Douluo Continent: Starting with the Burning Blade, he was then entangled with Ma Xiaotao.

Chapter 79 The Reserve Team's First Battle

"The match begins!"

The atmosphere on the competition stage changed drastically at the referee's whistle.

"Brothers, activate your Martial Souls!" The captain of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy shouted, and all seven of them released their Martial Souls at the same time.

The spirit rings shone brightly, their aura formidable. Five four-ring Spirit Masters and two three-ring Spirit Venerables. This lineup would be considered above average in any major tournament.

Meanwhile, the seven students from Shrek Academy remained calm and composed, their soul power quietly surging.

The next instant, when their spirit rings truly appeared—"What?!"

"A Soul King this young?!"

"One Soul King—six Soul Masters?! That's impossible! How old are they?!"

Exclamations erupted like ripples in the audience. Beneath Jiang Nannan's feet, five spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and one black—slowly rotated, especially the deep black ten-thousand-year spirit ring, which was dazzlingly bright.

It's important to know that the primary requirement for participating in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament is that participants must be no older than twenty.

Reaching the Soul King level before the age of twenty is extremely rare, even if achieved through drugs, and Jiang Nannan is only fifteen or sixteen years old.

The six people behind her were all Soul Masters with four Soul Rings each.

"Wait a minute—those little girls' fourth spirit rings are actually black ten-thousand-year spirit rings!"

Four level four spirit rings that last for ten thousand years!

The audience was both surprised and puzzled; this defied all logic and even reminded them of the legendary God King Tang San from ten thousand years ago.

Even the Star Luo Emperor atop the city wall couldn't help but lean forward slightly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, as he sighed softly, "Shrek—it's still Shrek after all. They only accept monsters, not ordinary people."

This is the worst luck imaginable!

The captain of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy felt bitter inside, but the die was cast, and he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

He rallied his spirits and encouraged himself and his teammates, saying, "Don't panic, everyone. We're older than them, and we have more combat experience. The advantage is with us!"

"Captain, Captain—why don't we just surrender? At least we can return to the academy with some dignity." The vice-captain's voice trembled, and his legs shook slightly.

"Screw that! Follow me!" The captain steeled himself, his fourth spirit ring suddenly lit up, and he charged forward first, giving his men no chance to hesitate.

A great battle broke out instantly, and the two sides clashed.

Shrek's reserve team's offensive was fast, accurate, and ruthless, exceeding everyone's expectations.

Wang Dong's Goddess of Light Butterfly showered down countless blades of light, while Ning Tian's Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda flashed with brilliance, precisely amplifying his attributes.

Wu Feng moved like a ferocious beast, his fist, wreathed in crimson dragon flames, directly blasting through the defenses of a Soul Master. Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul-Suppressing Cauldron crashed down, blocking movement.

Jiang Nannan, the newly crowned Soul King, didn't even use her fifth Soul Skill. She relied solely on the connection of her first four Soul Skills and her terrifying close-combat soft skills to move like a tiger among sheep.

The seemingly solid formation of Tianling Academy was torn to shreds in just a few breaths.

The clash of soul skills was completely one-sided. Experience? It seemed pale and powerless in the face of absolute speed, power and the overwhelming quality of soul skills.

"We surrender!"

In less than five rounds, only the captain of Tianling Academy, whose soul power was exhausted and whose mouth was bleeding, was still standing.

He looked around at his teammates lying on the ground groaning, incapacitated for a short time, and then at the seven small monsters opposite him, whose breathing was steady as if they had just warmed up. A huge sense of humiliation and powerlessness welled up in his heart, and he finally squeezed out a bitter surrender through his teeth.

The first match ended abruptly at a speed that left all the spectators speechless.

Lin Feng, sitting in the audience, rubbed his temples, feeling somewhat emotional. He knew the effects of the immortal herb, but creating gods in such a large-scale manner, resulting in a generational power imbalance, was still a bit too exaggerated.

The rest of the match was a foregone conclusion; Shrek Academy swept through the competition with almost no resistance.

Lin Feng and the rest of the regular team had more free time. Apart from occasionally watching the matches of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy and studying potential opponents, they spent most of their time wandering around the various auction houses in Star Luo City.

Finding bargains can be quite addictive.

The biggest find Lin Feng made was a cursed engraving knife called the Spirit Devouring Knife, which was said to be over three thousand years old.

It is said that its last owner was a level nine Soul Master, and this thing itself is considered an antique.

Lin Feng hesitated for a long time before finally buying it, purely out of a strange intuition, because he had almost been attacked by the knife when he tried to probe it with his mind.

Moreover, the material of this carving knife is very special. Even the auction house itself can't explain it, and even a genius like He Caitou, who specializes in soul guidance, can't see any clues about it.

For Soul Masters, carving knives are their bread and butter, and a top-tier carving knife is a passport to higher levels.

As for the so-called curse, Lin Feng didn't care at all, planning to temper it later, or melt it down and reforge it.

Time flies, and it's another day of slacking off.

Inside the room, Ma Xiaotao and Lin Feng had just finished reviewing the recent matches.

"Sister Tao, there's a top-tier auction tomorrow night. I heard there are a lot of good stuff. Would you like to go check it out?" Lin Feng asked.

"A top-tier auction?" Ma Xiaotao's eyes lit up. "Maybe they'll have some rare whale glue or something! Wow!"

"Okay, this time it's on me," Lin Feng readily agreed.

"Where did you get so much money? Don't try to be tough, I—I still have some dowry of my own." Ma Xiaotao was a little curious, but also afraid of making things difficult for him.

"Don't worry, the money is legitimate, and it's enough." Lin Feng smiled and didn't say anything more.

This money naturally came from the pills that Tovina refined. Nearly three hundred thousand-year-old medicinal herbs were already a huge fortune, but after being transformed into high-grade pills by Tovina, a master alchemist, their value increased many times over.

On the night of the auction, the venue was brightly lit and teeming with people.

As soon as Lin Feng and Ma Xiaotao entered the hall, he glanced around and spotted several familiar figures in the crowd: Long Aotian, Vina, and an old man wearing a bamboo hat whose face was obscured, but whose figure was exceptionally robust and whose aura was as deep and profound as a bottomless pit.

Lin Feng recognized him at a glance; it was Elder Jinpeng, the Golden Body Douluo of the Body Sect. His martial soul was his own torso, and his cultivation level was as high as level ninety-six. Within the Body Sect, his status was second only to the sect master, Du Busi.

"Sister Xiaotao, you go and meet up with Teacher Wang and the others first. I'm going to catch up with some old friends," Lin Feng said in a low voice to Ma Xiaotao beside him.

"Okay, then hurry up and come over when you're done." Ma Xiaotao decisively let go of his hand and turned to walk towards the Shrek Academy's private room.

Lin Feng straightened his clothes, quickly walked through the crowd, and headed towards Jin Peng and the other two.

"Junior Brother?" Vina saw him first, and her face lit up with surprise.

"Master Jin, senior brother, senior sister." Lin Feng walked up, cupped his hands in greeting, his attitude respectful yet familiar.

The entire Body Sect now highly regards him, especially after he gifted him the 100,000-year-old immortal herb that Poison Never Dies, and also gave Long Aotian and Vina two 10,000-year-old immortal herbs.

The expression on Jin Peng's face was obscured by his bamboo hat. He nodded slightly and spoke in a deep, resonant voice: "There are too many people around here, so it's not convenient to talk. We have a private room; let's go inside and talk."

"Okay, let's go then." Lin Feng nodded.

Then, they followed the three members of the Body Sect to the private room they had reserved.