The Main Team Enters the Arena
In the fourth round of the knockout stage, Shrek Academy faced off against the Justsky Advanced Soul Master Academy.
This time, Dai Huabin did not field the Reserve Team.
The reason is simple: in the previous few matches, Wang Dong'er, Xiao Xiao, Cui Yajie, Ning Tian, and even Xixi and Ling Luochen have all demonstrated their abilities.
There's no need to send the Reserve Team again. Dai Huabin just wants them to showcase their abilities, not to be used as laborers forever.
"Let the Main Team stretch their muscles a bit. Let Xiao Xiao and Dong'er rest too," Dai Huabin suggested to Zhang Lexuan at the pre-match meeting.
Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng nodded in agreement. There weren't many matches left; it was time for Douluo I.
Zhang Lexuan nodded slightly, agreeing to the arrangement.
Once the match started, Ma Xiaotao gave her opponent almost no chance to catch her breath.
The moment the Phoenix Wing Soars Through the Sky, the temperature on the entire arena soared by more than ten degrees.
The high-temperature flames of the Evil Fire Phoenix, combined with Dai Yueheng's Evil-Eyed White Tiger's frontal assault, tore Zhengtian Academy's defensive formation to shreds in less than thirty seconds.
Although Ye Wuqing was not as powerful, he had no chance to fight back against Ma Xiaotao's flame suppression at the level of Six-Ring Soul Emperor.
Gongyang Mo's Rainbow Dragon support system is fully activated, with the triple boosts of Crimson Power, Orange Soul, and Yellow Speed creating an overwhelming advantage for the already formidable Main Team.
In less than two minutes, Zhengtian Academy was defeated.
From the contestants' seats, Wang Dong'er watched the entire competition with her chin in her hand, then turned to look at Xiao Xiao sitting next to her.
Xiao Xiao muttered to herself:
"Sister Xiaotao is a level 67 Soul Emperor. The seven of them are fighting against the Righteous Heaven Academy's group of Soul Ancestor and Soul King. Isn't this like adults beating children?"
Cui Yajie chimed in from behind:
"You make it sound like we're playing against the Tianling Team as if it weren't adults beating children."
Xiao Xiao choked for a moment and then fell silent.
Ning Tian sat to the side, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.
Her attention wasn't on the arena, but on the opposite viewing area, in the seats of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy.
Xiao Hongchen sat expressionless, while Meng Hongchen turned her head to the side, seemingly talking to her teammates.
Ning Tian withdrew his gaze and whispered to Dai Huabin:
"The Sun Moon team has been recording our Main Team's Soul Skill from beginning to end."
Dai Huabin nodded, without saying anything more.
Let them record it. When the time comes to meet, intelligence alone won't win the game.
In the fifth round of the knockout stage, Shrek Academy faced off against the Douling Royal Academy.
The Main Team will still be fielded.
The lineup of the Douling Royal Academy is a level above Zhengtian Academy. The captain Zi Huangzhu, is a level 54 Power Attack System Soul King, and the team's coordination is also much better.
The problem is, they're facing Shrek.
Ma Xiaotao didn't even use the Phoenix Wing Soars Through the Sky to fly this time.
She stood still, using her First Soul Skill, Phoenix Fire Line, in conjunction with her second Soul Skill, Bathing Fire Phoenix, to advance head-on.
Dai Yueheng flanked from the side, and after White Tiger Vajra Transformation, a White Tiger Intense Light Wave blasted through the Dou Ling Team's defensive formation.
Zi Huangzhu unleashed his thousand-year Soul Skill with all his might in an attempt to counterattack, but was suppressed by both Xixi's Lightning Storm and Yao Haoxuan's Heaven-Shaking Roar, and collapsed to his knees on the arena.
Qian Yuan of the Douling Royal Academy attempted to disrupt the formation with control-type Soul Skill, but he was completely unable to do so in front of Han Ruoruo's Golden Silk Net.
Three minutes, that's it.
As Zi Huangzhu was helped off the stage by her teammates, she glanced back at Ma Xiaotao, who was talking and laughing with Dai Yueheng with her back to them.
His teammate Yu Hanling'er, supported his arm and whispered words of comfort:
"It's alright, I already knew what level Shrek's Main Team was at..."
Zi Huangzhu gave a bitter laugh:
"Knowing is one thing, but in a real fight, you'd still get completely crushed. And did you notice? That guy named Dai Huabin didn't even play."
Yu Hanling'er was taken aback.
Really.
From the start of the elimination rounds, it seemed that the blond boy from Shrek only casually used a domain when facing Qianling Academy, and didn't really take it seriously in the other matches.
And he was the captain of the Reserve Team.
"Forget it, don't think about it." Zi Huangzhu shook her head. "Losing to Shrek isn't shameful. We've already done enough to get this far."
Time flies, and we've reached the quarterfinals.
When the lottery results came out, Dai Huabin looked at the names on the slips of paper and raised an eyebrow.
"Zhengtian Academy."
It's Zhengtian Academy again.
Zhang Lexuan took the slip of paper, glanced at it, and didn't react much.
Ma Xiaotao was amused:
"Isn't this a coincidence? We only fought them a few days ago, and now we've run into them again?"
Dai Yueheng crossed his arms and said, "It's just that we're destined to meet again."
Wu Ming sat to the side, legs propped up on the table. "Facing an opponent like this in the quarterfinals is such a waste of time."
Zhang Lexuan ignored the teasing and simply arranged for everyone to arrive on time.
However, the next morning, when the Shrek team entered Star Luo Plaza, the entrance passage opposite was empty.
Then, a teacher from the Zhengtian Academy walked up to the referee's table and handed over a letter of abstention.
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
The referee held the abstention document for two seconds, then announced:
"Justsky Advanced Soul Master Academy forfeits! Shrek Academy advances directly to the semifinals!"
On the contestant's bench, Ma Xiaotao's expression was priceless.
"They abstained?" She turned to look at Zhang Lexuan, incredulous.
Zhang Lexuan remained quite calm.
"Zhengtian Academy made a rational choice. They were already defeated by our Main Team in the fourth round of the knockout stage, and playing another quarterfinal match would not change the outcome."
Rather than letting another loss in the ring damage morale, it's better to conserve strength and focus on identifying and addressing our weaknesses.
Dai Huabin sat at the end of the contestants' section, holding the competition handbook and flipping through the competition schedule.
With the Zhengtian Academy withdrawing, the standings for the top four are now completely clear.
Shrek Academy, Diao Academy, Star Luo Imperial Academy, Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy.
The draw for the semifinals took place that afternoon.
When the results came out, Dai Huabin saw the name he expected.
Shrek Academy versus Star Luo Imperial Academy.
In the other group, Diao Academy will face off against the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy.
Ning Tian sat next to him and remained silent for a while after seeing the fortune slip.
The captain of the Star Luo Imperial Academy is none other than Princess Xu Jiujiu of the Star Luo Empire.
"What do you plan to do?" Ning Tian asked in a low voice.
Dai Huabin closed the handbook and leaned back in his chair. "Play the game the way you're supposed to. There's no room for sentimentality in a major competition."
Ning Tian didn't ask any further questions.
That evening, at the rooftop tea room of the Star Emperor Hotel.
The light of the setting sun streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the entire tea room in a warm orange hue.
Dai Huabin and Xu Jiujiu sat facing each other, separated by a low table with two cups of tea on it.
Xu Jiujiu wore a light gold casual dress today, with her long golden hair casually draped behind her head. She looked less like a princess and more like a girl her age.