The beginning of the story was almost no different from the original.
After the drawing of lots ended, the announcer's voice sounded again: "Alright, the first match of the first round of the qualifiers will be Tian Dou Imperial Academy's second team versus Shrek Academy's team.
"All participating academies please leave the stage. The two academies in this match should prepare. The match will officially begin in fifteen minutes."
When the announcer finished speaking, in the rest area of Tian Dou Imperial Academy's Emperor Team, a red-haired young man looked a little helpless at this result.
Shrek Academy was his alma mater. The young man was named Qin Ming, and he was now the leader of Tian Dou Imperial Academy's Emperor Team. To be able to become the mentor of a group of genius soul masters at his age, his strength was naturally unquestionable.
Moreover, Qin Ming was not just talented; he was being cultivated by Tian Dou Imperial Academy as a future pillar of the academy.
Qin Ming had already reached the Soul Emperor level at the age of thirty-two. Now at thirty-four, his soul power had reached level sixty-five. He was praised as a genius among both teachers and students.
Some even rumored that Qin Ming was the second person on the continent to break through to Soul Emperor at such a young age, with the potential to one day become a Title Douluo.
But whether that was true or not was something worth pondering.
And now, his alma mater was going up against the academy where he served.
Although Qin Ming was not the leader of the second team, it was difficult for him to accept a loss for either side, since he was now a teacher at Tian Dou Imperial Academy.
He also did not know how strong these junior students from Shrek Academy had become, but from their momentum, he found himself feeling both surprised and expectant.
What he wanted to know even more was how the strength of his own students compared to the students of his former teachers — in other words, his junior schoolmates.
Since the other academies had no matches today, they left their rest areas after the draw and, under staff guidance, went either to the stands or back to their rooms to watch the matches.
Tian Dou Imperial Academy, being the symbol of the Tian Dou Empire, naturally had better treatment than ordinary academies and did not stay here to rest. Soon the large rest area was left only with Shrek Academy's team.
Zhao Wuji was no longer present. Clearly, he had left the match in their hands.
In Shrek Academy's rest area, Oscar slowly stood up and glanced at his teammates.
Oscar's avatar was still the same one at level fifty-five, and Dugu Yan's avatar was also level fifty-five.
Dugu Yan had now broken through to Soul Emperor and reached level sixty-two, training with Dugu Bo at the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well.
Oscar had reached level fifty-nine, while trying to comprehend sword intent and cultivate to break through the level sixty bottleneck.
The others' soul power levels were as follows:
Ma Hongjun, Martial Soul: Evil Fire Phoenix, level fifty-five Attack-type Battle Soul King.
Dai Mubai, Martial Soul: White Tiger, level fifty-five Attack-type Battle Soul King.
Zhu Zhuqing, Martial Soul: Nether Civet, level forty-five Agility-type Battle Soul Sect.
Ning Rongrong, Martial Soul: Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, level forty-five Support-type Soul Sect.
Tang San, Martial Soul: Blue Silver King, level forty-four Control-type Battle Soul Sect.
Xiao Wu, Martial Soul: Soft Bone Demon Rabbit, level forty-three Attack-type Battle Soul Sect.
Tai Long, Martial Soul: Power Gorilla, level thirty-nine Attack-type Battle Soul Master.
Jing Ling, Martial Soul: Skeleton, level thirty-six Agility-type Battle Soul Master.
Huang Yuan, Martial Soul: Yellow Wolf, level thirty-six Agility-type Battle Soul Master.
Jiang Zhu, Martial Soul: Healing Scepter, level thirty-five Support-type Battle Soul Master.
Excluding Oscar and Dugu Yan's avatars, who would not make a move, Shrek Academy's overall strength was still extremely strong. Not just for the qualifiers — even in the finals, Shrek Academy's level would be among the best.
With two level-fifty-five Soul Kings and four Soul Sects, even if they brought a pig along, they could beat Tian Dou's second team into pigs' heads.
