Chapter 275: Unshakable Resolve
Shrek's main controller, Vina, remained silent. As the team's tactical core, she could clearly see that Beibei's speech was pure self-deception, a last-ditch attempt to boost morale.
Could Beibei, a Soul Saint with two yellow, two purple, and three black rings, truly match Meng Hongchen, whose soul ring configuration was five black and two red?
Could Huo Yuhao, a Soul Emperor with a haphazard configuration of one yellow, two purple, one white, one black, and one purple ring, truly compare to Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo—true Soul Emperors with three purple and three black rings each?
Vina knew the answer.
Her own situation as a Soul Emperor wasn't terrible, but still unconvincing. Although her second martial soul had six ten-thousand-year-level rings, they were mostly just ten to twenty thousand years old. Not a single one exceeded thirty thousand.
But what about Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo?
With the Soul Palace behind them, soul masters like them had the capability to exceed traditional limits. Normally, the sixth ring of a Soul Master couldn't surpass thirty thousand years. Top sects like Shrek or the Body Sect, using powerful tonics and physical enhancements, could push this to thirty-five or even thirty-six thousand years at best. That was a significant advantage over small sects.
Yet the Soul Palace was no ordinary new faction—it was rapidly becoming the wealthiest and most dominant force on the continent. The capability to absorb soul rings well beyond the natural limit through soul spirits wasn't just a rare miracle anymore—it was a foundation.
Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo, as saints of the Soul Palace, likely possessed sixth soul rings far beyond what Vina or most others could imagine—perhaps even 70,000 or 80,000 years old.
Under such conditions, how could one view them as mere Soul Emperors?
Beibei's speech was just empty words. But there was no other choice. They had to deceive themselves. If morale collapsed, the match was already lost.
"I will be the first to go up against the Sun Moon Royal Soul Instructor Academy," Beibei said, clenching his fists. "We can't afford another situation like what happened with Sanshi."
The radiance of the Holy Light Dragon and his solid strength as a Soul Saint stirred a flicker of confidence in the group.
However, after their grueling match with the Mingyu Sect, even that faint hope was shattered.
In the original timeline, Mingyu Sect had already posed a serious challenge to Shrek and the Tang Sect, even back when they had only two Soul Emperors. Now, after acquiring 20,000-year-level souls from the Soul Palace, every member of Mingyu Sect had terrifying ring configurations—four purple and one black each—and every one of them had a soul spirit.
It was only thanks to Beibei's overwhelming support boosts, the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda's 60% enhancement, and Wang Dong'er's bloodline suppressing Ade, that Shrek eked out a narrow victory. And even then, they had practically exhausted all their trump cards.
After winning that battle, their morale, which had briefly lifted, plunged again.
If even a team without a Soul Saint had pushed them that far, what hope did they have against the Sun Moon Royal Soul Instructor Academy?
Yet they had no time to recover, no time to reflect on their hard-earned victory. Their final and greatest challenge now loomed before them.
"They already lost to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy… can they really beat the Soul Instructor Academy?"
Because of the long-standing rivalry between these two great academies, and because this was the final round of the quarterfinals, the audience seats were packed. People came in droves to witness the final confrontation between Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Instructor Academy.
"I doubt it. The Sun Moon Empire has produced more powerful soul masters since the rise of soul spirits, but their true strength has always been their soul instructors. That's the foundation of their empire. I think Shrek's going to struggle badly this time."
"No way. Shrek's been number one for ten thousand years. Are you telling me they won't even make it to the semifinals this time? That's embarrassing."
"They're just unlucky. They had to fight both the Soul Master and Soul Instructor teams of the Sun Moon Empire. Neither one is easy to handle. This might be the end of Shrek."
In the waiting area, Beibei overheard the spectators' voices. His already fragile confidence was hanging by a thread.
The momentum of Domination of the World—a skill once thought invincible—had long been changed into his own personal technique under Beiya's legacy, losing its original unstoppable aura. Beibei's thoughts drifted toward Tang Ya.
"Big Brother, don't worry. We can win."
At the lowest point of his morale, Huo Yuhao stepped beside Beibei and spoke softly.
"Yuhao, you don't have to comfort me. I at least…" Beibei clenched his fists, but the moment he met Yuhao's eyes—firm, unyielding, full of steel—he paused.
"No, Big Brother. This isn't comfort. It's a fact. For the glory of Shrek, we will definitely win."
"You…" Beibei wanted to say more but stopped. Deep down, he didn't want to crush even that glimmer of hope.
Huo Yuhao smiled and gently patted Beibei's shoulder. "Don't worry, Big Brother. I said—we will not lose."
Beibei's eyes widened. That presence—calm, powerful, ancient—it didn't feel like Yuhao's. That was the breath of… the Beast King Bow, Longlong!
"Gong…"
Beibei nearly cried out "Mr. Gong," but Yuhao quickly raised his hand to silence him.
"I said it, Big Brother. For Shrek's honor—we will never lose."