Legend of the Dragon King: I really didn't mean to provoke them!

The opening ceremony proceeded as usual with some encouraging words and ended quickly. Next, the draw was held according to the different participation methods.

Tang Wulin looked around and found that they were indeed the youngest contestants.

In the center of the stadium, a high platform is being erected at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Huh?" Tang Wulin tugged at Xie Xie's sleeve and asked curiously, "Xie Xie, what's that platform for?"

Xie Xie said, "There will be a performance later, with Shrek Academy students facing off against the champions of the previous Tianhai Alliance Grand Tournament's seven-person team competition. To put it simply, it's a showcase of strength."

Tang Wulin was startled, "There are students from Shrek Academy too?"

Gu Yue disagreed, saying, "If the difference in strength is too great, it will not have a stimulating effect. An absolute difference in strength will only make people feel frustrated."

Xu Xiaoyan nodded, "But I think the league definitely has its own way of solving this."

"I'm so hungry, does anyone have anything to eat?"

As they were talking, a voice suddenly came from beside them.

Tang Wulin turned his head and saw a chubby boy running around in the crowd, asking passersby with a longing look on his face.

Xie Xie also noticed the chubby boy, who was none other than Xu Lizhi, one of the future Shrek Seven Devils.

He felt that this character was just so-so, and even, to put it bluntly, because of this character's personality, he felt that he was not a good match for Ye Xinglan.

"Hey, the third foodie!" Xu Xiaoyan said subconsciously.

Xie Xie leaned over to Xu Xiaoyan and pouted, "Xiaoyan, you can't say that. I didn't eat as much as Tang Wulin."

Xu Xiaoyan chuckled and playfully stuck out her tongue.

Tang Wulin and Xu Lizhi were already chatting happily. The two foodies got together and got along exceptionally well.

"Little foodie, what are you doing here? The competition is about to start."

A melodious yet somewhat cold voice rang out, causing Xu Lizhi to straighten up and turn his head stiffly. He saw a young girl walking towards them.

The girl looked to be about the same age as them. Standing there, she resembled a cluster of newly sprouted willow branches, clean and neat.

Her light golden hair was tied up high with a matching bow, and a few stray strands fell across her forehead, making her bright green eyes look exceptionally clear, like lake water in early spring.

She wore a green and white outfit, the fitted waist highlighting her sleek lines, and the gold trim on the cuffs and hem swayed gently with her movements.

The girl stared at Xu Lizhi with a stern face and an icy expression.

Upon seeing her, Xu Lizhi acted like a mouse seeing a cat, obediently saying, "Sister Xinglan, I was wrong, but I'm so hungry! You see, if I don't eat my fill, I won't have any energy, right?"

The newcomer was none other than Ye Xinglan, yet another future member of the Shrek Seven Devils.

"Let's go." Ye Xinglan waved to him.

She glanced at Tang Wulin, who was eating dried fish with her, and said with some disdain, "Don't eat just anyone's food. Don't you know there are a lot of bad people in this world?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Xie stepped forward and pulled Tang Wulin behind him.

His previously somewhat nonchalant gaze suddenly turned cold, and his soul power erupted without warning. The oppressive aura of a level 28 Great Soul Master pressed down on Ye Xinglan, who was opposite him.

The surrounding air seemed to be suddenly gripped by an invisible hand, and the originally noisy voices were all halved under this pressure.

Ye Xinglan was startled, a hint of surprise flashing in her emerald green eyes.

She clearly hadn't expected to encounter someone outside Shrek Academy whose soul power was on par with hers.

But her inherent pride wouldn't allow her to show weakness, and the next second, an aura even stronger than Xie Xie's surged from her—

The soul power of a level 29, powerful attack-type Soul Master at its peak, carrying the unique sharpness of the Star God Sword, fiercely met the attack like a drawn sword.

"boom--"

The two soul forces collided violently in mid-air, creating an invisible shockwave that made the hems of their clothes flutter and even caused the colorful flags planted in the stands not far away to sway violently.