But Oscar would naturally not do that. If he played all his cards right away, there would be no fun left. After all, he was waiting for the Spirit Hall's three spirit bones awarded at the end.
As captain, Oscar swept his gaze over everyone, then looked at Tang San: "Little San, my sister and I are just here to accompany you and ensure nothing goes wrong. You are one of only two control-type soul masters in the team, so you will direct this battle."
No one objected, not even Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai, who were now at level fifty-five.
Tang San nodded without hesitation. After a brief moment of thought, he said: "The ones to fight this round will be me, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Tai Long, Jing Ling, Huang Yuan, and Jiang Zhu."
After naming the participants, Tang San looked at them and said: "Senior gave me the right to decide, but I think we all know what he wants to see. If we want to have a good future, then today we must completely crush our opponents."
A confident smile appeared on Tang San's face. "For opponents like these, one minute of strength should be more than enough."
Tang San had studied Tian Dou's second team before. None of them had reached four rings, so they were no match for Shrek Academy. This was why he was so confident.
It was also for this reason that Tang San chose to keep Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, and Ning Rongrong as hidden cards for later matches. Only he, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu — three Soul Sects — would go up, along with Tai Long and the other three Soul Masters.
The four Soul Masters had grown much stronger than in the original story. Though Oscar had not given them any pills, a year of training and teamwork had made them significantly stronger.
Tai Long in particular had learned a move somewhere that embodied "strength overcomes all," fully bringing out the characteristics of his clan. With his terrifying strength, he could now compete with some ordinary four-ring Soul Sects even at level thirty-nine.
Hearing Tang San's words, Tai Long smashed his fists together, his eyes shining: "That's right. One minute is all we need."
Everyone laughed, and indeed, Tian Dou's second team was not strong opponents. Beating them would not bring much sense of accomplishment.
...
Soon fifteen minutes passed, and the staff arrived to call them to the stage.
Oscar and Dugu Yan stood up, leading the team after the staff.
As they reached the tunnel exit, they heard the announcer loudly calling the names and martial souls of Tian Dou's second team members.
Golden beams of light shone from the high platform at the side of the Great Spirit Arena, escorting each member of Tian Dou's second team as they entered.
Tian Dou's second team looked very impressive, dressed in light gold uniforms with "Tian Dou" embroidered on their chests and seven silver stars on their backs — the symbol of the empire.
They all looked heroic, like they were in their twenties. Under the light of the soul tools, even though it was daytime, they shone like golden suns, catching everyone's eyes.
Their strength and talent were average, with the strongest only at level thirty-eight. They were mainly here to gain experience, unlike the first team who were guaranteed qualification.
Watching their grand entrance, Oscar said lightly: "Let's go. It's our turn."
Unlike Tian Dou's second team, when the lights dimmed, Shrek Academy's team entered amid loud cheers.
There were quite a few cheers, but still fewer than for Tian Dou's second team.
Shrek's team looked good and had an intimidating presence, but since it was their first appearance in the competition, they were still unknown.
As they entered, they saw the arena had already been transformed into a platform in just fifteen minutes.
The platform was ten meters high, circular, with a diameter of more than fifty meters — very spacious. And this was just one platform. From tomorrow, there would be five of them for the qualifiers.
There were twenty-eight teams that would go through twenty-seven rounds of matches. Each victory earned one point, defeat earned none.
After the twenty-seven rounds, the top five teams by points would advance to the promotion matches, which meant entering the finals.
The month-long qualifiers were a test of endurance, and teams with poor stamina could be worn down.
The qualifiers alone took up half of the whole Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
The promotion matches and finals would be held at the plaza in front of the Pope's Hall at the border between Tian Dou and Star Luo Empires, with the Pope personally awarding the champion.
Oscar and Dugu Yan led their twelve teammates to the center of the platform, standing in a row facing Tian Dou's second team.
Tian Dou's second team had fifteen members, even more than the first team. They usually trained in two groups and rarely fought in the arena.
