Chapter 95 The Round Robin Ends.
Huo Yuhao's words infuriated Qilin Arm and Big Head.
Big Head slammed his fist on the table: "You're so stubborn! So stubborn! Now that we've made our move, whether you join the Body Sect or not is no longer up to you!"
An invisible mental wave emanated from Big Head, and Huo Yuhao groaned, his limbs instantly losing control as he walked towards Big Head and Qilin Arm.
"Ah! Help! You're being kidnapped!" Huo Yuhao immediately screamed.
"Go ahead and scream! It's no use no matter how much you scream, my mental power has already blocked any movement in this room." Big Head chuckled sinisterly.
"Big Brother, to avoid any complications, let's go back to the sect immediately." Qilin Arm stepped forward, grabbed Huo Yuhao with one hand, and prepared to break through the window.
"That's right, that's right!" Big Head smiled slightly, releasing a mental barrier that sealed Huo Yuhao's mouth.
"Ouch!" The Qilin Arm, who had just jumped out of the window, cried out in pain and plummeted straight towards the ground.
Just as Huo Yuhao thought he was about to be knocked unconscious, a dirty hand caught his falling body.
"Who are you? How dare you ambush an elder of my Body Sect? Don't you want to live anymore!" Big Head shouted in a deep voice. Eight spirit rings, three purple and five black, suddenly lit up. At the same time, his aura suddenly intensified. The air within a one-meter radius around his head began to distort violently.
When the Qilin Arm saw that it had knocked him over by a chicken bone, he immediately dared not make any rash moves.
"Who am I? You kidnapped my academy's disciples and you dare ask me who I am?" Elder Xuan sneered.
"You are, the Sea God Pavilion?" Big Head's pupils contracted. As he withdrew the aura of his spirit rings, even his body trembled slightly.
Elder Xuan said calmly, "It's a wonder you even know the name 'Sea God Pavilion.' Get lost. For that old monster's sake, I'll let this go today."
"Thank you for your mercy, Senior." Big Head immediately became respectful, grabbed the bewildered Qilin Arm beside him, and disappeared in an instant.
Watching their departing figures, Huo Yuhao hurriedly said respectfully, "Thank you, Elder Xuan."
Elder Xuan waved his hand and said, "You are a member of Shrek Academy. Anyone who tries to harm you is going against Shrek Academy. Go back and rest. Wang Yan will be assigning you tasks for the elimination rounds tonight."
"Yes." Huo Yuhao, with a mix of fear and relief at surviving, turned and ran towards the stairs.
Elder Xuan took a large gulp of wine from the gourd at his waist, then sighed with hazy eyes, "Alas! The Tang Clan was once so illustrious, but unfortunately, its descendants were foolish and ignorant, squandering their last chance to preserve the ancestral legacy. I never imagined that little Yuhao would care so much about the Tang Clan. But that's fine too; the heir, who was previously undecided, can now be decided."
In the war room! Because Shrek Academy won all seven rounds of the round-robin tournament, advancing as the top team in their group, Wang Yan specially booked a royal banquet to celebrate.
All the dishes were already served, but Huo Yuhao was nowhere to be seen. Just as everyone was getting impatient, Huo Yuhao finally arrived.
Apart from Wang Dong and a few others who were relatively enthusiastic, the four members of the regular team stared at the late Huo Yuhao with displeasure.
Huo Yuhao smiled awkwardly and returned to his seat.
"Alright! Yuhao's here too. To celebrate everyone's seven-game winning streak in the round-robin tournament, let's toast with juice instead of alcohol! Cheers!" Wang Yan stood up and raised his glass.
"Cheers!!!"
Twelve glass-filled glasses of juice clinked together loudly.
After a whirlwind of activity, all the various dishes on the table were gone.
After Wang Yan called the waiter to clean up the meeting room, everyone took their seats again.
"The match-ups for the knockout stage are out." Wang Yan's voice was calm; he had already drawn the lots at the Star Luo Empire's palace before coming.
"Our academy in the round of 16 is an old rival. The number one academy of the Douling Empire, the Douling Royal Academy."
Upon hearing the words "Douling Royal Academy," Chen Zifeng and Ling Luochen's expressions changed slightly.
Ling Luochen frowned and said, "Why are we facing them so early?"
Xiao Xiao asked curiously, "Is the Douling Royal Academy very strong?"
"The top four from last year, do you think that's strong or not?" Chen Zifeng sat up straight with a serious expression.
"The top four from last year! That's great, finally we've met a worthy opponent." Ma Xiaotao said with great enthusiasm.
Dai Yueheng, standing to the side, wasn't so optimistic and pressed on, "Teacher Wang, how strong are the Douling Royal Academy's team members this year?"
Wang Yan replied, "This year's Douling Royal Academy has five Soul Kings and two Soul Masters among their regular team members. They're very strong. Moreover, Douling Royal Academy isn't rigid; although they're an advanced Soul Master academy, they're also the best Soul Master academy in the Douling Empire. Through my observations, I've found that almost every one of their team members possesses a Soul Tool and can use it skillfully in the competition. At least two of them are true Soul Masters. With Soul King strength combined with Soul Tools, this opponent won't be easy to deal with."
Dai Yueheng asked doubtfully, "Teacher Wang, we qualified as the top team in our group in the round-robin tournament, so based on our strength, Douling Royal Academy should also have been the top team in their group, right? How did we end up being drawn against them? Isn't the top team in the group only drawn against the second-place team from other groups in the round of 16?"
"Wang Yan said, "Judging by strength, Douling Royal Academy should have qualified first in their group. But that's not the case. A dark horse emerged in their group, maintaining a perfect record before facing them. And for some reason, Douling Royal Academy forfeited their last match against that dark horse academy, thus qualifying as second place. Unexpectedly, they ran into us."
