Douluo Continent: I can nurture soul beasts and even perform super evolution.

Chapter 129 The Tournament Begins, the Conferred God Platform Appears

"You guys are here?"

Wang Yan rubbed his sleepy eyes and remained in the top-floor lounge. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Su Wen and Wang Dong'er return.

"Get some rest, you have a match tomorrow."

"oh oh……"

Wang Dong'er stuck out her tongue and pulled Su Wen into the room.

She closed the door, then let out a guilty sigh of relief, her fair face flushed with excitement, as if from something thrilling. Throughout the night, her eyes had been fixed on Su Wen; the young master of the Cheng family was merely a tool to facilitate her relationship with Su Wen, ignored entirely. Sigh, was he dead? It seemed so…

She only knew one thing: Su Wen did it all for her.

A woman's anger can drive a man to despair, and even an older, seasoned woman with experience in love cannot resist such temptation, let alone a naive young woman like Wang Dong'er.

"Huh? What's Teacher Wang Yan's reaction...?"

Wang Dong'er calmed herself down and reacted somewhat slowly.

"Very ordinary?"

Su Wen smiled.

“Yes… when he saw me dressed like this, he should have been dumbfounded and asked who I was and where Wang Dong went.” Wang Dong’er counted on her fingers, her light blue eyes glazed over as she spoke.

"The Goddess of Light Butterfly Martial Soul can only be possessed by women, as recorded in the Shrek Academy's ancient texts," Su Wen said calmly.

But this made Wang Dong'er freeze.

She stared blankly at Su Wen: "You mean... the whole academy knows I'm a girl?!"

"Not really. Anyway, all the teachers in the inner academy know about it. It's not surprising that Teacher Wang Yan, who is focused on research, knows about it. As for the students, they don't know." Su Wen yawned.

Take off your clothes, turn off the lights, and get into bed.

He glanced at the girl who was still standing there, stunned by the overwhelming amount of information, unable to process what she was seeing.

"uh-huh?"

"Shall we cultivate tonight?" Wang Dong'er asked hesitantly, biting her lip.

"No, let me hug them for a while. I'll have the strength to take them down tomorrow."

Su Wen grabbed the girl's slender, soft waist as she sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into the covers amidst a suppressed gasp.

"Well……"

"Good night."

……

"Your Majesty! My grandson is gone! My own grandson!"

Star Luo Palace.

Cheng Gang's heartbroken voice rang out, and the surrounding waiters trembled.

"How dare you mention your grandson!" Xu Jiawei gritted his teeth, pointing at Cheng Gang's nose and cursing, "Do you know how much trouble that beast has caused me?! He got away so easily, but what about me?!"

"You've been in seclusion for years, but surely that hasn't made you stupid! You don't know what Shrek Academy is?!"

“I… but my grandson…” Cheng Gang knelt on the ground, opening his mouth.

"You still have the mind to worry about your grandson! Cheng Gang, you're a martial arts fanatic, and I'll pretend you're a fool for now, but right now, you should think about how you're going to explain yourself to Shrek Academy!"

Xu Jiawei gritted his teeth and said.

"Don't force me to tie you up and hand you over to Shrek Academy!"

"Your Majesty?!" Cheng Gang was completely bewildered.

"Our Star Luo Empire, are we afraid of Shrek Academy? That Soul King leading the team right now, I could crush him with a single finger. Is it really necessary?"

"Heh, heh..." Xu Jiawei was so angry he laughed.

"Okay."

He looked intently at Cheng Gang.

"Then don't accuse me of being heartless. If Shrek Academy sends people to cause trouble, I won't plead for you. Alright, get out of here."

"Me." Cheng Gang's expression was conflicted.

"roll!!!"

A powerful aura surged from Xu Jiawei's body, momentarily overwhelming Cheng Gang and making it difficult for him to breathe. The imperial presence caused the surrounding servants to kneel on the ground, trembling in fear.

"You actually..." Cheng Gang swallowed hard, a look of shock flashing in his eyes, before he hurriedly headed out of the hall.

Once the figure disappeared.

The spacious hall finally quieted down.

Xu Jiawei waved his sleeve and leisurely sat on the throne.

"Jiujiu, what do you think?"

"If we can protect him, let's protect him. It's not easy for the Empire to cultivate a Title Douluo, but the trouble he's caused is probably hard to protect... My brother always says he's a martial arts fanatic, but he's very clever. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so hesitant just now. He was just testing your bottom line, trying to salvage some losses through the Star Luo Empire." A beautiful figure stepped out from behind.

