The Great Master had always placed great importance on cultivating Tang San's leadership abilities. Hearing this, he nodded and said, "Tell me — how do you plan to arrange things?"
Tang San said in a deep voice, "I was thinking like this. In the last match, three of us Shrek Seven Devils took the field. For this match, we'll make some adjustments. Zhuqing will replace Tailong in the lineup, and Xiao Ao will replace Jiangzhu. If five of the seven of us still can't defeat our opponents, then how could we even talk about winning the championship?"
Hearing Tang San's words, a faint smile appeared on the Great Master's face. "Very good — quite well-targeted. It seems you already have a plan mapped out."
Tang San furrowed his brow slightly. "I wouldn't say I have everything figured out. Anything can happen during a match. But I believe this lineup gives us the best approach — it doesn't expose all of our strength, while still giving us a real chance at victory."
Tailong, standing nearby, couldn't help but speak up. "Third Young Master, why won't you let me fight? Aren't the opponents all Soul Masters who rely on both defense and power? With me there, at least I can block some attacks up front. My ability to take hits is no problem."
The Great Master smiled. "The reason he's having Zhuqing take your place is precisely because he doesn't plan to trade blows with the opponents head-on." Who could understand his direct disciple's thinking better than him?
Dai Mubai had no desire to sit out either. His evil eyes blazed with light. "Xiao San, just make the arrangements."
Tang San nodded, beckoned the fighters for this match to gather around him, lowered his voice, and began laying out the tactics according to his own plan.
The Great Master, Liu Erlong, and Flandre listened quietly from the side, offering no further input. They all understood that honing these little monsters through real combat with their own strength and wits was the best way to improve.
The third day of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament officially began.
Ten of the twenty-eight teams walked onto the arena. The enormous plaza had been reconfigured from the first day. In addition to the central stage that Tang San and the others had used before, four additional stages of equal size had been built alongside it. Though all five stages were quite large, they didn't feel crowded within the Tian Dou Great Spirit Fighting Arena, which could accommodate eighty thousand spectators.
All twenty-eight teams were again divided into three groups for the third day's battles, and Shrek Academy was one of the teams in the first group to take the field. Because of the terrifying explosiveness they had demonstrated in the first match, combined with the fact that their opponents — Elephant Armor Academy — were also considered strong championship contenders, their match was once again scheduled for the central main stage.
As a grand event held only once every several years, and because the competing Soul Masters were all targets for recruitment by various factions, today's VIP viewing stand was nearly identical to the opening ceremony on the first day. Not only were the empire's top officials present, but Emperor Xue Ye himself still sat in the central seat of the front row. The only difference was that the two people beside him had now become four.
In addition to Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan Master Ning Fengzhi and Archbishop Sadas, the two newcomers were none other than one of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's two Titled Douluo — Bone Douluo Gu Rong. The other person was rather unusual. Not only did many of the empire's officials on the VIP stand cast glances his way, but even spectators in the farther seats on both sides had noticed his presence. Because this man's appearance was truly quite extraordinary.
Calling it extraordinary didn't even begin to cover it — his body was simply far too massive. Even sitting down, he towered over a standing ordinary person. Bone Douluo's frame was already quite large, but compared to the man beside Archbishop Sadas, he fell short by no small margin.
Eyeballing his height, he had to be at least two and a half meters tall, occupying three wide seats on the VIP stand all by himself. Sitting there, he looked like a mountain of flesh. His skin was dark, and a pair of large eyes stared out like bronze bells. A strange sheen seemed to shimmer across his dark skin, and his mere presence seated there exuded an air of great authority. His hair and beard were entirely white, making him look at least seventy years old.
Ning Fengzhi hadn't expected this man to appear on the VIP stand. Bone Douluo beside him transmitted his voice: "Fengzhi, why has old Huyan Zhen of the Heaven Elephant showed up?"
Ning Fengzhi answered using the same voice-transmission technique. "Look at who Elephant Armor Academy is facing today, and you'll understand. Sadas must have called Huyan Zhen here for their sake."
