After the atmosphere had lightened, Zhu Ziyang brought the topic back to business. He asked, "Yuhao, Wang Dong, have you made any enemies recently? Those six soul masters clearly looked like death warriors from some noble family."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong exchanged glances, both showing hesitation on their faces.
"Yuhao, what are you worried about?" Beibei immediately picked up on their reluctance and spoke with a serious expression.
"You don't need to carry any burden in your heart. Just say it. The Academy will definitely stand up for you!"
"Actually, I already have a good idea who was behind it," Huo Yuhao sighed. "But even if I say it, it won't matter. There's no evidence. The Academy can't act without proof. Besides, this is a personal matter. I don't want to drag the Academy into it."
Zhu Ziyang's eyes flashed with a sharp light when he heard Huo Yuhao's answer. He then smiled and said, "Since you've chosen not to say, I won't press you either. After all, the Academy will handle this kind of matter. It's not something we students need to worry about. But Yuhao, you don't have to worry about that person retaliating again. Tonight's incident was too public. His family won't dare challenge the Academy's authority anymore."
"I understand!" Huo Yuhao nodded. His face relaxed a little, and he said sincerely, "Thank you, Brother Ziyang, and that senior sister in red clothes as well."
"Alright, since things are settled, let's return to the Academy," Zhu Ziyang said with a gentle smile.
The group made their way back to Shrek Academy.
Once there, Zhu Ziyang bid farewell to Huo Yuhao and the others and went straight to Sea God Island, where he was summoned by Elder Mu.
"What did you take away from tonight's events?" Elder Mu asked with a smile.
"This was nothing but an open provocation," Zhu Ziyang answered calmly.
"The way the Academy has operated in recent years has given certain people the illusion that they can do whatever they want under the shelter of our name. They think Shrek Academy is just a shield for the Three Douluo Kingdoms, and so they dare to run wild beneath it."
"Hahaha, well said!" Elder Mu laughed heartily before continuing, "That child Huo Yuhao just happened to fall out with the White Tiger Duke's youngest son and was immediately targeted for assassination. It's hard not to draw conclusions from that."
"I don't know whether the Duke himself harbors such thoughts, but I'm sure others in his household do," Zhu Ziyang replied.
"The Dai Clan's interests are tied to Shrek Academy, but the Xu Clan's might not be. For them, Shrek Academy will always be a threat to their claim to the throne."
"Well said, Ziyang. You're really quite impressive," Elder Mu praised him with a proud laugh.
"Shrek Academy stands at such a supreme height now—it's practically a reflection of the old Spirit Hall, and perhaps even more fearsome than it ever was. No wonder the royal families and nobles are so afraid."
"Hmph. They'll only be able to jump around for another decade or so at most," Zhu Ziyang sneered.
"Teacher, do you think the Three Douluo Kingdoms could hold off the Sun Moon Empire without the Academy's support?"
"At most half a year," Elder Mu's expression turned solemn. "In the past century, the Sun Moon Empire's national strength has grown faster than it had in the past five centuries combined. Especially in military technology—their Soul Tool development is far ahead of the Three Kingdoms. Without a sufficient number of high-level soul masters, the Sun Moon Empire could easily crush the other kingdoms with their army alone."
"Do you think the royal families and nobles of the Three Kingdoms can't see that?" Zhu Ziyang asked.
"They see it," Elder Mu replied with a mocking tone. "But so what? A sharp blade hurts, but does a dull knife cutting away your flesh not hurt? For most nobles, who sits on the throne doesn't matter as much as their own benefits. But reforms? Reforms would threaten those benefits. Even if the Sun Moon Empire did unify the continent, they'd still need these local figures to manage everything."
"That's exactly why the Academy and I exist," Zhu Ziyang said in a calm voice.
"Hahaha! That's right!" Elder Mu burst into laughter again.
Everyone was waiting—waiting for the right moment to arrive!
—
Half a month passed quietly. The official Shrek team was summoned by the Gluttonous Douluo, Elder Xuan.
"Elder Xuan, has the reserve team already been selected?" Sister Xiaotao asked with a frown. She had been in closed-door cultivation the past half-month. With less than a month before the Elite Tournament, she wanted to break through to the Soul Sage realm before then. So she was clearly unhappy about being disturbed.
