Chapter 112: Domain Expansion!
Star Luo City, the capital and largest city of the Star Luo Empire, had been operating at overcapacity for several consecutive days.
From the moment the two semi-finals of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition concluded, a long, winding queue had formed outside Star Luo Square.
To witness the ultimate showdown between these ten-thousand-year-old rivals with their own eyes, some people had pitched tents here for three days and nights, handling all their daily needs while remaining in line.
To this end, the Star Luo Empire had deployed ten thousand elite soldiers into the city to maintain order and urgently allocated resources from major cities to supply the surging foreign population.
At this moment, Star Luo City's prosperity had climbed to an unprecedented peak.
Simultaneously, Xu Jiawei ordered the expansion of Star Luo Square, causing the stands that could originally accommodate nearly a hundred thousand spectators to forcibly increase to a terrifying one hundred and fifty thousand.
However, even so, tickets for the grand finals remained incredibly hard to come by.
Even for a hundred gold coins, it was difficult to snatch a single ticket from scalpers; on the black market, a ticket with a slightly better view had already been bid up to over a thousand gold, yet there was still no supply for the demand.
Right now, the two teams about to stage the peak showdown were walking on the road leading to Star Luo Square.
Soldiers clad in heavy armor stood in lines along the way, forming two human walls to isolate the fanatical crowds.
Countless citizens who failed to squeeze into Star Luo Square gathered on both sides of the road, shouting the names of the two teams with all their might.
"Shrek! Shrek!"
"Sun Moon! Sun Moon!"
The two types of shouts intertwined, refusing to yield to one another, vibrating until eardrums throbbed with pain.
But compared to the surrounding passionate, almost insane citizens, whether it was the Shrek side or the members of the Sun Moon Team, everyone's faces were currently calm.
No, describing it as calm might not be accurate enough; it should be tension.
Everyone remained silent, hands tightly clenched, walking step by step toward that Soul Dueling Arena that was about to decide their fates.
On one side, they carried the ten-thousand-year glory of championships—an undefeated legend forged by generations of geniuses from Shrek Academy.
On the other side, they bore the heavy expectations of the 'most hopeful year' in thousands of years—a dream that countless Soul Engineers of the Sun Moon Empire had envisioned but could never quite reach.
The Star Luo Empire's Emperor, Xu Jiawei, had ascended the Imperial City walls early with his civil and military officials to show the highest respect to the teams about to compete in the finals.
Standing to Xu Jiawei's right was a man clad in golden armor. The man appeared to be about thirty years old, with long golden hair fluttering in the wind and a face as resolute as if carved by a knife and axe.
It was precisely Duke White Tiger, Dai Hao, who had urgently returned to the imperial capital from the Mingdou Mountain Range.
"It's Father!"
Dai Yueheng spotted that familiar figure at a glance, and a raging fighting Martial Soul instantly ignited in his Evil Eyes.
His hands were tightly clenched, knuckles turning white, wishing he could immediately charge onto the Soul Fighting Platform to prove himself before his father.
In silence, everyone stepped onto the red carpet and entered the arena.
Looking out, the entire Star Luo Square was already packed with people, a dense sea of black; not a single one of the one hundred and fifty thousand seats was vacant.
The moment the two teams entered, the fanatical cheers climbed to a peak once more, the sound waves so substantial they nearly tore the sky apart.
"Shrek!!!"
"Sun Moon!!!"
The two waves of sound collided, making the entire square tremble slightly.
After entering Star Luo Square, Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Team respectively took their seats in their own rest areas.
The two teams looked at each other from across the wide competition field, the scent of gunpowder quietly permeating as they locked eyes.
Wang Yan stood up, his dark eyes—which always possessed a scholarly air—now scanned each of the eleven students from Shrek Academy.
He was silent for a few seconds, then said in a deep voice, "Everything proceeds according to plan."
He paused, then his voice suddenly rose,
"Shrek, victory is ours!"
"Shrek, victory is ours!"
