Star Luo City—the heart of the Star Luo Empire—stood tall as a testament to imperial might. It was more than just the capital. It was the empire's political core, cultural beacon, and economic powerhouse. A city of splendor. A city that never fell.
The scale was staggering. Towering walls wrapped around its perimeter like a coiled dragon, protecting the eight million permanent residents within. Today, though, the city was bursting at the seams. As the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament loomed, visitors from across the four great empires poured in. The streets were a sea of bodies—packed shoulder to shoulder. Movement was slow, breathing space scarce.
Amid this chaos, the Shrek Academy team arrived at the East District's Star Sovereign Hotel—a luxurious, seven-story complex reserved exclusively for participating academies. Their rooms, situated at the top floor, offered a clear view of the bustling capital below.
Inside one of those rooms...
"This city's way too crowded," Wu Feng groaned, kneeling on the sofa and peering down from the wide French windows. "I wanted to explore a bit, but at this rate, I'll get trampled before I even hit the street."
"Crowds are normal for events like this," Ning Tian replied coolly. He handed her a glass of juice. "The emperor's basically doubled the city's size just to accommodate this tournament."
"Fine. But what I don't get is—why are you two hanging around my room?"
That was Chen Junting's voice. He walked out of the bathroom, toweling his hair and giving them both a resigned look.
"Obviously, we came to get you," Ning Tian grinned. "Wang Yan just called a pre-match briefing. Conference room. Now."
"Got it." Chen Junting tied his hair back in a casual twist. "Let's not be late."
As they left the room and headed down the corridor, they bumped into a pair coming from the opposite direction—a man and a woman.
The man had striking white hair and dual-colored eyes, his noble aura screaming aristocrat. The woman beside him? Hard to miss. Her waist-length, wine-red hair shimmered under the hallway lights, and her deep blue eyes—eerily similar to Ning Tian's—sparkled with amusement.
"Whoa… handsome alert!" the girl gasped, eyes lighting up as she stared unabashedly at Chen Junting.
But before she could approach, Ning Tian stepped in front of him, her expression suddenly cold. Wu Feng, standing just behind, cracked her knuckles and squared her stance. One look from Ning Tian and she was ready to flatten the redhead.
Chen Junting narrowed his eyes slightly. "Miss… have some self-respect."
He turned to the man, who had been watching the scene with a half-smile and a resigned sigh.
"Your girlfriend's right next to you."
"She's not—"
Before the girl could snap back, the white-haired youth grabbed her by the arm and stepped forward with a faint smile.
"My apologies. Are you interested in… introductions?"
Chen Junting's gaze sharpened. He didn't answer. Just walked past them with Ning Tian and Wu Feng, leaving a curt reply behind:
"Not interested."
"Interesting," the man muttered, watching their backs.
The girl—Meng Hongchen—jerked her hand free and huffed. "Xiao! Why'd you stop me?!"
Xiao Hongchen shook his head. "That was Shrek. Our biggest rivals. Can you please stop drooling over their team? And didn't you see? He's with two girls already. Not exactly boyfriend material."
Meanwhile, Chen Junting had already pieced it together.
"Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy," he said, glancing at Ning Tian. "Only they would be quartered on the same floor as us."
Ning Tian nodded slowly. "That girl's martial soul… her aura felt familiar."
"Very. Almost identical to the Lan sisters," Junting replied. "I suspect a martial soul fusion technique. At least Soul King level."
The implication hung heavy between them.
When they reached the conference room, the rest of the team was already gathered. Wang Yan sat at the head, flanked by the regular team—Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yaoheng among them on one side, and Beibei and the reserve squad on the other.
"Sorry we're late," Junting said.
Wang Yan waved it off. "No problem. We just got started."
Once everyone was seated, Wang Yan's expression shifted.Everyone also became serious and focused.
"I have news from the Academy," he began. "Due to time constraints and injury concerns, the inner court won't be sending any more students to reinforce us. That means we'll need to promote an outer courtyard student to replace Yao Haoxuan."
His eyes scanned the group.
"As team leader, I'll make adjustments based on our opponents. Anyone object?"
No one spoke. Heads nodded in agreement.
"Good. Now, let's go over the rules."
He stood, hands behind his back.
"There are 133 academies competing. The first round is single-elimination—seven-on-seven team battles. Lose once, and you're out. Opponents will be drawn at random. As defending champions, Shrek goes first."
Everyone straightened up.
"After that, it becomes a group stage. Eight or nine teams per group. It's round-robin, with battles drawn randomly from three formats: solo duels, 2v2 support matches, and seven-on-seven team fights."
He turned toward the regulars.
"Given the early opponents won't be strong, we'll conserve strength. Until Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yaoheng recover, only outer court students will take the stage."
Some of them stiffened. Nervous. This would be their first public appearance on such a grand stage.
Wang Yan's gaze stopped at one person.
"Chen Junting. You'll select the lineup for Round One."
He paused.
"I only have one request: make it brilliant. Can you do that?"
Junting rose calmly.
"Teacher Wang Yan—just to clarify. Do you want something flashy?"
Wang Yan raised a brow. "Define flashy."
"Say… seven-way soul fusion?"
Wang Yan grinned.
Later that night, in a private room at the hotel, the nine outer court students gathered. Beibei had arranged the meeting to ease their nerves before the tournament.
As the chatter settled, Wang Dong broke the silence.
"Why is Teacher Wang Yan so confident we'll get a weak opponent in the first round?"
Junting tapped the table.
"Simple. The organizers plan it that way."
Everyone looked confused.
"Think about it," he explained. "If the strongest teams face off too early, the finals will be boring. No hype, no drama. And if there's no drama…"
He gave them a look.
"…how do they make money?"
"Ah?!" Everyone stared at him.
Ning Tian elbowed him hard and coughed, "Ahem—don't spout nonsense."
Junting shrugged. "Fine. Forget I said anything."
"Words don't work like that!" Wang Dong cried.
Beibei broke in quickly to change the topic. "Junting, are you really only taking Senior Gongyang Mo and Junior Ning Tian into the first match?"
Chen Junting leaned back, completely relaxed.
"That's the plan—for now. Wang Yan said to give them a show. So I'll give them a show."
He grinned.
"But I'm not reckless. I'll choose two more—two inner court, two outer court. Just in case."
"I volunteer!" Wu Feng and Wang Dong shouted in unison, shooting to their feet.
They immediately started bickering, each trying to outdo the other.
The fifth-year seniors—Beibei, Xu Sanshi, and the rest—watched with amused smiles, letting the younger ones duke it out.
And for the first time that night, the room filled with laughter and lightness.
The pressure? Still there.
But they were ready.
---
(End of Chapter)
---