Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a few days had passed.
The knockout rounds of the finals in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament were ruthlessly efficient. After just two rounds, 23 teams had been eliminated.
For the third round, the second-place teams from the two empire divisions received byes, leaving the remaining 10 teams to battle it out. Eight teams would compete, while two rested.
By this stage, no weaklings remained among the top 10. Matches were increasingly intense, with teams revealing all their trump cards. At this point, holding back was not an option—one wrong move and their journey would end here.
Flander, however, remained unbothered by their upcoming opponents, confident that Shrek Academy could overcome anyone.
The matchups had been drawn the day before, but he had chosen not to disturb the team. Now, as the match was about to begin, he finally approached Dai Mubai and the others to discuss their third-round opponents.
"Our opponents in the third round are the first team from Heaven Dou Imperial Academy—the Emperor Team," Flander said.
Dai Mubai: "???"
The group was momentarily stunned. The news was unexpected and left them surprised.
Dai Mubai was also taken aback. Wasn't this supposed to be the match where they faced Davis and his team?
Never mind, he thought, the plotline has long since deviated. It's normal not to face the Star Luo Imperial Academy.
"Heaven Dou Imperial Academy? Aren't they the ones Yanzi and Lingling… cough, I mean, they're just Boss Dai's defeated foes. What's there to fear?"
"Exactly! The members of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy this year are pretty decent, but unfortunately for them, they're up against us. This is where their run ends."
"Wonder if Yu Tianheng and his team have improved over the past year or so."
In the Shrek Academy lounge, the group whispered among themselves, exuding confidence. Meanwhile, in the stands not far away, the Spirit Hall Academy team was observing Dai Mubai and the others.
"Except for a few substitutes, the main team members don't seem very old," Xie Yue commented, his expression turning odd.
Typically, age was an advantage during the early and middle stages of tournaments. Older participants tended to have more experience and higher cultivation. But in Shrek Academy's case, it was the opposite. What did that mean?
It suggested that the substitutes were likely just filler.
"That golden-haired kid must be Shrek Academy's captain, Dai Mubai. The intel says he knows several self-created soul skills, all of which are exceptionally powerful," Hu Liena said to herself.
A Soul King who also had multiple self-created soul skills? That was downright abnormal!
Whether cultivating soul power or developing self-created techniques, both required immense time and effort. For Dai Mubai to achieve such feats by the age of 17 was nothing short of shocking.
What they didn't know was that Dai Mubai's methods were anything but conventional—he had a cheat. Why work hard when you could just cheat?
"Don't worry, Nana. My soul power level may not match his, but I can definitely hold him off while you deal with the rest of Shrek Academy," Yan said confidently. A fellow Soul King-level powerhouse, he wasn't about to back down.
His martial soul leaned toward defense, though it boasted strong offensive capabilities as well, combining fire and earth attributes.
"Yan, don't be careless. Their match is today, and ours is scheduled later. Once we've dealt with our opponents, we can watch their battle and analyze their tactics," Xie Yue said seriously.
Just a day earlier, Xie Yue had met Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan. The two shared a good rapport, something akin to a mentor-student relationship, though not formally so.
When Xie Yue mentioned this upcoming match to Yue Guan, the Titled Douluo had given him a strange look—one that still left Xie Yue puzzled. Yue Guan hadn't explained, leaving Xie Yue even more curious.
Incidentally, Yue Guan had been collecting morning dew over the past few days. Why a Titled Douluo needed dew was anyone's guess. Xie Yue figured that if he collected some dew and presented it to Yue Guan, he might glean some answers.
Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan had grown up in Spirit Hall, with Hu Liena being Bibi Dong's personal disciple. To Yue Guan, the three were like children he had watched mature, occasionally offering them guidance in their training. While not their official teacher, he often played a similar role.
Of course, Yue Guan's willingness to help depended entirely on his mood.
Yan snorted dismissively at Xie Yue's suggestion. "Do you really think that Emperor Team trash can test Shrek Academy's strength?"
Had Hu Liena been the one to say it, he wouldn't have retorted. But Xie Yue? He was just a good friend—disagreeing with him was fair game.
"Yan, Xie Yue is right. We can't afford to be careless. We must win this year's Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament. Otherwise, Teacher…"
Hu Liena's brow furrowed as she spoke sternly.
Bibi Dong had insisted on awarding three soul bones to the top three performers among the Golden Generation, despite opposition from the elders. To settle the disagreement, she had made the bones the tournament's championship prize.
Everyone understood this was a mere formality. Spirit Hall Academy was too strong—there was no way those soul bones would leave Spirit Hall's grasp.
The elders had no choice but to relent. Allowing the tournament to bring glory to Spirit Hall at least justified the rewards.
Of the three soul bones, the most precious was the one prepared for Hu Liena: a 50,000-year-old spiritual attribute head soul bone. The other two, though valuable, didn't compare to this one.
Unbeknownst to Hu Liena and her teammates, Bibi Dong no longer cared about the tournament's outcome.
How could the Golden Generation hope to defeat Dai Mubai, an 80th-level quasi-Soul Douluo?
It was pure fantasy, a dream so ridiculous no one dared entertain it.
Xie Yue's and Yan's hopes for soul bones were already dashed. As for Hu Liena, Bibi Dong had an alternative—a spiritual attribute head soul bone she had acquired years ago while hunting soul beasts. Though not as exceptional as the championship prize, it was still a top-tier treasure.
"Right, Nana is absolutely correct. We can't be careless!" Yan declared, his tone righteous, as if he hadn't just dismissed the Emperor Team moments ago.
Xie Yue: "…"
Xie Yue's lips twitched, his eye twitching as well. His gaze toward Yan brimmed with exasperation.
"So, when Nana says something, it's right. But when I say it, it isn't. Is that it?"
Were it not for the impending match, Xie Yue would have made sure Yan understood exactly who the big brother was.
Glancing between Hu Liena and Yan, Xie Yue ultimately sighed and shook his head.
He understood Hu Liena's temperament all too well. The more Yan acted like this…
(End of Chapter)