After briefly adjusting the lineup for possible situations that might arise later, Wang Yan announced the dismissal.
The semifinals concluded today, with a rest day tomorrow, and the grand final would take place the day after.
From the initial pool of over a hundred teams to the final four, this All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament had already lasted over a month.
Some, like Xu Zihuang, had even made breakthroughs in their soul power.
Although Ning Tian and Wang Dong had not participated in any matches, accompanying the team through the entire tournament was still an extremely valuable experience for them.
Because of the words Ma Xiaotao had spoken earlier, after leaving the meeting room, everyone felt more at ease, their moods considerably lighter.
Dai Yueheng returned to his room with a furrowed brow.
In this tournament, his brilliance had been overshadowed far too much by Ma Xiaotao and Yu Tianhuang.
On the surface, he appeared mature, but in reality, like Dai Huabin, he was deeply proud at heart.
Yet, proud as he was, when facing Ma Xiaotao and Yu Tianhuang, he had no choice but to suppress his arrogance.
There was no need to say much about Ma Xiaotao—her strength far surpassed his. Even when Ma Xiaotao replaced him as the captain of the Shrek Academy team, he had not voiced any objections.
Because Ma Xiaotao was stronger than him, it was only natural for her to become the captain.
As for Yu Tianhuang, his current strength might not yet surpass Dai Yueheng's, but his potential and talent were simply too extraordinary. It was likely that within a decade, Yu Tianhuang would leave him far behind.
Ma Xiaotao, too, seemed to be in a poor mood and went straight back to her room.
The others exchanged brief greetings before dispersing to their respective rooms.
Wang Yan stood at the entrance of the meeting room, observing everything unfolding before him. He rubbed his temples, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
He was aware of Ma Xiaotao's evil fire issue.
This evil fire stemmed from a mutation in her martial soul, originating from her bloodline and the source of her martial soul. To completely resolve the evil fire issue, the malevolent energy within the martial soul's source would need to be purified.
Yu Tianhuang's second martial soul possessed the ultimate thunder attribute, which happened to have such an ability.
Thunder was the embodiment of the righteous energy of heaven and earth, the natural bane of all evil soul masters.
With Yu Tianhuang's ultimate thunder attribute, the quality of his second martial soul was undoubtedly superior to that of the Evil Fire Phoenix. If the two were to unite, Ma Xiaotao's evil fire issue could be resolved effortlessly.
Moreover, in Yu Tianhuang's presence, Ma Xiaotao could unleash abilities at the level of ultimate fire.
When both advanced to the Titled Douluo rank, it would be equivalent to Shrek Academy having two Titled Douluo with ultimate attributes—ultimate thunder and ultimate fire, the most destructive forces. With them, Shrek Academy would remain secure for centuries.
From the perspective of Shrek Academy, this was undoubtedly the most advantageous outcome for the institution.
However, as a teacher, Wang Yan could not bring himself to scheme against his own students. Even though Dean Yan Shaozhe had subtly hinted at this before they set out for Star Luo City to participate in this All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, Wang Yan had never acted on it.
"Let Elder Xuan and Dean Yan worry about these matters," Wang Yan sighed deeply, returning to the meeting room to continue meticulously studying the profiles of the participants from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, occasionally showing a thoughtful expression.
Meanwhile, Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian returned to their room, one following the other.
The weather today was poor. Through the large floor-to-ceiling window, one could see dark clouds covering the sky, with a faint mist enveloping the entirety of Star Luo City. Fine threads of rain fell from the heavens.
It was early spring, and in such weather, a slight chill was inevitable.
Xu Zihuang sat on a wooden chair by the edge of the floor-to-ceiling window. In front of him was a small wooden table, holding a pot of fragrant red tea still steaming with warmth, along with various delicate pastries.
The base of the teapot was actually a soul tool capable of heating, which could keep the tea warm when infused with soul power.
Ning Tian poured two cups of red tea, pushing one toward Xu Zihuang before sitting across from him.
Holding the porcelain teacup in her left hand, she took a light sip while following Xu Zihuang's gaze to look outside, speaking softly.
