After a long while, one of the participating students forced a bitter smile and said, "With strength like that, how are we supposed to fight?"
"The first place in this preliminary round has already been decided. The rest of us are probably just competing for second."
Beside him, his companion patted his shoulder and let out a sigh.
Clearly, the overwhelming power Shui Wuhen had displayed had completely crushed any thoughts of competition in their hearts.
After all, even a top academy like Thunder Academy, which had multiple Soul Ancestors and ranked within the top five, had been defeated so cleanly and decisively. So how could ordinary academies like theirs—those that at best had one or two Soul Ancestors, or even none at all—compete with Tianshui Academy, now that it had Shui Wuhen?
On the other side, Huo Yangyan looked at the scene on the stage, his face filled with shock.
He knew Shui Wuhen would win—after all, Shui Wuhen had once killed two Soul Kings by himself.
But he never expected him to win so cleanly, so effortlessly.
From beginning to end, Thunder Academy didn't even have time to react before being instantly defeated by Shui Wuhen. He had only used his second and third spirit abilities—he hadn't even used a ten-thousand-year spirit ability!
In the Godwind Academy area, Feng Qingcang's gaze sharpened as he watched Shui Wuhen's performance. This level of strength exceeded even his expectations. Among Soul Kings, there were probably very few who could match Shui Wuhen.
He then turned to look at Feng Xiaotian beside him, only to find that Feng Xiaotian's body was trembling slightly.
"Wonderful… As expected of the opponent I've chosen!"
Yes, Feng Xiaotian was indeed trembling—but not out of fear, but excitement!
Ever since he began striving seriously, he had no equals among his peers.
By now, even many teachers within Godwind Academy were no longer his match, and ordinary Soul Kings couldn't withstand even a single exchange with him.
In Feng Xiaotian's eyes, perhaps only Shui Wuhen in this era could truly compete with him.
On the arena, the girls of Tianshui Academy watched as Shui Wuhen slowly walked toward them, their eyes all showing a hint of brilliance.
Before, they knew Shui Bing'er's brother was outstanding, but they had no real concept of just how outstanding he was.
But today, the sight of Shui Wuhen single-handedly facing Thunder Academy and effortlessly defeating all seven of them made their hearts pound uncontrollably.
As if by unspoken agreement, the proud daughters of heaven from Tianshui Academy all turned to look at Shui Bing'er. Thinking of the siblings' usual interactions, they couldn't help but feel envious.
Why didn't they have a brother like that?
Sensing her sisters' gazes, Shui Bing'er's lips curved slightly into a smile.
This was her brother!
Soon, Shui Wuhen arrived before Shui Bing'er and said calmly, "Let's go down."
"Mm!"
Shui Bing'er nodded, then turned to Xue Wu and the others behind her. "Sisters, let's go!"
Only then did Xue Wu, Shui Yue'er, and the others snap out of their daze, following Shui Wuhen and Shui Bing'er off the arena.
VIP seats.
A glint flashed in Emperor Xue Ye's eyes as he pointed at Shui Wuhen below and asked Prince Xue Xing behind him, "Xue Xing, do you know the background of that young man?"
Hearing this, Prince Xue Xing snapped out of his shock and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, this young man is named Shui Wuhen. He is the son of the late Marquis Shui. The one beside him is his younger sister, Shui Bing'er, also a top genius."
"Oh? The son of Marquis Shui?"
Emperor Xue Ye's gaze flickered. "If he is Marquis Shui's son and so outstanding, why have I never heard Marquis Shui mention him before?"
He felt somewhat puzzled. He had heard of Shui Bing'er, but this was his first time hearing of Shui Wuhen.
Logically, if any family produced such an outstanding genius, they wouldn't let him remain unknown.
Prince Xue Xing smiled faintly. "Because Shui Wuhen doesn't have a good relationship with the Shui family. His mother was a maid who became pregnant after a chance encounter with Marquis Shui. However, due to certain reasons, she was expelled from the residence and soon passed away, so…"
Hearing this, Emperor Xue Ye nodded slightly, already understanding the rest.
He had seen such matters far too often. The only difference here was that Shui Wuhen and Shui Bing'er had survived—and even become geniuses.
But to him, this was actually a good thing. It meant Shui Wuhen had no sense of belonging to the Shui family, making him easier to recruit.
Beside Emperor Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi and Salas both had subtle changes in their expressions after hearing Prince Xue Xing's explanation. Clearly, they were tempted by such a genius who had yet to pledge allegiance anywhere.
"After returning, I must make contact with this genius," Ning Fengzhi thought to himself.
Judging from Shui Wuhen's current performance, he clearly had the potential to become a Titled Douluo. And once he broke through, he wouldn't be a weak one even among Titled Douluo.
Such a genius was worth recruiting for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
After all, even their sect currently only had two Titled Douluo.
Meanwhile, Platinum Bishop Salas stared at Shui Wuhen below, his thoughts unknown.
Below, Shui Wuhen and the others had already returned to the Tianshui Academy area.
Seeing him return, Shui Yuero happily patted his shoulder and said, "Wuhen, well done! You've really brought honor to Tianshui Academy."
To be honest, Shui Wuhen's strength had exceeded her expectations. From how easily he had fought just now, it was clear he still had plenty of strength in reserve.
Previously, she had been somewhat worried about whether Tianshui Academy could win this Elite Tournament, but after witnessing Shui Wuhen's battle, her heart was finally at ease.
As a peak level 79 Soul Sage, Shui Yuero naturally understood what level of strength was required to achieve what Shui Wuhen had just done.
It could be said that among Soul Kings, Shui Wuhen now had very few opponents. Even if Spirit Hall had three Soul Kings, it still wouldn't be easy for them to defeat Tianshui Academy with him present.
Facing Shui Yuero's excitement, Shui Wuhen showed little reaction and simply said calmly, "It's only natural."
However, what Shui Wuhen didn't notice was that in the audience, a pale young man with an unhealthy white complexion was quietly watching him.
"Cough, cough…"
He coughed a few times, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then looked in Shui Wuhen's direction and muttered in a voice only he could hear:
"So this is the one who killed my two subordinates… truly a genius."
"However…"
Suddenly, his tone shifted as he said calmly,
"Geniuses usually don't live long."