"They're nothing more than a group of crude imitators. How could they possibly grasp the essence of the soul tool system?" scoffed Meng Hongchen as she overheard Ma Rulong's analysis. Her voice was laced with disdain. "But I admit, that Jiang Nannan is a formidable opponent. She deserves our attention, don't you agree, brother?"
Xiao Hongchen's expression was grim as he nodded.
"While soul engineers are naturally at a disadvantage against agility-type soul masters, the essence of turret-based combat lies in overwhelming firepower—dense barrages that cover a wide area. That strategy usually renders an agility-type's speed useless. However, that only applies to normal agility-types. If I saw correctly, Jiang Nannan's fourth soul skill is a teleportation technique—and teleportation is the fatal weakness of turret warfare!"
"Heh! Xiao Hongchen, I didn't expect such words from you. Maybe you're not the arrogant young master everyone thinks you are!" joked one of the main team members nearby.
"What did you just say?" Xiao Hongchen's face darkened immediately. He shot a cold glare at the student. "Who do you think you are? You think you have the right to judge me?"
"I…" The student faltered, clearly intimidated by Xiao Hongchen's icy stare. He instinctively took a few steps back, face pale and tongue-tied.
"That's enough, Xiao Hongchen! This is my main team—not yours to discipline!" Ma Rulong stepped forward to shield the student, his tone stern.
"Hmph!" Xiao Hongchen snorted and said nothing more.
On the other side, Jiang Nannan descended from the stage and was immediately surrounded by her teammates' applause and cheers.
"Lady Valkyrie, may I get your autograph?" Tang Ya teased as she approached her, grinning playfully.
"Sure! I'll sign it right on your forehead. It's so shiny, it'd be a shame not to use it," Jiang Nannan joked back, reaching toward her with a finger.
"Uhh—maybe not!" Tang Ya yelped, covering her forehead and backing away while laughing awkwardly.
"Well done, Nannan!" said Zhu Ziyang, smiling warmly.
"Absolutely. Your performance was clean and efficient. Truly worthy of being Elder Song's personal disciple," added Wang Yan. Then he frowned slightly. "However, you revealed quite a bit of your ability today. Our future opponents will definitely try to counter you."
"Hehe! It's fine. I still have my most important trump card hidden," Jiang Nannan said mischievously. Her third soul skill's true effect hadn't been seen, so no one knew what it actually did.
"What now?" Ma Xiaotao asked. "Do we head back to the hotel, or stick around to watch the rest of the matches?"
Wang Yan hesitated, clearly undecided.
"I suggest we stay," said Zhu Ziyang. "Your concern, Teacher Wang, is likely that seeing powerful enemies early might shake the pre-selection team's confidence. But I don't think it's necessary to worry. If they're so mentally fragile, they wouldn't have been chosen in the first place. Right, Bei Bei, Yuhao?"
"Ziyang's right," Bei Bei nodded. "No matter how strong the enemy is, I'll crush them with my fists!"
"Teacher Wang," said Huo Yuhao, "have you forgotten how Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and I won the Freshmen Tournament championship?"
"…You're right. Seems I've been overthinking." Wang Yan relaxed and smiled. "Let's stay and observe. It'll be a good chance for you to gather intel on your upcoming opponents."
With the plan set, the Shrek Academy team remained in their deluxe seating to watch the second match of Group 1.
The round-robin format was as follows: each day featured four group matches—two in the morning (odd-numbered groups), and two in the afternoon (even-numbered groups). Over two days, the first round of matches would be complete. Since each group had either seven or eight teams, the round-robin phase would take at least fourteen days to finish.
Shrek's next match would be in two days, so watching other matches was part of their preparation.
The second match of Group 1 soon began: Zheng Tian Academy from the Heaven Dou Empire vs. Qianling Academy from the Dou Ling Empire.
Both were traditional soul master academies, and also Shrek's upcoming opponents. Of the two, the one to really watch was Zheng Tian Academy, a veteran powerhouse and top-eight finalist in the previous tournament. According to Wang Yan, their team included three Soul Kings, and the other four were all Soul Ancestors. His tone was especially serious as he explained this.
If Shrek had all seven main team members present, Zheng Tian Academy wouldn't pose a threat. But as things stood—only three main team members were available. If Gongyang Mo and Ling Luocheng didn't arrive in five days, Wang Yan truly had a reason to worry.
