Chapter 273: The Collapse of Faith
After saying this, Beibei seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and his face turned pale. However, no one in the audience cared about his condition at this moment. What captured their attention was something else entirely.
Shrek lost!
Shrek, long regarded as the sacred ground of soul masters across the continent and the near-monopolizer of the senior soul master championship for thousands of years, lost! And they admitted defeat!
Beibei's voice was not loud, but it struck a nerve with everyone present. The people of the Sun Moon Empire erupted in cheers, while those who supported Shrek felt as if they had lost their very parents.
Shrek's defeat was like the collapse of faith — especially since they were facing the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, not just the Royal Soul Instructor Academy. At this moment, in the hearts of many spectators, Shrek was no longer the number one soul master academy on the continent.
The collapse of faith is an unbearable terror. So, when Beibei admitted defeat, insults rained down on the field.
Some furious spectators even hurled objects at Beibei.
"Fuck you! Give me my money back!"
"We didn't come here to watch you admit defeat! You didn't even dare to fight your opponent! Is this still Shrek?"
"Get lost! I thought you only lost five years ago because your main players weren't here! And now? You don't even dare to fight!"
The crowd shouted and jeered. At this point, Shrek still held some support, but after this competition, when soul masters returned to their countries and academies, Shrek would completely fall from its pedestal.
"Big Brother, you…"
When Beibei walked down from the competition platform in a daze, what awaited him was not comfort, but Huo Yuhao's questioning.
To Huo Yuhao, Shrek and Tangmen were home. Beibei's admission of defeat was a stain on Shrek's honor. Huo Yuhao could not tolerate this disgrace. If it had been anyone else, he might have scolded them.
"I'm sorry, but we can't defeat a soul master with four black and four red soul rings. We had already lost this battle before we even started. What we must do now is minimize our losses. We have no chance against the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. Instead of continuing a futile fight and wasting manpower, it's better to preserve strength for later battles."
As the team's main strategist, Vina stood beside Beibei. "He's right. We've already lost some people. Continuing to fight an eight-ring soul master will only lead to more losses. It's better to reduce casualties now than to have Nana kill three more and then face a crushing team defeat or a one-on-seven loss."
"Thank you." Beibei nodded to Vina, then left without another word.
As the great-great-grandson of Moon En and a direct descendant of Shrek, admitting defeat and bringing shame upon Shrek was a crushing burden for him.
But Beibei knew it was necessary. Whether a five-ringed Soul King or a six-ringed Soul Emperor, they would be crushed effortlessly by Nana upon entering the field. Only Beibei could hold his ground barely. The gap between an eight-ring Soul Douluo and five- or six-ringed soul masters was so wide that Nana could defeat seven opponents with Beibei as the only seven-ringed Soul Saint.
If Shrek was defeated outright by Nana, it would be far worse than admitting defeat.
Especially since after this battle with the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, they would still have to face the Sun Moon Royal Soul Instructor Academy. Losing twice in a row would mean Shrek couldn't even enter the quarterfinals — the ultimate loss of face.
...
"Shrek just gave up just like that?" Yu Tianlong said incredulously in the audience. Though not a loyal Shrek supporter, he never expected such a devastating loss.
Nan Qiuqiu smiled. "Maybe it's because that person's power demands it. He's an unreasonable monster, and those around him are unreasonable monsters too. Even the students are unreasonable monsters. Compared to Shrek, who considers itself monstrous, that person is the real monster."
Yu Tianlong nodded silently, having witnessed Xiao Qiang's strength firsthand. But at that moment, he was thinking about something else.
"Nan Qiuqiu, did you really just go to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy to train?" Growing up together in Longcheng, Yu Tianlong noticed a different tone in Nan Qiuqiu's voice when she spoke of Xiao Qiang.
"Of course! What else would I have for him… Well… You can't blame me. That sense of security, that presence — I've never seen another like him." Nan Qiuqiu hesitated but finally told the truth under Yu Tianlong's scrutiny.
"I envy your feelings," Yu Tianlong said helplessly.
When Mu Qingxue arrived in Longcheng, Yu Tianlong fell for her at first sight because of her appearance. But when Mu Qingxue displayed her strength, Yu Tianlong suppressed his feelings. It's normal for a woman's partner to be stronger, and even more so a testament to her charm — but for a man, a partner stronger than himself is rare and almost impossible.
If the gap was slight, Yu Tianlong could have tried harder, but Naihe Mu Qingxue's strength was far beyond him. Pursuing her would only end in failure.
Nan Qiuqiu's situation seemed equally hopeless — but at least there was hope.
...
"Have you recorded everything just now?" The Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire asked with satisfaction after watching supporters of Shrek scold their own people for a while.
Normally, the competition was not specially recorded, but this time was different — the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy versus Shrek Academy, and the Royal Soul Master Academy was highly likely to win. The Emperor was naturally very interested in preserving a record of this great achievement.
"Your Majesty, the entire battle was recorded by the soul guide."
"Very good. Reproduce the footage quickly so everyone knows our Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy won in terms of soul masters. Also…"
"Send this news to the original Douluo Three Kingdoms."