Tang Yin arrived at the betting station quietly and placed 20,000 gold coins on the Shrek Seven Monsters—despite the overwhelming 10-to-1 odds stacked against them.
The betting agent gave him a strange look. "You're sure about this? Not many are backing them."
Tang Yin simply nodded. "I'm sure."
The odds made sense, at least on paper. Shrek's team consisted of four Soul Elders and three Soul Grandmasters. Their opponents? Seven full-fledged Soul Ancestors. No contest—according to the clueless crowd.
...
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer's voice boomed, electric with anticipation. "Please welcome... the Shrek Seven Monsters to the stage for today's team battle!"
As Tang Yin and the others strode confidently onto the platform, a wave of mocking laughter and jeers greeted them.
"Bunch of brats! Hahaha! I'm all in on the Fiend Team! Die for this grandpa!" someone shouted, slapping their thigh with glee.
A more repulsive voice chimed in, "Hey hey, such poor little girls… Come to uncle, I'll take real good care of you!"
Tang Yin frowned, the urge to act violently flickering in his eyes. A dark thought bubbled up—just a flicker of rage—but he shoved it aside with a deep breath.
'Calm down, Tang Yin. You're not invincible yet. If you recklessly kill right now, it'll just complicate things later.'
But in his mind, he quietly made a promise. 'I'll make sure that guy can't speak for the rest of his life—after the match.'
The announcer raised his hand. "Facing the Shrek Seven Monsters... the bloodthirsty, undefeated *Fiend Battle Team!!"
A feral roar erupted from the opposing team as seven savage-looking figures stepped out, snarling and howling like beasts. Their killing intent could be felt like a heatwave.
"Ready…"
As both teams released their soul rings, the arena exploded in brilliant color and blinding light. The display was dazzling—white, yellow, purple soul rings pulsed across the stage like a storm.
"And now! Let the double soul battle… BEGIN!!"
The moment the bell echoed, Tang Yin struck first activating his Third Soul ring.
"Soul Devouring Prison!!"
With a flash of crimson, a blood-red cage emerged instantly from the ground, trapping the entire Fiend Team in a pulsating, vicious prison.
"AHH!! What is this?!"
"Is that… a millennium soul ring?!"
The Fiend Team clawed and struck at the bars, but it was hopeless—they couldn't even scratch them, let alone escape.
"Now!" Tang Yin roared. "Fire!!"
The Shrek team raised their Godly Zhuge crossbows and pulled the trigger.
The result was… horrifying.
A split second later, grotesque screams filled the air as a rain of bolts turned the Fiend Team into human pincushions. Organs splattered. One unfortunate soul was riddled with more than sixteen holes, blood spraying like a fountain. The entire arena went silent.
You could hear a pin drop. Somewhere in the back, someone audibly gulped.
Zhuqing, Rongrong, and Yiran turned green, their faces pale as paper. Oscar and Fatty looked like they were about to puke. Only Tang San and Tang Yin remained still, unfazed.
Tang Yin had expected to feel guilt, even nausea. But all he felt… was nothing.
The host snapped out of his shock, voice trembling. "T-The winners are… the Shrek Seven Monsters!!"
The silence shattered.
"What the hell?!"
"They're DEAD?!"
"They didn't even get to move!"
Tang Yin helped the girls off the stage and supported them back to their waiting room. As soon as they arrived, the girls rushed to the trash bin and vomited.
Tang Yin gently patted their backs, offering quiet comfort.
"You don't have to feel sorry for them," he said softly. "They were scum—murderers and scavengers. You did the world a favor."
Zhao Wuji nodded solemnly. "Tang Yin's right. You've done a righteous deed today. Don't shoulder unnecessary guilt."
He subtly glanced towards Yu Xiaogang and added sarcasticly "This world isn't fair. It won't give you mercy… and it won't spare the weak."
"Only strength reigns supreme. So strengthen your resolve and become a powerhouse to gain a firm foothold in soul master world." Flender stated earnestly.
Their words, calm and steady, helped the group slowly come to terms with what had happened. Reality was harsh, but the lesson was clear: sometimes, taking a life was the only way to protect your own.
Flender and Zhao Wuji watched from the sidelines, a rare expression of relief on their faces. Their students were adapting.
Tang yin quietly left their venue and followed the telepathic trace outside.
The night air outside the arena was cool, but Tang Yin's eyes were colder.
He followed a thread of telepathic energy, a mark he had left on the one man who dared to sneer at his women… and drool over them like a beast.
The mark led him behind the arena, where the man paced angrily, muttering to himself. Still furious from the loss, too blinded to notice the shadow creeping ever closer.
Tang Yin narrowed his eyes. Time for Action.
A gentle nudge of his mental energy bent the man's thoughts, guiding him like a puppet toward the dim restrooms nearby. The man obeyed, never realizing his own feet weren't moving of their own will.
Inside, it was silent—just the low hum of flickering lights and dripping pipes.
That's when Tang Yin struck.
One hand wrapped around the man's throat like a vice, slamming him into the wall with terrifying force. Panic flared in the man's eyes, hands clawing helplessly at Tang Yin's grip.
But Tang Yin's face remained calm—utterly unreadable.
No threats. No speeches.
Just pressure.
The man struggled… gasped… then went still from suffocation.
Tang Yin let the body slump to the floor, then turned and vanished—leaving only a limp lifeless body.
Later, Tang Yin casually strolled back to the betting booth and collected his earnings—200,000 gold coins—with a grin, clearly in a good mood, before rejoining the others at their hotel.
The Next Morning
The sun rose over the horizon as Shrek's teachers and students packed up once more, resuming their journey toward Tian Duo Academy.
The road ahead was still long.
A week later…
Flender squinted at the map in his hand, eyebrows furrowed.
"This is… Tian Dou Imperial Academy?" he muttered, the disbelief clear in his voice.
The paper crinkled as he turned it sideways, then upside down.
Tang yin took a step forward, staring at the map "The map left by senior Qin Ming should be accurate. This is the place."
"It looks more like a royal palace than an academy," Zhao Wuji said, arms crossed. "Guess nobility really likes to flaunt."