You Can Do That?

On Star Luo Plaza, representatives from the academies went up one after another to draw lots.

Song Que, Huo Yuhao, and the others stood off to the side of the plaza, waiting idly for the results.

"Well, if it isn't Huo Yuhao."

Dai Huabin spotted them. His gaze turned cold, and he deliberately raised his voice, drawing looks from students of the other academies nearby.

"Never thought I'd run into you here. I heard you left Shrek?"

Huo Yuhao frowned slightly. His eyes cooled, but he said nothing and ignored him.

Dai Huabin clearly had no intention of stopping there. A mocking smile spread across his face.

"Heh. Pretty sad, really. You spent all that time at Shrek and couldn't even make the reserve team. Guess you had no choice but to leave and look for another way forward."

"I just didn't expect you to scrape up a spot in the tournament with some No-Name Academy."

Dai Huabin shook his head in feigned regret. "Even if you make it onto the field, won't you feel like a fraud?"

Wang Dong's temper flared instantly, and she glared at Dai Huabin.

"Dai Huabin, you lost to Yuhao. What gives you the right to mock him?"

"You lost both times you fought him and even knelt to him in front of everyone. Have you forgotten?"

Standing beside Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu gently pressed a hand against him to calm him down. She shook her head with a helpless look and spoke softly.

"Wang Dong, there's no need to get so worked up. Anyone could see those fights involved quite a bit of luck and favorable rules."

"If you were really that strong, why wouldn't Shrek's teachers want you on the reserve team? They couldn't all have misjudged you."

"Instead of arguing here, you should make the most of this hard-won opportunity. Getting eliminated in the first round would be truly embarrassing."

Song Que watched the two of them play off each other and gave a cold snort.

He turned to Ye Wuqing beside him and said casually, "Brother Ye, did you hear that? They called Just Sky Academy a No-Name Academy."

At that, Ye Wuqing, Tang Xiaolei, and the others' faces darkened. They stepped forward together to face the Shrek team.

Ye Wuqing's gaze was icy. "Who are you calling a No-Name Academy?"

A powerful aura erupted from him and bore down on the pair, instantly changing their expressions.

"What are you doing?"

Sensing the tension, Ma Xiaotao hurried over and planted herself in front of Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu. She fixed Ye Wuqing's group with a sharp stare as Soul Power surged through her, ready to fight at any moment.

A Soul Douluo referee patrolling the plaza rushed over and barked at them.

"Stop! Private fights are strictly forbidden during the tournament. Anyone who causes trouble will get their entire team disqualified!"

Ma Xiaotao said angrily, "Referee, they started it!"

Yu Mengdi shot back, "Nonsense! Your people insulted our academy first!"

"And Ye Wuqing never even attacked. You were the one who came charging over, ready to fight!"

"You!" Ma Xiaotao's anger surged, and she was about to lash out.

A calm voice suddenly cut in.

"Enough. Let it end here."

Song Que spoke, his gaze sweeping over Ma Xiaotao.

"Ma Xiaotao, this isn't Shrek. Don't throw your weight around on someone else's turf."

Ma Xiaotao looked toward the voice. Surprise flashed in her eyes when she recognized him.

"You... You're Song Que? What are you doing here?"

"Bei Bei? Xu Sanshi? Why are you here too?"

Song Que merely smiled without explaining. He gave the referee a slight nod, then turned and led the others away.

Meanwhile, Mu Jin, the teacher who had replaced Zhou Yi as team leader, hurried over. Her brows knitted when she saw what was happening.

"What's gotten into you? Don't go picking fights with some dubious team."

"Come on. Back with me to plan our tactics. The draw results are out."

Ma Xiaotao glared at Song Que's departing group, then shot Dai Huabin an irritated look. She had no choice but to swallow her anger and leave with Mu Jin.

As both groups departed, the atmosphere in the plaza gradually settled.

On Just Sky Academy's side, Bei Bei watched the Shrek team and spoke quietly.

"Shrek's lineup seems to have changed quite a bit."

"I saw two students from the Soul Engineering Department on their team."

Xu Sanshi looked puzzled too. "Dai Yueheng, Gongyang Mo, and the other mainstays are all missing. Even the reserve team has a bunch of unfamiliar faces."

"But Nannan's still there. Bei Bei, why did you keep holding me back? Why wouldn't you let me go see Nannan?"

Bei Bei rolled his eyes. "Don't make trouble at a time like this. Besides, she might not want to talk to you."

Huo Yuhao said, "I saw Cao Jinxuan, Zhou Sicheng, and Xie Huanyue. They're all with the Shrek team."

Wang Dong asked, confused, "None of them used to be on the reserve team. Why did they all come this time?"

Song Que understood. The strongest Soul King had probably been hard at work.

It seemed Xuan Zi, the Holy Spirit Cult's grand elder, was as reliable as ever.

Ye Wuqing frowned. "That woman just now was strong. She looked like trouble."

Song Que nodded. "Her name is Ma Xiaotao. She didn't compete last time, so you wouldn't know her."

"In terms of strength, she should be the strongest person Shrek Academy has this year. Her Soul Power seems to have reached around Level 67."

"There's also Dai Yueheng, last tournament's captain. He's a Soul Emperor too."

Yu Mengdi couldn't help sighing. "Two Soul Emperors... That's Shrek for you. How are we supposed to fight them? That's a lot of pressure."

Song Que's tone remained calm. "It's fine. As long as you can hold down the others, I can handle those two."

"By the way, do we know who we're facing in the first round?"

Ye Wuqing nodded. "The teacher just told us. It's an ordinary academy from the Dou Ling Empire. They have one Soul King and are otherwise all Soul Ancestors. Overall, they're on the weaker side."

Song Que smiled. "Is that so? Then this will be easy."

"Since Shrek came over to mock us, we can't afford to put on a poor showing."

"Yuhao, Wang Dong, you two will start the first match."

The two of them answered and nodded.

They had already discussed it before the tournament: if they faced a weak team, the two would go on first to get some practice and build up real combat experience.

Song Que looked at them, the corners of his mouth lifting. "Remember, you two are the main fighters in this match."

Everyone on the team froze, staring at him in astonishment.

Yu Mengdi blurted out, "Boss Song Que, are you serious?"

"They're both incredibly talented, but..."

Even Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were completely baffled.

Song Que said quietly, "In your next match, here's what you'll do..."

A moment later, after hearing Song Que's plan, everyone wore strange expressions, torn between laughter and disbelief.

"You can do that...?"

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong exchanged a look. "No problem, Brother Song Que."

Beside them, Xu Sanshi immediately raised his hand, his face full of anticipation. "Hey, if that's how we're doing this, can I join in? I want a chance to show off too..."