Above the Sky Screen, light and shadow flow.
On the left, in the Black World scene, the Shrek reserve team is preparing intensely for the loop race; on the right, in the White World scene, the Sun Moon Team is sweeping the field with overwhelming force.
[ The White World, Star Luo City, and Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament are in full swing. However, more than the victories or defeats on the field, the leaders of the various factions are paying closer attention to the silent young man in the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team.]
Huo Yuhao. Thirteen years old, Level 4 Soul Engineer, Third Ring. Spiritual power.
[This resume might only qualify him as a " genius " within the Sun Moon Empire, but within the intelligence network of the former Douluo Three Kingdoms, it carries entirely different weight—he came from the Star Luo Empire, yet chose to serve the Sun Moon Empire.]
[ Inside the Imperial Study, Star Luo Empire Palace.]
Emperor Xu Jiawei sat behind the Dragon Table, a secret report clutched in his hand, his brow slightly furrowed. The report detailed Huo Yuhao's life: he ran away from home at the age of ten and underwent transmigration alone. Star Dou Great Forest, after obtaining his first spirit ring, did not choose Shrek, but instead traveled to the Sun Moon Empire and entered the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. In just over a year, he rose from a regular Spirit Master to a Level 4 Soul Engineer.
" Innate Level 1 Spirit Power, Spirit Eyes, Martial Soul..." Emperor Xu Jiawei murmured, "In less than a year, from Level 1 to Third Ring, from a regular Spirit Master to a Level 4 Soul Engineer. This talent is top-tier even in Shrek."
" Your Majesty is right," the old eunuch beside her murmured. "It's just a pity he went to the Sun Moon Empire."
Emperor Xu Jiawei remained silent. His gaze fell on the last line of the secret report—" No family ties with the Star Luo Empire, all alone."
"Interesting." He put down the report, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "A Star Luo Empire citizen, thriving in the Sun Moon Empire. Such a person might be worth recruiting."
["But your Majesty, he's now a member of the Sun Moon Empire …"]
" A person from the Sun Moon Empire?" Emperor Xu Jiawei said calmly, "His surname is Huo, not Xu. The Sun Moon Empire gave him resources; we can give him status. Does a person from the Star Luo Empire not want to return home in glory?"
[The old eunuch was silent for a moment, then asked Dao, " What do you plan to do about Your Majesty?"]
Emperor Xu Jiawei stood up, walked to the window, and gazed in the direction of the distant arena: "In a few days, there will be an auction in Star Luo City. Since he's here, he won't miss it. I'd like to see him then."
...…
Black World, Douluo Continent.
Inside the tavern, the people watched the Sky Screen and discussed it animatedly.
" The Emperor of the Star Luo Empire wants to win over Huo Yuhao of that World? This is truly..."
"What's so strange about that? That World's Huo Yuhao, a Level 4 Soul Engineer, Third Ring..." Spiritual power, and he's not even thirteen. Who wouldn't want that?
"If Huo Yuhao goes back to serve the Star Luo Empire and becomes its spy in the Sun Moon Empire, he can not only improve the Star Luo Empire's soul guidance technology, but also provide timely information when the Sun Moon Empire makes any other moves."
"But he's from the Sun Moon Empire. What can the Star Luo Empire offer to win him over?"
"Didn't you hear what the emperor said? Status. The Sun Moon Empire gives him resources, and the Star Luo Empire gives him status. A Star Luo Empire citizen returning home in glory—that's a huge temptation."
Some people lamented Dao: "Our Huo Yuhao here works himself to the bone in Shrek, but he can't even hold down a Core Disciple position. Meanwhile, over there, two Empires are fighting over him."
"That's the difference."
...…
Shrek City, Inner Court.
Yan Shaozhe stared at the Sky Screen, and after a moment of silence, Dao said, "That Star Luo Empire of that world certainly knows how to scheme."
Xuan Zi nodded: "Who wouldn't want a Level 4 Soul Engineer who's not even thirteen years old? Besides, he's from the Star Luo Empire, so there's a natural basis for winning him over."
Qian Duoduo sighed, " Huo Yuhao here doesn't get this treatment. His father, the Duke of White Tiger, doesn't pay any attention to him at all; he acts like he doesn't exist!"
"Sigh! We only found out about Dao after seeing the Sky Screen." Huo Yuhao's identity has been kept incredibly secret!
...
The round-robin tournament proceeded as scheduled. Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was placed in Group 2, alongside established powerhouses like Star Luo National Academy and Heaven Dou Empire Academy. However, from the very first match, Sun Moon Team displayed overwhelming dominance.
[Match 1, against Heaven Dou Empire Academy. Xiao Hongchen fought alone and finished his opponent in three minutes. His Spirit Ability transformed the entire ring into a steel jungle, giving his opponent no chance to even get close.]
[Second match, against Star Luo National Academy. Meng Hongchen's Ice Toad Spirit froze half the ring, and his opponent, faced with an overwhelming difference in skill, had no choice but to concede defeat.]
[The third, fourth, fifth matches... each one was a crushing victory, each win demonstrating to the world the terrifying power of the Sun Moon Empire's soul-guided technology.]
Huo Yuhao still hasn't played. He sits on the sidelines, quietly recording data from each match, occasionally exchanging whispered conversations with his teammates. But his very presence is a signal— Sun Moon Empire still has trump cards up its sleeve.
[In the end, Sun Moon Team advanced to the round of 16 with a perfect record.]
...
White World, Sun Moon Empire, Bright Capital.
The people looked at the Sky Screen with pride on their faces.
