. After announcing the match list and order of appearance, the Cardinal added,
"Since Blazing Fire Academy, who was to play against Shrek Academy, forfeited the match, Shrek Academy receives a bye in this round and advances directly to the next round. Now... the match begins!"
After the Cardinal finished announcing, he walked off the stage.
Instantly, the entire competition area erupted in a clamor. Those academies who were still unaware of the situation looked towards Shrek Academy with eyes full of envy and jealousy.
"Shrek Academy already had a bye in the second round, and now they can advance directly to the third round without even playing. They've really stepped on a pig's puddle of luck." Someone said, making the scene even more chaotic.
Many academies were already somewhat dissatisfied with Shrek Academy, and now seeing this situation, they felt even more resentful.
Seeing the envious and jealous looks from the other academies, the Shrek Academy members all smiled.
Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and several other students even puffed out their chests, feeling smug.
Just a few days ago, these academies were mocking Shrek Academy, but now they're green with envy. How could the Shrek students not be happy?
In the stands, Xiao Wu and the others were stunned when they heard the Cardinal's announcement.
"Shrek Academy's luck is too good!" Xiao Li said.
"They really stepped in dog poop." Hu Liena's eyes were filled with disdain. As the most outstanding student of the Spirit Hall Academy, she had never taken other academies seriously.
"They got off easy. Look at their smug faces, they deserve a beating." Xiao Wu said angrily.
Zhu Zhuqing smiled and said, "Sister Xiao Wu, don't be angry. This might be a good thing. Think about it, what if Shrek Academy is eliminated in the first round?"
"Zhuqing is right. Maybe we can meet them in the third round," Ning Rongrong said.
Xiao Wu's angry expression disappeared, and she happily said, "That's not bad."
Gu Yuena said, "The competition is about to begin. I've trained you for so long, but you still lack experience fighting against other academies. Watch more, learn more. If any of you don't perform well on the stage, I'll spank you when we get back."
The girls stuck out their little tongues in unison.
"We know, Sister Na'er, but... if we all perform well, can we all spank you?" Xiao Wu said with a grin.
"Little girl, is your butt itchy?" Gu Yuena raised her hand to slap Xiao Wu's butt, which startled Xiao Wu, causing her to shrink back towards Zhu Zhuqing.
Gu Yuena smiled, stopped teasing Xiao Wu, and looked at the stage.
The strength of both sides in the first match was only average among all the teams. After watching for a short while, whispers began to circulate in the Shrek Academy's rest area.
Oscar couldn't help but say, "The finals hosted by the Spirit Hall are too shabby. There wasn't even a decent opening ceremony, and the number of spectators was pitifully small."
The others nodded in agreement.
Ma Hongjun sighed regretfully, saying, "Xiao San, your initial prediction was wrong. You said Ao Tian and the others would participate in the Soul Master Competition, encouraging us to train hard and redeem ourselves in the competition. But we didn't see them in the preliminaries, and they're not among the participating academies of the Star Luo Empire."
Tang San also looked regretful, saying, "Logically, a grand event like the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Competition would attract any young Soul Master with the necessary strength. I didn't expect Ao Tian to be absent. Does he really have no interest in the Soul Master Competition?"
Grandmaster said, "I didn't expect this either, but it's done now, so don't be disappointed. At least Ao Tian gave you motivation to cultivate. The process of striving is the most important thing. Even if he doesn't appear now, you can take your revenge later."
"Teacher is right, a gentleman's revenge is never too late," Tang San said.
The first match ended quickly, and the second match was between Shenfeng Academy and Longkui Academy of the Star Luo Empire.
When the Shenfeng Academy team entered the arena, the Shrek Academy students were stunned. Shenfeng Academy's team included four members from the Blazing Fire Academy.
This lineup was practically the entire Soul Master roster, terrifyingly powerful.
Flander quickly went to the organizing committee to inquire, but returned with a grim expression.
The Spirit Hall's response was that the actions of Blazing Fire Academy and Shenfeng Academy were entirely within the rules.
The Shrek Academy students were immediately indignant, cursing the two academies for their shamelessness.