Everyone spoke in unison, their fighting Martial Soul soaring.
Wang Yan's gaze finally landed on Lin Xuan.
The youth sat there quietly, expressionless, his eyes as indifferent as a deep pool, as if this ultimate duel deciding ten thousand years of glory had nothing to do with him.
Looking at that calm face, the taut string in Wang Yan's heart inexplicably loosened a bit.
At this point, all he could do was trust Lin Xuan unconditionally.
...
The referee in charge of the overall situation was still the Heavenly Fiend Douluo Huang Jinxu. He ascended high into the air and amplified his voice through Soul Power, his tone as hard as iron,
"Members of both sides participating in the team battle, take the stage. The match is about to begin."
Wang Yan took a deep breath. "Go, show them your strength to your heart's content."
Lin Xuan was the first to stand up and walk toward the Soul Fighting Platform.
Ma Xiaotao, Chen Zifeng, Ling Luochen, Dai Yueheng, Ning Tian, and Xu Sanshi followed closely behind.
The moment the seven stepped onto the Soul Fighting Platform, the landslide-like cheers exploded once again!
On the other side, the lineup of the Sun Moon Team left everyone stunned.
Ma Rulong walked at the very front, followed by two regular Rank 5 Soul Engineers. Further back, there were surprisingly four Rank 4 Soul Engineers from the Reserve Team.
"The Sun Moon Team is..." Bei Bei's brow furrowed as he asked in confusion, "Giving up on the team battle?"
Wang Yan narrowed his eyes, a faint ill premonition rising in his heart.
Everyone knew the role of Soul Engineers in team battles; logically speaking, the Sun Moon Team had an advantage in this team battle, and they had no reason to give up.
But this lineup clearly didn't look like they were going to give it their all.
"Something's not right," Wang Yan murmured under his breath, his eyes fixed on the seven figures opposite them,
"The Sun Moon Team must be up to something this time."
Huang Jinxu suspended in mid-air, coldly scanning the members of both sides, his stiff voice ringing out again,
"The referee will not repeat the rules of the team battle. The match ends when one side completely loses combat capability or shouts surrender to me."
"Now, both sides, retreat."
As the words fell, the members of both sides began to retreat slowly.
On Shrek's side, the seven quickly completed their formation transition during the retreat.
Lin Xuan was in the center, with Ma Xiaotao, Chen Zifeng, and Dai Yueheng lined up in front of him, like an indestructible human wall.
Ling Luochen was slightly behind, providing support from the center, her ice-blue eyes tightly locked onto the opposite side as cold air began to condense around her.
At the very back, Xu Sanshi held the Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield, protecting Ning Tian.
Ning Tian held the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, with three types of amplification lights already swirling at the pagoda's tip, ready to act at any moment.
Meanwhile, the Sun Moon Team's formation was extremely bizarre.
Ma Rulong stood alone at the very front, chest out and head high, his gaze directly locked onto the Shrek group. Two Rank 5 Soul Engineers followed closely behind him, one to the left and one to the right. At the very back, four Rank 4 Soul Engineers stood in a row, heads bowed, their expressions unreadable.
The seven remained silent, a strange sense of oppression permeating the air.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
The moment the members of both sides reached the edge of the competition platform...
"Match start!"
Huang Jinxu's thunderous roar exploded in everyone's ears!
The first team battle to decide the championship had officially begun!
Before the voice even faded!
On the Sun Moon Team's side, one of the Rank 5 Soul Engineers instantly acted!
With a flip of his right hand, a yellow metal shield appeared out of thin air! A flash of light on the shield's surface transformed it into a light shield with a diameter of two meters, which not only protected him but also shielded the others behind the Sun Moon Team.
Everyone knew this spirit tool was specifically used by the Sun Moon Team to counter Xu Sanshi's Xuanming Displacement and Lin Xuan's First Soul Skill.
After all, these two Martial Soul abilities were very troublesome; a slight lapse in attention could instantly reverse the situation.