"Complete victory! This is the true strength of our Sun Moon Empire!"
" Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen are too strong. Those Star Luo National Academy are no match for them at all."
" Venerable Ming hasn't even played yet! If he does, they'll lose even more miserably!"
"Of course, Venerable Ming is a Level 4 Soul Engineer, Third Ring..." Spirit Power, only thirteen years old! In a few years, who will be his match?
...
Black World, Douluo Continent.
The atmosphere in the tavern was somewhat complicated.
"Complete victory... That World's Sun Moon Empire is ridiculously strong."
" Huo Yuhao from that World hasn't even played yet. What kind of scene will it be when he does?"
"Look at Shrek from World, he's in the lap race too. Can they hold on?"
...
Meanwhile, at another venue, a competition was also underway at Shrek Academy.
Unlike Sun Moon Team's overwhelming dominance, Shrek's matches were all quite tough. The reserve team players fought with all their might, relying on Bei Bei's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Xu Sanshi's Xuanming Turtle, and He Caitou's Cigar support to chip away at their losses.
[They have three wins and two losses in their first five matches. This isn't a great record, but it's enough to keep their hopes of advancing alive.]
[Until the last two games—]
[ Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochen have recovered from their injuries and returned to the team.]
Their return transformed Shrek Team instantly. Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix wreaked havoc in the arena, Dai Yueheng's White Tiger Spirit displayed its true power, and Ling Luochen's Ice Spirit Ability perfectly complemented Ma Xiaotao's fire.
[ Shrek won both of his final two matches. He ultimately advanced to the round of 16 with a record of five wins and two losses.]
...
White World, Sun Moon Empire, Bright Capital.
" Shrek advanced too? Five wins and two losses, not bad."
"Not bad? That's because Ma Xiaotao and the others came back and won. They had three wins and two losses in the first five games and almost got eliminated."
"The Shrek team from World has all its starting players out of commission, leaving only the reserves. The Shrek team here only has injured starting players who can come back. That's the difference."
"That's why the Shrek of that World had to hide it and use a fake spirit ring to scare people. The Shrek here doesn't need to."
...
Black World, Douluo Continent.
Inside the tavern, the people looked at the Sky Screen on the right with complicated expressions.
" Shrek from World, the regular player is back. On our side, three regular players are dead and four are seriously injured..."
"They advanced with a 5-2 record. Can we advance?"
"Yes. It's definitely possible."
Someone looked at the figure surrounded by golden light in the crowd and whispered, "He can definitely hold on."
...
Shrek City, Inner Court.
Xuan Zi looked at Ma Xiaotao, who had recovered from her injury and returned to the team, on the Sky Screen, her eyes flashing with complex emotions.
"If only back then..." he murmured, but didn't finish his sentence.
Yan Shaozhe whispered, "Elder Xuan, Shrek from World has also advanced."
"I know, " Xuan Zi nodded. "They were lucky."
" Good luck?"
"It's good luck that the starting players can come back." Xuan Zi looked at Teacher Wang Yan, who was giving instructions on tactics on the Sky Screen to the left. "We can only rely on ourselves."
...
[After the round-robin matches, the tournament organizing committee gave each team three days to rest. The round of 16 will officially begin three days later.]
[For Huo Yuhao, there was another important matter during these three days— the annual Star Luo City auction was about to take place. This was the most prestigious auction event on the entire continent, featuring all sorts of rare Spirit Bone, Soul Guidance Materials, and Heaven and Earth Treasures.]
" Yuhao, are you going to the auction tomorrow?" Xiao Hongchen asked Dao casually, leaning against the doorframe.
Huo Yuhao nodded: "Let's go. I heard there are some nice items."
"Okay, let's go together. We've got nothing better to do anyway." Xiao Hongchen yawned. "But you need to be careful. You're too famous in Star Luo City; someone might be watching you."
Huo Yuhao smiled slightly: "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Xiao. I will pay attention."
Xiao Hongchen waved and turned to leave. Huo Yuhao stood alone by the window, gazing at the brightly lit Star Luo City in the distance, his eyes deep in thought.
He knew he was in danger in this city. A member of the Star Luo Empire, an identity from the Sun Moon Empire, and the strength of a Level 4 Soul Engineer —any one of these labels was enough to make people question him.
[And that Star Luo Empire emperor is probably already waiting for him somewhere.]
[Or rather, besides the Star Luo Empire royal family, others had designs on him, such as the Body Sect.]
"Interesting," he murmured.
...
White World, Sun Moon Empire, Bright Capital.
"An auction? Venerable Ming is going to attend an auction?"
" Will the emperor of the Star Luo Empire be here too? Didn't he try to win over the Venerable Ming before?"
"He's definitely here! This is the best chance to get in touch with Venerable Ming."
" Will Venerable Ming agree? He's from the Sun Moon Empire."
"Who knows what Dao is thinking? No one can fathom Venerable Ming's thoughts."
...
Black World, Douluo Continent.
Inside the tavern, the people were buzzing with discussion.
" The emperor of the Star Luo Empire in that world wants to win over Huo Yuhao."
Will Huo Yuhao agree?
"No way? He was doing just fine in the Sun Moon Empire, why would he want to go back to the Star Luo Empire?"
"But he is, after all, a citizen of the Star Luo Empire. Who wouldn't want to return home in glory?"
Someone looked at the figure surrounded by golden light in the crowd and whispered, "If he returns to the Star Luo Empire, what will happen to Shrek of that World?"
No one answered.
Because that world's Shrek doesn't need Huo Yuhao. That world's Huo Yuhao was never in Shrek to begin with.