Star Luo Plaza was a sea of noise and excitement.
Just moments ago, the entire audience had still been shocked and bewildered by the Sun Moon team's bizarre lineup. Many knowledgeable Soul Masters had even been quietly mocking Liu Yuan's recklessness.
But as the competitors from both sides officially took their places on the stage, the clamor gradually—and eerily—subsided.
Everyone's gaze locked firmly onto the tall, slender figure standing at the center of the arena.
Curiosity.
That was the strongest emotion filling the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people at this moment.
Because everyone suddenly realized something strange—
Up until now, no one actually knew what abilities Liu Yuan, the captain of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team, truly possessed.
Thinking back, since the opening of the tournament, hundreds of matches—large and small—had already been fought. Nearly every team's students had revealed their strength in one battle or another.
But Liu Yuan was the sole exception.
In everyone's impression, he had always seemed like an "invisible man."
Even in the few team battles where he appeared, he felt more like a commander standing behind the lines issuing orders, or someone casually firing off a couple of insignificant soul guidance rays just to go through the motions.
No one had ever seen him truly fight.
No one even knew what his martial soul was, or what effects his soul skills had.
He stood there, shrouded in mystery—like a riddle wrapped in fog.
"Hey, do you think this Liu Yuan is actually strong?"
In the stands, a Soul Master nudged his companion and whispered,
"This is Crimson Flame Academy we're talking about. Their vanguard is at least a Rank 45 Soul Ancestor. If Liu Yuan can't back it up and gets crushed in the first round, it'll be a huge joke."
"Who knows," the companion shook his head, eyes fixed on the arena.
"But if he's the captain of the Sun Moon team, he has to have something, right? And look at how calm he is—doesn't seem like he's just bluffing."
It wasn't just ordinary spectators.
Even the other academy teams in the preparation areas were watching intently, ears pricked and eyes wide.
Intelligence was crucial in combat.
If they could uncover the background of this mysterious captain before facing the Sun Moon team later, it would be an enormous advantage.
…
Shrek Academy's rest area.
Elder Xuan still wore a hint of disdain on his face, but his previously clouded old eyes had narrowed slightly, revealing a sharp, calculating gleam.
He took a large gulp of wine, wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth, and spoke to Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and the others watching closely:
"Xiaotao, Yueheng, all of you watch carefully."
"Since this kid went up first, he'll definitely expose his martial soul and soul skills."
"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll never be defeated."
"Although I think this brat is probably all show and no substance, even if there's only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, we have to see through him completely."
"When the later matches come, I want you to crush him like an ant—no mercy. Understand?"
"Yes, Elder Xuan!"
At this moment, Liu Yuan had become the absolute focus of the entire venue.
Countless gazes—scrutiny, anticipation, malice, and curiosity—layered over him from every direction.
…
On the arena floor.
The atmosphere had grown unbearably tense.
Standing opposite Liu Yuan was Crimson Flame Academy's red-haired vanguard.
At this moment, the Soul Ancestor named Huo Lie was sneering at Liu Yuan, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt.
He twisted his neck with a series of loud cracks, and scorching soul power fluctuations were already beginning to surge within his body.
"Hey, Sun Moon team captain, I'm talking to you."
Huo Lie grinned, flashing a row of white teeth, his tone arrogant to the extreme.
"Even if you're the captain, I'd advise you to be careful."
"My flames don't have eyes."
"If you kneel and admit defeat now, I might go easy on you. Otherwise, if I scorch that pretty face of yours later, don't go crying to your mother! Hahaha!"
Facing Huo Lie's provocation, Liu Yuan showed no reaction at all.
He stood there calmly, not even lifting his eyelids.
His hands hung naturally at his sides, with not the slightest trace of soul power leaking from his body—looking exactly like an ordinary person with no cultivation whatsoever.
This complete disregard instantly ignited the anger in Huo Lie's heart.
"Enough games!"
