No reinforcements needed?
The individuals present felt a sense of unwillingness, especially the elderly seniors who had dedicated their entire lives to Shrek, toiling tirelessly for its sake.
Shrek's main seven-member team had directly lost four members: three Soul Kings and one Soul Emperor. Among them, Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng were assault-type soul masters, and there was also Gongyang Mo, a rainbow dragon martial soul master with extremely strong support abilities.
Xixi, being an agility-attack type, seemed less critical in comparison.
But the first three were different; they were the core of the team, capable of greatly influencing the competition.
The remaining three, according to Xuan Zi, also suffered significant injuries. In such a state, not sending reinforcements, what was the difference between that and simply handing over the championship?
But Mu En had already spoken, and they didn't have the guts to retort. Xuan Zi's fate was still vivid in their minds. Adding fuel to Mu En's anger now would only bring trouble upon themselves.
All the elders meekly agreed.
However...
"Elder Mu, since that's the case, can Beibei and Xu Sanshi be sent over? It's all a form of experience, so why not let them both gain some experience?" Xian Lin'er suggested.
Mu En pondered for a moment, then nodded.
Reinforcements were completely unnecessary. He had already said that in this Soul Dueling Grand Tournament, winning or losing truly didn't matter. Shrek's honor and status weren't built on the back of a single competition.
In Mu En's heart, as long as Shrek could continue its legacy and ensure it remained at the forefront of all academies, nurturing the most outstanding students,
What did it matter if they lost the Soul Dueling Grand Tournament?
Who would dare say Shrek wasn't the number one academy on the continent?
Those elders simply couldn't comprehend this, which was why they valued the competition above all else. Otherwise, why would Mu En seize this opportunity to use a tournament defeat to chastise this group of elders?
Moreover, it was still unclear whether this tournament would be won or lost.
With that young fellow Lin Yun there, even with the main team suffering heavy losses, he estimated that Shrek could still sweep through and claim the championship.
"Alright, Lin'er, go to the outer court. After taking Beibei and Xu Sanshi, head directly to Star Luo City. There's no need to return. During the tournament, you'll be responsible for their safety. Return together after the competition ends," Mu En slowly instructed.
"Yes, Elder Mu!" Xian Lin'er nodded in agreement.
Lin Yun still didn't know that Mu En was brimming with inexplicable confidence in him, believing that as long as he was there, even if they faced some setbacks during the competition, they would ultimately win the championship.
While he wasn't particularly interested in helping Shrek win the championship, he was quite keen on winning it himself.
Mainly, he just disliked losing and being second; other reasons were minor.
He could slack off, but the championship still had to be won.
The next day, the competition arrived as scheduled.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Lin Yun's eyes clearly showed disdain.
He didn't know what kind of abysmal aesthetic Flander had, to actually like this school uniform that, to put it nicely, was dark green mixed with yellow, and to put it bluntly, was shit-green, and that had been passed down to this day.
In the academy, the color of the school uniform was generally allocated according to the soul ring colors: white, yellow, purple, black, red. But outside Shrek Academy, only this shit-green uniform could represent Shrek.
The problem was... it was truly ugly!
Even with Lin Yun's handsome looks, comparable to those of the revered audience, he could barely offset the blow to his appearance inflicted by the shit-green school uniform.
It was also a dark green school uniform.
The school uniform of the "unorthodox Dragon Slaying University" next door was also dark green, but their uniforms were made to be luxurious and noble. In contrast, Shrek's was indescribable and unbearable to look at.
Damn it!
Lin Yun forcibly suppressed the urge to tear off his uniform and change clothes, leaving the room with a sour face.
In the lobby, when he saw the girls' school uniforms, Lin Yun's expression grew even more grim. Compared to the men's uniform, the women's was much better.
A dark green blazer, a knee-length skirt, paired with black or white stockings and high heels. Although the color was still a bit hard to stomach, the style of the uniform perfectly highlighted their figures.
It was at least勉强 (barely) beautiful enough to appreciate.
What does this mean?!
Lin Yun just wanted to ask, what exactly did this mean? Was this forcing him to wear women's clothing?!
He absolutely couldn't accept it, not even a little!
Of course, this was just Lin Yun's personal thought. The local people of Douluo Continent had quite strong acceptance. After ten thousand years of Shrek's cultivation, countless people were proud to wear this shit-green garment.
Even Xiao Xiao didn't find the outfit offensive; she even thought Lin Yun looked quite handsome in it.
"Alright, let's go!" Wang Yan smiled at everyone and gently clapped his hands.
"Shrek, victory!" *N
Everyone cheered simultaneously, attracting a large crowd of passersby.
Lin Yun, who was somewhat out of step and didn't shout the slogan, was startled and looked at the fanatical people beside him with a strange gaze.
Why are you shouting so loudly?
Xiao Xiao secretly chuckled, her large eyes curving into crescents, watching Lin Yun's somewhat comical expression with great amusement. Then she pulled him along to catch up with the others who had already strode away.
Along the way, many academy teams were already entering the Soul Dueling Arena through the dedicated competition passages prepared by the Star Luo Empire.
This Soul Dueling Arena was also the largest in the Star Luo Empire, not just in Star Luo City. On the entire Douluo Continent, this arena could be ranked among the top. The other three great empires also each possessed an arena of this scale, located in their respective capitals.
The Soul Dueling Grand Tournament was held every five years, with the four great empires rotating as hosts. This year, it happened to be hosted by the Star Luo Empire.
Emperor Xu Jiawei of the Star Luo Empire, wearing a bright yellow imperial robe, stood at the highest point of the Soul Dueling Arena. His eyes deeply observed the entering competition teams, finally settling on Shrek Academy's team.
'Shrek's competition team this year seems a bit off,' Xu Jiawei's expression was unreadable, his eyes showing a hint of contemplation.
