Long Yue hadn't fought a rival of his caliber in a long time. Although he didn't think Tang Wulin or his teammates could compete with him, at least they had proved themselves to be more worthy opponents than other competitors.
Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi’s match couldn’t have been easier. Xu Lizhi just stood on the edge of the stage, watching Ye Xinglan fight two opponents with ease.
Her sword techniques were unparalleled. Their match ended faster than that of Le Zhengyu and Xu Xiaoyan.
The same went for Xie Xie and Yuanen Yehui's fight, where they completely crushed their opponents.
All four pairs of the Shrek Academy had won their first two-on-two round-robin match, so they had naturally made their school more famous; they were even starting to appear in the headlines of various media in Star City.
…
Sitting at his table on a raised platform, Dai Tianling looked down with a smile at his children at their own tables. He was in a good mood today.
The heavy state affairs always left him with little time for other things. He loved his family, and one of his favorite things was eating with his children. Watching them growing up every day, he lamented that he was getting old, but at the same time he was filled with joy and happiness.
It was Dai Yueyan, the fourth prince, and Dai Yun’er, his daughter, who were having dinner with him today.
The expression on Dai Yueyan's face was calm and respectful, but Dai Yun'er didn't even try to hide her emotions and often pouted her red lips.
"Who made my little princess so angry?" Dai Tianling smiled.
Dai Yun'er didn't reply, stabbing the food in her bowl with her chopsticks.
"You are busy participating in the tournament these days, so the palace has been a little too quiet. I never thought I’d say this, but everyone, including me, seems to be missing your shenanigans. What do we do when you get married and leave us for good?"
"Father!" Dai Yun'er said, displeased. Her voice was like that of a spoiled child. Dai Tianling couldn't help laughing.
Even Dai Yueyan gave a small smile.
Dai Tianling was right. Dai Yun’er’s mischievous behavior always resulted in pandemonium in the palace, but Dai Tianling loved her too much to discipline her.
"What’s with the pouting face? Did you lose a match?" Dai Tianling asked.
Dai Yun'er shook her head. “No, but the students of the Shrek Academy didn’t lose a match either. Humph! Their luck will run out when they fight me.”
Dai Tianling had been following the news about the Shrek Academy. He turned to Dai Yueyan and asked, "Yueyan, what do you think of them?"
Dai Yueyan dared not act like a spoiled child like his little sister. "They’re not weak. That’s for sure, Father,” he answered hurriedly and respectfully. “Each of them has their own fighting style; their martial souls are strong. But in terms of power, there is still a certain gap between them and us. You can rest assured that we will spare no effort to defeat them as soon as possible."
Dai Tianling looked at his son solemnly. "Defeating them is not enough. I hear their average age is 15, and they defeated Su Mu, Hua Lantang, and Ye Zhi. You’re the Monster Eight Kings; how did you let that happen? If you don’t learn from your mistakes, you’re bound to repeat them.”
Dai Yueyan lowered his head, ashamed.
“Father, I'm also 15 years old, and I’m as strong as any of them, if not stronger,” Dai Yun’er put in. “I’ll teach Tang Wulin a lesson. Don’t worry yourself about such trifles, Father. Brother Long Yue could destroy them all by himself even if he were five years younger.”
"Don't be too proud,” said Dai Tianling. “Long Yue is indeed very talented though. I’m sure he’ll win the tournament, but it's just sometimes he can't control himself when he gets angry. Yueyan, you should remind him not to injure them too much. After all, they’re delegates from the Douluo continent."
"Yes, Father. I will," Dai Yueyan replied quickly.
“I asked someone to analyze Tang Wulin's abilities today,” Dai Tianling said.
Hearing this, Dai Yun'er’s face lit up, looking up at her father attentively.
Dai Tianling continued, "Tang Wulin's soul power should be around rank 43. However, his soul power is likely to be much more condensed than that of an ordinary soul master. He possesses strong attack and defensive power, and his body is incredibly strong. He won almost all of his matches with the help of his strong body.
"His golden rings are similar to soul rings but they are probably not real soul rings. According to the analysis, they’re most likely the power of his bloodline. Perhaps there’s a very strong bloodline inside his body. It's this bloodline that suppressed Hua Lantang today and contributed to his defeat.
“And be wary of his martial soul. It looks like some kind of vine, but our analysts have never seen anything like that. His vines are much stronger than normal vines; it’s probably a mutated martial soul, and it mutated because of his strange bloodline.
“It seems he doesn’t use his mutated martial soul very often, so there is a good chance that it’s his ace in the hole. Considering his age and cultivation level, it’s impossible for him to have a complete set of one-word battle armor, but he’s from the Shrek Academy, so he may have already possessed several pieces. Tell Long Yue not to underestimate him. The fact that they chose him as their captain speaks volumes about his power.”
Dai Yueyan nodded. “Yes, Father. Even Brother Long thinks very highly of him. But he still has a long way to go before he reaches Brother Long’s level.”
Dai Tianling inclined his head slightly. “Try to keep on Long Yue’s good side. It’s important. He’s very talented. I believe he’ll become a four-word battle armor master; he might even become the first demigod of the Monster Academy.”
Awe and yearning suddenly dawned on Dai Tianling’s two children’s faces.
Dai Tianling turned to his daughter. “Do you like teaming up with Long Yue?”
The princess rolled her eyes. “No! Our opponents were either too cowardly to face us or taken care of by Brother Long alone. I did nothing but watch. It’s so boring.”
“You’re complaining about a privilege that everyone wants but can’t get,” said Dai Yueyan.
Dai Yun’er stuck out her tongue at him. “Humph! Beat up Tang Wulin for me, or I won’t speak to you anymore.”
Dai Yueyan shook his head, while Dai Tianling smiled.
…
The Shrek Academy group got back to celebrate their victory by having a feast.
“Captain, slow down a bit! I haven’t even tried that dish yet!”
“Lizhi, you’ll never win, so quit stuffing your face like a pig…”
Tang Wulin found his appetite had grown even more gigantic after he broke the fifth seal. It was a good thing, only it was very costly. He found himself missing Mu Ye, or rather his nutritious food, which was exceedingly beneficial to his body. He had become much stronger during the time on the ship.
Since they were delegates, the food provided for them was quite good, but it couldn’t hold a candle to Mu Ye’s food. Where did Master Mu Ye go? Tang Wulin wondered. Hopefully he’ll get back soon. The training was harsh, but the rewards were great, and I got to eat amazing food.