The St. Freya Academy's matches had concluded, but the round-robin tournament was still ongoing.
In the subsequent matches, Shrek Academy encountered an extremely formidable opponent: Justsky Advanced Soul Academy.
Justsky Advanced Soul Academy's strength was not to be underestimated. They boasted three powerful Soul Kings and four Soul Sects, making them strong contenders for the top eight in previous Soul Master Grand Competitions.
In this particular match, Shrek Academy's true strength was completely laid bare for the audience.
This battle was exceptionally difficult for Shrek Academy, with every step proving incredibly arduous.
Although Shrek Academy ultimately won the match after an intense struggle, it was a hard-fought victory. During the battle, Bei Bei revealed his Light Saint Dragon power, Xu Sanshi displayed his Black Tortoise martial soul, and Jiang Nan Nan even utilized her trump cards – various soul tools prepared for her by Ning Guang, which played a crucial role at critical moments.
It could be said that Shrek Academy's win in this match was quite strained; it was the most challenging battle they had faced since participating in the current competition.
Aside from Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nan Nan, the other four members were almost completely depleted, suffering significant physical and mental damage.
If it weren't for the miraculous and effective healing soul tools in Haiyuan City, they would have found it difficult to continue participating in the subsequent matches.
However, the courageous performance of Shrek Academy's reserve members in this match successfully ignited the fighting spirit of the main team members, such as Ma Xiaotao.
Even Chen Zifeng and Gongyang Mo, who had lost an arm and a leg respectively, were reinvigorated and cheered up after seeing their junior classmates fight so desperately, recovering from the heavy blow of their physical disabilities.
If their juniors were fighting so hard on the arena, how could they wallow in self-pity and give up so easily?
Yet, in this match, Huo Yuhao's performance on the arena also successfully attracted the attention of certain individuals.
To help the academy secure victory, Huo Yuhao utilized the power of the Ice Empress at a crucial moment.
That power, belonging to a 100,000-year soul beast, drew many gazes.
"Is that him? I sense Bing'er's aura on him, but he's just a small Grand Soul Master. How could he have absorbed Bing'er's soul ring and soul bone?"
In a hidden corner of the Eye of Haiyuan, a woman with snow-white hair stood quietly.
Her figure was graceful, and her face was exquisitely beautiful, as if a goddess of ice and snow had descended upon the mortal realm.
She was the Snow Empress. At this moment, her gaze towards Huo Yuhao carried an undisguised, intense killing intent, while a hint of confusion was also faintly revealed in the depths of her eyes.
"What, you want to make a move? You can't do that now!"
Just then, an ethereal voice leisurely sounded in the Snow Empress's ear, carrying a hint of teasing and playfulness. This was the voice of Möbius.
"I know this is his territory. I won't act here."
The Snow Empress replied calmly, her expression serene.
She wasn't in a hurry. As long as she knew where the Ice Empress was and that the Ice Empress was still alive, she would have an opportunity to act at any time; there was no need to rush.
"Hehe, things are getting more and more interesting. I'm really looking forward to what happens next!"
Möbius's voice was filled with delight, clearly indicating her extreme interest in the upcoming developments.
Because she clearly understood that the Ice Empress had voluntarily become Huo Yuhao's second martial soul, she was very curious whether the Snow Empress could reclaim the Ice Empress from Huo Yuhao.
After all, Shrek Academy had profound and unfathomable foundations, the Dragon God Douluo was still alive, and the Sea God was still silently observing everything from the distant God Realm.
She truly wanted to know what choice the Snow Empress would make under such circumstances.
"That's none of your business."
The Snow Empress frowned slightly and responded indifferently.
After several interactions with Möbius, she had thoroughly experienced the latter's somewhat malicious personality, which left her feeling a little helpless.
"Hehe, you're right."
Möbius said indifferently. Although she was interested in the Snow Empress's affairs, she was more focused on her own experiments.
And recently, she had set her sights on a new "guinea pig," and she believed this new guinea pig would bring her surprises.
Time flowed by, and the round-robin matches of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Grand Competition were in full swing, one after another, without interruption.
After the successful conclusion of the first few round-robin matches, the overall situation of the competition gradually became clear.