Huo Lie snorted coldly, a flash of viciousness crossing his eyes.
"Since you're looking for death, I'll grant your wish!"
At the same time.
The middle-aged referee floating in midair confirmed the status of both contestants one last time.
He raised his right hand high, took a deep breath, and projected his voice across the entire arena with soul power:
"Both sides, prepare!"
"Match—"
In that instant, the entire venue fell completely silent.
Everyone's heart seemed to leap into their throats.
Huo Lie's muscles tensed, soul power surging violently within him. A red glow flickered beneath his feet—he was clearly ready to release his martial soul the moment the referee finished speaking.
"—Begin!"
The referee's arm slashed downward, the final word exploding like thunder.
However—
In that split second—
Just as everyone's thoughts were still stuck on both sides are about to release their martial souls—
A sudden change occurred!
Boom—
The previously motionless Liu Yuan erupted with a terrifying aura that even caused the space around him to distort.
But it came and vanished in an instant.
So fast that the vast majority of the audience couldn't even see what had happened.
Only an extremely blurred afterimage flashed across the stage.
That was speed pushed to the absolute limit.
A speed that exceeded the capture threshold of the human eye.
"First soul skill."
A cold, indifferent voice—soft like a whisper in the wind—yet clearly audible to everyone.
"Extreme Speed."
The very next second.
Huo Lie, who was just about to roar and release his Redfire Violent Ape martial soul, felt his vision blur.
The chant already forming on his lips never had the chance to leave his mouth.
The soul power boiling at its peak inside him never had the chance to erupt into flames.
An irresistible force slammed into his chest without warning.
Bang!
A dull impact echoed.
Immediately after—
Whoosh!
A red figure—like a kite with its string cut, no, ten times faster than a kite—was launched backward!
Huo Lie's massive body traced a perfect parabola through the air, and with a shrill cry, he smashed heavily onto the hard ground outside the arena.
Thud!
Dust billowed everywhere.
Huo Lie lay sprawled on the ground, eyes wide open, his face blank with shock and confusion.
His martial soul hadn't been released.
His soul rings hadn't even lit up.
Even his brain was still issuing the command to attack.
Yet he was already inexplicably lying outside the ring.
Silence.
Absolute, deathly silence.
Across the entire Star Luo Plaza, the breathing of hundreds of thousands of people seemed to vanish at once.
Everyone froze in the posture they'd held a second earlier—mouths agape, eyes wide—as if collectively petrified.
Even Emperor Xu Jiawei on the viewing platform, teacup raised and lips parted, forgot to swallow the tea in his mouth.
Shrek Academy's rest area.
The smile on Ma Xiaotao's face froze solid.
The chicken leg Elder Xuan had just picked up slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a dull splat, instantly coated in dust—yet he didn't notice at all.
On the stage.
Liu Yuan was still standing there.
Only his position had shifted—from the original starting point to the very edge of the arena.
He glanced down briefly at Huo Lie below the stage, then slowly turned around.
He brushed nonexistent dust from his sleeve and looked up at the referee in midair, who was also completely stunned.
Those eyes—calm as a deep, ancient well—carried a faint hint of inquiry.
"Referee."
Liu Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but in the dead silence, it rang out with startling clarity.
"Aren't you going to announce the result? I believe he's already out of bounds."
The referee snapped back to his senses.
He subconsciously rubbed his eyes and looked down.
Indeed.
The red-haired contestant was lying well outside the arena boundary. Though he didn't appear seriously injured, by the rules—
Leaving the arena meant defeat.
"Gulp."
The referee swallowed hard.
Even as a high-level Soul Master who had overseen countless matches, he had never seen anything like this—
A fight decided in less than a second, before one side could even properly reveal their martial soul.
"This… this…"
He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and shouted loudly:
"F-First match!"
"Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy—victory!"
-------------Author---------------
Read 50 advanced chapter
👉 patreon.com/Master_fic
U can read 10 chapters ahead just for 5$