The referee stood at the center of the arena, glanced at both sides who were already in position, then abruptly swung his right hand downward.
"Let the match begin!"
The moment his voice fell, Mingdu Plaza erupted into deafening cheers.
Now that the tournament had entered the round of sixteen, the rules no longer followed the earlier one-on-one elimination format. Instead, it shifted directly into full team battle mode—the format that tested a team's overall strength the most.
Seven members from each side would fight simultaneously. This demanded not only powerful individuals, but also flawless coordination and battlefield awareness.
On the Sun Moon Royal Team's side, Liu Yuan stood at the core, the seven members forming a tight, disciplined formation around him.
Opposite them, the seven members of the Body Sect radiated an overwhelming pressure. A strange sheen of spirit power faintly flowed over their bodies, their physiques emanating an oppressive force unique to Original Body Martial Souls.
Long Aotian stood at the very front. His eyes burned with intense battle intent as they locked onto Liu Yuan, as if he wanted to see straight through him.
"Liu Yuan," Long Aotian said in a low voice just before releasing his spirit, "you should know who we are—and why we're here."
"Five years ago, Shrek Academy lost to you in Star Luo City. That defeat damaged the honor of the Douluo Continent. It wasn't because you were strong, but because Shrek was incompetent and failed to protect what should have belonged to us."
"But this time, we're here personally. We'll take that honor back with our own hands and show you that the Original Body Martial Soul is the strongest existence on this continent."
Facing Long Aotian's aggressive declaration, Liu Yuan remained utterly calm.
He stood where he was, not a trace of spirit power fluctuating around him. Even his expression barely changed. He simply gave a faint smile, offering no rebuttal at all.
That silent disregard only made Long Aotian's gaze grow colder.
"Advance!"
With a roar, Long Aotian gave the order.
In an instant, all seven Body Sect members moved.
As captain, Long Aotian led the charge. His speed was terrifying, leaving behind multiple afterimages as he surged straight toward Liu Yuan's position.
His intent was unmistakable—an immediate decapitation strike. As long as Liu Yuan fell, the Sun Moon Royal Team's formation would collapse.
When he closed to within ten meters, Long Aotian's right arm suddenly swelled, muscles bulging clearly beneath his skin. This was the physique enhancement from the second awakening of his Original Body Martial Soul.
He had no intention of probing.
His fourth spirit ring flared brightly.
Fourth Spirit Ability: Mad God Slash!
Using his hand as a blade, dense gray light condensed at his fingertips. With a force that seemed capable of tearing through the air itself, he slashed straight toward Liu Yuan's face.
Yet Liu Yuan did not move.
Hands clasped behind his back, he neither defended nor dodged, simply watching Long Aotian approach with an unfathomable calm in his eyes.
Just as the Mad God Slash was about to land—
A streak of brilliant gold shot into the battlefield like lightning from the side.
"Get lost!"
A crisp, domineering female shout rang out.
Wang Qiu'er instantly activated her Golden Dragon Martial Soul. Dazzling golden light erupted across the arena as her aura surged skyward.
Her right hand clenched, and amid a resounding dragon's roar, the golden dragon spear materialized in her grasp.
Twisting her waist, Wang Qiu'er swung the spear with one hand, smashing it sideways into Long Aotian's Mad God Slash with mountain-crushing force.
Boom!
A dull, explosive sound echoed through the venue.
Long Aotian felt an overwhelming power surge through his arm. Even his formidable physique—capable of withstanding spirit abilities—was shaken numb. His body staggered backward five or six steps before he barely managed to stabilize himself.
His expression darkened to the extreme.
He glanced at Wang Qiu'er blocking his path, then looked past her at Liu Yuan, who still hadn't moved. His voice was thick with anger and humiliation.
"Liu Yuan, do you only know how to hide behind a woman? As captain of the Sun Moon Royal Team, don't you even have the courage to face me head-on?"
