Chapter 96 A Clash of Titans! Star Luo Team vs. Heavenly Soul Team!
At this very moment...
Xuanzi was sitting on a soft chair in the rest area, his lips curving upwards in excitement, and he even held the wine pot in his hand more steadily.
In his deeply ingrained traditional Soul Master concept, the level of Soul Power is the only ironclad rule for measuring combat strength.
He glanced again at the Group F roster displayed on the big screen, quickly calculating the relative strengths of both sides.
"Heavenly Soul Royal Team, hehe, you're doomed!" Xuanzi muttered under his breath, a morbid sense of pleasure gleaming in his eyes.
In his opinion, the current lineup of the Tianhun Royal team is extremely poor.
The core combat force consists only of Long Aotian, who is a Soul King, and Liu Yuan, a Soul Master who has risen to prominence in the past few months.
As for the remaining members, such as Vina, Muxue, and Gu Tong, most of them were around level 30 in terms of soul power. Among them, the two or three weakest members hadn't even had time to acquire their third soul ring yet, and were only around level 27 or 28.
In contrast, the Star Luo Royal Academy team, as the host's seed, boasts an impressive lineup of talent.
The captain and vice-captain are both genuine Soul Kings, while the other five official members are all Soul Masters of level 40 or above, and possess Soul Bones and Soul Tools provided by top-tier resources.
"With such a huge gap in cultivation levels, how can the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy possibly win?" The more Xuanzi thought about it, the more confident he felt about victory.
He had even begun to visualize the image of Du Bu Si kneeling and kowtowing in public.
After all, the bet was made in full view of everyone, and whoever's group didn't advance was the loser.
If the Heavenly Soul Team is eliminated by the Star Luo Team in the round-robin stage, Poison Undying will have to bow its proud head before Xuanzi.
Wang Yan, standing to the side, looked at Xuan Zi's almost obsessive smile. Although he felt somewhat uneasy, considering the formidable strength of the Star Luo team, he could only sigh inwardly.
Although Shrek Academy is in a difficult situation, if the Body Sect were to fall beforehand, it would at least relieve Elder Xuan of a lot of pressure, preventing him from being directly deposed by Elder Mu after returning to the academy.
At this point, the audience in the square basically shared the same view.
The people of the Star Luo Empire had already started celebrating. In their view, although the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy had Liu Yuan and Long Aotian, in this kind of team-based round-robin tournament, the brilliance of two or three strong individuals could not cover up the weakness of the entire team's cultivation gap.
"The Heavenly Soul Royal Academy's luck is hopeless. If they had been in another group, that Long Aotian might have been able to break through. Unfortunately, they just happened to run into the strongest class from our Star Luo Empire." In the stands, many Star Luo Empire spectators were pointing and whispering.
Meanwhile, in the preparation area of the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy, Poison Undying merely sneered disdainfully.
He certainly heard the surrounding discussions and saw Xuanzi's smug and petty face.
"Master, it seems that Xuanzi is convinced that we are going to lose." Long Aotian clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking.
Poison Undying didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, and said indifferently, "What does that old dog know? His turbid eyes can only see the color and level of the spirit rings, but they can't see through the origin of the body's martial soul."
"Vina and the others are indeed only Soul Venerables at the moment, but in this level of confrontation, as long as you and Liu Yuan are there, they only need to provide mental support and necessary interference."
Du Busi looked at Liu Yuan and Long Aotian, his tone carrying a hint of cruel anticipation: "Liu Yuan, Aotian, just let that old dog be smug for a while."
"Once we're on stage, don't hold back. Shatter the very thing those two Soul Kings of the Star Luo Team are so proud of. I want to see whether Xuan Zi will keep jumping or just crawl on the ground when the results are in!"
Liu Yuan sat in his original position, resting with his eyes closed. Although his double pupils were closed, the aura emanating from his body was extremely restrained.
He calmly replied, "Understood. I will let him know that rank doesn't mean everything."
Soon, the first day of competition after the draw ceremony came to an end, and the round-robin tournament entered its second day of fierce battles.
As everyone expected, Shrek Academy, despite not having an easy time, maintained a winning streak in Group C, which had no strong teams, thanks to the hard work of Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and others, and their chances of advancing were very good.
In the other groups, most of the strong teams also emerged smoothly, and the competition was not particularly intense.
However, the most attention in the entire competition has always been focused on Group F.
After several rounds of competition, the situation in Group F has become extremely clear.
Whether it's the Star Luo Royal Team, which has the advantage of playing on home turf, or the Heavenly Soul Royal Team, which is known as a "makeshift team," they have both maintained an undefeated record until now.
This means that the upcoming head-on confrontation will be a true life-or-death battle.
Whoever wins will be the sole top seed in Group F and will directly advance to the round of 16;
Whoever loses, no matter how high their score, will have to leave the stage with regret, completely ending their journey in this competition.
"Round 6 of the round-robin tournament, Group F final showdown: Star Luo Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy vs. Heavenly Soul Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy!"
The referee's voice, amplified by the soul-guided amplifier, resounded throughout the entire Star Luo Square like rolling thunder.
In that instant, the previously noisy square became so quiet you could hear a pin drop, followed by the loudest cheers since the start of the competition.
Xuanzi sat at the very front of the preparation area, leaning slightly forward, his eyes fixed on the entrance.
He even held his breath, silently chanting the slogan that the Star Luo team would win.
Amidst the intense anticipation of the crowd, the players from both sides began to take the field.
The seven members of the Star Luo Royal Team, dressed in bright gold school uniforms, led the way with Xu Jiujiu and Huang Heyun, their steps steady and powerful.
As soon as they entered the arena, they were greeted by the thunderous cheers of the home crowd. The soul power fluctuations of the two Soul Kings were released without any concealment, creating an extremely strong sense of oppression.
On the opposite side, Liu Yuan led Long Aotian and five others slowly onto the arena.
Compared to the Star Luo team's flamboyant style, their dark gold outfits appeared much more understated.
Since Vina and the other two reserve team members were only around level 30, judging from the intensity of their soul power fluctuations, their team's aura was significantly weaker than the opponent's.
Seeing this, Xuanzi clenched his fist excitedly again and said to Wang Yan beside him, "See, I was right! Their soul power connections are full of loopholes. With this level of aura clash, the Heavenly Soul Team is already at a disadvantage before the fight even begins. Poison Undying is doomed this time!"
On the ring, the referee walked to the center and signaled for both sides to line up.
After looking at Liu Yuan and Vina across from him for a long time, he said, "Liu Yuan, Vina, although we are friends, I will not hold back once we are on the field. You'd better watch out."
Liu Yuan nodded upon hearing this: "Of course."
"The rules of the competition are unrestricted; defeat is achieved by being knocked out of the ring or rendered unable to fight."
The referee raised his right hand high and then swung it down sharply: "The match begins!"
The entire audience froze at that moment.
Xuanzi's eyes widened as he waited for the one-sided massacre he had imagined to begin.
(End of chapter)