Thud~
Before the captain could react, the intense pain in his abdomen and his completely depleted soul power made his mind go blank, and he collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.
Around him, the other members of the Tianling Team were still fighting like madmen.
"We admit defeat, we admit defeat!"
Only then did the teacher of the Tianling Advanced Team wake up as if from a dream, shouting in despair from below the stage.
"Stop, stop—Shrek Academy wins!" The referee looked at Lu Cheng once again, his eyes filled with complexity and wariness, his voice echoing across the entire arena.
Lu Cheng's gaze was lazy as he calmly watched the crowd fighting on the opposite side. He walked straight down the stage. As he turned and left, the only two remaining members of the Tianling Team, covered in blood and looking hideous, also gradually woke up. Looking at the scene before them, their eyes were filled with terror and astonishment.
"Shrek!"
"Shrek!"
"Shrek!"
First came a strange silence, followed by earth-shattering cheers. The beautiful young girls in the front rows had their eyes lit up, all focusing their gazes on the handsome youth who, though standing alone with a lazy expression, carried an aura like an army of thousands.
They threw the flowers in their hands. Petals drifted down one by one with the wind, and a few pink petals floated gently onto Lu Cheng's head. However, his expression remained unchanged as he returned to the waiting area.
"Cheng, you guys, did you really have to act so nonchalant after winning the first match—"
In the waiting area of the Sun Moon Empire's Royal Academy team, Xiao Hongchen, who had just learned the handsome youth's name, crossed his arms over his chest. He gently stroked his chin and squinted his eyes as he spoke.
Even though they were on opposing sides, he felt a strange sense of mutual respect for this fellow genius youth. Perhaps this was… the bond between geniuses.
"What a pity he comes from Shrek, completely wasting such powerful mental force. Otherwise, if he were a disciple of our Sun Moon Empire, supplemented by spirit tools, his combat power would probably be terrifying." Elder Ma's eyes were complex as he crossed his arms.
"Indeed." Ma Rulong also nodded slightly.
In their impression of Shrek Academy, everyone in the Martial Soul Department was indeed a freakish monster, but in the Soul Tool Department, they were lagging behind the Sun Moon Empire by countless streets.
"The number one genius of soul tools against the number one genius of the Martial Soul Department." Xiao Hongchen curled his lips. "I've already thought of the headline for the Star Luo Evening Post: My figure standing against this youth's, the ultimate battle of genius soul kings. The hype will definitely blow up the entire continent."
"Don't flatter yourself, big brother." Meng Hongchen glanced sideways at her brother and said faintly, "There's no doubt he is number one in the Martial Soul Department, but you—"
"What, is there any dispute about me?" Xiao Hongchen's face flushed red.
"Hard to say."
Meng Hongchen shrugged, smilingly ignoring the helplessly furious Xiao Hongchen. Resting her fair arms on the railing and cradling her cheeks, her snow-white hair fluttered in the wind. Her bright, aqua-blue eyes sparkled as she sized up Lu Cheng, who was not far ahead, gently licking her red lips.
So handsome… truly handsome…
On the city walls of the Star Luo Empire's imperial city.
Xu Jiawei had already stood up, his gaze slightly astonished as he looked down at the proud and slender youth below.
Just now, the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, had dropped another bombshell on him.
This youth… possessed twin spirits: Sun-Shooting Bow and the Blood Pupils.
And this time, he had only used his second martial soul. As for his extremely powerful first martial soul, he had never even used it. The Sun-Shooting Bow was a long-range tool-type martial soul that possessed the Sun Fire, which was said to be even more powerful than Extreme Fire.
This meant that in this match, Lu Cheng didn't care at all; it wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say he was just playing around.
Because in Shrek's trial matches, his Blood Pupils only had one use—an extremely terrifying and wide-ranging detection and amplification of his teammates' combat power. In Dai Hao's estimation, this martial soul had always been a top-tier support system martial soul.
But no one expected that this martial soul could actually kill.
It was like seeing the owner of a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul carrying the pagoda and fighting a crowd of heroes alone. The scene was exceptionally bizarre—
If even a support system martial soul could produce such a dominant, crushing victory, then what about his true trump card—the Sun-Shooting Bow? How powerful would it be when he finally brought it out?
"Shrek Academy will probably reach the top spot once again," Xu Jiawei sighed softly, his eyes complex and unwilling.
It wasn't that he didn't believe in his own team.
"It was just that… as long as Shrek got through the early stages and held out until Ma Xiaotao, a Soul Saint, recovered, along with Gongyang Mo and Ling Luochen, it would be extremely difficult to handle."
Xu Jiujiu stood beside Xu Jiawei, her purple eyes looking with complexity at the youth below who was currently at the peak of his fame, a distinct gleam flashing across her eyes.