"In our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, our ancestor Ning Rongrong left records about certain immortal herbs. It seems that if Senior Sister Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul could consume an immortal herb called the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, it would completely resolve the evil fire issue. I didn't expect that even with Shrek Academy's resources, they haven't been able to find such an herb."
For various reasons, she genuinely hoped Ma Xiaotao could find a Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower to resolve her evil fire issue.
Xu Zihuang shifted his gaze to Ning Tian, and as if sensing it, Ning Tian met his eyes.
The two exchanged a smile.
"Such immortal herbs are something you can only hope to encounter, not seek out deliberately," Xu Zihuang said.
"Indeed," Ning Tian nodded slightly, her lustrous eyes unable to conceal a trace of longing. "Our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has also failed to find a second Qiluo Tulip over tens of thousands of years to evolve the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda."
Restoring the glory of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda had always been the obsession of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the lifelong goal of every sect leader. As the sole heir to the sect leader, Ning Tian was no exception.
Xu Zihuang lowered his gaze to the amber-like tea in his cup, his deep purple eyes glinting with noble elegance as he chuckled softly.
"Perhaps in your generation, you might fulfill the wishes of your ancestors."
Ning Tian smiled without responding, taking Yu Tianhuang's words as mere comfort.
The warm glow of the soul tool lighting, the fragrant warmth of the red tea, the distant outline of Star Luo City shrouded in mist and drizzle outside the window, and every word and action between the two formed scenes that seemed frozen in time.
Years later, these would all become part of their memories.
The bond between people, from acquaintance to familiarity, is sustained by such shared memories.
The rainy weather persisted until the day of the grand final. Yet, no matter how strong the chill, it could not dampen the audience's enthusiasm.
To maintain order in the imperial capital, the Star Luo Empire urgently deployed an additional ten thousand elite soldiers to the city.
All shops in Star Luo City extended their operating hours. To meet the sudden surge in population, supplies were urgently gathered from surrounding major cities.
Star Luo City's prosperity had reached an unprecedented peak.
In the entire Star Emperor Grand Hotel, only Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy remained.
When the group arrived at the reception hall on the first floor of the Star Emperor Grand Hotel, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy team descended from the staircase on the opposite side.
The team leader of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy was Elder Ma, who nodded slightly with a smile toward Wang Yan. Wang Yan returned the gesture.
However, the atmosphere between the students of the two academies was far less cordial.
Every Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy team considered defeating Shrek Academy their goal, and this year was no exception.
To that end, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy had held meetings for two consecutive days, strategizing tactics to counter Shrek Academy.
Xiao Hongchen immediately spotted Xu Zihuang standing at the center of the Shrek Academy group, his eyes narrowing slightly. Yet deep within his gaze, a fierce fighting spirit burned.
The captain of the main team, Ma Rulong, locked eyes with Ma Xiaotao.
Yu Tianhuang's talent and potential were astonishing, but he was, after all, only a Soul Ancestor. In Ma Rulong's view, his greatest opponent was Ma Xiaotao.
Compared to the high-spirited group, Meng Hongchen seemed calmer. Like her brother Xiao Hongchen, her gaze fell on Xu Zihuang.
To welcome the two academies, a red carpet had already been laid out at the entrance of the Star Emperor Grand Hotel's first-floor hall, extending all the way to the rest area in Star Luo Square.
Led by Wang Yan and Elder Ma, the teams from Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy strode confidently into Star Luo Square.
The emperor of the Star Luo Empire, Xu Jiawei, accompanied by his civil and military officials, had already ascended the city walls of the imperial palace to show respect for the teams about to compete in the final.
The red carpet was flanked by dense crowds of spectators, their cheers and screams filling the entirety of Star Luo Square.
Though the scene was awe-inspiring, the participants from both Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy remained calm—at least on the surface.
Today's match was not merely the grand final of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. It was also a clash between traditional soul masters and soul engineers, as well as a contest between the three original empires of the Douluo Continent and the Sun Moon Empire.
Amid the fervent cheers, the atmosphere at the scene reached a fever pitch.
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