On the training grounds, Zhu Ziyang quietly observed the two fighting teams. On one side was Zhou Tianhe, a level 63 Soul Emperor, and on the other was Wu Feng, a level 55 Soul King. The difference in strength was vast. Although Wu Feng had given it her all, there was no doubt that she would lose to Zhou Tianhe.
With that, Zhou Tianhe became the final member of the core team.
To be honest, this core team was undoubtedly the strongest one ever assembled in Shrek Academy's history. Not only was Zhu Ziyang a Title Douluo, but with Jiang Nannan, Qian Lingyi, and Wu Huan'er—three Soul Saints—their strength was enough to crush all previous teams.
"Dai Huabin, Wu Feng, Xie Huanyue, you three can leave now," Zhu Ziyang said, once the team selection was complete, dismissing the three without hesitation.
"Yes!" Dai Huabin replied promptly. Although his pride was bruised after losing to Zhou Tianhe in a direct battle, he didn't hold any animosity. After all, his loss was due to his own shortcomings.
Dai Huabin and Xie Huanyue immediately left, while Wu Feng hesitated and glanced at Ning Tian.
"A'feng, you can go back now," Ning Tian said helplessly, sensing Wu Feng's reluctance.
"Alright," Wu Feng reluctantly agreed, but didn't dare disobey Ning Tian and left the training grounds.
Once the three of them left, only Zhu Ziyang's group remained on the training field. Zhu Ziyang spoke again, "From now on, you are officially Shrek Academy's core team members. In half a year, we'll be heading to Mingdu, the capital of the Sun Moon Empire, to participate in the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament. Starting today, we will be comrades, teammates. Now, let's introduce ourselves. Nannan, you go first."
"Okay!" Jiang Nannan smiled lightly and spoke, "I'm Jiang Nannan, a 79th level Agility Attack Soul Saint. My martial soul is the Darkmoon Rabbit."
Jiang Nannan had already reached level 79 and was close to breaking through to level 80, a milestone she was likely to reach before the tournament started.
Zhou Tianhe, Chu Hua, and Ning Tian were all taken aback when they heard Jiang Nannan's rank, as they knew she was a Soul Saint, but they had no idea she was already at level 79. The shock was evident on their faces.
"I'm Qian Lingyi, a 76th level Strength-type Battle Soul Saint. My martial soul is the Six-Winged Angel," Qian Lingyi followed up.
"Wu Huan'er, 77th level Strength-type Battle Soul Saint, my martial soul is the Suanni," Wu Huan'er stated indifferently, her red eyes seemingly only focused on Zhu Ziyang.
"Suanni!" Ning Tian, who came from a prestigious family, was the most knowledgeable among the group. She gasped in surprise. Suanni was an ancient beast martial soul, a member of the Five Sacred Beasts, but she had never encountered anyone who possessed it. It was a rare martial soul, and its power was formidable.
"I'm Zhou Tianhe, just call me Tianhe or A'he. I'm 20 years old, a 63rd level Strength-type Battle Soul Emperor. My martial soul is the Wild Giant Ape, and I specialize in direct combat!" Zhou Tianhe was the only boy among the three new members, and he was the first to introduce himself. Zhu Ziyang had requested that they introduce themselves, and Zhou Tianhe took the opportunity to explain more seriously.
"I'm Chu Hua, also from the Douling Empire, 20 years old, a 62nd level Control-type Battle Soul Emperor. My martial soul is the Heavenly Net." Chu Hua continued. Zhu Ziyang's class didn't have many pure control-type Soul Masters, and Chu Hua was the strongest among them. Although Tang Ya and Xue Weiwei were also control-type Soul Masters, they were more accurate in the auxiliary control role rather than pure control.
"I'm Ning Tian, from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in the Heavenly Soul Empire. I'm 17 years old, a 54th level Auxiliary Soul King. My martial soul is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tower. I'll be relying on all of you, seniors!" Finally, it was Ning Tian's turn. She spoke confidently and proudly.
"Alright, I don't need to introduce myself. You all should know me," Zhu Ziyang smiled. "I have only one requirement for all of you: everything must be done according to my orders. Understood?"
"Understood!" Zhou Tianhe, Chu Hua, and Ning Tian replied in unison. They knew that Zhu Ziyang's words were directed at them, and they had no objections. In Douluo Dalu, strength reigned supreme. Despite being the same age, with Zhu Ziyang's current power, he would receive royal treatment wherever he went, while they didn't even have such qualifications.
The core team was now set. The next step was to work on team cohesion and improving their individual strengths. And the best way to do that was through actual combat. Zhu Ziyang immediately arranged for a team to spar with the core team.
Creating a training team in Shrek Academy was easy, especially now that there were no age restrictions. Shrek Academy could assemble several specialized teams in no time.
With the training team in place, the core team's coordination and combat ability increased rapidly. From initially fighting individually and being picked off one by one, they had now grown strong enough to face off evenly against their opponents. Of course, Zhu Ziyang didn't participate in these sparring sessions. With his strength, if he entered, it would be too much of an advantage.
This afternoon, the core team had not started their training yet. The practice team led by Han Ruoruo had not arrived either, but the training grounds were still full of activity. A group of young people gathered, chatting and laughing, clearly enjoying themselves.
It turned out that Xuanzizi had selected the preliminary team members and brought them to meet the core team. At the same time, he had called for members of the Tang Sect because he wanted to inform everyone about the upcoming matters concerning the tournament.
Therefore, the training grounds were now filled with over twenty gifted young people.
The core team didn't need introductions, and the Tang Sect members were already familiar faces. The only new introductions were the preliminary team members chosen by Xuanzizi. Given the special rules for this tournament, the three who failed to join the core team—Dai Huabin, Xie Huanyue, and Wu Feng—were now part of the preliminary team as substitutes.
Apart from these three, the other four preliminary team members were all from the outer academy. Dai Huabin's fiancée, Zhu Lu, was the highest ranked, with level 49 Soul Power, and was expected to break through to Soul King within six months. Her martial soul fusion skill with Dai Huabin was a key reason she was selected. The others were Cao Jinxuan, Lan Susu, and Lan Luolu, all level 45 Soul Masters with fusion skills.
"Now, I will explain the rules of the tournament to you," Xuanzizi began, and the field fell silent. "You need to remember, this year's tournament will be different from previous years. With the participation of soul master sects, the number of teams will increase dramatically, and the competition will be fiercer than ever."
"The tournament is officially named the Continental Elite Soul Master Competition for Young Advanced Soul Masters."
"Due to the large number of participating teams, the qualifiers will be held in a knockout format until thirty-two teams remain. After that, the competition will be split into four groups, with each group fighting for two spots in the quarterfinals. From the qualifiers to the final stages, all matches will follow a personal elimination and team competition format."
"Now, let me explain the specific rules. Each match will have seven players per team, and once the team lineup is set, it cannot be changed once the match begins."
"In the individual elimination matches, each team will send one player to compete. The winner stays in the arena, and the loser is out. Each win earns a point, and the winner of an individual match will earn two extra points."
"The team competition will be a seven-on-seven battle, with only the players who participated in the individual matches allowed to compete. There will be no break between the individual and team competitions. If a team loses players due to injury, the remaining members will fight."
"The team that wins the team competition will earn five points. In the qualifiers, after all matches, the team with the highest points will win."
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