The night they returned to Shrek from the Abandoned Post Station, Huo Yuhao did not sleep. His physical injuries had healed completely, but the hurt in his heart remained. Dong'er had not argued or made a scene. Back at the academy, she still handed him his medicine and gave their battle report to Xuan Zi. When Bei Bei asked about his injuries, she even covered for him with a quiet "He's fine now."
But she no longer looked at him.
Wang Qiu'er had not explained what happened in the inner chamber of the Abandoned Post Station, either. Sitting in the Soul Tool laboratory, Huo Yuhao stared at the Soul Tool Recording Formation in his palm. For the first time, he felt that facing two people who deserved better from him was harder than dismantling Zhang Peng's Blood Fiend Formation.
At dawn, Xuan Zi summoned the contestants to the Sea God Pavilion. A new tournament schedule lay across the long table. At the top were the words: Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament.
This was no internal Shrek sparring match, nor an ordinary exchange between academies. Every few years, the continent's major advanced Soul Master academies sent their strongest young talents to compete. The top academies of Heaven Soul, Dou Ling, and the Star Luo Empire would be there, as would the Soul Master academies of the Sun Moon Empire. Since the rise of Soul Tools, the tournament had become more than a contest between Soul Masters. It was where nations, academies, and factions openly tested one another's hidden strengths.
Shrek never missed it. Shrek represented more than an academy's reputation. It stood for the last pinnacle of the Douluo Continent's traditional Soul Master system.
Xuan Zi tapped the table. "On the surface, this tournament ranks young Soul Masters. Behind the scenes, every faction will be testing the others. The Sun Moon Empire's Soul Tools have advanced rapidly, and the Holy Spirit Cult made its move at the Abandoned Post Station before the tournament even began. That tells us they're watching it too."
Bei Bei frowned. "They want to use the tournament to observe Yuhao and Qiu'er?"
"More than observe." He Caitou placed a Sun-Moon Conduction Pattern on the table. "They've already begun making Soul Tool cores that simulate the Auspicious Beast's aura. If they force Qiu'er to fight in the tournament, they can collect more fluctuations from her aura, identify a pattern, and make their simulations more convincing."
Xuan Zi continued, "So you aren't competing just to win. You must show Shrek's strength in the public arena, and force those hiding in the shadows to show their hands."
Huo Yuhao looked at the schedule.
Star Luo Royal Academy, Heaven Soul Empire Academy, the Dou Ling Team, Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, and several strong young teams backed by sects—the names crowded the page.
Xuan Zi pushed forward a second list. "Shrek's tournament team."
Huo Yuhao saw his name at the center. He had been named captain, responsible for the entire team's mental control and the core of its battle formation.
Wang Dong'er, Wang Qiu'er, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Xiao Xiao, and He Caitou.
Huo Yuhao stared at his name, his fingers tightening slightly. This was no longer a handful of people caught up in his personal struggles. An entire Shrek team would build its battlefield control around him.
"Don't get careless," Dong'er said to Yuhao. Her voice was cool, but she could not hide how much she cared about him. "Being at the core doesn't mean you have to push yourself too hard."
Xuan Zi rolled up the list. "Before the tournament begins, the academy will arrange several internal training matches for you."
Over the next few days, the training matches went ahead as planned.
The academy did not turn them into a public spectacle. They were held behind closed doors at the Inner Courtyard Training Grounds. Outer Academy standouts such as Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, and Ning Tian were brought in temporarily, while the Inner Academy sent several squads to simulate the ranged firepower and positional suppression of Sun Moon Soul Engineers. Huo Yuhao came away remembering a few things: Dai Huabin's White Tiger Charge hit harder than ever, Ning Tian's support could force the tempo up a whole notch, and when Dong'er and Qiu'er stood on either side of him, Shrek's main formation struck with frightening force.
But its weaknesses were just as obvious—
Dong'er was too concerned for Huo Yuhao and sometimes hesitated. Qiu'er's fighting style was too forceful for her to blend fully into the team. When the final training match ended, Xuan Zi said only one thing: "You can beat a lot of opponents. But you still aren't ready to overcome the trap Sun Moon and the Holy Spirit Cult have laid."
After the training matches, Huo Yuhao did not return to his dormitory right away.
Someone had brushed against the communication formation outside the Sea God Pavilion, leaving behind an extremely fine Sun-Moon Conduction Pattern. The trace carried no menace or urgency. It was like someone testing the door with a light knock from far away.
Someone was trying to intercept Shrek's main team roster.
Huo Yuhao recognized the touch at once.
Ju Zi.
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