Chapter 242: Crushing Defeat and Hope (Part 4)

Watching the situation on the competition stage, Wang Qiu Er could not help but say: "It's a pity. If Zhou Sichen had been able to break through to the five-ring level, his chances of winning would have been greater. I have to say, the people from the Sun Moon Empire have even more refined combat methods than they did five years ago."

"You've seen the competition from five years ago?" Dai Huabin asked in surprise.

"I've seen some video records. Compared to five years ago, the Sun Moon Empire's combat methods have become increasingly diverse; in some aspects, they are even on par with us."

Looking at Leiqier's combat style earlier, she could not help but reflect on whether the Sun Moon Empire had truly made such progress during the time of their exchange studies.

She might not pay much attention to others' combat, but it was difficult to see any traces of a Soul Guidance Device in the combat style of that person named Leiqier. In other words, he was more like someone from Shrek Academy—an extremely traditional Agility Attack System Soul Master.

Wang Qiu Er was not the only one to notice this; Zhang Lexuan and Dai Huabin had both brought up this issue, but even with their combined efforts, they had been unable to figure anything out. They had even sent people to the academy to verify whether the Leiqier from back then had participated in the exchange studies.

But the final result left them dumbfounded: there was no Leiqier on the list of exchange students!

Among all the current members of the Sun Moon Battle Team, aside from Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, none of the current members had participated in the Shrek exchange studies, and these people were not even the Reserve Team from the previous session.

The unknown is the most terrifying, especially when facing an unknown enemy like Luo Yu; even they had to brace themselves with twelve times the focus.

The battle on the competition stage continued, but Zhou Sichen was already in a precarious situation, constantly suppressed by Sheng Hongyun, with his room for movement being continuously compressed.

Finally, he was swept by Sheng Hongyun's long blade, which knocked the Earth Bear aside; the sharp blade light swept across Zhou Sichen's chest, leaving a deep wound that exposed the bone.

"I concede..."

Swept by the blade light, Zhou Sichen was immediately severely injured. As a Battle Soul Master who followed the summoning path, his physical constitution was not as strong as others.

Now that he had been struck by Sheng Hongyun's blade, if the Earth Bear hadn't blocked it for him, he would likely be like a split watermelon right now, with blood splattering everywhere.

Seeing this scene, the referee did not hesitate; he immediately opened the competition stage's Protective Barrier and stood in front of Sheng Hongyun.

Watching this scene, a tall figure in the waiting area slowly spoke: "Not bad."

"If Sheng Hongyun's strength were a bit stronger, he might have been able to attempt to challenge Dai Huabin of the Shrek Battle Team," Lu Jiuyu said, looking at the competition stage. "It's just a pity that Sheng Hongyun joined too late..."

Tang Sect versus Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, first match of the individual elimination round, Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy wins!

In the rest area, Zhou Sichen, who had been helped down, received immediate treatment. Fortunately, his heart vessels were not damaged; only his front ribs were fractured, and his skin and flesh were sliced open. Although there was no danger to his life, his internal organs had suffered a shock, resulting in some internal injuries.

On the Tang Sect Battle Team's side, they immediately sent out the next person. In the waiting area, a figure stood up at Wang Qiu Er's signal and flashed onto the arena.

This person's build was not very tall, being on par with Sheng Hongyun in height, but his body was exceptionally fat, with a round belly and thick limbs; the Shrek uniform looked as if it were being stretched to its limit on him.

"Both sides, state your names."

"Shrek Academy, Xie Huanyue."

"Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, Sheng Hongyun."

Looking at the Sheng Hongyun before him, Xie Huanyue stretched his body; he used to be a Core Disciple too, after all.

"Both sides, step back, prepare for the match."

Xie Huanyue slowly walked to the other side of the competition stage, and Sheng Hongyun also walked to the other side. Having eliminated one person from Shrek, his mission was already accomplished; what he needed to do next was to stop worrying about soul power consumption and weaken Shrek's effective strength.

A single match could not prove much, but most of the spectators were from the Sun Moon Empire. In the previous tournament, Shrek had frantically defeated people from the Sun Moon Empire in the individual elimination rounds. But this time, the Sun Moon Empire had given them a good start.

The champion team of the previous session had lost to Shrek's own people; no one could have guessed that Shrek's newcomers would be so powerful. Even many bookmakers had not expected that Shrek would truly defeat the Tang Sect and enter the final round.