It was indeed a long time ago.

"Hahaha, you're so perceptive," Xu Jiawei laughed heartily.

"As you say."

The emperor nodded slightly.

The Star Luo Empire's power structure is as intricate and intertwined as a spider web. The previous emperors left it a mess, having such excellent soul guide resources (on the border with the Sun Moon Empire) but failing to develop them. The noble forces, the military forces, and some domestic clans and sects have stirred up a mess in the Star Luo Empire.

He was an ambitious emperor with amazing talent, and he was committed to making some reforms, but unfortunately, he touched the interests of the nobility, who even organized to resist him.

Fortunately, he inherited the offerings of the Star Luo royal family and cultivated several of his own subordinates, which enabled him to suppress the nobles of the entire empire. Cheng Gang was one of the subordinates he built up by throwing resources at the system after he ascended the throne.

He would really be heartbroken if Shrek really killed him.

However, as the ruler of a country, while stabilizing the internal situation, he also needs external support. Shrek Academy is the key player and the Star Luo Empire's most solid and reliable ally should the Sun Moon Empire launch a continental war in the future.

He also intended to use this competition as an opportunity to build good relationships.

But that little beast ruined everything!

“By the way, Jiu Jiu, that 100,000-year-old soul beast embryo…” Xu Jiawei’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"We've already bought it. That ninth-level Soul Master from the Sun Moon Empire only offered 30 million gold soul coins. It's a steal, bro! But his only condition is that it can't be auctioned off; we can only use it ourselves."

Mentioning this, Xu Jiujiu's eyes lit up.

"Hmph, it seems that the Sun Moon Empire is not a monolithic entity after all."

Xu Jiawei curled the corners of his mouth.

Clearly, the reason this 100,000-year-old soul beast embryo ended up in their hands was simply because the ninth-level soul master took it back and wanted to auction it off within the Sun Moon Empire, where it was "snatched" away at a lower price by other stronger individuals. Everyone understands the principle that possessing a treasure is a crime, but even a ninth-level soul master couldn't protect his own treasure...

All I can say is that the Sun and Moon Empire is truly ruthless.

Jing Hongchen has absolute power to control everything.

"Brother, should we still hold the auction?" Xu Jiujiu asked worriedly.

“Of course it will be auctioned.” Xu Jiawei grinned. “The fact that the Conferred God Platform has appeared so openly in the auction house of the Star Luo Imperial Capital is enough to disgust Master Mingde Hall, not to mention my plans afterward… This 100,000-year-old soul beast embryo is the bait.”

"Ok!"

"However, that Su Wen... is truly a prodigy," Xu Jiawei remarked.

"To be able to break into the Cheng family with the strength of a Soul Master, and escape as easily as a dragon playing in water, with no one able to stop him, he truly deserves to be the next generation's successor of the Sea God Pavilion."

"Yes," Xu Jiujiu murmured with emotion.

"How about I betroth you to him? Let him become the son-in-law of my Star Luo Empire, and maybe this matter will be dropped." Xu Jiawei looked at the girl with a smile. She was also an exceptionally beautiful woman with royal bearing. With the added advantage of her princess status, few men would be able to refuse her.

"Brother~"

Xu Jiujiu said helplessly.

"Alright, haha, this competition is also a time for you young people to get to know each other better. Why not deepen your friendships? Even if you don't end up together in the future, you'll still have a bond, right?" Xu Jiawei said cheerfully.

“Yes…” Xu Jiujiu nodded shyly.

Even princesses have their moments of infatuation, especially at this age, when they encounter someone who will change their lives forever. This man, upon first entering the pool, displayed the spirit of a true dragon, a figure who stands alone throughout human history. Meeting such a man is both lucky and unlucky.

……

"So...you're a girl?!" Ma Xiaotao stared wide-eyed at Wang Dong'er.

The latter nodded shyly.

“Your real name should be… Wang Dong’er?!” Ma Xiaotao’s face twitched.

Wang Dong'er nodded again.

Good grief, they're not even pretending anymore! They're just raiding our base!
Ling Luochen, Ma Xiaotao, and even Jiang Nannan all looked at Wang Dong'er with a hint of hostility.

Who can defend against that!

No wonder she sneaked in at the last gathering at Jiang's mother's house!
It turns out it was already...

Ma Xiaotao was heartbroken.

She had carefully cultivated the flower for many years, only to have it secretly picked by Wang Dong'er on the very first bite!
I should have struck first!
"Because we have the Martial Soul Fusion Technique, we cultivate together every night." Wang Dong'er shrank her neck, seemingly sensing the killing intent, and said cautiously.

