"Teacher! My seclusion is over!"
Upon hearing Hu Liena's voice, Bibi Dong immediately felt incredibly guilty, but hearing the rapidly approaching footsteps, she quickly composed herself, trying her best to make her voice sound calm.
Hu Liena ran in and excitedly jumped onto Bibi Dong, "Teacher, I've mastered the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox's Fox Fire!"
Bibi Dong's eyes flickered slightly. "Really? Congratulations."
"Teacher, what's wrong?" Hu Liena buried her head in Bibi Dong's arms and asked, feigning confusion.
"It's nothing. I'm planning to watch Xuan Ming's match later. Do you want to come with me?" Bibi Dong quickly changed the subject.
"Okay." Hu Liena kept her head buried in Bibi Dong's arms, unwilling to get up.
"Teacher, has someone been here before?"
Bibi Dong's expression froze. "N-nothing."
"Really?" Hu Liena hugged Bibi Dong tightly and took a deep breath.
"Then it seems I smelled it wrong."
"Yes... right?" Bibi Dong took a deep breath.
" Nana, go and get ready. I'll take you to watch the match later."
"Hmm." Hu Liena slowly released Bibi Dong, but did not leave immediately. Instead, she stood there, her gaze sweeping around the palace, her eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny.
Bibi Dong felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze, and coughed lightly, saying, "Why aren't you getting ready yet?"
Hu Liena smiled slightly, but there seemed to be something else hidden in that smile. "Teacher, I'll go right away. But don't forget about the competition later."
After saying that, she turned and slowly walked out of the palace.
Bibi Dong watched her departing figure, let out a long sigh of relief, and was about to get up when she felt somewhat tired and sat back down on the bed.
She knew that Hu Liena must have sensed something, but just hadn't said it outright.
"What a pity, if only you had tried a little harder last night..."
"He's still a child!" Bibi Dong's face darkened.
"Oh~ I almost forgot, he's still a child?" the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox said leisurely.
"But if you don't step up your efforts soon, I have a feeling some people will make their move first."
"If you can't bear to do it, you can have your precious apprentice lead the way. I don't think she'll mind..."
"Roll!"
The Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.
When Xuan Ming arrived at the Imperial Fighting Team's rest room, Xue Qinghe, the team leader, was explaining to everyone the opponent for the upcoming battle and the precautions to take.
When Xuan Ming walked in, Xue Qinghe paused slightly, and everyone's eyes fell on him.
"I thought you weren't planning to participate in this competition." Dugu Yan breathed a sigh of relief.
"What's wrong?" Xuan Ming asked.
"Our next opponent is Blazing Fire Academy, whose entire team consists of fire-attribute Soul Master. Their domineering flames are very effective against Yanzi's poisonous mist," Xue Qinghe said.
Dugu Yan's poisonous crowd control and attack is indeed domineering, but she cannot poison invisibly like Dugu Bo. She mainly relies on poison mist to control the field and attack, and the power of poison is greatly reduced when facing fire, wind, and ice and snow.
In the preliminary rounds, the Blazing Fire Academy, Godwind Academy, and Skywater Academy of the Five Elements Academy all posed a significant challenge to Dugu Yan. Control System Soul Master have always been the core of a team, and once Control System Soul Master is countered, the entire team will be put on the defensive.
Of course, it's not that Dugu Yan is really no match for these people. Even with the advantage in Soul Power Level, the effect wouldn't be too good. But if Dugu Yan goes all out, the power of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Poison is uncertain.
It would be awkward if you accidentally injured your opponent, or if they were unlucky enough to be poisoned to death on the spot!
Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia cannot cure the poison!
Moreover, this hastily assembled team lacks coordination. So far, they have relied on Gu Yuena's powerful dash ability and Dugu Yan's strong control to push forward unilaterally. If either of these two has a problem, the entire battlefield rhythm will completely collapse!
Ultimately, the opponents that Imperial Fighting Team has encountered so far have generally not been very strong. They haven't even had time to coordinate their attacks before being defeated unilaterally.
However, if the opponent has the ability to resist attacks and disrupt and control, even if the Imperial Fighting Team is stronger than the opponent, the huge flaw in team coordination is still fatal.
"She's being restrained, but you're still here, aren't you?" Xuan Ming looked at Gu Yuena.
"Me?" Gu Yuena was slightly taken aback.
"Didn't you tell me not to reveal my strength?"
