Everyone was present in the conference room.
Wang Yan stood at the front, his expression serious.
"Everyone, please have a seat," Lin Ciyan said first, finding a window seat for himself and sitting down in a relaxed posture as if he were sunbathing.
Zhang Lexuan sat down beside him, while Ling Luochеn and Ma Xiaotao sat a little further away on either side, forming a delicate triangle.
Wang Yan cleared his throat. "Now that the captain has arrived, then I will..."
"Wait." Lin Ciyan raised his hand.
"Teacher Wang, you're the team's life coach, so you can take care of our daily needs. Let Sister Lexuan handle the tactical arrangements and match schedule explanations."
Wang Yan was taken aback.
Zhang Lexuan was slightly surprised, but quickly understood Lin Ciyan's meaning.
This is to establish her authority and strengthen her sense of command as a teacher.
"Okay," she replied softly, and walked forward.
Her moon-white dress swayed gently with her steps, and her slender figure appeared exceptionally elegant under the conference room lights.
"First of all, congratulations to the captain on winning the opening match," Zhang Lexuan said in a clear and pleasant voice.
"But the competition has only just begun. Next is the Round-Robin Tournament stage, and I need everyone to understand the rules."
She walked to the whiteboard and picked up a pen.
"After the first round of elimination, a total of 67 teams have advanced to the Round-Robin Tournament. They are divided into eight groups, with three groups having nine teams and five groups having eight teams."
The pen writes smoothly, and the handwriting is neat and beautiful.
"We have to play seven matches in the group stage. A win gives us two points, a loss gives us zero points, and a draw gives us one point." Zhang Lexuan turned around and glanced at everyone.
"Four groups will compete each day, with one round every two days. The Round-Robin Tournament is expected to last fifteen to sixteen days."
Huo Yuhao and the others listened attentively.
Wang Dong sat next to Lin Ciyan, his handsome face focused beneath his short, light blue hair.
Xiao Xiao sat obediently on the other side, her fair skin accentuated by her green lace dress.
"There are three competition modes in the Round-Robin Tournament," Zhang Lexuan continued.
"Seven-on-seven team battles, individual elimination rounds, and 2-2-3 tactics. The draw will determine the format before each match."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the starting players. " Ling Luochеn, Xi Xi, Gongyang Mo, Yao Haoxuan, you're all in good form and will be rotating in with the reserve team. Dai Yueheng and Ma Xiaotao are ready to be called upon at any time."
Ling Luochеn nodded gently, a hint of anticipation flashing in his icy blue eyes.
Ma Xiaotao's eyes lit up, and a fighting spirit ignited in her orange-red pupils.
"The captain's appearance will depend on the situation." Zhang Lexuan looked at Lin Ciyan, a slight smile playing on her lips. "After all, if the captain takes action, the outcome of the match might be decided."
The words were phrased tactfully, but everyone understood them.
Captain, you're too strong! You're just bullying people.
Lin Ciyan leaned back in his chair, resting his chin on his hand. "You mean I should keep lying down?"
"It's about allocating combat power reasonably," Zhang Lexuan said gently.
Zhang Lexuan returned to the whiteboard. "Specific arrangements. If we draw an individual elimination tournament, the order of appearance will be from oldest to youngest. The rules for the individual elimination tournament are: the loser is eliminated, and the winner can continue to fight until all seven members of one side are eliminated."
"If we draw the 2-2-3 strategy, we'll first have two 2-on-2 matches, then one 3-on-3 match. If we win all the 2-on-2 matches, we don't need to play the third match."
She looked at Bei Bei and Jiang Nannan: " Bei Bei and Jiang Nannan are a team. Bei Bei is the strong attacker, and Jiang Nannan is agile; their teamwork is excellent."
Then he looked at Xu Sanshi and He Caitou: "Sanshi, defend; Caitou, attack from a distance. You two form a group."
Finally, looking at Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao: " Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao will be the backups for the three-on-three match."
Xu Sanshi immediately protested, " Grandmaster! Why won't you pair me with Nan Nan? We're close!"
Jiang Nannan glared at him. "Who's familiar with you?"
Zhang Lexuan said gently, "This is the competition arrangement. Your Black Mysterious Tortoise Shell Shield is mainly for defense, while Cai Tou's Cigar Martial Soul is mainly for support and ranged attacks. This combination is more reasonable. Jiang Nannan's soft skills require flexible space, and they can only be most effective when paired with Bei Bei's strong attacks."
Jiang Nannan immediately nodded. " Grandmaster is wise."
Xu Sanshi's face fell.
Lin Ciyan couldn't help but laugh as he watched this scene.
Zhang Lexuan sat down next to him and asked softly, "How are the arrangements?"
"Very good." Lin Ciyan naturally took her hand.
"Much more meticulous than me."
Zhang Lexuan's cheeks flushed slightly, but she did not pull her hand away.
Ling Luochеn, sitting opposite them, glanced at their clasped hands. A complex emotion flickered in his icy blue eyes before he lowered them.
Ma Xiaotao pursed her lips and turned her face to the side, but she couldn't help glancing in this direction out of the corner of her eye.
"Finally, I want to emphasize one more point," Zhang Lexuan raised her voice, " Soul Tool can be used during the competition. Ci Yan and I will give on-the-spot commands based on the battle situation."
"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.
The meeting ended, and everyone left one after another.
Moonlight streamed in through the windows of the corridor.
Lin Ciyan and Zhang Lexuan walked side by side.
At the other end of the corridor, Ling Luochеn stood in front of his room, watching this scene. After a moment of silence, he turned and went into his room.
Ma Xiaotao leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching the two of them. Finally, she let out a soft hum and went back to her room.
Time passed.
The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament is in full swing.
After the first round of elimination matches, the atmosphere in Star Luo City became even more frenzied.
Countless people line up in advance every day, just to grab a ticket.
The Star Luo Empire government had to raise ticket prices to control the flow of people and increase efforts to maintain order.
The Round-Robin Tournament format is more diverse, with three game modes making each match unpredictable.
Although it wasn't a life-or-death struggle like the knockout stage, it was just as exciting.
The eliminated teams received travel and accommodation reimbursements from the Star Luo Empire, medical treatment for the injured, and compensation for the deceased.
These initiatives won praise from all participating colleges.
Every day, official match reports are released on time, detailing each game.
The price of a few copper coins allowed the Star Luo Empire to make a fortune.
Finally, the fourth day of the competition arrived.
Early in the morning, Star Luo Square was already bustling with people.
Because today, Shrek Academy will be making its appearance once again.
Xu Jiawei arrived early at the top of the imperial city wall, waiting for the show to begin.
Two hundred thousand people in the audience eagerly awaited the arrival of the audience.
What they wanted to see was what kind of "performance" the boy, who could win even while sleeping on the competition stage, would deliver today.
The contestant area, specifically the area of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy.
Xiao Hongchen crossed his arms, his face grim.
Meng Hongchen stood beside him, her wine-red hair swaying slightly in the morning breeze, her icy blue eyes gazing thoughtfully in the direction of Shrek.
"Today," Xiao Hongchen gritted his teeth, "I want to see how he can still pretend."
Meng Hongchen gently shook her head. "Brother, don't underestimate him. Shrek... has never relied on luck to reach the top."
Her gaze pierced through the crowd and landed on the entrance to the passageway.
There, the Shrek team was about to enter.