Targeting Dai Huabin? The Sun Moon's Trump Card: Sword of Judgment
Dai Huabin casually slipped Meng Hongchen's note into his pocket.
Ma Xiaotao stared at his movements and scoffed:
"Oh, you've already accepted the love letters, and you're even putting them in your pocket?"
"It was clipped to the back of the match schedule notification; I didn't ask for it."
Dai Huabin handed another official notification slip to Zhang Lexuan.
"The finals are the day after tomorrow at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy."
Dai Yueheng straightened up from the chair in the corner and stretched his neck. "Finally, they've arrived."
Zhang Lexuan glanced at the competition schedule on the notification slip, then raised her hand and tapped the table:
"Go back and rest. We'll have a meeting tomorrow morning to finalize the lineup."
The finals consist of three rounds: a team competition, an individual elimination round, and a 2-2-3 format, all best-of-three matches, and will be completed in one day.
Xixi peeked out from the corner, "The final is as rushed as ever."
"That's how the rules are set."
Han Ruoruo leaned against the door frame, her arms crossed.
"Therefore, energy management in the first team match is crucial. Winning isn't enough; we also need to ensure we have energy reserves for the later matches."
Wu Ming snapped his fingers:
"Don't worry, with Ruoruo and me keeping an eye on things, you can fight when you need to and rest when you need to. Although we can't play, we've seen everything we need to see. The Sun Moon gang's tactics aren't anything new."
"Wu Ming, you make that sound so easy."
Gongyang Mo packed his things with a grin.
"Xiao Hongchen's Metal Control is pretty abnormal. In the semi-finals, when he fired a salvo of Soul Cannon, the Diao Academy was completely stunned."
Wu Ming snorted, "Even if he's a pervert, is he more perverted than Dai Huabin?"
"That's true," Gongyang Mo said with a smile.
The crowd dispersed in twos and threes. Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu walked out of the lounge side by side and headed towards the accommodation area through the corridor.
"Huabin." Zhu Lu's voice was very soft.
"Um?"
"Meng Hongchen, what are you thinking?"
Dai Huabin didn't stop walking; he turned his head and glanced at her.
Zhu Lu's expression was calm, not like she was jealous, but more like she was simply curious.
"I haven't thought about it much."
He pulled the note out of his pocket, unfolded it, and showed it to Zhu Lu. "Just one line: See you in the finals. Nothing special."
Zhu Lu glanced at it, folded the note, and stuffed it back into his pocket.
"Aren't you going to tear it?"
"Keep it."
Zhu Lu reached out and straightened the corner of his collar that had been turned up.
"It'll be more impressive to give it back to her after winning."
Dai Huabin couldn't help but laugh.
This girl looks gentle and kind, but she can be quite sarcastic when she says something out of the ordinary.
At the same time, on another floor of the Star Emperor Hotel.
The doors and windows of the conference room at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy were tightly closed, and the curtains were drawn tightly shut.
Elder Ma sat at the head of the long table, his hands clasped on the surface. He didn't look well.
Although they won the semi-final against the Diao Academy, it wasn't an easy victory. Di Ao's captain fought until the very last moment before collapsing, Xiao Hongchen's Invincible Shield was shattered.
"Sit down, everyone," Elder Ma said in a deep voice.
The nine participating team members took their seats in turn.
Ma Rulong sat to the right of Elder Ma, his posture upright and his expression calm.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen sat side by side, their expressions completely different.
Xiao Hongchen looked eager to try, while Meng Hongchen quietly flipped through a small booklet in her hand.
"You are all familiar with the format of the finals."
Elder Ma's voice was steady and powerful.
"Team competition, individual elimination rounds, 2-2-3 strategy, best of three. Let me ask you first, are we confident in the individual elimination rounds?"
There was a few seconds of silence.
Xiao Hongchen spoke first:
"It's hard to say. Dai Huabin, Ma Xiaotao, and Dai Yueheng on the other side have a higher potential in individual combat than us."
Elder Ma nodded and turned to Meng Hongchen:
"Meng Hongchen is right. In the individual elimination rounds, the opposing team has four players above level 50, and Ma Xiaotao is even a level 67 Soul Emperor. It's almost impossible for us to win this match."
The atmosphere in the meeting room immediately became somber.
Mi Jia frowned. "Then what do we do? We can't just give up before we've even started, can we?"
"Who said we were going to admit defeat?"
Ma Rulong finally spoke; his voice was soft, but very clear.
If we can't win the individual competition, then we'll win the other two.
Elder Ma glanced at his grandson and nodded slightly:
"Ryūryū is right. The 2-2-3 formation isn't without its chances. The key lies in the team competition."
He tapped the table twice with his hand, the sound neither hurried nor slow:
"The team competition is the first match, and it's also our biggest opportunity. It's seven against seven, so it's all about teamwork and the synergy of Soul Tool. That's exactly what our Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy excels at."
Xiao Hongchen leaned forward. "What does Elder Ma mean?"
"In team competitions, give it your all."
Elder Ma spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Not only do we want to win, but we also want to exhaust their key players and injure them as much as possible."
"If we can defeat Shrek in the team competition and severely weaken them, then we'll have plenty of room to maneuver in the subsequent 2-2-3 battles and individual elimination rounds."
Xia Feng raises its head:
"Elder Ma, after Ling Luochen from Shrek teamed up with Dai Huabin, their ice-type control became very strong. In the semi-finals, they completely suppressed the fire and wind types of the Star Luo Imperial Academy."
"Our team only has one fire-type member, Li Yan. She'll just get enveloped in her ice mist."
"Therefore, the core strategy for team competitions can be summed up in one word: speed."
Ma Rulong interrupted him.
"Don't give Shrek a chance to unleash their full potential. Go all out from the start, use Soul Tool to concentrate firepower and tear apart their formation within thirty seconds."
Xiao Hongchen leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Thirty seconds? That's enough. My 128 level-5 Soul Cannon firing in a single salvo will only take six seconds."
Meng Hongchen paused, her hand turning the pages of the booklet. She closed it and calmly began:
"There's one more question."
Everyone looked at her.
"After Dai Huabin's Ultimate Ice and Holy Light White Tiger Transformation are combined, his melee burst damage is extremely strong."
In the semi-final against the Star Luo Empire, he shattered the Star's Guard, which had been building up its power for Xu Jiujiu three seconds.
The Meng Hongchen is clear and logical.
"In a team match, if he gets close, the Soul Tool array will be torn apart. So distance is key. We must keep him at least twenty meters away."
Elder Ma gave Meng Hongchen an approving look.
This granddaughter-aged girl has stronger analytical skills than most people present.
"I'll take care of the distance problem."
Xiao Hongchen sat up straight, her short, silvery-white hair gleaming coldly under the lamplight.
"My Fifth Soul Skill, Golden Devotion, can liquefy my body, so I'm not afraid even if he gets close."
Ma Rulong also smiled and said:
"Don't worry, we still have the Sword of Judgment."
The atmosphere has changed.
The other team members in the meeting room straightened their backs at the same time. Mi Jia clenched his fist, and Xia Feng's expression changed from worry to excitement.
The Sword of Judgment.
That was the ultimate trump card that the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy had prepared for this competition: an eighth-level melee Soul Tool.