"They're just a bunch of poor imitators. How could they possibly understand the essence of the soul tool system?" Meng Hongchen sneered after hearing Ma Rulong's comments. "But that Jiang Nannan is definitely a worthy opponent. We should take her seriously. Right, brother?"
Xiao Hongchen's expression was grim. He replied, "Soul engineers are naturally at a disadvantage against agility-type soul masters. But the essence of turret tactics lies in using concentrated bombardments to form an area-wide attack. That kind of tactic makes even agility-types lose their edge. However, that only works against ordinary agility-type soul masters. If I'm not mistaken, Jiang Nannan's fourth soul skill is a movement technique — teleportation, even. And that's the fatal flaw in turret strategy."
"Heh! Xiao Hongchen, I didn't expect those words to come out of your mouth. So you're not just some arrogant young master with his nose in the sky!" a core team member teased.
"What did you say?" Xiao Hongchen's face darkened instantly. His eyes turned cold as he stared at the student. "What are you? You think you're qualified to judge me?"
"I…" The student flinched under Xiao Hongchen's icy glare, instinctively taking a few steps back. His face paled. He wanted to speak but was at a loss for words.
"That's enough, Xiao Hongchen! It's not your place to discipline members of the main team!" Ma Rulong stepped in front of the student, clearly annoyed.
"Hmph." Xiao Hongchen gave a cold snort and said no more.
On the other side, Jiang Nannan had just stepped down from the stage and was immediately surrounded by her cheering teammates.
"Lady Valkyrie, sign an autograph for this humble girl!" Tang Ya approached with a grin.
"Sure! How about right on your forehead? It's smooth and shiny — would be a waste not to use it!" Jiang Nannan laughed as she raised her finger toward Tang Ya's forehead.
"Eh! On second thought, maybe not!" Tang Ya quickly covered her head with both hands and backed away with an awkward laugh.
"Nannan, well done!" Zhu Ziyang praised her with a smile.
"Yes, your fighting was clean and decisive. As expected of Elder Song's personal disciple!" Wang Yan added with admiration. "But Nannan, you did expose quite a few of your abilities. You might become a specific target now."
"Hehe! It's fine. I still have my most important trump card hidden away!" Jiang Nannan said cheerfully, completely unconcerned. After all, the true effect of her third soul skill hadn't been revealed yet.
"So, what now?" Ma Xiaotao asked. "Should we head back to the hotel, or stay and watch the matches?"
"That…" Wang Yan looked hesitant, a little torn.
"If you ask me, we should stay," Zhu Ziyang suggested. "What you're worried about is that knowing the enemy's strength early might affect the mindset of the reserve team, right? But I don't think that's necessary. If their mental state is that fragile, they wouldn't have been chosen to begin with. Am I right, Beibei? Yuhao?"
"Ziyang's right," Beibei nodded. "No matter how strong the enemy is, I'll shatter them with my fists!"
"Teacher Wang, have you forgotten how Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and I won the freshman tournament?" Huo Yuhao added.
"That's true. Looks like I was overthinking it," Wang Yan smiled. "Alright then, let's stay and watch. It'll also give you all a chance to learn about the upcoming opponents."
With the decision made, the Shrek team sat comfortably in their luxury viewing area to await the start of the next match.
The round-robin format scheduled four groups to compete each day. Each group had four matches to complete — odd-numbered groups in the morning, even-numbered ones in the afternoon. This meant the first round would take two days to finish. With seven rounds total in the round-robin stage, the second phase of the tournament would last at least fourteen days.
Shrek Academy's next match was in two days, but they decided to stay and observe.
The second match of Group One began soon after, featuring Righteous Heaven Academy of the Heaven Soul Empire versus Thousand Spirits Academy of the Dou Spirit Empire. Both were traditional soul master academies and future opponents of Shrek Academy. Of particular interest was Righteous Heaven Academy.
They were an old powerhouse, a top-eight team from the previous tournament. Their lineup included three Soul Kings and four Soul Ancestors. When Wang Yan introduced them, his tone was especially serious. If all seven of Shrek's main team were present, he wouldn't be worried. But right now, only three were available. If Gongyang Mo and Ling Luocheng didn't arrive within five days, Wang Yan truly would be pulling his hair out.
The match currently underway was also an individual elimination battle — lucky draw again favored solo battles, to the delight of the spectators.
