Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 327 Quarterfinals, Dai Yueyan VS Bai Yuan
The individual competition of the Youth Soul Master Tournament proceeded like a rapidly spinning gear, intense and brutal.

As each thrilling battle came to an end, the names that ultimately stood on the stage of the top eight caused the Star Luo Emperor Dai Tianling and the Holy Dragon Douluo Enci to have extremely solemn expressions.

Of the top eight, only Long Yue, Dai Yueyan, and Bo Xi belong to Monster Academy, while Gula, Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Bai Yuan, and Wu Siduo are all students of Shrek Academy.

Shrek Academy occupies five of the eight spots in the final eight!

The Monster Academy, painstakingly built by the Star Luo Empire, only had three members selected! If it weren't for Bo Xi, the "Ninth Heavenly King" who emerged out of nowhere, turning the tide, they would only have Long Yue and Dai Yueyan making it into the top eight.

This result, like a cold reality, slapped hard in the face of every Star Luo person who had placed high hopes on Monster Academy.

The previously high spirits of the Star Luo audience in the stands were suddenly dampened, the atmosphere becoming somewhat oppressive and somber. Their prized Eight Heavenly Kings appeared so insignificant in the face of Shrek Academy's formidable strength.

"Shrek... no wonder it's Shrek..." a spectator sighed softly, with a hint of helplessness.

"They're too strong... Gula, Tang Wulin, Gu Yue... they all seem unfathomable..."

"And Bai Yuan and Wu Siduo... they're monsters too!"

"Wait, Wu Siduo? The Netherworld Cat and the White Tiger Martial Soul? Aren't those the Martial Souls inherited from our Star Luo lineage? Isn't she considered one of us from Star Luo?"

"That's right, both the Netherworld Cat and the White Tiger are royal family's inherited martial souls. Although she's from Shrek Academy, her martial soul and bloodline belong to Star Luo!"

"So... four of the top eight are from the Star Luo bloodline!"

"Four against four! We didn't lose! Our opponents are Shrek Academy, a draw is a win!"

"Yes! Not losing is winning!"

"Go Monster Academy! Xingluo will win!"

It must be said that the Ah Q mentality can indeed be surprisingly effective at times.

The Star Luo audience quickly found a "spiritual victory method," forcibly including Wu Siduo, who possessed the Star Luo's top-tier inherited martial soul, the Netherworld Cat, in their own camp. Instantly, they achieved a psychological balance in the "four against four" situation, and the gloomy atmosphere was revived. Cheers once again resounded throughout the Star Luo Stadium.

Dai Tianling watched this scene from the high-platform VIP box, her lips twitching slightly, but she did not stop it.

The public needs confidence and an outlet for their emotions. Although this "algorithm" is far-fetched, it can stabilize public sentiment and is better than nothing.

But his gaze towards Shrek Academy was even more profound. The geniuses of this generation at Shrek Academy far exceeded his expectations.

The referee's loud voice silenced the commotion:

"The first match of the quarterfinals of the All-Continent Elite Youth Advanced Soul Master Tournament!"

"Shrek Academy, Bai Yuan, versus Monster Academy, Dai Yueyan."

Two figures slowly walked from the contestant passage onto the main arena in the center. On one side was Bai Yuan, dressed in Shrek Academy's dark green uniform, with a calm demeanor and a hint of indifference in his eyes.

On the other side was the Fourth Prince, Dai Yueyan, dressed in the red uniform of Monster Academy, with an elegant demeanor and sharp eyes.

Putting everything else aside, just the color of the school uniform alone reveals Monster Academy's ambition to compete head-on, but unfortunately, it falls short in the end.

In previous matches, none of Bai Yuan's opponents were able to force him to reveal his true strength, and very little information was leaked from them.

However, the Star Luo Empire was not unprepared. Following Shrek Academy's crushing defeat against Sun Moon Academy, the Star Luo Empire paid extra attention to Shrek's upcoming battle for revenge. Dai Yueyan, as a prince and Heavenly King, naturally possessed some information about Bai Yuan:

A certain dark attribute martial soul, possessing a strange devouring ability, suspected to be a domain soul skill, with immense power and a fierce and efficient fighting style.

Dai Yueyan was not careless in the slightest. He took a deep breath and shouted, "Martial Soul—Possession!"

A dazzling light shone, the White Tiger Martial Soul possessed him, and then a set of silver-white one-word battle armor covering most of his vital points and engraved with the roaring patterns of the White Tiger appeared, and he was quickly equipped.

With the battle armor enveloping him, his aura suddenly surged, and a fierce and domineering tiger-like might spread out.

At the same time, the five spirit rings beneath his feet—three purple and two black—shone brightly. The strength of a level 58 Power Attack-type Battle Spirit King was fully revealed.

With the amplification from his battle armor, his combat power is now almost on par with a true Soul Saint, which is the source of his confidence in earning the title of "Tiger King".

