Emperor Snowdust maintained a warm smile throughout, occasionally exchanging a few quiet words with Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's Sect Master Ning Fengzhi.
Behind them, the three education commissioners of Tian Dou Royal Academy were shooting furious glares at Prince Xuexing. That same prince, who had just been berated by Emperor Snowdust only two days prior, was now utterly speechless. Even with his limited judgment, he could see just how promising a team Shrek Academy was. A secret wave of regret washed over him—he shouldn't have listened to the Fourth Prince Xuembeng and driven these people away. All of this honor should have belonged to Tian Dou Royal Academy!
A corner of the spectators' stand reserved for participating teams.
The members of Canghui Academy, dressed in their pale moon-white uniforms, wore dark, troubled expressions on their faces. They had never imagined that the opponents they had mocked would prove so powerful—powerful enough to defeat even a team like Elephant Armor Academy. Their very first match in the tournament had been against Elephant Armor Academy, and the result had been a crushing defeat.
This year, Canghui Academy was led by Soul Saint Shinian, with the goal of advancing through the qualifiers and into the finals. Having already lost one match, another loss would put their objective completely out of reach. They understood perfectly well that Shrek Academy would certainly seek payback for their earlier mockery. If they ended up getting utterly destroyed the way Tian Dou Royal Academy's second team had, they would be finished.
These students were all considered outstanding at Canghui Academy, but even the most outstanding student only got one chance in their lifetime to compete in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. How could they bear to let such an opportunity slip through their fingers? They didn't have the absolute confidence of Elephant Armor Academy, who were assured of advancing.
Shinian clasped his hands behind his back and swept a glance over his students. "You don't need to worry too much about all of that. Focus on winning your second-round matches first. Just keep building your win count—that's what you should be doing. As for Shrek Academy, I'll handle that matter."
Upon hearing Shinian's words, the Canghui Academy students perked up considerably. They all knew the character of their vice headmaster well. Before long, the smiles on their faces had taken on a rather peculiar quality.
A week passed quickly. The preliminary rounds of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament progressed smoothly through the first six rounds. Three academies had achieved six consecutive victories, and Shrek Academy was among them. Apart from the trouble Elephant Armor Academy had given them in the second match, they had won the next four encounters with ease. Only Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Xiao Wu had been sent out to fight. None of their opponents had fielded a Soul Master above level forty.
The other two academies with six straight wins were Thunderclap Academy and Divine Wind Academy.
Today was the eighth day of the preliminaries, marking the start of the seventh round. Shrek Academy's opponent was Othello Academy, which had managed only two wins in their previous matches. Precisely because their opponents were so weak, Shrek Academy had not been assigned to the central main arena. Today's main arena feature was another blockbuster—a clash between two powerhouse teams: Elephant Armor Academy versus Thunderclap Academy.
In the rest area, Oscar was lounging sideways in his chair. "It feels so good not having to fight. I get to watch the matches for free."
Jiangzhu giggled. "Why don't you take my place then? Your strength has already been exposed a little anyway."
Oscar immediately shook his head. "A spotless, beautiful youth like me can't just jump into a fight whenever he feels like it."
Ning Rongrong snorted in exasperation. "Beautiful youth? You're just a big sausage uncle." As she spoke, she secretly pinched the flesh at his waist and gave it a sharp twist, causing the previously relaxed young man to bolt upright with a sharp intake of breath.
Jiangzhu stifled a laugh beside them. Just then, Ma Hongjun leaned over. "Sister Jiangzhu, how about I fight in your place? I know I'm supposed to be a secret weapon, but if you're tired, I can help you out. It'd be terrible if you exhausted yourself."
Jiangzhu reached over and patted Ma Hongjun's round little face—he stood half a head shorter than her—and pinched his cheek. "Little Fatty is the sweetest one here. I'll buy you something tasty later. But I'll take this match. A little hardship now is worth it for the final victory. Besides, this is a great chance to gain real combat experience."
Ma Hongjun's face broke into a goofy, dopey grin as he nodded repeatedly.
Oscar and Ning Rongrong exchanged a glance, both struggling to hold back their laughter. Ever since the group had begun their intensive training and started competing, the fatty had been clinging to Jiangzhu at every opportunity, putting on an act as a well-behaved little angel.
Even though the guy wasn't exactly handsome, that chubby face did have a certain endearing cuteness to it. With him deliberately masking his true nature, Jiangzhu hadn't caught on to the real him at all.
