Shrek Academy's opponent in the quarterfinals was Zheng Tian Academy, who had been in the same group during the second stage. The match went smoothly, and Shrek advanced directly to the semifinals.
The top four teams of this year's Soul Master Tournament had been decided: Shrek Academy, Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, Star Luo Academy, and Dio Academy. Except for Shrek, the other three were the top academies of their respective nations—essentially the Royal Academies.
Judging from their performances so far, all three teams were stronger than previous years. But against Shrek Academy, their chances of victory were still slim. Shrek's dominance remained unshaken.
Even so, and despite the relatively low threat, Wang Yan gathered the team for a pre-semifinal strategy meeting.
The night before the semifinals. Inside Shrek Academy's meeting room at the Starlight Grand Hotel.
Wang Yan smiled as he addressed the team.
"The top four are now set. The semifinals begin tomorrow and will last two days. Four teams will compete for two spots in the finals. We'll be the first match, of course. The team battle will take place in the morning, followed by individual duels in the afternoon. After the semifinals, there will be a three-day break before the final match."
"Teacher Wang, who's our opponent in the semis?" Xiao Xiao asked curiously, raising her hand.
Wang Yan shook his head. "We don't know yet. For fairness, the matchups will be decided by drawing lots before the match. So tomorrow morning, we'll draw our opponent."
"Even though we can't plan in advance, it doesn't really matter. Among the three other teams, Sun Moon Academy is the only one we need to be cautious about. Dio Academy and Star Luo Academy aren't much of a threat."
Bei Bei asked, "Teacher, what exactly are the strengths of those three teams?"
Wang Yan replied thoughtfully,
"Sun Moon Academy is by far the strongest. Of their fourteen members, eleven have already appeared in matches. Six of them are Soul Kings, and they're all Class 5 or above Soul Engineers. Their captain, Ma Rulong, hasn't fought yet, but he was the previous preliminaries team leader—he's likely a Soul Emperor."
"One Soul Emperor and six Soul Kings, all elite Soul Engineers. They are, without a doubt, the second-strongest team in the tournament—just behind us."
"As for Dio Academy, they also have one Soul Emperor and six Soul Kings, but only two of them are Class 4 Soul Engineers. They pose minimal threat. Star Luo Academy is the weakest—only six confirmed Soul Kings, and maybe one more. Even if they do have a seventh, they're still less dangerous than Dio."
Wang Yan's evaluation was blunt and dismissive, a stark contrast to the caution he had shown earlier in the tournament.
"Why is Teacher Wang acting so arrogant all of a sudden?" Wang Dong whispered to Huo Yuhao.
"Probably because of Brother Ziyang," Yuhao replied, glancing across the table at Zhu Ziyang, whose calm and confident demeanor radiated assurance.
"True," Wang Dong nodded. "With Senior Ziyang and Senior Xiaotao—oh, and Senior Gongyang too—we've got three Soul Emperors. I honestly can't imagine any team beating us."
"Exactly!" Yuhao agreed.
"All right, meeting adjourned. Go rest," Wang Yan announced.
Everyone left the room. Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, and Ma Xiaotao were the last to leave.
Just as they stepped into the hallway, they encountered two figures: a boy and a girl.
It wasn't a coincidence—they had clearly been waiting for Zhu Ziyang.
As soon as he saw him, Xiao Hongchen strode forward confidently. His sister, Meng Hongchen, followed closely behind.
"Zhu Ziyang! Remember this—I'm Xiao Hongchen, and I will defeat you!" Xiao Hongchen declared with pride and determination.
Zhu Ziyang raised an eyebrow, amused. "Xiao Hongchen? That's an interesting name… Any relation to Jing Hongchen?"
(Jing Hongchen: Head of Mingde Hall, the strongest Rank 9 Soul Engineer, and the leading figure in the Sun Moon Empire's soul engineer world. Mu En often mentioned him as one of Shrek Academy's greatest threats.)
"You—!" Xiao Hongchen was furious. Not only had Zhu Ziyang dismissed his challenge, but he even mocked him by questioning whether he was relying on his grandfather. The insult was unbearable.
"Hmph! I won't forget this humiliation!"
He turned to leave and tried to pull his sister along. "Meng, let's go!"
But to his shock, his hand came up empty.
Looking back in disbelief, he saw Meng Hongchen standing close to Zhu Ziyang, eyes sparkling.
"Big brother, you're so handsome!" she gushed. "I'm Meng Hongchen, Xiao Hongchen's little sister. Why are you so much better looking than my brother? You're way cuter!"
Her fangirling broke Xiao Hongchen completely.
And it set off Jiang Nannan and Ma Xiaotao like cats having their tails stepped on.
In a flash, the two girls stepped between Zhu Ziyang and Meng Hongchen, shielding him with their bodies, their gazes sharp with hostility.
"I didn't expect the women of the Sun Moon Empire to be so shameless," Ma Xiaotao said coldly. "Flirting in broad daylight like this? Disgraceful."
"Hmph! Old hag, stay out of it!" Meng Hongchen snapped back. "We Sun Moon girls are bold and unafraid of love. Not like you Douluo Continent people—two-faced hypocrites!"
"Old hag?!" Ma Xiaotao's temper exploded.
She was nineteen, in the prime of her youth—and this little brat had just called her an old woman!
A Soul Emperor's pressure erupted from her, forcing Meng Hongchen back several meters.
But even as she stumbled, Meng Hongchen refused to give in.
"Ha! Someone's angry because she knows she's not young anymore! Feeling insecure next to an unbeatable beauty like me, huh?"
"Yep, definitely siblings," Jiang Nannan said with a laugh. "So much narcissism packed into one family!"
She raised a slender finger to cover her mouth as she giggled—a gesture so graceful it even stunned Meng Hongchen.
Confronted by Jiang Nannan's elegance, Meng Hongchen faltered. She was just as beautiful as Ma Xiaotao—but compared to Nannan, she still fell short.
"Hmph. Just wait. Give me a few more years—I'll be prettier than you!" she huffed, puffing out her underdeveloped chest in defiance.
At that, Ma Xiaotao suddenly relaxed. A smug smile spread across her face.
"Oh? You think so?" she teased, mimicking the same chest-puffing gesture.
The sight of her bountiful curves completely crushed Meng Hongchen's confidence.
Face falling, Meng Hongchen spun on her heel and dragged a silent Xiao Hongchen away, humiliated.
Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but laugh.
He could already imagine the trauma today's events would leave on Meng Hongchen.
After all, Ma Xiaotao was in a league of her own. For a girl like Meng, unless she had serious tech enhancements, there was no catching up.
"Those two are something else," he chuckled. "Is everyone in the Hongchen family this... 'straightforward'?"
"Maybe so," Ma Xiaotao said with a satisfied grin. "Anyway, I'm in a great mood now. I'm going back to take a beauty nap, hahaha!"
She strutted off, leaving Zhu Ziyang smiling and Jiang Nannan looking unusually pensive.
Nannan glanced down at herself, then looked up at Zhu Ziyang with a hint of worry.
"Brother… do you think I can surpass Sister Xiaotao?"
"Ah…" Zhu Ziyang was caught off guard. He quickly tried to reassure her, "Size isn't everything! What matters is balance and proportion. That's what's truly beautiful."
Nannan understood what he meant, but she still looked a little disappointed.
Zhu Ziyang sighed inwardly. Women…
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 early chapters available on Patreon: [email protected]/facficmax10