The morning after the round of sixteen had ended, gentle dawn light crept across the sky as the sun slowly rose above the horizon.

Soft rays of light bathed the earth, draping all of Haiyuan City in a golden glow.

The sea breeze rustled lightly, carrying strands of moist air.

After these days of competition, apart from Robin, the other members of St. Freya Academy's team had more or less won some support and affection from the audience.

After all, the members of St. Freya Academy were all handsome men and beautiful women with outstanding looks, naturally attracting audience favor.

Indeed, humans are mostly visual creatures—beautiful things always more easily catch the eye.

And so, as soon as Lu Jingming and his teammates set foot on the Eye of Abyss competition field, a wave of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the stands.

The cheers surged like a stormy tide, one wave after another as if they might overturn the entire arena.

Of course, when the Star Luo Royal Academy team took the stage in their golden uniforms, they drew a thunderous cheer of their own.

After all, this was Star Luo Empire's home turf, and Star Luo Royal Academy's supporters were numerous as well.

The format for the quarterfinals remained the same as the previous round: first a team battle, followed by individual elimination matches.

As time passed, the sky grew brighter. Today's weather was exceptionally clear, the sky as blue and flawless as a jewel, uplifting everyone's spirits.

No one knew if this was due to Haiyuan City's soul tool climate control or simply a stroke of luck that brought such a beautiful, sunny day.

Soon, amid the audience's eager anticipation, the match finally began.

Lu Jingming led Robin, Firefly, Gu Yue, Castorice, March uth, Jinhsi, and the rest of the team onto the field.

Across from them, Xu Jiujiu had changed into a sharp, fitted outfit and strode confidently to the stage at the head of her team.

Compared to her usual noble and elegant image, she now exuded a touch of heroic spirit—a unique charm that made Lu Jingming's eyes light up.

Xu Jiujiu was not only the Star Luo princess but also the captain of the Star Luo Royal Academy team.

This was her first appearance in the tournament, and her very first match was against her lover, Lu Jingming.

The situation amused her, and as she looked at Lu Jingming, an unmistakable hint of provocation flickered in her eyes.

"Xiao Ming, Sister Jiujiu is provoking you!" March 7th said excitedly, sidling up to Lu Jingming with a mischievous grin as if she couldn't wait to see some drama.

"You're not going to go easy on her, are you? You've never shown mercy to us," Gu Yue said, giving Lu Jingming a sideways glance.

If Lu Jingming hesitated because of his relationship with Xu Jiujiu, Gu Yue would definitely have a serious talk with him.

After all, back when they trained in the simulated universe, Lu Jingming had never held back against her!

"It's a competition—it should look like one. No personal feelings, I won't go easy," Lu Jingming replied coolly.

This was, after all, a match. Even if he accidentally roughed up Jiujiu on the field, she surely wouldn't hold a grudge.

Besides, as Lu Jingming glanced again at the provocative glint in Xu Jiujiu's eyes, he thought: Since she's the one provoking me, she must be ready for a beating!

"St. Freya Academy, Star Luo Royal Academy, prepare for the team battle!" Dan Heng announced from the center of the stage, his voice steady.

The two teams quickly lined up facing each other, yet the atmosphere was unexpectedly calm and without animosity.

March 7th stood behind Lu Jingming, playfully winking at Xu Jiujiu, looking absolutely adorable.

Meanwhile, the members of the Star Luo Royal team glanced curiously between their princess and Lu Jingming, intrigued by the rumors of their relationship.

As Star Luo Academy's elite, they would all swear allegiance to the royal family upon graduation, so it was natural they'd heard bits about Xu Jiujiu and Lu Jingming.

"Both sides, fall back," Dan Heng said calmly.

Xu Jiujiu and Lu Jingming exchanged a glance before each led their teams back a hundred meters.

Unlike Xu Jiujiu, who retreated to the very back of her team, Lu Jingming, as always, stood tall at the very front, like an indomitable spear.

"The match begins!" At Dan Heng's command, his figure vanished from the platform.

