In the round-robin tournament, Qianling Academy faced off against Shrek. The night before, in the conference hall, Wang Yan gathered everyone to discuss countermeasures.
"Our opponent tomorrow is Qianling Academy. What are your thoughts on tomorrow's match?"
"Just call them directly," Ma Xiaotao said dismissively. "No matter how strong Chu Qing is, he can't fight alone."
Wang Yan sighed and asked:
"What about the others?"
Not only was Ma Xiaotao dissatisfied, but even Dai Yueheng protested, saying:
"Teacher Wang, aren't you being a little too cautious?"
"With our combined strength of two Soul Emperor and five Soul King, even if Chu Qing is Soul Saint, we are still confident of victory."
The official team members all looked at him, Ling Luochеn said:
"Teacher Wang, don't forget, we are the Shrek Seven Devils. Even if we face difficulties, we will create miracles and will not let this title be disgraced."
The other official team members also readily agreed.
"Teacher Wang, please don't think of us like the ordinary Soul King and Soul Emperor from other academies."
Xu Sanshi couldn't help but speak up to remind him, saying:
"Dear seniors, I'm not doubting your abilities."
"It's because I understand Chu Qing."
"You are indeed powerful, but Chu Qing was nurtured with the resources of an entire nation, and he also possesses combat strength beyond his level."
"I highly suspect he's already at the sixth spirit ring. Sixth Soul Ring must be at least 100,000 years old. With the added bonus of Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone, I find it hard to imagine how terrifying his strength would be."
Bei Bei also said:
"I fought his Tang Ya before in the Star Dou Great Forest, and the three of us couldn't defeat Yuhao."
He looked somewhat embarrassed as he spoke, after all, he was one of the Outer Court Twin Stars.
Jin Suqiu also slowly spoke, saying:
"I've fought him before; he has incredible vitality, and his regenerative abilities are terrifying."
"Forget it, I'll tell you something you've never seen and can't even imagine."
"Here's the deal: if I were a sixth-ring player, none of your seven official team members combined wouldn't be a match for me, while he's at least above me."
"Unless Zhu Daihuo and the other two improve their cultivation levels, their Martial Soul Fusion Skill might still have a chance."
The official Shrek members hadn't seen it in person, and they were clearly unconvinced. Ma Xiaotao said:
"To boost the morale of others while diminishing one's own."
Huo Yuhao raised his hand and spoke:
"Teacher Wang, let's send our reserve team. Let's concede this round and try to force out his and Tang Wutong's Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
That's exactly what I wanted to hear, so the Wang Yan:
"That's exactly what I meant."
"The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy is still watching us closely; we can't reveal our full strength at the beginning."
"A tactical probe first."
These words displeased the official team members.
"When did Shrek ever need to be so timid and hesitant?"
"So what if the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy finds out about our abilities?"
"We crushed them with overwhelming force; they couldn't stop us."
Wang Yan corrected:
"This isn't a retreat, this is a tactic!"
"Don't let strength breed reckless brute force."
"They've revealed all their reserves, just to pave the way for you. Aren't you satisfied?"
The official team members fell silent. Wang Yan said:
"Alright, now let's discuss tomorrow's plan."
" Qianling Academy is very famous in the Dou Ling Empire, ranking among the top three schools. Their official team members this time are known as ' Thousand Strike Spear with Dual Control of Ice and Fire, and Four Shields Combined to Make It Impregnable,' but even with such a prestigious reputation, they are no match for us."
"The only ones they should be wary of are Chu Qing and Tang Wutong."
"Our best chance of winning tomorrow is through a 2-2-3 formation, and our worst chance is through individual battles."
"Team battles are the most important for us, because only in team battles can we combine the strength of all seven of us to try and find out Chu Qing's true strength."
Huo Yuhao volunteered:
"Teacher Wang, I'll go up and draw the prize tomorrow. I'm at least 90% sure I'll win the team battle prize."
While Shrek was discussing countermeasures, the students at the Qianling Academy were too excited to sleep. A group of them sat in the living room, their faces flushed with excitement.
"Tomorrow we will end Shrek's ten-thousand-year glory!"
I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight.
Xue Shiqi spoke with excitement and deep emotion.
This is a moment destined to be recorded in history!
Yang Ming and the other three spoke up:
"You guys go up for a group photo tomorrow. The four of us going up is the same as us going up."
"Really?"
Xue Shiqi looked at them excitedly.
The seven members of the official team will not have the opportunity to participate in the next competition. They were embarrassed to take up this opportunity, but since Yang Ming and the other three took the initiative to say so, they couldn't help but want to accept it.
Yang Tian was also excited. Among everyone, he valued honor the most and wanted recognition the most. He immediately made a promise:
"Okay, I'll go, but I won't take your money for nothing; I'll owe you one."
Xue Shiqi counted on his fingers: seven people, Shen Ce, An Lengye, and Fei Yuyan, plus Chu Qing, and Yang Tian, leaving only two.
He sighed and said:
"Never mind, a gentleman helps others achieve their goals."
" Hanyu, are you going to go?"
Chen Hanyu's heart started racing the moment she heard this. If she could fight and defeat the invincible Shrek tomorrow, it would be an immense honor.
However, she opened her mouth but ultimately held back. She didn't want to owe Xue Shiqi a favor, and said:
"Thank you, I can participate in the next one, you guys go ahead."
The crowd began to politely decline, and Chu Qing said speechlessly:
"It's just a round-robin tournament, there's no need to make such a fuss."
"Even if Shrek loses one game, they can still advance; there will be plenty of opportunities later."
"I'm afraid that in the later individual elimination rounds and the 2-2-3 matches, when you're going to get brutally beaten, none of you will want to go up and take the hits."
As he spoke, everyone was slightly unconvinced, but they also understood that their strength was what it was, and that the opponents would become stronger as the competition progressed, and they were no match for them.
Let's draw lots.
Tang Wutong suggested, though she wasn't interested in such honors, only in beating up Shrek. However, seeing everyone else's interest, she felt embarrassed to compete.
Yan Sisi spoke up:
"I won't participate; I don't want to be that famous."
If she were to defeat Shrek, the impact would be enormous, and she feared her Soul Skill would become known throughout the Soul Master World.
No one tried to persuade her; they just laughed, making her blush.
On the second day, the cheers for Shrek resounded again in Star Luo Great Plaza, the voices rising higher and higher, with an overwhelming force.
The Shrek Academy reserve team members listened intently, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.
Dai Huabin muttered to himself:
"I never expected to lose my first match representing Shrek Academy."
He felt humiliated, especially since this was in the Star Luo Empire.
Zhu Lu comforted her:
"One should not judge a hero by a single moment's success or failure."
Both sides entered the waiting area.
Jin Suqiu stared at Tang Wutong in the distance, her expression extremely Bu Le. She couldn't help but feel angry at the thought of how smug Tang Wutong would be if she lost.
Huo Yuhao and Shen Ce went up on stage to draw lots.
Seeing that it was Huo Yuhao going up opposite him, Chu Qing was quite surprised. Why had they changed people?