes, but the vile poison lingering in their meridians had not been completely purged. Their combat strength was severely crippled.
The rest of the team, save for Ling Luochen, were mere reserve members. Children who had never faced the blood and pressure of a true battlefield.
On the opposite side, the Body Sect's Long Aotian and Liu Yuan had already spread their wings, their strength unfathomable. In Elder Xuan's mind, the scales of power had tilted so drastically it left a cold sweat clinging to his back.
Yet, he knew he could not show a single crack in his armor right now.
If the team leader collapsed under the pressure, the frightened students trailing behind him would lose whatever fragile fighting spirit they had left.
Elder Xuan stopped in his tracks. He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the anxious, pale faces of Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, and the rest of the reserves.
He forced the corners of his mouth up, crafting a mask of absolute confidence. When he spoke, his tone was exceptionally firm, carrying the weight of a seasoned veteran.
"Everyone, pull yourselves together! Do you know why I dared to make that bet with Du Busi just now? Because I hold an ace up my sleeve!"
He watched the puzzled expressions ripple through the group, then deliberately lowered his voice, spinning a web of false hope.
"Do you honestly think the academy would sit idly by and watch us struggle? I have already sent out a high-priority distress signal. The academy will dispatch elite reinforcements shortly."
He gestured vaguely toward the two injured main team members. ", Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng's injuries are not as severe as they appear. They merely need a little time to finish detoxifying."
"As long as we hold the line for the first few matches, they will return to their peak state. Once that happens, those so-called geniuses from the other academies will be nothing but weaklings before Shrek's might. They are not worth your worry!"
Hearing the promise of reinforcements, a faint glimmer of hope returned to Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng's eyes.
Elder Xuan then pivoted, locking his gaze onto Huo Yuhao. A flash of cunning calculation passed through the old man's eyes. "Yuhao, I recall that among the Spirit Abilities granted by your Spirit Eyes, there is one called Simulation. Is that correct?"
Huo Yuhao blinked, caught off guard by the sudden focus. He nodded slowly. "Yes, Elder Xuan. The Simulation Spirit Ability allows me to alter the visual color of my spirit rings, and I can even project illusory forms."
Elder Xuan slapped his thigh, a spark of genuine excitement breaking through his forced calm. "Good! That is exactly what we need. In tomorrow's opening match, you do not need to lift a finger to fight. The moment you step onto that stage, you will activate Simulation."
He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Simulate six 100,000-year spirit rings for me! You must understand, reputation and visual terror are sometimes far more lethal than any actual Spirit Ability."
"Our goal is absolute deception. We will use this trick to scare the enemy out of their wits! If we can drag this out and secure just one match, we buy ourselves time. Once the reinforcements arrive, victory is ours."
Huo Yuhao shifted his weight, hesitation written clearly across his young face. But under the crushing, unquestionable weight of Elder Xuan's stare, he had no choice. He lowered his head. "I... I understand, Elder Xuan. I will follow the plan."
With this desperate strategy laid out, the group's plummeting morale was temporarily stabilized by Elder Xuan's empty city bluff.
They proceeded to the tournament organizing committee to finalize their registration, then hurried back to the grand Star Luo Hotel provided by the Star Luo Imperial Family to rest for the night.
The next morning brought a fever pitch of excitement to Star Luo Plaza.
The entire Star Luo Imperial City was boiling over with anticipation. Tens of thousands of citizens and Spirit Masters packed the massive plaza, pressing shoulder to shoulder until not even a drop of water could trickle through the crowd.
The opening match of this year's All-Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament was a brutal, unforgiving elimination round. The winner would advance to glory; the loser would pack their bags and go home in disgrace.
Under such a ruthless format, no academy dared to hold back a single ounce of their strength.
High above the roaring masses, the Star Luo Emperor sat upon the city gates, his regal gaze overseeing the sprawling arena.
As the head referee's magically amplified voice boomed across the plaza, detailing the competition rules, the first pair of opposing teams marched out from the dark tunnels and into the blinding sunlight.
"The first match! Shrek Academy Team versus Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy!"
At the mere mention of the words Shrek Academy, the deafening cheers from the crowd surged into a tidal wave of sound, reaching an absolute peak.
However, as Huo Yuhao and the other six youths stepped into the arena, the roaring cheers rapidly dissolved into a low, confused murmur.