"With the strength of the Soul Ancestor, you shouldn't be unable to defeat them, right?" Xuan Ming asked doubtfully.
Gu Yuena's strength in using Tool Martial Soul was almost on par with his, the only difference being that he also possessed the various powers of Beast Martial Soul. Even so, with her strength, she wouldn't be outmatched by the people from the Blazing Fire Academy, especially with Zhu Zhuqing and the others, even without any teamwork.
"But if I want to hide my strength, I can't use my Soul Skill. Without Soul Skill, I can't withstand their fire," Gu Yuena said.
Xuan Ming hesitated, then asked, "You mean, you didn't use any Soul Skill in your previous matches?"
"No." Gu Yuena tilted her head.
"If we use Soul Skill, all the Soul Ring will be exposed, so how can we hide them then?"
Xuan Ming fell silent.
He thought Gu Yuena could reveal as many Soul Ring Soul Ring as she wanted.
"Um, in the previous matches, I was the one giving her the buffs." Ning Rongrong raised her little hand.
"She's fierce! Just as fierce as you!"
She is now a level 41 Soul Ancestor, and the amplification she releases is 50% in each of the following: strength, speed, Soul Power, and defense. With her amplification, Gu Yuena is quite formidable even without using Soul Skill!
Xuan Ming sighed, "I'll act as the defensive Soul Master."
"Defense? Isn't it control?" Xue Qinghe asked, puzzled.
Once Xuan Ming's Innate Domain is unleashed, it grants complete control over the entire area. Even if he doesn't intend to reveal his strength, activating the domain with only level 40 Soul Power is enough to create immense suppression.
"It depends. If necessary, I can also take control," Xuan Ming said.
"However, they were the ones doing the fighting; I didn't get to show off."
Xue Qinghe's eyes twitched slightly.
Not wanting to stand out? Do you think I can't see what you're up to?
Use a technique of first criticizing to elevate the argument!
They held back during the preliminaries, building up the audience's anticipation. When they finally revealed their strength in the finals, the impact would be absolutely terrifying. And if Xuan Ming caused any more trouble then, it would be one climax after another!
Chapter 243 Absolutely No Cooperation
As the rousing bugle call sounded, the previously noisy atmosphere in the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena was instantly ignited. The audience's enthusiasm surged like a tidal wave, with cheers and shouts intertwining, causing the entire arena to tremble slightly.
With the qualifiers at this stage, it's pretty much clear which teams will advance.
Currently, the Imperial Fighting Team has a perfect record of nine wins. In addition, the Five Elements Academy, except for the Elephant Armor Academy, also maintains a perfect record.
Elephant Armor Academy was very unlucky, because they encountered Godwind Academy in the first round and were unilaterally crushed. In the second round, they encountered Skywater Academy and were crushed again.
In the third round against the Shrek Academy, due to injuries sustained in the previous two rounds and Shrek Academy's reputation for surrendering at the opening ceremony, Elephant Armor Academy only fielded their reserve players, thinking that this would be enough to win the match. As a result, they suffered a defeat.
After that, Elephant Armor Academy's bad luck continued, encountering Imperial Fighting Team, Thunder Academy, and Blazing Fire Academy in succession. To everyone's disbelief, Elephant Armor Academy suffered an astonishing six-game losing streak, essentially ending their chances of making it to the finals.
VIP seating.
The atmosphere here is somewhat unusual today because of the arrival of a special person: the Pope of the Spirit Hall.
Surrounded by Yue Guan Gui Mei and Salas, Bibi Dong slowly walked up to the VIP area. Hu Liena was arranged to sit in the second row of the VIP section. Whether by coincidence or design, she sat next to Xue Qinghe.
Ning Fengzhi stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "I never expected His Holiness the Pope to be interested in such a small preliminary round."
Bibi Dong smiled slightly, " Sect Master Ning is too kind. This preliminary round is full of hidden talents, with many promising prospects. It's only natural that I had to come and take a look."
Good prospects?
Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family members changed slightly.
Is this another attempt to poach someone?
Ning Fengzhi also harbored some doubts, but his expression remained impassive. " His Holiness the Pope is absolutely right. This competition has indeed produced many exceptionally talented young Soul Master."
Bibi Dong's gaze swept across the arena, finally settling on the direction of the Imperial Fighting Team's rest area. "I'm quite looking forward to the Imperial Fighting Team's performance next, especially Xuan Ming."