And this was the advantage of spirit tools; as long as they were used properly, it was equivalent to having several extra Martial Soul abilities for free.
Immediately following that! The other Rank 5 Soul Engineer and Ma Rulong moved simultaneously!
Countless metal cannon barrels instantly extended from their bodies! Densely packed and layered, they enveloped their entire persons like hedgehogs!
"This is..." He Caitou, also a Soul Engineer, suddenly stood up, his eyes wide.
Countless light orbs condensed from Soul Power were frantically ejected through these cannon barrels!
Like a peacock spreading its tail, or a torrential downpour, they shot toward Shrek Academy at an astonishing speed!
The speed of those light orbs was too fast, emitting sharp whistling sounds as they sliced through the air!
Even more terrifying was that as these light orbs advanced, they showed a faint tendency to converge, preparing to merge as one and completely drown the Shrek seven!
The cultivation of the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Masters was basically built up using drugs; in terms of Soul Power purity, they were far inferior to traditional Soul Masters.
But they didn't care about that at all; all they wanted was enough Soul Power to activate their spirit tools.
Facing this grand, sky-covering rain of light orbs falling like a shower of swords, the Shrek side instantly reacted!
"Rise!"
Ling Luochen gave a cold shout, and the bone-chilling cold around her suddenly erupted!
Thick ice cones rose from the ground, layering over each other, and in the blink of an eye, formed a massive ice wall several meters thick and over ten meters high in front of the Shrek group!
"Boom boom boom boom—!"
The light orbs crashed into the ice wall, exploding into clusters of blinding light!
Ice shards flew everywhere, and cracks spread densely!
But the Shrek side didn't care at all how long this ice wall could hold; what they wanted was for the ice to melt, sending up a large amount of white mist that instantly obscured the vision of both sides!
"Now!"
A high-pitched phoenix cry resounded through the sky!
Ma Xiaotao's figure soared into the sky, breaking through the thick mist and hovering in mid-air!
Flames surged around her, the scorching aura dyeing more than half of the competition field a bright crimson!
Beneath her feet, six Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black—shone brightly, as if a Flame Queen had descended!
"Sixth Soul skills, Phoenix Meteor Shower!"
Massive fireballs nearly five meters in diameter condensed behind her, then ruthlessly smashed toward Ma Rulong and the other Sun Moon Team members below.
Wherever the fireballs passed, the terrifying high temperature caused the surrounding void to show faint signs of distortion! Before the ice shards could even fall, they were evaporated into a sky full of steam!
Simultaneously! On the ground, Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng both charged out!
Dai Yueheng, with his White Tiger possession, shone with golden light, while Chen Zifeng, with his soul chasing sword in hand, was sharp and exposed.
One on the left and one on the right, like two sharp knives, they plunged directly into the Sun Moon Team's flanks!
In mid-air, Ling Luochen condensed an even more violent blizzard above the Sun Moon Team! Countless ice blades swirled and whistled in the snowstorm, ready to fall at any moment!
Three attacks descended simultaneously!
However, facing an offensive of this level, the Sun Moon Team side didn't panic in the slightest.
A cold sneer curled at the corner of Ma Rulong's mouth as he shouted in a low voice, "Do it!"
At Ma Rulong's command, the two Rank 5 Soul Engineers behind him both stepped forward!
With a flip of their right hands, two clusters of golden light appeared simultaneously.
One shot toward Ma Xiaotao in mid-air, while the other headed straight for the charging Dai Yueheng on the ground!
"It's the Absolute Defense Shield again!"
Before Wang Yan's exclamation could even finish, those two clusters of golden light had already expanded in mid-air, turning into two massive golden light shields that descended over their heads!
Ma Xiaotao's pupils contracted sharply; she wanted to dodge but it was already too late.
That golden light shield was too fast and possessed a locking effect, instantly enveloping her within!
Her Phoenix Meteor Shower smashed hard against the inner wall of the light shield, exploding into a sky full of sparks, but only causing a faint ripple.
