In the vast Pope's Hall, only Bibi Dong remained. The majesty and encouragement on her face slowly faded, replaced by a deep, coldness tinged with a cruel irony.
Her fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the throne, her gaze seemingly piercing through the thick palace walls, seeing the arena built for tomorrow's finals, and even more so, seeing Tang San's handsome figure on the arena.
" Shrek Academy... as expected, has made it to the finals." Bibi Dong muttered to herself, a cold smile curving her lips.
" Tang San, Tang San, you've come all this way, are you hoping to give the Spirit Hall a 'surprise' on the final stage with your Clear Sky Hammer? To salvage some face for your damned father and that reckless sect?"
She recalled how Yu Xiaogang had been so frantic and desperate for Tang San that day, his murderous intent and ferocity spreading like Venomous Serpent.
You care so much about Tang San, isn't it because you value his talent? Then I'll destroy Tang San's talent and see if you still care about him then!
"If you're truly foolish enough to dare use the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul in the Pope's Hall, under the watchful eyes of everyone..." Bibi Dong's purple eyes flashed with a chilling light, like ancient ice, "Then don't blame me for 'disciplining' you on behalf of your worthless father and arrogant sect."
With a slight thought, an invisible fluctuation of Soul Power emanated from her. A moment later, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei appeared silently in the hall like two ghosts, bowing and awaiting her orders.
"Tomorrow is the finals. Keep a close eye on Tang San from the Shrek Academy." Bibi Dong's voice was devoid of any emotion. "If Tang San dares to use his Second Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, during the match... no matter the form, no matter if it's for the sake of the match..."
She paused, each word like a blast of ice. "Immediately, on the grounds that ' the Clear Sky Sect murdered the former Pope, harbored treacherous intentions, and desecrated the Spirit Hall's majesty,' capture them on the spot! Remember, capture them, alive. And then..."
A cruel glint of pleasure flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes. "Cripple Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul. I want Tang San and his proud sect to understand that in front of the Spirit Hall, the so-called number one Tool Martial Soul in the world is nothing more than a toy that can be crushed at any time!"
"We obey His Holiness the Pope!" Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo responded in unison, their eyes flashing with both excitement and ruthlessness.
"Go, get ready. Everything is arranged properly, both inside and outside the arena. I don't want to see any surprises." Bibi Dong waved her hand.
"Yes!" The two Titled Douluo accepted the order, their figures disappearing back into the shadows.
The hall fell silent once more. Bibi Dong slowly leaned back in her chair, gazing at the exquisite murals on the dome, a smile on her face a mixture of almost morbid expectation and cruelty.
" Tang San, oh Tang San... you must never disappoint me..." she murmured softly, like the whispers of lovers, yet carrying a chilling undertone.
"I really want to see what kind of wonderful expression you'll have when your proud Clear Sky Hammer is forcibly removed, when you fall from heaven to hell, when your father hiding in the shadows and your newly emerging sect see their greatest hope perish..."
"Tomorrow's final is sure to be very... interesting."
As for the Spirit Hall Academy, with Xie Yue and Hu Liena's Martial Soul Fusion Skill " Demon Charm " as their trump card, she was never worried about being defeated.
Meanwhile, in a secret room within the participating teams' residences, members of the Shrek Academy and Heaven Dou Royal Academy were holding a secret meeting.
Those present included Dean Flender, Liu Erlong who was still pale and sitting in a wheelchair, and Yu Xiaogang Meng Shenji, the chief instructor of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy and the leader of the Heaven Dou Team One.
The candlelight flickered in the room, illuminating several serious faces.
Yu Xiaogang's voice was hoarse but exceptionally clear as he analyzed:
"Chief Dream, tomorrow's format is extremely unfavorable to both of us. The Spirit Hall Team has three Soul King, making them virtually invincible in individual battles. Xie Yue, Yan, and Hu Liena —each of them is incredibly strong in one-on-one combat. If we follow the conventional approach and fight the Spirit Hall to the death in individual battles, not only will our chances of winning be slim, but we will also waste a lot of energy and may even suffer unnecessary serious injuries, affecting our team battle performance this afternoon."
Meng Shenji, an elderly man with white hair and beard and a deep, composed aura, nodded slowly with a furrowed brow.
He knew that although his side had two Soul King, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, Ye Lingling was only Healing System. Although she played a great role in team battles, she was basically powerless in one-on-one combat.
