For some reason,
Xiao Wu herself said she had encountered a heavily injured Soul Beast and had been fortunate enough to obtain this Soul Ring.
The final tournament was about to begin, and at a time like this, no one would dwell too deeply on the matter.
After Xiao Wu returned,
"Xiao San. Are you all right?" Those were the first words the Great Master said upon seeing Tang San.
"Master, you already know? I'm fine. This time it was all thanks to Old Monster and Uncle Ning. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't be seeing me again."
The Great Master sighed. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have let you participate in this tournament. You've drawn their attention after all."
Tang San smiled faintly. "Master, there's no need to blame yourself. I'm fine, aren't I? Think of it as a different kind of trial. Only after facing truly powerful opponents in real combat did I understand how insignificant my own strength truly is. From now on, I'll train twice as hard."
A trace of a smile finally appeared on the Great Master's face. "You're always so sensible. You're right—train hard. As long as I still draw breath, I will never let anyone hurt you. The Grand Finals begin tomorrow. Gather everyone. I'll give you a brief rundown of our tactics."
At last, with the Grand Finals upon them, the Great Master was stepping in to take charge.
Soon, Tang San had gathered all the team members. Liu Erlong, knowing the Great Master had returned, hurried over as well.
The Great Master's gaze met Liu Erlong's for a moment. In his eyes, she seemed to read something. She said nothing, simply walking quietly to his side and taking his arm.
Seeing Liu Erlong looking so gentle and tender, the members of the Shrek Seven Devils couldn't help but exchange odd glances. The Fierce Dragon could probably only show such restraint in front of the Great Master.
The Great Master swept his gaze over everyone before speaking. "The Grand Finals are about to begin. I imagine you may have forgotten the tournament format I explained before, so I'll go over it once more. A total of thirty-three teams will compete in the Grand Finals. Of those, three are seed teams, each nominated by one of the two great Empires and Spirit Hall respectively. The greatest threat among them is undoubtedly the team from
"The Grand Finals consist of only five rounds. That's fewer rounds than the preliminary and advancement tournaments, and the overall duration will be shorter. However, because the matches are so intense, there will be one day of rest and adjustment between each round. Before the final fifth round, there will be three full days of preparation. In the first round, the three seed teams will receive byes, while the remaining thirty teams fight for fifteen spots to advance. Losers are eliminated on the spot. The brutal elimination format will undoubtedly push every Soul Master team to fight with everything they have. You absolutely cannot afford the slightest bit of carelessness. At this stage, every team will unleash all the abilities they've been holding back, with nothing left in reserve. Even teams you've already defeated could very well bring you some 'surprises.'"
"According to tournament rules, in the second round, the top-ranked Academy from each of the two Empire Division advancement tournaments will receive a bye. That means after winning our first-round match, we'll get ample rest before the second round. That's the whole point of the advancement tournament. At that point, sixteen teams will compete to produce eight to advance to the third round. Together with our two bye teams, that makes ten total. In the third round, the second-ranked team from the advancement tournament will receive the bye. The remaining eight teams will fight for four spots to join them in the fourth round. The fourth round will have no byes at all. So you see, during the advancement tournament, only the top two teams truly benefit in the Grand Finals. And the earlier a team earns a bye, the greater the advantage, because it avoids early elimination. The fifth and final round—only three teams will remain. Those three teams will first compete in a round-robin elimination format, each fielding seven members, to determine which team has the strongest individual fighters. Then the two losing teams will fight one team battle. The winner of that battle will challenge the winner of the individual competition to decide the final champion. Do you all understand?"
"Yes, we understand." Everyone's memory was sharp, and with the Grand Finals finally at hand, their focus was naturally razor-sharp.
The Great Master nodded. "Who our first-round opponent will be is impossible to predict. But at least it won't be one of the three bye seed teams, so we avoid facing them too early. However, the Shrek Seven Devils will still be taking the field. It's been a while since you've fought together on a real battlefield. Use this first round as a warm-up. I won't be prescribing specific tactics—everything on the field remains under Xiao San's control."
"Xiao San."
"Here." Tang San stood up immediately.
The Great Master fixed him with a steady gaze. "In the first and second rounds, we're almost certain to advance. So in the first round, you need to do your best to let the opponents discover as little of our strengths as possible. Do you understand what I mean?"
Tang San nodded. "You mean that even though all seven of us will be fighting, we should still conceal our true capabilities as much as we can in the first round."
The Great Master smiled and nodded. "But you must not be careless either. After all, in the first round, you could very well run into a strong team from the Xing Luo Empire."