Ning Fengzhi's heart tightened. He didn't know what Bibi Dong's true feelings were for Xuan Ming, so he could only cautiously reply, " Xuan Ming is indeed a rare genius. His talent and strength are among the best of the younger generation."
Bibi Dong's lips curled slightly upward, revealing a meaningful smile. "Geniuses always attract attention."
On the field, the members of the Imperial Fighting Team and the Blazing Fire Academy have begun to take the stage. Their battle area is still the main arena in the center. Both teams are on high alert, and the atmosphere is extremely tense.
Seeing Xuan Ming step back onto the field, Blazing Fire Academy felt rather heavy-hearted. After all, although Xuan Ming had been suspended for a week, the investigation into him had confirmed a startling fact: he had already reached the Soul King!
In previous matches, they also witnessed the Imperial Fighting Team's performance. As the team's Power Attack System Soul Master, Gu Yuena had never revealed her Soul Ring, but her overwhelming combat power against Soul Elder confirmed that she was at least a Soul Ancestor.
In other words, the Imperial Fighting Team has two Soul King and four Soul Ancestor!
There is a huge gap between them in terms of Soul Power Level alone. Even though the flames they control have a certain restraining effect on Dugu Yan, they only restrain Dugu Yan alone.
" Huo Wu, are we really going to fight?" Blazing Fire Academy Team captain Huo Wushuang suddenly felt a little panicked.
Xuan Ming hasn't officially made a move since the start of the competition, so everyone is completely unaware of his true strength. Their current battle against the Imperial Fighting Team can actually be seen as them testing the waters for others!
This isn't worth it!
He initially advocated forfeiting the match to avoid pointless waste, but after learning that Xuan Ming had returned to the arena, Huo Wu objected to forfeiting and insisted on fighting!
"Brother, are you scared?" Huo Wu asked.
Huo Wushuang looked helpless. "Would you believe me if I said I wasn't afraid?"
Although he hadn't personally witnessed Xuan Ming's matches at the Great Soul Arena, he had heard quite a bit about the guy's fearsome reputation during this period.
If it's the finals, he definitely won't back down. Even if he can't win, he'll still give it his all.
But this is the qualifiers. If they suffer a devastating defeat against the Imperial Fighting Team, how will they compete in the later qualifiers?
"No matter what, I have to fight him. I want to see if he's as powerful as the rumors say," Huo Wu said.
Huo Wushuang sighed, "Alright."
"But let me make this clear first: if there's any danger, I'll forfeit immediately. We can't let this match cause us to lose the rest of the games."
"I can abstain, but only after I've used my fourth Soul Skill," Huo Wu said.
"Yes, yes, yes, my dear sister." Huo Wushuang turned around and walked to the front of the group.
Led by Xuan Ming, the members of the Imperial Fighting Team also stepped onto the arena.
The host Doudou to the center of the field. "Both sides, line up and bow."
The fourteen players from both sides stood in two rows, but neither side tacitly refrained from bowing.
The referee was used to this. Etiquette is etiquette, but there are plenty of people who don't follow it, especially in a match between two strong teams that are evenly matched. Before the game, there is basically no politeness.
Huo Wushuang, also a team captain, stood opposite Xuan Ming. He originally intended to say a few provocative words as was customary before the battle, but after facing the infamous Nether Domain Dragon Emperor, he truly felt the immense pressure he was under!
Sis! We can't beat them!
Huo Wushuang was already regretting his impulsive decision to follow Huo Wu's lead and fight against the Imperial Fighting Team.
However, now that he's on the stage, he can't do something like Shrek who surrenders before even making a move; he has to at least show a clear disadvantage before abstaining.
Aren't you going to start?
Noticing that the other Soul Fighting Arena had already started, Xuan Ming turned his gaze to the host beside him.
Although the preliminary rounds consist of multiple matches held simultaneously, the matches in the main Soul Fighting Arena are usually the most watched. To create a lively atmosphere, in addition to the referees, the Great Soul Arena also has hosts providing commentary.
The host, Dou Dou, Doudou to reality, her eyes darting around as she lowered her head. "You can release your Martial Soul now."
Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling exchanged a glance, then stepped forward one on each side, grabbed Xuan Ming, and ran towards the back of the group.
Both teams began to revert to their original formations and simultaneously unleash their Martial Soul.
"Aren't you going to make a move yet?"
Seeing that Xuan Ming still hadn't even released his Martial Soul, Huo Wu was getting angry.
"The match begins!"