Looking at the current situation, it was once again the thousand-year-old grudge between Shrek and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy entangling. Previous tournaments had always been like this, and this scene made the audience feel exceptionally tense.

Of course, those with a discerning eye could see that the person Shrek Academy sent out for the first match was not their true powerhouse. Although the Sun Moon Battle Team's morale was currently high, the subsequent matches still held a disparity.

The Soul Guidance Protective Shield rose again, and the referee took a deep look at the arrogant and confident Sheng Hongyun.

As a person of the Sun Moon Empire, he naturally knew about the changes in the Sun Moon Empire over these years and was even clearer about the situation within. But this year's Sun Moon Battle Team had changed; aside from Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen from the previous session, none of the current main members and reserve members had followed the plans from a few years ago.

But he could clearly feel that the current Sun Moon Battle Team had changed. He did not know if their captain was hiding too deeply or if the high-level decision-making had changed, making the current Sun Moon Battle Team even more powerful. What he was looking forward to was not the Sun Moon Battle Team, but that mysterious captain of the Sun Moon Battle Team.

That person who possessed the title of the strongest genius in the Sun Moon Empire for thousands of years—Luo Yu!

His thoughts were racing, but he knew very well what he should do at the moment: "Match start!"

Following this order, in the next second, the seemingly clumsy Xie Huanyue moved. That fat body instantly charged forward; this scene left everyone feeling somewhat incredulous.

Xie Huanyue charged toward Sheng Hongyun with a speed that did not match his physique.

After the previous battle, Xie Huanyue knew that the Sun Moon Empire person before him was a Soul Engineer whose melee strength was inferior to his ranged combat. Although he could also use that strange cyan long blade of his, judging from his overall performance, his melee combat was relatively weak.

Xie Huanyue's fighting style was very simple and brutal; his Leather Elephant martial soul itself was quite unique, and it was quite good in terms of both defense and attack power.

The battle between the two fell into a stalemate for a time, but due to the consumption of soul power, Sheng Hongyun's combat gradually fell into a disadvantage. However, Xie Huanyue was not doing much better; a trace of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. Both of their soul powers were constantly being consumed in the battle, and every time they released a soul skill or activated a Soul Guidance Device, it was a test for both of them.

Watching the two locked in a white-hot struggle, Bei Bei of the Tang Sect Battle Team could not help but praise: "Although this Sheng Hongyun's strength cannot be considered top-tier, the fact that he can still be evenly matched with Xie Huanyue after defeating Zhou Sichen—one has to admit, the Sun Moon Battle Team is really well-prepared this time."

Huo Yu Hao glanced at Luo Yu in the Sun Moon Battle Team and continued: "If these people haven't taken any drugs, then in a dozen years, they will become the most terrifying opponents for the Three Great Empires, especially that Luo Yu. A dozen years later, he will definitely become a Super Douluo of the Sun Moon Empire! And those he has brought out, in a dozen years, will at the very least become Soul Douluos. These people are all elites of the Sun Moon Empire in this era!"

"By comparison, the Three Great Empires are ultimately still a notch below the Sun Moon Empire. That Luo Yu is too terrifying... If not for Su Yu, I'm afraid that in future wars, no one among their peers would be his match." Xu Sanshi looked at Luo Yu with some lingering fear; the person before them had strength that was frighteningly powerful.

Five years ago it was Ma Rulong, but five years later, Luo Yu displayed even more terrifying Soul Guidance talent than Ma Rulong. In their intelligence reports, Luo Yu was hailed by the Sun Moon Empire as the strongest genius in the last thousand years.

"If he doesn't die, the Three Great Empires will be even more unable to contend with the Sun Moon Empire. If we..." Huo Yu Hao said, making a throat-slitting gesture.

He Caitou looked at Huo Yu Hao with some surprise and said: "Even if Xuan Lao were to take action personally, it wouldn't be very likely. Someone like him must have many Level 9 Soul Engineers protecting him in the shadows. After all, the current Luo Yu is the backbone of the Sun Moon Empire's new generation. To kill him in advance, unless the entire Sea God Pavilion were to mobilize, it would be impossible to kill Luo Yu within the heavily protected Mingdu."

Just at this moment, Xie Huanyue on the competition stage let out an angry roar. His body rapidly grew larger, his skin underwent alienation, and his whole person bounced high into the air like a ball before rapidly smashing toward Sheng Hongyun.