In contrast, Bai Yuan was still wearing an ordinary school uniform and had not even released his martial spirit.

His eyes were calm, even carrying a hint of... boredom? Ever since he was controlled by his devouring instinct and almost lost his reason, Bai Yuan had been trying his best to restrain and control that terrifying desire that originated from the depths of his martial soul and seemed capable of devouring everything.

He usually suppresses his devouring power to keep his mind clear, because he doesn't want to become the gluttonous Douluo Xuanzi of Shrek Academy who made mistakes and left regrets because of his appetite.

As his cultivation improved and his research into his martial soul deepened, he began to have a vague idea of ​​the truth about his martial soul: that abyssal maw, with its terrifying characteristic of devouring everything, was probably related to Taotie, one of the nine sons of the legendary Dragon God.

His martial spirit is most likely a variant born from the combination of the fallen Taotie corpse and the power of the abyss, inheriting the Taotie's original power to devour all things, and also tainted by the abyss's treacherous nature.

This conjecture was confirmed by Gula's understanding of time. As for the figures he saw, they were actually his own inner desire to devour, attempting to make him lose his mind and continuously devour others.

But he would not easily lose his way. Shrek Academy provided him with convenience, and his two-word battle armor was only missing one wing to be complete. Under the amplification state of the two-word battle armor forged from divine alloy, he would be able to directly get rid of the out-of-control state.

But he didn't use it at the moment. Facing Dai Yueyan, he felt it was unnecessary. Using it would be too boring.

"The game begins!" the referee ordered.

Dai Yueyan made the first move. He knew that Bai Yuan's devouring ability was extremely troublesome and that he had to finish the battle quickly.

The speed boost from the battle armor reached its peak, like a silver lightning bolt, instantly traversing tens of meters.

The second spirit ring shone, and the tiger claw tore through the air, aiming straight for Bai Yuan's chest with a piercing sound. It was the signature spirit skill of the White Tiger Martial Soul - White Tiger Blazing Light Wave.

Faced with this fierce attack, Bai Yuan finally moved. He did not dodge, but simply raised his right hand seemingly casually, his five fingers spread, his palm facing the incoming tiger claw light wave.

"Devouring Domain - Open." There was no earth-shattering sound, only an invisible darkness that seemed capable of devouring light instantly spread out from Bai Yuan's center.

The awe-inspiring white tiger's fierce light wave vanished the moment it entered the dark area, like a mud ox entering the sea; its light quickly dimmed and dissipated, without even causing a ripple.

It was as if a miniature black hole had appeared in Bai Yuan's palm, swallowing up all the energy.

Dai Yueyan's pupils contracted. Although he had expected it, seeing his attack so easily neutralized still made his heart sink.

He continued his offensive, and his third spirit ring lit up, transforming into the White Tiger Vajra Transformation!

His body instantly expanded, his strength and defense increased dramatically, and his fists seemed to accelerate as he continuously threw punches, sending countless condensed soul energy orbs raining down on Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan still did not release his martial spirit, his figure swaying like a ghost within the Devouring Domain.

Those soul-powered fists, capable of shattering rocks, fell into the domain's range like pebbles thrown into a deep pool, only creating faint energy ripples before being silently decomposed and devoured by the domain!
In a sense, Bai Yuan's Abyss Domain almost completely suppresses all ranged energy attacks. For example, Xuan Zi's Taotie Divine Ox Martial Soul, which had just evolved into Taotie, was able to devour Di Tian's power as a demigod.

At the same time, Dai Yueyan was horrified to discover that his soul power was slowly and continuously draining away, as if countless invisible straws were constantly drawing his power through his battle armor and soul power shield.

This is what makes Bai Yuan so terrifying. If you can't defeat him instantly and fall into his Devouring Domain, you will be continuously weakened and consumed until your soul power is exhausted and you are defeated.

He has almost no weaknesses. With the nourishment of his martial soul and the cultivation of his own body's blood and qi secret techniques, his strength is even more formidable than his physical body after being enhanced by the Moon Flame Battle Armor.

Dai Yueyan gritted his teeth, knowing he couldn't delay any longer. His fifth spirit ring, his fourth spirit ring, and two ten-thousand-year spirit rings lit up one after another.

White Tiger Demon God Transformation!
His aura surged once more, and a massive phantom of a white tiger demon god appeared behind him, carrying a world-destroying momentum. Its claws came together, condensing into a terrifying light blade capable of tearing through space—the White Tiger Demon-Slaying Strike!

This is Dai Yueyan's strongest single-target attack soul skill. Combined with his battle armor and Demon God Transformation, its power is enough to threaten a Soul Saint.

"Break!" Dai Yueyan roared, slashing the light blade fiercely at Bai Yuan.

Faced with this earth-shattering blow, a hint of seriousness finally flashed in Bai Yuan's eyes.

He still didn't unleash his Martial Soul True Form, but merely stepped back slightly with his right foot, lowered his waist, and clenched his right fist. The power of the Abyss surged within his bloodline, and the power of the Devouring Domain was instantly concentrated at his fist.

