Chapter 64 – The Old Are Irresponsible, the Young Are Rebellious and Foolish
Today, another match was held between Shrek Academy and Yunluo Academy.
How should one put it… Shrek's performance was once again utterly disgraceful, completely refreshing the audience's perception of them.
Yet, the outcome didn't change. With Ling Luochen and Bei Bei secretly employing hidden weapons, Yunluo Academy was caught off guard. After losing two core members in quick succession, they ultimately fell, and Shrek advanced to the next round.
But Shrek's two consecutive disgraceful victories made many of the participating academies faintly sense that something was amiss.
Emperor Xu Jiawei had also pieced together Shrek's situation. He immediately arranged for behind-the-scenes manipulation, making sure Shrek wouldn't face overly powerful opponents in the short term.
He, too, was waiting. Waiting for Shrek's main roster to recover. If they could somehow reach the quarterfinals or even the semifinals, he would orchestrate things so that Shrek would face Sun Moon Academy again.
As for the result? That didn't matter. Ideally, both sides would clash in a real, desperate fight, and then Star Luo Team could swoop in to reap the rewards.
According to the tournament format, the next stage involved the two-two-three team battle rounds.
Shrek Academy Meeting Room
Wang Yan sat stiffly, fists clenched, struggling with himself until he finally made his decision.
"Our next match… we must concede."
The two-two-three format was different from both the individual elimination rounds and full team battles. At this stage, every team still standing had ensured they could field at least one Soul King in each fight.
Tactics alone would no longer suffice. No matter how he arranged it, Shrek would inevitably fall into a disadvantage.
If they fought, their energy would be drained massively, their stamina heavily consumed. Worse still, revealing their true strength now would only make the later rounds even harder.
"No. I disagree! Even if the opponent is terrifying, we will never surrender without a fight!"
Bei Bei immediately stepped forward. What kind of joke was this? To yield before even fighting—was this the way of Shrek?
He Caitou's face was equally dark. "Teacher Wang, unless we fight to the very end, we will never give up."
The others all nodded in agreement, firm in their resolve.
Wang Yan let out a weary sigh, resentment bubbling up in his heart. He even found himself blaming Elder Xuan—hadn't he gone back to Shrek for reinforcements? Why hadn't he returned yet?
"You need to think carefully. If we concede strategically, our opponents won't be able to see through our strength. We could conserve energy and survive until the next round. By then, Ma Xiaotao may have already recovered."
But his reasoning was useless. The students were stubbornly unmoved.
"Glory, glory—what is it even worth? Even if we're unwilling, without reinforcements, we can't make it to the end."
At that moment, the door swung open. Ma Xiaotao walked in, her face cold.
"Teacher Wang, I support the juniors. To surrender without a fight is shameful. If you're afraid, then step down as our coach. I'll take over the strategy!"
Wang Yan's temples bulged, veins throbbing.
"You? Command? Just you?" he laughed bitterly, the sound filled with pain.
"If you had the ability, if you had even bothered to clarify the truth before the Evil Soul Masters' ambush, Yao Haoxuan and Chen Zifeng wouldn't be dead. Dai Yueheng and Xu Sanshi wouldn't have vanished with their lives uncertain!"
His words struck like slaps across Ma Xiaotao's face. But Wang Yan couldn't hold back anymore.
He was merely a reserve team instructor. Why did he have to bear such crushing weight?
These past days, the so-called glory of Shrek had almost suffocated him. He had poured his heart into keeping this sinking ship afloat, only for some brainless, arrogant brat to stand up and oppose him.
He was the coach! Yet the old ones shirked their responsibilities, while the young acted foolish and defiant. What was he supposed to do?
"Teacher Wang, it seems you really aren't fit to lead this team anymore."
Ma Xiaotao's eyes burned with fury. So what if he was the coach? She was one of the Seven Monsters of Shrek, an inner court disciple, and the personal student of the Martial Soul Department's Dean. Wang Yan dared to challenge her? He wasn't even qualified.
The atmosphere grew tense. Wang Dong and the others exchanged uneasy glances but stayed silent. Compared to Wang Yan, they leaned more toward Ma Xiaotao's stance. They wanted to prove themselves, to fight for Shrek's glory.
"Enough! From now on, Wang Yan is stripped of his position as coach. I will personally oversee the team's battles!"
At that moment, Elder Xuan finally returned—bringing with him Grandmaster Zhuang, the continent's number-one healing-type Titled Douluo.
But to everyone's shock, the reinforcements they had expected from the inner court didn't arrive. Aside from Elder Zhuang, Elder Xuan had brought only one academy elder, Zhu Lu, and a female Soul King whom none of them recognized.
The elder had come specifically to assist Dai Huabin, filling Xu Sanshi's absence. As for the female Soul King, her name was Su Tong, a rarely-noticed ice-element Soul Master from the inner court. Her martial soul: Ice Elemental Spirit.
(Note: Su Tong's appearances are limited. In this version, she has already joined Shrek. Don't question why she wasn't noticed earlier despite having an ice-based martial soul—it's because she hasn't yet broken through to Soul Saint, and her ultimate attribute has not fully awakened. Hence, she was overlooked. She was brought by Elder Xuan as a compromise—low-profile, obedient, and within Old Mu's restrictions.)
In the eyes of Wang Dong and the others, however, this lineup looked laughable.
A Soul Elder Zhu Lu.
An unknown Soul King.
Against lineups filled with Soul Kings and Soul Ancestors, this was a joke.
Was the Academy out of people? Or had they already given up on this tournament's championship?
If so, then even reaching the finals was a pipe dream.
Seeing the doubts in their eyes, Elder Xuan ignored Wang Yan and began introductions.
"This is Elder Zhuang, the continent's strongest healer. With him, Xiaotao, your recovery will be swift."
"And tomorrow's two-two-three match—I don't care how you do it. I only care about the result. You must fight with all you've got and win."
If they could just hold out tomorrow, with Elder Zhuang's aid, Ma Xiaotao would recover.
Then Shrek's chances at the championship might still remain.
Elder Mu might have chosen to give up. But Elder Xuan refused. Even without several of their strongest members, Shrek would still stand tall as Shrek.
As for roster issues? Simple. They'd just pull strings. Who in the Star Luo Empire would dare deny Shrek's face?
Finally, Su Tong stepped forward to introduce herself. Her eyes, like Huo Yuhao's, were icy blue. Her skin was pale as snow, exuding the chill unique to ice-type Soul Masters, as if she were shrouded in eternal frost.
Her long silver-white hair cascaded down her back. Her gaze was clear yet aloof. Her face was cold and delicate, with a lonely arrogance unique to those attuned to ice. Compared to Ling Luochen, another ice-type Soul Master, her aura was even more ethereal.
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(End of Chapter)