In the third round of the preliminary knockout stage, after defeating the Heavenly Dragon Gate, just like after defeating the Proud Sword Sect in the previous round, Xu Zihuang did not linger long in the rest area.
Although he had learned the Heavenly Dragon Gate's battle technique through the abilities of his Golden Eyes Martial Soul, there were still many details that required careful comprehension.
As soon as he returned to the Mingyue Grand Hotel, Xu Zihuang entered a state of meditative cultivation. The soul core at his brow was primarily spiritual in attribute, supplemented by time and space attributes. When his consciousness immersed itself within, it possessed the ability to adjust the flow of time according to his will.
Only one day had passed in the outside world, yet it was equivalent to more than a month of bitter cultivation in the world where his mind was immersed.
Over at the Shrek Academy rest area, Ye Guyi naturally left with Xu Zihuang. Ning Tian, however, stayed behind to watch the remaining matches.
The third round of the preliminary knockout stage will conclude today. The twenty-one victorious teams, plus the eleven teams ranked highest in points, would make a total of thirty-two teams advancing to the next stage, the group round-robin tournament.
The teams with overall strong power and competitiveness would basically display their respective abilities in today's matches.
The just-concluded match between the Shrek Academy representative team and the Heavenly Dragon Gate team was the best example. Although the subsequent matches were not as shocking as the battle between Xu Zihuang and Yu Tianlong, they could still be described as spectacular.
Many participating teams decided the outcome through team battles later on. Such large-scale team battles often created an even stronger visual impact.
In this way, as evening approached, the third round of the preliminary knockout stage came to a perfect conclusion. Before the group stage began, there would be one day of rest. The drawing ceremony would also be held on that rest day.
The rules of the group stage were not as straightforward as the knockout stage results. The thirty-two teams advancing to the group stage would be divided into four groups, with eight teams in each group competing in a single round-robin format.
In other words, each team would face the other seven teams in their group once each. Every day, two groups would compete in the morning and afternoon, with four matches each, while the other two groups' matches would take place the following day. And so it alternated repeatedly.
The arrangement of the schedule allowed for relatively ample time. The entire group stage would take about fourteen days. The top two teams from each group would advance to the final decisive stage.
However, as the champions of the previous Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, Shrek Academy still had to be the first to appear in the group stage.
The next day at dusk, Xu Zihuang, having finished his cultivation, walked out of his room. His deep purple eyes seemed to contain an endless starry sky, with the divine light restrained within. Gazing at the evening glow for a long time, the emotions in his eyes gradually returned, releasing him from that ethereal state.
Two days of meditation, with his consciousness immersed in the soul core at his brow, equated to months of bitter cultivation and comprehension, allowing him to finally completely master the battle technique that Yu Tianlong had imparted to him.
Xu Zihuang withdrew his gaze, looking at the empty living room. As if sensing something, he stepped toward the large conference room in Suite No. 1.
Just as he had expected, Zhang Lexuan was holding a pre-match meeting to prepare for tomorrow's competition.
Hearing the footsteps behind them, everyone in the conference room instinctively turned to look. The moment their gazes met Xu Zihuang's, they all felt a momentary daze in their minds. Even Zhang Lexuan was no exception.
"Senior Sister." Xu Zihuang nodded slightly toward Zhang Lexuan in greeting.
"The group stage drawing results should be out by now, right?"
"Sit down first, Tianhuang."
Zhang Lexuan smiled warmly and gestured for Xu Zihuang to sit beside her before softly saying, "You came at just the right time. The grouping results have just come out, and I was about to inform everyone."
Zhang Lexuan and Ye Guyi, as the head and deputy leaders of the Shrek representative team, sat in the main seats. Wang Qiu'er sat in the leftmost seat next to Ye Guyi, while the rightmost seat next to Zhang Lexuan was reserved for Xu Zihuang.
Zhang Lexuan scanned the room and smiled, "We got quite lucky with the grouping this time. The competition within our group isn't too intense. The only real threat is the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. The remaining six teams are significantly weaker overall. Since each group has two qualifying spots, advancing to the final stage should be between us and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. However, the Sun Moon Empire hosts have arranged our match against the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy as the very first one. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on how to approach this match."
"Senior Sister, this concerns the academy's glory; we definitely can't back down. No matter how the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy wants to compete, we'll accept it." Zhou Sicheng, sitting at the far end of the conference table, said boldly.
Cao Jinxuan was right beside him; the two of them looked equally excited and matter-of-fact.
If Yu Tianhuang were still in seclusion and unable to participate, they wouldn't have absolute confidence. But now that Yu Tianhuang had finished cultivating, wasn't this obviously a crushing victory?
Just lie back and win.
"From the way you're talking, someone who didn't know better would think you two were going first." Xiao Xiao couldn't help but tease from across the table.
Before entering the inner court, Xiao Xiao had been in the same class as Zhou Sicheng and Cao Jinxuan for five years. They were not only familiar with each other but also quite close.
Hearing Xiao Xiao's words, Zhou Sicheng and Cao Jinxuan shamelessly grinned even wider.
