The Peerless Tang Sect: Heavenly Heart Douluo

Chapter 76 Wang Yan's 'Tactics', the Round Robin Begins (5000 words)

Dai Huabin watched Huo Yuhao's retreating figure with resentment. Huo Yuhao had been taking advantage of the chaos in this battle, not using a single soul skill. Most of the battle was resolved by him and Zhu Lu using the Netherworld White Tiger with Ning Tian's help.

As a result, this guy simply washed his hands of the responsibility. Did he even take the position of commander seriously? Why did Wang Yan let Huo Yuhao take command instead of himself?

Seeing Dai Huabin's expression, Wang Yan quickly stepped forward to comfort him, saying, "Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, you did a great job this time. You showed the spirit of Shrek Academy. Keep up the good work, and I believe you can bring glory back to Shrek Academy."

Upon hearing this, Dai Huabin's jealousy still burned, but he couldn't show it. He simply sat down in the rest area and watched the other teams compete in the arena.

Wang Dong'er then followed Huo Yuhao directly out of the competition venue and back to the Star Emperor Hotel.

Huo Yuhao returned to his room, looked at Wang Dong'er who had followed him in, closed the door, and asked, "Why didn't you go back to your own room? What are you doing here?"

Wang Dong'er looked at Huo Yuhao, bit her lip, and said, "Yuhao, do you not really care about the honor of the academy? I can sense it."

Huo Yuhao nodded in agreement, then said, "You know what happened during the start of the semester. As long as I'm still at Shrek Academy, I'll naturally try my best to be a good student. As for you, what are your thoughts?"

Wang Dong'er shook her head somewhat blankly: "I don't know, but what Elder Xuan said earlier felt very strange to me. I can't quite put my finger on it. I always felt that many of the things he said were wrong, but Elder Xuan is an elder of Shrek Academy. How could what he said be wrong?"

Huo Yuhao smiled slightly. The power of belief he had left in Wang Dong'er's body seemed to be working normally. At least now she wouldn't blindly follow Shrek Academy's doctrines like she did in the original story.

At the very least, she has developed her own thoughts. Otherwise, if she were still blindly obedient to Tang San and Shrek Academy as she was in the original story, she would be useless and have no value to her future plans.

"Do you really think Shrek Academy needs an oversight body like this? Or do other countries need it? And that Shrek Academy students should be willing to sacrifice everything for this organization?"

"Think about Yao Haoxuan, Dai Yueheng, Gongyang Mo, Chen Zifeng, Xixi, Beibei, and Xu Sanshi. Think carefully about what Elder Xuan said before. What exactly touched you and made you willing to risk your life to join them?"

"You'd abandon your family and loved ones to dedicate everything to a goal with an uncertain future? I won't say more. Go back and think it over carefully. I need to start cultivating."

Wang Dong'er was speechless, her mind seemingly blank. She was pushed back to her room by Huo Yuhao, and she couldn't help but recall the last words Huo Yuhao said when he pushed her out.

"Why did you abandon your female identity and disguise yourself as a man to join Shrek Academy?" These words echoed in her ears for a long time, as if they occupied all her thoughts.

Why? Why is this happening? Why can't I remember?

Huo Yuhao returned to his room, finally managing to send Wang Dong'er back. He felt that after killing Tang Wutong, she had really become a curious child, always asking him all sorts of questions. He still didn't know when Tang San would come to take a look again.

What could I possibly say? That my father tore my soul apart and then sent me down here to be seduced by him? Or that the powerful figures at Shrek Academy were using their mental energy to brainwash the students, developing new fanatical followers for my father, Tang San?

I'm not ready to go head-to-head with Tang San right now; even his two dogs are a bit of a problem.

Huo Yuhao felt that the soul power of his second martial soul had been filled to level 31. He hadn't actively cultivated during this time; it was all thanks to the power of belief provided by those who were affected by the fear mark.

