After learning about the spirit abilities of Bei Bei and the other three, Wang Yan began to arrange tactics for the round-robin tournament. He said, "Let's arrange our tactics for the second stage of the round-robin tournament. As I mentioned before, there will be three combat modes in the second stage of the round-robin tournament. These three modes will be decided by drawing lots, and each match will be different.
There are a total of sixty-seven teams in the second stage, divided into eight groups. Five of these groups have eight teams, while the remaining three groups have nine teams. Teams within each group will play a single round-robin match. The winner gets two points, a draw gets one point, and the loser gets no points. The top two teams in terms of points will advance to the third stage of the finals.
Given our strong performance in the first stage and the usual practice of past competitions, Shrek Academy should be in Group 1, a group with eight teams. Therefore, in the second stage, we will need to compete in seven matches. Furthermore, our match will still be the first one in the round-robin tournament, and our specific opponent will only be known when we arrive at the competition venue tomorrow.
The entire second stage of the competition is expected to last about half a month. This half-month will inevitably be very intense and tiring, so I hope you all are mentally prepared."
"Yes!" everyone replied.
Wang Yan continued, "For tomorrow's match arrangement, my idea is that Yu Hao should ideally not participate. Yu Hao's performance on the first day was too exaggerated; five ten-thousand-year spirit rings will inevitably attract intense research and investigation from other academies. Although this cannot be hidden for long, I still hope to delay his exposure as much as possible and maintain this sense of mystery."
"Understood!" Zhu Ziyang agreed with Wang Yan, saying, "If it's a solo battle, I suggest directly having Sister Xiaotao or me go up. This can minimize the exposure of others."
"That's exactly what I was thinking," Wang Yan said. "The individual elimination tournament isn't just one person going up to fight one match; it's a Arena (arena) style, where the winner can continue fighting until defeated. In this format, the higher the spirit power level, the greater the advantage. With the strength of Sister Xiaotao or Ziyang, there's a good chance of achieving a one-versus-seven sweep.
If a team battle is drawn, then let Yu Hao continue to participate. Although his cultivation isn't strong, his command ability with Spirit Detection Shared is very powerful, and he can act as the main controller for team battles.
These two combat modes are not a problem for us. What truly requires our attention is the two-two-three cooperative battle. In this mode, there will be three matches: two two-on-two matches and one three-on-three match, with a best-of-three system. This mode will inevitably expose some of our strengths and weaknesses, so we will make the following arrangements: Ma Xiaotao and Bei Bei in one group, Zhu Ziyang and Xu Sanshi in another group, and Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya in a third group. We will strive to win two two-on-two matches, which will directly avoid the three-on-three match."
"Teacher, what if one of the two-on-two matches is lost?" Wang Dong inquired.
"Wang Dong, which of us do you think would lose?" Before Wang Yan could reply, Ma Xiaotao looked at Wang Dong with a kind smile and asked.
"Uh~ Sister Xiaotao, I, I was just saying 'what if,' right?" Wang Dong was startled by Ma Xiaotao's expression and immediately chuckled, saying.
"There is no 'what if'!" Ma Xiaotao said with great confidence.
"If we really have to fight a three-on-three, then let the main team members who haven't participated, along with Xiao Xiao and you, go up," Wang Yan said, expressing his thoughts, even though Ma Xiaotao had spoken so decisively.
"Ah! I have to go up, what if I get nervous?" Xiao Xiao's small face immediately showed a worried expression when she heard Wang Yan's words.
"Oh, Xiao Xiao, don't be afraid! You have to have confidence in Big Brother Ziyang and the others!" Huo Yuhao comforted her, "Besides, the probability of you and Wang Dong going up is only one-ninth, so there's no need to worry at all."
"Oh, oh!" Xiao Xiao nodded.
"Alright, that's all for the battle arrangements for now. It's getting late, everyone go back and rest, and adjust your condition to the best!" Wang Yan said, "Meeting adjourned!"
— —
The fourth day of the competition, early morning.
Star Luo Plaza was already filled with eagerly awaiting spectators. On the Imperial City tower, Emperor Emperor Xu Jiawei of the Star Luo Empire appeared again. In the resting area, all the academies without matches today were also present.
Today's first match was Shrek Academy's. In the opening match on the first day, Shrek Academy's performance was truly dazzling, especially that young man with five ten-thousand-year spirit rings and that stunning girl who resembled a Valkyrie.
Everyone was looking forward to Shrek Academy showcasing more surprising things. Of course, they hoped even more to continue seeing the young man with ten-thousand-year spirit rings compete again, so they could once again admire the splendor of ten-thousand-year spirit rings.
"Your Majesty, do you think Shrek Academy will send out that young man with five ten-thousand-year spirit rings today?" the Empress inquired from the city tower.
"Hard to say." Emperor Xu Jiawei said, deep in thought, "That young man should be called Huo Yuhao. Those five ten-thousand-year spirit rings are most likely a trick, not real. However, even so, to be a participant for Shrek Academy, and seemingly a leader, is enough to warrant our attention. He is a person of my Star Luo Empire!"
"He's actually a person of my Star Luo Empire!" The Empress immediately showed a surprised expression upon hearing this and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
"What is there to congratulate?" Emperor Xu Jiawei was puzzled and looked at his Empress with confusion.
"Your humble servant congratulates Your Majesty on having a hero emerge under your rule. Since this Huo Yuhao is a person of my Star Luo Empire, he will surely serve Your Majesty in the future!" the Empress explained.
