Three days passed in the blink of an eye. For the sake of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament finals, Spirit City specially opened up a dedicated competition ground. This arena was located right at the center of Spirit City, with a massive platform over a hundred meters in diameter, built entirely from granite.
On this enormous stage, a large number of soul tools were used to reinforce it to prevent any damage. According to information released by Spirit Hall, this arena could withstand any attack from a Soul Sage without breaking.
Directly in front of this platform stood the Pope's Hall, less than a kilometer away on its hill. In its public announcement, Spirit Hall had already declared that the final three teams would compete in front of the Pope's Hall.
When the time came, the Pope herself would appear and crown the champion. For any soul master, this was an unparalleled honor.
The championship rewards had also been announced: the academy team that won the finals would receive three ten-thousand-year top-grade soul bones as their prize.
Because of this announcement, every academy was brimming with fighting spirit. After all, who wouldn't want a ten-thousand-year soul bone?
For Oscar, this was undoubtedly good news. He, Dugu Yan, and Ma Hongjun had not taken action precisely to prevent Bibi Dong from changing the rewards. Now that the rewards were publicly announced, there could no longer be any changes, since they had been personally declared by the Pope and concerned the face of Spirit Hall itself.
In fact, Bibi Dong keeping the three soul bones as the reward was likely her acknowledgment of the current strength of Spirit Hall Academy. After all, this time, they had an extra trump card , the Seven-in-One Fusion Technique.
Early in the morning, all participating academies were led by Spirit Hall officials to the competition grounds. Each academy had its own designated rest area, which encircled the central stage.
Opposite the Pope's Hall was the VIP judges' stand, where representatives of the two empires' high-ranking officials sat watching, along with Spirit Hall's own senior members.
Before the start of the matches, aside from the three seeded teams that had byes in the first round, every team leader had to draw lots to determine their opponents for the day.
As expected, a dramatic turn of events occurred , just like in the original story , Blazing Academy directly forfeited the first round. In other words, they gave up on competing for the championship.
Since the finals used a pure elimination format, losing meant there would be no more chances.
Blazing Academy's first-round opponent was Shrek Academy, so Shrek won the first match by default.
They won without even fighting.
And that wasn't all. Since Shrek Academy had been the top-ranked team in the Heaven Dou Division qualifiers, they also got a bye in the second round. This meant they advanced directly to the third round without any pressure, saving their strength for stronger opponents later on.
This was exactly what Oscar had hoped for. This way, they could preserve more of their strength and keep as many of their trump cards hidden as possible.
After all, every team that made it to the finals was among the elite of the elite.
But Oscar soon noticed the key detail , just like in the original story, Huo Wu led Blazing Academy's members to join Godwind Academy, becoming their students. This was a clever exploitation of a loophole, since the tournament had no rule preventing students from withdrawing from their original academy and joining another midway through.
Blazing Academy did this not just to take down the previously undefeated Shrek Academy but also to fight for the championship and seize the three soul bones.
Spirit Hall Academy was expectedly powerful every year, but this time, with Huo Wu and Feng Xiaotian joining forces, they had their sights firmly set on the championship.
Blazing Academy alone might not have even reached the top five, but together with Feng Xiaotian, they now had a real chance at the title.
Thus, in the first round, a new Godwind Academy emerged, becoming the first team among the thirty to field a lineup where every member was at least a Soul Sect.
Shrek Academy, thanks to Blazing Academy's forfeit, had not revealed any of their strength, so no one knew how strong they really were.
Another academy also caught Shrek's attention , Frost Academy.
Though Frost Academy came from the Star Luo Empire, their members' martial souls made everyone glance at Oscar.
In the tenth match of the first round, Frost Academy faced Dokaton Academy. Their seven members were: Zhao Lei, martial soul: Mighty Diamond Bear, level forty-eight Assault System Battle Soul Sect; Lu Qi, martial soul: Star Luo Chessboard, level forty-seven Control System Battle Soul Sect; Li Song, martial soul: Dragon-patterned Staff, level forty-six Assault System Battle Soul Sect;
Shao Yan, martial soul: Sugar Bean, level forty-five Support System Soul Sect; Yang Fan, martial soul: Soul-breaking Spear, level thirty-nine Assault System Soul Elder; Niu Ben, martial soul: Armored Giant Rhino, level thirty-eight Defense System Battle Soul Elder; Bai Chenxiang, martial soul: Sharp-tailed Swallow, level thirty-four Agility System Battle Soul Elder.
At first glance, nothing seemed unusual , their overall strength was enough to rank among the top academies. But careful observers noticed something different.
The martial souls of the three Soul Elders belonged to three of the four single-attribute clans that had once been Haotian Sect's vassals.
Their gathering meant another formidable force had assembled, which surprised everyone.
Shrek's members who knew the truth all looked at Oscar. Aside from the three Soul Elders, the other martial souls looked awfully familiar.
And Li Song's first soul ring was white , very unusual.
Ma Hongjun tugged on Oscar's arm. "Boss, I didn't expect this. You actually went and secretly made a whole new Frost Academy? Are they here to help us take down Spirit Hall Academy?"
Hearing this, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Tang San all looked at Oscar curiously, waiting for his reply.
After all, no one knew Frost Academy's true origin better than them , wasn't this the team Oscar had created with his Clone Sausages and Copy Sausages, using the martial souls of Vice Dean Zhao Wuji and Shrek's former teachers?
