Shrek Exhibition Match

After leaving Wu Zhangkong's room, Gu Yuena caught Anping, who was heading back to the room. "You've been sleeping in the car the whole way. Don't you want to go to bed again? It's still early; let's go out for a walk."

Anping nodded and followed Gu Yuena outside the hotel. Due to the Skysea League competition, Skysea City was bustling with contestants and spectators from around the world, making the streets exceptionally lively. Even though the competition hadn't started, the fervent atmosphere had already engulfed everyone in Skysea City.

Observing the throngs of people, it was evident that there were more than when they first arrived, and the numbers were increasing. Anping smiled and said, "There are so many people; why not head back to the room?"

Gu Yuena gently shook her head. "Let's go to the beach. I checked the room earlier, and there was no one on the beach."

Saying that, she pulled Anping toward the beach. At this time, most people were resting in their hotels or searching for accommodations. Consequently, there weren't many people on the beach.

Walking along the shore, they could hear the crashing waves and the calls of seabirds. The sounds were vastly different from the urban clamor.

Gu Yuena looked at Anping and said softly, "Anping, why did you decline the teacher's invitation? Don't use laziness as an excuse to fool me. If you were lazy, what would diligence mean?"

"It's different. Have you ever heard of Shrek Academy?" Anping said, gently shaking his head.

Gu Yuena also shook her head. "I've mainly read about them in books—accounts of Shrek Academy's contributions to the mainland. It's regarded as the top academy in the mainland. However, merely reading about it is not enough to claim true understanding. Do you agree?"

Anping contemplated for a moment and tried to articulate his thoughts. "It's not really understanding; it's more like a glimpse. Although Teacher Wu has never disclosed his origins, considering his strength at such a young age and his close ties to Shrek Academy, it's apparent that he is affiliated with Shrek Academy."

"Based on the teaching methods of our martial arts teacher, it seems that Shrek Academy focuses on practical abilities. With a 20,000-year history, the academy must have developed highly effective training methods over the years. Our martial arts teacher, being well-versed in planning, reflects the academy's approach."

Gu Yuena pondered, "Isn't joining the academy about enhancing your strength? Since students have different levels of self-control, wouldn't it be better to have uniform and strict requirements?"

Anping responded, "Objectively speaking, there's nothing wrong with that. Looking at Shrek's history, the more structured training approach seems justified. Yet, there aren't many powerhouses produced through this method."

He paused and said, "It's just that I have my own training plan, and I don't want to disrupt my rhythm by joining Shrek. If I weren't too young, maybe I wouldn't have come to Eastsea Academy."

"That's it? I always feel that this is not the main reason." Gu Yuena shook her head and said seriously.

Seeing Gu Yuena's serious expression, Anping pretended to be nonchalant and said, "Of course, there are some other reasons. If it involves my little secret, don't ask."

Gu Yuena snorted softly, "If you don't want to say it, forget it."

"What about you? Why did you reject Shrek Academy's invitation?" Anping was still a bit surprised that Gu Yuena had outright declined Shen Yi's invitation. Although he didn't expect to get an answer, he still posed the question.

Gu Yuena smiled and said, "For me, it's because of you. We have martial soul fusion skills, and you know how rare those are and how much they can improve our strength. Of course, if you refuse, I refuse."

"Martial soul fusion skill, that's indeed a good reason. It's your choice. If you regret it, don't blame me." Anping currently holds a favorable opinion of Gu Yuena and doesn't plan to press for more details.

"Hmph, it'll be your fault if I regret it in the future. I won't blame you." Then changing the topic, she added, "Look, there's an ice cream vendor over there. Let's go grab some."

After Gu Yuena spoke, she skipped toward the ice cream stall with a light step. Anping shook his head slightly and followed.

Because preparations for the opening ceremony required early attendance, the students in Class Zero were summoned the next morning as dawn broke.

Guided by the staff out of the hotel, the few who were still awake suddenly woke up in the sea breeze.

The opening ceremony of the Skysea League competition took place at Skysea City Stadium, a vast venue accommodating 80,000 people and the largest stadium in Skysea City.

Although called an opening ceremony, it primarily involved the event organizers introducing the origin and significance of the Skysea Alliance Competition, offering encouragement to the participants, and proceeding with formalities and the final drawing ceremony for each city's representatives.

The lottery ceremony was the responsibility of the team leader, and individuals like those from Class Zero didn't need to go on stage. They could only stand in the crowd, awaiting the conclusion of the opening ceremony.

Tang Wulin pointed to the construction underway on the elevated platform in the center of the stadium and asked Xie Xie beside him, "What are they doing?"

Xie Xie explained, "You don't know this, right? There's going to be an exhibition match later. They spent a considerable amount to invite strong players from Shrek Academy for this exhibition match. Their opponents are our Skysea Alliance, the winners of the seven-man group in the last competition. The alliance does this to show us the gap between us and students from other top academies. I don't think it serves much purpose."

Hearing Xie Xie's words, Tang Wulin was a bit puzzled and said, "Why is it meaningless? The alliance officials are trying to motivate us, right? Understanding the gap with our peers gives us clearer training goals."

Xie Xie shook his head and said, "Isn't this simple? Motivation comes from a gap within a certain range. When the gap reaches a certain level, it's not a gap; it becomes an insurmountable barrier that only leads to despair."

Xu Xiaoyan said with a smile, "I didn't expect you to know quite a lot, but do you think the alliance officials can't think of things you can? There will definitely be a solution."

"That's right, it's none of our business anyway." Xie Xie nodded.

