After the match, Feng Xiaotian and the others returned to the rest area and celebrated with Wu Qi by exchanging high-fives.
In an excellent mood, Changkong laughed heartily.
"I thought they could really take a beating. Turns out they were all bark and no bite."
Feng Xiaotian, however, didn't underestimate their opponents.
"The Mammoth Spiral Cannon is quite powerful. If I had been fighting alone back at Godwind Academy, it would've been rather troublesome."
Wu Qi knew that Huyan Li hadn't revealed all of his trump cards during the match. At the very least, he still hadn't used his helmet-type spirit bone.
Of course, even if he had, it wouldn't have made much difference against someone as agile as Feng Xiaotian.
Looking through the tournament schedule, Wu Qi said.
"Our opponent tomorrow is Skywater Academy."
Sun Buyu added.
"Godwind Academy, Blazing Academy, and Skywater Academy have all already forfeited their matches against us. Everyone can take tomorrow off."
There was nothing surprising about that.
The three academies had always maintained close ties, and Huo Lie and the others knew exactly how powerful the Seven Treasure Team was. Naturally, they had no intention of recklessly challenging them and exposing too many of their own trump cards.
Of course, that only applied to the preliminary rounds. Once they reached the finals, none of them would surrender so easily.
The highlight of the following day's competition was the match between the Shrek Team and the Elephant Armor Team.
Since the tournament began, Shrek had maintained a perfect winning streak. No matter how poor their reputation was, no one questioned their strength.
Some of their supporters had even begun calling Shrek the tournament's biggest dark horse.
Although the Elephant Armor Team had already suffered defeats, those losses had come against the championship favorites, the Seven Treasure Team, and another dark horse, Skywater Academy.
Those defeats were understandable.
As a result, many people still acknowledged their strength.
It was also worth noting that today, the Elephant Armor Sect Master, Huyan Zhen, had personally arrived to watch the competition.
During the previous Seven Great Sects Reorganization Conference, the Elephant Armor Sect had ranked only sixth among the seven great sects.
Now, however, it was showing clear signs of becoming the strongest among the Lower Four Sects, and no one dared underestimate it.
Therefore, when Huyan Zhen appeared beside Salas, he immediately attracted considerable attention.
Since the Godwind, Skywater, and Blazing factions had already "joined" the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi wasn't surprised by Huyan Zhen's appearance.
Using voice transmission, Bone Douluo asked curiously.
"Fengzhi, what's that old fellow Huyan Zhen doing here?"
Things were completely different from the original timeline.
Shrek Academy was no longer a team favored by the royal family. Instead, they had become the royal family's enemy.
Would Huyan Zhen really be kind enough to vent the royal family's anger for them?
Even Ning Fengzhi couldn't guess his intentions.
Still, whatever Huyan Zhen was planning, it wouldn't cause any losses for them.
Meanwhile, as one of the competing teams, Shrek had completed careful preparations before the match.
Grandmaster reminded Tang San,"Tang San, the Elephant Armor Team's Mammoth Spiral Cannon is specifically designed to counter aerial opponents."
"It may not have achieved its full effect against a Spirit King like Feng Xiaotian, but against all of you, it would be extremely effective. Unless absolutely necessary, don't take to the air, or you'll become easy targets."
Tang San nodded solemnly.
However, he hadn't forgotten how the Seven Treasure Team had dealt with it yesterday.
He was confident that his martial soul was no weaker than Zhou Yun's Thorn Demon Vine. By using the same large net to bind the Elephant Armor Team, he could likewise prevent them from launching the Mammoth Spiral Cannon.
"For this match, Tailong will replace Fatty."
"Against defense-type Spirit Masters, Tailong is more effective than Fatty."
Leaving Ma Hongjun out of such an important battle certainly looked like favoritism.
However, Tang San's explanation was perfectly reasonable, leaving Flender with nothing to object to.
On the Elephant Armor Team's side, everyone was equally puzzled.
"Why did the Sect Master order us to defeat Shrek Academy at all costs? Isn't that unnecessary?" Huyan Ba asked in confusion.