The long blade trembled, Sheng Hongyun propped up a Protective Barrier, the Flying Soul Guidance Device on his back was pushed to the maximum, and a strange light emerged on the cyan long blade.

Boom—!

The long blade collided with the sphere formed by Xie Huanyue. The violent air waves flipped Sheng Hongyun onto the ground, the Level 6 Soul Guidance Protective Barrier shattered with a bang, and Xie Huanyue, his clothes torn, returned to his original appearance and fell heavily to the ground.

Looking at Xie Huanyue's disheveled appearance, Sheng Hongyun struggled to stand up using his long blade for support: "Shrek's fatty, you lost, hahaha..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sheng Hongyun could no longer hold on; his eyes went black, and just like Xie Huanyue, his soul power was exhausted, and he fell into a coma.

This scene left everyone somewhat incredulous. The Sun Moon Battle Team had only sent out one person, yet they had left Shrek with one loss and one draw. Such a shocking record would be extremely astonishing even in previous tournaments!

At the same time, Xu Tianran, sitting on the podium, shouted with joy in his heart, while the mysterious National Teacher beside him crushed the armrest of his chair.

"It seems that after His Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future, these people will be the empire's next generation of successors," the mysterious National Teacher slowly said.

"The National Teacher knows well..." Xu Tianran naturally knew the Holy Spirit Cult's intentions. These people would all be the backbone of the Sun Moon Empire in the future. Given time, among these people, it was even possible for some to become Title Douluos, Super Douluos, or even Level 9 Soul Engineers!

Seeing that both of them had lost consciousness, the referee then opened the Protective Barrier and announced the result.

"In this match, both sides have lost their combat capability, a draw!"

How similar this scene was to the Sun Moon Battle Team's previous qualifying matches; they didn't even need that captain to take action in the elimination rounds to sweep away any opponent.

The strength of Shrek is beyond doubt, but this time, Shrek's performance has not been as stunning as the rumors suggested; they have even been suppressed by the Sun Moon Empire.

Everyone who has participated in the competition knows that the truly powerful ones in Shrek have not yet made their move; the Tang Sect Battle Team is a team like a trident, while Shrek's battle team is a team like a double-edged sword.

Their strength lies in the astonishingly powerful Wang Qiu Er, as well as the formidable combat power brought about by the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Nether White Tiger, from the White Tiger Duke's family!

The highlight of this battle will always be in the later matches, not the opening two; however, looking at the current situation, if they continue to trade one for two like this, Shrek will lose a match during the individual elimination stage.

Watching the fallen Sheng Hongyun, Menluo spoke with gratification: "This kid isn't bad either; not bad, not bad, not much worse than this old man was back in the day."

"Old fellow, you should be thankful you taught such a good disciple. If it weren't for Luo Yu, these guys would have truly been ruined by us for the sake of the tournament..." Lin Jiayi could not help but think of how they once, in order to win the tournament, encouraged the juniors of the Sun Moon Empire to take drugs that boosted soul power, but which sealed their upper limits.

The appearance of Luo Yu made them change their ways; yes, that guy has never disappointed anyone...

The commotion from the previous draw ended quickly, and when Shrek sent someone onto the stage again, it drew gasps from the crowd.

This time, the person Shrek sent onto the stage was actually Dai Huabin!

Clearly, the record of one loss and one draw had dealt a blow to Shrek's morale. To maintain the situation, Wang Qiu Er dared not send anyone else up. Although Wu Feng was also an Assault System Battle Soul Ancestor, for the sake of stability, it was better to send Dai Huabin up first to stabilize the situation; if they lost the third match as well, the remaining four would be hard to call.

After all, she was not sure if the opponent would send out that powerful captain of the Sun Moon Battle Team when she went up. Once she was exhausted by consecutive battles, their disadvantage in the subsequent team battle would be significant, because the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu no longer had any secrecy; once Zhu Lu was affected, there was a great possibility that the battle would become one-sided.

These were all Wang Qiu Er's speculations; as for the specific situation, it would depend on the strength of the person the opponent sent up.

On the side of the Sun Moon Battle Team, rising along with Dai Huabin was a tall, yet somewhat dull-looking youth.

Every step he took was steady, like a general clad in heavy armor, calm and composed. He was not as flamboyant as Sheng Hongyun, nor as mysterious as the captain of the Sun Moon Battle Team, but when he walked onto the stage, Wang Qiu Er's willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed slightly.