She knew that only by attaining sword essence would she be able to stand alongside her friends on the pinnacle of this world, and only then would she be able to allow her repressed pride to fully flourish.

All of these repressed emotions erupted in this very instant. She hadn't donned her suit of battle armor as she wanted to better immerse herself in this experience, to push herself as close to the brink of death as possible.

Only after around 10 seconds had passed did the light begin to fade, and both sides were appraising the battle with tense expressions.

During that explosion, the protective barrier had been forced close to its absolute limit. One had to realize that this barrier had been designed with four-word battle armor Limit Douluos in mind! That was a clear testament to just how fearsome that explosion had been.

"Thump!" A body fell out of the sky and crashed heavily down onto the ground.

As the light faded, it was revealed that this was Luo Yuhang. However, he was currently in terrible condition.

His three-word battle armor was in tatters, and his body was riddled with countless wounds. His aura was extremely feeble, and if it weren't for the minute rise and fall of his chest, one could easily mistake him to be dead.

It was also at this moment that a ball of light descended from above. The ball of light was only just over a meter in diameter, and there seemed to be a figure curled up into a ball inside it, but it was impossible to see the figure clearly.

Everyone from both sides immediately rushed into the battle area.

As they did so, the first thing they sensed wasn't violent energy. Instead, it was a sense of purity, as if the battle area had been basked in the purest sunlight.

Tang Wulin and Xu Lizhi instantly rushed over to the ball of light, which had transformed into a cocoon that was solid to the touch.

Tang Wulin was just about to break the cocoon open, only to be stopped by Xu Lizhi, who unleashed his Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to draw the cocoon into his own grasp.

On the other side, Luo Yuhang's condition had improved slightly following some emergency treatment administered by the healing system Soul Masters of the Battle God Hall.

However, his eyes were currently filled with horror. There was no one in this world who didn't fear death, and this applied even to Hyper Douluos.

After ascertaining Luo Yuhang to be in stable condition, Guan Yue asked, "Who won?"

Luo Yuhang replied with a wry smile, "I don't know; I guess it was a tie. She withdrew her light at the last moment, and that's why we're both still alive. If she hadn't done that, we'd both be dead right now. That girl really is something else; this is the first time I've seen someone fight with such a suicidal style."

Guan Yue heaved a resigned sigh in response. "Shrek Academy has always accepted only monsters; there's not much you can do but accept your bad luck here."

The Battle Gods vacated the battle area, while the cocoon was carried back to the Shrek Academy camp before being placed on the ground. No one knew what condition Ye Xinglan was currently in, nor whether she was in any danger.

Tang Wulin turned to Xu Lizhi, and asked, "Should I take her back to my mother for treatment?"

Xu Lizhi shook his head in response. "Sister Xinglan told me that if she were to enter some type of special state, then just leave her be; this is a hurdle she must overcome. I'll stay here to protect her, so I won't go on with all of you any longer."

"Alright," Tang Wulin replied with a nod.

Back when Xu Lizhi's battle armor was only at the two-word level, its name had been Guardian Star, and he was fulfilling this promise right now.

Tang Wulin could see that he was very concerned, but he knew that there was nothing he could say to alleviate Xu Lizhi's worries. Ye Xinglan had chosen this path for a reason, and now, all everyone could do was hope that this would be a new beginning for her, rather than the end.

Yuanen Yehui took a long glance at the cocoon, and she didn't say anything, but her hands had clenched up into tight fists. Just as she was about to step forward, another figure stepped out ahead of her.

With his short golden hair, bright eyes, handsome features, and holy aura, it was Yue Zhengyu.

Yuanen Yehui wasn't the only one to have been affected by Ye Xinglan's battle. As Ye Xinglan was glowing brighter than she ever had, Yue Zhengyu felt as if a flame had been ignited in his heart.

One of the most powerful abilities of the Holy Angel clan was Sacrifice; a Holy Angel had to constantly be prepared to sacrifice themselves for the sake of others.

Yue Zhengyu had the courage to sacrifice himself for others, but he didn't possess the courage to risk his life for a breakthrough as Ye Xinglan did.

In that instant, he finally understood why he was unable to catch up to Ye Xinglan despite possessing a martial soul of a superior caliber; he simply wasn't dedicated enough.

Among Shrek’s Seven Monsters, it could be said that Ye Xinglan possessed one of the worst martial souls, yet she was always among the top three most powerful members.

Yue Zhengyu felt as if he had worked very hard and was extremely diligent in his cultivation, but having witnessed Ye Xinglan's stunning display, he finally understood what he was lacking: it was the determination and resolve to sacrifice everything.

As such, he had stepped forward. Through witnessing Ye Xinglan's breakthrough, he felt as if he had seen the catalyst for a breakthrough of his own.

For Soul Masters, it was often the case that an instant of enlightenment could change many things, and Yue Zhengyu seemed to have captured that instant of enlightenment.

An unprecedentedly determined look appeared in his eyes, and an aura of light rose up around him, illuminating his entire body.

This is our time! 

Yue Zhengyu strode into the protective barrier with purpose in his step. Just like Xie Xie, he was still yet to become a Titled Douluo, but he was already at rank 89 in soul power.

The residual aura of starlight in the protective barrier hadn't completely faded yet, so there was a massive abundance of light elements, and that was another factor that made him decide to step forward.

He cast his gaze toward the Battle Gods, and declared, "I want to challenge the seventh Battle God."

The seventh Battle God strode into the battle area, and in contrast with the Battle Gods before her, the seventh Battle God was a woman. She appeared to be in her forties and had a very imposing figure. She flexed her neck as she cast her gaze toward Yue Zhengyu with an aggressive look in her eyes.

The Battle God Hall had already suffered two losses and a tie; this was simply unacceptable. Did this mean that the Battle God Hall was inferior to Shrek Academy?

This had always been the case in the past, but this was no longer the Shrek Academy of old, and they were only facing the younger generation of the academy; surely they were superior.

At this point, the match had become a battle for dignity, and the Battle God Hall couldn't afford to lose anymore.

There was a rule in the Battle God Hall stipulating that challengers had the right to choose which Battle Gods they wanted to challenge as the Battle Gods had an inherent home-court advantage, but it seemed that this advantage didn't exist here.

In the beginning, all of the Battle Gods, including Guan Yue, reflexively underestimated their opponents because of how young they were. In their eyes, these young people would require more development before they could pose a substantial threat to the Battle God Hall.

However, the reality was that these young people were mature beyond their years and were far more powerful than the Battle Gods had imagined.

In a clash where both sides were equal in power, the side that was able to choose their opponents would undoubtedly have a very clear advantage. They could even match up their most powerful beings against the weakest opponents, thereby securing many guaranteed victories.

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