Chapter 382: Wang Dong Takes the Stage
The two competitors immediately introduced themselves.
"Tang Sect, Wang Dong."
"Holy Spirit Sect, Ji Li."
Both quickly retreated to the edges of the stage. Wang Dong couldn't help but find it strange this guy was clearly an Evil Soul Master, yet his name meant "auspicious." It felt bizarrely ironic.
"Begin!" the referee shouted.
Wang Dong flapped his butterfly wings and charged forward, launching into battle with Ji Li.
After a fierce exchange, Wang Dong's full force assault forced Ji Li to surrender, and the referee declared his victory in the first individual elimination match.
Ji Li hung his head in frustration as he prepared to fly back to the waiting area.
But suddenly his face turned deathly pale. His lifeforce drained away rapidly, and within moments, he collapsed mid air, lifeless. His corpse plummeted toward the ground.
The referee reacted instantly, catching Ji Li's body. His expression darkened as he turned to Wang Dong.
"Wang Dong! What did you do?! This is a competition! How could you kill your opponent?!"
"This is a blatant disregard for the tournament's rules!"
Wang Dong shrugged innocently, raising both hands.
"Referee, his death has nothing to do with me. You saw it yourself he only died after he surrendered."
"You should know that Evil Soul Masters, while they cultivate quickly, also bring hidden dangers to their own bodies. Maybe he died from some internal issue."
"If you're trying to blame me for this, then I have to question the fairness of this tournament."
"Just because I'm a Shrek Academy student, does that mean I have to be unfairly targeted?"
"I know that Sun Moon Empire and Shrek Academy aren't on the best of terms, but surely you wouldn't falsely accuse an innocent student, would you?"
Hearing Wang Dong's words, the referee was almost certain that Ji Li's death wasn't natural.
But without proof, there was nothing he could do.
The matter had to be dropped.
The Audience's Reaction
The crowd erupted in cheers for Wang Dong.
Though Shrek Academy's reputation in the Sun Moon Empire had plummeted dragging down the reputations of its students as well nothing compared to the hatred toward Evil Soul Masters.
Compared to them, even Shrek Academy seemed righteous.
Between Shrek and Evil Soul Masters, Shrek was the lesser evil.
Even if Wang Dong really had killed Ji Li, the audience would see it as justice prevailing over darkness.
Tang Sect Waiting Area
Everyone in Tang Sect smiled with excitement.
Even Bei Bei, though pale and weak, managed to tear his gaze away from Tang Ya to look at Wang Dong.
"Well done, Wang Dong! You've secured our first victory, which lays the foundation for our win!"
"Now that the Holy Spirit Sect has lost a member, their advantage in the team battle is gone."
"If we can win two more fights and take down two more of their members, we'll have a huge advantage in the team battle.
"Then, we can crush them and advance to the finals!"
In this tournament, the same competitors who fought in the individual elimination rounds also participated in the team battle.
If a team lost members, they couldn't replace them meaning one team could be left fighting at a numerical disadvantage.
It wasn't uncommon for a match to end up as seven versus four.
Huo Yuhao's Perspective
Sitting in the stands, Huo Yuhao analyzed the situation calmly.
Through his Spiritual Detection, he had observed every movement Wang Dong made.
Ji Li's death had been a direct result of Wang Dong's fifth soul skill and his spirit bone abilities.
Even without Huo Yuhao's interference in the original timeline, Wang Dong would have continued to grow stronger, acquiring the same spirit bones and soul skills that had been planned for him.
After all, Tang San was backing him.
As Tang San's daughter, Wang Dong's future had never been in doubt.
His fifth soul skill remained unchanged from the original story.
Ji Li had died because Wang Dong's attack had critically damaged his heart.
By the time he surrendered, his death was already inevitable.
Holy Spirit Sect Waiting Area
The atmosphere was heavy with grief.
A team member collected Ji Li's corpse from the referee, his face filled with sorrow.
Even Evil Soul Masters had emotions.
Ji Li had been a comrade, and they had trained together for this moment.
Now, seeing his lifeless body, they couldn't help but feel rage and resentment.
"Damn Tang Sect! They'll do anything to win! Wang Dong was willing to risk violating the rules just to kill Ji Li! Who's the real Evil Soul Master here?!"
"And this is the so called 'righteous' Shrek Academy? What a joke!
"At least our Holy Spirit Sect never pretends to be righteous!"
Someone spat angrily.
Tang Ya, still seated, spoke without looking back:
"Wang Xiaolei, you're up next."
"Take the soul tool crafted by our Supreme Elder and defeat Wang Dong."
A hoarse voice replied: "Understood, Holy Maiden."
Next Round Begins
The referee's voice rang out:
"Holy Spirit Sect, send your next competitor!"
At the same time, he fixed his gaze on Wang Dong, determined to prevent another fatality.
Although many hated the Holy Spirit Sect, the tournament still had rules.
A blatant violation wouldn't be tolerated.
Soon, a thin man in black robes stepped onto the stage.
His presence was unsettlingly cold, his body thin like a twig, as if a strong breeze could knock him over.
He spoke hoarsely: "Holy Spirit Sect, Wang Xiaolei."
Wang Dong nodded and returned the courtesy.
"Shrek Academy, Wang Dong."
Both took their positions at opposite ends of the stage, eyes locked onto the referee, awaiting his command.
The referee scanned them both, then brought his hand down sharply.
"Match, begin!"
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