As for the Shrek Seven Devils—they were all brothers and sisters at heart. The other six had all paired off, and seeing the fatty left alone on his own, they didn't have the heart to expose his true colors.
Besides, the fatty's issue with his wicked fire had been resolved. He was willingly pursuing Jiangzhu on his own, so the rest of them adopted an attitude of neither helping nor getting in the way.
"Alright, enough fooling around," Dai Mubai said, stepping fully into his role as captain. "Our opponents this round aren't strong, but we can't afford to be careless. Even a lion uses its full strength against a rabbit. If we end up facing a team that's been hiding its true strength, we could easily capsize in the shallows."
At that moment, the Great Master walked in from outside. "Mubai is right—there may very well be some academies concealing their strength. However, not this round. Your opponents have forfeited."
"What? Forfeited?" The entire Shrek Academy group stared at the Great Master in surprise.
The Great Master smiled faintly. "The strength you've displayed has prompted some academies who lack the ability to compete to forfeit. That's perfectly normal—there's no need to be so surprised. You can use this opportunity to watch the match between Thunderclap Academy and Elephant Armor Academy. Both teams pose a genuine threat to you. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you shall win a hundred battles. Come, follow me to the competitors' observation area."
Not having to fight meant an extra day of rest. In the grueling single-round-robin format of these preliminaries, that was undoubtedly a welcome break for Shrek Academy. The group cheered in unison and followed the Great Master straight out of the rest area.
Just then, they ran head-on into a group walking in from outside.
Pale moon-white uniforms, the familiar "Canghui" characters, and that grim-faced elder leading them—Shinian. It was the Canghui Academy team.
The gazes of both groups collided in midair, and each side could see the fire burning in the other's eyes.
Dai Mubai raised his hand and pointed a finger at the young man leading the opposing team, then drew it across his own throat in a knife-hand gesture.
The Shrek Academy group held no goodwill toward Canghui Academy. The Great Master didn't so much as glance at them, his expression rigid as he led Shrek Academy's team right on past.
The old man named Shinian paused mid-step. A strange light flickered in his eyes, and he turned to glare at his own students, stopping several who had been about to make a move. Only then did the two groups pass each other by.
Tai Long clenched his fist, the bones between his fingers cracking audibly. "I really can't wait to face them." His words echoed the sentiment shared by everyone at Shrek Academy. The fatty couldn't help but blurt out, "What the hell do these guys have to be so cocky about? They act like they're hot stuff, but they haven't even fought Elephant Armor Academy. Third Brother, let me fight when we run into them. I'll show them what real power looks like."
The Great Master spoke calmly. "Settle down, all of you. They are not the opponents you should be worrying about. Over the past few days of matches, I've developed a basic understanding of every competing team. Among them, only five pose a genuine threat to you. Only these five teams could possibly be hiding their strength. Of those five, you've already faced Elephant Armor Academy—barely scraping by with a win. They're also the least likely to still be concealing anything. After all, Hu Yan Li's Soul Bone has already been exposed. I hear that the current Sect Master of the Elephant Armor Sect, Sky Elephant Hu Yan Zhen, has been spending every day with his clan's young disciples, worried that someone might set their sights on Hu Yan Li."
"Besides Elephant Armor Academy, the other four academies that could threaten you are Thunderclap Academy, Divine Wind Academy, Celestial Water Academy, and Blazing Fire Academy. You've probably noticed that these four academies each represent a formidable element from their very names—lightning, wind, water, and fire. Together with the earth element represented by Elephant Armor Academy's defensive prowess, they are known collectively as the Five Elemental Academies of the Tian Dou Empire's academy world. Every one of them has a significant power backing them."
"Elephant Armor Academy's background is the most straightforward—it was established directly by the Elephant Armor Sect. The other four academies have equally impressive backing. For instance, behind Thunderclap Academy, it is in fact the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family that provides support. However, the manner of their support is rather subtle—only branch family members join the academy, while direct-lineage disciples are cultivated internally by the clan. Only Yu Tianheng joined Tian Dou Royal Academy. Though he's from a branch line, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family's branch members have always been formidable. Thunderclap Academy's strength is not to be underestimated. As for the backgrounds behind Divine Wind Academy, Celestial Water Academy, and Blazing Fire Academy—I don't know the specifics, but I can sense that the powers supporting those three run very deep. Each has its own distinct characteristics. For you, every single one will be a difficult fight."
(End of chapter)