When Tang Wulin and the others returned to their seats, their fellow Shrek students congratulated them with excitement and thrill, "Congratulations on your victory against Star Luo Plant Academy, you really slapped those guys in the face for all of us!"
"Yeah, it was so satisfying, I saw so many students from other forces turning as black as coal!"
"Especially Xie Xie, that last move was simply explosive! It's just... I remember you never used that soul skill before!"
"Anyway, well done!"
Hearing these praises, Xie Xie raised his chin proudly and boasted, "Of course, when Xie Xie steps up, no one can stand in my way..."
But in his heart, he thought, "I must never eat Xu Lizhi's Bloodthirsty Red Bean Bun unless it's absolutely necessary. The effects may be strong, but the side effects are too much. I am just barely regaining my mobility now!"
Xu Xiaoyan snorted disdainfully at him, "Give me a break, everyone can tell that you're spent after using your soul skill, just like a deflated balloon!"
But then... recalling the scene where he broke through the opponent's protective barrier, it was indeed quite cool!
That was undeniable!
Tang Wulin coughed and interjected, "Cough cough... Xiao Yan, it seems that's not Xie Xie's fault, it's the severe side effects of Lizhi's Bloodthirsty Red Bean Bun!"
Ye Xinglan nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I've tried Lizhi's Bloodthirsty Red Bean Bun, the side effects are directly proportional to its effects."
Seeing them speak up for him, Xie Xie gratefully said, "Exactly, only Wulin and Xing Lan understand me."
Then, he glared at Xu Lizhi viciously, "Lizhi, when you have time, you'd better explain all your bun types and their effects! Otherwise, who knows who might get screwed over by you next time!"
Xu Lizhi agreed awkwardly, "Okay... okay."
Wu Siduo crossed her arms and didn't speak, but she was considering how much her strength could increase if she were to consume Xu Lizhi's Bloodthirsty Red Bean Bun...
Shen Yi watched them and smiled, "You did well! But don't be careless in the upcoming matches!"
She didn't dare admit that while watching the battle, she truly believed that Tang Wulin and the others were doomed!
Everyone nodded in unison upon hearing her words...
They had indeed underestimated their opponents in this match, thinking they could defeat them while still concealing their true strength!
At the same time, on the battle stage, Pan Wen announced, "Now, we shall begin the second matchup, with Star Luo Monster Academy going up against..."
This statement instantly grabbed the attention of Tang Wulin and the others...
Their eyes were locked tight on the battle stage, not wanting to miss a single opportunity for observation!
After all, among these two teams, there would definitely be ones that posed a threat to them in the later stages!
The Star Luo Imperial Academy and the Monster Academy, known for replicating Shrek Academy!
Visibly, the students of Monster Academy walked to the stage one by one, their expressions unchanged amidst the watching crowd...
Most conspicuous of all were the royal household's Dai Yueyan and Dai Yun'er!
The arrival of Monster Academy immediately set off an explosion of excitement at the event site, with many soul masters beginning to discuss...
"Hiss... Are those the students of Monster Academy? Even without manifesting their Martial Souls, they all exude a terrifying aura!"
"That's right! Not only that, but even the Prince and Her Royal Highness the Princess are students of Monster Academy,"
"A school that can have direct descendants of the royal household must be extraordinary. They feel even stronger than Star Luo Royal Academy to me!"
"Nonsense! There are fewer than twenty students in Monster Academy, all of whom are top geniuses selected from various academies, definitely a notch above Star Luo Royal Academy!"
"I want to see just how strong these students who dare to call their school Monster Academy really are!!"
Hearing the discussions from below, the students of Monster Academy showed proud expressions...
Only Dai Yun'er reluctantly spoke up, "Brother, why does Monster Academy even have to participate in these preliminaries?
With their strength, they could completely skip straight to the final round!
Hearing this, Dai Yueyan gave a wry smile and said, "Sister, this competition is an exchange contest, different from the Young Soul Master Contest! Even for us, we must go through the preliminaries!"
Directly using the royal household's privileges to advance them to the final would definitely subject them to a lot of criticism!
Dai Yun'er pursed her lips and let out a slightly aggrieved "Oh..."
As for Monster Academy's opponents, just having stepped onto the stage, they found the momentum was one-sided, and each person's psychological pressure couldn't help but greatly increase...
"Damn it, why is our luck so bad, facing Monster Academy in the first match!"
"There's no way to fight at all, I've heard that everyone at Monster Academy is a five-ringed Soul King!!"
"How about we just surrender? After all, we are just a small academy, probably not many people will take notice!"
"Are you crazy? This is the Xingluo Land exchange contest, to give up before even fighting, do you want our academy to lose face entirely?"
The noisy scene made Pan Wen frown and he barked, "All students, please be quiet! The duel will officially start in five seconds, both sides release your Martial Souls!"
Dai Yueyan took a deep breath, "Everybody, release your Martial Souls!"
No sooner had he said this than each student from Monster Academy erupted with terrifying soul power fluctuations, quickly releasing their own Martial Souls...
Subsequently, exactly five Soul Rings quietly emerged beneath their feet in unison...
This scene made all the spectating students catch their breath in shock, staring in disbelief at what was unfolding before their eyes...
Xie Xie rubbed his eyes, afraid he was hallucinating, but when he confirmed that Dai Yueyan and his four companions were all Soul Kings, he exclaimed, "Holy... holy crap! For real? All seven of them are Soul Kings!!"
Xu Xiaoyan swallowed hard, "That's... that's six more Soul Kings than our Shrek Academy team..."
That meant, facing Monster Academy, Shrek Academy would be completely at a disadvantage!
Tang Wulin's eyes shone with a fighting spirit, "This... this is the strength of Monster Academy? Indeed, they are no ordinary powerhouse!"
Gu Yue pursed her thin lips and analyzed, "Monster Academy's overall strength is stronger than ours; facing them will definitely be a bitter fight, and our chances of winning are... very low!"
Wu Siduo coldly said, "So what if their soul power rank is higher? Whether they can win or not, we won't know until we've fought them!"
Ye Xinglan's eyes also gleamed, "That's right! Winning or losing, we'll only know after the fight, and fighting above our level happens to be Shrek Academy's forte!"
Shen Yi looked at their eager expressions and whispered, "Seeing how little confidence you have, let me tell you something quietly!"
"If you can win the championship of this Xingluo Land exchange contest... then you seven have a certain chance of becoming the Shrek Seven Monsters!"
As soon as these words came out, they struck like thunder, instantly causing Tang Wulin and the others' pupils to contract...
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