Cao Jinxuan even said seriously, "Xiao Xiao, haven't you heard the saying? True experts always appear last."
"Pfft—" Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo were both amused by the two clowns and covered their mouths as they giggled lightly.
"Expert? You?" Xiao Xiao rolled her eyes in exasperation.
This lively scene eased the somewhat heavy atmosphere in the conference room considerably.
Only Wang Qiu'er, Wu Feng, Dai Huabin, and Zhu Lu remained stone-faced due to their personalities.
Xu Zihuang said seriously, "Sicheng is right, this match, Shrek Academy cannot yield. Although I don't think Xiao Hongchen and the others are that strong, they should also attach great importance to this match. To ensure everything is foolproof, planning tactics in advance won't hurt. In my opinion, the group stage will rely more on team strength. After all, the Shrek Academy representative team isn't just my team alone."
"Don't rush, Jinxuan. I may need to go into seclusion for cultivation again later. When I'm not around, you'll be the team's main control soul master. This 'expert' of yours will get his chance to appear." At this point, he deliberately emphasized the reminder.
Cao Jinxuan stared dumbfounded at Xu Zihuang, the one who had drawn fire upon himself, his face instantly collapsing. Meanwhile, Zhou Sicheng beside him gleefully winked and made faces at Cao Jinxuan.
The smiles on Xiao Xiao, Nanmen Yun'er, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, and the others grew even brighter.
Zhang Lexuan nodded in satisfaction and smoothly took over from Xu Zihuang, continuing to preside over the meeting.
At the same time, over at the Tang Sect team.
Having smoothly advanced to the group stage, the Tang Sect representative team was also arranged to stay on the fourth floor of the Mingyue Grand Hotel. Not only were everyone's rooms much more spacious and luxurious, but the hotel had also provided the Tang Sect team with an additional conference room.
At this moment, everyone from the Tang Sect was present, and the atmosphere in the conference room was extremely solemn. Every single person's expression looked unpleasant.
Of course, ever since Huo Yuhao arrived in Mingdu to compete and deeply realized just how useless and incompetent he was, his face had never looked good.
Tang Ya looked utterly dejected, her eyes red and swollen as she apologized to everyone, "It's all my fault. I insisted on drawing myself, which caused this result."
"I say, Xiaoya, what kind of luck is this? Both the Clear Sky Sect and that team of evil soul masters called the Holy Spirit Team are in the same group as us..." Xu Sanshi helplessly complained.
Bei Bei placed his right hand on Tang Ya's shoulder and comforted her softly, "Alright, Xiaoya, it's already done. No use saying more. Actually, things might not be as bad as you think."
"Hm?" Tang Ya immediately caught the implication in Bei Bei's words. The others also looked over in confusion.
Bei Bei smiled calmly and explained unhurriedly, "Haven't you all realized the identity of the Clear Sky Sect captain yet? Setting Tianhuang aside since his situation is special, six ten-thousand-year soul rings attached to the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul, this is something only possible with twin martial souls. Think about who had twin martial souls back then, with the second one being the Clear Sky Hammer?"
Xu Sanshi, Tang Ya, Jiang Nannan, and He Caitou all exclaimed in unison, "Wang Dong?!"
"Bei Bei, are you saying Wang Dong is Tang Wutong?!" Xu Sanshi was greatly shocked.
"Wang Dong isn't..."
Before Xu Sanshi could finish, Bei Bei interrupted him.
"You've all fallen into a misunderstanding. Actually, Wang Dong was originally female; she concealed her gender to study at the academy. The Radiant Butterfly Goddess Martial Soul is extremely rare on the continent, but the academy's library has records of its secrets. As the most beautiful butterfly-type martial soul on the continent, only women of peerless beauty can possess the Radiant Butterfly Goddess Martial Soul."
After Bei Bei finished speaking, the entire room fell silent, unable to recover from the massive shock for a long time.
Compared to Dai Luoli, who remained completely clueless, Huo Yuhao's reaction was even more intense.
Tang Wutong was actually Wang Dong?!
Recalling Tang Wutong's flawless, peerless beauty, as a normal man, he would more or less have had some thoughts. Not to mention that he had once lived in the same room with Tang Wutong for an entire year.
And at the very beginning, Tang Wutong had even shown him concern.
After suffering blow after blow, Huo Yuhao's mind was no longer quite normal, and he began to let his thoughts run wild.
Such a proud Tang Wutong had actually endured living with him for a whole year. Back then, she had even unabashedly held him in her arms, using the Radiant Butterfly Goddess Martial Soul's abilities to help him pass Zhou Yi's test.
However, no one present noticed Huo Yuhao's state; their gazes remained fixed on Bei Bei.
Bei Bei understood and continued, "As you all know, our academy has always maintained harmonious relations with those ancient sects. The Tang Sect also has some connections with the Clear Sky Sect. The founder of our Tang Sect, Ancestor Tang San, came from the Clear Sky Sect. With these layers of connections, we can completely negotiate with the Clear Sky Sect to join forces and advance together while dealing with that Holy Spirit Team."
