In the original plot, the focus had mostly been on Shrek Academy's opponents: Dou Ling Academy, Star Luo Imperial Academy, and Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
There had also been Diao Academy, which had appeared as a backdrop to highlight the strength of Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. Its captain, Jiang Peng, was a six-ring Soul Emperor and quite formidable, but he had still lost miserably in the end.
While the players studied their opponents, the auction at the Star Luo City Auction House went ahead as scheduled. Huo Yuhao also attended it with Shrek Academy.
But he kept having a strange feeling, as though something that rightfully belonged to him had left him forever.
"What's wrong? Why do you look so glum? Feeling envious?"
Shrek Academy had just won the bidding for a Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Blade for Dai Yueheng to use, and Wang Dong asked teasingly.
"No, I'm not. Don't talk nonsense."
In fact, it would have been normal for Huo Yuhao to show jealousy and anger at this point.
Huo Yuhao's behavior really made one question whether he remembered the grudge over Huo Yun'er at all. Was revenge merely a slogan he paid lip service to?
For an ordinary person, hatred for someone extended even to the crow on their roof. Was Huo Yuhao a saint? Or did he not count as human?
In any case, the auction ended smoothly, and the Star Luo Imperial Family breathed a sigh of relief. To ensure that the auction proceeded normally, Xu Jiawei had invited all four Nation-Protecting Douluo.
Once the clichéd auction plot ended, it was time for the round-of-sixteen elimination matches.
The round of sixteen required one team battle and one individual competition. If a team won the team battle, it only needed three individual wins to advance.
If it lost the team battle, it had to defeat every opposing competitor before losing three individual bouts to advance.
Shrek Academy's opponent was still Dou Ling Academy, just as in the original plot.
The players' opponent was Blue Sky Academy. Its two strongest members were Soul Kings, so it was hardly weak.
In the team battle, the Blue Sky Academy team likewise could not break through Qian Xixi's defenses, nor did they feel confident about blocking a fully charged Super-Concentrated Soul Guidance Cannon, so they decisively conceded.
They pinned their hopes on the individual competition. During the round-robin stage, the players had drawn nothing but team battles, which was how they had advanced so smoothly.
Many teams were certain that the New Tang Sect Academy Team would be no good in individual combat.
The next day, in the individual competition arena, the Blue Sky Academy team captain was the first to take the stage. His martial soul was the Cloud-Slashing Sword, and he was a five-ring Soul King.
Ten-Year Veteran came out to face him. In an individual bout pitting four rings against five, no one favored the New Tang Sect Academy Team, but they would soon get a slap in the face.
As soon as the match began, Ten-Year Veteran summoned both his martial souls, the Flame-Treading Black Steed and the Formation-Breaking Overlord Spear, and activated his soul skill, Mount.
Wang Zhongwang: "So cool! A Wuzhui Horse beneath him, the Formation-Breaking Overlord Spear in hand. If he had a Yu Ji too, it'd be perfect."
Primordial One: "Why don't you change your name to Yu Ji, then?"
Wang Zhongwang: "Screw you. Why don't you change yours?"
Spirit Hall Eternal: "I don't think name-change cards exist, do they? Anyway, I couldn't find one in the shop."
Qian Xixi: "Looks like they really don't."
I Am an Angel: "We're getting off topic. Let's watch the match."
Xu Jiawei, the Star Luo emperor, was also a little surprised by what he saw.
"Twin martial souls! Another set of twin martial souls, and ones that can be summoned simultaneously at that. I didn't expect this New Tang Sect Academy Team to have another trick up its sleeve."
Over on Shrek Academy's side, Ma Xiaotao was surprised as well.
"Twin martial souls! We had absolutely no idea before. Have they been on guard against us all along?"
"It's perfectly normal for them to be on guard against us. Casually telling other people your trump cards would be foolish. Still, he's only a four-ring Soul Ancestor, after all. Summoning both at once probably won't leave his soul power lasting very long.
"As long as his opponent is smart enough, he can wear him down just by dragging things out."
Zhou Yi still did not think much of Ten-Year Veteran's chances, unaware that health and mana potions were the very things players lacked least.
In the arena, Ten-Year Veteran charged astride the Flame-Treading Black Steed. The steed was so fast that his opponent could not dodge and could only meet him head-on.
"So what if you have twin martial souls? Fifth soul skill: Wind Sweeps the Scattered Clouds!"
Ten-Year Veteran: "Third soul skill: Overlord Hoists the Cauldron! Fourth soul skill: Spear Thrust Like a Dragon!"
A dragon-shaped spear phantom broke through the storm stirred up by his opponent's Sword Qi, and Ten-Year Veteran charged straight up to him.
Neigh... The Flame-Treading Black Steed whinnied, its blazing hooves stamping heavily toward his opponent's face.
His opponent held his sword across himself to block. He stopped the hooves, but could not stop the Formation-Breaking Overlord Spear thrusting toward him.
The Blue Sky Academy team captain was sent flying by a single spear strike and crashed heavily to the ground, unable to rise again.
With no other choice, Blue Sky Academy sent out its other Soul King. His martial soul was the Vajra Gorilla, with excellent offense and defense.
"I admit your twin martial souls are impressive, but you're only a four-ring Soul Ancestor. How much soul power could you have left now? I can wear you down to death."
Ten-Year Veteran: "Idiot!"
"Don't think you can provoke me. I won't fall for it. I've already seen through your tricks."
I Am an Angel: "Speechless. Why does this self-important stuff always happen?"
Wang Zhongwang: "Isn't that normal? There are oddballs everywhere. The Douluo world just has a hundred million more..."
Agile Dog in the Mountains: "That 'hundred million' was beautifully put! How long do you think it would take to exhaust all the mana potions Ten-Year Veteran prepared?"
Spirit Hall Eternal: "Conservatively speaking, a whole day. At least."
Primordial One: "More than that. There's automatic mana regeneration too. At least a day and a half."
I Am an Angel: "Speechless.jpg. Who could fight that long?"
In the arena, the Blue Sky Academy team's Soul King adopted defensive tactics, conveniently becoming a target for Ten-Year Veteran to practice using his twin martial souls simultaneously.
In the end, his opponent ran out of soul power first and could no longer defend, while Ten-Year Veteran was still riding the Flame-Treading Black Steed freely around the arena.
Many spectators had the same question in their minds: was this person's soul power infinite?
Blue Sky Academy chose to concede, and the players successfully advanced to the quarterfinals.
[Congratulations to the players on reaching the quarterfinals of the Soul Master Tournament. Reward: participating players' soul ring ages +1,000 years; spectating players' soul ring ages +500 years.]
Invincible Tyrannosaurus Warrior: "The rewards actually got better for winning an elimination match! You'd better keep winning!"
Wang Zhongwang: "We'll keep winning even without you telling us."
I Am an Angel: "@Ten-Year Veteran, welcome home, our hero!"
Ten-Year Veteran: "Stop teasing me. Fighting Soul Kings is fine, but fighting Soul Emperors is completely out of the question."
Qian Xixi: "If we run into a Soul Emperor, I'll go up. That NPC just now was right about one thing: we players fear battles of attrition the least."
Qian Xixi: "As long as they can't kill me instantly, the health and mana potions I've prepared are enough to wear any opponent down to death."
I Am an Angel: "That counts as a strategy too. I can also use my flight and speed advantage to kite them."
Wang Zhongwang: "As the saying goes, there are always more solutions than difficulties. Don't fear what you can't do, fear what you haven't thought of. Three cobblers together can match a Zhuge Liang..."
Agile Dog in the Mountains: "All right, all right. Save your breath."
Before you continue