Facing Dai Huabin

Xiao Xiao came over, tilting her head with a grin. "Jiang Wu, what about your group? I heard you and Gu Yue carried someone called He Song?"

"We won all ten matches too," Jiang Wu said.

"Then you're just like us." Xiao Xiao's eyes darted around. "Let me tell you, our group worked really well together. Wang Dong'er said she was holding the front, but actually, Yutong and I cleaned up half the trouble behind her..."

"Xiao Xiao!" Wang Dong'er glared at her.

Xiao Xiao stuck out her tongue and said no more.

Wang Dong'er cleared her throat and put on her smug expression again. "Anyway, we won all ten matches and have enough points. The elimination rounds start tomorrow."

"If our points are the same, we'll settle it when we meet in the elimination rounds." Jiang Wu raised a hand and patted her head. "Don't get knocked out in the first round."

Wang Dong'er slapped his hand away and snorted. "We'll see who knocks out whom."

Gu Yuena walked over from the side, her voice flat. "All right, are you done? If you are, let's eat. We fought five matches in one day. I'm hungry."

He Song had been squatting on the ground nearby without a word. Now he looked up with a miserable expression. "You're all amazing, still able to stand and talk... My calves are still trembling."

Wang Dong'er looked down at him and patted his shoulder. "He Song, you did pretty well. I heard you pushed several people out today?"

At her pat, He Song immediately straightened up a little and chuckled. "I did all right. With Jiang Wu covering me up front, all I had to do was charge."

Gu Yuena glanced at He Song and said mildly, "You charge, I freeze, and Jiang Wu finishes them off. That setup was enough for the round-robin."

He Song was momentarily choked by her lukewarm assessment. He scratched his head and said nothing.

After eating, everyone returned to their dorms to rest and prepare for the matches the day after tomorrow.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the elimination rounds arrived.

On the first morning of the elimination rounds, sixty-four teams would be reduced to thirty-two.

Jiang Wu and his two teammates stood by Arena 66, waiting for their opponents. He Song rubbed his hands and paced back and forth, muttering, "Don't be nervous, don't be nervous," until even Gu Yuena grew annoyed. She kicked him in the calf. "Keep pacing and I'll freeze you to the ground."

He Song immediately stood still and straightened up.

Their opponents soon entered: three boys. The captain's Martial Soul was the Ironback Bear, and he was level twenty-six. The other two were level twenty-four and level twenty-three.

Jiang Wu took one look at their lineup and knew the outcome. He turned to He Song. "Go all out today. If we lose, it's on me."

He Song's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah."

He Song let out a howl and charged, using Martial Soul Possession with his War Tiger. He collided head-on with the Ironback Bear captain, and they exchanged four or five bone-jarring blows. He Song was knocked back two steps, but the more he fought, the more fired up he became.

Gu Yuena raised her hand and separated the other two opponents with two ice walls. Jiang Wu used Instant Beast Flash to circle around to the Ironback Bear captain's side, then chopped the back of his neck with the edge of his hand. The captain crumpled on the spot.

When the remaining two saw that their captain was down and Gu Yuena's ice walls were closing in on them, they promptly raised their hands and surrendered.

That afternoon, thirty-two teams would be reduced to sixteen. Their opponents were a team focused on agility attacks, with a level twenty-six captain who was very fast.

As soon as the match began, their opponents tried to use their speed to throw Jiang Wu's team into disarray. Gu Yuena simply spread a ring of ice across half the arena. All three opponents slipped when they stepped onto it, cutting their speed in half.

Jiang Wu fired Mitu Shockwave repeatedly, blasting two of the opposing team members out of the arena. He Song wrapped his arms around the remaining captain's waist, and Jiang Wu stepped in and used a Soft Skill to pin him to the ground.

After the two matches, He Song was bursting with confidence. "Aren't I pretty impressive?"

Gu Yuena looked at him. "Everyone you faced today was at most two or three levels above you. Get cocky tomorrow when you face someone four or five levels higher."

He Song immediately wilted.

On the second morning of the elimination rounds, sixteen teams would be reduced to eight.

Their opponents were led by a level twenty-eight captain, with two level twenty-four teammates.

Jiang Wu put in a little more effort this match. He used Illusory Charm Eyes to restrain the captain, closed in with Instant Beast Flash, then threw him out of the arena with a combination of Soft Skills and Eight-Stage Throw. He Song went head-to-head with a level twenty-eight opponent for more than ten exchanges without losing.

Although Gu Yuena ultimately finished the opponent off with an ice spike, He Song had held his own without breaking down. When he left the arena, his whole face was glowing.

That afternoon, eight teams would be reduced to four. They faced a team that leaned toward control, with a level twenty-seven control-type captain.

As usual, Jiang Wu opened the fight with Illusory Charm Eyes, but the opposing control-type Soul Master's spiritual power was considerable. The opponent broke free quickly and retaliated with a mass of grasping vines.

Gu Yuena blocked their path with an ice wall. Jiang Wu used Teleportation and slapped the captain out of bounds. The remaining two surrendered.

After the match for a place in the top four, He Song sprawled outside the arena. "Tomorrow's the semifinals... I can hardly imagine it."

Jiang Wu patted his shoulder. "You did well today. Keep it up tomorrow."

He Song wore a miserable expression. "What if I hold you back tomorrow?"

Gu Yuena chimed in from the side. "It's not like you only started holding us back yesterday. You'll get used to it."

He Song wanted to cry, but had no tears.

On the third morning of the elimination rounds, the semifinals began.

Jiang Wu and his two teammates entered the arena. The three people opposite them were already in position.

At their head was a tall, upright young man with a handsome face and an air of arrogance. It was Dai Huabin.

Beside him stood a tall girl with long, straight black hair: Zhu Lu, whose Martial Soul was the Hell Spirit Cat.

The third team member was Cui Yajie, whose Martial Soul was the Nine-Tailed Fox. Her exact level was unknown; all they knew was that she was a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster.

When Dai Huabin saw Jiang Wu, he raised his chin slightly, his tone somewhat condescending. "You're Jiang Wu?"

Jiang Wu nodded, a little curious about what Dai Huabin would say.

Dai Huabin really had no brains. His older brother, Dai Yueheng, was much smarter than him.

Sending assassins to kill Shrek Academy students near Shrek Academy really was heaven-defying behavior.

Jiang Wu thought what was even more heaven-defying was that nothing happened to Dai Huabin afterward, and he later represented Shrek Academy in a competition.

If he remembered correctly, Shrek Academy had said at the time that it wouldn't let Dai Huabin off.

Dai Huabin looked at Jiang Wu. "Today, I'll show you what a real genius is."

Behind Jiang Wu, He Song muttered, "Why does this guy sound so punchable..."

In the stands, Qian Duoduo nearly laughed out loud when he heard Dai Huabin's words.

A real genius?

He had heard about Dai Huabin. The White Tiger Duke's wife had poured a great deal of resources into getting Dai Huabin to level thirty-one at the age of eleven.

Qian Duoduo knew Jiang Wu came from an ordinary family. If Jiang Wu had Dai Huabin's resources, Qian Duoduo couldn't imagine how high his level would be.

Qian Duoduo said quietly, "Old Yan, your Martial Soul Department really has a lot of talent."

Yan Shaozhe felt a little awkward at Qian Duoduo's words. He naturally understood what Qian Duoduo meant.

Jiang Wu raised an eyebrow. "It's my first time seeing someone this confident. I wonder how many moves you'll last against me."