Chapter 151 - 151: [DD2]: 151

Before Su Yu could say a word, Wang Dong'er immediately launched an offensive. "You've been making eyes at Xu Jiujiu! How could you do this to Meng Hongchen?" "How could you betray my sister?" "If I hadn't dragged you away, would you still be flirting with Xu Jiujiu?" Wang Dong'er's barrage of questions hit Su Yu like a triple strike, positioning herself atop the moral high ground. Hearing this, Su Yu's expression turned strange. "What did I even do?" "You haven't done it yet, but you were planning to!" Wang Dong'er huffed. Su Yu: "..." What's the difference between this and convicting someone without evidence? Pure speculation, right? Feeling speechless, Su Yu raised his hand and flicked Wang Dong'er on the forehead. "Ow!" Wang Dong'er yelped, glaring at him indignantly. "That's what you get for overthinking and making wild assumptions. And you dare to stand on the moral high ground to scold me?" Su Yu rolled his eyes and said with annoyance, "So, you've grown bold, huh?" Pouting, Wang Dong'er turned her head away stubbornly, refusing to back down. "I've already told you, Xu Jiujiu isn't my type. But you refuse to believe me. Whatever, I'm done explaining." Su Yu sighed in exasperation, ruffling Wang Dong'er's hair until it was a mess. Then, with his hands clasped behind his back, Su Yu turned and walked away. "Hey! Where are you going?" Wang Dong'er shouted and quickly chased after him. "To eat!" "Wait for me! I'm coming too!" Wang Dong'er called out, hurrying to catch up to him. ... Morning. The sky was overcast, carrying a stifling atmosphere. Despite the weather, the Star Luo Plaza was packed with people. Even though the spectators could only watch the matches standing, the daily attendance exceeded 200,000. It was a testament to the immense allure of the Soul Battle Tournament. At around 8:15 AM, Su Yu and his team had already arrived at the venue. The other competing teams were also in their designated areas. This was already the seventh round of the round-robin stage. For smaller groups with only eight teams, this was their final match in the round-robin. The group Su Yu was in belonged to this category, consisting of only eight teams. As such, this would be the final battle for the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy in the round-robin stage. In the familiar staging area, all 16 members of the Sun Moon Academy's representative team were gathered. The team leaders, Elder Ma, and another instructor sat upright, while Ma Rulong and Su Yu's group were seated in two rows. "This is the final match of the round-robin. Su Yu, how do you plan to arrange it?" Ma Rulong asked, seeking Su Yu's input. "We'll stick to the usual setup," Su Yu replied calmly. "Four Soul Kings to anchor the team, plus three reserve members." "After that, we'll decide the order of appearances based on the match format." Su Yu's tone was composed. For the Sun Moon Academy's representative team, the round-robin stage was hardly a challenge. No matter how they arranged their lineup, the outcome wouldn't change. "Alright, the four Soul Kings will be Chen An, Chen Fei, Lin Xi, and Xiao Hongchen as usual. Who will the other three be?" Ma Rulong asked. "Me! It's my turn!" Wang Dong'er raised her hand enthusiastically. After absorbing the Holy Radiance White Tiger's left leg bone, Wang Dong'er's soul power had increased by two levels, reaching Rank 37. This put her on par with Dai Huabin in terms of soul power. With two high-quality soul bones and her twin martial souls, Wang Dong'er's strength now surpassed everyone on the reserve team except for Su Yu, Meng Hongchen, and Xiao Hongchen. Even Yang Xu, the strongest among the reserves, was no match for her anymore. The boost from Soul Bones was simply that significant. With two high-quality soul bones, Wang Dong'er was even eyeing the possibility of a ten-thousand-year soul ring for her fourth soul ring. The allure of soul bones for soul masters was undeniable, offering an enormous enhancement. "Su Yu, you decide," Ma Rulong said, pushing the decision to Su Yu. Su Yu glanced at Wang Dong'er, who was blinking eagerly at him. With a faint smile, he said, "Let's go with Wang Dong, Zhou Qin, and me for the reserves." "You're going to compete?" Ma Rulong asked, surprised. Su Yu hadn't participated in any of the matches