“We slept together every night…” Ma Xiaotao felt even more heartbroken.

This is a treatment she didn't even receive.

"Ahem, well, how about we discuss the competition?" Wang Yan said slowly, noticing the awkward atmosphere.

"Who's in the first match?" Su Wenyi asked.

"Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy," Wang Yan said fluently, "I've checked. Their main team has five Soul Masters and two Soul Venerables, enough to rank them in the top ten of the Douling Empire Academy. However, with our strength, we can still win easily..."

“Then I alone am enough,” Su Wen said.

“Um…” Wang Yan frowned, “But you are our trump card. If you are exposed prematurely…”

“These few people alone are not enough for me to reveal my trump card,” Su Wen said softly, looking quietly at Wang Yan. “Right now, the team’s morale is low and there is suspicion from the outside world. We desperately need a victory that we can be proud of, don’t we, Teacher Wang Yan?”

"This... alright." Wang Yan gritted his teeth.

This is the knockout stage.

It concerns the reputation of the entire Shrek Academy.

If they were to be eliminated due to their own cleverness, that would be the biggest bombshell of the year. But if they won and made a big deal out of it... that would be a huge boost to Shrek's overall morale, and it would even make the outside world more wary of Shrek.

Don't underestimate this "fear".

In addition to the knockout stage, there are also round-robin and group stages. Unlike the former, where losing a game means elimination, these are based on points earned. So when facing strong teams, many teams that were expected to advance to the next round will back down and choose to concede defeat or send out their reserve team to make do.

After all, in the original story, the academy tournament was a real death affair. More than 20 people died in over 100 elimination matches, and countless others were injured. Competing against such a strong team was simply not worth the effort...

Favorites like the Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy, the original Shrek Academy, and even the Imperial Academy, are all entitled to enjoy this unspoken rule. Apart from playing a few knockout matches, they can basically just lie back and wait to enter the top 16.

However, in the original story, Huo Gua and his companions struggled to win because their disguise was exposed. Countless kids along the way were eager to crush Shrek Academy, which fueled their fighting spirit and made the battles even more difficult...

This is what hit Wang Yan's weak spot.

He had no impression of Su Wen's true strength, at most he had only heard about it secondhand, but if he could really single-handedly dominate the entire field, the road ahead would definitely be much easier.

"Alright, let's go..."

Su Wen waved his hand.

"Xiao Tao, take good care of your injury and don't run around."

As he passed by Ma Xiaotao, who was still sulking, he couldn't resist pinching the beauty's delicate cheek. Her bloodshot eyes widened in disbelief: "Who are you calling Xiaotao?!"

……

Xingluo Plaza.

As the side railings opened, crowds surged in like a tide, gradually filling the entire open area. Hundreds of thousands of people watched, and there were thousands of guards alone to maintain order, demonstrating the attraction of this grand event to the mainland.

It's supposed to be a rotation among the countries, but in reality, it's been completely exploited by the four countries.

After all, every major competition brings immense wealth.

The economy of the entire Star Luo Imperial Capital will see a significant boost, something that smaller countries naturally cannot enjoy.

In the early hours of the morning, the teachers from each team were called to draw lots.

Luckily, I didn't draw the Sun and Moon Empire in the first round, otherwise the game would have started with a decisive battle.

As the Shrek team arrived, countless eyes fell upon them.

Whether it was greed or contempt.

Yesterday's incident involving the Cheng family was barely over when Su Wen left, and several Title Douluos arrived shortly afterward. On Xu Jiawei's orders, they suppressed the matter, so apart from Princess Xu Jiujiu, very few academy teams knew about it.

In their eyes, Shrek Academy was like a sheep that had strayed into a pack of wolves.

It was so tempting that people were drooling over it.

Who wouldn't want to climb to the top by stepping on Shrek Academy?
There's no better opportunity than today...

Even a single step on it would be enough for the academy to promote itself for a lifetime.

"When will Elder Xuan arrive?" Bei Bei asked in a low voice, her back already soaked with sweat, under the gazes of the crowd.

"today."

Su Wen said with a smile.

He was ranked first and received the most attention.

But nothing happened.

This confidence stems from their own strength, as well as from Shrek Academy.

His gaze drifted towards the city wall, where Xu Jiawei and a group of ministers were sitting, their presence barely visible.

Put on a smile.

When Xuanzi arrives, Cheng Gang will surely die!
Let's use his first victory to commemorate this guy's life.

(End of this chapter)