Douluo: In an extraordinary world, with unparallel understanding!

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The birth of a sentient rune grants the ability to communicate with corresponding laws. 

Although Su Yu couldn't directly control these laws or even perceive them, the rune allowed him to instinctively convert life force and death energy. 

In truth, the life-and-death runes themselves were the most crucial. They were directly connected to the laws of life and death. 

More importantly, these two runes facilitated a seamless connection between the two laws. 

Under the tempering of both runes, life force and death energy constantly shifted within the Undead Sacred Soul Grass. 

Its grayish-white body began to take on a faint tinge of green. 

Soon, green and gray intertwined. 

The two colors flickered continuously across the Undead Sacred Soul Grass. 

Ultimately, it reverted to its original gray-white hue. 

"It seems this process isn't as simple as I thought." 

Su Yu frowned, realizing that he hadn't failed—rather, the Sacred Soul Grass itself had yet to be fully refined. 

He placed the Undead Sacred Soul Grass back into the Life Space between his brows. At the same time, the life-and-death runes shifted from his Sea of Consciousness into the Life Space, continuing to refine the Sacred Soul Grass. 

This research consumed three full days. Su Yu was only pulled back to reality when Huo Yuhao informed him that the second round of eliminations was about to begin. 

"Shrek faced a sect called Iron Sword Gate on the second day of the first round. This sect had a single Soul Emperor, while the rest were Soul Kings—a formidable lineup. However, they were still defeated with ease by Shrek. Only three members participated: Xie Huan Yue, Wu Feng, and Bai Yuan—all from the reserve team." 

Huo Yuhao's tone carried a hint of resignation. 

Shrek was deliberately concealing its soul masters' abilities, sending only three Soul Kings into battle during the elimination round. 

Xie Huan Yue's martial soul was the Leatherback Elephant, a top-tier defensive martial soul capable of filtering out some spiritual attacks. 

Back in the Freshman Tournament, Huo Yuhao had gathered intelligence on Xie Huan Yue and Wu Feng, so he was familiar with them. 

However, Bai Yuan was more of an enigma. 

"Swift-Tailed Storm Swallow?" 

"That's right. His speed is extraordinary—so fast that even a six-ring Soul Emperor couldn't react in time. He continuously wore them down and secured victory." 

This was the key reason why Iron Sword Gate's Soul Emperor team leader was defeated. 

"In the team battle following the individual elimination matches, Shrek sent in two of their main team members, but they still managed to keep most of their abilities hidden." 

Even the elimination round was divided into individual battles, team battles, and a 2-2-3 format, with the winner being determined through a best-of-three. 

Back then, the Sun-Moon Royal Battle Team had forced the Dragon Slayer Sect to forfeit after just one overwhelming individual battle. 

This demonstrated Su Yu's deterrent power at the time. 

"Those two main team members must have at least revealed their martial souls and soul rings, right?" Su Yu asked. 

Huo Yuhao let out a helpless sigh. 

"The ones who stepped onto the stage were He Caitou and Xiao Xiao—coincidentally, they're also the two I have intelligence on." 

"He Caitou's soul power has reached the Soul Emperor level, possessing six optimally configured soul rings. As for Xiao Xiao, she only revealed her second martial soul, with four attached soul rings. Her exact soul power level remains unclear." 

"Oh? She's deliberately hiding it? That means she's a Soul Emperor, isn't she?" Su Yu remarked. 

With Xiao Xiao's talent, if Shrek Academy had fully nurtured her, reaching the Soul King level would have been expected. Moreover, given that she possessed twin martial souls, this much was easy to deduce. 

Since she was intentionally concealing her true strength, assuming she was a Soul Emperor wasn't unreasonable. 

Just treat her as one. 

"Is that so?" 

Huo Yuhao was taken aback by Su Yu's logical reasoning. 

Indeed, if she was hiding it, she was most likely a Soul Emperor. She probably wasn't just a Soul King anymore. 

There's no way she could be a Soul Sage, right? 

That would be impossible. 

When Huo Yuhao left Shrek five years ago, Xiao Xiao had barely been a Soul Elder. 

Forty levels in five years? 

Even if you beat him to death, he wouldn't believe it. 

Even Su Yu himself hadn't gained forty levels in five years. 

He had only advanced by about thirty levels. 

And Su Yu had obtained remarkable opportunities along the way. 

Even with Xiao Xiao's twin martial souls, her second martial soul only granted her two additional ten-thousand-year soul rings. The soul power boost from that alone couldn't surpass the benefits Su Yu received from his soul rings. 

If she turned out to be just a Soul King, that would be even better. 

Huo Yuhao absorbed Su Yu's analysis, feeling like he had learned something valuable. 

That said, reaching the Soul Emperor level in such a short time was indeed outrageous. Gaining nearly thirty levels in five years meant an average of six levels per year, even with twin martial souls… 

Wait—if her progression had been meticulously planned, she could have used her second martial soul to break through both the bottlenecks at level 49 and level 59. 

Without those two major hurdles, suddenly, this level of advancement didn't seem entirely impossible. 