Simultaneously, members of both teams released their martial souls and soul rings with blinding speed.

With a melodious song, Robin released her martial soul for the first time in the tournament and activated her soul skill.

In an instant, a pair of pure white wings unfurled behind her, shimmering gently in the sunlight like clouds.

At the same time, a glowing white halo appeared above her, radiating holy light.

Her first soul ring shone with bright purple, and as her song lingered in the air, Lu Jingming and his teammates were quietly encircled by a white aura.

Simultaneously, their previously steady soul power suddenly surged.

This was Robin's first soul skill—White Winged Melody, which temporarily enhanced the entire team's soul power level, providing a powerful boost.

Just as Robin displayed her martial soul and soul skill, a dragon's roar suddenly echoed.

Golden light flashed on Jinhsi's forehead, and a pair of small golden dragon horns slowly grew, beautiful and exquisite.

A faintly translucent platinum dragon appeared out of thin air, coiling protectively around Jinhsi, exuding a potent aura of light and the passage of time.

In Shrek Academy's rest area, Bei Bei's expression changed as he subconsciously clutched his chest, his face full of shock.

At that moment, he clearly felt his blood boiling like magma.

He frowned deeply and said gravely, "Such a powerful light attribute—stronger than my Radiant Holy Dragon!"

Hearing this, Ma Xiaotao's expression changed as well.

Others might not know, but she was well aware: Bei Bei was the great-grandson of Dragon God Douluo Mu En and inherited the mighty Radiant Holy Dragon bloodline.

The light power contained in the Radiant Holy Dragon was among the very best in the soul master world, second only to the legendary Ultimate Light.

Could it be that this young dragon girl, Jinhsi from St. Freya Academy, actually possessed an Ultimate Light attribute?

Ma Xiaotao bit her lip, feeling uneasy. In her experience, ultimate-attribute soul masters were exceedingly rare. How could one just appear out of nowhere?

Back on the stage, Xu Jiujiu was not to be outdone. She released her martial soul.

A dazzling golden light flared from her forehead, as brilliant as a star.

Next, a golden rhombus-shaped gem slowly emerged from her forehead, shining with brilliant light.

The gem detached and floated upward, encircled by dreamy golden light as a magnificent crown quietly formed above her head.

The crown, seemingly composed of countless twinkling stars, each emitting a soft golden glow, centered on the rhombus gem and stretched backward in a flawless arc.

Eighteen large stars protruded upward, arranged in a beautiful ring, exuding a noble and elegant aura.

This was the Star Crown—Xu Jiujiu's martial soul and the Star Crown Clan's legacy soul.

Though an auxiliary-type martial soul, the Star Crown was as powerful as the famed Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, with even fewer shortcomings.

Its only real limitation was that it could only absorb starlight for cultivation at night.

The Star Crown, in this generation, had only three inheritors—rarer than the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

At this moment, two yellow, two purple, and one black soul rings appeared on Xu Jiujiu—she was a powerful Soul King at level 59, just one step from breaking through to Soul Emperor.

After Xu Jiujiu, the other Star Luo Royal team members released their martial souls:

Huang Heyun, vice-captain, had the Dark Demon Tiger martial soul, a level 57 power attack Soul King exuding a dark aura.

Yi Chen, Fire Element martial soul, level 55 control-type Soul King.

Wang Shiying, Wind Element martial soul, level 54 control-type Soul King.

Chen Xiaojie, Lightning Falcon martial soul, level 56 agility attack-type Soul King.

Sheng Yi, Giant Winged Vulture martial soul, level 56 defense-type Soul King.

Dugu Shangshan, Nether Savage Lion martial soul, level 56 power attack Soul King.

The Star Luo lineup was luxurious—everyone was a Soul King, most high-level and powerful, even more formidable than Dou Ling Royal Academy.

As for Xu Jiujiu, if not for the slower cultivation speed of auxiliary-type martial souls and the Star Crown's reliance on nighttime starlight, she might already be a sub-twenty-year-old Soul Emperor.