Gulp…
In the deathly silent air, someone swallowed hard.
The sound was faint, yet at this moment it was like a fuse, instantly igniting the shock and horror that had been building in Star Luo Plaza for a long time.
Whoosh—!!!
In the next second, the plaza—silent just moments ago—was like a calm sea struck by a depth charge, erupting into towering waves. Clamor, shocked cries, and sharp intakes of breath merged into a deafening roar that shot straight into the clouds, nearly making the protective barrier above Star Luo Plaza hum and tremble.
"Lost… Shrek Team's Ma Xiaotao—the Spirit Saint—lost again?!"
"Not only did she lose, even an eighth-rank soul tool was shattered by a single punch! Why does Liu Yuan feel even more terrifying than last time?"
"It looks like Shrek Academy really is going to be eliminated…"
The noisy discussions poured in endlessly. Although the result had not yet been officially declared, nearly everyone present had already guessed the final outcome.
…
On the main stage.
The Emperor of Star Luo, Xu Jiawei, swayed slightly. If not for the old eunuch beside him reacting quickly to support him, this ruler of a great empire might have lost his composure and collapsed onto his dragon throne.
When he had earlier seen Liu Yuan stack six layers of Dragon Dance, Xu Jiawei had already felt an ominous premonition. But witnessing the scene with his own eyes still left him dizzy from the impact.
"It's over…"
Xu Jiawei's face was pale as he muttered to himself.
He, too, had seen the inevitable conclusion—Shrek Academy's elimination.
Deep regret and resentment surged in his heart. To prevent the Sun Moon Empire from taking the championship, he could be said to have exhausted every effort. He had even "gifted" a large number of eighth-rank soul tools into Shrek's hands through top-tier auctions.
The price he paid was anything but small.
And yet—
Shrek still lost!
"Useless… A bunch of useless trash!"
Xu Jiawei cursed viciously in his heart. The respect that once filled his gaze when he looked toward Shrek's waiting area was gone, replaced by unmistakable irritation.
"I've gone this far, and I still can't stop a single Liu Yuan?!"
"It seems the championship of this tournament is truly going to fall into the hands of the Sun Moon Empire…"
At that thought, Xu Jiawei's mood sank to the depths.
A victory for the Sun Moon Empire would not only shatter Shrek's myth of invincibility, but also signal an unprecedented surge in the prestige of soul tools across the entire continent. The three original Douluo Continent empires, already at a military disadvantage, would likely soon face a high-spirited and heavily armed Sun Moon army at their borders.
For the Star Luo Empire, this was nothing short of a massive disaster.
…
If Xu Jiawei was filled with irritation and worry, then from Xuan Zi's perspective, the scene was drenched in despair and suffocating stillness.
Clang.
A crisp sound rang out.
The wine gourd slipped from Xuan Zi's hand and shattered on the ground. The precious aged spirit spilled everywhere, releasing a rich aroma—but at this moment, the scent carried only bitterness and irony.
He stared blankly at the arena below and at Ma Xiaotao, who was being hurriedly carried away by medical Spirit Masters. In an instant, he seemed to have aged ten years.
"It's over… it's all over…"
Xuan Zi's already-clouded eyes were now hollow and empty.
As the team's leading teacher, as Vice Commander of the Shrek Supervisory Group, and as a rank ninety-eight Super Douluo, he understood better than anyone what Ma Xiaotao's defeat represented.
It meant that Shrek Academy's undefeated record in the All-Continent High-Rank Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament—a record it had proudly maintained since its founding ten thousand years ago—was about to be completely ended in his hands.
"How did it come to this? Why did it come to this?"
Xuan Zi's hands trembled uncontrollably. The regret gnawing at his heart like a venomous snake reached its peak.
His gaze fell upon Liu Yuan, standing proudly on the stage, as scenes from the past replayed endlessly in his mind.
If he hadn't driven Liu Yuan away back then, the one standing victorious now would have been Shrek.
With Liu Yuan, alongside Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, this year's championship would have been all but guaranteed.
In fact, with Liu Yuan present, Shrek could have stood unshaken for the next several hundred years.
Yet all of those "ifs" had been personally strangled by his own hands.
He was the one who had pushed this peerless genius to the opposing side.
He was the one who had nurtured Shrek's most terrifying gravedigger.
"I am guilty… I am Shrek's sinner!"
Xuan Zi closed his eyes in pain as two cloudy lines of tears slid down his deeply wrinkled face.
He did not dare imagine how he would face the expectant students upon returning to the academy, nor how he could look Elder Mu—who had devoted his entire life to Shrek—in the eye.
The image of being pointed at by a thousand accusing fingers filled this Super Douluo with an unprecedented terror.
…
Naturally, where some grieved, others rejoiced.
After witnessing Ma Xiaotao's defeat, Xu Jiawei and Xuan Zi were plunged into misery.
But on the stage, the remaining members of the Sun Moon Team were overwhelmed with excitement.
Having already repelled Dai Yueheng and the others with a single blow, they now witnessed Ma Xiaotao's loss firsthand.
One after another, they burst into laughter.
Xiao Hongchen laughed loudly. "Brother Liu Yuan! You did it!"
Meng Hongchen grinned. "Brother Liu Yuan defeated Ma Xiaotao. Let's see how they're going to fight us now!"
The morale of the Sun Moon Team skyrocketed, while Dai Yueheng and the others on the opposing side were completely disheartened.
They did not continue fighting, because they all knew that doing so would be utterly meaningless.
Looking at Liu Yuan—who had fully stacked Dragon Dance and radiated a terrifying aura—
Dai Yueheng and the others understood clearly that if Liu Yuan wished, he could sweep through all of them by himself.
So…
What was the point of continuing?
Even though their hearts were filled with unwillingness and indignation, at this moment, they no longer had the desire to fight.
"We surrender."
Under the countless gazes of the crowd, Dai Yueheng raised his hand and calmly announced their surrender.
On the other side, the referee responsible for the match could only make the declaration after hearing his words.
The referee's voice rang out, clear and decisive, instantly spreading throughout the entire venue.
"In view of Shrek Academy's voluntary surrender…"
"I hereby announce that in this All-Continent Soul Master Tournament, in the Round of Sixteen—"
"The Shrek Team is eliminated!"
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