Rewind to a few hours earlier, during registration.
Since most of the team needed time to recover, Huo Yuhao and Wang Yan—as vice-captains—along with seven members of the reserve team, went to register for the competition.
As for Ma Xiaotao, the main team's captain, who was in peak condition? She was currently seizing the opportunity to train.
After the incident with the evil soul master's corpse explosion, she sensed a breakthrough in her soul power and was preparing to meditate, aiming to reach Level 70 and officially become a Quasi-Soul Saint.
Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to obtain her seventh soul ring.
Otherwise, if a Soul Saint from Shrek's inner court appeared in this competition, they would undoubtedly dominate.
Wang Yan wasn't worried about registering reinforcements later.
As the reigning champion for thousands of years, Shrek still held certain privileges.
Any Shrek soul master of the appropriate age could be added to the roster at any time.
Thus, Wang Yan first submitted the current lineup.
His responsibilities didn't end there, though.
Aside from strategizing with Huo Yuhao and the others, he also had to gather intelligence on their opponents.
As the team's leader—especially with Xuan Zi absence—he had to uphold Shrek's glory.
This was his unshakable duty.
Just as Huo Yuhao finished registering, a group of figures slowly approached, immediately drawing the crowd's attention.
Some well-informed spectators recognized them instantly.
"That's the Sun and Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy!"
Unlike Shrek, which had only nine participants, the Sun and Moon team had nearly twenty members.
The reason for this encounter?
Shrek.
The world had suffered under Shrek's dominance for too long.
And the Sun and Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy was determined to be the first to shatter Shrek's undefeated myth.
In this Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament, their sole goal was to dethrone Shrek and claim the top spot.
But even if they failed this time, it wouldn't matter.
There was always the next tournament—the one where they'd truly shine.
By then, the Hongchen siblings, hailed as the empire's greatest geniuses in millennia, would reach the pinnacle of their strength!
Having just arrived in Star Luo City, they came to register immediately upon hearing Shrek's team was present—partly to scout their rivals.
They wanted to see who Shrek had brought this time.
But the result?
"Why are there so few of them? And why are they all so… young?"
Among the Sun and Moon team, a stunning silver-haired girl with aqua-blue eyes murmured, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.
[**Note: Her hair is silver in the comics, turning white with red eyes after her martial spirit's possession.**]
Then, her gaze locked onto one figure—unable to look away.
Amidst the crowd of handsome youths and beautiful maidens, one person stood out.
A young man with long dark hair, jade-like skin, and a face so breathtaking it made her breath hitch.
'Heavens… someone even more handsome than Xiao?'
Her icy-blue eyes sparkled with a mix of excitement and shyness.
Sensing her stare, Huo Yuhao glanced over.
Their eyes met briefly—and he responded with a polite, effortless smile.
[Meng Hongchen]
[Relationship: Acquaintance]
[Achievement Mission: Love at First Sight!]
'What's going on with Meng Hongchen?'
If he remembered correctly, in the original storyline, she'd been drawn to Wang Dong—who had since reverted to her true female form.
The next moment, a handsome youth with delicate features stepped protectively in front of Meng Hongchen.
It was Xiao Hongchen.
His expression was cold and arrogant. After sizing up Huo Yuhao, his lips curled into a provocative smirk, radiating pride.
Though he sensed a faint threat from Huo Yuhao, his confidence remained unshaken.
This was the arrogance of the Sun and Moon Empire's number-one genius!
Huo Yuhao simply smiled back.
'Even Xiao Hongchen counts as a mission tool now?'
[Xiao Hongchen]
[Relationship: Acquaintance]
Achievement Mission: The Scent of a Rival]
Xiao Hongchen's smirk deepened, his fighting spirit surging.
Ignoring his sister's infatuation, he'd noticed something else—Huo Yuhao had registered as Shrek's captain.
How could someone younger than him hold that position?
While the captain wasn't necessarily the strongest, they certainly weren't the weakest. Shrek wouldn't assign the role lightly.
And weren't Shrek's main teams usually composed of inner courtyard students?
Was there really someone this young in Shrek's inner courtyard?
Even a prodigy like Xiao Hongchen was only the reserve captain due to his age.
Huo Yuhao: Actually, I'm the vice-captain.
Xiao Hongchen's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
He had a hunch—this pretty boy might be a formidable rival, not just in this tournament, but in the next one five years later.
