The bandits of the Death Hand had already sensed that something was wrong. The people who came this time were too strong. Their side was falling one after another, and they were about to be slaughtered, while their opponents suffered no damage.
Wang Nan fought against a Spirit King among the bandits, all the while observing the entire battlefield through Huo Yuhao's Mental Sharing.
Suddenly, the Evil Soul Master in the cave made a move, but instead of coming out, he began moving in another direction, apparently preparing to escape.
Immediately after, a violent explosion echoed from the cave, and the entrance completely collapsed, blocking the way into the cave.
However, it was already a little too late to escape. Wang Nan exerted force, his second spirit ring lighting up, and with Gongyang Mo's assistance, he broke through his opponent's defense, knocking him to the ground with a single strike, clearly rendering him lifeless.
Under Huo Yuhao's Mental Detection Sharing, the last Evil Soul Master's escape route was clearly "seen" by everyone. When he emerged from a secret passage on the other side of the cave, he saw several figures standing before him. Before he could even speak, a dazzling white light filled his entire vision.
By the time the light from the spirit tool cannon gradually dimmed, the leader of the Death Hand, the strongest Spirit King in history, had been blasted into oblivion. Several of his corpse puppets, which he had prepared in advance, also collapsed to the ground, having lost their controller.
After a long while, seeing no further movement from the area, Wang Nan led his people into the cave with the help of Huo Yuhao's Mental Detection.
Unfortunately, there were no survivors inside, only the countless crimes of these Evil Soul Masters.
Several Outer Courtyard Disciples turned red-eyed upon seeing the scene in the cave. Xiao Xiao couldn't bear it for a moment and stood there retching.
In the end, she regained her composure with Wang Yan's comfort. After tidying up the items in the cave, everyone left the place overnight.
...
By the time the group arrived at Star Luo City on the afternoon of the third day, they had dealt with the Death Hand bandits overnight and rested for a full day before using their flying spirit tools again to reach the outskirts of Star Luo City.
Xuan Zi had already concealed his figure, and only Wang Yan and the thirteen team members appeared.
Inside Star Luo City, the venue for the Soul Duel Tournament on Star Luo Plaza was already set up. On the east side of Star Luo Plaza stood a seven-story grand hotel called Star Emperor, specifically for accommodating contestants from various Advanced Spirit Master Academies.
As soon as they arrived at the hotel entrance, a waiter with a smile greeted them from afar.
"Welcome, distinguished guests. May I ask which academy you are from?"
"We are from Shrek Academy."
Upon hearing Wang Yan's words, the waiter's smile became noticeably more sincere. "Please follow me, everyone."
Such a luxurious place naturally had many spirit tools. Wang Nan and a few others even rode a spirit tool similar to an elevator. The faces of several Martial Soul Department Disciples clearly showed a hint of novelty.
As the champions of the previous Soul Duel Tournament, Shrek Academy's rooms were arranged on the top floor. In addition to a bedroom for each person, there was also a dedicated conference room for them to use.
"Alright, everyone has traveled all day and must be a bit tired. Go back to your rooms and rest first," Wang Yan said, looking at everyone. "If you want to go out and have some fun, you can, but don't go too far. Tonight, we'll have a simple meeting to prepare for the competition."
Watching the others return to their rooms, Wang Nan then spoke. "Second Uncle, aren't you going back to rest?"
Wang Yan shook his head. "I still need to register with the organizers. After I come back, I'll explain the rules of the Soul Duel Tournament to you all. Besides, you were the ones who took action during the mission; I'm not very tired."
Wang Nan looked at Wang Yan's expression. Although he said so, he had clearly made many preparations for this competition. He probably hadn't had a good rest even once in the past two months.
"Don't worry, Second Uncle. We will definitely win the championship."
Wang Yan smiled upon hearing this. "Mm, I believe in you. You should go back and rest too."
"Okay."
By the time Wang Nan woke up from meditation, it was already late. Lights flickered outside, and through the window, half the scenery of Star Luo City was visible.
It must be said that the accommodations arranged by the Star Luo Empire for them were indeed good. Wang Nan seemed to vaguely be able to see his own family's courtyard.
Pushing open the door and entering the conference room, he saw a long table in the room. Wang Yan was sitting at the table, looking through the materials he had organized. Besides him, Dai Yueheng was already there.
"Senior Brother, come in and sit down." In the past, Wang Nan always called him Senior Brother, but now it was the other way around. However, Dai Yueheng didn't seem to feel the slightest discomfort and could call him out very naturally at any time.
Wang Nan nodded and sat down next to Dai Yueheng.
"How many monitoring missions have you carried out, Senior Brother?" Seeing that the others hadn't arrived yet, Dai Yueheng took the initiative to strike up a conversation.
"Eleven, I think. And you?"
"The one the day before yesterday was exactly my thirtieth monitoring mission. After this Soul Duel Tournament ends, I will apply for graduation," Dai Yueheng continued. "After graduation, I plan to go to the army to gain experience for a few years. Senior Brother, do you have any thoughts?"
Wang Nan shook his head.
He did not plan to stay at Shrek Academy. After the Soul Duel Tournament concluded and he completed his monitoring missions, he would also apply for graduation.
It was just that he hadn't really thought about where to go at that time.
Dai Yueheng smiled and said, "When Senior Brother graduates, be sure to let me know. We'll have a good gathering then."
Wang Nan just smiled and did not respond directly.
Soon, the others also walked in one by one and sat around the long table.
"Alright, everyone is here. I'll introduce the rules of this Soul Duel Tournament to you all," Wang Yan looked up at everyone.
"The rules of each Soul Duel Tournament vary. This year, there are a total of one hundred and thirty-three Advanced Spirit Master Academies and Advanced Soul Master Academies participating. The first round is a knockout competition, using a seven-on-seven team match format. The losing side will be directly eliminated."
"After the knockout round, the remaining teams will be divided into groups for a round-robin tournament. As the defending champions, Shrek Academy will play on the first day of the competition, and we will be the first to play."
"As for the opponents, they will be decided by a draw on the day the competition starts. If our opponent isn't strong, for the sake of the subsequent schedule, we might not send out all of our main team members. You few reserve members must also be prepared to play."
As Wang Yan spoke, the few reserve members sat up straight, inevitably feeling a bit nervous.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
Just as Wang Yan was about to continue speaking, there was a knock on the door.
"Excuse me for interrupting, everyone. A guest downstairs presented proof, saying they are a Disciple of Shrek Academy. I'm here to confirm with you all."
"Xiao Nan, go down and see. It should be Xiao Tao back," Wang Yan's face lit up with joy upon hearing this.