"Damn it!"
Dai Yueheng likewise sensed the crisis.
He let out a roar, his White Tiger golden light erupting with full force, wanting to rush out before that light shield could descend; however, one figure was even faster than him.
"Yueheng, win this match for me!"
Chen Zifeng's voice rang in his ears, and in the next instant, a palm slapped hard onto Dai Yueheng's shoulder, sending him flying!
Meanwhile, Chen Zifeng used the reaction force of that palm to forcefully charge into the range of the golden light barrier!
"No—!"
Dai Yueheng's eyes widened as he watched the golden light barrier crash down, trapping Chen Zifeng inside!
Bang!
Chen Zifeng crashed against the inner wall of the barrier and slashed out with his soul chasing sword, but the blood-red sword beam only left a shallow mark on the golden shield.
He turned his head, and through the layer of golden light, met Dai Yueheng's eyes filled with shock and fury; he simply grinned and nodded at Dai Yueheng.
"Chen Zifeng!!!"
Dai Yueheng's eyes instantly became bloodshot, and he was on the verge of going berserk!
Inside the Shrek rest area, Wang Yan abruptly stood up, his face pale.
Ma Xiaotao was trapped, and Chen Zifeng was trapped.
Two of their core combatants were lost in an instant!
Moreover, Chen Zifeng did it to save Dai Yueheng...
Bei Bei's fists were tightly clenched, his knuckles turning white and his eyes reddening; Jiang Nannan covered her mouth to keep herself from making a sound, while He Caitou stood there dazed, his mind completely blank.
Wang Dong lowered his head, not daring to look further.
On the Soul Fighting Platform, Ma Rulong watched this scene, the smile on his face growing wider.
"What a noble sacrifice. Unfortunately, on a stage of this level, a Martial Soul of sacrifice won't save you."
"Now, full-scale attack!"
Inside the Sun Moon Team's rest area.
"Good, good, good! It seems the victory is decided!" A richly dressed, white-bearded old man abruptly stood up from the sofa, speaking excitedly.
"Quite so, quite so. It wasn't in vain that we old fogies went through the trouble of acquiring these two spirit tools." The speaker was another old man.
Looking closely, within the entire rest area, aside from the Hongchen siblings and Elder Ma, the remaining five or six people were actually all white-haired elders.
And they all shared a common identity.
They had once represented the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy in the Soul Master Competition, only to be defeated by Shrek Academy.
They were here now not only to provide the Sun Moon Team with spirit tools like the Absolute Defense Shield but also to witness with their own eyes how the Sun Moon Team would personally defeat Shrek.
...
At the same time, the situation on the Soul Fighting Platform reversed in an instant!
Soul Power surged around Ma Rulong, his Soul Rings flashing beneath his feet as he lunged toward Dai Yueheng like a streak of light!
The son of Duke White Tiger, a Soul Emperor-level powerhouse, was worthy of his personal attention!
Meanwhile, the two Rank 5 Soul Engineers turned simultaneously to attack Ling Luochen, Xu Sanshi, and Ning Tian!
spirit tool cannon barrels fired frantically, pouring down light orbs like a torrential rain!
Ling Luochen tapped her ice staff repeatedly, causing ice walls to rise from the ground, only to be shattered by the dense bombardment. She gritted her teeth and persevered, her icy blue hair fluttering in the Wind, yet she didn't retreat a single step.
Xu Sanshi held up the Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield, blocking firmly in front of Ning Tian. The artillery fire slammed against the shield's surface, numbing his arms and causing blood to seep from the corner of his mouth.
"Hold on..." He gritted his teeth, his voice trembling, "Hold on..."
Ning Tian stood behind them, the light from her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda constantly falling upon the two, boosting their defense and recovery.
At this moment, countless people in the audience raised the same question.
"What is the Sun Moon Team doing? Do they think Lin Xuan doesn't exist?!"
