Chapter 112 The match begins! Heavenly Soul Team vs. Sun and Moon Team!
That same evening, after the draw ceremony, the team members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy were sitting together in the top-floor luxury suite of the Star Luo Hotel.
The moonlight from the window shone on the mountain of soul tool parts piled on the table, reflecting a layer of cold metallic luster.
As the team captain, Ma Rulong was unfolding a data sheet about the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy, his expression revealing a confident and assured demeanor.
In his view, although Tianhun Royal Academy performed amazingly in the round-robin tournament, it was essentially an extremely "unbalanced" team.
"Look here, everyone." Ma Rulong pointed to the names of Liu Yuan and Long Aotian on the documents, his tone calm.
"According to our soul-guided detectors' multiple records, there are only two key figures in this team. Long Aotian is the eldest disciple of the Body Sect, with an extremely high soul power level and physical strength that is unreasonable."
"As for Liu Yuan, although his soul power level is only level 49, his double pupil martial soul has extremely strong mental impact and the ability to see through origins. The rest of the people are just mediocre talents who are just there to make up the numbers."
Xiao Hongchen leaned back in the sofa chair, his slender fingers deftly toying with several high-level fixed-position soul-guided cannon shells, his heterochromatic eyes filled with disdain.
"Captain, you're being too cautious," Xiao Hongchen scoffed. "The Soul Master's 'individual heroism' has absolutely no chance of survival against a large-scale mental control Soul Guidance Device and overwhelming firepower. So what if Long Aotian has a strong physique? As long as I use the 'Slowing Field' and 'Gravity Chains,' he won't be able to unleash even half his power. As for that Liu Yuan..."
Xiao Hongchen stopped what he was doing, a cruel smile curving his lips: "What do mental-type soul masters fear most? It's all-around mental defense soul tools. I've prepared three level-six 'mind-stabilizing shields.' As long as we all wear them, his mental attacks will be like sparrows hitting a metal plate, completely harmless."
Meng Hongchen chuckled softly, tossing her long silver hair, her tone laced with a hint of mockery:
"As long as we contain these two points, the remaining members probably won't last three minutes under our long-range soul-guided artillery barrage."
"In this match, our Sun Moon Royal Academy not only wants to win, but also wants to win spectacularly, so that the whole continent can see how the Soul Guidance Civilization crushes these old-era Body Martial Souls."
This confident atmosphere permeated the entire room. Ma Rulong nodded, finally finalizing the tactics:
"That's right, the core of tomorrow's tactics is: use soft control to suppress Long Aotian, and use the Mind-Stabilizing Shield to neutralize Liu Yuan. As long as these two problems are solved, we're guaranteed to win. Now, everyone go back and check your Soul Guidance Cores. I don't want to see any basic mistakes."
Meanwhile, the next day arrived quickly.
Xingluo Square was once again packed with people. As the first day of the Round of 16 elimination tournament, the first match was Shrek Academy versus Soul Heaven Academy.
Just as Xuanzi had predicted, the overall strength of Soul Heaven Academy was indeed at the bottom among the top sixteen.
Even though most of the Shrek reserve team members were injured and Huo Yuhao was in a strange state of extreme silence and even some alienation, Shrek still managed to win by a narrow margin thanks to the desperate fighting of Bei Bei, Wang Dong, and Xu Sanshi.
In the stands, Xuanzi watched the referee announce Shrek's victory and stood up excitedly.
He took a big gulp of wine, his wrinkled old face beaming with smugness.
"Good! Well done!" Xuanzi paced back and forth behind the preparation area, muttering to himself with ecstatic joy. "I knew it! Heaven still favors Shrek Academy. Winning this match means we've crossed the threshold into the top eight. This victory is of immense strategic significance!"
The more Xuanzi thought about it, the more he felt that the previous lottery draw was a stroke of genius.
In his view, as long as they could gain a few more days of rest, the evil fire and injuries within Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng could be completely healed with the help of top-grade spiritual medicines. At that time, with the return of the two six-ring Soul Emperors, Shrek Academy would still be the unshakeable overlord.
"Liu Yuan, Liu Yuan, what good is your talent? Once you're eliminated by those guys from the Sun Moon Royal Academy, you'll realize that only Shrek Academy will ultimately stand at the top. At that time, I want to see your regretful expression in front of the entire continent."
Xuanzi sneered, and that blind confidence made him feel refreshed once again.
As time went on, the Round of 16 continued at a fast pace.
The vast majority of the eight quarter-final spots have already been claimed by their respective owners.
With only one group remaining in the round of 16, this was also the most anticipated matchup across the entire continent.
Heavenly Soul Royal Academy versus Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.
This was seen by countless people as a "final show played out in advance".
On one side is the Heavenly Soul Team, possessing the miracle of double pupils and the foundation of the Body Sect; on the other side is the Sun and Moon Team, armed to the teeth and representing the pinnacle of Soul Guidance Civilization.
"Please welcome the members of the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy team and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy team to the stage!"
The referee's calm voice resounded throughout the stadium, and the previously noisy audience instantly fell into a deathly silence.
Liu Yuan remained at the very front of the group.
Today he was dressed in a sharp, dark purple outfit, his double pupils hidden beneath his slightly lowered eyelids, appearing as calm as an abyss.
Within his mind, Electrolux was emitting a low, rhythmic pulse—the resonance of the complete fusion of the living metal and the essence of the dead.
Meanwhile, Ma Rulong, along with Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and others, marched onto the arena in neat formation.
Each of them had extremely complex soul-guiding cores embedded in their waists, chests, and arms, radiating dazzling light.
Their confident demeanor made it seem as if they weren't participating in a life-or-death elimination race, but rather walking towards their coronation.
The two teams stood 30 meters apart in the center of the ring.
Xiao Hongchen looked at Liu Yuan, raised his right hand in front of everyone, and made an extremely provocative throat-slitting gesture towards Liu Yuan. His voice was clearly audible through the amplification of his soul power:
"Liu Yuan, your good luck has run out. Today, we will use the light of the soul tool to completely blind your so-called double pupils."
Ma Rulong also spoke coldly: "Tianhun Team, if it were just Long Aotian alone, you might be able to hold on for a while. But on this arena, you have no chance."
Liu Yuan did not respond.
He simply raised his head slowly, and in his double pupils, a dark purple light accompanied by a faint emerald shadow quietly bloomed.
In that instant, Xiao Hongchen, who had been full of confidence, suddenly felt his heart skip a beat for no reason.
(End of chapter)