"That's not necessarily true. You know the Douhun Arena is a place full of miracles. Even Soul Respect teams have won against Soul Monarch teams before. And any team that dares to challenge a Soul Monarch team must have 100% confidence—otherwise, why would they step on the stage? If they got crushed, how would they even face the Soul Master world again? So, I choose to support the Fengshen Team!"
"Pfft, talk is cheap. I thought you were gonna support that Shrek Team, but no, you back the Soul Monarch team. I'm different—I like miracles, so I'm backing Fengshen Team. Hope that Shrek Academy makes me lose some gold coins. That would be a miracle!"
"Haha!!!"
Nobody was betting on Shrek Team; everyone placed their golden soul coins on Jiang Xiaofeng's Fengshen Team.
As soon as Fengshen Team appeared, they instantly grabbed everyone's attention.
Not only that, the commentator began introducing their soul powers and martial souls.
"Captain Xiaofeng of Fengshen Team, martial soul: Zhu Xian Sword, Level 50 Battle Soul Monarch!"
"Holy crap, that's ruthless! The captain is already Level 50!"
"Fengshen Team's vice-captain Nana, martial soul: Demon Fox, Level 48 Control-type Soul Monarch!"
"Fengshen Team member Xie! Martial soul: Moon Blade, Level 46 Strong Attack-type Battle Soul Monarch!"
"Fengshen Team member Yan! Martial soul: Flame, Level 45 Strong Attack-type Battle Soul Monarch!"
"Fengshen Team member Tiger Boss, martial soul: Fierce Tiger, Level 40 Strong Attack-type Soul Respect!"
"Fengshen Team member Wolf Second, martial soul: Gale Wolf, Level 38 Agile Attack-type Soul Respect!"
"Fengshen Team member Feng Lingling, martial soul: Heavenly Book, Level 40 Support-type Soul Respect!"
"What the hell? The opposing team is a joke! Just by soul power, they completely crush them!"
"Good thing I just bet on Fengshen Team to win!"
"Damn it, I believed in miracles, but what's this crap?"
When Tang San, Yu Xiaogang, and the others heard the commentator's introduction, their hearts sank to the bottom of the valley. They hadn't expected such a huge gap between the info they got and the current reality.
"Flandre is so unreliable. When exactly did he get that information? Could they really have leveled up five or six times in just a few days after leaving Black Horn City???"
Obviously, Yu Xiaogang and the others were utterly confused.
Flandre angrily wanted to find the Douhun Arena staff to argue but was stopped by Yu Xiaogang.
"Going now would just cause trouble. Sure, their soul power increased a lot, but their martial souls haven't changed. Let's adjust our battle strategy. Right now, we're not their match. So we need to force them to use their abilities. That way, next time we face them, we'll have a better chance. If it gets unbearable, just surrender!"
Tang San clenched his fist.
The highest soul power in the Shrek Team was still Dai Mubai, but Jiang Xiaofeng on the other side had already reached Level 50 soul power. Although still a Battle Soul, reaching 50 was no small feat.
"Once you're on stage, follow my commands. My Blue Silver Grass will help you. Rongrong, you're important this match. Oscar, prepare your sausages, especially the Flying Mushroom Sausage!"
Oscar nodded and started preparing.
"Now, let's welcome the members of Shrek Team! First, the captain Dai Mubai, Level 38 Strong Attack-type Soul Respect, martial soul: Evil Eye White Tiger!"
"Number two, their soul figure Tang San, Level 35 Control-type Soul Respect. Based on past battles, if Tang San is defeated in the team fight, the winning probability exceeds 80%!"
"Shrek Team's Ma Hongjun, martial soul: Evil Fire Phoenix, Level 33 Strong Attack-type Soul Respect!"
"Shrek Team's Xiao Wu, martial soul: Soft Bone Rabbit, Level 34 Strong Attack-type Soul Respect!"
"Shrek Team's Zhu Zhuqing, martial soul: Nether Spirit Cat, Level 34 Agile Attack-type Soul Respect!"
"Shrek Team's Oscar, martial soul: Sausage, Level 32 Support-type Soul Respect!"
"Shrek Team's Ning Rongrong, martial soul: Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, Level 33 Support-type Soul Respect!"
Both teams had gathered; they were asked to stand in the center of the stage.
The Shrek Team members also wore masks, but theirs only covered the upper half of their faces.
Their masks were different from those of Jiang Xiaofeng and company; one group's masks covered the entire face, the other only partially.
The soul masters at the Soto City Douhun Arena were already used to the Shrek Team's masks.
"Didn't expect a duel between two masked teams. Which masked team will be stronger?"
"No doubt about it. Fengshen Team is stronger. Their soul power already surpasses the other side by a big margin!"
"Looks like this will be a one-sided match!"
"Why even fight? Shrek Team might as well surrender. They're not even on the same level, yet they want to challenge up. What a joke!"
No one believed in Shrek Team. The noisy chatter made the team members a bit distracted—it was their first time being underestimated so badly.
Tang San shouted, "Ignore what they say. Remember our mission: figure out their martial soul skills and patterns. Winning or losing doesn't matter."
Dai Mubai nodded, "Tang San's right. Our goal is to understand their tactics. Of course, if we get the chance to fight properly, I want to test myself against them and see how far we've fallen behind."
Both were teenagers, gifted monsters alike—no one wanted to admit they were weak.
The referee flew to the center between the two teams.
"Match rules: no malicious harm, no killing of participants. Voluntary surrender ends the match. Understood?"
"Yes."
The referee nodded.
"Good. I now declare this match officially started. Both sides, unleash your martial souls!"
Jiang Xiaofeng: "Brothers, unleash your martial souls!"
Dai Mubai: "Brothers, unleash your martial souls!"
When Jiang Xiaofeng's two black soul rings appeared, the entire Douhun Arena exploded with shock.
"Yellow, purple, purple, black! Oh my god, what kind of monster is this?"
"What did I just see? Isn't the standard two yellow and two purple? What's with the black soul ring? Freak!"
"What a joke! No chance! How can the skills of a ten-thousand-year soul ring compare to those of a thousand-year soul ring?"
The audience was shocked; the Shrek Academy members were even more stunned. They didn't expect the Fengshen Team's captain to be this terrifying.
Sitting in the stands, Yu Xiaogang had already jumped up in horror. Everything he was seeing completely defied his theoretical knowledge.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
(End of chapter)