In the original novel, of the three Soul Bone that the Spirit Hall offered as rewards, only the Spirit Condensation Wisdom Skull was truly precious.
The remaining two pieces are Explosive Burning Flame Right Arm Bone and a Rapid Advance Wind Chasing Left Leg Bone. They might be considered rare treasures in the outside world, but to Dai Mubai, they are nothing special.
It would be better to have it, of course; but if we lose it, it's just a little regrettable.
In the following matches, strong teams such as Divine Wind, Thunderclap, Blazing Fire, Heavenly Water, and Heaven Dou Second Team from the Heaven Dou Segment, as well as Wind Sword, Fire Leopard, and War Academy from the Star Luo Empire Segment, also made their appearances.
The first round has ended without any upsets, with all the strong teams advancing.
Only 18 teams remain out of the original 33.
Some eliminated teams choose to leave immediately, while others choose to stay and continue to observe and learn, but this is limited to the first four rounds of the knockout stage.
According to the schedule, the final three-way match will be held in the square in the Papal Palace, and the eliminated teams are not allowed to attend.
The teams that received a bye in the second round were the first-place teams from the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire's qualifying rounds, namely the Star Luo Royal Academy Second Team and the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team. Neither team needed to play.
This means that Dai Mubai and his team have three days of rest between the end of the first round and the start of the third round.
That night, Dai Mubai, unusually, didn't go to see the Shui Bing'er sisters, but stayed at the hotel where they were staying, since there were still two of them there.
After a passionate encounter with Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, Dai Mubai had Zhu Zhuqing on his left and Ning Rongrong on his right.
Both of them had one hand and one leg draped over Dai Mubai, pressing their softest parts against Dai Mubai, with lingering blush between their brows and eyes.
After the two were completely asleep, Dai Mubai quietly pulled his arm out, got up, dressed, pushed open the door, and went up to the hotel rooftop along the corridor.
The rooftop was pitch black. Most of the lights in Spirit City had been extinguished, with only a few faint lights shining from the direction of the Papal Palace and the Douluo Hall, illuminating the Angel Statue on the dome.
Dai Mubai stood on the edge of the rooftop, activating his Icefire Spirit Eyes, and a faint red and blue light shone deep within his pale golden pupils.
His gaze fell on a shadowy spot in the southwest corner of the rooftop. It appeared to be empty, but his Icefire Spirit Eyes pierced through the disguise and clearly detected an aura that was extremely well concealed.
"Grandpa, please come out. I need to talk to you."
After a moment of silence in the shadows, a dark blue figure emerged without a sound.
It was Zhu Chengfeng, his hair and beard completely white, who asked with a hint of surprise, " Mubai, how did you find me?"
Dai Mubai smiled, his tone frank. "I discovered you've been secretly following me for a year now. Your concealment skills are indeed impressive; even Titled Douluo might not be able to detect you. But my Double Pupils possess a skill that allows me to see through most concealment and disguise."
Zhu Chengfeng immediately darkened, and his lips twitched. "Your father arranged for me to protect you secretly. I thought I was hiding it well."
Dai Mubai nodded, his gaze sweeping around. "I understand. Where are Grandpa and Grandma? They were here a few days ago, weren't they?"
Zhu Chengfeng shook his head helplessly. " Spirit City is different from other places. There are many experts here, making it very difficult to hide. The Retired Emperor's Martial Soul is not good at concealment, and they were worried about being exposed, so the two of them went to wait outside the city."
Dai Mubai nodded, his smile fading, and lowered his voice, saying, "Grandpa, I need you to do something."
Zhu Chengfeng raised an eyebrow slightly. "My task is simply to protect you; I can't stray too far from you."
"I'm not in any immediate danger in Spirit City. Besides, that matter was for my mother," Dai Mubai said firmly.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Chengfeng asked in confusion, "What is it? Tell me first."
"I told you, don't get agitated."
"Okay, I won't get agitated."
Dai Mubai took a deep breath and said, "I've discovered a Hundred Thousand Year Transformed Soul Beast that's mixed in with the participating teams. I want to capture her and give her to my mother as her ninth Soul Ring."
Zhu Chengfeng's expression froze instantly, his eyes widening in shock. "What!? Hundred Thousand Year Transformed Soul Beast!? Are you serious!?"
"Don't get excited, don't get excited." Dai Mubai quickly glanced around to make sure no one was nearby. "There are two Super Douluo from the Clear Sky Sect watching her right now. We can't take her even if we try."
Zhu Chengfeng suppressed his surging emotions, his brows furrowed. "Then what should we do?"
Dai Mubai calmly instructed, "I will find a way to expose her on the field at a crucial moment. At that time, the experts of the Clear Sky Sect will inevitably have a fierce battle with the Spirit Hall. I guess they will flee towards the Star Dou Great Forest not far away."
"Your Martial Soul excels at stealth and tracking. I need you to ambush them on the road beforehand, follow them from a distance, and strike only after the Hundred Thousand Year Transformed Soul Beast separates from the Clear Sky Sect members. Once captured, immediately send her to Star Luo City and hand her over to Father and Mother for disposal."
Zhu Chengfeng remained silent for a moment, his old eyes flashing with a sharp light, clearly calculating the feasibility of the plan at a rapid pace.
Are you sure they'll flee towards the Star Dou Great Forest?
"I'm sure," Dai Mubai said confidently. " Spirit City isn't far from the Star Dou Great Forest; it's the closest and easiest place to hide. It's also the lair of that Hundred Thousand Year Transformed Soul Beast. The people from the Clear Sky Sect will definitely choose this route."
Zhu Chengfeng thought for a moment, then nodded heavily. "Alright. I'll observe for a while longer before setting off."
"Grandpa, I'm counting on you then. Remember, be extremely careful," Dai Mubai said.
Zhu Chengfeng waved his hand. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Then, Dai Mubai described Xiao Wu's appearance in detail to Zhu Chengfeng: short pink hair and striking rabbit ears.
After he finished speaking, he repeatedly instructed Zhu Chengfeng to make sure that no one from the Clear Sky Sect was with the other party when he made his move.
Zhu Chengfeng memorized everything, then his figure flashed and disappeared back into the shadows, as if he had never been there.
Dai Mubai then turned around and went downstairs.
Back in his room and lying on the bed, Dai Mubai pulled the soundly sleeping Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong back into his arms, squeezing their hands together.
Dai Mubai let out a long breath and closed his eyes.
The second round of elimination matches began a day later.
In this round, the three seeded teams will finally take the stage.
As the number of teams decreased, weaker teams were gradually eliminated, and the competition became increasingly intense.
Although Dai Mubai and his team had a bye, they still came to the competition venue to watch the game.
There were far fewer people in the stands than in the first round, and the players from each team were no longer as relaxed as before; their expressions had become somewhat somber.
At this stage, every battle is a tough fight, and the slightest mistake could mean packing your bags and going home.