"Yes, the reason I called you today is so you can meet and get familiar with them," Elder Xuan replied with a smile, completely ignoring her tone.
"Alright then, let's go," Jiang Nannan said. She winked at Zhu Ziyang with a bright smile.
Zhu Ziyang immediately understood Jiang Nannan's hint and smiled back. The reserve team... there were quite a few familiar faces among them.
The seven of them followed Elder Xuan to the Outer Court's assessment zone. After a few minutes, the reserve team members arrived in groups.
The first to arrive were Beibei, Tang Ya, and Xu Sanshi. These three, along with Xue Weiwei, were currently the strongest students in the Outer Court, all of them Soul Ancestors with four soul rings. That's right—after Xu Sanshi, both Beibei and Tang Ya had also advanced to the Soul Ancestor realm. As for why Xue Weiwei wasn't a reserve team member, Zhu Ziyang wasn't sure.
As soon as Tang Ya saw Jiang Nannan, she rushed forward and hugged her as if they hadn't seen each other in years—even though they had just met three days ago. If not, Jiang Nannan wouldn't have known Tang Ya made it into the reserve team. Zhu Ziyang really couldn't understand how girls got along.
Next came a tall, dark-skinned boy with a shiny bald head and a goofy smile that didn't match his muscular build.
Finally, the trio of Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao arrived. As the Child of Fortune, there was no way Huo Yuhao would be absent from such a major event.
With their arrival, the full lineup of the official and reserve teams was complete.
Elder Xuan nodded with satisfaction and said, "Good. Everyone is here. The new Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament will begin in ten days. You are the official and reserve participants. Today's meeting is for you to get to know one another—and to familiarize yourselves with each other's abilities."
He turned toward Beibei and the reserve team and added, "Don't assume you're just coming along to watch. On the contrary, barring any special circumstances, all of you will likely see action. When we face weaker opponents, the matches will be yours to fight. This way, we can better conceal the strength of our official members."
Hearing this, Beibei and the others couldn't hide their excitement—though there was also a trace of nervousness on their faces.
Elder Xuan snorted and said, "Don't get too happy yet. You will be going into battle, yes, but remember—victory is mandatory, not optional. If any of you dares to lose... as long as this old man still draws breath, you can forget about ever entering the Inner Court. Also, get your mindset straight. In this tournament, you're just substitutes. Follow orders—understood?"
"Understood!" Huo Yuhao's group shouted in unison.
Elder Xuan nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Now, introduce yourselves. Reserve team first!"
The reserve team stepped forward in order of age. First was Beibei, who said, "My name is Beibei, fifth-year student in the Outer Court. Rank 43 Assault-type Battle Soul Ancestor. Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon."
Most of the official team members, aside from Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan, showed surprised expressions. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was a significant Martial Soul in Shrek Academy's history.
Second was the honest-looking boy. "My name is He Caitou, fourth-year student in the Outer Court. Rank 4 Soul Engineer."
That He Caitou turned out to be a Soul Engineer surprised Zhu Ziyang and the others, though they didn't think much of it beyond that.
Xu Sanshi went next, grinning as he spoke. "Xu Sanshi, fifth-year student in the Outer Court. Rank 44 Defense-type Battle Soul Ancestor. Martial Soul: Black Tortoise Shield."
Then came Tang Ya. "My name is Tang Ya, fifth-year student in the Outer Court. Rank 41 Support-type Soul Ancestor. Martial Soul: Blue-Gold Silver Grass."
In the end, she had chosen the support route, as it best suited her Martial Soul.
Then came Huo Yuhao's trio. They really gave the Inner Court members something to talk about.
Xiao Xiao said, "Hello, seniors. My name is Xiao Xiao, second-year student in the Outer Court. Rank 29 Control-type Battle Soul Master."
Huo Yuhao followed. "My name is Huo Yuhao, second-year student in the Outer Court. Rank 26 Control-type Battle Soul Master."
Wang Dong said, "My name is Wang Dong, second-year student in the Outer Court. Rank 31 Assault-type Battle Soul Elder."
The Inner Court members didn't know what to say. They could only stare strangely at the three of them. For second-year students to be part of the reserve team—either Elder Xuan was playing favorites, or these three truly had the ability to back it up.
They were definitely curious.
(End of Chapter)
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