After the brief interlude, the atmosphere in the arena quickly heated up again. The host cleared his throat, and his voice rang out across the venue once more:
"Now, please welcome His Majesty Emperor Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire, the esteemed Platinum Bishop Salas of Spirit Hall, and Sect Master Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to deliver their speeches for this tournament!"
Emperor Xue Ye rose first. The ruler of the Heaven Dou Empire wore a golden dragon robe, his face stern and his voice steady and strong.
"The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament is a grand occasion for our Heaven Dou spirit masters to show their mettle. I hope every participating team will uphold the spirit of fair competition, and show their skill and style."
"Bring glory to Heaven Dou."
Next came Salas.
His narrow eyes swept across the venue, lingering for a moment on the teams with more female students before he finally spoke:
"Spirit Hall has always placed great importance on cultivating young spirit masters. For this tournament, Spirit Hall will offer three precious Spirit Bones as prizes. Those who perform exceptionally well will also have the opportunity to join Spirit Hall directly and receive the finest cultivation resources."
At those words, many teams' eyes lit up. Spirit Bones! They were the treasures every spirit master dreamed of!
Finally, it was Ning Fengzhi's turn.
The Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect rose with refined grace. He smiled faintly, and the entire venue fell quiet.
Though he was only a Soul Saint, his composure and bearing were in no way inferior to those of any Titled Douluo.
"The path of a spirit master lies in tempering oneself. This tournament is not only a contest of strength, but also a test of character. May you grow through battle and gain insight through every clash."
Ning Fengzhi's words were brief yet profound. Seeing his chance, the host hurried forward and asked:
"Sect Master Ning, as the continent's foremost auxiliary spirit master, you have an exceptional eye for talent. Is there any team in this tournament that you favor?"
Everyone perked up their ears at the question. Ning Fengzhi was renowned for his discerning eye.
Ning Fengzhi smiled faintly.
His gaze first turned toward Skywater Academy, pausing on Yang Teng for a moment. There was a hint of curiosity and contemplation in his eyes.
Then he looked toward Shrek Academy, glancing at Tang San before finally turning away.
"There is indeed a team I favor."
Ning Fengzhi's voice was warm.
"However, I'll keep you in suspense for now. In time, you will all find out."
The host was disappointed by his answer, but it only made the crowd even more restless.
In the VIP seats, Salas narrowed his eyes and shot Ning Fengzhi a thoughtful glance. Emperor Xue Ye, meanwhile, remained calm, as though he had expected this.
"All right!"
The host took control of the proceedings again.
"Now, we'll begin the first round of the tournament with the draw! Please welcome Bishop Salas to draw the matchups for the first round!"
A ceremonial attendant brought up an elegant draw box. Salas stepped forward, and as his aged hand reached into the box, it brushed casually against the attendant's fair hand.
The movement was quick and subtle. Almost no one noticed.
But Yang Teng did.
In the waiting area for Skywater Academy, Yang Teng narrowed his eyes slightly. He watched Salas's hand, disgust flashing in his eyes.
"I really want to beat that guy up!"
Gu Yuena, standing beside him, glanced over at the words. "Do you know him?"
"No."
Yang Teng's voice was cold. "But I know what kind of person he is."
When he had read the original story in his previous life, Salas the old lecher had left a deep impression on him. Seeing him in person now only intensified Yang Teng's disgust.
Salas rummaged through the box for a moment before slowly drawing the first lot. He unfolded it, took a look, and smiled meaningfully.
"First match of the first round."
Salas drew out the words, "Skywater Academy versus Shrek Academy!"
The whole venue erupted!
The draw was so dramatic! Skywater Academy, which had just made a stunning entrance, was matched against Shrek Academy, with its bizarre uniforms and reputation as a laughingstock!
Yang Teng looked at Salas's smiling face and sneered inwardly. Just as he had expected, the old bastard had rigged the draw.
Yang Teng glanced at the VIP seats. Salas was speaking quietly with Ning Fengzhi, his eyes occasionally drifting toward Yang Teng and the others.
Trying to test what I'm capable of?
Yang Teng understood.
After the results were announced, the two teams reacted in completely different ways.