Indeed, Shrek Academy's strongest, Lin Xuan, hadn't even made a move yet. Was the Sun Moon Team really just ignoring him?
But soon, the answer was revealed.
"Look over there!"
Someone exclaimed, and everyone's eyes simultaneously turned toward the very rear of the Sun Moon Team.
Those four Rank 4 Soul Engineers, who had remained silent and motionless until now, finally moved!
Four beams of light lit up simultaneously!
Red, green, white, and black!
Four uniquely styled sets of armor emerged from them, enveloping the four from head to toe!
The red set had sharp armor lines, with shoulder plates like surging flames and faint crimson light flickering around it.
The green set was as warm and smooth as jade, with an emerald gemstone embedded in the chest, emitting a soft aura of vitality.
The white set was light and sleek, with a pair of transparent energy wings on the back that vibrated slightly.
The black set was as heavy as a mountain, its surface covered in profound patterns, giving off an indestructible feeling.
The four stood in a row, like four divine generals stepping out of myth!
He Caitou abruptly stood up and cried out in shock,
"Four Symbols Armor!!!"
"What?" Wang Yan turned his head sharply. "What is that?"
He Caitou's voice was trembling. "The Four Symbols Armor is a set of Rank 5 spirit tools composed of four sets of armor! The four colors—red, green, white, and black—represent attack, healing, speed, and defense respectively!"
"These four sets of armor seem separate, but they are actually a single entity! They share a special Soul Power connection; if one person is attacked, the other three can share the damage for them!"
"Four Rank 4 Soul Engineers wearing the Four Symbols Armor are essentially four unkillable turtles! Their attack power might not match a true Rank 5 Soul Engineer, but in terms of how troublesome they are..."
He didn't finish, but everyone understood.
The Sun Moon Team never expected these four Rank 4 Soul Engineers to defeat Lin Xuan.
They only needed to stall him.
Wang Yan slumped back into his chair, his face full of defeat.
Just how much had the Sun Moon Team invested for this team battle?
Two Absolute Defense Shields trapped Ma Xiaotao and Chen Zifeng.
A set of Four Symbols Armor to stall Lin Xuan.
As for the rest, Ma Rulong and two Rank 5 Soul Engineers were enough to deal with the remaining people!
Bei Bei stood to the side, his hands clenched into fists, nails digging into his palms.
He looked at the four figures fighting a difficult battle on the Soul Fighting Platform, and his heart felt as if it were being squeezed hard by a giant hand, the pain making it hard to breathe.
On the platform, Lin Xuan looked at the four radiant figures before him and raised an eyebrow slightly; his originally indifferent eyes suddenly lit up.
"So cool? They look like Armor Heroes..."
He sized up the four sets of armor, a glint flashing in his eyes.
"I feel like I could get a set of those."
Just as he was thinking, the four figures moved!
The red armor took the lead, its fists wrapped in scorching flames, punching straight at Lin Xuan's face!
The white armor turned into an afterimage, instantly circling behind Lin Xuan to deliver a palm strike to his neck! Meanwhile, the black armor stood steady as a mountain on Lin Xuan's flank, ready to take a counterattack for its teammate at any time!
The four coordinated perfectly, clearly having undergone long-term training!
Lin Xuan was unhurried; he held his Copper Staff horizontally, and golden lightning instantly coiled around it!
Clang!
The Copper Staff collided with the red armor's iron fist, exploding in a ring of airwaves!
The red armor was knocked back three steps, but almost at the same moment, the white, green, and black armors all retreated three steps as well!
Lin Xuan couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, but he instantly guessed the true ability of this armor set.
"Damage sharing? Tsk, quite a few tricks."
With that, he spun around, sweeping his Copper Staff to force back the lunging red armor, while simultaneously exerting force with his feet to vanish from the spot!
In the next instant, he appeared behind the white armor!
The Copper Staff, carrying lightning, smashed down hard!