The reason Spirit Hall's strength was called the greatest on the continent — comparable even to the two great empires — was inseparable from the support of the lower four of the Seven Great Clans. Among the Seven Great Clans, the upper three included the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, which had always supported the Tian Dou imperial family, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family, which remained neutral. The Clear Sky Clan covertly supported the Xing Luo imperial family. The lower four clans, however, maintained close ties with Spirit Hall — while not direct subordinates, they were certainly of the same alliance. Elephant Armor Clan happened to be located not far from Tian Dou City, and the mountain of flesh seated beside Archbishop Sadas was none other than the Elephant Armor Clan's master, Heaven Elephant Huyan Zhen. If he weren't a clan master, how would he qualify for a front-row seat on the VIP stand?
Gu Rong smiled faintly. "It seems this edition of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament is getting more and more interesting. Truly, the rise of the younger generation. Fengzhi, when you predicted they would be the golden generation of the Soul Master world, I had my doubts. But looking at them now, I'd say you were right. I only wonder what other teams will show up in the finals. Shrek Academy's opponent today is the Elephant Armor Clan — do you still favor them?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled. "Why wouldn't I? The Elephant Armor Clan's strength is considerable, but their weaknesses are equally obvious. With someone as clever as Tang San, guided by a theoretically invincible Great Master, this match should be a win as long as they go all out. Wait — how can this be..."
Mid-conversation, Ning Fengzhi had already spotted the members of both teams walking onto the central stage. He had seen all the Shrek Seven Devils before, and the first thing he noticed were Dai Mubai, Huang Yuan, and Jing Ling heading up. Upon seeing Huang Yuan and Jing Ling, Ning Fengzhi immediately understood that once again, Shrek Academy was not fielding its full strength.
He lightly slapped his forehead and shook his head helplessly, turning to Bone Douluo beside him. "Shrek Academy truly is formidable — facing the Elephant Armor Clan and still not going all out. At least they've swapped two people. I hope this isn't a miscalculation."
As he spoke, Ning Fengzhi's gaze unconsciously drifted toward Archbishop Sadas on the other side of Emperor Xue Ye, catching the brief flash of vicious cunning in Sadas's eyes.
During the first match, Ning Fengzhi had openly declared the relationship between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and Shrek Academy. At this moment, his heart tightened. He was beginning to grasp the real reason Sadas had summoned Heaven Elephant Huyan Zhen. And it seemed Shrek Academy's opponents in this match hadn't been assigned by mere bad luck.
The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament was organized by Spirit Hall and co-hosted by the two great empires. Though the rules strove to embody absolute fairness, at this moment only four words echoed in Ning Fengzhi's mind: under-the-table manipulation.
Having clearly given up on recruiting them, Sadas intended to crush Shrek Academy before their reputation could skyrocket. It was very likely that Elephant Armor Academy's fighting strategy today would mirror Shrek Academy's approach in the previous match. What a scheming Archbishop.
Understanding this, Ning Fengzhi's expression darkened immediately. Fortunately, he didn't see his daughter among Shrek Academy's lineup. At the same time, he silently hoped that his favoritism wouldn't become a source of ill fortune. The outcome of this match was no longer important — Ning Fengzhi only hoped that the Shrek Seven Devils wouldn't suffer devastating injuries.
Though the Shrek Academy team had already braced themselves, the sight of their actual opponents still made them draw a sharp breath. Were these even human?
The seven members of Elephant Armor Academy caused the entire stage to tremble with each step as they climbed onto the central platform. What ascended didn't look like seven people — it looked like seven mountains.
All dressed in black, the shortest member of Elephant Armor Academy's seven-man team stood over two meters tall, while the tallest exceeded two and a half meters. Standing before Shrek Academy's team, they completely towered over them.
More terrifying than their height was their weight. A mere glance allowed Tang San to tell that even the lightest among these seven had to weigh over three hundred pounds, and the tallest one was probably at least five hundred.
The same black hair, shaved on both sides, with only the hair down the middle gathered into a strange ponytail. Dark skin that was barely distinguishable from the color of their clothes. The seven of them stood in a row like a solid wall, blocking the entire view of Shrek Academy's team.
Standing in the center was the exceptionally imposing big man. He stepped forward, legs spread apart, and the stage rumbled twice beneath his feet, trembling violently.
"Elephant Armor Academy team, captain — Huyan Li. Level forty-three Defense System Battle Soul Ancestor." The captain's voice was deep and booming, the fat on his body seeming to vibrate faintly with each word. A pair of small eyes glared at Dai Mubai before him, glinting with menace.
(End of chapter)