"Alright, let's continue watching," Grandmaster said, silencing the Shrek students.
With Blazing Fire Academy joining the Shenfeng Academy team, the match was no longer a fair contest. Longkui Academy was completely crushed by Shenfeng Academy and quickly conceded defeat.
The second match ended, and the third match was about to begin.
Tang San's mood was somewhat heavy.
Shenfeng Academy was the strongest academy he had encountered before. During the qualifying rounds, Feng Xiaotian from Shenfeng Academy had even forced him to use the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique, demonstrating their formidable strength.
Now, with the two academies joining forces, if Shrek Academy were to face Shenfeng Academy, they would likely have to pull out all the stops to win.
Before the match began, Tang San's gaze casually swept around, finally settling back on the arena.
But quickly, he shuddered, abruptly turning his head to look at the spot his gaze had just swept across, his eyes flashing with intense disbelief.
That was the direction of the spectator stands. In the first row sat an incredibly handsome man and several veiled women.
"Ao Tian!" Tang San's heart skipped a beat.
Ao Tian's appearance was already deeply etched in Tang San's mind; how could he not recognize him?
Beside Ao Tian were several familiar figures; although they were all veiled, Tang San recognized them at a glance.
Inside were Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Gu Yuena, and the catwoman Ao Tian had bought at the auction—all of them were there.
There was even a girl Tang San didn't recognize; this girl had an astonishingly beautiful figure and extraordinary charisma, seemingly radiating a captivating allure at all times.
Tang San had just said that Ao Tian might not be interested in the Soul Master Competition, but now he saw Ao Tian, and even more unexpectedly, Ao Tian was appearing in the stands as a spectator.
The Shrek Academy members were all focused on the match on the stage when Tang San suddenly spoke up, "Teacher, I saw Ao Tian!"
The dozen or so Shrek members all turned sharply to look at Tang San.
"Little San, what did you say?" Dai Mubai asked, his voice tinged with excitement, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.
"Where?" Ma Hongjun asked hurriedly.
Tang San looked towards the spectator stands and said, "They're in the spectator stands."
Dai Mubai and the others' eyes flashed with a sharp light. Utilizing their soul power, their vision instantly improved, allowing them to see Ao Tian and the girls in the spectator stands.
They had been focused on the various academies and hadn't noticed the spectator stands, thus failing to see Ao Tian and his group.
"It really is Ao Tian!" Ma Hongjun's face lit up with ecstatic joy.
Grandmaster and the others were somewhat surprised; they hadn't expected Ao Tian to appear there.
Dai Mubai's gaze was filled with intense hatred—the hatred of having his wife stolen and the hatred of being repeatedly seriously injured. This hatred had reached an irreconcilable point.
Now, seeing Ao Tian appear, he only wanted to tear Ao Tian to pieces to vent his anger.
Being stared at with such hatred, Xiao Wu and the other girls quickly sensed it and looked towards Shrek Academy.
"Huh, they actually found us," Xiao Wu said in surprise.
"So what if they found us? Their eyes, as if they wanted to devour us, are really interesting. I wonder what their expressions will be when they find out who we are," Ning Rongrong said.
Gu Yuena said calmly, "Just a bunch of clowns, no need to pay them any mind. Focus on watching the match."
"Oh."
Sensing the hatred in his companions' eyes, Tang San sighed and said, "It's a pity that Ao Tian isn't participating in the Soul Master Competition, so even if he were here, we couldn't openly take revenge."
Dai Mubai and the others were all stunned for a moment, then revealed their unwillingness.
Yes, with that old monster Dugu Bo by Ao Tian's side, it was impossible to seek revenge against Ao Tian in private. Only on the stage could they possibly get their revenge.
Seeing the students' unwillingness, Grandmaster's heart stirred, and his eyes observed the stands even more carefully.
Not long after, his gaze sharpened, landing on an old figure in the second row behind Ao Tian.
Grandmaster smiled and said, "Don't be discouraged, I have a way to deal with Ao Tian."
"What way?" Tang San asked.
Grandmaster smiled mysteriously and said, "Using a borrowed knife to kill!"
...
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