"Congratulations to everyone for coming to the exchange match between the Federation's Spirit Pagoda Academy and Shrek Academy…"
The host's voice rang out, passionate and energetic.
The livestream viewership skyrocketed, the popularity off the charts.
"Hmph..."
Upon hearing this, Feng Wuyu let out a cold snort.
"A 'top' academy compared side by side with Shrek? Isn't that a bit premature to say?"
"With Dean Qiangu leading the hype and so many spectators, aren't you afraid of being smashed to pieces if you fall from this pedestal?"
"Ha..." Qiangu Dongfeng smiled faintly.
"It seems Elder Feng has yet to witness the power of Contract Spirits or the astonishing might of Beastmasters."
"Beastmasters?" Feng Wuyu's eyes narrowed. Even on the eve of the match, the opposition still spoke with confidence. Did they have some ace up their sleeve?
Currently, among auxiliary professions, mecha repair, design, and production were widespread and had a lower entry barrier; the forging division had a much higher threshold, blocking out many. As for beastmasters—nobody could say what kind of shock they'd bring to the traditional auxiliaries.
If this were the past, he would only ridicule such titles. But ever since a certain figure appeared and shook up the entire continent, the words "Beastmaster" carried a bit of terror.
"Heh. Then let's see the real deal on the field..." Feng Wuyu quickly regained his composure, gazing coldly down at the match below.
Qiangu Dongfeng smiled without saying more, tapping his fingers and humming a little tune.
But none knew better than him—the terror of Beastmasters...
"Heretic, we meet again."
On the tournament stage.
It was a rotation battle, Yuanen Yehui coming forward first, facing-off against Yue Zhengyu.
Yue Zhengyu grinned brightly, greeting her as if they were old friends who hadn't met in years.
"Angel Spirit... Can it really awaken in a filthy wretch like you?" Yuanen Yehui's brows furrowed but quickly relaxed as she spoke calmly.
"Heh, I thought you'd be crying and begging me to let you go, a rat that should be hiding in the sewers. But you're so tough now. When you're judged by the holy angel, I hope you'll stay that tough." Yue Zhengyu's smile turned cruel.
He was determined to pay back the humiliation he suffered from her battle armor crits...
"No battle armor this tournament—why are you still so full of yourself?"
"..."
"Are you alright?" Na'er asked worriedly.
"Don't worry. Trust in Yehui—her Dark Demon Dragon has the strength of a ten-thousand-year soul beast and wields a true dragon bloodline. She may not sweep the field single-handedly, but dealing with Yue Zhengyu should be no problem." The Crimson Mother said seriously.
Truthfully, she hadn't expected to take this "invasion" so seriously—it felt like she was actually assimilating, even enjoying the feeling of care and belonging from these "rations" around her.
Did she still want to devour humanity in the future?
The Crimson Mother's expression was complicated. For a moment, she just didn't know.
No! She shook her head furiously. She was here to invade, to understand, to learn… then to devour them!
"Huff… Huff…" The Crimson Mother panted, her eyes colored slightly red.
"Are you alright, Honghong?" Na'er glanced at her with concern, making her feel even more awkward. "I'm... I'm fine…"
Never mind. Just watch the match.
She took a deep breath, focusing on the battle.
Yuanen Yehui, you MUST win...
"Fallen Angel Descends!"
"Dark Demon Sword!"
A girl emanating intense darkness sprouted black wings from her back. Her purple eyes glinted coldly as she swung a blade of fallen energy at a panting Yue Zhengyu below.
"Huff..."
Yue Zhengyu's pupils shrank. "First soul skill: Holy Radiance! Second soul skill: Angel Sword!"
Light versus dark.
The two forces crashed together.
"That's...Yuanen Yehui?! You actually..." Feng Wuyu's eyes went wide, coldly scoffing: "You're using our Shrek Academy's people as your own? And Qiangu dares to send her up?"
"Weren't you the ones who rejected her for being an evil soul master?" Qiangu Dongfeng said lazily.