"So that's how it is!" Everyone's eyes lit up instantly.
"Not bad, Bei Bei."
Xu Sanshi grinned and patted Bei Bei's shoulder.
"You're still the best at pulling these little tricks!"
Bei Bei said irritably, "What do you mean by 'little tricks'? This is reasonably utilizing the tournament rules."
"Yes, yes. Reasonably utilizing the rules." Xu Sanshi agreed with obvious disdain.
Bei Bei couldn't be bothered with Xu Sanshi and spoke solemnly to everyone, "Even so, facing those evil soul masters will inevitably involve risks. I hope everyone can prepare themselves mentally in advance. After all, this concerns your own safety. If things become impossible, prioritize self-preservation above all else. The Tang Sect advancing smoothly to the group stage has already far exceeded what Xiaoya and I initially expected."
"Bei Bei is right. We're already very grateful that everyone has helped Xiaoya and me lead the Tang Sect this far." Tang Ya said sincerely.
At that moment, Jiang Nannan, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly took Tang Ya's hand and shook her head firmly.
"No, Xiaoya. Even without this reason, I would still choose to help you. Those evil soul masters have slaughtered countless innocent civilians on the continent. As members of Shrek Academy, eradicating that group of evil soul masters is our duty. At the very least, I want to contribute my part."
Having experienced such powerlessness herself, she felt it deeply.
Hearing Jiang Nannan's words, Dai Luoli and Tang Ya were deeply moved. Xu Sanshi was also stunned for a moment, his gaze somewhat dazed.
But Bei Bei and He Caitou both frowned slightly.
It was fine for Jiang Nannan to have such awareness, but forcefully elevating it to the level of duty and obligation was a bit unnecessary. This was just a competition; adding pressure wouldn't help.
However, both Bei Bei and He Caitou tacitly avoided pouring cold water on Jiang Nannan at this moment.
Afterward, Bei Bei changed the subject and began formulating tactics. Shrek Academy's match was tomorrow morning against the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, while their Tang Sect team would appear in the afternoon for their first match against the Clear Sky Sect.
...
Early morning, the crisp air brushed against the sunlit Mingdu, bringing waves of chill.
Mingdu was located in the north-central part of the continent; even though spring had arrived, the temperatures in the early morning and evening remained quite low.
But now was indeed the most comfortable season in Mingdu. The weather was exceptionally fine, the sky was high, and the wind was clear. Walking along the streets filled with the sense of soul guidance technology in Mingdu, feeling the gentle breeze, was extremely pleasant.
As this edition of the Continental Advanced Youth Soul Master Tournament entered the group stage, Mingdu seemed to become even more lively and prosperous. Most streets were packed with bustling crowds, and in taverns, teahouses, and even various places, people were discussing matters related to this tournament.
The group stage would frequently feature strong clashes, completely ending the chaotic situation of the previous preliminary knockout stage.
Around the competition stage in the eastern suburbs of Mingdu, countless spectators had gathered since early morning, waiting for today's exciting matches to begin.
The opening match, Shrek Academy versus Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, was especially topical.
The stands today were exceptionally packed, and the Sun Moon Empire had no choice but to deploy even more troops to maintain order.
As soon as Xu Zihuang, Zhang Lexuan, and Ye Guyi led the Shrek Academy representative team to take their seats in the rest area, someone stood up from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy rest area not far away and strode toward the Shrek team.
It was Xiao Hongchen.
After a brief hesitation, Meng Hongchen blushed slightly and hurriedly followed behind Xiao Hongchen.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen stopped in front of Xu Zihuang one after the other.
"Something wrong?" Xu Zihuang raised his head to look at Xiao Hongchen and said indifferently.
Xu Zihuang and Xiao Hongchen looked at each other, while Ye Guyi and Ning Tian beside him were sizing up Meng Hongchen in return.
Xiao Hongchen's expression was very calm, as if he were brewing some emotion within himself.
"I know that today's match won't affect our advancement to the later final stage, but I still hope to fight you head-on in the first match. One match to decide the winner, bearing each other's glory."
"As you wish." After a moment of silence, Xu Zihuang revealed a gentle smile, causing both Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen to change expressions at the same time.
Xiao Hongchen's expression instantly became fervent, while Meng Hongchen was stirred by Xu Zihuang's smile and fell into a daze.
Even as she followed Xiao Hongchen away, Meng Hongchen still looked shy and unbearably bashful, lightly touching her cheek.
He smiled at me. His smile is so handsome.
If Xiao Hongchen knew what his sister was thinking at this moment, he might have been so angry he'd spit blood.
"Quite popular with the ladies, huh?" Ye Guyi asked knowingly with a smirk, then took Ning Tian's hand.
"Ning Tian, you'll have to keep a close eye on him from now on."
"Mm." Ning Tian responded shyly and softly, also feeling delighted by Ye Guyi's approval.
Xu Zihuang's mouth twitched as he secretly grumbled to himself.
Why do some people love to cry thief while being the thief themselves?
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