"This guy's pretty unlucky too..."
Elder Ma thought to himself.
As an opponent, he was quite happy to see Shrek in such a predicament.
But as a team-leading teacher himself, he could not help but feel somewhat sorry for Wang Yan, along with a sense of melancholy.
If the team's results fell short of expectations, the team-leading teacher would certainly be held accountable. Especially Wang Yan, who led Shrek—the academy that had been champion for ten thousand years—whose burden was far heavier than Elder Ma's.
But could Shrek's inability to win really be blamed on Wang Yan?
Elder Ma did not know what exactly had happened to Shrek, but he knew very well that whatever trouble had prevented the Shrek Seven Devils from competing could never have been caused by a team-leading teacher at the Soul King level.
As he reflected, the pre-match procedures were nearly complete. Once the emperor appeared in the stands, the tournament was declared open.
The first match was naturally supposed to be opened by Shrek.
Yet even after the opposing team's representatives had already stepped onto the arena, not a single member of Shrek had appeared anywhere in Star Luo Plaza.
According to the rules, if one side failed to appear within the time limit, they would be directly declared defeated.
But Shrek was Shrek. This academy, which stood apart from the rest of the continent, made even the referee—who represented the will of the Star Luo imperial family—hesitate to act rashly.
Only when the spectators began growing restless, and the clamorous discussions could no longer be suppressed, did the reigning emperor on the elevated platform nod in indication. The referee then stepped forward and announced in a clear voice:
"Shrek failed to send anyone onto the stage during the drawing of lots. According to