The surrounding contestants all turned their heads, curiously looking at the two teenagers who were on the verge of exchanging blows.

Xie Xie remained motionless, his eyes growing colder: "Before criticizing others, you should first improve yourself and raise your basic manners."

Ye Xinglan's expression also darkened. Her light golden hair was slightly disheveled by the air currents, and her sharp aura intensified.

"What business is it of yours how I discipline my people?"

"Just because Tang Wulin is my man."

Xie Xie didn't give an inch, taking another half step forward, instantly closing the distance between them, to the point where they could almost feel the soul power fluctuations emanating from each other.

"Also, stop acting all high and mighty. Nobody buys that."

"Sister Xinglan! Stop hitting her! Stop hitting her!"

Xu Lizhi turned pale with fright and hurriedly squeezed between the two, spreading his arms to block them from the left and right.

"It's all a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! Sister Xinglan, don't be angry, and my friend, please calm down. The lottery is about to start, and if you fight here, you'll be disqualified!"

A hint of joy flashed in Tang Wulin's eyes. He grabbed Xie Xie's arm and whispered, "Xie Xie, let it go. She's just worried about Li Zhi."

Xu Xiaoyan hid behind Gu Yue, peeking out with her little head, nervously clutching the hem of Gu Yue's clothes, not daring to breathe.

Gu Yue remained calm and composed, her gaze sweeping indifferently over the two people facing off.

The confrontation between the two soul forces grew increasingly intense, attracting more and more contestants to gather around. The murmurs and noise soon drew the attention of federal staff maintaining order at the stadium.

Several staff members in uniforms, with serious expressions, walked quickly toward this side.

Their eyes were fixed on Xie Xie and Ye Xinglan, and they were about to step forward to stop the two from fighting.

If someone is found to have instigated a disturbance before the competition, they will be warned in public at best, and disqualified from the competition at worst, thus wasting their hard-earned opportunity to compete.

But Xie Xie wasn't afraid; a hint of provocation appeared in his eyes as he looked at Ye Xingnan.

Not only does he have Old Deng to back him up, but his performance in the final competition after this storyline ended was also mediocre, so he's guaranteed to get a one-for-one trade.

Chapter 116 Feud

Ye Xinglan caught a glimpse of the approaching staff out of the corner of her eye. No matter how much anger she was suppressing, she knew that she absolutely could not actually make a move now.

No matter how proud she is, she would never risk her qualification to compete against others out of spite.

She forcefully suppressed the restless soul power surging within her body, and the sharp and intimidating pressure slowly receded. Her emerald green eyes stared intently at Xie Xie in front of her, a deep chill churning within them.

She didn't say another harsh word in the argument, but her tone was as cold as ice as she gritted her teeth and said in a deep voice, "Fine, I won't make a scene here with you."

"But you just wait, this isn't over yet."

After uttering these harsh words, Ye Xinglan glared fiercely at Xie Xie, grabbed Xu Lizhi who was still frantically trying to mediate, and turned to leave without looking back.

Soon, she led Xu Lizhi away and blended into the crowd of participating teams not far away.

Only after Ye Xinglan's figure completely disappeared from sight did the tense atmosphere around them gradually dissipate.

Xie Xie watched her departing figure, and only then did the cold expression on his face slowly fade.

Shrek Academy's school spirit does produce some really good students, but their character is inversely proportional to their strength. They are all arrogant and conceited.

Not only Ye Xinglan, but also Wu Siduo, Zheng Yiran, and Luo Guixing are like this.

Reasoning with these people won't work; you have to beat them up. Only when you beat them into submission will they listen to you properly.

"Thank you, Xie."

Tang Wulin grasped Xie Xie's hand, feeling the warmth of their palms touching, and smiled, "Never mind."

Xie Xie glanced at Tang Wulin with some puzzlement, only to find that there wasn't a trace of annoyance in the guy's eyes; on the contrary, he seemed even happier.

No, is this guy really that good-tempered?

At this moment, Xu Xiaoyan also emerged from behind Gu Yue.