Huo Yuhao is preparing to put on a big show in the competition. After all, although Soul Masters only make up one-thousandth of the millions of people who come to watch the competition, even ordinary people can provide some fear, even if it is only a small amount.

However, if my performance can imprint fear on one or two percent of them, then once the number increases, the soul power converted from the power of belief I gain each day will be quite considerable. Then I can focus on cultivating my first martial soul without having to consider my second martial soul.

Therefore, Huo Yuhao had to ensure that he could bring new surprises or even shocks to others every time he played, so he chose to hide his true strength in the first match.

Two days passed quickly as they focused on their training. On the evening of the third day, Wang Yan knocked on Huo Yuhao's door: "Yuhao, the elimination rounds are over. Come to the meeting room, let's discuss tomorrow's tactics."

After following Wang Yan into the conference room, all nine other people were present, including the seriously injured Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen.

Wang Yan tidied up the documents in his hand and said, "Xiao Tao, Luo Chen, please give me a detailed timeline of your recovery."

Ma Xiaotao frowned and said, "It will take me at least twenty days. If I fight while injured, I should be able to fight at a normal intensity in ten days. If I fight at full strength, I should be able to fight at full strength once in ten days, but my injuries will be more serious by then, and I probably won't be able to fight anymore."

Ling Luochen said coldly, "My situation is slightly better. It will take fifteen days for my injuries to fully recover, but I won't be able to fight normally for another ten days. I won't be able to go all out because my physical condition is not as good as Ma Xiaotao's."

Wang Yan nodded: "That's good news. This means Xiao Tao and Luo Chen will have a chance to play in the round-robin tournament."

Wang Yan encouraged the reserve team members for their performance in the knockout stage and then said, "Now I need to reassess your individual abilities to formulate the next tactics."

"I have a basic understanding of the soul skills of Jiang Nannan, Ning Tian, ​​Xiao Xiao, Wang Dong, Dai Huabin, and Zhu Lu. Could you please explain your soul skills in more detail, Yu Hao and He Caitou?"

He Caitou scratched the back of his head and said in a seemingly simple and honest manner, "Teacher Wang, my martial spirit is a cigar, which can burn for about twenty minutes and last for two days after it is made."

"The first soul skill is called 'Mental Invigoration Cigar,' which can amplify the user's mental strength by about ten percent."

"The second soul skill is called Power Amplification Big Cigar, the third soul skill is Defense Amplification Long Cigar, and the fourth soul skill is Soul Power Amplification Thin Cigar. Since I haven't used it much, you'll have to use it now to see the specific effects."

After everyone tested it, they found that its actual effect was about 15%. Then Wang Yan praised it highly, and then he continued to say.

"Cai Tou's soul skill is so effective. Before each match, Cai Tou, you should prepare a set of cigars made by you for the other players. That way, once they enter the battle, it will be like they have an extra support like you."

"This will greatly enhance our team's combat power, and even in team battles, you can focus on using the soul tool without consuming soul power to cast soul skills to provide buffs for others."

Wang Dong'er frowned upon hearing this. For the past three days, she had been thinking about what Huo Yuhao had said before. Now, hearing Wang Yan's "tactics," she wondered if such "tactics" truly held any honor whatsoever.

So does that mean all the teams' future matches will be about who has more food-type Soul Masters for logistics? Or about whose Soul Masters have the biggest appetite and can eat more food made by food-type Soul Masters?

Huo Yuhao glanced at Wang Dong'er, who had a furrowed brow, and knew that his previous words had stirred up her sense of self. He then added fuel to the fire.

"If this is your tactic, Teacher Wang, then I'll go back to my training."

"Although I don't mind using other methods against formidable opponents, it's just a competition, and I wouldn't go so far as to look for loopholes in the rules for that."

He then turned and left. Wang Dong'er seemed to have made up her mind as well, and followed Huo Yuhao out of the conference room. The others followed suit, while Wang Yan, who had been contradicted, stood frozen in place, feeling extremely awkward.