"Rejected—?" Feng Wuyu was taken aback, recalling that in previous disputes, Shrek had sided with Yue Zhengyu… But what could they do? The Angel Clan was powerful; Yue Zhengyu was a future clan leader, with a bright path ahead—why care for a Yuanen "discard"?
Shrek's higher-ups knew Yuanen Yehui's identity, but by not clarifying, it was as good as admitting: she was an evil soul master.
"There's a saying I once heard from someone important..." Qiangu Dongfeng said casually.
"'Education for all, with no discrimination.'"
Feng Wuyu's face grew uglier.
After all, they had done even worse—they not only abandoned the girl, but tried to extract every bit of value out of her... even grilling her about who had forged her battle armor.
"Hah!"
"Assist me!"
Seeing Yuanen Yehui reveal a twin martial spirit, Yue Zhengyu panicked but then grew cold, summoning his soul spirit—a cute little angel.
"Aaaah!"
He gritted his teeth, pressing his angel sword down hard. Yuanen Yehui's purple-black aura weakened a bit, as if she was about to crumble.
"Evil soul masters deserve to crawl back to the sewers, to be rats!" Yue Zhengyu shouted.
"Be purified!"
"..."
"Heh, so that's it? With Yue Zhengyu here, even sweeping their side is nothing—where did they even get the confidence for this exchange match?" Ye Xinglan crossed her arms, watching calmly.
"Don't underestimate them," Tang Wulin said in a low voice.
He had an indistinct sense of danger… piercing his brow.
His Golden Dragon King bloodline should suppress all dragon-type spirits and soul spirits, yet now he felt his heart race, even—facing just Yuanen Yehui.
"Coward," Ye Xinglan snorted, ignoring him.
Xu Lizhi, caught between them, looked awkward, wanting to mediate but afraid of upsetting his buddy...
"ROAR!!"
Suddenly, there was a dragon's roar from below.
A massive, twenty-meter-long, jet-black dragon appeared in front of Yuanen Yehui. Its scales shimmered, exuding a dark aura.
"What IS that!?"
Yue Zhengyu froze, staring in terror at the overwhelming presence...
Compared to it, his little angel looked like a toy.
"Ah…"
In an instant, the black dragon's roar and dark power enveloped Yue Zhengyu, who only managed a scream before falling silent. The little angel, too, instantly lost all health, vanishing into his body...
"..."
Countless viewers watching gasped as social media discussion exploded.
After all, this was unprecedented.
No one had expected Yuanen Yehui to actually summon a true dragon, a totally independent, self-aware being! The combat power increase was exponential!
It could tank, it could attack…
Compared to conventional soul spirits, this was a total crush...
"No, that's just a dragon hatchling," Tang Wulin said bitterly. He could sense sharp antagonism from the little dragon's aura—it was not like before where all dragons bowed before him. This one resisted his dragon's might.
That meant this was no ordinary dragon, but a trueblood rival to his Golden Dragon King line.
A "hatchling" at twenty meters—when it matured, it could be as vast as the legends.
"So... this is a spirit?" Xu Xiaoyan covered her mouth.
"..." Even Ye Xinglan looked shocked. A true dragon, at least rivaling a ten-thousand-year soul beast in power, easily a level-40 or even soul king's strength.
With just this foreign aid, the scales of victory tipped instantly.
How could they possibly win now?!
The rest looked disheartened. Honestly, Yuanen Yehui alone could likely take out half their power...
SLAM!
Feng Wuyu's eyes were locked on the stage below. He smashed his stone table, splinters flying.
"This is… your 'Beastmaster'?!!"
The subversion of traditional soul spirits was terrifying. If Yuanen Yehui was just a prodigy among beastmasters able to capture a true dragon hatchling, it was already insane—meaning the feat was at least replicable.
Even taking a lesser earth dragon—not so powerful—its contracted abilities would exceed traditional soul spirits...