since the first round. "It's the last match of the round-robin. Might as well have some fun. Once the round-robin ends, it won't be playtime anymore," Su Yu shrugged. The teams advancing from the group stage were no pushovers. They were the cream of the crop from academies across the continent. Even for the Sun Moon Academy, they couldn't be taken lightly. "Fair enough. The round-robin is just the easiest phase of the tournament. After advancing, it'll be the Top 16 elimination round. Those matches will be much tougher," Ma Rulong nodded. "If you want to have some fun now, go ahead, but don't reveal too much of your real strength." "Of course," Su Yu chuckled softly. Ma Rulong nodded, then turned his gaze toward the Shrek Academy team. His expression grew serious. "Su Yu, take a look. Shrek's lineup has a new addition." Su Yu glanced over. "That's their control-type soul master, Ling Luochen. She's an ice-attribute Soul King. After the incident with Yan Shaozhe's team, she must have been one of the less injured ones and has now recovered." "If Ling Luochen has returned, the other two Soul Emperors have probably recovered most of their strength too," Ma Rulong said gravely. Even Ma Rulong, proud as he was, wouldn't underestimate Shrek's Soul Emperors. They were unquestionably formidable opponents. "It's fine. Two Soul Emperors—it's not like they're unbeatable. There's no need to stress yourself out," Su Yu said, his tone relaxed. Even when the topic of Shrek Academy's Soul Emperors came up, his demeanor remained calm. "You're laid-back, but I feel like I'm under a mountain of pressure," Ma Rulong replied with a bitter smile. He couldn't help but admire Su Yu's mindset. "You're just putting too much pressure on yourself. It's only Shrek Academy. With our strength, we can handle them. Just keep a normal mindset," Su Yu said, pointing toward Xiao Hongchen. "Look at Xiao—he's never worried." Ma Rulong couldn't help but laugh helplessly. Xiao Hongchen was brimming with confidence and naturally had an incredible mental state. That level of self-assurance was something Ma Rulong couldn't compare to. "Senior Ma, you're overthinking things. What's so great about Shrek Academy? They're bound to become our defeated opponents sooner or later," Xiao Hongchen said, pounding his chest with confidence. He wasn't the least bit worried. After all, they had trump cards. Cards so strong that even Shrek Academy wouldn't be able to handle them. Ma Rulong didn't respond. While he was confident in his team, his cautious personality meant he would never underestimate any opponent. With the heavy responsibility on his shoulders, he couldn't help but worry about every detail. However, glancing at the relaxed Su Yu and recalling Su Yu's unbelievably powerful soul skill, Ma Rulong found that some of the pressure in his heart had dissipated. At that moment, with all teams in position, the familiar voice of the announcer rang out, signaling the official start of the competition. As expected, Shrek Academy's team was the first to compete. Surprisingly, Ling Luochen, their control-type Soul King, didn't participate in this round, likely as a measure to conserve energy. Instead, Chu He and several other members took the stage. Shrek Academy was assigned the 2-2-3 match format, requiring only two victories to secure the match. First up were Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, who were the strongest members of Shrek's reserve lineup. Their combination of offense and defense—with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon paired with the Xuanming Shield—easily overwhelmed their opponents. Next to take the stage were Jiang Nannan and Chen Yun, both female members. Jiang Nannan, in particular, stood out with her striking appearance. Despite wearing the Shrek Academy uniform, her beauty still shone through. Su Yu watched with curiosity. As far as he could remember, this was Jiang Nannan's first time competing. With the referee's signal, the match began. Jiang Nannan's martial soul possessed her, causing her legs to appear even more slender. Her soul skills—Flexibility, Gravity Control, Teleportation, and Invincible Golden Body—were all remarkable, especially for close-quarters combat. Jiang Nannan's performance was dazzling, and with Chen Yun's support, they clinched an easy victory. "Never