After leaving, Huo Yuhao and the others went straight back to their rooms. Perhaps because the meeting ended early, or perhaps because they hadn't stood out in the competition, they didn't encounter Xiao Hongchen, who had come specifically to provoke them in the original story.

Through the power of belief, Huo Yuhao could sense that Wang Dong'er, who was sitting next to him, was feeling very complicated. However, he didn't interfere. He had already provided her with guidance and pressure, and now it was up to her to determine her own direction.

Time flew by during the cultivation, and it was already morning. Today, the round-robin tournament would begin, which consisted of team battles, individual battles, and 2-2-3 group battles. The 67 teams were divided into eight groups and would compete for a total of 16 days.

Only the two teams with the highest points in each group after the round-robin tournament can advance to the next round, which is the round of 16.

At this moment, all 67 teams that had advanced from the knockout stage were sitting in the rest area, waiting for the start of the next round-robin tournament.

As is customary, Shrek Academy was the first to take the stage in the first match.

On the competition platform, the host announced, "Next, please welcome the Shrek Academy team, the number one academy on the continent, and their opponents, the Yunluo Advanced Soul Master Academy team from the Star Luo Empire, to the waiting area. At the same time, please invite the captains of both teams to come up on stage to confirm their competition format."

Huo Yuhao walked onto the stage. The opposing team's captain was a burly man with short blond hair.

The lottery tube is transparent, eliminating the possibility of behind-the-scenes manipulation. There is a small round hole on one side, through which the referee inserts three small balls representing different fighting styles.

Then turn the hole upwards and have both captains throw it simultaneously. The referee will then remove the first ball from the hole once it falls out or after it lands.

When the large ball was forcefully flung twenty meters into the air by the two, a smaller ball fell out. For Huo Yuhao, if this were merely a game of pure luck, under the influence of his will, making that ball fall out was as simple as a thought.

Moreover, under his mental power, even if the opponent tries to influence the outcome through special power techniques, he will naturally take action to compete with them. The ball comes in three colors: red, yellow, and blue. Red represents team battles, yellow represents individual battles, and blue represents two-two-three team battles.

A small ball fell from the sky, which the referee caught, simultaneously retrieving the larger ball that had fallen. After showing the small ball to both team captains, the referee gestured to the Star Luo Empire Emperor atop the imperial city walls before announcing the news loudly through his personal soul-guided megaphone.

"Shrek Academy vs. Yunluo Academy, a one-on-one elimination tournament will be held. Please send out your first player to compete."

Huo Yuhao naturally stepped onto the stage, while the first student sent by the opposing team was not tall, had broad shoulders, and was somewhat overweight.

After Huo Yuhao went on stage, he didn't say anything, but just looked at the other party coldly. The other party was trembling slightly and seemed to have no fighting spirit.

However, after the referee shouted, the match officially began. The Yunluo Academy player flipped and tumbled, with three thumb-thick metal tubes appearing on each of his arms and two arm-thick metal tubes appearing on each of his shoulders.

A pair of folding wings unfolded instantly from his back, and six metal tubes emerged from each of his two thick legs. A metal heart-protecting mirror-like soul tool also appeared on his chest.

Subsequently, Huo Yuhao merely possessed the Martial Soul, and at the same time, his second Soul Ring flashed. He simply gave the man a look, and a mental shock was activated. The man rolled his eyes, then fell to the ground with blood flowing from his mouth and nose. His mental sea was severely impacted, and it would take him at least ten days to half a month to recover.

"Referee, you can announce the result now. Next." Huo Yuhao said coldly to the referee who had just announced the start of the match and was still unaware of what had happened.

"In the individual elimination round, the first match, Shrek Academy wins! Yunluo Academy, please send out your new team members!" the referee said hurriedly.

The second person sent out by the other side was a girl, who was over 1.7 meters tall, about 18 or 19 years old, with delicate features and a fit figure.

Once both sides were in position, the referee immediately announced the start of the match.

Just like before, Huo Yuhao's mental attack severely injured the opponent, just like the previous person, while simultaneously branding him with a mark of fear.

