Both Enter the Losers' Bracket, Flender's Little Scheme

These words contained a wealth of information, and a buzz of discussion arose again in the square.

Osler couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "That Hu Liena from the Spirit Hall is ridiculously strong. It's too difficult to defeat them and win the championship!"

"Wouldn't that mean the oldest Spirit Bone would be picked up by them directly?"

Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan glanced at him indifferently and said calmly:

"No matter the final outcome, we'll at least get a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone. Aren't you satisfied with what you got for free?"

Yufeng chuckled and interjected, "Osler, you should say less!"

"The captain is the girlfriend of the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall. Even if she has any objections, it's not your place to voice them!"

"If we're going to bring it up... we'll have to wait until tonight, and the captain can bring it up himself, right, Captain?"

As he spoke, he winked mischievously at Dugu Yan.

Dugu Yan's face flushed slightly. She didn't reply, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

For her, having Lin Hai by her side meant having everything.

She really didn't think much of Spirit Bone that was only ten or twenty thousand years old.

Osler shrugged helplessly. "I'm just worried for the captain and Ling Ling! Anyway, no matter how good these Spirit Bone are, they're not for me."

Then, as if remembering something, he asked with some concern:

"But Captain, from now on... you'll be considered someone from the Spirit Hall, right? So, what should we do..."

Upon hearing this, Yufeng and the others couldn't help but turn their gazes toward Dugu Yan.

As noble scions, they naturally had some understanding of the situation on the Douluo Continent.

If the Spirit Hall maintains its neutral position, it will be the most important mediator between the two great empires.

Whether it's Heaven Dou or Star Luo Empire, they both have to give each other some face, lest this behemoth side with their opponent.

But once the Spirit Hall declares itself independent, it means it will officially sit on the dinner table.

At that time, the two great empires will surely put aside their past grievances and join forces to deal with this troublemaker.

The transition from neutrality to independence requires only a little ambition and a single command.

When that day comes, these people will probably have no choice but to stand on the opposing side.

Dugu Yan was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Osler was usually the most carefree, would think of these things.

She smiled gently and said with certainty, "Don't worry, that day will never come."

She had heard her grandfather say that the Heaven Dou Empire, from top to bottom, was now almost completely infiltrated by the Spirit Hall!

Compared to others, Dai Weisi and Dai Mubai's thoughts were churning even more intensely, and they thought of even more things.

Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, with a promise of freely changeable attributes—is the Spirit Hall's foundation really that profound?

This is just one Spirit Master Competition, and what it shows... is probably only the tip of the iceberg!

The rules of the competition remain the same, with three teams taking turns to compete in one-on-one matches.

However, Flender and Qin Ming, the team leader of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, decided to give up the individual competition and directly enter the loser's bracket.

The root cause is quite simple: it's Hu Liena, who only appeared once but left a deep psychological scar on everyone.

Without a doubt, this female contestant must be the Soul Saint that Lin Hai mentioned.

If they were to engage in a series of battles at this point, the strength and trump cards of the three main members of Shrek and Imperial Fighting Team would inevitably be exposed, while they might not be able to detect Hu Liena's true strength.

When both teams simultaneously announced their withdrawal from the individual competition, the scene erupted in uproar, with everyone baffled as to their true intentions.

Even the people on the Spirit Hall's side were somewhat puzzled—

In this life, they didn't arrange for a two-on-one fight; they were aiming for a fair duel!

However, perhaps because of Lin Hai, no one from the Spirit Hall raised any questions.

In the end, the Spirit Hall Academy Team won without a fight and directly advanced to the final match the following day!

Inside the tent, all the participating members from Shrek and Heaven Dou Royal Academy had gathered.

As Flender's direct disciple, Ma Hongjun once again took the lead, being the first to jump out and question:

"Dean, what on earth are you doing?! You've already conceded defeat before the fight even started! This is so frustrating!"

This time, however, Flender surprisingly did not suppress his impulsive disciple. Instead, he calmly explained:

"That Hu Liena's strength is too strange."

"Currently, we have very limited information. We only know that she is a Soul Saint, her Martial Soul is the Sky Fox, she is a control-type Soul Master, and her Spiritual Power is exceptionally strong."

"More importantly, she also has Xie Yue and Yan, two powerful teammates, to support her."

"If you go all out in the individual competition, then no matter what the final result is, Xiao Wu, Zhu Qing, and Dugu Yan's trump cards will be completely exposed to the opponent."

"As for Hu Liena's true strength, we may not be able to detect much of it."

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged bewildered glances, still unable to grasp Flender's thought process.

Dai Mubai stood up and said, "But Dean, the Spirit Hall Team has already advanced directly and become an outsider."

"In the afternoon's loser's bracket matches, while we exposed our strength, wouldn't we be even less able to understand the true situation of the Spirit Hall Team?"

Flender nodded in agreement, saying, "You're right."

"That's why Qin Ming and I have already discussed it. Later, our two teams will have a full-scale internal battle right here in this camp."

"The losing side will concede defeat in the afternoon's match!"

"In this way, even though we still don't know each other well enough in tomorrow's final, at least we can keep our trump cards until the very last moment."

"Although the hope remains slim, this is all we can do."

Lin Hai, who had been standing outside the tent listening to the discussion inside, was now at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He had been hoping the competition would end soon so he could take his women to fleece the Sea God and free up his energy to find and unlock more female characters with Divine Artifact.

Unexpectedly, Flender was determined to create an impressive resume for his academy and students.

Clearly, after seeing Xiao Wu successfully advance to Soul Emperor, he had some inappropriate thoughts.

He shook his head, stepped into the tent, and immediately began to complain:

"Has the dean considered how to deal with Hu Liena's Spiritual Power?"

"Aren't you afraid that Shrek and the Imperial Fighting Team will be wiped out right from the start, just like Skywater Academy?"

"Besides, this is Spirit City, the territory of the Spirit Hall!"

"You think that just because we're fighting in this camp, no one can really spy on us?!"