The Shrek lineup looked far too young. They were practically children. More shockingly, the famous faces of Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng were entirely absent from the starting formation.
Far away in the designated preparation area, Elder Xuan sat rigidly in his chair. His eyes were glued to the distant stage, his weathered hands gripping his knees so tightly his knuckles turned white.
'Yuhao, please,'he chanted silently in his heart.'Do not mess this up!'
The referee stood at the dead center of the massive stage. He looked to the left, then to the right, before throwing his hand down in a sharp, cutting motion.
"The match begins!"
Instantly, the seven students from Tianling Academy summoned their martial spirits. Bursts of spirit power erupted across their side of the stage as they fell into a practiced battle formation. Beneath each of their feet, a standard configuration of spirit rings rose—two yellow, two purple.
At that exact moment, Huo Yuhao took a single, deliberate step forward.
His Spirit Eyes flared with a faint, mystical light. Immediately following that subtle glow, the Simulation Spirit Ability took full effect.
From beneath his feet, a circle of light expanded, rising rhythmically to encircle his body.
The first ring emerged. Blood-red.
The second ring followed. Blood-red.
The crowd's breath hitched.
A third. A fourth. A fifth.
Until the sixth ring locked into place, pulsing with that same, shocking, suffocating blood-red hue!
A full six 100,000-year spirit rings hovered around the young boy's frame, radiating an eerie, overwhelming crimson glow that bathed the entire arena in the color of fresh blood.
The deafening roar of tens of thousands of spectators vanished. The entire venue plunged into a deathly, absolute silence.
"One... one hundred thousand-year spirit rings? All six of them?!" someone finally stammered, their voice cracking in the quiet.
On the stage, the spirit power that the Tianling Academy students had so carefully gathered began to violently fluctuate, showing signs of spiraling completely out of control.
They stared blankly at the six crimson rings rotating beneath Huo Yuhao's feet. The sheer visual impact was more than enough to crush the psychological defenses of any ordinary Spirit Master. Their legs turned to jelly, trembling uncontrollably against the stone floor.
In their minds, this was not a realm any human Spirit Master could possibly reach. This was not cultivation. This was a walking miracle of destruction.
The terror was not limited to the opponents on stage. High up on the city gates, the Star Luo Emperor leaned forward, his regal composure shattering into extreme shock. In the VIP seating, the leaders and instructors of the various academies mirrored his disbelief, their jaws slack.
Down in the preparation area, Elder Xuan watched the frozen arena. A smug, cold smile crept onto the corner of his mouth.
'That is exactly it,'he thought, his racing heart finally settling.'As long as we scare them, this first hurdle is cleared. Deceiving the eyes of the entire world... this trick of mine is truly exquisite.'
On the stage, the captain of Tianling Academy swallowed hard, his throat dry as bone. His spirit had been thoroughly broken. He raised a trembling hand, his mouth opening to shout the words of surrender.
The entire venue held its breath, trembling in awe of the impossible six 100,000-year spirit rings.
But just before the word surrender could leave the captain's lips, a booming voice, dripping with thick, biting sarcasm, rolled down from the high tiers of the tournament venue.
The voice was packed with dense, tyrannical spirit power, carrying a domineering quality that violently pierced straight through the suffocating illusion.
"Elder Xuan! How can you possibly have the nerve to bring out such a pathetic, self-deceiving bluff to show off in front of the entire continent?!"
Du Busi stood casually atop the stone railing of the Heavenly Soul Imperial Academy's rest area. He had his hands planted firmly on his hips, staring down at Huo Yuhao on the stage with a face full of sneering mockery.
"Look at this kid! He is only twelve years old!" Du Busi's booming laughter crashed over the silent plaza like thunder, filled with undisguised, raw contempt. "Twelve years old, and he has six spirit rings? And they are all 100,000-year rings?!"
He pointed a massive finger down at the Shrek team. "If that garbage is real, I will twist my own head off right here, right now, and give it to you Shrek cowards to kick around like a ball!"
The words struck the arena like a physical blow.
The students from Tianling Academy, who had been drowning in absolute terror just a second prior, violently jolted awake.
Their captain lowered his trembling hand, his eyes widening in sudden realization.
That was right! It made absolutely no sense! A twelve-year-old Spirit Emperor? With six blood-red rings? It was a complete fantasy!
The fear in their eyes rapidly melted away, replaced by the burning heat of humiliation and anger. There was definitely a trick at play!
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