On the Skywater Academy side, Shui Bing'er remained calm, Gu Yuena showed no emotion, and the other members merely straightened their uniforms a little.
Yang Teng even yawned, as if the upcoming match were not the first round of a tournament, but just a warm-up exercise.
But Shrek's side had already erupted.
"What?! We're facing Skywater Academy in the first round?!"
Ma Hongjun leaped to his feet, his chubby face full of terror.
"What do we do? Skywater Academy has a Soul King!"
He pointed at Gu Yuena in the distance.
"That woman's level fifty-three, and the highest on our side is Boss Dai at level forty-four. How are we supposed to fight her?"
Dai Mubai scratched his head, ruffling his golden hair.
"Even if all seven of us go up, our chances aren't good, are they? They've got four Soul Ancestors and a Soul King..."
Even the usually composed Tang San was at a loss. His brows knitted together as his fingers tapped the back of his chair unconsciously. Finally, he turned to Yu Xiaogang.
"Teacher, what do you think?"
Yu Xiaogang's expression was grave, his voice low.
"Skywater Academy has a formidable lineup: one Soul King and four Soul Ancestors. Their overall strength is far beyond ours..."
He paused, then said something that weighed heavily on everyone's hearts:
"My advice is... to forfeit outright and conserve our strength for the matches ahead. Losing in the first round is nothing. As long as we make it to the knockout stage, we'll still have a chance."
"What?!"
Flender shot to his feet, his glasses askew.
"Xiaogang, you're saying we should forfeit? Since when has Shrek ever forfeited?"
Yu Xiaogang looked at him calmly.
"Flender, it's the rational choice. If we fight them head-on, we'll only reveal our trump cards and may suffer unnecessary injuries."
"But..."
"Flender."
Liu Erlong grabbed his arm and shook her head. As the Horn of Slaughter in the Golden Iron Triangle, she was more battle-hungry than anyone, but at this moment, she agreed with Yu Xiaogang's assessment.
But just then, Tang San spoke up.
"Would you be satisfied with that?"
His voice was quiet, yet everyone fell silent.
Tang San stood and looked at each member of the Shrek Seven Devils.
"We haven't even fought yet. Who knows whether we'll win or lose? If we give up the moment we face a strong opponent, what will we do when we meet one in the future?"
Dai Mubai was the first to step forward. He slammed a fist down on the table.
"Xiao San's right! Forfeiting before we've even fought—that's not the Shrek way!"
Xiao Wu sprang to Tang San's side and hooked her arm through his. "Third Brother, I'm with you! Let's fight. Who's afraid of whom?"
Zhu Zhuqing gave a cool nod. "Fight."
Ning Rongrong bit her lip. "I can support everyone with all I've got."
Oscar and Ma Hongjun exchanged a glance, then stood up too.
"Let's kick their asses!"
Ma Hongjun roared.
"So what if they have a Soul King? If the seven of us work together, we might still have a chance!"
The mood changed in an instant.
Yu Xiaogang looked at the young people, their blood fired up, and finally sighed with a wry smile.
"Fine... Since you've made up your minds, then fight."
Flender's face lit up at once, his shrewd merchant nature resurfacing.
"That's more like it! Shrek's aiming for the championship. How can we chicken out in the first round?"
He clapped his hands. "Come on, come on! I hereby announce that if we win this match, we'll have an extra feast tonight! As much braised pork as you can eat!"
"Shrek will win!"
The seven shouted in unison.
Ning Fengzhi gave a slight nod from the VIP seats, while Salas wore an amused smile, seemingly even more eager to see how the match would unfold.
In the Skywater Academy waiting area, Yang Teng took in the commotion on Shrek's side and gave a chuckle, shaking his head.
"You really do love that reckless, know-nothing attitude of yours."
He murmured under his breath.
"Too bad you're no longer the main characters."
Yang Teng turned to face the members of Skywater Academy.
Shui Bing'er, Xue Wu, Shui Yue'er... and Gu Yuena, standing to one side. Everyone looked at him.
Yang Teng cleared his throat. His voice was calm, but his decision left no room for argument:
"Everyone, we'll finish off Shrek in one minute."
Before you continue