Everyone admires the strong, especially royal princesses.
With her pride reaching the heavens, she naturally looked down on ordinary men. To be her husband, one had to be a powerhouse—the kind of powerhouse who could trample her underfoot and ravage her!
And now—
This person seemed to have appeared.
Xu Jiawei secretly glanced at his younger sister and shook his head gently.
Di'ao Academy.
Jiang Peng carried a giant axe on his shoulder, his face completely solemn.
"Captain, is this an illusion?" a youth beside him, who was also wearing the Di'ao team uniform, said with a shocked expression, his throat bobbing. The scene just now was truly too bizarre; a group of Tianling Team members had somehow started slaughtering each other.
Five Soul Ancestors and two Soul Elders—this level of combat power was not weak. Out of the one hundred and thirty-three teams, they could at least rank in the top seventy. Yet, they were toyed with and played by this youth all by himself, and until the match ended, they hadn't even touched the corner of his clothes.
If they were the ones on the stage—
"Black and red double pupils—what a monstrous martial soul. If we are to categorize it, it should belong to the Body Spirits—the eyes. But if I'm not mistaken, this youth… has probably already completed his second martial soul awakening. Such a monster, truly worthy of Shrek Academy."
A white-haired teacher from Di'ao Academy sighed and shook his head.
"Body spirit, second awakening?"
Jiang Peng's pupils suddenly contracted. The other Di'ao Academy disciples around him did not know, but he had heard a little about it.
Hailing from Shrek meant he was untainted by the Body Sect, yet he had completed the second awakening on his own. The terror of this talent was beyond words.
"Securing second place will be enough." The white-haired old man nodded slightly and patted Jiang Peng's shoulder.
"That Ma Xiaotao, who is in the Soul Saint realm, is no pushover either."
Shrek Academy, waiting area.
Teacher Wang was filled with excitement, his face flushed red as he clenched his fists and waved them vigorously, as if trying to dispel the frustration that had accumulated in his heart over the past few days.
He desired a victory too much.
And Lu Cheng's power had also exceeded the expectations of all the Shrek team members.
Gongyang Mo and Ling Luochen were dumbfounded.
No, brother—
Is this really you?
You didn't even reveal it once during the trial matches?
Just how many trump cards was this guy hiding from them?
Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan, the two great beauties, were smilingly cheering for Lu Cheng from the side. Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong'er's eyes were equally excited, while Ning Tian stood quietly in place, her eyes gentle and hopeful as she gazed at Lu Cheng.
Only Wu Feng had her mouth pouted so high it almost reached the sky.
Muttering and groaning with her arms crossed, she turned her back to Ning Tian and squatted in the corner, repeatedly kicking the wall with her boot.
Suddenly, a figure doing the exact same action entered her field of vision—it was Bei Bei.
The latter was also squatting in the corner, his eyes resentful. He punched the wall again and again, furious and hideous, looking as if he wanted to bite the plaster off the wall with his teeth.
No wonder when he went to find Xiao Ya these days, she always made various excuses and later didn't even bother to reject him. Even though he waited downstairs at the girls' dormitory until dark, there was no sign of her.
It turned out to be because of… that guy!!!
And Senior Sister Lexuan was also because of him.
Why?
Why was he able to steal everything of his, and why did everyone have to revolve around him?
He was unwilling.
Wu Feng's lips twitched, and she stiffly turned around, no longer looking at this guy.
However, recalling what that guy had said earlier, was her so-called 'love' for Ning Tian really love? She didn't have the slightest wicked thought toward Ning Tian, like kissing or hugging. If they were to actually grind tofu, it would be even more awkward.
She just wanted the two of them to be together forever.
"So, I actually don't like women?" Wu Feng doubted herself. In the next instant, she suddenly caught sight of Lu Cheng, who was surrounded by the crowd like stars crowding around the moon. The sunlight spilled onto his handsome face, his figure tall and slender, and his fair, bony fingers gently tying his wolf cut. Her heart suddenly throbbed and then began to beat wildly.
She seemed to be turning straight.
There was no helping it, this guy—
Is truly handsome.
On the road from Star Luo Plaza to the Star Luo Hotel.
Lu Cheng held the back of his head with both hands, his gaze lazy. This road was stationed with government troops; unless they were participants, spectators or other idle personnel were not allowed to enter.
Therefore, he enjoyed quite a bit of peace and quiet.
The previous skill was his second soul ring attached to his second martial soul, the Double Pupils, in addition to the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm. It was a seventy-thousand-year cultivation Ice-Remnant Dream Butterfly from the Far North, and the soul skill was named Pupil Ruins. As long as one made eye contact with Lu Cheng, they would fall into an illusion woven by him.
