Above the Sky Screen, light and shadow flowed.
On the left, in the Black World's scene, the Shrek reserve team was retreating from the competition arena; on the right, in the White World's scene, the Sun Moon Team's match was about to begin.
Black World, Tang Sect.
Huo Yuhao sat alone in the quiet room, his gaze fixed intently on the youth retreating on the Sky Screen—himself from another World.
A thought emerged in his mind, growing clearer and increasingly unsettling.
"That version of me... seems to know everything."
He recalled the scene when he first saw the Sky Screen.
His counterpart from the other World had shown no shock when facing the Heavenly Dream Ice Worm, no confusion when facing Electrolux, and even took the initiative to state Electrolux's origin, winning the trust of that Necromancer Saint Mage with just a few words.
That was not behavior a twelve-year-old child should have.
And then there was Nana.
When his counterpart encountered Nana, it was as if he had long known of the Holy Spirit Cult's existence, knew their methods, and knew how to deal with them.
He laid out plans in advance, subdued the branch, and arranged everything in an orderly manner.
Not to mention those spirit tools.
Huo Yuhao lowered his head, looking at his own hands.
He was now a level 8 Soul Engineer, but he asked himself if he could have come up with the concepts for those spirit power hand warmers, long-distance communication spirit tools, or exoskeleton spirit tools.
That was not just a gap in technology, but a gap in knowledge.
The spirit tools he developed were all based on modifications of Tang Sect Hidden Weapons—things that existed in reality—whereas his counterpart in that World could think of things never seen before at the age of twelve—
"That is not knowledge from this World."
Huo Yuhao clenched his fists tightly.
Just now on the Sky Screen, his counterpart was sitting in the spectator stands, his gaze searching repeatedly among the Shrek Team.
Who was he looking for?
Huo Yuhao already had the answer in his heart.
"Wang Dong."
He murmured, his voice very soft, yet carrying an indescribable emotion.
The Huo Yuhao of that World knew Wang Dong, knew the bond that should have existed between Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao, and he was searching for the young girl who should have appeared in the Shrek Team.
Huo Yuhao's brows furrowed deeply; the thought in his heart grew clearer and clearer.
"Who exactly are you? You even know about Wang Dong... just how much do you know?"
He gazed at the youth on the Sky Screen who looked exactly like him, suddenly feeling a sense of absurdity.
His counterpart in that World seemed to have known everything from the very beginning—knowing the Heavenly Dream Ice Worm, knowing Electrolux, knowing the Holy Spirit Cult, knowing Wang Dong, and knowing every path that should and should not be taken.
"Do you know what will happen in another World?" he whispered. "Do you know everything I have experienced?"
No one answered him.
He remained silent for a long time, finally letting out a bitter laugh.
Even if he guessed it, so what? He could not interfere with the affairs of that World, and he still had to walk his own path.
He also wanted to see what path his counterpart in the other World had taken that made the gap between them so vast!
...
Black World, the Sky Screen continued to flow.
[Although the Shrek Team had defeated the Tianling Academy with overwhelming force, the shock brought about by those six 100,000-year spirit rings went far beyond the cheers on the surface.]
[After the match ended, the team leaders and core members of the major teams gathered together, repeatedly replaying the footage of that match.]
["Twelve years old, six 100,000-year spirit rings, do you believe it?"]
["Nonsense, of course I don't believe it. Before the seventh ring, no one can withstand the pressure of a 100,000-year spirit ring. It must be fake."]
["Then why would Shrek do this? Using fake spirit rings to scare people is not Shrek's style."]
["Perhaps they are playing tricks? Letting everyone think they are very strong, and then..."]
["Then what? They are already very strong. You saw the power of that Spirit Ability."]
[Everyone was silent. This move by Shrek left them completely baffled.]
["Regardless, this Shrek Team is not right." Someone finally concluded, "In the upcoming round-robin tournament, we must focus on them."]
Black World, Douluo Continent.
In the tavern, the commoners watched the serious expressions of the team leaders on the Sky Screen and discussed among themselves.
"Those teams are starting to suspect; six 100,000-year spirit rings are indeed too fake. Everyone knows it's impossible."
"The main thing is the age doesn't match. If Huo Yuhao of Shrek Academy had made his appearance look older, perhaps it would be more convincing!"
"But they can't figure out why Shrek would do this. Who would have thought that all the Shrek starting members were incapacitated, leaving only these few children?"
"This is where Teacher Wang Yan is brilliant; he makes you guess, makes you ponder, and makes you afraid to act rashly."
Someone sighed, "But how long can this trick last? Once the round-robin tournament starts, their strength will be exposed sooner or later."
"It lasts as long as it lasts. Once Ma Xiaotao and the others recover, there will be a turning point."
"That's right, the format of the round-robin tournament is decided by drawing lots; every match is different. By then, the other teams will be able to determine the strength of the Shrek Team!"
"Moreover, the round-robin tournament spans a long time. If Xuan Zi returns to Shrek Academy and brings back some healing medicine, those three starting members might recover early!"
"'Appear weak when you are strong, appear strong when you are weak'—these are all tactics!"
...
Black World, the Sky Screen's images continued to flow:
[Meanwhile, inside the Number One Hotel where Shrek was stationed, the atmosphere was far from as relaxed as the outside World imagined.]
[After returning to the hotel, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong finally couldn't hold on any longer. The spirit power within both of them had been completely drained by that strike; they were practically collapsed on the ground and were carried back to their room by their teammates.]
[Teacher Wang Yan stood guard by the bed, watching the two unconscious youths, his brows furrowed tightly.]
["Teacher Wang, how are they?" Bei Bei asked in a low voice.]
["Exhausted; they will recover after a few days of rest." Teacher Wang Yan adjusted his glasses, "But that is not the point."]
[He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the brightly lit Star Luo City outside, his voice somewhat heavy.]
["In today's battle, we exposed too much. Although the six 100,000-year spirit rings are intimidating, smart people know they are fake. What they can't figure out now is—why we would do this."]
["Once the round-robin tournament begins, they will sooner or later test our true strength."]
[Bei Bei was silent for a moment and asked, "Then what should we do?"]
[Teacher Wang Yan turned around, his gaze sweeping over every reserve team member present, and said slowly:]
["Stall. Stall for as long as possible. The round-robin tournament has room for error; if we lose one or two matches, we still have a chance. As long as we wait for Ma Xiaotao and the others to recover, we will have confidence."]
[Everyone nodded, but there was not much of a relaxed expression on their faces.]
[However, what the reserve team members, led by Bei Bei, did not know was that Xuan Zi had already secretly arrived in Star Luo City and had given healing items to Ma Xiaotao and the others.]