Chapter 296: The Finals Begin, Two Teams Voluntarily Enter the Losers' Bracket
Tomorrow was the finals, yet Han Li and his group remained relaxed. Even Ye LingLing, who had already been eliminated, had moved in a few days prior, choosing a room to stay in.
Unlike the others, Ye LingLing had gained significant recognition during this Soul Master Tournament.
Faced with Tianshui Academy's two Spirit Fusion Techniques sweeping the field, she demonstrated exceptional healing abilities. Without intervention from the referees, she tenaciously kept her teammates alive, ensuring they only lost consciousness without sustaining serious injuries.
Though she was still just a Spirit King, her healing prowess had already surpassed that of some Spirit Saints, naturally attracting widespread attention.
Under Han Li's enthusiastic invitation, she became the designated healer for the tournament's finals and grand finals. Though she had left the battlefield, she remained one of the most remarkable figures.
"Thank you for your hard work, LingLing. I promise tomorrow will be the last day."
Han Li noticed Ye LingLing's apparent exhaustion and approached her, deftly removing her veil and beginning to massage her head.
"It's actually not too bad…"
Feeling the uneven pressure of the massage, Ye LingLing's cheeks flushed. More than the massage itself, it was her best friend, Dugu Yan's teasing gaze that made her self conscious. Though this wasn't the first time, she was still the shyest among them.
"I'll use spiritual sharing to assist you tomorrow."
Han Li spoke gently as Ye LingLing's furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
"Mm."
Whether to avoid everyone's gaze or because she genuinely enjoyed it, Ye LingLing closed her eyes.
Han Li continued massaging her head, but his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Ye LingLing becoming the tournament's official healer had been a spur of the moment decision, or rather, it was something she had volunteered for prompted by the results of treating Dai Mubai and his teammates.
As members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and with their only auxiliary system healer being Oscar a Food type Spirit Master with just his first healing skill Ye LingLing, the Nine Hearted Begonia of the Royal Fighting Team, naturally became their best choice for medical aid.
Though their opponents weren't the strongest, they were still teams that had made it to the finals, so it was inevitable that the Power Attack Spirit Masters would sustain injuries.
Thus, Dai Mubai and Tai Long became frequent visitors for treatment. Even Tang San joined them once, since they had refused healing from Spirit Hall's official medics.
It was this session that made Ye LingLing notice something unusual.
Due to Han Li's influence, she had been paying special attention to Tang San.
During her treatment, she realized that her healing could interact with the gray black mist inside Tang San's body. More strangely, this mist actively absorbed life energy to grow stronger. Ye LingLing immediately recognized what it was the remnant spirit beast aura from his body restructuring.
Upon checking Dai Mubai and Tai Long, she found that their spirit beast auras had also strengthened significantly after multiple treatments, intertwining even more deeply with their own energies.
She discreetly recorded this discovery and reported it to Han Li.
After verifying her findings, Han Li was delighted.
Through observation, he found that after absorbing life energy, Tang San and the others' spirit beast auras increasingly resembled Xiao Wu's. Particularly Tang San, whose spirit beast essence had always been the strongest among them, and who had undergone restructuring earlier than the others. On top of that, during his battle with Zhu Zhuqing in Heaven Dou City, he had entered a blood rage state.
As a result, his spirit beast aura was now just a hair's breadth away from Xiao Wu's.
Knowing this, Han Li decisively abandoned his prepared blood sample comparison. There was no need to be so overt when there was a far better alternative.
Thus, under Han Li's instructions, Ye LingLing ramped up her post match treatments. Whether injured or not, every contestant had to receive a session. Even minor scrapes were treated within the range of her Nine Hearted Begonia's healing.
This made Ye LingLing even more revered after all, even if someone wasn't injured, the treatment left them feeling refreshed.
Gradually, under Han Li's deliberate setup, Tang San and the others' spirit beast auras had fully developed, teetering on the brink of eruption. Meanwhile, they themselves only felt in peak condition and were endlessly grateful to Ye LingLing.
Of course, the process was exhausting for Ye LingLing. Although she could replenish her energy using the surrounding world's spirit energy, maintaining fine control was mentally taxing. Not to mention, three members of Royal Fighting Team 2 required additional treatment, and she still had to heal others normally.
This was why Han Li was giving her a head massage now. Though mostly psychological and not as effective as sleep, both of them enjoyed it.
But after tomorrow, she wouldn't need to do it anymore. All she had to do was wait for Han Li's signal to unleash an overwhelming burst of healing.
After some casual chatting, the girls, understanding how long Han Li had been preparing for tomorrow's event, excused themselves early. Han Li didn't stop them.
Unusually, Han Li didn't train that night. Lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling for a long while, he eventually drifted into sleep.