'The scent of a rival…'
The seven reserve members—Beibei and the others—returned the Sun and Moon team's stares with equal intensity.
As Xuan Zi had said, they'd likely participate this time.
With the main team's vacancies after the corpse explosion, the reserves' chances of fighting had risen to 100%.
Though under immense pressure, they were honored.
They bore Shrek's name.
They would never back down.
The atmosphere grew tense.
Huo Yuhao, not wanting a pointless quarrel, led the team away after registering.
Only after Shrek's group left did Xiao Hongchen finally look away.
"Meng, it seems we've found a rival." But when he turned, his sister was still staring dazedly at Huo Yuhao's retreating figure.
"Meng?" The pride in Xiao Hongchen's eyes vanished, replaced by shock.
"Huh?" Meng Hongchen blinked, snapping out of her trance. "What?"
"Nothing…" Xiao Hongchen's lips twitched. After a pause, he stressed, "He's our opponent."
"So?" Meng Hongchen tilted her head.
Growing up, she'd never lacked admirers—her standards were high.
But this was the first time she'd seen someone who perfectly matched her ideals.
'So handsome… and he smiled at me!'
Xiao Hongchen frowned. "He's from Shrek. And he probably has a girlfriend. You've got no chance."
"Brother, you don't understand." She glanced at him pityingly. "Are you… jealous?"
"What?! Of course not!" His face flushed. "He's just lucky! Shrek's main team hasn't arrived yet, so he got the captaincy!"
Meng Hongchen shook her head. "That boy isn't ordinary. Just looking at him made my Red-Eyed Ice Toad tremble."
"We'll see on the arena," Xiao Hongchen retorted. "I'll end Shrek's undefeated myth myself!"
"Oh? But remember—" She twirled a strand of hair, smirking. "We're the reserve team. We might not even get to fight."
Xiao Hongchen froze.
'What kind of sister are you?!'
The two Sun and Moon Academy elders leading the team remained silent, turning a blind eye.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were the grandchildren of Jing Hongchen, master of the Illustrious Virtue Hall—a Titled Douluo and a Class 9 soul engineer.
Offending them meant exile from the Sun and Moon Empire.
Team captain Ma Rulong sighed deeply.
'Leading this team is exhausting.'
After registration, he'd need to analyze Shrek's current lineup and plan tactics carefully.
…
Two Days Later
The Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament was the ultimate battleground for academies across the continent.
To ensure fairness, the competition format was diverse and flexible.
The first round was a knockout stage—losers eliminated immediately.
The initial matches were 7v7 team battles, spanning three days.
After that, teams would advance to a round-robin group stage, featuring randomized formats:
1v1 eliminations, 2v2 or 3v3 cooperative battles or 7v7 team battles.
The knockout stage was always the most intense with no second chances.
Even Shrek, the reigning champion, received no special treatment.
As the Star Luo Emperor's opening speech concluded, 108 ceremonial cannons roared from the city walls.
The announcer's voice boomed:
"The first round is a knockout stage! 133 academies are participating—one received a bye, leaving 66 matches. The first match begins now!"
"Facing off—the Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy from the Douling Empire… and the legendary Shrek Academy, the undefeated champion of the last millennium!"
The crowd erupted.
"SHREK! SHREK!"
To the world, Shrek was invincible.
With them competing, every other academy fought for second place.
The Tianling Academy team stepped forward first—their faces pale, their steps shaky.
Any dreams of advancing? Shattered.
In the very first match, they'd drawn the demon of the tournament.
Tianling wasn't weak—they had five four-ringed Soul Ancestors.
But against Shrek? Even mustering the courage to step onto the stage was a struggle.
"Now, let us welcome the true kings of the academy world—the Shrek Academy team!"
The cheers reached a fever pitch.
Even the Star Luo Emperor, watching from the city walls, stood in excitement.
In his youth, he'd studied at Shrek under an alias—and still carried a torch for someone in the inner courtyard.
Wang Yan had received word: No reinforcements were coming.
This team was all they had.
So, for this match, he fielded: Ma Xiaotao, Huo Yuhao, Beibei, Xu Sanshi, Tang Ya, Jiang Nannan and Wang Dong'er.
Huo Yuhao had no objections.
His system couldn't harvest "shock" emotions—there was no need for flashy theatrics.
The other inner courtyard members, still recovering, would join later.
For now, they watched from the sidelines, cheering silently.
As the seven took the stage, the crowd's roars shook the arena.
…
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