The "black hole" formed by Jiang Peng's sixth soul skill collapsed instantly upon contact. The twenty-odd flying swords sucked into it were sent flying outward. After a violent shudder, the black hole shattered painfully like a mirror with a sharp cracking sound.
Even the Heavenquake Axe was severed into two pieces.
With his sixth soul skill forcefully interrupted and his martial soul damaged, Jiang Peng spat out a large cloud of blood. His body flew backward, completely out of control.
Seeing the giant sword about to cleave down upon his head, and noticing that the referee, the Radiant Sky Douluo, showed absolutely no intention of stepping in to save him, Jiang Peng closed his eyes in despair.
However, several seconds passed, and the anticipated strike never came. Jiang Peng opened his eyes to find that the giant sword had already vanished. Even the flying swords that had been sucked into the black hole and scattered across the ground had turned into streaks of emerald green light, returning to the soul tool stored at Feng Piaoling's waist.
Right at that moment, the voice of the Radiant Sky Douluo rang out, "Victory goes to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy."
After making the announcement, he did not forget to transmit his voice directly to Jiang Peng, adding, "That kid didn't have any killing intent just now. Otherwise, you would have died a hundred times over."
Jiang Peng swallowed hard. When he looked at Feng Piaoling again, his gaze held a hint of gratitude. He let out a bitter smile and asked, "Is this what a true soul engineer is like?"
"No," Feng Piaoling shook his head. His approach was a combination of soul tools and his own martial soul abilities.
This was the path Feng Piaoling had always been walking.
Now that he had obtained the manufacturing method for lifebound soul tools, all he needed to do was raise his cultivation to rank ninety-five or above in the future, fuse the Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords with the Green Lotus Sword, and upgrade it to a Class 10 soul tool. Then, his grand design would be complete.
Jiang Peng was stunned, not quite understanding what Feng Piaoling meant, but he still expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for showing mercy."
"Good match," Feng Piaoling nodded. Under the awe-struck gazes of the crowd, he turned and led the students of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy down from the competition platform.
Meanwhile, the people from Shrek Academy had long been frozen in shock.
"This... how are we even supposed to fight that?"
A newly arrived inner court disciple held his breath for a long time before finally squeezing out that single sentence.
Anyone with open eyes could see the power of Feng Piaoling's seventy-two flying swords.
Virtually every single flying sword possessed the might of a Soul King unleashing their first or even second soul skill. Seventy-two flying swords meant seventy-two Soul Kings launching an attack simultaneously. Once all those attacks converged, the resulting power was unimaginable.
If Feng Piaoling used this set of soul tools alongside Xiao Hongchen's one hundred and twenty-eight Class 5 soul cannons, while the others set up soul tool artillery batteries...
They really wouldn't even need to fight.
Ma Xiaotao's face was also incredibly grave as she said, "We absolutely cannot engage them in a team fight. Otherwise, if even one of us is heavily injured, we will definitely lose. The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy will not pass up an opportunity to crush us."
The others nodded in deep agreement.
Fortunately, no matter how strong Feng Piaoling was, he was still just one person. As things stood, their only option was to make their move in the individual elimination matches and the two-two-three combat format.
Elder Xuan was surprisingly open-minded about it. He took a heavy swig of wine, smacked his lips, and muttered, "No matter, no matter. Even if we really lose, it doesn't matter. Because you didn't lose to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy; you just lost to the Soul Hall, losing to your own fellow countryman."
As he spoke, he made no effort to hide his admiration as he looked at Feng Piaoling. Chewing on a chicken leg, he mumbled indistinctly to himself, "Good kid. Twelve years old, rank forty, twin martial souls, a Class 5 soul engineer, and he even developed such an outstanding set of soul tools. When we get back, Old Mu won't just refrain from blaming me, he'll have to treat me to wine and meat."
These words immediately earned him eye-rolls from everyone in Shrek.
However, it did ease the tense atmosphere quite a bit. At the very least, Ling Luochen and Xi Xi hoped that Feng Piaoling would return. Wu Feng and Wang Dong'er shared the same hope, but they also knew it was impossible.
What none of them noticed, however, was that Zhang Lexuan kept a cold expression throughout. Especially when she heard Elder Xuan mention Mu En, her slender hands clenched into tight fists, the hatred in her eyes impossible to conceal.
Is this the true face of Shrek?
The moment they lay eyes on a genius, they immediately want to drag them back to be their dog?
If Feng Piaoling hadn't possessed sufficient strength back then, they probably wouldn't have cared whether he lived or died.
What a wonderful Shrek indeed.
The next day, the individual elimination matches began. The outcome held no surprises; the Imperial Sky Academy suffered a crushing defeat. Feng Piaoling didn't even need to take the stage. Ma Rilong alone defeated all seven members of the Imperial Sky Academy one by one.
Ultimately, the final showdown of this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Duel Elite Tournament would be contested between Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy.
Feng Piaoling and the rest of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy returned to the Grand Star Hotel.
In the hotel lobby, Feng Piaoling spotted Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin having their path blocked by two men.
The two men looked quite ordinary, but their bodies were very strange. One had an exceptionally thick and muscular right arm, while the other had a petite body but an enormously large head, looking very much like a big-headed doll.
They were precisely the two individuals who had previously invited Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo to join the Body Sect.
Clearly, they had come this time to invite Huo Yuhao to join the Body Sect as well.
However, just like in the original trajectory, the offer was rejected.
Watching this, the corners of Feng Piaoling's mouth curled up slightly. Before long, Elder Xuan made his appearance.
He dismissed the two members of the Body Sect. At the same time, perhaps to flaunt his strength to Feng Piaoling, he deliberately unleashed his nine soul rings: two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red.
Leaving behind the words, "This old man will be waiting for you at Shrek Academy," he departed.
The students from the Sun Moon Academy watched this display, completely baffled.
"Is there something wrong with that man's head?" Meng Hongchen asked in astonishment after Elder Xuan and his group went upstairs.
"There is definitely something wrong, and it's quite severe," Feng Piaoling nodded. "Alright, you all head up first. I have some business to take care of."
With that, Feng Piaoling tapped the Earth Escape Talisman on his chest and vanished from the lobby.
When he reappeared, he was accompanied by Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, and Nana.
The group of four stepped forward, blocking the path of the two Body Sect disciples who had just left.
"It's you. What, did you come to mock us?" The man with the oversized right arm was named Yu Tao, and the large-headed man was named Lang Ya.
Recognizing Feng Piaoling and his companions, Yu Tao frowned as four purple and four black soul rings instantly materialized around his arm.
"No, I came to have my sisters join the Body Sect," Feng Piaoling said with a calm smile.
"Feng Piaoling, I've investigated you. You first joined Shrek, but out of dissatisfaction with that blind old hag from Shrek Academy, you led eight highly talented students away to establish the Soul Hall... These two little girls with hair martial souls possess extraordinary talent; even in our Body Sect, they would rank near the top. And the little girl next to you with the specter martial soul isn't bad either. Would you really be willing to let them go?"
Lang Ya held back the more impulsive Yu Tao, asking with a look of suspicion.