"I'm so hungry, does anyone have anything to eat?" At this time, a voice came from the side. Several people looked in that direction, wondering who would ask for food at this time.

As far as the eye can see, a little chubby man is running around in the crowd. Regarding the chubby man's inexplicable request, everyone dismisses him with a look of disgust.

"Hey, he's a foodie again." Xu Xiaoyan said subconsciously and glanced at Tang Wulin as she spoke.

Xie Xie also looked at Tang Wulin and teased, "Xiao Yan, you are really good at using this."

After hearing the conversation between the two, Tang Wulin knew they were talking about him, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he took the initiative to approach the little chubby man.

"Here, you can eat." Tang Wulin took out a piece of dried fish and handed it over.

The other party's eyes lit up when he saw the dried fish; he took it and ate it directly, thanking him repeatedly while eating. Watching the other party enjoy the snack, Tang Wulin also felt tempted and took out a piece, enjoying it himself.

After introductions, Tang Wulin learned that the other person's name was Xu Lizhi. They chatted while eating, mostly discussing food, and they seemed to get along well.

Just as the two were exchanging contact numbers, a cold voice interrupted, "Snack, why are you here? You've been eating all day, and it's our turn soon."

Tang Wulin followed the voice and looked over. The speaker was a girl about the same age as himself, with a golden ponytail pulled back and beautiful blue eyes. She maintained a serious expression.

Xu Lizhi jumped up, walked to the girl, and whispered, "Sister Xinglan, I was wrong. But I am so hungry. Look, if I don't eat enough, I won't have enough energy, right?"

The girl pulled the little chubby man away. As she left, she gave Tang Wulin a disdainful look and said, "You shouldn't accept food from just anyone. Don't you know there are many untrustworthy people in this world?"

After the interruption, news of the invitational tournament came on the radio. It roughly mentioned that the Skysea League youth seven-man team champions were challenging the Shrek Academy youth seven-man team.

After introducing both sides of the competition, the contestants took the stage. Seeing two familiar figures from Shrek Academy, Xie Xie couldn't help but say, "It's the two of them. I didn't expect them to be students of Shrek Academy."

Tang Wulin also said with an envious look, "I didn't expect that two people I randomly met would be from Shrek Academy."

Both sides exchanged greetings, and after brief introductions, the referee solemnly announced, "Now, the game begins."

Following the referee's order, Shrek Academy took the lead in attacking.

The soul ring under the little chubby man Xu Lizhi's feet flickered with light, and two yellow soul rings emerged. The first soul ring shimmered, and something seemed to fly out of his hand. The other six people caught the flying object and stuffed it into their mouths.

Another teenage girl spoke softly. Two soul rings, one purple, and three soul rings appeared at her feet. Simultaneously, a light flashed on her raised right hand, revealing a seven-colored pagoda. For those knowledgeable about martial arts, this was the well-known Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.

The three soul rings flickered in no particular order, and as they lit up, the bottom three floors of the pagoda simultaneously shone, turning into three rays of light falling on the young man rushing at the front.

The young man let out a loud dragon roar, and four soul rings, two yellow, one purple, and one black, appeared. As the body possessed by Martial Spirit instantly swelled, his hands turned into sharp claws.

As a ball of blue-purple light lit up, streaks of blue-purple lightning formed a net, covering the entire arena, making it impossible for the audience in the stands to see what was going on.

In less than a minute, the thunder and lightning dissipated, and all seven members of the Skysea Alliance lay down on the ring, while the seven members of Shrek still maintained their formation and stood on the ring unscathed. For a moment, the entire stadium was silent.

Xu Xiaoyan looked at the scene in front of her and said blankly, "They are not that old, how can they be so strong?"

Gu Yuena patted Xu Xiaoyan on the shoulder and said, "Actually, it's just like that. You will definitely be stronger than him at this age."

"Then let me borrow some good words from Sister Nana." Xu Xiaoyan felt that Gu Yuena was just comforting him and forced a smile on her face.

Xie Xie retorted, "You make it easy. They are from Shrek Academy. Even if we reach that age, it is impossible to compare with them. You have also seen the explosion just now. It is something that normal soul masters can achieve?"

Tang Wulin looked at Gu Yuena and sighed, "I think Xie Xie is right. Although their level is not much higher than ours in terms of the number of soul rings, their coordination and explosive power are really too strong. No wonder Teacher Wu keeps emphasizing our teamwork; the gap between us and them is really significant."

Xu Xiaoyan said, "It doesn't seem like much in combination with the above, but it seems to have a superimposed effect. Otherwise, no matter how strong the leader is, theu shouldn't be able to easily defeat the seven people. And that person should not only have the soul ring brought by the soul but also the hunter. The soul ring obtained by the soul beast."

"What do you think, Anping?" Wu Zhangkong's cold voice came. Yesterday, Anping refused to join Shrek Academy. Seeing that Anping remained silent, he wanted to see Anping's reaction after watching Shrek Academy's exhibition match today.

Anping said calmly, "Without any cooperation, the Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus plus the increase of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Tower and the food-type soul master is actually just like that."

"Do you know those martial spirits?" The others looked surprised.

Although Wu Zhangkong was a little surprised, he didn't show it. These martial spirits are all famous in history. It's not surprising that they came out after reading a little more books. "That's it? Do you think you and Gu Yuena are facing them?" There is a slight chance of winning."

The others didn't know that Anping and Gu Yuena had rejected Shrek Academy's invitation before. When they heard Wu Zhangkong's words, they felt that Wu Zhangkong was a little strange now. It was a bit too specific to say so. No matter how strong Anping and Gu Yuena are, they still have no chance against the people from Shrek Academy.