Thousand Spirits Academy sent out their captain first — Shen Ce, a Soul King with the Thousand Strike Spear Martial Soul and the clear core of his team.
Righteous Heaven Academy responded with a female contestant named Yu Mengdi. Her Martial Soul stunned the Shrek group — an Angel Martial Soul!
The Angel Martial Soul had a long and complex history with Shrek Academy. While some members of the reserve team might not know the details, Zhu Ziyang, Ma Xiaotao, Wang Yan, Beibei, and Tang Ya were all very aware of its legacy. Their gazes instinctively locked on Yu Mengdi.
Zhu Ziyang narrowed his eyes, studying her. She might be a descendant of the Qian Clan… or perhaps another angelic bloodline. Though rare, there were a few families on the continent that inherited the Angel Martial Soul.
For some reason, Zhu Ziyang suddenly recalled the grandmother and granddaughter he had met years ago in the Tianhui Grand Canyon. Compared to Yu Mengdi, those two felt far more like true descendants of the Qian Clan.
Back on the stage, the duel between Yu Mengdi and Shen Ce had already begun. Both were Soul Kings, but Yu Mengdi had ten-thousand-year soul rings and a top-tier Martial Soul. Shen Ce's Thousand Strike Spear, while powerful, was only barely top-tier. The gap was evident.
Despite Shen Ce's best efforts, the oppressive power of the Angel Martial Soul overwhelmed him. After a five-minute battle, Shen Ce lost bitterly, while Yu Mengdi remained in excellent condition.
With their strongest member and captain defeated, Thousand Spirits Academy's loss seemed inevitable. But they weren't ready to concede — not every academy was as level-headed as Yunluo Academy. And besides, Yunluo had forfeited to Shrek Academy, not just anyone.
In a surprising move, Thousand Spirits Academy sent out four defense-type Soul Ancestors in succession — all with the same Martial Soul: the Spirit Rhinoceros Shield. Their endurance allowed them to finally wear down Yu Mengdi's soul power during the fifth match and secure a win.
However, Righteous Heaven Academy's next fighter was another Soul King — a power-attack specialist with long-range capabilities: Tang Xiaolei, wielding the Purple Splendor Bow.
Zhu Ziyang was reminded of Senior Sister Luo Wei from the inner court. Her Skyfeather Bow and Tang Xiaolei's Purple Splendor Bow were similar, though Luo Wei's was superior. Tang Xiaolei's bow had a fatal flaw: it used soul rings as ammunition. She could only fire as many arrows as she had soul rings. If the enemy survived that, she'd be powerless.
Tang Xiaolei used two arrows to defeat the last Spirit Rhinoceros Shield soul master and three more to eliminate a control-type soul master. Then, wisely, she stepped down on her own.
Thousand Spirits's last contestant was a Soul Ancestor girl with a Scorching Tiger Martial Soul. Her opponent: Righteous Heaven Academy's captain, Ye Wuqing — a level 58 Soul King.
The result was predictable. Ye Wuqing won easily.
Righteous Heaven Academy claimed victory in the second match. They were now the top contender for the second qualifying spot in Group One.
With the second match concluded, the Shrek group lost interest in watching the rest. Of the eight teams in Group One, only Thousand Spirits and Righteous Heaven had Soul Kings and deserved any real attention. The rest were at Yunluo Academy's level — not worth their time.
As Shrek Academy's group stood up to leave, they immediately caught the attention of the Sun Moon Empire's team. Several pairs of eyes turned toward them — especially Xiao Hongchen, who hadn't taken his eyes off Huo Yuhao even for a moment.
His curiosity and suspicion toward Huo Yuhao only grew deeper. Unfortunately, their intelligence efforts had fallen behind. Other than Huo Yuhao's name and age, they knew nothing about him.
To be precise, apart from Jiang Nannan who had already competed, the Sun Moon Empire team knew nothing about the rest of Shrek's lineup — only names and ages, and that was it.
It had to be said, Shrek Academy's anti-espionage work was outstanding — especially when it came to guarding against the Sun Moon Empire.
"Zitong, let's leave too," said Emperor Xu Jiawei of the Star Luo Empire. Seeing the Shrek team depart, he took the Empress's hand and left the imperial tower as well.
(End of Chapter)
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