Although Yu Tianheng's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is strong, its Soul Power Level is significantly lower than that of the three from the Spirit Hall. Shrek Academy's level is a major disadvantage, and their chances of winning in a one-on-one fight are equally slim.
"What does the Grandmaster mean?" Meng Shenji asked in a deep voice, looking at Yu Xiaogang.
A glint of light flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. "Unity benefits both, division harms both. Our common goal should be to bring down the Spirit Hall as much as possible, or at least to weaken them to the greatest extent possible, and to win the championship glory for our Heaven Dou Empire!"
Yu Xiaogang proposed a specific plan:
"In tomorrow morning's individual round-robin tournament, when Shrek Academy faces Heaven Dou Royal Academy, our side will voluntarily concede defeat. This move is intended to conserve the strength of both sides, especially the Soul Power and condition of our core members, while also handing the victory to your academy."
When Shrek Academy faces Spirit Hall Academy, we will fight with all our might! We don't seek a guaranteed victory, but rather to deplete the opponent's Soul Power and stamina to the greatest extent possible, and perhaps even... inflict some injuries. Even if we can only weaken one opponent, it will be a huge success!
Heaven Dou Royal Academy faces the Spirit Hall Academy, we also request that your academy go all out!
Yu Xiaogang paused, then looked at Meng Shenji: "In this way, after the individual battles, your academy is very likely to advance smoothly. As for the Spirit Hall Academy, its condition will inevitably be damaged due to being worn down by our side and your academy's relentless attacks."
"And in the afternoon's loser's bracket battle," Yu Xiaogang's voice carried a hint of cold calculation, "We, with less depletion and relatively complete strength, will face the weakened Spirit Hall Academy! We'll be well-rested, which will greatly increase our chances of victory! If we can defeat Spirit Hall, then the final championship battle will be between Shrek Academy and your esteemed academy!"
Flender added at the opportune moment, his tone sincere. "Chief Dream, we Shrek hail from the Heaven Dou Empire, so naturally our hearts are with the Empire. The glory of the championship belonging to the Heaven Dou Empire is our shared aspiration. If this plan succeeds, the championship will surely belong to our Heaven Dou Empire!"
Meng Shenji listened to Yu Xiaogang's clear and logical analysis, which highlighted the pros and cons, and Flender's frank statement, his eyes gleamed. From any perspective, this was the optimal choice for the overall interests of the Heaven Dou Empire. It might seem somewhat "despicable," but it didn't violate the competition rules. This Yu Xiaogang himself wasn't much, but he was quite cunning.
"Alright!" Meng Shenji made his decision without further hesitation, a resolute look appearing on his aged face. "Let's go with this plan! Tomorrow in the individual battles, our two families will cooperate to fight against the Spirit Hall! Let's fight for the Heaven Dou Empire and prove them wrong!"
"It's a deal!" Flender, Yu Xiaogang, and the others nodded in unison.
The two sides then had a brief exchange on some details, such as the order of appearance and how to handle possible emergencies. Afterwards, Meng Shenji quietly left and returned to his base.
The Shrek members remained inside the room, their expressions still tense.
" Xiaogang, this plan is brilliant, but the key is whether we can truly defeat the weakened Spirit Hall this afternoon." Flender pushed up his glasses, looking worried. "Even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse; even weakened, three Soul King are still terrifying."
"I know." Yu Xiaogang gripped the armrests of his wheelchair tightly. "This is our only chance. We must seize the opportunity this morning when they were worn down by the Heaven Dou Team One, and catch them off guard at the start of the afternoon! Then we'll need to use our last trump card, which is our Seven-in-One Fusion Skill!"
" Seven-in-One Fusion Skill..." Flender repeated softly, his eyes behind his glasses flashing with a complex light, a mixture of anticipation and deep worry. "We haven't practiced this move for very long. Although the success rate isn't low, our opponents will definitely not give us the opportunity or time to execute it smoothly."
"That's why we need to lay the groundwork this morning," Yu Xiaogang said firmly. "After the morning's relentless attacks, they'll definitely be cautious in the afternoon's team battles. The seven of you need to quickly integrate at the start and give them no time to react."
Tang San and the others nodded emphatically, their eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.
The secret alliance was formed, and the final tactical adjustments and psychological preparations were quietly completed under the tense cover of night.