Chen Zifeng lowered his brows and pondered, "Could there be something wrong with this? Douling Royal Academy is a veteran academy. They must know the importance of being first in their group. What could possibly make them forfeit first place? Is it just to conserve their strength?"
Wang Yan said, "I've thought about that too. The difference between first and second place in the group is only in the round of 16. After that, it's meaningless. Douling Royal Academy must have something to rely on, and it must be very well hidden. We'll only see in the match."
"Alright, just five Soul Kings, what's the big deal? With me and Dai Yueheng here, they can't cause any trouble," Ma Xiaotao said nonchalantly. With Wu Xuan's first soul skill, her Phoenix Flame could instantly erupt at the extreme temperature of fire, easily handling five Soul Kings by herself.
"Xiao Tao, you and Yue Heng should conserve some strength and not go all out; it's part of the strategy. Okay, let's leave the digression aside for now. Now, I'll explain the rules of the elimination rounds," Wang Yan said, flipping through the documents in his hand.
Hearing that the important matter had arrived, everyone sat up straight and listened attentively.
Ma Xiao Tao secretly glared at Wang Yan. *I've endured so many matches already, and you expect me to endure more?* *Do you think I'm Xu Sanshi?*
"The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament has evolved over tens of thousands of years, with its rules constantly changing, especially the final elimination rounds. To make the competition more exciting and better showcase the overall strength of the participating academies, the format will differ from the earlier rounds. Unlike the round-robin tournaments, the elimination rounds will no longer be determined by drawing lots. Each elimination round will be held over two days, consisting of team battles and individual elimination rounds. Winning the team battle does not guarantee advancement. In the individual elimination rounds on the second day, a team with three or fewer members defeating all seven members of the opposing team will be able to turn the tide. The team that wins the team battle only needs to defeat three members of the opposing team to secure advancement."
"Now I'll arrange the lineup for tomorrow's match. Entering the knockout stage, we can't afford to be careless. Our opponents tomorrow are again last year's top four. So we must go all out. Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, Wu Xuan, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan. The seven of you will participate in the team battle, with Ling Luochen in control, and the rest of you launching a frontal assault to crush the opponent with our combined strength."
Wang Dong said somewhat dissatisfied, "Then Yuhao and I won't have anything to do anymore?"
Wang Yan smiled slightly and said, "As the competition progresses, no one can guarantee there won't be any casualties. As a rotation player, you are equally important. Plus, you possess Martial Soul Fusion Skills, so you must be prepared to join the battle at any time. Now, I'll arrange the tactics for tomorrow's team battle. No matter what the Douling Royal Academy has prepared, we must first give them a taste of their power."
Just then, there was a knock on the meeting room door.
Wang Yan frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Didn't I say that staff shouldn't disturb us?"
A melodious female voice came from outside the door, "Excuse me, I'm not a staff member. I'm from the Starlight Auction House."
Starlight Auction House? Hearing the somewhat familiar voice, Wang Yan couldn't help but pause for a moment. Bei Bei, who was closest to the door, had already stood up and gave Wang Yan an inquiring look. After seeing Wang Yan nod in affirmation, she went over and opened the door.
A woman in a long black dress stood outside the door. It was the auctioneer, Qingya, from the auction they had attended that day.
Qingya's gaze fell directly on Wang Yan. She smiled slightly and bowed to him, saying, "Hello, Teacher Wang. I apologize for disturbing you all."
Wang Yan's gaze softened slightly upon seeing her, and he said in a deep voice, "What brings you here, Auctioneer Qingya? And how did you find your way here?"
Qingya replied apologetically, "When you purchased the items last time, you paid using Shrek Academy's account, so we naturally guessed your origins. After making some inquiries, we've come to bother you today. It's like this: our Starlight Auction House is holding a top-tier auction tonight. Auctions of this caliber only happen once or twice a year. Only the most distinguished guests are invited."
"Last time, I was unaware that you were from Shrek Academy, the number one academy on the continent, and I apologize for my neglect. Our auction house owner asked me to distribute these invitations. If you are free tonight, you are welcome to attend this auction. I believe there will be something of interest to you at tonight's auction."
As she spoke, she took out a stack of invitations and placed them on the table. Then, with a smile, she bowed again and said, "I won't disturb you any longer. I apologize again." As she spoke, she slowly retreated, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.
Looking at the stack of exquisitely gold-embossed invitations, Wang Yan narrowed his eyes and said, "What an impressive Starlight Auction House! Twelve invitations, not one missing, and they even managed to deliver them despite the Star Luo Empire's official blockade of the hotel. Truly a grand gesture!"
Dai Yueheng took an invitation, examined it, and said, "It is indeed a top-tier auction. The auctioneer is right; auctions of this caliber only happen once or twice a year. I wasn't even qualified to attend before. Only my father, members of the royal family, wealthy merchants, top-tier Soul Masters, or Soul Instructors could participate in such auctions. There are definitely many good items, but their value is also extremely high. This Starlight Auction House is probably just trying to curry favor with our academy; there's probably no other intention. Teacher Wang, what do you think?"
Wang Yan glanced around at the students, seeing a glimmer of hope in almost every one of their eyes. They were indeed the most outstanding Soul Masters among their peers, but they were still just children. Their curiosity about new things was the same. Moreover, attending such a top-tier auction wasn't something easily done!
"Alright. Everyone's been competing for so long, you should relax a bit. Go back and change your clothes, we'll meet again later. But I have something to say beforehand: when you get to the Starlight Auction House, observe more and talk less to avoid any trouble. Don't let it affect tomorrow's crucial competition."
"Long live Teacher Wang!" Xiao Xiao was the first to jump up. Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and the others also looked jubilant.
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(End of this chapter)