Chapter Seventy-One: The Competition Begins

After the hole pierced through Gu Ling’s chest, his vitality began to ebb away. At this moment, Heavenly Fiend Douluo descended to declare Shrek’s victory, then carried Gu Ling down from the stage and brought him to the Sun Moon Team’s rest area. However, at this point, Mu Yang had not yet lifted his mark. To root out trouble, one must pull it up by the roots—everyone understands this principle, though such actions cannot be too obvious.

Wang Yan looked at Huo Yuhao and the others with a grave expression. Because of Gu Ling’s soul skill, Dai Yueheng and the rest had suffered a severe blow to their state of mind; at least for the short term, it was impossible for them to fight again. Moreover, Ma Xiaotao was unable to take the field due to her mutated martial spirit.

Huo Yuhao, having suppressed the outburst of Ma Xiaotao’s evil fire, was also unable to compete. Wang Dong alone would be of little consequence on the battlefield, so the only option left was for Mu Yang to continue.

“Mu Yang, are you all right to continue out there? If you can’t hold on, come down at once. Staying alive is what matters most,” Wang Yan said to him.

“I understand,” Mu Yang replied, forcefully jabbing his own neck. Blood gushed from the wound, but it quickly healed as he recovered.

Elsewhere, in the rest area, Gu Ling was kept alive by the medical Soul Sage, who planned to send him back to Mingde Hall for a slow recovery. Just then, a gaping wound tore open on Gu Ling’s neck, blood streaming out in torrents. This sudden injury brought him to the brink of death, and the medical Soul Sage had to pour all his power into keeping Gu Ling’s life hanging by a thread.

Wang Yan was startled by Mu Yang’s sudden self-inflicted wound, but even more shocked by his extraordinary regenerative ability. However, upon hearing the Sun Moon Team’s cries of alarm, Wang Yan realized what Mu Yang was up to, though he still cautioned him to use that soul skill sparingly.

“The individual elimination round begins. First competitors, step forward! Shrek Academy: Mu Yang. Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy: Li Yan.”

Mu Yang strode onto the stage, no longer the meek youth of before. With every step, he slowly revealed his two gray soul rings and drew forth Justice and Bribery, arming himself in his most formidable state.

Li Yan had once been one of the main seven on the Sun Moon Team, but the fact that he had been replaced by Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen revealed his lower standing among the primary members. His martial spirit was fire element-based, but not pure—tainted, erratic fire. If he had only pursued the path of a soul master, it would have been difficult for him to achieve true strength, so he chose the road of a soul engineer. He could not rely on his martial spirit to provide enduring soul power in battle, but he could infuse his soul devices with fire through his own erratic flame, imbuing each skill with its aura. Of course, compared to Ma Xiaotao’s phoenix fire, his flames were separated by a gulf. But to become a level-five soul engineer before the age of twenty—such a person could hardly be considered ordinary.

As the two entered the arena, there was an unmistakable air of enmity, as if bitter foes had met. Sun Moon Team’s rest area was still reeling from Gu Ling’s grievous injury, but with no concrete evidence, they could not appeal against Shrek. On the battlefield, however, they could kill or defeat Mu Yang openly.

Heavenly Fiend Douluo wasted few words, signaling both to retreat. His expression was grim, but with the most complex team battle finished, he was confident he could now monitor every clash between the two sides.

“The match begins!”

…