"boom!!!"

Fist and light blade collided fiercely!
There was no energy explosion as expected. The light blade, which was powerful enough to destroy everything, seemed to have met its nemesis the moment it made contact with Bai Yuan's fist.

The violent energy was frantically devoured and decomposed by the deep darkness on the fist. Bai Yuan's body only swayed slightly, and the arena ground beneath his feet remained intact, including the power itself, all of which was absorbed by the compressed devouring domain!

Dai Yueyan felt as if his full-force attack had struck an abyss, his power being drained away and his martial soul briefly losing control. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes as he decisively severed the connection between his soul power and soul ring. The recoil caused his blood to surge, and he staggered back several steps, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Sit down!

Dai Yueyan's face turned deathly pale as he looked at the still calm figure in the center of the domain, a sense of powerlessness welling up inside him.

The opponent hadn't even fully unleashed his martial spirit; he withstood his strongest attack solely with his domain and physical body.

The skillful use and precise control of the power of absorption made Dai Yueyan feel as if he were facing a Title Douluo.

Bai Yuan slowly withdrew his fist, the Devouring Domain still enveloping Dai Yueyan. Dai Yueyan could clearly feel his soul power rapidly draining away like a flood, his body growing heavier and heavier.

"How much force did you use?" Dai Yueyan asked unwillingly, his voice slightly hoarse.

Bai Yuan glanced at him, remained silent for a moment, and said calmly, "About... seven or eight points."

Dai Yueyan is not weak, but he has encountered Bai Yuan, who is not using his battle armor and soul skills, which is almost forcing him to use his full strength.

Dai Yueyan's body trembled violently, then a bitter, self-deprecating smile appeared on his face. Seven or eight tenths of his strength... He had exerted all his strength, even using his battle armor and strongest soul skill, but in the opponent's eyes, he was only worth seven or eight tenths of his strength?

Moreover, he didn't believe Bai Yuan wouldn't be without battle armor; the difference was like an insurmountable chasm.

He knew he had lost, utterly and decisively, without a doubt. Continuing to fight would only bring him further humiliation.

"I... lost." Dai Yueyan uttered the three words with difficulty, his voice not loud, but clearly carried throughout the entire arena.

As a prince, he shouldn't have admitted defeat, but his soul power was almost completely devoured, and he simply didn't have the strength to continue fighting. His soul power couldn't support the battle armor, so he spontaneously dispelled the armor's attachment. He stood there, pale-faced, his eyes filled with loss and confusion.

The referee immediately signaled for the treatment team to come to the stage and announced: "The winner of the first match of the quarterfinals is Shrek Academy, Bai Yuan."

The entire audience erupted in uproar. Although they knew Bai Yuan was very strong, no one expected that Dai Yueyan, the Tiger King of Monster Academy and the fourth prince of the Star Luo Empire, would be defeated so quickly and so thoroughly!
Completely suppressed and unable to even force out the opponent's martial soul, Shrek Academy's strength once again refreshed everyone's understanding.

Below the stage, Dai Yun'er clenched her small fists nervously. Seeing her fourth brother defeated so easily, she was extremely anxious, and her eyes reddened.

She instinctively looked at Long Yue, who was sitting not far away. In the past, when she encountered this situation, her first thought was to ask the powerful Brother Long to help her teach a lesson to those who bullied her or those close to her.

“Brother Long…” Dai Yun’er subconsciously wanted to ask for help, hoping that Long Yue would avenge her fourth brother. But she stopped abruptly when she saw Long Yue’s current state.

Although Long Yue was sitting there, his body was taut like a fully drawn bowstring, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force.

His resolute face was expressionless, but his eyes were fixed on Bai Yuan, who was calmly leaving the stage, with a near-mad flame burning deep within them.

It was a flame mixed with resentment, humiliation, and an even stronger fighting spirit. He had just suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Bo Xi, and now he had witnessed Dai Yueyan being so thoroughly crushed by Bai Yuan of Shrek Academy... This was a double blow to the proud Dragon King.

Dai Yun'er's heart clenched. She knew that Brother Long must be feeling terrible right now. He had stood up for her and been defeated by Bo Xi, who was much stronger than him, and his pride had been severely damaged.

If we ask him to avenge our fourth brother now... wouldn't that be rubbing salt into his wounds? Wouldn't it make him feel like we only see him as a henchman?
Although Dai Yun'er was spoiled, she wasn't entirely oblivious to people's feelings. She hesitated, and the words of help stuck in her throat, unspoken.

She could only watch with worry as Dai Yueyan walked off the stage in a daze, and then look at Long Yue, who was suppressing his violent aura. Her heart was filled with complicated emotions.

The powerful shadow of Shrek Academy loomed over the hearts of the younger generation of the Star Luo Empire, like a heavy dark cloud.

(End of this chapter)