"Alas! Zhitong, you don't understand. If it were truly so, that would be wonderful." Emperor Xu Jiawei's face showed a hint of helplessness as he said, "Huo Yuhao is currently representing Shrek Academy in the Soul Master Competition, which means there's an eighty to ninety percent chance he will enter Shrek Academy's Inner Courtyard. Once he enters Shrek Academy's Inner Courtyard, he will no longer be considered a citizen of the Star Luo Empire!"
"This… how can this be?" The Empress couldn't help but widen her eyes, feeling it incredible.
If the Imperial City was discussing Shrek Academy, how could the resting area not be discussing it? Among them, Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was the most prominent.
"Brother, do you think that Huo Yuhao will still compete today?" Beside Xiao Hongchen, a beautiful young girl asked with curiosity. She was Xiao Hongchen's younger sister, Meng Hongchen.
"Hard to say." Xiao Hongchen's expression was gloomy as he said, "I actually hope he competes today, so I can find out if he's really just putting on a show! I won't allow anyone to be more outstanding than me!"
"Heh!" Hearing this, Ma Rulong, the captain of the Sun Moon Academy main team, let out a sneer and said, "Setting aside whether that Huo Yuhao is real or fake, just that Jiang Nannan alone is enough to make you pay attention! That Jiang Nannan is only fifteen this year, tsk tsk, a fifteen-year-old Spirit King, and one without any exaggeration. I really don't know how you'll be able to defeat her in the next competition!"
Ma Rulong's sarcastic tone made Xiao Hongchen's face darken. When he tried to retort, he was pulled back by Meng Hongchen. He asked, confused, "Meng?"
"Brother, the people from Shrek Academy are here," Meng Hongchen said, pointing to the dark green school uniforms appearing at the entrance.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongchen immediately cast his gaze over, directly at Huo Yuhao, who was at the front of the team. In Xiao Hongchen's view, although Jiang Nannan's strength was also formidable, it was far from being able to threaten him. What truly made him uneasy was Huo Yuhao, who potentially possessed five ten-thousand-year spirit rings. He had a premonition that this person might be his inner demon!
With the arrival of the Shrek Academy members, the long-waiting spectators instantly reached a climax of excitement, cheering the name of Shrek. The cheers only subsided when Zhu Ziyang and the others entered the resting area and took their seats.
Sitting in the luxurious resting area, Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but exclaim, "This is the will of the people! The will of the people is the will of heaven. With the will of heaven on my side, great things can be expected!"
The host had already begun to warm up the crowd, first announcing the list of academies that had passed the first round of competition, then introducing the group assignments, and finally shouting loudly, "Next, please welcome the representative team from the continent's number one academy, Shrek Academy, and their opponents, the representative team from Star Luo Empire's Yunluo Advanced Soul Engineer Academy, to the waiting area! At the same time, please invite the captains of both teams to the stage to confirm their competition method!"
Hearing the host's voice, Ma Xiaotao subconsciously stood up, but she was stopped by Wang Yan. Then, the preliminary team captain, Bei Bei, was sent up by Wang Yan.
The captain of Yunluo Advanced Soul Engineer Academy was a burly man, similar in build to He Caitou. The two arrived at the competition arena simultaneously.
The referee walked to the middle of the two with a spherical lottery drum. After letting them inspect it, he began the draw, shouting, "Three, two, one!"
Bei Bei and the opposing captain exerted force simultaneously, tossing the large sphere into the air. Then, a small yellow ball was the first to fall from the large sphere. A yellow small ball represented a solo battle.
The referee caught the small ball and simultaneously retrieved the large ball falling from the sky. After showing the small ball to both captains, and then signaling to Emperor Emperor Xu Jiawei on the Imperial City tower, he loudly announced through his portable spirit tool amplifier, "Shrek Academy versus Yunluo Academy will proceed in a one-on-one individual elimination format. Please send out the first competitors from both sides."
One-on-one? Hearing this competition format, the audience and the students from the participating academies all showed surprised expressions. The audience wanted to see Huo Yuhao, while the students from the participating academies wanted to probe the strengths and weaknesses of Shrek Academy.
"I'll go!" After Bei Bei returned to the waiting area, Ma Xiaotao said impatiently.
"No!" But she was stopped by both Wang Yan and Zhu Ziyang simultaneously. Wang Yan said, "For this match, let Jiang Nannan go."
"Why?" Ma Xiaotao immediately showed dissatisfaction, glaring at Wang Yan, and asked.
Wang Yan looked at the angry Ma Xiaotao and said, "Among the four countries on the continent, the strongest Soul Engineer Academy is in the Sun Moon Empire. Apart from the Sun Moon Empire, the level of Soul Engineer Academies in the other three countries is roughly similar. This Yunluo Advanced Soul Engineer Academy comes from the Star Luo Empire, so its overall strength will certainly not be too strong. I assert that they will not have any Spirit King-level students, and probably not many Spirit Ancestors. And to deal with Soul Engineers, an agility-attack system is better than an attack system."
"That's right, Sister Xiaotao, if you go up now, it would be a complete waste of talent. It's better to let Nannan go; it also allows us to expose one less person!" Zhu Ziyang said.
"Alright then!" Ma Xiaotao was persuaded and could only nod in agreement.
"Nannan, how is it? Do you have the confidence to achieve a one-versus-seven sweep?" After persuading Ma Xiaotao, Zhu Ziyang looked at Jiang Nannan and asked.
"En! Just leave it to me!" Jiang Nannan nodded confidently in reply.