The match had begun.
Both sides reacted with remarkable speed, releasing their martial souls immediately.
Qian Ran's attention was drawn straight to Xu Jiujiu—he had yet to witness her martial soul in action. His curiosity about the ancient Star Crown martial soul made this a moment of great anticipation.
A golden light emerged from Xu Jiujiu's forehead, forming into a diamond-shaped golden gem. The gem sparkled brilliantly before detaching and ascending, surrounded by a radiant golden aura. As the light gathered, a magnificent crown materialized above her head. Slowly, it descended to rest upon her.
The crown seemed composed of countless stars, each a faint golden hue. At its center, the diamond-shaped gem stood prominently, with eighteen larger stars forming elegant points in a circle.
This was the Star Crown, Xu Jiujiu's martial soul.
Two yellow, two purple, and one black soul ring materialized around her—a total of five rings.
To reach the rank of Soul King at her age through conventional cultivation was a feat reserved for top-tier geniuses.
Without Qian Ran's assistance, even Zhu Lu or Ning Tian would likely have been at a similar level at this age.
With her martial soul released, Xu Jiujiu's already regal aura intensified. Had she been wearing her golden auction attire, her beauty might have reached even greater heights. Unfortunately, the Star Luo Academy's uniform, though practical, clashed somewhat with the grandeur of her martial soul.
"Such an exquisite martial soul—more regal than the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda," Qian Ran murmured in admiration. The Star Crown elevated Xu Jiujiu's appearance to a new level. Without its abilities in play, it already looked like the world's most precious luxury item.
Meanwhile, the six other members of the Star Luo team released their martial souls. All six were also Soul Kings, forming an elite full-Soul King lineup.
Xu Jiujiu's gaze sharpened, and a golden mist began to spread rapidly from her, enveloping her six teammates.
Immediately, each member of the Star Luo team was bathed in a golden glow. The radiant aura surrounding Xu Jiujiu remained undiminished, with a continuous flow of starlight streaming from her crown.
The Star Crown martial soul, a war-oriented support type, provided significant boosts to her teammates' combat abilities while also giving her formidable battle capabilities.
It was a martial soul on par with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Unfortunately for the Star Luo team, their combat prowess was ordinary—at least compared to Shrek Academy.
Ma Xiaotao charged straight into their formation, blazing with fiery phoenix flames. Her massive phoenix wings unfurled, and a fiery jet of phoenix flame shot directly at one of the opposing Soul Kings.
Ling Luochen followed suit, summoning her Extreme Ice to complement Ma Xiaotao's heat.
The combination of intense cold and searing heat rapidly dismantled a significant portion of the Star Luo team's fighting strength.
"Another Extreme Ice user?" Xu Jiujiu's eyes widened in shock as she sensed the biting chill emanating from Ling Luochen.
When did Extreme Ice become so common?
What puzzled her further was that Ling Luochen hadn't exhibited Extreme Ice capabilities in previous matches.
"It must be Qian Ran," Xu Jiujiu thought to herself. As Qian Ran's publicly recognized fiancée, she had received her fair share of benefits from him in recent days.
She knew Qian Ran possessed many rare and miraculous resources, things she hadn't even heard of before.
However, Xu Jiujiu harbored no delusions about defeating Shrek Academy. Even Qian Ran alone was a force beyond their ability to contend with. Her goal was to ensure that the Star Luo team's loss wouldn't be too humiliating.
After all, they were fighting in Star Luo City, under the watchful eyes of their citizens. Losing too quickly or too disgracefully would tarnish the empire's reputation. Before the match, Xu Jiujiu had even approached Qian Ran to negotiate this point.
The match, seemingly an intense back-and-forth, dragged on for a full ten minutes before Shrek Academy emerged victorious.
The audience, unaware of the behind-the-scenes considerations, were astonished that Shrek had taken so long to defeat an all-Soul King lineup from the Star Luo team. To them, the match was nothing short of spectacular.
Compared to Qian Ran's one-sided domination of the Zhengtian Academy match, this clash, with its dazzling soul skill effects, felt far more dramatic.
By holding their ground for so long, the Star Luo Academy team salvaged some dignity despite their loss.
"Not bad. I was worried Jiujiu's team would lose too quickly—it'd be embarrassing," Emperor Xu Jiawei said with a chuckle as the cheers of the crowd rang out.
Shrek Academy had clearly understood the importance of face, giving the Star Luo Royal Academy a respectable showing.
Post-Match
After the match, Xu Jiujiu walked confidently into Shrek Academy's rest area to thank her opponents.
"Thank you all for a well-fought match," Xu Jiujiu said with poise, performing a graceful noblewoman's bow.
Wang Dong'er, Tang Ya, Ma Xiaotao, and the other Shrek girls felt an immense pressure emanating from Xu Jiujiu. Her elegance and beauty were qualities they couldn't replicate, and they couldn't help but feel they were being compared—and found wanting.
Still, none of them were willing to be overshadowed without a fight.
The tension in the room thickened, a palpable sense of rivalry filling the air. It was like two swords clashing, neither willing to give an inch.
"Uh… well then…" Qian Ran coughed awkwardly and quickly pulled Xu Jiujiu away.
Xu Jiujiu had come to invite him to a royal banquet that evening, hosted by Emperor Xu Jiawei.
The emperor, wanting to smooth over tensions between the Spirit Hall and the White Tiger Duke's household, had called Dai Hao to attend the banquet, hoping to foster reconciliation.
'The White Tiger Duke? Forget it,' Qian Ran thought to himself, suppressing a sneer.
His feud with the White Tiger Duke's family wasn't something that could be resolved easily.
After all, he had taken Zhu Lu, Dai Huabin's fiancée, as his own. There was no way Dai Hao would swallow that insult. Furthermore, Huo Yun'er's return to the fray only deepened the animosity between Qian Ran and the White Tiger household.
Qian Ran had long been disgusted with the Dai family.
Dai Hao's strength was nothing he couldn't handle, and the White Tiger Duke's army didn't pose much of a threat either.
Without soul tools, conventional armies were practically obsolete. Only forces equipped with military-grade soul tools, like the Sun Moon Empire's, held any real power.
History had proven this: when the Sun Moon Empire invaded the other three empires, it shredded their defenses with laughable ease.
(End of Chapter)