And this might not even be Frost Academy's full strength , Flander and Liu Erlong's martial souls hadn't even appeared yet.
Oscar smiled while holding Dugu Yan's soft hand. "You're overthinking it. This academy is here for the championship too. Your final opponents are not only the three seeded teams and the new Godwind Academy, but also them. If you lose to any other academy, I'll simply take it as a sign that your training isn't enough and put you through even harsher special training afterward. If you make it to the finals, Frost Academy will be your ultimate test. Since you know those are all my clones, you should know I won't hold back."
Everyone felt a chill. One Oscar was already hard enough to deal with , now there were seven?
Even though Frost Academy's martial souls were all different, they knew Oscar's abilities too well. Perhaps this Frost Academy was their greatest enemy.
Their surprise wasn't over yet. In the second round, the three seeded teams finally appeared.
First was Spirit Hall Academy , incredibly, they had three Soul Kings and four Soul Sects, a lineup no weaker than Shrek Academy.
According to Oscar, he and Dugu Yan would likely not take action at all, meaning this tournament was meant to temper Ma Hongjun and the others.
Aside from Spirit Hall Academy, Star Luo Royal Academy and Heaven Dou Royal Academy both fielded full Soul Sect teams, their strength close to that of the new Godwind Academy.
If Blazing and Godwind Academies hadn't joined forces, it would have been hard for anyone to break into the top five in this terrifying tournament lineup.
But what caught Oscar's eye most was Heaven Dou Royal Academy , since Dugu Yan had joined Shrek, whom would they bring in to replace her?
Though the three seeded teams easily crushed their opponents without revealing much, Oscar still noticed the person who had taken Dugu Yan's spot. Her martial soul was some kind of flood-dragon, and she seemed very close to Heaven Dou's captain, Yu Tianheng, heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.
Most likely, she was now his girlfriend.
With the weaker teams eliminated in the first two rounds, the third round began with only ten strong teams remaining , all true powerhouses with at least three Soul Sects.
Spirit Hall Academy, Star Luo Royal Academy, Heaven Dou Royal Academy, New Godwind Academy, Frost Academy, and Shrek Academy were the strongest of them, and the champion would almost certainly come from among these six.
In the third round, New Godwind and Holy Land Academy got byes. The remaining eight teams drew lots.
As if fated, Shrek Academy drew Star Luo Royal Academy.
Though Star Luo had not revealed their full strength in the second round, it was clear they also had a full team of Soul Sects. Their captain Davis and vice captain Zhu Zhuyun were level forty-nine and forty-seven respectively.
Compared to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Star Luo Royal Academy was even stronger, since Yu Tianheng was only level forty-four.
Hearing their opponent's name, Shrek's members all looked at Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing. They had not hidden their identities this time, so everyone knew this match was not just an ordinary fight , it was a battle for Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing's future.
In this grand tournament that the whole continent was watching, if Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing defeated their siblings, they would win the support of more ministers and nobles, gaining a huge advantage in the struggle for the crown prince position.
This might not be their final battle, but it was by far the most important one.
Feeling everyone's gaze, Dai Mubai smiled faintly. "Don't worry, brothers. I'm no longer the Dai Mubai of the past. Today, Zhuqing and I will settle everything with Davis with our true strength."
He squeezed Zhu Zhuqing's hand, his eyes sharp. "Let everything start over. Today, we reshuffle the deck , after all, being older doesn't necessarily mean you're fit to be crown prince."
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes were filled with joy , in this life, her fiancé was a man who stood tall and proud.
Dai Mubai extended his right hand. "Brothers, today's battle , I'm counting on you."
Everyone put out their fists together. "Victory is ours!"
At the host's announcement, Shrek Academy and Star Luo Royal Academy stepped onto the stage.
This was Shrek's first real appearance in the finals. Blazing Academy had forfeited in the first round, they had a bye in the second, and they had reached the third round without lifting a finger.
Other academies saw this as a sign of Shrek's great strength and excellent luck.
But now their luck seemed to have run out.
Shrek was undeniably strong, with Dai Mubai, a level fifty-five Soul King, and several Soul Sects. But Star Luo Royal Academy's strength was well known , they had only ever been defeated by Spirit Hall Academy, and had even beaten them once to claim the championship.
No one believed Shrek would definitely lose, but neither did they think Shrek had a high chance of winning.
Star Luo had built its reputation and prestige over many years of competition. This match was destined to be a clash of dragons and tigers.
Moreover, Shrek's captain and vice captain had never appeared before. The Five Element Academies and other teams from the Heaven Dou Division were eager to see if those two were truly as strong as they had claimed or merely bluffing.
Unexpectedly, Shrek's seven-member team did replace two members , but not with Oscar and Dugu Yan, their captain and vice captain. Instead, they sent up two seemingly ordinary Shrek members who had always been nearly invisible.
"Training rookies? Impossible. This is the finals. In a single-elimination tournament, every team only has one chance. If they lose, they're out. There's no way Shrek would be that foolish."
"I told you , Shrek's captain and vice captain must have been bluffing. Otherwise, why wouldn't they appear even now?"
"Even if they were bluffing, these two replacements must be pretty strong , probably hidden Soul Sects."
"If that's the case, one Soul King and six Soul Sects… Shrek is dead set on winning the championship."
"Who knows, maybe they really can keep their undefeated streak and defeat Star Luo Royal Academy!"
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