The next morning, he woke up to the sound of Xiu'er pushing open his door.
As usual, Han Li completed his morning training. However, unlike before, he actively channeled his martial spirit. The long dormant spirit seemed to resonate with his emotions, trembling with excitement in response to his summon.
After finishing his routine workout and enjoying an exceptionally lavish breakfast, Han Li and his group made their way to the competition venue.
The stadium and its surroundings were bustling with excitement. Everyone knew that the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament was reaching its grand climax today.
Although the schedule indicated that the final day should be tomorrow, the tournament might very well conclude today.
This year's tournament had been accelerated due to the overwhelming presence of one unbeatable team Tianshui Academy.
According to past traditions, if a team forfeited, the match would be postponed until the following day. However, this year, a forfeit meant that the next match would proceed immediately.
Rumor had it that the change had been personally proposed by the Holy Son to enhance the audience's experience. If the previous tournament format had been followed, the grand finals wouldn't have taken place until a week later.
As spectators, they were thrilled with the change. A massive crowd had already gathered early in the stadium, not just for the competition but also for a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness a spirit bone.
Today, the Supreme Pontiff herself would publicly display a set of spirit bones, treasures that most people could only dream of seeing in their lifetime.
Inside the venue, after bidding farewell to his five companions, Han Li ascended to the VIP seating area and took the seat to Bibi Dong's right.
Apart from Bibi Dong, everyone else was already present in the stands. However, their expressions were noticeably grim because the seats originally designated for Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo had been occupied by others.
Guang Ling, Qing Luan, and Dugu Bo sat in the middle, shamelessly sizing up the people around them. It was clear that both Sword Douluo and Yu Yuanzhen were visibly tense.
Among them, Dugu Bo, who was already acquainted with some of them, greeted them with a cheerful smile. However, the responses were lukewarm, with only Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe occasionally responding.
The three were invited guests, and outside the venue, the elders of the Worship Hall except for Qian Daoliu were also present in the shadows. Han Li hadn't expected these three to show up so openly, but seeing Guang Ling's playful wink, he immediately knew it was his master's idea.
After exchanging greetings with the trio and ignoring Ning Fengzhi's probing gaze, Han Li closed his eyes, waiting for the competition to begin.
Less than ten minutes later, the cheers erupted from the outer edges of the stadium and spread toward the stands. Han Li opened his eyes he knew Bibi Dong had arrived.
Amidst the overwhelming applause, Bibi Dong ascended the stage and revealed the three champion spirit bones. The radiant spirit bones shimmered under the sunlight, mesmerizing all eyes in the stadium.
After announcing the commencement of the finals, Bibi Dong made her way to her seat. As expected, her gaze briefly met that of Guang Ling and the others. However, she merely paused for a moment before regaining her composure and calmly taking her place.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged glances before silently moving to the back row. They dared not compete with Guang Ling for their original seats. Ever since he had broken through to Ultimate Douluo, he had yet to cause any significant trouble. They certainly didn't want to be the first ones to provoke him especially not in a public setting.
Ignoring Dugu Bo's provocative gaze, Yue Guan chose to feign ignorance. If he didn't acknowledge the taunt, then technically, he hadn't been taunted. Ever since Dugu Bo's breakthrough, their roles had reversed completely what was the point of dwelling on the past?
As the presiding bishop called for the participants, the three finalist teams stepped onto the stage. Naturally, the most eye catching of the three was the four member Tianshui Academy team.
However, this was Spirit City everyone knew this was the Holy Son's team. The cheers for them even surpassed those for Spirit Hall's own team.
On the stage, Hu Liena glanced at the name drawn Tianshui Academy. Feeling somewhat frustrated, she cast a glance at the VIP stands before raising her right hand.
"We forfeit. We voluntarily enter the losers' bracket."
The moment her voice rang out, the stadium fell silent for a brief moment before returning to its lively atmosphere.
It didn't matter after all, it was Tianshui Academy. Those who understood the situation knew the context. It was clear that Spirit Hall's internal teams had coordinated beforehand.
Hearing the murmurs in the audience, Hu Liena tightened her grip on the drawn lot. She had wanted to fight, but her teacher's mission took priority. Knowing that they had to let the opponent fully display their strength before defeating them later only made her feel more suffocated.
She didn't understand why her teacher was so focused on a direct descendant of the Clear Sky Clan, but she had no choice but to obey.
Fortunately, as long as they won their next match, they would still get to fight Tianshui Academy.
Sure enough, she then heard the voice of the captain of the Royal Fighting Team 2 Tang San making the same declaration.
"We also forfeit. We will enter the losers' bracket as well."
Clearly, they too saw them as easy targets.
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