Upon seeing this, the referee immediately announced that Yunluo Academy should send out new team members to compete.

The opponent sent their captain, a four-ring Soul Master, for the third battle. However, under Huo Yuhao's mental attack, he was still powerless to resist and was severely injured. The others below the stage were in an uproar upon seeing this.

None of them could tell what kind of ability Huo Yuhao used to knock them unconscious without touching their soul power defense, and there seemed to be no soul power fluctuation. Only some people who were good at mental power could tell that the Yunluo Academy students seemed to have fainted because their sea of ​​consciousness was impacted.

However, they couldn't understand how Huo Yuhao managed to bypass soul power and directly attack his opponent's spiritual sea.

In the end, the remaining members of Yunluo Academy chose to concede defeat. Moreover, since their captain and two main Soul Masters were all seriously injured and unconscious, they were essentially out of the running for the remainder of the tournament.

Huo Yuhao went straight to the arena, ignoring Wang Yan and the others' arrangements, and returned to the Star Emperor Hotel to continue his cultivation.

A day later, Wang Dong'er knocked on Huo Yuhao's door: "Yuhao, Teacher Wang Yan said he's taking us out to relax. Do you want to come along?"

Huo Yuhao nodded: "Okay, let's go together." Huo Yuhao followed Wang Dong'er to find Wang Yan. Because of Huo Yuhao's previous argument, Wang Yan harbored resentment towards Huo Yuhao, but now the competition needed Huo Yuhao's support, after all, Wang Yan knew Huo Yuhao's combat strength.

They would have to rely on him to hold out until Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen appeared, so although Wang Yan was also dissatisfied with this, he still nodded to him in the end.

Wang Yan led them to an auction house, explaining the concept of the fusion between Soul Masters and Soul Mentors along the way. Since everyone had been watching the battles for the past few days, they already understood.

With the reserve team now in action, without relying on soul tools, their strength is far inferior to other academies. Even with soul tools, they can only barely close the gap.

After donning masks and making some meaningless disguises, the group entered the auction hall and took their seats.

"Welcome, distinguished guests, to the Starlight Auction House. Our auction is about to begin. Please take your seats."

A beautiful, melodious female voice drifted in from all directions, and the auction hall fell silent. The already dim wall lamps gradually dimmed, while the lights on the auction stage began to shine brighter.

Huo Yuhao only spent 150,000 gold soul coins to bid on a baby bottle and the Soul Devouring Blade, and did not purchase any other soul tools.

Seeing this, Wang Yan asked anxiously, "Yuhao, don't be impulsive. This concerns your life and future. I can't let anything happen to you."

Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, "My second martial soul is enough to suppress the evil within. Although my body has not fully recovered yet, I will be able to suppress it normally afterward."

Wang Yan frowned slightly upon hearing this, but didn't say much. He just sighed silently. However, he knew that Huo Yuhao had been taken in as a disciple by an elder with the attribute of light at Shrek Academy. He hoped that Huo Yuhao could successfully subdue the Soul Devouring Blade in his hands.

The remaining items were of little use to Huo Yuhao, and after the auction ended, he returned to his room at the Star Emperor Hotel.

He threw the box containing the Soul-Devouring Blade directly into the undead demiplane. His current mental energy accumulation was still somewhat lacking. Although he could use the mental energy of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm to fill it, he didn't need to use it at the moment, since his opponent was not yet a Spirit Abyss Realm expert.

Let's accumulate power using the Fear Imprint and Spirit Absorption first, and then use the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual power when needed.

Another day passed in this way during their training, and then came the match between Shrek Academy and Thousand Spirits Advanced Soul Master Academy.

This time, it's the same as before: a single-elimination tournament. After all, for Huo Yuhao, the effort required for a single-elimination tournament is far less than other competition formats, and the results are far greater than those of a team competition.

As for instilling fear in the surrounding audience, he planned to save that for the final match.

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(End of this chapter)