On the stage, the second match also drew the individual knockout format. The crowd roared with excitement—two one-on-one battles in a row? What luck!
Qianling Academy's first contestant was their captain, Shen Ce, a Soul King with the Thousand Strike Spear Martial Soul, and the team's core strength.
Zheng Tian Academy's first fighter was a young woman named Yu Mengdi.
As she stepped onto the stage and revealed her martial soul, the Shrek team members were visibly surprised: Angel Martial Soul!
The Angel Martial Soul had a deep, storied history with Shrek Academy. While the pre-selection students didn't fully understand, veterans like Zhu Ziyang, Ma Xiaotao, Wang Yan, Bei Bei, and Tang Ya immediately took note.
Zhu Ziyang narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Yu Mengdi. She might be a descendant of the Qian Clan, but it was also possible she came from another angel-wielding family—rare, but not unheard of.
For some reason, Zhu Ziyang suddenly remembered the grandmother and granddaughter pair he'd met years ago in Tianhui Grand Canyon. They felt much more like true Qian Clan descendants than Yu Mengdi did.
On the battlefield, Yu Mengdi and Shen Ce began their duel. Both were Soul Kings, but Yu Mengdi clearly held the advantage—thanks to her ten-thousand-year soul rings and her top-tier Angel Martial Soul. Shen Ce's Thousand Strike Spear barely qualified as high-level; the difference in power was obvious.
Despite his best efforts, Shen Ce couldn't overcome the overwhelming pressure of the Angel Martial Soul. After about five minutes, he was forced to admit defeat. Yu Mengdi, on the other hand, barely looked fatigued.
With their strongest member defeated, Qianling Academy's loss seemed inevitable. But unlike Yunluo Academy, they didn't choose to surrender outright. After all, Yunluo had forfeited against Shrek Academy—an understandable decision. But to forfeit now would be admitting they couldn't even measure up to that.
So, Qianling Academy sent out four Soul Ancestors, all with the same defensive-type martial soul: Spirit Rhinoceros Shield.
These four defensive soul masters relied on their toughness and stamina. After the fifth contestant entered the ring, they finally managed to exhaust Yu Mengdi's soul power and secured a win.
Zheng Tian Academy's second contestant was another Soul King—this one with long-range attack capabilities. His name was Tang Xiaolei, and his martial soul was the Purple Blossom Bow.
Zhu Ziyang immediately thought of Senior Luo Wei from the Inner Court, whose Heavenly Feather Bow martial soul was quite similar. However, the Purple Blossom Bow had a major weakness: it fired soul ring arrows. The user could only fire as many shots as they had soul rings. Though the attacks were powerful, running out of rings meant certain defeat.
Tang Xiaolei used two soul ring arrows to defeat Qianling's fifth contestant, and three more to defeat a control-type soul master. Then, mindful of his dwindling energy, he withdrew himself from the match.
Qianling Academy's final fighter was a girl with a Blazing Tiger Martial Soul, and the cultivation level of a Soul Ancestor.
Her opponent: Zheng Tian Academy's captain, Ye Wuqing, a Level 58 Soul King.
There was no suspense in the outcome—Ye Wuqing won effortlessly.
Zheng Tian Academy claimed victory in the second match and immediately became the strongest contender for the second qualifying spot in Group 1.
With the match over, Shrek Academy's team saw no reason to remain. Of the eight teams in Group 1, only Qianling Academy and Zheng Tian Academy had Soul Kings. The other five were on par with Yunluo Academy—hardly worth observing.
Shrek's departure didn't go unnoticed. At the Sun Moon Academy camp, all eyes followed their movements. Especially Xiao Hongchen, whose gaze never left Huo Yuhao. His curiosity only grew, his suspicions unresolved. Unfortunately, their intelligence network had failed miserably—they still knew nothing about Yuhao beyond his name and age.
In fact, apart from Jiang Nannan, Sun Moon Academy knew nothing about any of the Shrek team's actual abilities.
It had to be said—Shrek Academy's anti-espionage measures were working perfectly, especially against the Sun Moon Empire.
Atop the royal tower, Emperor Xu Jiawei also noticed Shrek's departure. He turned to his wife.
"Zitong, let's go as well," he said, gently taking the empress's hand.
And with that, they too left the viewing platform.
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