Soon, the referee's voice echoed across the arena.
"Shrek Academy, Captain Ma Xiaotao, has lost the ability to continue fighting!"
"The winner of this Round-robin Individual Match—Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Liu Yuan!"
Boom—!
Star Luo Plaza, which had been so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard, was instantly drowned in roaring noise.
Countless spectators snapped out of their shock, and heated discussions erupted everywhere.
"Heavens! He won? He actually won?!"
"That Liu Yuan really defeated Ma Xiaotao?!"
"This is insane!"
"Unbelievable… that's Shrek Academy!"
Shock, confusion, and the thrill of witnessing history filled everyone's faces.
For countless years, Shrek Academy had stood as an invincible symbol in the Continental Soul Master Tournament—an insurmountable mountain.
Yet today, that mountain had been forcefully torn down by Liu Yuan.
However, Liu Yuan himself, standing calmly in midair above the shattered arena, showed no trace of excitement.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze passing through the clamorous crowd and settling on the referee, who was wiping cold sweat from his forehead.
Because Liu Yuan had keenly noticed a crucial detail—
The referee had announced that Liu Yuan won "this Individual Match," not that "Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy" had won.
This was a matter of formal procedure.
Although, according to the prior wager, Shrek Academy was supposed to concede entirely if Ma Xiaotao lost, that agreement had only been a private verbal bet. Even with the entire audience as witnesses, it still required Shrek Academy's leading teacher to officially confirm their withdrawal for it to take effect in the tournament's process.
Sure enough.
After the heavily injured and unconscious Ma Xiaotao was carried off for treatment, the referee turned and looked toward Shrek Academy's waiting area—toward Xuan Zi, whose face was deathly pale, blood still staining the corner of his mouth.
"Leading teacher of Shrek Academy," the referee asked, his voice carrying a hint of pressure,
"given that your captain has been defeated, and that both sides previously agreed that 'the losing side would immediately concede'…"
"Will Shrek Academy continue to send members onto the stage, or will you choose to… admit defeat?"
Whoosh—!
In an instant, the gazes of hundreds of thousands of spectators converged on Xuan Zi like spotlights.
Expectation, mockery, sympathy, and thinly veiled anticipation all mixed together.
Xuan Zi sat stiffly in his seat, feeling as though he were sitting on hot coals.
Humiliation.
Endless humiliation gnawed at his heart like venomous serpents.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, yet he felt no pain at all.
To be honest, at that moment, he truly wanted to go back on his word.
He wanted to stand up and shout that the bet didn't count. He wanted to send the remaining team members onto the stage and drag the fight into a battle of attrition, even if it meant exhausting Liu Yuan by sheer numbers.
He wanted to win.
This concerned Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year glory—how could they admit defeat so easily?
But when he looked up and met the countless gazes fixed on him, the words stuck in his throat.
Under the eyes of the entire public.
The wager had been made openly, witnessed by the whole audience, with even the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire watching from the city walls.
If he reneged now, the disgrace Shrek Academy would suffer would be far worse than losing the match itself.
It would brand Shrek Academy with the labels of "untrustworthy" and "sore loser," stains that might never be erased for centuries.
And more importantly…
Xuan Zi's gaze swept over the remaining Shrek team members behind him.
Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, Gongyang Mo…
These usually proud geniuses were now pale, their eyes evasive, not daring to meet his gaze.
When their eyes accidentally fell on Liu Yuan—who stood on the stage, unscathed and resembling a demon god—unconcealable fear flickered deep within them.
Even Ma Xiaotao, a Spirit Saint wielding Phoenix Evil Fire and having activated her Martial Soul True Body, had been beaten into the ground.
What chance did they have?
In a one-on-one fight against Liu Yuan, who was still at peak condition and had barely expended any spirit power, Shrek Academy couldn't find a single person capable of standing against him.
If they stubbornly continued, they would only be slaughtered one by one—an even greater humiliation.
"Huff… huff…"
Xuan Zi gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently.
His throat felt dry and blocked, as though something were lodged there.
Reason told him that conceding was the only option.
But emotionally, forcing himself to say those two words felt harder than death.
Finally—
Just as the referee was about to urge him again, and as the murmurs of the crowd grew louder—
Xuan Zi closed his eyes. In that instant, he seemed to age ten years. Slumping back in his chair, he forced out a hoarse sentence, so quiet it was almost inaudible:
"Shrek Academy… admits defeat."
The voice was faint, yet in the suddenly silent waiting area, it rang out with piercing clarity.
The referee nodded and immediately announced in a loud voice:
"Shrek Academy withdraws from the remaining matches!"
"The winner of this Round-robin match—Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy!"
Boom—!!!
If the earlier cheers were a wave, then this announcement was a full-blown tsunami.
"We won! We won!!!"
Inside the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy waiting area, the atmosphere exploded.
Xiao Hongchen leapt to his feet, grabbing Meng Hongchen beside him, his face flushed with ecstasy. "Did you see that?! We actually beat Shrek!"
Meng Hongchen's cheeks were rosy with excitement, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "So amazing! Brother Liu Yuan is just too cool! That was Shrek!"
Mi Jia, Ma Rulong, and the others were even more emotional—clapping, cheering, some unable to hold back tears.
They had made history.
Even though this was only a Round-robin match, not the finals, and even though Shrek Academy still retained qualification to advance—
They had truly defeated Shrek Academy.
They had shattered the so-called "myth of invincibility" that had loomed over all academies for ten thousand years.
That alone was enough.
In the stands, spectators sighed in amazement.
"I never thought I'd live to see Shrek Academy lose a Round-robin match."
"Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy has truly risen. That captain, Liu Yuan, is a complete monster."
"This year's tournament… the final champion is impossible to predict now."
"Shrek didn't lose unfairly. Even their leading teacher was so furious he spat blood—tsk, tsk…"
All kinds of discussions filled the plaza. Today's battle was destined to be etched into history, talked about across the continent.
As for Liu Yuan, standing at the center of it all—
He showed little excitement.
He slowly descended to the ruined arena floor. Cheers and exclamations surged around him like waves, yet his heart remained perfectly calm.
Because at the very moment the referee announced the result—
That familiar, cold, synthesized mechanical voice sounded in his mind right on cue.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the Host for successfully completing the mission: Achieve total victory in the Round-robin Tournament.]
[Mission Evaluation: Perfect. The Host crushed Shrek Academy's strongest combat power with absolute strength and forced the opponent to concede while remaining unscathed, greatly damaging their morale.]
[Issuing rewards…]
[Reward: Random Ability ×1]
Liu Yuan's golden, vertical pupils brightened slightly.
This was what he truly cared about.
The previous ability, "Flash Fire," had practically made him invincible against Ma Xiaotao.
So this time…
What would he obtain?
[Randomly drawing an Ability…]
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the Host for successfully obtaining the Ability…]