Analysis

Although the entire competition was a mess for discerning individuals like Xu Xingyu and Wang Yan, Shrek Academy ultimately won the first match.

However, this also began to make the audience on the sidelines doubt Shrek Academy's education. They could see that apart from the Soul King from before, the other team members were already members of the preliminaries.

Therefore, it's normal for their cultivation level to be lower, but their teamwork ability is just too poor!

This is completely unlike the level Shrek Academy should be at. Could it be that this isn't actually the Shrek Team, but some academy that just happens to have the same name?

Okay, let's leave this self-deception aside. After all, no academy in the Douluo Continent dares to share a name with the Shrek Academy, the number one academy in the world.

If anyone actually dared to do that, given Shrek's unreasonable nature, believe me, they'd wipe them all out in a heartbeat.

While many spectators present gave Shrek Academy the applause they deserved as the victors, quite a few also began to question Shrek's performance in this match.

Because they didn't show the level of performance Shrek should have in this match.

As the audience began to question the Shrek Team, Wang Yan sighed and said, "This mission is going to be tough! We need to find a good way to ease the tension between the kids."

Hearing this Xu Xingyu agreed, saying, "To be honest, our qualifying team really needs a major overhaul. Right now, it's fortunate that we have Jiang Nannan as a regular member to keep the team afloat. But in five years, nobody will be watching them anymore, and then they'll have to rely on themselves."

Just then, Wang Yan asked, "Xingyu, how many more days will it take you to fully recover? Will you be able to participate in the next match?"

"It should be ready by tomorrow," Xu Xingyu replied. "Why do you want me to play in the next match?"

"If it's a team match, it would be best for you to play, because only you can command these little guys right now. But if it's not a team match, could you please listen to my thoughts?"

In response to Wang Yan's question, Xu Xingyu said, "Just tell me. You're the teacher, so you don't need to worry too much about what I think."

Looking at Xu Xingyu's nonchalant attitude, Wang Yan couldn't help but think to himself, "Are you really the captain of the main team? How can you so easily hand over the tactical arrangements to yourself?"

However, Xu Xingyu's attitude also gave Wang Yan Xu Xingyu sense of trust that he had never felt from the other Inner Court students.

You should know that other Inner Court students might give you some face, but if you try to boss them around and give them tactics, you'll definitely be disliked.

This is mainly because Wang Yan is merely an Outer Court teacher at the Shrek Academy, whose status is far inferior to that of Inner Court disciple, and whose strength is only at the level of Soul King.

Such a status could not suppress the pride in the hearts of these Inner Court disciples.

Ma Xiaotao in the original novel is the biggest example. Originally, the plan was to have Xu Sanshi act as a meat shield in that match, and then let others deal with the enemy.

However, she went ahead and wiped out all her enemies in one fell swoop, completely exposing her strength to her subsequent opponents.

If Wang Yan hadn't stood up for himself like this, who knows what other trouble Ma Xiaotao might have caused.

Just then, Wang Yan's voice came through, and it seemed he was about to explain his plans.

Simply put, in team battles, try to enter the game to restrain the other team members. In one-on-one individual battles, enter the game fourth. This way, the pre-selected players can practice and also turn the tide if necessary.

As for the 2-2-3 strategy, it's a bit troublesome. In this type of competition, Xu Xingyu can only appear in one match. If they lose the other two matches, then Shrek will lose the competition.

Therefore, after careful consideration, it was decided to let Xu Xingyu fight in the last match first, and Jiang Nannan fight in one of the other two matches. This way, it should be possible to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

After finalizing their tactics for the upcoming match, the Shrek team headed to the hotel provided by the organizers.

Meanwhile, in a meeting room reserved for the contestants, two elderly men sat at the head of the table, with fourteen students sitting on either side. The students on the left were noticeably older, while those on the right were slightly younger.

Seated here are the perennial runners-up of the Soul Master Tournament, namely the members of the Sun Moon Royal Academy.

Like Shrek Academy, they also sent a regular team and a reserve team to prepare for five years from now.

At this moment, the elderly man at the head of the group asked one of the students, "What do you think of Ma Rulong's match just now?"

The student named Ma Rulong was the captain of the Sun Moon Royal Academy's regular team. He stood up and said, "Those who just came out seem to be quite young. Apart from that Soul King- level girl, whom I'm not sure about, the others should all be Shrek's reserve members, right?"

"But this battle... it just doesn't feel the same as the Shrek Academy team we saw five years ago. There's absolutely no team spirit, everyone's fighting their own way, and there's none of Shrek's unique authority. It feels like a hastily assembled team."

"If this team really is Shrek Academy's preliminary team, then I really have some doubts about their judgment. Indeed, every single person on this team is unexpectedly strong. At least I wouldn't dare say I could completely defeat any of them if I were at the same level."

"If they could cooperate effectively, their combat power would definitely be among the strongest in the Shrek Academy's history, but that's ultimately a hypothetical scenario."

"This team feels disjointed right now, so Shrek might have included them in this team fight to test the teamwork of this highly promising qualifier team."

"But isn't this risk a bit too great? If they're not careful and lose the match due to coordination issues, wouldn't Shrek lose in the very first match of the Soul Master Tournament?"

The elderly man at the head of the group nodded and said, "Your analysis is good, but this time it's less about training the trainees and more a choice made out of necessity."

"According to our scouts, it seems the Shrek's regular team members were on a mission before the competition when an accident occurred, resulting in serious injuries. Although no one died, their injuries won't heal in a day or two."

At this moment, a white-haired boy casually said, "What? I knew Shrek's actions were so strange. So one of their regular members is injured? It seems this competition is just a formality. Without their regular members, Shrek has no way to compete with our Sun Moon Royal Academy."