"Aside from Shrek, there's also the Holy Spirit Church." 

At the mention of that organization, Huo Yuhao's expression darkened. The fact that such a demonic sect of evil soul masters could openly appear on the grand stage of the Sun-Moon Soul Master Tournament was utterly outrageous. 

To be honest, his opinion of Xu Tianran had already hit rock bottom. 

Because of what happened with Juzi, he had never thought highly of Xu Tianran in the first place. Now, his disdain had only deepened, fueling even bolder suspicions. 

Knowing that Xu Tianran had connections with evil soul masters was one thing. But for him to be this utterly deranged? Huo Yuhao hadn't expected it. 

Allowing the Holy Spirit Church to participate in the Soul Master Tournament—what was he thinking? Was he planning to eventually legitimize them in the eyes of the public? 

This wasn't even a proper organization to begin with. 

"Let's put the Holy Spirit Church aside for now. Other than Shrek's lineup, the Body Sect is also participating. Their roster is exceptionally strong. Their elimination match was scheduled later than the others, and they just finished their first battle yesterday. They sent out three Soul Kings for the individual rounds, and they were quite powerful. The same three also dominated the team battle." 

"There's another sect, called the Snow Demon Sect. All their soul masters have ice-based attributes. They performed exceptionally well—definitely one of the dark horses of the tournament." 

"…" 

Su Yu processed all the key takeaways from the first round of eliminations. 

"The Body Sect? The Snow Demon Sect?" 

Why does the name Snow Demon Sect sound so familiar?

After the draw, the second round of the elimination matches was scheduled for the afternoon for the Sun-Moon Royal Battle Team.

Shrek's second round, however, was in the morning. Su Yu led his team there, also wanting to observe Shrek's strength.

"This kid finally showed up."

Long Xiaoyao glanced over toward Su Yu's side, then closed his eyes again to rest, mentally calculating when would be the most reasonable time to take Su Yu away.

"Shrek Academy vs. the Tyrant Dragon Sect!"

The Tyrant Dragon Sect, like the Dragon Slayer Sect in the first elimination match against the Sun-Moon Royal Battle Team, hailed from the Dou Ling Empire. The connection between the two sects is evident just from their names.

The Tyrant Dragon Sect wasn't weak—they specialized in dragon-like martial souls and possessed the ability to unleash their bloodline power, entering a berserk state. This made them formidable in individual combat.

For the individual match, the Tyrant Dragon Sect sent out a burly young man, whose fierce aura immediately gave off a chilling and oppressive feeling.

His martial soul was the Red-Golden Armored Dragon, a soul beast known for its outstanding defense and considerable offensive power.

Shrek sent out Wu Feng. Her martial soul was the Red Dragon, a more pure dragon-type martial soul, which had a natural advantage over sub-dragon martial souls.

Of course, some sub-dragons didn't necessarily have weaker bloodlines than her Red Dragon and wouldn't necessarily be suppressed by it.

After all, Wu Feng's true dragon bloodline wasn't as powerful as those from dragon king bloodlines.

"Let the match begin!"

Though Wu Feng was a woman, her fighting style was completely aligned with her martial soul. With the Red Dragon martial soul, she fought fiercely and aggressively.

The burly young man's Red-Golden Armored Dragon martial soul boasted excellent defense and balanced attributes like strength, engaging Wu Feng in a fierce battle.

The match lasted a full ten minutes, with the Red-Golden Armored Dragon Soul Master unleashing his fifth soul skill, entering a berserk state. However, he still couldn't overpower Wu Feng and was ultimately eliminated by her after the backlash from his berserk state.

Of course, Wu Feng's condition was also at its worst after the fight.

The Tyrant Dragon Sect wasted no time, immediately preparing a healing soul master to help suppress the backlash and a prepared bottle to restore his energy, ensuring he could recover as much as possible before the upcoming team battle.

Next, the second fighter from the Tyrant Dragon Sect took the stage.

Kuang Long.

The second competitor's martial soul was the Wild Dragon, which naturally had berserk capabilities.

Wu Feng, exhausted from the previous fight, was swiftly eliminated within just a minute. During the break, the Tyrant Dragon Sect took the opportunity to use the restorative bottle to help him recover some soul power.

Unfortunately, Shrek didn't give him much time.

The next to take the stage was Xie Huan Yue, whose martial soul was the Leatherback Elephant—a top-tier defensive soul master.

Su Yu patiently watched the match, waiting for Shrek to reveal more of its intelligence.

The Tyrant Dragon Sect was by no means weak. With their sub-dragon martial souls and Soul King-level cultivation, they were considered top-tier among Soul Kings. Shrek, relying solely on its reserve team members—who were also at the Soul King level—would have a hard time defeating them. 

After all, the Tyrant Dragon Sect had a Soul Emperor in their ranks. 

Xie Huan Yue was eventually eliminated by the Tyrant Dragon Sect's third fighter, but not before heavily exhausting his opponent. Following him, Bai Yuan stepped onto the stage. His martial soul, the Sharp-Tailed Swift, marked him as a descendant of the Agility Clan. All his soul skills were speed-enhancing, pushing his agility-based combat style to the extreme. 

