At this moment, Xuan Zi, Dai Yueheng, and the others from Shrek were staring fixedly in Liu Yuan's direction, openly discussing him. The resentment, shock, and unwillingness in their gazes were almost tangible.
Naturally, Liu Yuan and his teammates noticed it as well.
After all, with so many hostile eyes locked onto them, it would have been impossible not to.
"Pfft—"
Meng Hongchen was the first to lose her composure. She covered her small mouth and giggled, her bright, lively eyes darting back and forth between Xuan Zi and Liu Yuan, brimming with mischief.
"Brother, look at Xuan Zi—his face has turned green from anger," she whispered.
"He's still holding a chicken leg, but he looks like he wants to chew the bone to dust and swallow it whole. It's hilarious."
Xiao Hongchen's lips curled into a broad grin as well.
He was closest to Meng Hongchen and Liu Yuan, and naturally knew the entire story—how Liu Yuan had been driven away by Xuan Zi, and how Shrek later came crawling back like clowns to recruit him.
With that in mind, and seeing Xuan Zi's current expression, the siblings instantly guessed his mental state.
"That's only natural," Xiao Hongchen said, casually flicking open the folding fan in his hand, his tone full of schadenfreude.
"He personally drove Brother Liu Yuan away and even cursed him viciously."
"But then he turns around and discovers that the 'peerless genius' he went to such extreme lengths to recruit—so much so that he even had a core disciple like Dai Yueheng lower himself to beg—was actually the very person he kicked out."
"It's like someone throwing away a family heirloom as scrap, then paying a sky-high price at an auction to buy it back… only to realize it's the same thing they tossed out."
"That feeling—if it were me, I'd probably want to die on the spot."
At this point, Xiao Hongchen paused, then suddenly waved his fan at Meng Hongchen and spoke with exaggerated seriousness:
"Though, that comparison isn't entirely fair."
"We should actually be thanking that old fool Xuan Zi."
"If it weren't for his 'blindness,' Brother Liu Yuan would be standing on Shrek's side right now."
Xiao Hongchen glanced at the calm Liu Yuan beside him, relief flashing in his eyes.
"If Brother Liu Yuan became our opponent… tsk tsk, that would be a huge problem."
"By then, the ones crying would probably be us."
Hearing this, Meng Hongchen nodded emphatically.
"That's true! Now that you mention it, Xuan Zi is practically our great benefactor!"
The siblings chimed in together. Although their voices were lowered, the irrepressible laughter spread through the previously tense and solemn preparation area, lightening the mood considerably.
Meanwhile, Ma Rulong, Mi Jia, and the other main team members were utterly confused.
Although they had a good relationship with Liu Yuan now, they knew nothing about his past—especially the grudge between him and Shrek.
"Uh… Junior Brother Xiao Hongchen,"
Ma Rulong scratched his head and asked hesitantly,
"What are you talking about? What 'blindness'? Did the Captain… have some kind of conflict with Shrek before?"
Hearing this, the other team members also gathered around curiously.
Even Liu Yuan merely smiled helplessly and did not stop Xiao Hongchen from explaining.
These matters would come to light sooner or later. Rather than hiding them, it was better to lay them out openly—it might even further ignite everyone's fighting spirit.
Seeing Liu Yuan's tacit approval, Xiao Hongchen cleared his throat and began recounting everything with great enthusiasm.
From how Liu Yuan was targeted and expelled by Xuan Zi for refusing to join the so-called Supervisory Group, to how he later came to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, and finally to Shrek's utterly embarrassing attempt at recruitment.
Xiao Hongchen told it vividly, placing special emphasis on the stark contrast between Xuan Zi's lofty, domineering attitude back then and his later desperation for talent.
When he finished, Ma Rulong and the others were completely stunned.
"Holy crap!"
Even the usually steady Mi Jia couldn't help but curse.
"Is Xuan Zi's brain filled with water? He expelled the Captain for that kind of reason?!"
Lin Xi slammed his fist into his palm, furious.
"That's outright bullying!"
"Despicable Shrek!"
But soon, everyone's expressions turned solemn.
In their hearts, a new layer of shared indignation formed—along with a powerful desire to fight on Liu Yuan's behalf.
"So that's the connection…"
Ma Rulong took a deep breath and looked at Liu Yuan with blazing eyes.
"Captain, in that case, we have one more reason to win this championship."
"Not just for the Empire's glory or the Academy's honor…"
"But also to vent this anger for you!"
"Exactly!"
The other team members echoed in unison, clenching their fists, their eyes burning with fierce battle intent.
"We must slap Shrek in the face for the Captain!"
"Let them know that driving the Captain away was the stupidest decision they've ever made!"
"Make them regret it to their very bones!"
Liu Yuan looked at his impassioned teammates, warmth welling up in his chest.
He nodded lightly, a confident smile curling at the corner of his lips.
"Then I thank you all."
And at that very moment—
A loud, clear voice rang out across the entire venue through a sound-amplifying spirit tool, cutting off everyone's conversation.
"Silence!"
An old man in black robes appeared on the high platform—it was the Chief Referee of this tournament.
He swept his gaze over the densely packed teams in the plaza and spoke in a deep, resonant voice:
"I am the Chief Referee of this All-Continent High-Rank Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament."
"Now, I will announce the rules of this tournament to all of you."
The previously noisy plaza fell silent instantly.
"There are a total of one hundred and thirty-three academy teams from various nations across the continent participating in this tournament!"
Hearing this number, many first-time participants gasped. One hundred and thirty-three teams meant several thousand elite Spirit Masters had gathered here—the intensity of the competition was self-evident.
The Chief Referee's voice continued:
"In order to screen out the true powerhouses, the first round of the preliminaries will adopt the most brutal format—single-elimination!"
"The rules are simple: two teams face off in a seven-versus-seven team battle. The loser is immediately eliminated. Pack up and go home!"
"There are no second chances. Only the victors may remain on this stage!"
As soon as these words fell, the entire arena erupted.
The first round was a do-or-die battle?
For many small academies that had traveled great distances just to participate, this was nothing short of a thunderbolt from the sky. If they happened to draw a powerhouse like Shrek or the Sun Moon team in the first round, wouldn't that be equivalent to delivering themselves on a platter?
The Chief Referee seemed quite satisfied with the reaction and continued calmly:
"Due to the large number of participating teams, the first round of eliminations is expected to last three days."
"Only the teams that survive this brutal baptism will qualify to enter the next stage—the round-robin tournament."
"As for the specific rules of the round-robin stage, once you survive these three days, I will naturally explain them."
With that, the Chief Referee waved his hand and pointed toward the massive lottery box on the high platform.
"Enough talk."
"Captains of each academy—step forward and draw lots!"
"The moment that decides your fate has arrived!"
-------------Author---------------
Read 50 advanced chapter
👉 patreon.com/Master_fic
U can read 10 chapters ahead just for 5$