Inside the Sea God Pavilion Meeting Hall, the elders had just reached an agreement on how to deal with Xuan Zi.
"For now, let's set Xuan Zi's matter aside." Mu En spoke, his voice old and steady. "There's something else more urgent than assigning blame."
The meeting hall fell silent.
"Setting aside Xuan Zi's dereliction of duty, this incident exposed a problem we can no longer avoid." Mu En's tone was calm, but every word weighed heavily on everyone present. "When faced with the Corpse Explosion of a five-ring Evil Soul Master, our inner-court disciples had no other means of protection. If each of them had been carrying a Defensive Soul Tool, the outcome would have been entirely different. Lin'er."
"Teacher." Xian Lin'er hurriedly stood and answered respectfully.
Mu En said in a low voice, "I'm making the decision right now. After this Sea God Pavilion Meeting, every inner-court disciple must go to the Soul Guidance Department and have at least one Flying Soul Tool and one Defensive Soul Tool custom-made."
"Yes, Teacher." A look of delight immediately appeared on Xian Lin'er's face, but Yan Shaozhe furrowed his brow slightly.
The Soul Guidance Department and the Martial Soul Department had always been rivals, with the Martial Soul Department holding the upper hand. Under the leadership of Yan Shaozhe and the others, the inner-court disciples had always upheld the pride of the Martial Soul Department—not using Soul Tools. Now Mu En's decision was, without a doubt, telling everyone that the Martial Soul Department was bowing its head to the Soul Guidance Department.
"Teacher." Yan Shaozhe stood and bowed respectfully before speaking. "Teacher, should we consider this a little longer?" he asked tentatively.
Mu En said nothing. The meeting hall was so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping. Several elders had been about to voice their agreement, but when they saw Mu En's expression, they swallowed their words.
Seeing this, a sheen of sweat appeared on Yan Shaozhe's forehead. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Mu En paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the room.
"There's no room for discussion. The Martial Soul Department is not to delay paying the Soul Guidance Department, either."
Seeing how resolute Mu En was, Yan Shaozhe dared not object, despite his discontent. He respectfully agreed.
"Xuan Zi, this time, take only that girl Lexuan with you to Star Luo City. Since Heaven has decided to give them this trial, we won't send anyone else along. With Lin Shuo and the others there, they still have a chance to win the championship."
"If there's nothing else, we'll adjourn. Xuan Zi, leave at once."
"Yes."
Star Luo City.
As the capital of the Star Luo Empire, Star Luo City had walls a hundred meters high and an equally staggering hundred meters thick, built entirely of gray-white granite.
The city had a permanent population of over eight million, and could accommodate as many as twenty million at its limit.
Yet at this moment, the solemn imperial capital was brimming with an unusually lively atmosphere.
The shops lining the streets were decked out in lights and decorations, and nearly every hotel was fully booked. Visitors packed the broad main roads until they were completely impassable.
It was all because of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, a grand event held once every five years. This time, the Star Luo Empire was hosting it.
As defending champions, the Shrek Academy team had been given luxurious rooms on the top floor of the Star Emperor Hotel.
At that moment, Wang Yan and the eleven participating students were gathered in the conference room for a mobilization meeting.
Wang Yan sat at the head of the table, his gaze passing over the eleven students one by one. Ma Xiaotao sat in the first seat on the left, arms crossed over her chest. Her face was still pale from her serious injuries. Right behind her were the uninjured Ling Luochеn and Gongyang Mo, both wearing solemn expressions. Xi Xi sat at the end. Her internal organs had been injured, and her face was pale as well.
The seven reserve-team members sat on the other side. Wang Dong'er rested her chin in her hands, her pink-and-blue ponytail falling over her shoulder. Huo Yu'er sat upright beside her, her deep-blue eyes quietly watching Wang Yan. Xiao Xiao held her hands neatly on her knees, while Jiang Nannan wore a calm expression. Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei sat side by side.
Lin Shuo sat at the other end of the long table, his hands clasped on its surface, his expression as calm as still water.
Wang Yan withdrew his gaze and cleared his throat.
"Everyone, before we begin, I'd like to bring you up to speed on a few things." Wang Yan's voice was steady and restrained, but the lingering traces of fatigue between his brows still revealed the strain he had been under these past few days.
"First, let's review our combat strength. How are the official team members' injuries? How long until you can compete?"
Ling Luochеn said, "Gongyang Mo and I were protected by Lin Shuo at the time, so we weren't hurt. We can compete right away."
Xi Xi said, "My injuries are relatively minor. I estimate I'll need about twelve days to recover."
Ma Xiaotao said, "My injuries are more serious. I'll need at least seventeen days."
Wang Yan nodded, relieved.
Based on the earlier chaotic battle, Lin Shuo had the strength of a Soul Emperor, and with two Soul Kings alongside him, they could hold out until Ma Xiaotao and Xi Xi recovered. And once everyone had healed, they would still have a very good chance of winning the championship.
"Second, Xuan Zi has returned to the academy, but the deadline has already passed. That means we won't be getting any reinforcements. Until Xi Xi and Xiaotao recover, we'll have to rely on all of you from the reserve team. Until Xuan Zi returns, Lin Shuo and I will have full responsibility for all tactical arrangements and decisions during the matches."
Lin Shuo raised his eyes. His jet-black gaze held not a ripple, and he merely gave a slight nod.
"Third, I'll explain the rules of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament."
"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament has a very flexible and varied format. A total of one hundred and thirty-three advanced Soul Master Academies and advanced Soul Engineer Academies have come to compete this year. The first round of the preliminaries is an elimination round, with teams competing in seven-on-seven group battles. The drawing of lots will take place tomorrow, and the first round should take about three days to finish. As is customary, we'll be the first team to compete as the defending champions."
"After the first round, the teams will be divided into groups of about nine for round-robin matches. The round-robin matches use a random format, with three possibilities: individual elimination matches, three-two-two cooperative battles, and seven-on-seven group battles. Lots will be drawn before each match to determine the format. I'll inform you of the later rules when the time comes."
"But you don't need to feel too much pressure. You're all elite students from Shrek, far beyond what the other academies can match. At the beginning, Lin Shuo, Ling Luochеn, and Gongyang Mo will have your backs. By the time Xiaotao and Xi Xi recover, you'll be fully capable of fighting for the championship."
"If there's nothing else, we'll adjourn."
The eleven students rose one after another and returned to their rooms to rest.
At the same time, the members of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, who were also staying on the top floor, were holding their own mobilization meeting.
In the conference room, the official and reserve-team members sat on opposite sides.
The old man seated in the middle spoke. "According to our reports, Shrek Academy brought only eleven people this year. Seven of them are under fifteen years old, which means Shrek Academy brought only four official team members."