The chants of support surged like waves, crashing down with the force of mountains and seas.
"Damn it! They're treating us like green leaves to set off those red flowers!"
Huang Yuan, a substitute for Shrek Academy, was waiting in the staging corridor to enter the arena. He spoke angrily.
Beside him, Jing Ling was dressed like a medieval vampire count. He said gloomily, "They may be red flowers, but that doesn't mean they see us as green leaves... They could see us as cow dung, too."
"Damn!"
Tailong, whose Martial Soul was a Giant Ape, clenched his fist and swung it hard. "Don't you go boosting their morale... We'll show them who's the cow dung in a minute. Right, Third Young Master... Third Young Master?"
Ever since his grandfather, God of Strength Tai Tan, had acknowledged Third Young Master as his young master, Tailong had become his loyal follower.
He was utterly convinced by Third Young Master... After all, Third Young Master had stood firm for the time it took an incense stick to burn under the pressure of his grandfather, an eighty-sixth-level Soul Douluo!
But...
When Tailong finished speaking and got no response, he turned around to look. Only then did he notice Third Young Master staring fixedly at the dazzling Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team on the arena, wearing an expression of grave seriousness he had never seen before!
"That stinking snake?"
Xiao Wu had noticed, too. "And that healing-type Soul Master is there as well... Weren't they students of Senior Qin Ming? Why are they on the Second Team? Brother... we..."
Though she had always been fearless, even she hesitated as she spoke... She still vividly remembered being badly injured last time at the Great Soul Arena in Suotuo City by Heaven Dou Royal Academy's First Team, who had competed under the name Imperial Fighting Team!
Brother miscalculated!
The Shrek Seven Devils' lineup isn't complete. We're missing four people!
How are we supposed to fight this battle...
"Hmph—"
Dai Mubai snorted. "Don't be afraid, Xiao Wu. We can settle the old score and the new one all at once!"
Then he turned to Tang San. "Little San, don't feel pressured. Their lineup isn't complete either. They only have that poisonous snake and the healer. When the battle starts, create an opening for me. I'll charge in first and take out the healer. Without any way to recover, they'll have no chance!"
Tang San clenched both fists, his teeth gritted, his heart sinking to the bottom... He had been careless!
He hadn't expected Dugu Yan and the healing-type Soul Master with the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul to appear on the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team!
The opposing lineup was indeed incomplete, but those two had been two of the three core members of the Imperial Fighting Team. With them there, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team would be several times harder to deal with!
And besides...
Was Jade Phosphor Snake Poison really that easy to break?
He knew his own circumstances best. Last time, he had only managed to break Dugu Yan's poison by taking advantage of a trick...
But using outside items was forbidden at the Soul Master Tournament. This time, he wouldn't have the chance to toss out a wine gourd and pull the same trick... The fatty wasn't here, either, so they had no chance to suppress the snake poison... And yet only three of the Shrek Seven Devils had taken the field. To hide their strength, they had deliberately brought four deadweights along...
This battle was going to be tough...
"Everyone!"
Tang San spoke in a low voice. "Forget the first plan. There's no way this battle will end within a minute!"
"Once we take the field, follow my orders!"
"Boss Dai, Xiao Wu, I'll create an opening for you. Work together to launch a surprise attack, and make sure you eliminate the Soul Master with the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul right away."
"I'll deal with Dugu Yan. As for the rest... follow my lead and adapt as things unfold."
He did his best to lay out a battle plan and calm everyone down.
But his words only made the others' hearts hang in suspense, because they had never seen Tang San like this before.
Especially the four substitutes!
Even Tang San, who always has everything under control, has to change tactics at the last minute. That shows just how tough this opponent is...
That thought silently shackled the four substitutes.
Meanwhile, in the stands!
Flender, Liu Erlong, and Yu Xiaogang all looked rather grim. Yu Xiaogang in particular was ashen-faced, his expression so dark it seemed water might drip from it!
Damn it... Why are Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling on the Second Team? Aren't they Tian Heng's teammates? Tian Heng... What an unreliable fellow... He didn't even give me a heads-up about something this important!
He was furious!
He had been counting on Little San and the others to get them off to a winning start. Now the outcome was uncertain!
Liu Erlong patted the back of Yu Xiaogang's hand, signaling him not to worry. She believed in the little monsters he had trained.
Flender saw them and turned green... Hey, hey, this isn't the time for the two of you to show off your affection!
"Xiaogang, can the little monsters win?"
He asked.
But Yu Xiaogang shut him down with a simple, "We have to believe in the little monsters."
Flender was filled with regret...
His eagle-clawed hands gripped the armrests so tightly that they bent out of shape... He had placed a lot of bets under the table!
If they lost, wouldn't all his money go down the drain?
And what would happen to the advertising deals he had planned for the Soul Master Tournament?
If he couldn't carry them out, how much money would he lose?
All he had left in life was Erlong and money. Now Erlong had gone to Xiaogang. If he lost his money, too... At the thought of the mountain of Gold Soul Coins he might lose... No, he couldn't take it... He couldn't think about this anymore... His heart was already starting to hurt in phantom agony...
In the VIP box, in front of the one-way floor-to-ceiling window.
Looking down at the Shrek Academy Team entering the arena, at the starting lineup that was exactly as he remembered it, Li Jingzhe couldn't help revealing an amused expression.
"Would the honored guest like some snacks and tea?"
Just then, the box door opened, and a provocatively dressed bunny girl walked in, carrying a tray.
Li Jingzhe glanced at it and casually picked up a stemmed glass.
He gently swirled the deep-red wine, took a small sip, and looked down at the Shrek Academy Team entering the arena. An amused expression crossed his face.
"Scoundrel, Scoundrel... Are you ready to take a beating from your hometown?"
At that moment, on the Soul Fighting Platform.
The Shrek team had completed their entrance, only to be greeted by a chorus of boos... Their academy was little-known, and their bizarre, dung-green uniforms made it hard for the audience not to jeer!
On the Shrek Academy side, Dai Mubai, Tailong, and Huang Yuan, the three Power Attack System Soul Masters, stood at the front. Tang San stood in the center, with Xiao Wu and Jing Ling, the two agility-type Soul Masters, on either side. Jiang Zhu, their healing-type Soul Master, stood at the back;
On the Heaven Dou Royal Academy side, Lion, Bear, Tiger, Leopard, and Wolf stood at the front in a shallow arc. Dugu Yan was in the center, while Ye Lingling stood at the back.
The young mistress serving as referee slowly descended to the center of the Soul Fighting Platform. "Both sides, pay your respects. Anyone not competing, leave the platform."
Neither Heaven Dou Royal Academy nor Shrek Academy was willing to do it, but both sides reluctantly nodded to each other. Dugu Yan didn't move, though, and neither did Ye Lingling.
One side was bent on revenge, the other on washing away their humiliation. Their eyes clashed as if sparks might fly. The battle had yet to begin, but the air already crackled with tension!
"Then I hereby announce... The first match of the first round of the qualifiers is officially underway!"
The instant she finished speaking, the young mistress flapped her wings and soared straight into the sky.
Before you continue