In Douluo Continent, Tang San raids my base right from the start.

Chapter 186 You still need to give more

"Uncle." Back on stage, Yu Tianheng lowered his head somewhat dejectedly.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with Yu Xiaogang's tactical arrangements in this match; it was simply that they misjudged their opponent when executing them.

Yu Xiaogang smiled, walked over to Tang San, and patted him on the shoulder. "Actually, the result of this match is more valuable than your victory. There's a saying that goes, 'Failure is the mother of success.' Now that the preliminaries are over, there's a month-long break before the qualifying rounds, which means you have ample time to identify your weaknesses and adjust yourselves accordingly."

"I have always said that real-world experience is the best way to test yourself."

"The profession of Soul Master is inherently full of unknowns. Different Martial Souls, different skill combinations, and different people wielding them will all produce different effects. Therefore, only by constantly engaging in actual combat and facing new opponents can one quickly increase their knowledge and experience, thereby allowing themselves to grow rapidly." As he spoke, he looked around at everyone, "You are all geniuses of the younger generation."

"But the opponents I faced in the Soul Master Competition were also among the best of the younger generation."

"You must understand that in the end, the Soul Master Competition will only be a memory in your lives. You are still young, and youth is your asset; you have a long road ahead of you. For you now, what you gain is far more important than winning or losing."

"Yes, Master!" all the students responded.

"Yes, teacher." Tang San nodded in agreement, but his eyes were still filled with resentment.

He didn't want to lose, especially not to his peers. After all, he had lived two lives; his body was young, but his mental age was that of a true adult.

Losing to a child nearly 30 years younger than himself was somewhat difficult for him to accept.

"Alright, everyone, please sit down first," Yu Xiaogang continued.

The preliminary rounds are over, and the awards ceremony is next. We need to prepare for it.

Because Team One of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy voluntarily forfeited their direct qualification, the Heavenly Dou City division gained an extra spot. Therefore, this awards ceremony will award qualification certificates to the top six teams. And Team One of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy, with their undefeated record, is undoubtedly the first to receive this certificate.

Next are Shenfeng Academy, Chihuo Academy, and Tianshui Academy.

Of course, there's also Shrek Academy.

Finally, there's Thunder Academy. Although they had to withdraw from three consecutive matches due to injury, they still managed to qualify.

In fact, this was related to the fact that they had seriously injured the Elephant Armor Academy team earlier. Because of their injuries, the Elephant Armor Academy was forced to forfeit two more matches, which gave Thunder Academy the opportunity to come from behind and eliminate the Elephant Armor Academy with their victories.

"Now, please welcome the captains and vice-captains of the first six teams to enter in order."

Yu Tianheng and Tang San immediately stood up and strode towards the passage.

On the other side, Zhu Wu and Long Ling'er, led by staff, were the first to walk out of the passage and stand at the head of the VIP seats.

Soon, the other five teams also arrived at their designated locations under the guidance of the staff.

"Now, please welcome His Majesty, Sect Master Ning, and Bishop Salas to the stage to present qualification certificates and prize money to the six teams that have qualified for the qualifying rounds."

As the host announced, six young ladies gracefully walked onto the stage carrying exquisite silver platters.

Xueye, Ningfengzhi, and Salas each stepped forward to receive one, which was then awarded to the first, second, and third place teams, respectively. After that, another round was held to award the prizes to the bottom three teams.

With that, the extremely brief awards ceremony came to an end, and the host handed the floor to Xueye.

"First of all, my children, I congratulate you."

As they talked on the snowy night, they bestowed the titles of viscount upon the captain and vice-captain present, and baron upon the other team members.

Salas wasn't happy about that and interrupted.

"Your Majesty, isn't this inappropriate?"

With a familiar plot and rhythm, after some discussion, Xueye made a promise that the entire team that wins the final championship will have their titles promoted by one level, the academy will have the word "Royal" added to its prefix, and will receive financial support from the empire, taking this freebie to the extreme.

At least in Zhu Wu's view, Xue Ye was trying to get something for nothing.

Would an academy with the strength to win the final championship lack this?

The conversation continued through the snowy night, with the promise that the top three students in the qualifying rounds would be helped by the Empire to hunt down soul beasts with a cultivation level of less than 30,000 years free of charge.

This was clearly an attempt to win them over, forcing the academy contestants present to choose between the Empire and the Spirit Hall.

Only children make choices. I want them all, and I'll replace them all, Zhu Wu thought to himself.

"You are all smart children, and you will naturally make smart choices." After saying this, Xueye said no more, handed over the right to speak to the host, and turned to leave with the ministers by his side, leaving Salas standing there with a slightly unpleasant expression.

The latter quickly regained his composure, glanced at everyone, and led the high-ranking members of the Martial Soul Temple to turn and leave.

"Ling'er, let's go." Zhu Wu didn't intend to stay any longer and pulled Long Ling'er away.

Tang San remained calm, glanced at the two figures behind him, and then turned and walked with Yu Tianheng toward the other passage.

"Fire Dance Sister." Feng Xiaotian smiled and walked towards Fire Dance, leaving with the two siblings.

Some time later, Zhu Wu and the others returned to the hotel, ordered a big meal, and had a get-together.

"I won't be giving you any intensive training for the next month," Zhu Wu said as they waited for the food at the table. "After so long in the qualifiers, I'm sure you've all gained some insights."

"I think what you should do now is calm down, think carefully, summarize, then apply what you've learned to other situations, develop new ideas, and put them into practice more."

"The purpose of participating in this competition is to make what we learn our own, and to extend it into new things so that we can grow."

"Of course, to maintain my fitness level, I will still need to do basic physical training every day after returning to the academy."

"As for the rest of the time, you can arrange it as you see fit."

He also needs to use this time to familiarize himself with the soul core within his body.

"If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask Teacher Ma. I'll try to answer it when I have time, or I can ask Elder Dugu to help," Zhu Wu continued.

"Once the qualifying rounds begin, I will give you as much playing time as possible so you can solidify your gains through real combat."

"Yes, Captain!" Everyone nodded, with Xiao Chenyu and Oslo being the most excited.

With the assistance and guidance of Long Yingtian and the titled Douluo Dugu Bo, this is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy, Yu Xiaogang was also giving a speech, his tone calm.

"After a month of intense competition, I believe each of you has gained something to varying degrees. However, this is far from enough! As you have all seen, this world is never short of geniuses. Although the competition is not your ultimate goal, it is a short-term objective that you as a team need to strive for. And to achieve final victory..."

"You need to give more."

"So, during the next month of rest, I will be giving you some intensive training." He glanced at Ma Hongjun, whose face looked grim, and Oscar, who looked worried.

"If anyone slacks off during this process, I don't mind doubling their training volume."

"Alright, everyone, you can all leave now."

After saying that, he turned and left.

(End of this chapter)