Tang Wulin smiled. âThen I should be about half a year older than you. Whatâs your name?â
The little fatty said, âMy name is Xu Lizhi, but everyone just calls me Little Glutton. You can call me by that nickname too.â
A bitter laugh escaped from Tang Wulinâs lips. âWe still donât know for sure whoâs the real glutton between the two of us, so Iâll just call you by your name. Are you here to participate in the competition too?â
Xu Lizhi nodded. âYeah, thatâs right! Itâs really nice here. This is my first time seeing the sea so Iâm planning on going for a swim later. Can you tell me what sorts of delicious seafood there are?â
He really is a glutton! Activating his storage ring, Tang Wulin retrieved another piece of dried fish for him.
âThere are tons of delicious seafood here like briny sea urchins, tasty sea cucumbers, and the bluefin tuna is pretty good too. Oh right, there are also eels that taste as sweet as honey. If you want crab try the goldhair crab; it beats the king crab at taste by a long shot. Even the meat is more tender. If you want lobster though, I still feel that our Eastsea Cityâs eastsea lobster is the best. It might be a bit pricy, but the meat is simply delicious. The skysea lobster has firmer meat, but its nutritional value is quite lacking. Not to mention, itâs a pain in the butt to chew.â Tang Wulin explained effortlessly like a food connoisseur.
Xu Lizhiâs eyes grew brighter as he listened to Tang Wulinâs summary, swallowing down a gulp of saliva. âGreat! This is great! So, after the competition is finished, do you mind showing me around? Iâm already itching to try them all.â \nTang Wulin said helplessly, âItâll depend on the time, but hereâs my communicator number. You can call me about this later.â He doubted the Skysea Alliance Tournament could have prepared a meal big enough to satisfy him and already assumed he would need to hit the streets later for some grub. Therefore, having a fellow foodie tag along was not a hassle.
Just as the two finished exchanging soul communicator numbers, an icy but pleasant voice called out. âLittle Glutton, how did you run all the way over here? All you know is how to eat. Hurry up and come back.â
Tang Wulin and the Little Glutton, Xu Lizhi, turned toward the voice. The speaker was a girl around Xu Lizhiâs age, dressed in the same green exercise clothes as him. In comparison to Xu Lizhiâs fat-filled form, her clean-cut silhouette brought out the best in the clothes. Her golden hair was combed up into a ponytail, accentuating her large, bright, blue eyes framed by long eyelashes. They were nearly on par with Tang Wulinâs. Her skin glistened under the light, tender, and white.
Although she was likely Tang Wulinâs age, her face was a mask of stone compared to his, as if she were a little adult.
Upon the sight of her, Xu Lizhi was like a mouse facing a cat. He stood straight and said earnestly, âBig Sister Xinglan, I know I made a mistake but Iâm still starving! You know right? If I donât eat enough, then I wonât have any strength!â
âLetâs go.â As the girl was waving Xu Lizhi over she noticed Tang Wulin nibbling on dried fish beside him. Disdain colored her words. âDonât just eat anything you get from a stranger! Donât you know how many bad people there are nowadays?â
Xu Lizhiâs chubby face twitched for a moment before he turned back to face Tang Wulin, gesturing that he would call him later. He swiftly ran off, obediently following the girl. Â \nTang Wulin rubbed his face absentmindedly. Do I look like a bad guy?
âWho was that just now?â Xie Xie asked as he walked over. With just one glimpse of the blonde girl, his breath had nearly been taken away.
Shrugging his shoulders, Tang Wulin replied. âI donât know either. I was just chatting with Xu Lizhi about food.â
Suddenly, an announcement was broadcasted.
âToday marks the start of the Skysea Alliance Tournament. We have invited a team specially from Shrek Academy to exchange pointers with last yearâs champions. Accounting for the gap in strength, this match will be held between different age groups. The contenders are last yearâs youth division champions of the seven-man team competition and Shrek Academyâs seven-man team from the junior division. Now, will both sides please come on stage.â
The youth division against the junior division?