She breathed a sigh of relief, patted her chest, and whispered, "That scared me to death. Luckily, a fight didn't break out. If the staff had really been watching us, we would have been in big trouble."

Gu Yue calmly withdrew her gaze, her expression remaining serene.

She merely glanced in the direction Ye Xinglan had left, and said softly in a calm tone:

"It's just a minor skirmish before the match; the true winner will be revealed on the field."

Just then, the broadcast sounded throughout the venue.

The gist of it is that they invited the Shrek Academy's seven junior teams to have a friendly sparring match with the Tianhai Alliance's seven youth team champions.

On the high platform, representing the Tianhai Alliance were the seven students from Tianhai Academy, the reigning youth group champions, all of whom were now over twenty years old.

On the other side of the platform, the Shrek team members also took to the field.

To the surprise of Tang Wulin and Xu Xiaoyan, the last two people to go on stage were Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi, who had just clashed with Xie Xie.

The two sides greeted each other on stage and then gave brief self-introductions.

Immediately afterwards, an elderly man with a deep and dignified aura stepped onto the stage and announced the start of the match.

The match ended about a minute later.

The seven players representing the Tianhai Alliance were all lying on the competition stage, instantly killed by the Shrek Academy team.

The entire room fell silent.

For a moment, the stadium, which could hold a full 80,000 people, fell completely silent.

The young man representing Shrek Academy bowed slightly in greeting, then led his team off the stage.

The leader of the youths possessed a typical Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex martial soul, and it seemed to have a soul bone enhancement as well. Even the soul rings on his body were most likely obtained through natural hunting.

This was the judgment Xu Xiaoyan made with a solemn expression.

"Nothing special," Gu Yue said indifferently.

Xie Xie also laughed and said, "Indeed, he's nothing special. When we reach his age, we'll only be stronger."

After saying that, the two looked at each other and gave each other a high five in unison.

Tang Wulin looked at the two of them in surprise.

What he saw was the undisguised confidence and pride in their eyes.

“Being stronger than them is nothing special.” A clear, cold voice rang out, attracting the attention of all four. They didn’t know when, but Wu Changkong had already arrived beside them.

Wu Changkong said, "They are just students from the outer academy of Shrek Academy."

This time, even Gu Yue showed a look of shock in his eyes.

"More noteworthy than that are the two youngest team members."

Wu Changkong continued, "Being able to represent Shrek Academy at this age proves that their talent is extraordinary, and they may even be pre-selected members of the inner academy."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Your strongest competitors in the future."

Upon hearing Wu Changkong's words, all three except Xie Xie, who knew the plot, were startled and didn't understand.

"Teacher Wu, why do we have to compete with them?" Xu Xiaoyan asked in surprise.

Wu Changkong said without any pretense, "Because my goal in training you is to hope that one day you can enter the inner court of Shrek Academy and continue to move towards the goal in your hearts."

Tang Wulin couldn't help but ask curiously, "Teacher Wu, didn't you enter the inner academy back then?"

A bitter smile appeared on Wu Changkong's lips.

"...I went in once, but I never graduated."

For some reason, a name suddenly popped into Tang Wulin's mind—the name engraved on the tombstone in the Tian Dou Cemetery.

Xie Xie stepped forward, took Wu Changkong's hand, placed it on his head, and said earnestly:

"Teacher Wu, I'm here."

Wu Changkong stared at him for a few seconds, casually brushed a few strands of messy hair aside with her fingertips, and softly hummed in agreement.

Both the individual and team competitions will be knockout rounds in each stage, and both competitions will take place tomorrow.

Wu Changkong didn't offer them any analysis or guidance; he simply told them to return to the hotel and prepare for the competition, and then he left.

Xie Xie did not meditate as usual this time, but instead lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

Last night he contacted the Dragon of Time and Space, and poured out his grievances to this ox-horse, saying he was too busy, simply too busy.

Because he now has more and more to learn, including but not limited to meditation, Tang Sect's secret techniques, sword skills, and knowledge and practice in mecha manufacturing, there is simply not enough time for him in normal times.