"Whoosh, whoosh..." Five claw blades suddenly appeared out of thin air, slashing toward Shui Yue'er.
Xiao Wu instantly flashed in front of Shui Bing'er.
"Boom..." A lightning-infused kick struck fiercely toward Shui Bing'er.
"Boom..."
But in the next moment, a blue light burst forth, knocking Xiao Wu back a few steps. The Nether Slash was also blocked by the blue ice ring.
"Buzz..." The blue and black hair of Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er fused in an instant, transforming into a dazzling pillar of blue light that shot into the dark clouds above.
Both Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er vanished simultaneously.
Their Martial Soul Fusion Technique exploded into action.
As the blue light column entered the clouds, rain began to fall from the sky.
The rain turned into snowflakes, floating in the air.
Each flake was as sharp as a blade, swirling downward, forming a blizzard vortex headed toward Team Shrek's side.
"If you can't hold on, just admit defeat. We'll stop." came Shui Bing'er's voice from afar.
"No need!" said Zhang Fan calmly.
"Buzz..." The Mystic Heart Technique began to operate.
"Rumble..." Suddenly, the clouds grew even darker. In Zhang Fan's hand was a sword surrounded by purple lightning.
It radiated a terrifying aura. Soul masters with weapon martial souls all felt the oppressive might of the weapon in Zhang Fan's hand.
"What a terrifying sword martial soul... it triggered a heavenly anomaly the moment it appeared?"
"So this is the martial soul of Shrek's captain—so cool!" It was their first time seeing such a badass martial soul, and everyone was shocked.
"Buzz..." He raised the Heaven's Desolation Sword high and abruptly placed it at his right waist.
"Clang..." With one swing, he slashed toward the clouds above.
"Buzz..." A silver sword light became the only presence on the field.
"Wow..." Everyone's eyes lit up. That sword felt like the mightiest strike of a god, illuminating the faces of all who watched.
Time seemed to freeze.
Or perhaps flash by in an instant.
That sword beam sliced into the sky, and "Boom...", with a thunderous roar, a massive rift was torn through the icy, snowy clouds.
The snowstorm vanished in an instant.
"Clangclangclang..." A boundless sword aura exploded from within the clouds.
Everything dissipated.
Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er also fell from the sky.
"Whoosh..."Zhang Fan leapt up, soaring with his sword. His left arm caught Shui Bing'er, his right caught Shui Yue'er.
He held them in his arms. The fragrance hit his nose.
The sensation… was exquisite.
Both beauties blushed slightly as Zhang Fan returned them to the ground.
"Uh..."
Everyone in the arena was stunned.
That one sword from Zhang Fan was simply too dazzling.
He shattered the Martial Soul Fusion Technique of Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er in an instant.
Of course, that move was executed with his full sword intent, which gave it such power.
Otherwise, breaking that fusion technique would have been impossible.
"Wow... so handsome!"
"Sword Immortal Zhang... absolutely explosive!"
"Sword Immortal Zhang..."
The crowd went wild, screaming like mad fans.
To be fair, that sword move really was jaw-droppingly cool—no wonder the audience lost it.
"Whoosh..."Zhang Fan returned Shui Yue'er and Shui Bing'er to the Tianshui Academy team.
"Captain, Vice-Captain, are you two alright?"
"We're fine!"Shui Bing'er replied with a blush. She hadn't expected another close encounter with Zhang Fan, and her heart fluttered like a deer.
Shui Yue'er hadn't expected Zhang Fan's strength either. Without using any spirit rings or soul skills, he relied solely on secret arts to break their fusion technique effortlessly.
And his airborne sword-rescue just now…
Was so absurdly cool it broke every rule of charm.
Their hearts were pounding "thump, thump..." with shy excitement.
"Since our fusion technique failed, we can only concede."Shui Bing'er looked at Shui Yue'er and the rest of her team.
"Alright!" They all nodded. They didn't want to continue. Zhang Fan, the captain of Shrek, was too strong—and a gentleman to boot, having saved both their captain and vice-captain.
"Hmph..." In the stands, Huo Wu stomped her foot angrily and bit her lip—jealous and furious.
Feng Xiaotian, seeing her jealousy, felt a pang in his heart.
Still, even he couldn't deny that Zhang Fan was on another level. That sword… left him speechless.
(Latest novel updates at 69 Books Bar—first release!)
"What a freak... just how strong is this guy? He's starting to feel invincible. The stronger he gets, the more mysterious he becomes."
"Thank you!" said Shui Bing'er, blushing as she bowed to Zhang Fan, "We concede!"
"Thank you!"Shui Yue'er echoed, also blushing.
"Wow..." As the crowd erupted.
Shui Bing'er and her team didn't use their trump cards, because Zhang Fan had saved them. They couldn't fight to the bitter end anymore.
"No need to thank me."Zhang Fan shrugged casually.
"I declare Shrek Academy the winner!"
The referee announced. Xiao Wu and the others ran up to Zhang Fan.
They all jumped up in celebration.
"Shrek: 27 battles, 27 victories. Champion of the Heaven Dou Empire Preliminary Tournament!"
With the referee's announcement—
The arena went wild.
"Now, His Majesty, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Platinum Bishop Salas will personally present the advancement certificates and prizes to the top five teams."
The advancement certificate was essentially a handwritten letter.
Champion prize: 50,000 gold soul coinsSecond place: 30,000Third: 20,000Fourth and Fifth: 10,000 each
Once the rewards were handed out, the host passed the floor to Emperor Xue Ye:
"Congratulations to our young warriors for reaching the top five."
"Especially Shrek Academy—the brightest star and the biggest dark horse. No one expected them to win so easily. As Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, I am proud of you. Your captain and vice-captain shall be ennobled as Viscounts. The rest of the team shall be granted the title of Baron. Upon graduation, the empire will welcome you with open arms, and your fiefs will be assigned after you graduate."
Said Emperor Xue Ye.
"Your Majesty, isn't that... a bit much?"Salas said with a dark expression.
"What's the problem?"Emperor Xue Ye looked at him indifferently.
"Previous tournaments never awarded titles."Salas argued.
In the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, noble ranks went: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Baron. Offering ten Viscount titles just in the prelims was quite the lavish gesture.
"Titles are bestowed by the Empire. I grant them to whom I choose."
Emperor Xue Ye said flatly.
"..."Salas's face turned awful, but he had no choice.
Emperor Xue Ye continued, "The next stage of the advancement tournament will also be held within the empire, at the Royal Arena. Teams from five duchies and kingdoms will compete against the ten prelim winners. I hope you five academies will perform well and seize the initiative."
The emperor outlined his generous rewards.
Salas's face grew even darker.
...
(Stay tuned for daily updates!)
(End of Chapter)