Wang Qiu'er stood with her spear held horizontally, its tip angled toward the ground. Her golden hair fluttered in the wind, and her heterochromatic eyes fixed on Long Aotian with icy disdain.
Her voice was calm, cold, and absolute.
"With just you, you're not qualified for him to personally take action."
"Defeat me first—then you'll be qualified to challenge him."
That single sentence completely ignited Long Aotian's rage.
As a leading figure of the younger generation of the Body Sect, when had he ever been treated with such contempt?
"Fine! Then I'll deal with you first!"
Long Aotian roared. His spirit rings lit up one after another as different parts of his body transformed, the power of his Original Body Martial Soul pushed to its limits.
He lunged forward again, engaging Wang Qiu'er in a furious clash.
At the same time, fierce battles erupted across the rest of the arena.
Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and the other core members of the Sun Moon Royal Team each met their respective opponents from the Body Sect.
Spirit tool firepower, toxins, and the terrifying transformations of Original Body Martial Souls collided repeatedly, light and shockwaves crisscrossing the stage.
Yet what truly shocked the spectators, the leaders of the various academies, and everyone from Shrek was this—
In what should have been the most intense and evenly matched high-level confrontation, Liu Yuan, the captain of the Sun Moon Team, had not moved at all.
From start to finish, he never took a single step.
He didn't activate his martial soul, didn't release a single spirit ring, and didn't even take out a spirit tool.
He simply stood quietly at the center of the formation, calmly observing the battlefield—like a bystander watching a spectacle up close rather than a participant in a life-and-death match.
Even more unbelievable was that despite Liu Yuan's complete lack of action, the Sun Moon Royal Team was not at a disadvantage in the slightest.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen's long-range bombardment and toxin suppression made the close-combat specialists of the Body Sect miserable.
And at the very center of the battlefield—the duel between Wang Qiu'er and Long Aotian—the situation was even more shocking.
It was one-sided suppression.
Wang Qiu'er's Golden Dragon Martial Soul completely overwhelmed Long Aotian in rank and power.
Each swing of her golden dragon spear carried terrifying momentum, as if it could split mountains and shatter stone. The defensive prowess Long Aotian took pride in was being steadily crushed under her absolute strength.
As time passed, more and more wounds appeared on Long Aotian's body. Meanwhile, Wang Qiu'er's aura remained steady and unbroken, even forcing him step by step toward the edge of the stage.
The tens of thousands of spectators were left dumbfounded.
"What… what is going on? Has the Sun Moon Team already become this terrifying?"
"That Wang Qiu'er is actually suppressing a Body Sect powerhouse—and Liu Yuan hasn't even moved!"
"If even his teammates can do this, just how strong is Liu Yuan himself?"
Exclamations of disbelief echoed endlessly through the stands.
This clash that everyone had expected to be a titanic, evenly matched battle was rapidly unfolding in a way that shattered all expectations.
In the Shrek Academy rest area, Xuan Zi gripped the armrests of his seat tightly, sweat already soaking the leather beneath his palms.
He stared at Liu Yuan, who remained relaxed and composed on the battlefield, and the unease in his heart surged to an unprecedented level.
Xuan Zi knew all too well—Liu Yuan's inaction wasn't cowardice.
It was arrogance.
The kind of arrogance that came from knowing the opponent wasn't even qualified to force him into defending himself.
Nearby, Bei Bei and Huo Yuhao exchanged a glance, their expressions filled with solemn gravity.
They could clearly feel it—the gap between themselves and the Sun Moon Royal Team had become even more unfathomable than it was five years ago.
On the stage, Wang Qiu'er's golden dragon spear erupted once more with blazing golden light, violently shattering Long Aotian's defensive spirit ability.
She looked down coldly at her battered opponent, her eyes devoid of even the slightest pity.
"I told you," she said calmly,
"you're not qualified."
This "peak duel," so highly anticipated by countless spectators, was collapsing at a terrifying pace—toward an outcome no one had foreseen.
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