"Salute each other. Non-participants, leave the platform." The referee's voice sounded.
Oscar bowed calmly, while Tian Dou's second team froze when they saw Oscar, Dugu Yan, Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong's faces.
So many handsome men and beautiful women in Shrek Academy's team? Their looks were incredible!
Oscar ignored what they were thinking. After the referee finished speaking, he took Dugu Yan's hand and left for the viewing area without another word.
Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Ning Rongrong followed and sat to meditate.
Soon only the seven players of each team remained.
On Shrek's side, Tai Long, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan stood in front, Tang San in the center, Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu on the sides, and Jiang Zhu at the back.
Their goal was to finish the fight quickly, so Jiang Zhu needed no protection since Tang San would not give the opponents a chance to rush in.
On Tian Dou's side, the captain and vice-captain stood in the rear, with five strong teammates forming a wall in front.
When both sides were ready, the referee signaled the start of the first match of the qualifiers.
"First round, first match — begin!"
Like in spirit battles, the tournament gave one minute for spirit activation.
Tang San raised his right hand and shouted the classic line once said by Dai Mubai: "Brothers, release your spirits!"
Four spirit rings — two yellow, two purple — appeared around him as a cluster of green Blue Silver Grass appeared in his hand.
Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu also released their spirits, each showing two yellow and two purple spirit rings. Their attached martial spirits — the Nether Civet and Soft Bone Rabbit — made their already beautiful appearances even more enchanting, causing the tens of thousands of spectators to erupt in excitement, with some even shouting "wife!"
More importantly, they were so young and already Soul Sects — the dream girls of many spectators.
Some even switched their bets to Shrek Academy on the spot.
Tai Long, Jing Ling, Huang Yuan, and Jiang Zhu each revealed two yellow and one purple ring and released their spirits.
The host began introducing the teams so the audience could better follow the match.
"Shrek Academy's control-type soul master Tang San has reached an astonishing level forty-four. His martial soul is… Blue Silver King! Could it be an evolved version of the trash martial soul Blue Silver Grass? I can't wait to see its performance!"
"Amazing! Shrek Academy has three Soul Sects in one go! Zhu Zhuqing, martial soul Nether Civet, has reached level forty-five — possibly the highest level among all academies!"
"Xiao Wu, Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul, is level forty-three. Tai Long, Power Gorilla, level thirty-nine… Jing Ling and Huang Yuan, both level thirty-six… Jiang Zhu, level thirty-five!"
"I thought today would be a tough fight for Shrek, but it's completely turned around — they are the dark horse of this tournament!"
Spectators near the stage could see both teams clearly.
Three Soul Sects! The audience went silent — Tian Dou's second team had excellent spirit ring configuration, but all were three-ring Soul Masters.
The gap was obvious.
When the referee announced the start, Shrek made their move.
One minute meant one minute. With his evolved Blue Silver King, Tang San's control ability was greatly enhanced. The vines swarmed toward Tian Dou's second team, and with the flash of two yellow spirit rings, Tang San alone restrained three or four of them.
Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu used only their first and second skills to each defeat one opponent. Tai Long, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan quickly finished off those bound by Tang San's vines.
When the audience saw that Shrek had three Soul Sects, they already knew the result. The strongest opponent was only level thirty-eight — the gap was too big.
But surprisingly, in less than a minute, Tian Dou's second team was completely defeated. Shrek's first match was a beautiful, effortless victory!
Tang San even had Jiang Zhu cast healing from the start — not on their own team, but on the opponents — just to show off.
For the audience, crushing matches like this were rare, which made them oddly satisfying, though some cursed Tian Dou's second team for losing them money.
The other academies watching were not pleased, since Shrek had barely used any real strength, relying only on first and second skills. This gave very little information for analyzing them.
Three Soul Sects put Shrek among the strongest teams in the competition, and their true strength was likely even higher.
Thus, this match offered little for those trying to study Shrek Academy's team.
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