Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

"Bang!"

Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon Claw smashed a Soul Elder's long blade into pieces.

The Soul Elder was sent flying by the tremendous force. With his martial soul shattered, his body trembled uncontrollably, and blood seeped from his ears, mouth, eyes, and nose.

Tang Wulin wasn't unscathed either—his body was covered with more than a dozen cuts.

Seeing this, Na'er's beautiful eyes flashed with murderous intent. If not for Yali holding her back, she would have rushed onto the stage already.

Without the protection of his Golden Dragon Scales, Tang Wulin might have lost this battle.

His opponent was a formidable young genius, no less than those on the Young Talent Ranking. His strength could even place him within the top twenty of the Young Elite Ranking.

His martial soul was the Demon-Breaking Blade, and at fourteen years old, he had reached Rank 35 in soul power.

He had been unfairly disqualified from Shrek Academy's entrance exam. On the night before the test, he had been drugged by a jealous competitor, causing him to underperform.

Despite appealing to Shrek Academy several times, they never granted him a retest.

Angry and full of resentment, he initially planned to vent his frustration by challenging a Rank 20 Soul Master.

Unexpectedly, Tang Wulin, as if blessed by fortune, narrowly escaped defeat every time he was on the verge of losing.

Each seemingly inevitable loss was somehow reversed by Tang Wulin's sudden bursts of power.

In the end, despite sustaining serious injuries, Tang Wulin emerged victorious.

As soon as the match ended, Yali immediately approached them. Her Angel of Prayers enveloped both fighters, and within moments, their injuries were healed.

Although the Demon-Breaking Blade Soul Master's martial soul was shattered, his core remained intact. With Yali's healing, he would recover fully before long.

The challenge matches continued into the afternoon, drawing such a large crowd that Shrek City dispatched over a thousand city guards to maintain order.

Multiple television stations arrived to broadcast the event live.

Shrek Academy even transmitted the competition footage back to the academy, where it was shown to the new students.

By now, all ten Shrek Academy students had faced multiple challengers. Even Wu Siduo, who had gained fame, had been challenged three times.

Gu Yue and Wujin had each fought seven or eight matches.

But the one suffering the most was Tang Wulin. Despite only having two soul rings, he had been relentlessly targeted, fighting nearly twenty battles.

Throughout the day, Yali continuously replenished his soul power.

So far, Shrek Academy had maintained an undefeated record.

However, Xia Yi still hadn't shown up.

Even Yali began to grow curious—what exactly was Xia Yi planning?

In a private room at Hui Xiang Restaurant, Xia Yi leaned back with a wine cup in one hand and Mu Xi's hand in the other, singing at the top of his lungs.

"At the ends of the earth, friends drift apart. One jar of wine, laughter fades, as the sun sets beyond the mountains…"

He had been drinking alone, but Mu Xi sought him out after hearing he was in Shrek City.

Thanks to Zhen Hua's connections, Mu Chen would be arriving in a few days to take over the Shrek City Blacksmith Association. Once Mu Chen settled in, Mu Xi would officially enroll as a Shrek Academy student.

"Stop singing—Shrek Academy won again." Mu Xi snatched the wine cup from Xia Yi's hand while watching the live broadcast on her soul communicator. She couldn't understand how Xia Yi could start such a huge mess and still sit here, carefree and singing.

"If they win, they win. What does it matter to you—or me?" Xia Yi curled his lips. He had known all along that Shrek Academy wouldn't lose.

Because they couldn't afford to.

Among the failed applicants, a few were talented, but none could defeat Shrek Academy's carefully chosen monsters.

"They're still no match," Xia Yi murmured.

"You caused all this to embarrass Shrek Academy, didn't you?" Mu Xi asked curiously.

"Embarrass Shrek Academy? Why would I care about that?" Xia Yi shook his head. "If I told you I did this to help Shrek Academy win, would you believe me?"

"Help them win? Why?" Mu Xi was even more confused.

"The more they win, the better I'll look when I defeat them, right?" Xia Yi grinned mischievously.

Mu Xi was stunned.

People had been racking their brains trying to figure out Xia Yi's true intention—yet his motivation was so simple.

"Enough. Let's go—I'll show you how to make an entrance." Xia Yi laughed heartily and led Mu Xi out of the restaurant.

"Xia Yi is here!"

As soon as he appeared, someone shouted, and all eyes turned to him.

Shrek Academy's students and teachers, the failed applicants, and even the media—everyone's attention focused on Xia Yi.

"Damn that Xia Yi—he finally showed up after leaving us hanging all day."

Among Shrek Academy's ranks, Na'er, Ye Xinglan, and Luo Guixing's eyes burned with hostility.

In contrast, the failed applicants looked at Xia Yi like a savior.

To them, Xia Yi was their only hope—after all, he had previously defeated a Shrek Academy student in battle.

They quickly stepped aside, making way for Xia Yi as he strolled toward the front of their ranks.

He faced the Shrek Academy team with an air of indifference, his hands in his pockets, dressed in a white tracksuit.

Mu Xi followed behind him but deliberately kept her distance.

Even she felt the urge to beat Xia Yi up—let alone Shrek Academy's enraged students.

A reporter approached Xia Yi. "Mr. Xia Yi, Shrek Academy has won 114 consecutive matches. What do you have to say about this?"

"Winning or losing isn't the point," Xia Yi said seriously. "The goal of these matches is mutual learning. As long as we gain insight and grow stronger, the outcome doesn't matter."

"I don't care; I'll make my move." Xia Yi shrugged and said nonchalantly.

As soon as he said this, the teachers and students of Shrek Academy all turned sharp-eyed.

"Arrogant!" Even from a distance, Xia Yi could hear them grinding their teeth.

"If you're going to challenge, then challenge. If not, get lost." Cai Yue'er's icy voice rang out.

"If I wasn't here to challenge, then why would I be here?" Xia Yi chuckled and turned to the reporters beside him, asking, "You've been watching for a while. Can you tell me who's the weakest among them?"

"Uh, didn't you say you didn't care about winning or losing? Why not challenge the strongest? Wouldn't they help you gain more insights in battle?" one reporter asked curiously.

"You're missing the point. Look at how strong their best are—four rings, twin martial souls, and they can even fuse their spirits. How am I supposed to fight that? If I pick her, I'd get crushed instantly. How would I learn anything from that?" Xia Yi rolled his eyes dramatically.

In the Shrek Academy lineup, Wu Siduo stood tall and proud, seemingly agreeing with Xia Yi's assessment.

"Uh, that does make sense." The reporter nodded, then took out a soul communicator and opened a website, saying, "Here are the online rankings of Shrek Academy's Ten Monsters. You can use it as a reference."

As a reporter, he didn't dare to directly answer Xia Yi's question. No matter who he named as the weakest, he'd end up offending someone.

"Tang Wulin, Zheng Yiran, Yang Nianxia, Luo Guixing." Xia Yi read the names from bottom to top and then handed the soul communicator back to the reporter. Looking up at Shrek Academy's lineup, he said calmly, "You four, come at me together."

Tang Wulin's two rings were too conspicuous, which naturally placed him at the bottom of the list. Although Luo Guixing was ranked higher than Xu Yucheng on the Youth Wind Ranking, that list took into account talent and secondary professions as well as strength. In terms of raw power, the online community naturally ranked the four-ringed Xu Yucheng above Luo Guixing.

Even Na'er, Gu Yue, Wujin, and Ye Xinglan were ranked below Xu Yucheng.

Most netizens were ordinary people who still believed that the number of soul rings directly represented absolute power.

(End of Chapter)