The white armor reacted extremely quickly, vibrating its wings to retreat violently! But Lin Xuan was faster, his Copper Staff following like a shadow. Just as it was about to hit, the black armor charged forward and blocked the strike with its own body!
Bang!
With a muffled thud, the black armor was sent flying, the light on its chest dimming for a moment.
But immediately after, the green armor raised its hand, and a beam of emerald light fell upon the black armor, restoring its dimmed light instantly!
Meanwhile, the red and white armors had already lunged forward again!
The four were like a single entity.
Attack, defense, healing, acceleration... perfect coordination, seamless!
Bursts of exclamations erupted from the audience!
"What on earth is that?!"
"The Sun Moon Empire is really going against the heavens!"
"..."
On the platform, Lin Xuan was locked in a struggle with the four.
Golden lightning and four-colored light intertwined and collided, exploding in ring after ring of airwaves.
Although the four were being pushed back and were panting heavily, they remained firmly glued to Lin Xuan, not letting him take a single step out of the encirclement!
They didn't need to win; they only needed to stall.
On the other side, the battle between Dai Yueheng and Ma Rulong had reached its climax!
With his White Tiger possession, golden light surged around Dai Yueheng, every claw swipe tearing through the air!
Although Ma Rulong's own combat power wasn't as high, he managed to fight to a draw using an endless stream of spirit tools! He even slightly suppressed Dai Yueheng after manifesting his Martial Soul.
The two fought from one end of the platform to the other; wherever they went, the ground cracked and rubble flew!
Meanwhile, the situation for Ling Luochen and Xu Sanshi was getting worse.
The artillery fire from the two Rank 5 Soul Engineers was too dense, giving them no chance to catch their breath!
Ling Luochen's ice walls shattered one after another; her face was as pale as paper and her Soul Power was nearly exhausted, but she still gritted her teeth, not retreating a step.
Xu Sanshi had completely thrown caution to the wind; the Black Tortoise bloodline within him was forcibly stimulated, enveloping him in a layer of dark light, and his defense skyrocketed several times over!
He held his shield, guarding Ning Tian with everything he had. With every round of artillery fire, he spat out a mouthful of blood, but his footsteps never faltered.
"Come at me!!!"
Xu Sanshi roared, his voice incredibly hoarse.
Ning Tian stood behind them, the light from her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda never ceasing. Her eyes were red and tears blurred her vision, but she didn't dare blink or stop.
She feared that if she stopped, the two people in front of her would no longer be able to hold on.
The entire Soul Fighting Platform had completely turned into a Shura Field.
In the audience, countless people held their breath.
In the Shrek rest area, Bei Bei's nails had pierced his palms, blood dripping through his fingers. Wang Dong kept his head down, not daring to look.
Wang Yan sat there dazed, his face ashen.
It's over... it's all over...
Ma Xiaotao and Chen Zifeng were trapped, Ling Luochen and Xu Sanshi were on the verge of collapse, and Dai Yueheng was tied down by Ma Rulong.
The only hope, Lin Xuan, was being held back by four turtles.
This team battle... is going to be lost...
But just then, on the platform, Lin Xuan suddenly stopped moving.
He withdrew his Copper Staff, and the golden lightning coiling around him vanished as well.
The four Soul Engineers in the Four Symbols Armor were stunned, but they didn't dare attack blindly, simply surrounding him warily to maintain the encirclement.
Lin Xuan looked up, his gaze sweeping over the four radiant figures around him, and chuckled softly.
"I've had enough fun. Next..."
"The farce should end now."
The moment he finished speaking, Lin Xuan's hands suddenly formed seals! Beneath his feet, that patch of dark shadow abruptly surged frantically!
"Technique Extension..."
"Forget it, let's change the name."
Lin Xuan looked up again with a bright smile, but seeing this, Ma Rulong felt a chill down his spine and a sudden sense of foreboding.
"Quick, stop him!"
However, it was already too late. Lin Xuan took a deep breath and then shouted low,
"Domain Expansion!"
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