noticed before, but Shrek has such a beautiful team member. How did I miss her?" Xiao Hongchen said, scratching his head. "That's because she hasn't competed until now," Su Yu replied in a faint voice. "This female participant's abilities seem tailored for close combat. Her martial soul is likely one of the soft combat types," Ma Rulong analyzed. The Soft-Boned Rabbit martial soul wasn't uncommon on the continent, so it wasn't unfamiliar to most of the audience. Soft-boned Rabbit martial soul excelled in close-range combat, making them particularly tricky for Soul Engineers to handle. The best countermeasure was to prevent them from closing the gap altogether. The group briefly discussed Jiang Nannan's fighting style before turning their attention back to the ongoing matches. By around 10 a.m., the first group's matches were complete, and it was time for the second group's battles to begin. Su Yu and his six teammates headed to the waiting area, where the format for their match was determined via random draw: a single-elimination match. "So, what's the plan?" Xiao Hongchen asked, arms crossed, as he looked at Su Yu. The others also turned their attention toward their captain. Su Yu smiled faintly and said, "Since it's a single-elimination match, I've got an idea. Let's make it big." "What do you mean by big?" Xiao Hongchen smirked. Wang Dong'er, intrigued, leaned forward and asked, "What kind of big?" Meeting their curious gazes, Su Yu said, "I want to do a one-versus-seven. What do you think?" The room fell silent for a moment. "Qingyang Advanced Soul Master Academy's team may not be the strongest, but they've got a lineup of two Soul King and five Soul Ancestors. They're no pushovers," Lin Xi pointed out. While still weaker than Su Yu's team, they were undoubtedly one of the top teams in the tournament. A one-versus-seven sounded ambitious, if not outright risky. "Lin Xi is right. Qingyang's team isn't weak. Do you think you can handle it?" Xiao Xiafeng asked, his tone slightly cautious. Su Yu's expression didn't waver as he replied, "Piece of cake." "Wow, such confidence. I'm in," Xiao Hongchen said with a grin, clearly excited by the prospect. "One-versus-seven? Now that's entertaining. I'm on board," Wang Dong'er chimed in, her enthusiasm matching Xiao Hongchen's. "I trust the captain," Zhou Qin added quietly. Su Yu's reputation within the reserve team was unshakable. Whatever decision he made, they would support it. "Young people should have ambition. If you want to give it a try, go for it," Chen An said nonchalantly, while Chen Fei nodded in agreement. Lin Xi sighed helplessly. "Fine, if everyone agrees, then I won't object. But on one condition—you can't reveal too much of your true strength." "No problem. I'll stick to using Soul Tools," Su Yu replied, flashing a confident smile. Soon, the match began, with Su Yu stepping onto the stage as the first and only participant for his team. His first opponent was a Soul Ancestor whose martial soul was the Violet Shadow Lion, a top-tier combat martial soul. A faint glow flashed in Su Yu's hand as a Level 5 Soul Tool spear materialized. "Come," Su Yu beckoned with a calm voice. "Hmph!" The Violet Shadow Lion Soul Ancestor snorted coldly, launching himself toward Su Yu with sharp claws gleaming. In the audience, Wang Yan and Xu Jiujiu, among others, watched intently. Su Yu rarely participated in matches, so they were eager to glean insights into his abilities. Against the charging Violet Shadow Lion Soul Ancestor, Su Yu dispatched him effortlessly with just two moves: a light feint to break his defensive soul skill, followed by a sweep of the spear handle that sent him flying off the stage. "Next!" Su Yu announced, dragging the spear tip across the stage, sparks trailing in its wake. S~eaʀᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The next opponent, a Soul Ancestor with the Lightning Falcon martial soul, specialized in speed. He moved so fast that he seemed to vanish into thin air. Yet Su Yu defeated him just as easily, using a mere two moves: one to block his high-speed assault and another to counter with blinding speed, instantly eliminating him. One by one, Su Yu faced and defeated all five Soul Ancestors from Qingyang's team. Each match ended in less than three moves, leaving the audience and his team in stunned silence.