Rules

Inside the Sea God Pavilion meeting hall, the elder masters had just reached a consensus regarding the handling of Xuan Zi.

"Let us set aside the matter of Xuan Zi for now," Mu En began, his voice aged yet steady. "There is another matter that is more urgent than assigning blame."

The meeting hall fell silent.

"This incident, setting aside Xuan Zi's dereliction of duty, has exposed a problem we can no longer ignore." Mu En's tone was calm, yet every word weighed heavily upon the hearts of everyone present. "Facing the corpse explosion of a five-ring Evil Soul Master, our inner court disciples had no other defensive measures. If each of them had possessed a piece of defensive soul guidance equipment at the time, the outcome would have been vastly different. Lin'er."

"Teacher," Xian Lin'er hurriedly stood up and replied respectfully.

Mu En said in a deep voice, "I am making the decision right now: after this Sea God Pavilion meeting, all inner court disciples must go to the Soul Guidance Department to have at least one flight-type soul guidance device and one defensive soul guidance device custom-made."

"Yes, Teacher." A look of joy immediately appeared on Xian Lin'er's face, but Yan Shaozhe frowned slightly.

The Soul Guidance Department and the Martial Soul Department had long been in competition, and the Martial Soul Department had always held the upper hand. Under the leadership of Yan Shaozhe and others, the inner court disciples had maintained the pride of the Martial Soul Department—to never use soul guidance devices. Mu En's decision was, without a doubt, telling everyone that the Martial Soul Department was bowing to the Soul Guidance Department.

"Teacher," Yan Shaozhe stood up, bowed respectfully, and then spoke. "Teacher, is there a need to reconsider?" Yan Shaozhe asked tentatively.

Mu En did not speak. The meeting hall was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Several elder masters who had intended to chime in saw Mu En's expression and swallowed the words on the tips of their tongues.

Seeing this, a thin layer of sweat beaded on Yan Shaozhe's forehead. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Mu En paused slightly, his gaze sweeping across the room.

"There is no room for negotiation on this matter. The Martial Soul Department is not permitted to delay payment to the Soul Guidance Department."

Seeing Mu En's resolute tone, even if Yan Shaozhe felt dissatisfied, he dared not argue and respectfully agreed.

"Xuan Zi, you will take only that girl Le Xuan to Star Luo City this time. Since the heavens have decided to grant them this trial, we shall not send any additional personnel. With Lin Shuo and the others there, they are not without a chance to win the championship."

"If there is nothing else, the meeting is adjourned. Xuan Zi, depart at once."

"Yes."

Star Luo City.

As the capital of the Star Luo Empire, the walls of Star Luo City stood a hundred meters high and were a terrifying hundred meters thick, constructed entirely of gray-white granite.

The entire city had a permanent population of over eight million, with a maximum capacity of twenty million.

However, at this moment, this solemn imperial capital was brimming with an unusual, bustling atmosphere.

The shops along the streets were decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and almost every hotel was fully booked. Tourists packed the wide main thoroughfares until they were impassable.

All of this was because of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament, a grand event held every five years, which was being hosted by the Star Luo Empire this time.

As the defending champions, the Shrek Academy team members were arranged in the luxury suites on the top floor of the Star Emperor Hotel.

Inside the meeting room, Wang Yan and the eleven participating team members were gathered for a mobilization meeting.

Wang Yan sat at the head of the table, his gaze sweeping over the eleven members one by one. Ma Xiaotao sat in the first seat on the left, her arms crossed over her chest, her face still bearing the pallor of a serious injury not yet healed. Following her were the uninjured Ling Luochen and Gongyang Mo, both of whom wore serious expressions. At the end sat Xi Xi; she had suffered internal injuries, and her face was equally pale.

The seven members of the reserve team sat on the other side. Wang Dong'er rested her chin on her hands, her powder-blue ponytail draped over her shoulder; Huo Yu'er sat upright beside her, her deep blue eyes watching Wang Yan quietly; Xiao Xiao kept her hands neatly on her knees, Jiang Nannan's expression was indifferent, and Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei sat side by side.

Lin Shuo sat at the other end of the long table, his hands clasped together on the surface, his expression as calm as water.

Wang Yan withdrew his gaze and cleared his throat.

"Everyone, before we begin the meeting, I will first synchronize a few things." Wang Yan's voice was steady and restrained, but the trace of exhaustion that had not yet fully dissipated from his brow betrayed the pressure he had been under these past few days.

"The first matter is to synchronize our combat strength. How are the injuries of the main team members, and when will you be able to participate?"

Ling Luochen said, "Because I and Gongyang Mo had Lin Shuo's protection at the time, we did not suffer any injuries, so we can take the field immediately."

Xi Xi: "My injuries are relatively light. I estimate it will take about twelve days to recover."

Ma Xiaotao: "My injuries are quite severe; it will take at least seventeen days."

Wang Yan nodded, feeling a sense of relief.

According to the previous skirmish, Lin Shuo possessed the strength of a Soul Emperor, and with two Soul Kings, holding out until Ma Xiaotao and Xi Xi recovered would not be a problem. And once everyone was recovered, they still had a very good chance of winning the championship.

"The second matter. Elder Xuan has returned to the academy, but the deadline has already passed. This means we will have no more reinforcements. Before Xi Xi and Xiaotao recover, I must rely on the reserve team. Until Elder Xuan returns, all tactical arrangements and match decisions will be the sole responsibility of myself and Lin Shuo."

Lin Shuo raised his eyes, his pure black pupils devoid of any ripples, and he gave a slight nod.

"The third matter. I will explain the rules of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament."

"The format of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament is very flexible and rich. This year, a total of one hundred and thirty-three advanced soul master academies and advanced soul engineer academies have come to participate. The first round of the preliminary stage is a knockout tournament, using a seven-on-seven team battle format. The drawing of lots will be tomorrow, and the first round will take about three days to conclude. By convention, as the defending champions, we will be the first team to take the field."

"After the first round, the teams will be divided into groups, with about nine teams per group, to conduct a round-robin tournament. The round-robin tournament uses a random format, with three possibilities: individual knockout, three-two-two cooperative combat, and seven-on-seven team battle. Before each match, lots will be drawn to determine the format. I will inform you of the subsequent formats later."

"However, you do not need to feel too much pressure. You are all elite students from Shrek, far beyond what other academies can compare to. In the initial matches, you have Lin Shuo, Ling Luochen, and Gongyang Mo to cover for you. Once Xiaotao and Xi Xi recover, you will be fully capable of contending for the championship."

"If there is nothing else, we will adjourn the meeting."

The eleven students rose one after another to return to their rooms and rest.

At the same time, the members of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, who were also staying on the top floor, were conducting their own mobilization work.

Inside their meeting room, the main team members and the reserve team members were lined up on either side.

The old man sitting in the center spoke: "According to intelligence, Shrek Academy only brought eleven people this year. Seven of them are under fifteen years old, which means Shrek Academy only brought four main team members."