The faces of the seven from the Martial Soul Hall darkened, and once again, they involuntarily stepped back a pace, all facing Ye Yu.
They were startled. What kind of aura was this, causing their hearts to tremble uncontrollably with unease?
Ye Yu looked at Xie Yue and mocked, "The throat-slitting gesture you just made, was it your way of saying you wanted to commit suicide? You might as well use your Artifact Martial Soul to do it."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yue was instantly enraged, "You!!"
"Hahaha..."
At the same time, Ma Hongjun and the others laughed heartily, feeling quite satisfied.
Xie Yue snorted coldly, "Although you're strong, the only person in Shrek Team that deserves our respect is you. When we meet you, we'll defeat you all!"
Ye Yu replied, "There's not a single person in your team that I hold in high regard. If I meet you, I won't even bother to make a move; my companions can defeat you."
Xie Yue's face darkened, "I admit that in a one-on-one, none of us are your match, but in a team battle, can you alone defeat our seven? We're not the same as that bunch of trash from Xingluo Team."
The words of the seven from the Martial Soul Hall immediately displeased the spectators from the Xingluo Empire, but all they could do was mutter under their breath since the other side was the Martial Soul Hall.
"Then don't let me down."
Ye Yu entered the field, and the seven who were preparing to enter stepped aside as Ye Yu approached.
This was entirely instinctive, making them look displeased, as Ye Yu's aura made them tremble with fear, unwilling to approach.
The seven suppressed their internal displeasure and vowed to make Shrek suffer a crushing defeat in the final battle!
The third round of competition ended with six remaining teams. To everyone's surprise, the two seed teams from Tian Dou and Xingluo were both eliminated in the third round.
The day after tomorrow, the fourth round will commence, and the remaining four teams silently prayed not to encounter the Martial Soul Hall Team or the Shrek Team.
Ye Yu and the others returned to their residence in Martial Soul City.
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing felt very grateful, because their siblings had failed.
Ye Yu said, "No need to thank me; it was also due to your efforts."
Dai Mubai said, "Actually, I'm the Third Prince of the Xingluo Empire."
Tang San nodded, "I had already guessed. Such fierce family competition can only be found within a royal family."
Dai Mubai nodded, "Originally, Zhuqing and I had no hope. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't win. Our victory was due to the team's effort and your contribution. If I succeed the throne in the future, come to the Xingluo Empire if you encounter difficulties."
As Dai Mubai spoke, he looked toward Tang San.
Tang San's heart warmed, knowing that he was being targeted by the Martial Soul Hall, and Dai Mubai meant that if the Martial Soul Hall tried to kill him, the Xingluo Empire would protect him.
But, Tang San didn't want to bring calamity to a nation because of himself.
"Thank you for your kind intentions, brother. I appreciate it, but the Martial Soul Hall is too powerful. I don't want to plunge your country into danger, driving the people to desperation."
Dai Mubai shook his head, "No, while the Martial Soul Hall is powerful, it's not enough to challenge an entire nation, nor can they dominate the whole continent. Although they have many Soul Masters, these Soul Masters mainly hail from the Two Great Empires. While they belong to the Martial Soul Hall, they won't commit treason."
Tang San realized that he didn't understand much about continental politics. Now he knew the Martial Soul Hall could hardly unify the continent; only by unifying the grassroots could it be considered successful, as Soul Masters are only a minority, most are commoners.
Ye Yu knew the Martial Soul Hall had not given up on unifying the continent, and they had even sent Qianren Xue to replace Xue Qinghe as Crown Prince to claim the Tian Dou Empire.
Dai Mubai promised, "You're being targeted by the Martial Soul Hall; without protection, you'll find it hard to get by on the continent. Although Sect Leader Ning of the Seven Treasure Glaze Sect can protect you for a time, he can't protect you forever. So, when the competition ends, come with me back to the Xingluo Empire. Xingluo is different from Tian Dou; its military and national strength are stronger. Moreover, the Tian Dou Empire's royal authority is decentralized, and even if you receive protection from the Tian Dou Royal Family, it won't help because the affairs of the royal family aren't decided by the Tian Dou Emperor alone."
Tang San nodded, "Mubai, thank you, I'll try to handle it myself. If I really can't, I'll come find you. Likewise, if you ever face difficulties, just say the word, and I'll be there for you without fail!"
Ye Yu said, "Brothers, no matter who among us is in trouble, we'll be there, whether across knife mountains or through seas of fire!"
"Right!"
The eight of them huddled together tightly, shoulder to shoulder—seven were companions, also brothers and sisters.
After a day's rest, the fourth round of the competition began.
The Shrek Team didn't encounter the Martial Soul Hall, and the Divine Wind Team was quite lucky, avoiding matches against either the Shrek or the Martial Soul Hall Team.
This round ended quickly.
The top three were the Shrek Team, the Martial Soul Hall Team, and the Divine Wind Team.
Everyone knew who was in third place without needing to guess: the Divine Wind Team. The first and second places would be contested between the Shrek Team and the Martial Soul Hall Team.
Soon, the finals arrived, taking place in the Pope Hall.
The three teams, along with the high-ranking members of the Martial Soul Hall and the Two Great Empires, arrived.
The three teams stood before the Pope Hall, while the high-ranking members and the academy's teachers waited on the perimeter.
The sunlight was bright, and the grand and imposing Pope Hall gleamed in resplendent gold and jade.
The seven members of the Divine Wind Team, including Huo Wushuang, Huo Wu, and Feng Xiaotian, looked up at the Pope Hall with eyes filled with aspiration and admiration.
"How magnificent and beautiful."
"As expected of the Pope Hall, the most luxurious building I've seen."
...
The seven from the Martial Soul Hall glanced at Feng Xiaotian's group and murmured, "Bumpkins."
Upon hearing this, the faces of Feng Xiaotian's group immediately darkened.
Huo Wu angrily shouted, "Hey! After the competition, we'll be entering the Martial Soul Hall and becoming one of you, and yet you despise us?"
Xie Yue's group heard this and disdainfully retorted, "Don't think that entering the Martial Soul Hall means you'll be on the same level as us. Though you are geniuses, you can't compare to us."
Huo Wu felt extremely displeased, but Huo Wushuang stopped her, "Stay calm, this is the Pope Hall, bear with it."
Feng Xiaotian muttered, "These seven are truly arrogant."
Just then, Ye Yu said, "What's there to admire? Once it collapses, it's just a pile of ruins."
Upon hearing this, the seven from the Martial Soul Hall's faces darkened.
Xie Yue said in a deep voice, "Collapse? Hmph, ridiculous! Even if the sky falls, the Pope Hall will not collapse!"
"Right, do you think the Pope Hall is an ordinary building? It's effectively the residence of His Holiness the Pope! The strongest Pope on the continent lives here; who has the ability to make the Pope Hall collapse? The Pope Hall will stand forever!"
"No one has that ability, not even the courage."
The seven were arrogantly confident, considering the Pope as supreme, invincible, that no one dared act presumptuously here, let alone turn the Pope Hall into ruins.
Ye Yu said, "Is that so? Alright then."
However, Xie Yue and the others frowned, as Ye Yu's demeanor seemed as if their words entered one ear and left the other, not taking them to heart.