After speaking, he turned and left without a single backward glance. He Caitou then stood up, signaling his support for Huo Yuhao's decision. Ma Xiaotao let out a cold snort, and even the eyes of Ning Tian and Wu Feng as they looked at Wang Yan were filled with a few hints of disdain.
Enduring the strange looks from the students present, Wang Yan felt a deep bitterness in his heart.
In the history of Shrek teams, which leading teacher had been like him—acting as both father and mother to the group? In previous years, the leading teachers had it easy, like they were on vacation; they'd just casually arrange some tactics and leave the rest to the Inner Courtyard disciples. In his case, he had fewer than seven people total who could actually take the field...
Crucially, if he couldn't lead the Shrek team to reclaim the championship, he'd surely be pointed at and cursed out back at the Academy. Thus, his current thought was to do everything possible to scrap together more winning chances for Shrek.
As it turned out, it was bad enough the Inner Courtyard members didn't listen to him, but now the little fellows from the Outer Courtyard were slamming tables at him... and the worst part was, he couldn't even say anything back.
Fine then, let's just let it all go to ruin! If we win, we win; if we can't, then so be it!
Just as Huo Yuhao stepped out of the meeting room, Wang Yan's urgent voice came from behind.
"Wait!" Wang Yan gritted his teeth and stood up. He let out a sigh as if he had no other choice and ran to stand in front of Huo Yuhao, bowing solemnly.
"I'm sorry, Yuhao. It's the teacher's fault. I shouldn't have said such things. Please forgive me."
Huo Yuhao pursed his lips and looked toward Xian Lin'er. "Dean Xian, what do you have to say?" Xian Lin'er felt her temples throbbing, wishing she could step forward and slap this arrogant kid.
Damn it, even that old guy Yan Shaozhe wouldn't dare speak to her like that, asking "what she had to say"...
And this Wang Yan was truly something else. Can things like cheating be discussed right in front of the students? Besides, if Shrek uses a few methods for the sake of victory, how can that be called cheating?
"...Wang Yan was indeed in the wrong, so such remarks that harm our unity should not be spoken again. We, Shrek, can afford to win and afford to lose."
Though it sounded somewhat insincere, Huo Yuhao nodded in agreement and smiled faintly.
"Of course. I also hope Shrek Academy can truly win this tournament." Wang Yan gave a bitter smile. "No matter what, it was my fault. After returning to the Academy, I will apply for punishment from the higher-ups. With a compromised mindset, I am no longer fit to be a teacher."
Huo Yuhao was stunned. "Teacher Wang, you..."
He resented Wang Yan for asking him to cheat, but he had never thought about making Wang Yan resign! Wang Yan waved his hand. "This has nothing to do with you. It is I, the teacher, who failed to set a good example. I have failed as an educator; this is the punishment I deserve."
After a moment of silence, Huo Yuhao shook his head and walked back into the meeting room.
"...Teacher Wang, you're overstating things."
Once Wang Yan finished arranging the battle plan, everyone rose and left the room.
"Hmm?" On his way back to his room, Huo Yuhao's gaze suddenly shifted toward the other end of the hallway.
There stood a handsome youth, appearing fourteen or fifteen years old, leaning against the wall and watching him with a heavy, focused gaze.
A student from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy? To be fair, their school uniform looked much better than Shrek Academy's "poop-green" outfit. Xiao Hongchen gave a cold laugh and raised his right hand, turning his thumb inward to point at himself—performing the classic "jobber" pose from Dragon Ball, full of confidence.
"You're Huo Yuhao, right? Remember my name."
"I, Xiao Hongchen, am the man who will defeat you!"
Even in the Dragon Ball universe where planet-shattering power levels were everywhere, aside from the "Prince of Posturing" Vegeta, even Gohan would lose a fight after making that gesture, let alone someone on the Douluo Continent. Huo Yuhao glanced at him, a flicker of dark green light flashing within his deep blue eyes. Then...
"Eh?" Xiao Hongchen suddenly felt as if his surroundings had turned pitch black. A sudden sensation of weightlessness surged through his body; he felt as if he were in a freefall, yet the void around him was total darkness, and he couldn't make a sound.
This sudden turn of events left him bewildered. His body trembled violently, and his legs began to feel weak.
He didn't know how long he fell, but the sensation of weightlessness stopped abruptly as color returned to his surroundings.
What he saw was a bizarre, massive dark-green eye—chaotic, disordered, and terrifying... as if it were piercing through his very soul.
With a stumble, his consciousness returned to his body. Xiao Hongchen realized he had collapsed onto the floor, cold sweat drenching his back.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
While Xiao Hongchen lowered his head, gasping for air, he saw a pair of blue-black boots appear before him.
A calm, indifferent voice came from above. "If I were you, I would learn how to spell the word 'humility'."
By the time Xiao Hongchen managed to raise his head, all he saw was a slender back walking away.
Was it an illusion? Or... his soul skill?
What kind of soul skill is this to be so powerful? Xiao Hongchen, unwilling to admit defeat, propped himself up from the ground. However, the battle intent in his eyes grew even thicker.
Good, only then are you worth being defeated by me! Xiao Hongchen walked back to his room with high spirits; he figured it must have been a mental attack of the illusion type.
He then began pulling rare metals out of his storage ring to start crafting a mental-defense type soul tool.
Just you wait and see how I break your technique!
...
Time quickly passed to the fourth day of the tournament. The knockout rounds had ended, and next was the second stage: the round-robin tournament.
While the round-robin wasn't as immediately cutthroat as the knockout stage, it had its own advantages—namely, the rich and varied match rules.
Three battle modes would be decided by drawing lots. One could say every match offered a different kind of excitement.
The weather today wasn't great; it was overcast and a bit oppressive. Fortunately, the air was fresh and it wasn't raining.
Looking at the sea of people in the stadium, Huo Yuhao let out a helpless sigh. If I have the spare time to compete... I might as well be cultivating.
While Huo Yuhao's thoughts wandered, the host finished the usual nonsense used to stir up the crowd's emotions. Ma Xiaotao stood up and walked toward the stage. The captain of the Yunluo Advanced Soul Engineer Academy was a burly man, nearly identical in stature to He Caitou. He had short golden hair, and his muscular physique was faintly visible beneath his white school uniform.
This captain took a long look at Ma Xiaotao. Though his eyes held much caution, there wasn't much fear; instead, they were full of fighting spirit. The Star Net Empire used colored balls to determine the battle mode; Ma Xiaotao and the opposing captain drew yellow, representing individual combat.
After signaling to Emperor Xu Jiawei atop the imperial city wall, the referee announced loudly through a portable soul tool megaphone:
"Shrek Academy vs. Yunluo Academy. The match will be conducted in a one-on-one individual elimination format. Please send out your first contestants."
Upon hearing this format, the audience's eyes lit up, and the stands erupted into cheers.
One-on-one—this was the best way to watch a bloodbath!
After Ma Xiaotao stepped down, Wang Yan adjusted his glasses and said in a heavy voice, "One-on-one; this format has both pros and cons for us. We are already short-staffed, so we would actually be at a disadvantage in a team fight. But if we send someone with sufficient combat power, we can win this match directly with the smallest cost!"
"Therefore, for the first round: Huo Yuhao, you're up."