Unless their strength was superior, they would not be able to break free.
Within the illusion, Lu Cheng was the absolute dominator, holding the power over life and death, and could easily crush the opponent to death. Moreover, death within the illusion meant death in the real world.
However, this rule only applied to soul masters below the level of Soul Emperor.
—
The more powerful the opponent, the shorter the time they would be trapped in the illusion, and the more exaggerated the mental force consumed would be. Furthermore, if the opponent's mental force was higher than Lu Cheng's, they might even suffer a backlash after Pupil Ruins was activated.
Therefore, when facing high-level soul masters, Lu Cheng would almost never use this move. Just as he had promised Zhang Lexuan before, he truly didn't dare to use this move against Xuan Zi; if he suffered a backlash, he would be heavily injured, if not dead.
"Hey, you guy… you're so fierce. I share a bed with you every day, yet I didn't even know your background." Wang Dong'er muttered from the side, a trace of lingering excitement still in her pinkish-blue eyes.
"Hehe, when do you plan to tell everyone the truth?" Lu Cheng's eyes were gentle as he smiled.
"Soon, I guess—" Wang Dong'er said somewhat hesitantly.
"By the way, the Clear Sky Sect has sent me another letter, telling me to return directly to the sect after this competition ends, as they have an extremely important matter to discuss with me." Wang Dong'er's tone suddenly grew heavy, and her pinkish-blue eyes, which had been cheerful just a moment ago, instantly dimmed.
She really didn't dare to go back.
Ever since she learned that a god's restriction was carved into her spiritual sea, her nightmares were filled with a massive spider weaving an invisible, giant web. She was merely a tiny butterfly, tightly bound layer by layer and unable to break free, while that massive spider's eight long legs stepped on the web, approaching bit by bit—
Every time those sharp spikes were about to pierce her wings, she would wake up from the dream.
And the patience of Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle also seemed to be nearing its limit.
Others didn't know, but she knew very well that the relationship between Lu Cheng and Shrek Academy was very poor. If Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle came directly to Shrek Academy to demand her return, she wouldn't have the right to refuse at all.
"Don't worry, we won't go back to Shrek," Lu Cheng said softly, gently taking the girl's hand.
"But—" Wang Dong'er's eyes were conflicted.
"Don't worry, you have me."
Lu Cheng rubbed her short, pinkish-blue hair as if petting a cat.
This guy's disguise technique was indeed top-tier, even allowing her to control her hair length. However, this male version of Wang Dong'er carried a girl's soft and charming demeanor, which was truly a bit strange. Therefore, he still hoped she would reveal her 'true form' as soon as possible.
"Mm."
Wang Dong'er, rarely showing any embarrassment, calmly leaned into Lu Cheng's embrace, enjoying this rare moment of peace.
In the next instant, Lu Cheng raised his eyes and glanced at the top of a continuous three-story building by the roadside. Two figures flashed past, and a smile curled on his lips.
The fish has finally taken the bait.
It had really taken him some effort to find them.
"You go back first; I still have some things to do."
Lu Cheng smiled and rubbed Wang Dong'er's head, speaking slowly.
"Oh."
The youth's figure slowly disappeared.
Lu Cheng put away his smile, glanced at the heavily armored guards stationed every few meters on both sides of the road, and walked straight through the gap between two of them. The eyes of those few guards clearly showed a moment of astonishment, but they still did not interfere much.
They were only responsible for blocking idle personnel, but as for these participating favored children of heaven, if they wanted to look around, they could.
They hadn't reached the inside of the imperial city yet, so it was not a secret place.
"You two have been tailing me for so long; why hide your heads and show your tails?"
On top of a roof.
Lu Cheng stood proudly, his eyes calm as water, and spoke softly.
"As expected of a genius of our Body Spirit, this mental force… is indeed exaggerating."
A warm voice sounded.
Two figures, one tall and one short, one robust and one thin, slowly emerged. The leading big-headed Lang Ya stared at Lu Cheng with eyes so burning they were almost crazed. "Presumably, you have already undergone the second awakening of your martial soul, right?"
A thirteen-year-old soul king who had even completed the second awakening of his eye martial soul.
This level of talent, even in the entire Body Sect, could be called a rare sight in a thousand years.
If the Sect Master knew, he would probably wish he could rush over from the Body Sect immediately and invite (kidnap) this youth back to the Body Sect.
"Indeed."
Lu Cheng placed his hands behind his back and nodded slightly.
He had actually dealt with Lang Ya in the simulator, and the man was decent enough. He just didn't know what that long-legged beauty, Wei Linger, looked like now.
But thinking about it, she should also be a gentle and beautiful woman in her thirties now.
Notes:
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