Douro Continent

Chapter 336 The Ultimate and Balanced Styles in the Soul Master World (Part 2)

Emperor Xueye always wore a smile, occasionally whispering a few words to Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

Behind them, the three members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's academic committee glared angrily at Prince Xue Xing. The prince, who had just been reprimanded by Emperor Xue Ye two days prior, was now speechless. Even with his limited understanding, he could see just how promising Shrek Academy was. He couldn't help but secretly regret listening to the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng, and driving these people away. He knew that the honor should have rightfully belonged to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy!

A corner of the spectator stand for the participants.

The team members, clad in moon-white Canghui Academy uniforms, wore gloomy expressions. They never imagined that their mocking opponents would be so powerful. They had even managed to defeat a team like Elephant Armor Academy. Remember, their very first match was against Elephant Armor Academy, and they suffered a crushing defeat.

This year, Canghui Academy's team, led by Soul Saint Shi Nian, aimed to advance to the qualifying rounds and the finals. They had already lost one match; if they continued to lose, how could they achieve their goal? They naturally understood that their previous mockery of Shrek Academy would be met with retaliation in the matches. If they were to be completely defeated like the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team, they would be finished.

These students are all outstanding at Canghui Academy, but even the most outstanding students only have one chance in their lifetime to participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. How could they be willing to let such an opportunity slip away? Unlike Elephant Armor Academy, they don't have absolute confidence in advancing to the qualifying rounds.

Shi Nian stood with his hands behind his back, glancing at his students. "You don't need to think too much. Win the second round first. Keep increasing your winning streak; that's what you should be doing. As for the Shrek Academy issue, I'll take care of it."

Upon hearing Shi Nian's words, the students of Canghui Academy were greatly encouraged, as they all knew the character of this vice dean. Their smiles suddenly turned strange.

A week passed quickly. The preliminary rounds of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament successfully completed their first six rounds. Three academies achieved six victories, including Shrek Academy. Aside from the Elephant Armor Academy in their second match, which caused them some trouble, they easily defeated their subsequent four opponents. The Shrek Seven Devils only fielded Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Xiao Wu each time. None of their opponents featured a Soul Master above level 40.

The other two academies that also achieved six consecutive victories are Thunder Academy and Divine Wind Academy.

Today is the eighth day of the qualifiers, and the seventh round of matches will begin. Shrek Academy's opponent is Othello Academy, who has only managed two wins in the previous matches. Precisely because of their opponent's weakness, Shrek Academy wasn't scheduled for the main arena this time. The main arena match today is also a major event, a clash between two strong teams playing alongside Shrek Academy: Elephant Academy and Thunder Academy.

In the rest area, Oscar leaned back in his chair, "It feels so good not having to play. I can watch the game for free again."

Jiangzhu chuckled and said, "Why don't you go on stage for me? You've already revealed some of your strength anyway."

Oscar immediately shook his head and said, "How can a spotless, handsome young man like me just go on stage like that?"

Ning Rongrong snorted irritably, "Handsome boy, huh? He's just a big sausage uncle." As she spoke, she secretly flipped a piece of flesh around his waist, causing the previously carefree man to sit up straight and gasp.

Jiangzhu chuckled twice. Just then, Ma Hongjun leaned over and said, "Sister Jiangzhu, how about I go on stage for you? Although I'm the secret weapon, I can help you if you get tired. It wouldn't be good if you got exhausted."

Jiangzhu patted Ma Hongjun's chubby face, which was half a head shorter than her, and pinched it several times, saying, "Little Fatty is the best. I'll buy you something delicious later. I'll take over the competition. It's okay to work a little harder now for the final victory. Besides, it's a good opportunity to gain practical experience."

Ma Hongjun's face showed a simple and honest look as he nodded repeatedly.

Oscar and Ning Rongrong exchanged a glance, both suppressing their laughter. Ever since the group started training and competing together, Fatty had been constantly pestering Jiangzhu, acting like a well-behaved child.

Although this guy wasn't exactly handsome, his chubby face was kind of cute. Because of his deliberate attempt to conceal it, Jiangzhu didn't even notice his true appearance.