Those traditional powerhouses with profound foundations and renowned reputations quickly distinguished themselves among the many academies, overcoming challenges along the way.
And Shrek Academy, this team that was both highly anticipated and widely questioned, finally sent out their main team members to everyone's eager anticipation.
The Soul King-level main team member, Ling Luochen, was the first to recover to her peak state, and she immediately displayed astonishing strength upon her appearance.
On the arena, she was decisive and neatly defeated her opponent with an absolute advantage.
This victory not only helped Shrek Academy regain its former prestige in front of everyone but also completely dispelled the notions of those academies that tried to take advantage of Shrek Academy's reserve members being injured. It made them realize that Shrek Academy's foundation was still not to be underestimated.
In the first group where St. Freya Academy was located, apart from the formidable Dou Ling Royal Academy, the strength of the other teams was not significantly superior to that of Thousand Spirits Academy, and in some aspects, they were even weaker.
In the subsequent knockout rounds, St. Freya Academy swept through their opponents, easily winning match after match with little effort.
During this process, Ye Guyi and the sisters Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo also received ample training, and their strength was further improved.
Ultimately, St. Freya Academy achieved an impressive undefeated record of seven wins, securing the top spot in their group without suspense and successfully advancing to the top sixteen.
And Dou Ling Royal Academy, as expected, ultimately ranked second in the group with a record of six wins and one loss, also advancing to the top sixteen.
Although the promotion spots for the first group had already been decided, the matches in other groups were still ongoing.
Therefore, the academies that had already secured their promotion spots enjoyed a rare three-day rest period.
"Ah Ming, Big Sister Ning Guang is going to hold a large-scale Tianquan Auction. Should we go check it out?"
March 7th's eyes sparkled with anticipation. Although she was asking, her excited expression had already revealed her inner thoughts; she clearly wanted to join in the fun.
In truth, she didn't genuinely want to buy anything; she simply wanted to experience the lively atmosphere of an auction.
After all, this time was different from before. Previously, they were small-scale auctions, but this time, Ning Guang had invited all participating academies and prepared twelve precious auction items. The excitement level was incomparable to the previous small auctions.
That's why March 7th became interested; she simply loved joining in on the excitement, as it was more fun that way.
Lu Jingming pondered for a moment. There were still two or three days until the round of sixteen matches. During this time, they indeed didn't have any particularly important matters to attend to.
Going to the auction to join in the fun could both relax them and satisfy March 7th's playful nature; it seemed like a good choice.
Moreover, as representatives of St. Freya Academy, it was only proper to show support for an auction held by Ning Guang. Even if they didn't buy anything in the end, the gesture was still important.
"Since March wants to go, then we'll go together. Also, if any of you want something, you can buy it; don't worry, I'll pay for it."
Lu Jingming made a decisive decision. His last sentence was directed at Ye Guyi, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo.
After all, March 7th and the others' daily expenses had always been reimbursed by the City Lord's Mansion.
In Haiyuan City, there was also a Jade Chamber.
It was located in the core area of Haiyuan City, with an architectural style that perfectly showcased the essence of classical Eastern aesthetics, every detail exuding refinement and elegance.
The Tianquan Auction was held in this Jade Chamber, filled with classical Eastern charm.
The Tianquan Auction venue was divided into three floors. The first floor was the public area, where one could enter and experience the auction atmosphere by paying one hundred gold soul coins.
The second floor was the private room area, accessible to those with ordinary invitations. Most participating academies were arranged on this floor.
And the third floor was the VIP room, where only distinguished guests holding VIP invitations could enter. Those who received VIP invitations were invariably powerful forces with deep backgrounds, such as Shrek Academy, Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, and Star Luo Royal Academy.
As for Lu Jingming and his group, they naturally didn't need any invitations and were respectfully led to VIP Room Number One by the staff who recognized them.
The moment they stepped into VIP Room Number One, besides seeing the elegant and charming Ning Guang, they also discovered someone quite unexpected.
Lu Jingming's gaze fell upon the golden-haired girl beside Ning Guang. Even though he had seen countless beauties in his daily life, he couldn't help but show a hint of astonishment at this moment.
The golden-haired girl before him was precisely Jiang Nan Nan, who was described in the original work as the "number one beauty of Shrek Outer Court."
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