While they were chatting, the match between Shrek Academy and Tianshui Academy officially began at the referee's command.
Meanwhile, Wuji Academy was both watching the match and discussing their upcoming opponent, Thunderclap Academy.
"Are you planning to participate against Thunderclap Academy?" Feng Xiaotian turned to ask Yun Yibai.
He asked because Yun Yibai was also from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and since they were about to face Thunderclap Academy, which was affiliated with that clan, it made sense to check.
"I have an idea!" Oscar piped up. Having not been punished earlier, he was feeling bold again.
"Oscar, you…" Feng Xiaotian looked like he wanted to say more, but held back. He'd come to realize: some people are born annoying, and Oscar was one of them.
"Let him talk," Yun Yibai said, curious to hear just how ridiculous the idea might be.
"Boss, since the preliminaries started, you've only fought in the first round. And our guardian angel Lingling hasn't been on the field at all."
"Here's what I'm thinking: for the match against Thunderclap Academy, let's send out our full lineup—all seven main players from Wuji Academy."
"Of course, Boss, you and Lingling just stand in the back and look cool. We'll handle Thunderclap. If we really can't hold them off, then you step in and bring the lightning down."
Oscar didn't think much of Thunderclap's four Soul Elders—Huang Weiyuan, Qiu Wuji, Li Mengqi, and Ye Qingling. In his mind, they weren't a threat.
Feng Xiaotian twitched at Oscar's words.
Yun Yibai sighed inwardly:
"What a terrible idea…"
But then he grinned and said:
"Actually... I think it's a great idea!"
He didn't mean it, but for Thunderclap Academy, maybe this really could serve a deeper purpose.
Becoming the number one high-level soul master academy on the continent wasn't going to be easy.
Yun Yibai's ultimate goal was for his clan—the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—to split off Thunderclap Academy and hand it over to Wuji Academy.
Of course, that was easier said than done.
Even the Heaven Dou Empire hadn't been able to negotiate terms with the old, rule-bound traditionalists of the Blue Lightning Clan, let alone a single academy like his.
But Yun Yibai had one advantage the empire didn't—he was one of them. As a bearer of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul, he had a real chance.
This match against Thunderclap Academy would be the first step. A show of force and an assertion of value.
With stubborn old men, facts speak louder than words.
Back on the battlefield, the match between Shrek Academy and Tianshui Academy had reached a climax. The two sides were going head-to-head in an exhilarating match, and a clash of Martial Soul Fusion Techniques seemed imminent.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Just as Dai Mubai launched himself toward Xue Wu from Tianshui Academy with his tiger claws ready, his consciousness suddenly faltered, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Boss Dai!"
"Mubai!"
"Dai Mubai!"
Shrek's team shouted out in panic. Their eyes turned to Tianshui Academy, suspicion heavy in their gaze. It looked like they believed Tianshui had done something underhanded.
Zhu Zhuqing rushed to his side, cradling his upper body, her eyes glaring at the Tianshui team.
"Referee! Shrek Academy forfeits this match!" came Yu Xiaogang's booming voice.
With a forfeit called, the referee didn't argue.
"In the 14th round of the preliminaries, Shrek Academy vs. Tianshui Academy—victory goes to Tianshui Academy!"
As Shrek carried Dai Mubai off the field, his face was twisted in torment. He kept muttering:
"No… I didn't… I'm not a coward…"
"Get away…"
In the audience, whispers began to spread as spectators tried to figure out what had happened.
"What's going on? Isn't Dai Mubai always really strong?"
"Yeah, he was just fine a moment ago. Why did he suddenly collapse?"
"The girls from Tianshui don't seem like the kind to play dirty…"
"You never know. The soul master world is full of weird techniques. Who knows what secret methods they might have used?"
Though most refrained from jumping to conclusions, some questioned Tianshui Academy's integrity.
The girls from Tianshui weren't deaf—they heard the slander. Even if it was just a few voices, it was an insult to their honor.
Except for Shui Bing'er, the remaining six team members all glared furiously at the Shrek team as they left. They hadn't expected that a normal match would damage their reputation like this.
"This tournament is getting more interesting," Yun Yibai murmured, retracting the light in his Fiery Eyes of Insight, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.
"I thought he wouldn't be chosen again, but it looks like Tang San found something valuable—or maybe Dai Mubai's talent has evolved."
Yun Yibai had a pretty good idea what was going on with Dai Mubai.
Back in the 11th round, Shrek Academy had faced Canghui Academy.
Canghui's lineup was formidable—every member possessed a spiritual gem-type martial soul. During that match, Canghui had finally revealed their trump card: their seven-person Martial Soul Fusion Technique—Asura's Illusion Realm.
It was a powerful group spiritual attack that plunged the enemy into the pain of their past, leaving them mentally broken and defenseless.
At the time, Shrek no longer had the buff effects of any immortal-grade spiritual herbs, so the mental toll hit them even harder.
Though Shrek eventually won, their minds weren't unscathed.
As for Wuji Academy, the version of Canghui they faced was already weakened from fighting Shrek.
Due to Canghui's unusual abilities, Wuji Academy had even held a special internal strategy session. Despite their strength, they had zero experience dealing with spiritual-type techniques.
In the end, they let Dugu Yan take the lead.
Her cultivation had reached Soul King level, and few knew she also possessed a forty-thousand-year soul bone. Canghui's spiritual attacks were only effective against Soul Kings and below—Dugu Yan could resist for a while.
In their match, she unleashed her poison at full force. The moment Canghui activated their spirit techniques, they suffered rebound effects from her venom and were defeated once more.
Keep it up—Dai Mubai's condition is explained in the manhua version. Shrek will be getting stronger.
(The comic version is quite interesting.)