Plus, at the Transmission Spirit Tower's recent press, they'd revealed:
Soul masters and spirits share cultivation.
Joint cultivation.
The soul master could even share some of a soul beast's physical strength...
Unbelievable.
He could see how the Transmission Spirit Tower would sweep across the continent, changing everything.
But the real fear—was monopoly.
If the tower once monopolized the Spirit Ascension Platform, Shrek even helped. But now... it was pure, naked terror.
Every passage to the spirit world was tightly controlled by the Transmission Spirit Tower.
Shrek could stick to the old ways and keep hunting soul beasts, but...
That would only end in them being wiped out by history, lost to the dust, gone forever!
This was the true crisis for Shrek Academy!!
"Indeed..." Qiangu Dongfeng smiled faintly.
"Recently, I also managed to catch a hundred-thousand-year spirit, shared its cultivation, and… gained tremendous physical strength as a bonus."
Feng Wuyu: "..."
"Spirit Pagoda Academy!"
"Spirit Pagoda Academy!"
"..."
Inside the gymnasium.
Countless voices combined as the audience shouted excitedly.
Many understood what this moment signified:
A new era was coming—the Age of Spirits...
Yue Zhengyu wasn't dead, but he was foaming at the mouth, carried off by Shrek's healer-soul masters.
"Next." Yuanen Yehui stood tall, her face full of arrogance, looking at Shrek, giving a thumbs-up… then turning it downwards.
"I'll go..." Ye Xinglan took a deep breath, her gaze solemn for the first time.
"Be careful, Xinglan-jie!" Xu Lizhi warned worriedly.
"Hmph, a real dragon? I'd like to try my hand..." Ye Xinglan snorted and leapt onto the stage.
A few minutes later.
"Federation Spirit Pagoda Academy Yuanen Yehui—victory!"
The referee watched Ye Xinglan faint, her face battered, and shook his head.
It was total defeat.
This little girl was just too strong—or rather, her pet was terrifying.
"I can still fight..." Ye Xinglan struggled to stand, barely able to grip her sword.
But the medics pinned her on a stretcher and carried her away.
"I'll go."
Tang Wulin stepped up, eyes grave.
"Old Tang, I'll need your help!"
"Okay."
After a moment of silence, Old Tang's voice sounded in his spiritual sea.
Tang Wulin took a deep breath and looked up.
"First soul skill: Blue Silver Bind!"
"..."
"He's borrowing strength now..." Su Wen shook his head from the stands.
Tang Wulin unleashed a fierce strength, after a tough battle, finally managing to defeat Yuanen Yehui.
But just as Shrek celebrated—
Gu Yue stepped onto the field.
"A fated showdown," Su Wen commented with a smile.
"Gu Yue, beat him hard!" Gu Yuena huffed; she didn't care for Tang Wulin, given their past.
"Relax."
Gu Yue's eyes swept over Tang Wulin coldly.
"I know you're innocent, but your aura… disgusts me..."
"You're the one who joined the academy test with me…" Tang Wulin suddenly remembered, looking confused. "So be it—let's fight..."
But in the next instant, Gu Yue appeared before Tang Wulin with terrifying speed. Her knee smashed into him, and he violently coughed up blood and rolled his eyes. If not for his Golden Dragon King blood, his jaw would have shattered.
Tang Wulin flew up.
His brain was blank for a moment, desperately trying to recover—yet Gu Yue gave him no chance.
She placed a pale palm on his chest.
"Fire!"
A burst of extreme fire erupted from her palm, instantly engulfing Tang Wulin.
"Water!"
She pulled back a few steps, and a waterfall from above slammed him, making his eyes roll back.
"Wind!"
"Thunder!"
"Light!"
"..."
As the Silver Dragon, master of elemental laws, Gu Yue's forte was never physical strength, but elements...
She stunned everyone with her overwhelming elemental mastery.
This was the confidence that, in the original work, allowed her to pass the assessment and to be courted by Cai Yue'er...
...