Leaving aside other things, why wasn't Dai Hao's son in the team?
Xu Jiawei knew that Duke White Tiger Dai Hao's two sons were currently studying at Shrek Academy, and his eldest son, Dai Yueheng, was not yet twenty years old and could participate in this year's Soul Dueling Grand Tournament.
He had even prepared in advance to allow Dai Hao to withdraw from the front lines and return to Star Luo City to watch the final match when the competition reached the semifinals.
But where was Dai Hao's son?
Xu Jiawei looked left and right, but couldn't see Dai Yueheng. He had seen Dai Yueheng before, so he wouldn't fail to recognize him. Therefore, Xu Jiawei was certain that Dai Yueheng was not in the team.
Furthermore, the ages of the competition team members seemed a bit off.
Besides the oldest teacher, there seemed to be only four who looked like youths, while the other six all appeared to be from the reserve team (Lin Yun's absorbed soul rings and soul bones were more powerful, so he developed faster).
Xu Jiawei, of course, didn't know that Shrek's team had been almost completely annihilated just a few days prior, and it was already good that they could even field such a team.
Moreover, both sons of the White Tiger Duke had been crippled.
Dai Huabin became a solitary hero, and Dai Yueheng became Xu Tianran's second playthrough.
When Xu Jiawei learned this news a couple of days later, he got completely drunk that night, feeling an indescribable sense of relief.
He and Dai Hao maintained a superficial facade of harmonious monarch and minister, but in reality, it was merely to stabilize Dai Hao. Xu Jiawei had never relaxed his guard against the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. One must remember that the Star Luo Empire's surname was not always Xu; it used to be Dai.
It would be strange if Xu Jiawei could trust Dai Hao, and Dai Hao was not entirely honest either.
His private life aside, one could tell from Dai Mubai's generation. What was most intriguing was Dai Yueheng's words in the original work.
'White Tiger Duke Dai Hao, in just over ten years, rose from a mere foot soldier to the Marshal of the Northwest Army Group, and during this process, he even concealed his identity.'
How interesting, concealing his identity.
Once the White Tiger Martial Soul was activated, who wouldn't know you were from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion?
Furthermore, ten, twenty, or even thirty years prior, there hadn't been significant friction between the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire, meaning no major wars. So how did a mere foot soldier gain military merits that allowed him to rise all the way to General and Marshal?
So what was he trying to do?
Build momentum, then rebel?
Xu Jiawei chuckled twice, immediately rating Dai Hao's threat level to maximum, and inwardly condemned Dai Hao to death.
Looking up at the sky, Xu Jiawei asked, "Prime Minister, how are the preparations?"
A white-haired old man stepped forward behind Xu Jiawei and respectfully replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, all competition teams have entered the arena, totaling one hundred and thirty-three. The auspicious time has arrived; we can begin."
"Mm, open the passages and allow the people to enter in an orderly fashion, but maintain order and prevent any disturbances," Xu Jiawei nodded in acknowledgment.
As Xu Jiawei gave the order, all passages surrounding the Soul Dueling Arena opened. Countless people surged into the arena like homing ants, but under the maintenance of the Royal Guard, they consistently maintained good order, with no incidents occurring.
In the resting area, Wang Yan spoke, "Then, let's proceed with the first elimination round, with the chosen participants from yesterday!"
The first match of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament was the ever-popular elimination round. This single match would directly eliminate half of the participating teams, with the other half advancing to the second round-robin matches.
Shrek, as the champion of the previous tournament, and indeed every tournament for ten thousand years, was certainly to enter first.
And according to the participants discussed yesterday, those taking the stage were Lin Yun, Xiao Xiao, Ma Xiaotao, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong.
In reality, they had no choice. Aside from Ma Xiaotao being healed by Lin Yun, Jiang Nannan, Yao Haoxuan, and Ling Luochen's injuries hadn't healed yet. Only these seven had combat power. Anyway, the tactic was for Ma Xiaotao to instantly kill the opponent at the start, so frankly, it didn't really matter who went first.
"Let's go, to our first battle!" Ma Xiaotao lifted her chin, crossing her arms over her chest, her ample "baby canteen" about to burst forth, and led the way towards the contestant passage.
The other six followed Ma Xiaotao, entering the passage together.
On the high platform, Xu Jiawei was delivering a lengthy speech, much like a leader painting a grand vision and feeding motivational platitudes to his subordinates. The people below, listening to Xu Jiawei's babbling, showed no impatience, quietly listening to his performance.
Finally, after stirring up the emotions of the crowd, Xu Jiawei announced loudly: "This Soul Dueling Grand Tournament officially begins! Let us welcome the participating teams!"
Shrek Academy vs. Heavenly Spirit Advanced Soul Master Academy!
The moment the Shrek group emerged from the passage and stepped onto the stage, the entire arena, with tens of thousands of people, simultaneously roared Shrek's name.
The cheers, soaring into the sky, seemed determined not to stop until the clouds above were shattered.
Putting aside everything else, just Shrek's popularity alone undoubtedly dwarfed all other participating teams. Even the Star Luo Royal Academy, as the home team, was far inferior to Shrek Academy in terms of popularity.
On the high platform, Xu Jiawei's expression was intriguing. Although a gentle, approachable smile remained on his face, the constantly shifting look in the depths of his eyes spoke of his inner turmoil.
'Shrek, ah...'
"Shrek!"
"Shrek!"
"Shrek..."
Cheers echoed throughout the entire arena. The sound of tens of thousands of mouths simultaneously shouting "Shrek" even made the ground of the arena tremble.
Lin Yun looked at the seven trembling figures on the opposite stage and sighed imperceptibly.
Heavenly Spirit, it's you again!
(End of Chapter)
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