The principle behind the Four-Attribute Clan's soul ring enhancements was similar to Su Yu's—they focused on stacking the same attribute across all their soul rings, maximizing their chosen strength to its absolute limit. 

However, unlike Su Yu's specialized augmentation, the Four-Attribute Clan didn't enhance just one attribute; they stacked power, defense, and speed in balance. 

For agility-type soul masters, as long as a soul ring enhanced speed, it was a viable option for absorption. 

Bai Yuan successfully eliminated the Tyrant Dragon Sect's third and fourth fighters but exhausted his soul power in the process, forcing him to withdraw. 

For the fourth round, Shrek Academy did not send another reserve team member. 

Against an opponent like the Tyrant Dragon Sect, Shrek would inevitably have to reveal some of its true strength. 

If they continued relying solely on reserve team members, they might be able to secure victory in the individual matches. However, with the upcoming team battle, sending out an exhausted reserve team could lead to unexpected losses. 

At that point, if all seven main team members were forced to step in, they would end up exposing even more of their capabilities. 

Thus, for the fourth individual match, Shrek decided to send in a main team member. 

However, He Caitou, whose Soul Emperor cultivation had already been revealed, was not chosen. 

The strength of a soul engineer wasn't easily measured by soul power alone. 

More importantly, soul engineers consumed an enormous amount of resources in battle. 

Many of He Caitou's soul cannon rounds were physical explosives made from rare metals rather than simple energy-based projectiles or lasers. 

This significantly boosted his combat power and burst damage—but at a steep cost. 

Therefore, if he could avoid fighting, it was best to keep him off the battlefield. 

"Chen Dao?" 

Su Yu gazed at the sword-browed young man who had stepped onto the stage, watching as he summoned his martial soul. His expression turned contemplative. 

Seven Kill Sword! 

Was this person a descendant of Chen Xin? 

If so, he was most likely from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. 

So, what about the other members of Shrek's team?

Su Yu glanced at the muscular, burly man.

He hadn't paid much attention before, but now that he looked at him from a different angle, the man seemed to show a great deal of respect toward Wang Dong. 

Is he from the Haotian Sect? 

"True to its reputation, Shrek lives up to its legacy as one of the top three sects a thousand years ago, even if it stays hidden from the world."

If that's the case, then Shrek's lineup this time is definitely not weak. 

Having borrowed people from the Haotian Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they certainly wouldn't fall short.

As Su Yu had guessed, his assumption proved correct. 

Chen Dao alone eliminated the remaining three members of the Tyrant Dragon Sect, and he still appeared to have plenty of strength left in reserve. 

The Tyrant Dragon Sect's leader didn't opt to send anyone else out. By the fifth round of the individual matches, the outcome was already clear, and the goal was simply to exhaust as much of the opponent's strength as possible.

"Shrek's strength is indeed formidable," Xiao Ping remarked in admiration.

Honestly, with his battle armor enhancing his abilities, Xiao Ping had been feeling a sense of superiority. Before the competition started, he had even considered setting his sights on Shrek's team as his target for his task from the clan leader, Jing Hongchen.

But after seeing Shrek's performance today, he had to admit that he had underestimated them.

Shrek's matches concluded swiftly.

From what they had revealed, this year's Shrek team was definitely packed with talent.

"Chen Dao, Soul King, possesses the strength to fight Soul Emperors; Shui Yun'er, with her Ice Phoenix martial soul, is also a Soul King, but she can be considered on par with a Soul Emperor. Most importantly, Tang Zhen, with his Haotian Hammer martial soul, is a six-ring Soul Emperor!"

Their lineup was indeed impressive.

However, everything was still within the acceptable range.

Su Yu glanced at Huo Yuhao, pondering whether his strength would be enough to challenge Shrek and perhaps create a one-string seven (meaning a lineup composed of seven strong members).

Time passed, and before long, the afternoon match arrived.

"Royal Sun Moon Army vs. the Proud Sword Sect!"

The Proud Sword Sect was no weakling.

Their ability to conceal their true strength in the competition alone was proof of their power.

Even in the previous round, the Proud Sword Sect had only sent out three core members, but one of them was a Soul Emperor.

"The Proud Sword Sect is a hidden sect from the Xing Luo Empire, with a history of over five thousand years. They have unique insights into the cultivation of sword-type martial souls."

Hidden sects often symbolized great strength.

The fact that they had remained hidden meant that most of their fresh blood came from self-sustaining means. 

For a sect to achieve this level of self-sufficiency, their martial soul lineage and bloodlines had to be exceptionally pure.

Five thousand years of development, and with the right strategy, even an ordinary iron sword martial soul could be upgraded to a top-tier martial soul over multiple generations. A genius like Su Yu could fast-track this process and reach the peak immediately.

The Proud Sword Sect was clearly such a sect, with numerous powerful sword-type martial souls, yet its fame remained low-key.

"Xiao Ping, handle this Proud Sword Sect," the leader ordered.

(End of chapter)