Douluo Dalu 2: You are an Evil Soul Master, but also a good person ?

Rest Area.

As per Shrek Academy's millennia-old tradition of honor, they were naturally seated in the front row.

Meanwhile, the perennial runner-up, Sun Moon Empire, took the second row, with other academies following suit.

Shrek Academy had already been the center of attention, regarded by all other academies as their biggest rival. But now, with their "underdeveloped and crippled" lineup on display, they drew even more scrutiny.

"So arrogant, huh? Ah Cheng, if it weren't for the recording from your memory stone yesterday, even I might have been bluffed by them," Xiao Hongchen scoffed as he leaned over.

"Once the match begins, they'll be exposed for what they really are," Xu Cheng said with a smirk.

There was no way Shrek Academy would be eliminated in the first round. Even though Xu Cheng had secretly provided the Tianling Academy with some soul tools specifically designed to counter ice-type abilities, Ling Luochen's talent in ice techniques was formidable.

And with Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi—a powerful attacker and a steadfast defender—alongside He Caitou's logistics support, Xiao Xiao's assistance, and the "Black and White Pair's" martial soul fusion skill, they were a team strong enough to rank within the top fifty.

At most, they would be given a rough time.

But that was the key.

Right now, Shrek Academy was like a small boat rocking in the storm. So long as their true strength remained unclear, most teams would hesitate to strike first. That was their advantage.

But what if they barely scraped through their first match?

What if they struggled through the elimination round, barely holding on?

Once the illusion of Shrek's invincibility shattered, they would be in real danger.

"Wow… they really are all injured…" Meng Hongchen mused as she glanced at Shrek Academy.

Through Xu Cheng's spiritual sharing, she could clearly see that the two Soul Emperors were just barely holding themselves together. The effort it took for them to walk rather than use wheelchairs must have been immense.

Ji Juechen merely shook his head in disappointment. "None of them are my match."

Jiang Nannan gave Shrek Academy a passing glance, her expression indifferent.

But that one look didn't go unnoticed by the already-nervous Xu Sanshi.

He froze on the spot.

"Sigh…"

Bei Bei nudged him with his elbow. "What are you staring at? Focus, we're about to go on stage! Hey, are you even listening—"

As he spoke, his brows furrowed, and he turned his head—only to freeze as well.

Jiang Nannan, the woman who had captured his junior brother's heart, was standing right there.

"Wait… why is she in the Sun Moon Empire's team?" Bei Bei's eyes narrowed.

That explained why she had been missing for half a semester. Had she defected?

"It's her?" Ling Luochen's beautiful eyes widened slightly.

Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul, the top beauty of the outer courtyard—she had heard of Jiang Nannan even in the inner courtyard. But to suddenly see her in the Sun Moon battle team? That was ridiculous.

"What's wrong?"

Wang Yan also looked over.

Bei Bei turned to him, ready to explain—only to stiffen completely.

Slowly, stiffly, he turned back.

Because standing among the Sun Moon Empire's reserve team was the woman he had been longing for—Tang Ya.

Bei Bei: "…"

In the end, Xu Sanshi had to explain everything, though he kept his account brief—he had to suffer, but he wasn't going to let Bei Bei off the hook either.

Wang Yan's expression grew complicated.

What kind of mess was this?

Did the Sun Moon team have some deep-seated grudge against Shrek or something?

"Ha, back when I was just a reserve member alongside Yaoheng, our seniors in the main team killed two members of the Sun Moon battle team," Ma Xiaotao said nonchalantly.

Only then did everyone come to a realization.

It really was a blood feud!

Wang Dong felt a chill run down his spine.

If the original Shrek main team were still here, she wouldn't be worried—she might even enjoy fanning the flames.

But now…

She just hoped they wouldn't have to face the Sun Moon team too soon.

If the other side went all out, she probably wouldn't survive it.

She hurriedly lowered her head, afraid that someone might single her out.

Xu Cheng scanned the Shrek lineup.

Even Xiao Xiao, who was practically a benchwarmer in the original story, had been sent up. They must really be scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Among Shrek's current roster, the weakest were Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, both just three-ring Soul Elders.

But at least Xiao Xiao's Nine Phoenix Worshiping Flute had some crowd control and support capabilities.

Wang Dong, on the other hand, was in an awkward position—neither the main damage dealer nor a support.

While the Shrek team was still reeling from the unexpected sight of familiar faces on the opposing side, He Caitou also spotted someone—and his face instantly changed.

On the other side, standing at the center of the Sun Moon battle team, was Xu Cheng.

Xu Cheng noticed his gaze and simply put a finger to his lips, smiling.

"He…"

"Huh? That guy's kinda handsome," Meng Hongchen remarked.

"Too bad he's a bit worse than me," Xiao Hongchen boasted.

"No, he's way better than you. He's just slightly below Cheng-ge," Meng Hongchen immediately shot him down. "I mean, you're only ranked in the thirties."

Xiao Hongchen: "…"

The Sun Moon battle team burst into laughter, all in high spirits.

Ever since they had learned about Shrek Academy's situation yesterday, Lin Xi had even wanted to pop open some champagne.

Only after getting a sharp glance from Xu Cheng did he reluctantly calm down.

As the audience poured in, the noise in the stadium grew louder and louder.

Over fifty thousand people had squeezed into the stands.

There were no seats—no matter how close they were to the front, they had to stand.

With a ticket price of two gold soul coins per person, the tournament's revenue for a single month would reach six million gold soul coins.

Even from a national perspective, this was a considerable amount—enough to fund a significant portion of military expenses.

More importantly, the sheer "traffic" generated by the tournament would stimulate economic growth in Star Luo City and its surrounding areas.

That was why the competition was held only once every five years—if anything, the intervals were considered too long.

After a long-winded speech from the Star Luo Emperor…

And the ceremonial cannon fire…

The entire stadium erupted into deafening cheers.

"According to the rules of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, the first round will be the elimination stage. This year, 133 academies have registered. After drawing lots, one team will receive a bye in the first round, leaving 66 matches to be played."

"Now, the first match is about to begin! The two competing teams are from the Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy of the Dou Ling Empire and the academy that has claimed nearly every championship title for the past millennium—Shrek Academy!"

As the announcer finished speaking, the atmosphere in Star Luo Plaza reached a fever pitch.

"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"

The chants echoed throughout the entire square.

But the louder the cheers, the more pressure Shrek's team felt.

They didn't even want to think about what would happen if they lost the first match.

The sheer weight of expectations was enough to crush them.

Meanwhile, Xu Cheng smiled.

The higher the pedestal, the harder the fall.