After all, the Shrek Seven Devils were the best of brothers, and the other six were all in pairs. Seeing that Fatty was all alone, they couldn't very well expose his secrets.

In addition, Fatty's problem with his "evil fire" has been resolved. He himself is willing to pursue Jiangzhu, and the others have shown an attitude of neither supporting him nor causing trouble.

"Alright, stop fooling around. Although our opponent in this match isn't strong, we still can't be careless. Even a lion needs to go all out to hunt a rabbit. If we happen to encounter a team that's hiding its strength, we could easily be upset."

At this moment, Dai Mubai fully demonstrated the responsibility that a captain should have, reminding everyone to prepare for the game.

Just then, the master walked in from outside. "Mu Bai is right. It's very likely that some academies are hiding their strength. However, that won't happen this time. Your opponents have already forfeited."

"Huh? Forfeit?" The Shrek Academy students looked at the master in surprise.

The master smiled slightly and said, "It's normal that the strength you've displayed has caused some weaker academies to forfeit. There's no need to be so surprised. You can also take this opportunity to watch the match between Thunder Academy and Elephant Armor Academy. Both teams can pose a certain threat to you. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Come on, follow me to the spectator area."

Not having to play a match means an extra day of rest, which is undoubtedly a great benefit for Shrek Academy in such a high-density round-robin format of the qualifiers. Everyone cheered in unison and followed Master towards the exit of the rest room.

Just then, they ran into a group of people walking in from outside.

The team members were dressed in moon-white uniforms, bore the familiar name "Canghui," and were led by an elderly man with a gloomy expression. It was the Canghui Academy team.

The two teams' eyes met briefly in mid-air, and both saw the sparks flying in each other's eyes.

Dai Mubai raised his hand, pointed at the young man who was in the lead with his index finger, and then made a gesture as if he were about to chop off the neck with his palm.

The Shrek Academy students had no good feelings towards Canghui Academy. Grandmaster didn't even glance at them, and led the Shrek Academy students over with a stiff expression.

The old man named Shi Nian paused for a moment, a strange light flashing in his eyes. He turned and glared at his team members, stopping some of them from taking any action. Only then did the two sides pass each other.

Tyrone clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking. "I really can't wait to run into them." His words echoed the sentiments of everyone at Shrek Academy. The fat guy couldn't help but say, "Damn it, what's so great about these guys? They act like they're all that. They haven't even beaten Elephant Armor Academy. Third Brother, let me handle them when we meet. I'll show them what real strength is."

The master said calmly, "Alright, calm down. They are not opponents you should be considering. Through these few days of competition, I have gained a basic understanding of all the participating teams. Among these teams, only five can pose a threat to you. Only these five teams have the potential to hide their strength. Among these five teams, you have already faced Elephant Armor Academy and narrowly defeated them. They have the least chance of hiding their abilities. After all, Hu Yanli's soul bone has been exposed. I heard that the Elephant Armor Sect Master, Tianxiang Hu Yanzhen, is now with these family members every day, for fear that Hu Yanli will be targeted by someone with ulterior motives."

"Besides Elephant Armor Academy, the other four academies that could pose a threat to you are Thunder Academy, Divine Wind Academy, Heavenly Water Academy, and Blazing Fire Academy. As you may have noticed, their names represent four powerful abilities: lightning, wind, water, and fire. Combined with Elephant Armor Academy's defensive ability of earth, they are collectively known as the Five Elemental Academies of the Heaven Dou Empire. Each academy has a significant backing."

"The Elephant Armor Academy has the most direct background, having been established by the Elephant Armor Sect. The other four academies also have impressive backgrounds. For example, Thunder Academy is actually supported by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, although the support is rather subtle. Those who join the academy are mostly collateral disciples of the family, while direct disciples are trained internally. Only Yu Tianheng joined the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy. Although it's a collateral branch, the collateral branches of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan have always been very strong. Thunder Academy's strength should not be underestimated. I don't know the backgrounds of Divine Wind Academy, Heavenly Water Academy, and Blazing Fire Academy, but I can sense that these three academies have very deep backing. They also each have their own characteristics. For you, each one will be difficult to deal with."

(End of this chapter)