Tang Wulinâs eyes shifted to stare at Xu Xiaoyan. Everything was going according to her predictions. Sure enough, the higher-ups of the Skysea Alliance had considered the difference in strengths and came to this conclusion. However, if the youth division lost to the junior divisionâŚ
What happened next shocked Tang Wulin even further.
The representatives of the Skysea Alliance arrived on the platform. Since they were the winners of the previous tournament, they were now all over twenty years old and should be placed in the adult division.
There were five men and two women clad in silver team uniforms, standing with confidence and valiance imbued in their hearts. Their synchronous movements illustrated their rigorous training while their eyes shined with excitement.
But that wasnât what truly caught Tang Wulin by surprise. When the delegation from Shrek Academy arrived, he didnât recognize the frontmost five people. They all wore green sportswear and were about fourteen to fifteen years old. Nevertheless, behind them were two people he could identify. In fact, he just met them not too long ago! Isnât that the little fatty Xu Lizhi and that Xinglan girl? They were far younger than the rest of the team and immediately caught everyoneâs attention. \nâHuh. Hey, itâs those two! Why are they up there on the stage?â Naturally, Xie Xie recognized them too.
Dumbfounded, Xu Xiaoyan said, âOur ages are the same, yet the gap between us is so great!â
Thatâs right! Weâre all just ten years old yet theyâre already fighting in an exhibition match. More importantly, theyâre representatives of the legendary Shrek Academy!
Even the usually level-headed Tang Wulin couldnât help but admire and envy them. No wonder that Xinglan girl was so arrogant. She has the power to back it up! Just how strong are they though?
Theyâre only ten years old; could they actually possess three soul rings?
The two sides greeted each other courteously. The team of seven from the Skysea Alliance towered over the students from Shrek Academy, a manifestation of their age gap.
After all, there was more than a difference of five years between them!Â
A fifteen-year-old boy lead the Shrek Academyâs team. Though his looks werenât particularly flattering, his temperament held an indescribable quality. He stood tall and astute. Simply by taking a few steps forward, he drew the attention of the whole stadium.
Tang Wulinâs eyes were peeled in anticipation of the match. It was seven versus seven, the most common form of team battles. In the last 10,000 years, this formation proved to be the optimal setup for a team of soul masters.
The two groups on stage were the cream of the crop from two different generations, especially the youngsters from Shrek Academy. It was a mystery to all just how powerful they were. Unwittingly, Tang Wulin already began comparing himself to them. For those with ambitions, it was important to set a high goal.
Both teams gave simple self-introductions, revealing the arrogant little girlâs name. It was Ye Xinglan, a good name. \nAn old man served as the referee. With his profound air, after a single glance anyone would know his strength was not shallow.
âNow, let the match begin!â
The stage wasnât particularly large, spanning less area than class zeroâs arena. Â There hadnât been enough time to build a grander one and as such it was only fifty meters in diameter. Occupied by only fourteen people, the area didnât seem too crowded. Even so, there wasnât much space to maneuver.
Right as the referee announced the start of the match, Shrek Academy broke into action.
Surprisingly, the first to make his move was Xu Lizhi.
With a wave of his arm, two yellow soul rings appeared under him. Mysterious objects flew out of his hands as his first soul ring lit up. Because he was so far from the arena, Tang Wulin couldnât see what were thrown. Yet for some reason, he thought they resembled steamed buns.
Xu Lizhiâs six teammates each consumed one of the objects. The female teammate beside Ye Xinglan roared as three soul rings materialized beneath her feet. Two were yellow and one was purpleâthe optimal soul ring configuration. Light coalesced in her right hand to form a seven-tiered pagoda. Â As the first three levels of the pagoda sparkled brilliantly, its glow enveloped the stoic youth spearheading their formation.
The youth released a draconic roar as his body swelled. His arms especially grew thick and solid. Four rings rose from beneath himâtwo yellow, one purple, and one black. Shockingly, he had a ten-thousand-year soul ring! Â
Tang Wulin grew feverish as an unknown feeling welled up inside of him. It continued to expand as thunder shook the arena.
Few in the audience saw the whole process clearly. What they did see, however, was cyan light exploding on stage, followed by a baptism of lightning and thunder. \n\n<!-- AI CONTENT END 2 -->