Soon, all the teams had completed their inspections and searches. The tournament's host, Dou Dou, flew into the air, picked up the microphone, and called out, "Welcome to the second day of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament!"
The crowd erupted in cheers. Xue Ye, Salas, and Ning Fengzhi sat in the judges' seats. Behind them sat the Heaven Dou Empire's Elephant Armored Sect leader, Huyan Zhen, Sword Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, and the three members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Education Committee.
Dou Dou picked up the microphone again. "Today's first match is Elephant Armored Academy versus Shrek Academy, followed by..."
Dou Dou announced the matchups for more than a dozen academies. The first match of the morning was between Shrek and Elephant Armored Academy.
Dou Dou raised the microphone and announced, "Please welcome Elephant Armored Academy and Shrek Academy to the arena."
Elephant Armored Academy had three Soul Ancestors, while the rest were close to that level. Shrek was fielding five Soul Ancestors and two Soul Elders this time.
Jiang Huai had given them a simple strategy: attack fast and press the advantage. Everyone from Elephant Armored Academy had Diamond Mammoth Martial Souls. Their weakest point was their heads, and Oscar's Flying Sausage Soul Skill could let someone fly for one to three minutes.
But anyone facing opponents in the air shared the same weakness: once they looked up, they forgot to defend their other vulnerable points.
So all they needed to do was disrupt Elephant Armored Academy's advancing formation. One strike would be enough to break any formation they could make.
Tactical teamwork was meaningless in the face of absolute strength. Whether your Soul Power was used for defense or offense, if my attack was stronger than yours, your defenses were nothing to worry about.
Elephant Armored Academy's captain was Huyan Li, and its vice-captain was Huyan Ba. Their Soul Power levels were forty-three and forty-two, respectively.
Dai Mubai and the others stood together in front of the arena, looking at Huyan Li and his teammates with disdain.
Huyan Li knew they couldn't afford to let their guard down during a fight. They had to project confidence, too, and not let the other team's expressions intimidate them.
Dou Dou landed between the two teams and said, "Both sides, salute."
Huyan Li, Huyan Ba, and the others gave perfunctory nods. Dai Mubai and his teammates didn't bother putting on a friendly face, either; they merely nodded in return.
Seeing that both sides had saluted, Dou Dou said no more. She raised the microphone and announced, "Begin!"
Huyan Li and his teammates suddenly retreated to the edge of the arena and formed a line. Dai Mubai and the others were still wondering what they were up to.
Everyone from Elephant Armored Academy activated Copper Wall and Iron Bastion. Diamond Shields appeared in their right hands as they began to advance slowly.
Oscar was startled by the sight. The seven members of Elephant Armored Academy began pushing forward, but Tang San quickly assessed the situation.
Tang San shouted, "Stick to the plan! Xiao Ao, use your Flying Mushroom Sausages. Boss Dai, Zhuqing, Xiao Wu—you three, fly behind them. Jiang Zhu, keep healing Boss Dai and the others. Tai Long, get ready to hold off their weakest Soul Master."
Tang San quickly assigned everyone their roles. When Elephant Armored Academy's seven members reached the center of the arena, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu ate the Flying Mushroom Sausages and flew behind them.
Huyan Li was taken aback and immediately turned around. His teammates followed suit.
But they forgot that four opponents were still in front of them, where they had just been advancing. Their formation fell into disarray—something Elephant Armored Academy had never expected.
Tang San used his first Soul Skill, Blue Silver Entanglement. Huyan Li was caught before he could react. Tang San also used Parasite, absorbing the Soul Power in Huyan Li's body to make the restraints even tougher.
Jiang Huai smiled from the stands. Yu Xiaogang was stunned by the strategy, too.
Yu Xiaogang looked at Jiang Huai. "Xiao Huai, was this your strategy? It's absolutely flawless."
Huyan Zhen, seated in the judges' seats, hadn't expected Shrek to come up with this plan either. He wanted to help Huyan Li, but there was nothing he could do. Their original strategy had been to push forward and knock every member of Shrek off the arena. But Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu had adapted on the fly and thrown their plan into disarray.
Huyan Zhen suddenly stood and glared coldly toward Shrek's stands. Jiang Huai met his eyes and even waved in greeting.
Huyan Zhen sat back down in anger. He already knew how the match would end: the Elephant Armored Sect was bound to lose.
Huyan Li and his teammates fought back against Tang San and the others' attacks. Dai Mubai fired a White Tiger Intense Light Wave, eliminating Huyan Ba, then turned to attack the remaining members of Elephant Armored Academy.
With their swift tactics, they soon cleared the arena of everyone except Huyan Li.
Huyan Zhen knew he couldn't wait any longer. He stood up and sent Huyan Li a voice transmission, telling him to release his Destruction Impact Skull.
Huyan Li obeyed and released the skull, but Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu were already preparing to attack.
Huyan Li managed to release the skull just as Zhu Zhuqing kicked him square in the face and Xiao Wu smashed down on the back of his head.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing felt pain in their ankles. The spots they had kicked felt as hard as steel.
When the dust settled, the entire crowd was in an uproar. Many people mistook Huyan Li's Skull Bone for a helmet, though most recognized it for what it was.
Tang San and the others had no choice but to change tactics. Just as they were about to do so, Jiang Huai's voice transmission reached Tang San.
"Hell White Tiger."
Tang San immediately shouted, "Boss Dai, Zhuqing—Hell White Tiger!"
Dai Mubai nodded and exchanged a glance with Zhu Zhuqing. Then they clasped hands, merging their Soul Power and Martial Souls.
"Martial Soul Fusion: Hell White Tiger!"
A gigantic tiger, striped purple and white, appeared in the arena. Huyan Li stomped furiously and roared, "Fourth Soul Skill: Mammoth Stomp!"
Tang San recalled Jiang Huai's words: Blue Silver Grass was naturally suited for control.
Suddenly, silver ripples appeared on Tang San's Blue Silver Grass. His Martial Soul evolved into the true Blue Silver King.
Without using Soul Power, Tang San raised his right hand, fingers pointed like a sword.
Countless strands of Blue Silver Grass shot into the air.
The Blue Silver Grass vines bound Huyan Li tightly. Seizing the opportunity, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing joined forces and struck together.
When the dust settled once more, Huyan Li lay unconscious on the arena floor. The match was decided.
Dou Dou grabbed the microphone and shouted excitedly, "The winner of the second match of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament is Shrek Academy!"
The entire crowd erupted in wild cheers. Shrek had defeated the team with the strongest defense in the tournament, and everyone began to regard its members as idols.
Before long, Jiang Huai and the others returned to Shrek Academy. Jiang Huai drew up a training plan for Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing.
Dai Mubai listened closely to every word Jiang Huai said, and Zhu Zhuqing watched him without looking away.
At three thirty in the afternoon...
Yu Xiaogang, Qin Ming, and Jiang Huai headed to the Great Soul Arena together. They were going to scout the team they would face that afternoon.
A short while later, they returned. Jiang Huai told Dai Mubai and the others that their opponent that afternoon would be Blazing Academy.
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