Even Huyan Li didn't know the reason.
Although they had already lost two matches, their chances of advancing were still excellent.
Even if they lost to Thunderclap Academy and Shrek Academy as well, they would still qualify as long as they defeated the combined Godwind-Blazing Team.
After all, with elite members like Feng Xiaotian and Huo Wushuang gone, even the combined forces of Godwind Academy and Blazing Academy were significantly weaker.
Since that was the case, there was no need to reveal all their hidden cards by fighting Shrek to the bitter end.
Naturally, Huyan Li and the others had no idea that the order hadn't come from Huyan Zhen at all.
It had come from Xue Qinghe.
Grandmaster had openly challenged the royal family and was also Bibi Dong's former lover. There was no way Xue Qinghe would simply let that slide.
Having the Elephant Armor Team fight Shrek with everything they had was entirely his idea.
By late morning, the Shrek Team and the Elephant Armor Team stepped onto the arena.
Every member of the Seven Treasure Team had also arrived to watch the match from the stands.
"How about we make a bet on who'll win?" Changkong suggested. "I'm putting ten Gold Spirit Coins on the Elephant Armor Team."
Judging from their lineups on paper, the two teams were evenly matched, making the outcome difficult to predict.
Sun Buyu laughed.
"A little gambling adds to the fun. I'll be the bookmaker. Anyone else want to place a bet?"
After thinking for a moment, Feng Xiaotian also placed his bet on the Elephant Armor Team.
After all, when it came to overall foundation and experience, the Elephant Armor Team far surpassed Shrek.
Besides, Huyan Li was Huyan Zhen's grandson. He was certain to have hidden trump cards.
There were six elite teams in this tournament, but only five could advance.
This match might very well determine which of the two teams would secure one of the final qualifying spots.
Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu trusted Feng Xiaotian's judgment, so each of them also bet ten Gold Spirit Coins on the Elephant Armor Team.
Weighing the money pouch in his hand, Sun Buyu grinned.
"If nobody bets on Shrek, then if the Elephant Armor Team wins, I'll be taking all forty Gold Spirit Coins."
Wu Qi smiled, took out ten Gold Spirit Coins, and placed his bet on the Shrek Team.
Everyone else's analysis was sound, but it relied on one assumption, that Tang San wasn't a transmigrator.
Having lived two lifetimes, Tang San possessed extraordinary knowledge, and the techniques of the Tang Sect were especially valuable in a tournament like this.
Furthermore, the current Shrek Team had fielded nearly all of its strongest members, making them even stronger than they had been in the original timeline.
Chen Ping and Ning Rongrong chose to trust Wu Qi's judgment.
Changkong briefly considered changing his bet, but wagering on both sides was pointless, so he decided to stick with his original choice.
The substitute members placed their bets casually. None of them cared much about the outcome, and ten Gold Spirit Coins wasn't a significant amount to them.
As the match began, the Elephant Armor Team abandoned yesterday's strategy and instead launched a fast offensive.
Huyan Li struck first with a powerful punch, immediately activating his Third Spirit Skill. He leaped high into the air and came crashing down toward Dai Mubai.
Combined with his tremendous body weight and the force of his descent, Dai Mubai couldn't withstand the attack alone.
Under Tang San's direction, Tailong rushed over to assist him, while Yu Tianheng held the front line to prevent the other members of the Elephant Armor Team from launching surprise attacks.
After the first exchange, neither side gained the upper hand.
However, the Elephant Armor Team's fast-attack strategy had already fallen apart.
Watching from below the arena, Grandmaster sneered.
"They actually tried to imitate Shrek's tactics. What a foolish fantasy."
With their strategy having failed, the Elephant Armor Team should have been forced onto the defensive.
Yet their enormous physiques and overwhelming physical strength allowed them to endure the pressure and compensate for their tactical mistakes.
Watching from the VIP platform, Huyan Zhen frowned.
He didn't interfere with the team's tactical decisions, but employing such a strategy was simply foolish.
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