boyutpedia Chapter 96 Honor? Profit!
Chapter 96 Honor? Profit!
Chapter 96 Honor? Profit!
The atmosphere in Shrek's rest area after the round-robin tournament ended was not as joyful as outsiders had imagined.
The door was tightly shut, and Zhou's face was ashen. His gaze, more stern than ever before, was fixed on Ma Xiaotao, who looked completely bewildered.
"Ma Xiaotao! Do you know what you've done?" Zhou Yi's voice was choked with suppressed anger, almost squeezed out from between her teeth. "Before the semi-finals, you deliberately exposed your strongest sixth soul skill! What's the difference between that and suicide? Your opponents can now devise countless tactics to counter you, based on the characteristics of your soul skill, its charging time, soul power consumption, and even its cooldown time! You've put yourself and the entire team in danger!"
Knowing she was in the wrong, Ma Xiaotao lowered her head, but a hint of stubborn defiance still lingered in her eyes. She simply couldn't stand the humiliation of being controlled.
Zhou Yi took a deep breath, suppressing her anger. "Insulting you won't help. Now, our opponents have figured out almost all of our strengths. We must prepare new trump cards, otherwise we'll be stuck in the semifinals and finals!"
Her gaze shifted to Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, a decisive glint in her eyes. "Yuhao, Wang Dong. I have a bold hypothesis. You two possess multiple martial souls, yet you can unleash the Golden Path martial soul fusion skill with 100% fusion. This is an extremely rare occurrence. This means that there might be some deeper, more perfect synergy between all your martial souls that we haven't fully understood yet."
She threw out a groundbreaking idea: "Since two martial souls can fuse, then—is it possible for your four martial souls to be paired up in pairs to create—more than one martial soul fusion skill?"
Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were both stunned, then their eyes blazed with disbelief. The idea was incredibly bold, yet brimming with irresistible allure. They had never considered this direction before.
"Different combinations of martial souls might produce drastically different fusion effects, possessing entirely new abilities and immense power!" Zhou Yi's voice was encouraging. "This is currently the only direction we can potentially use to quickly form new combat strength. During your rest time, don't go anywhere; focus on researching this possibility!"
"Yes, Teacher Zhou!" the two replied in unison, filled with excitement and fighting spirit. They immediately ran to the side and began to discuss and try it out in hushed tones.
The following day, after a short rest and intensive training, the entire Shrek team gathered again in the conference room, the atmosphere heavy.
Zhou Yi cut to the chase without wasting words, "The final four teams have been decided. They are Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, Star Luo National Academy, Heavenly Soul Imperial Academy, and our Shrek Academy."
Her gaze swept over everyone, her tone heavy but frank, "To be fair, in terms of sheer strength on paper, Shrek Academy is currently the weakest of the top four. The other three academies can each send at least five Soul King-level members. Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy and Di'ao Academy even have Soul Emperors of the same level as Ma Xiaotao in charge."
"Moreover, in this era of rapid development of soul tools, Soul Emperor-level powerhouses no longer possess absolute dominance. A powerful and highly targeted soul tool could potentially give a Soul Master or Soul King the ability to threaten a Soul Emperor. Xiao Tao's situation will be more difficult than that of any Soul Emperor in any previous tournament."
After speaking, she turned her gaze to Dai Youheng, who was sitting to the side with a calm expression.
"Youheng," Zhou Yi's tone was more solemn than ever before, with a hint of earnestness, "From the round-robin stage until now, no matter who the opponent was, you seemed to play with complete ease, your depth unfathomable. I believe this is not your full potential. In the final two matches, the academy needs you, needs you to give it your all, without holding back!"
She invoked Shrek Academy's millennia-long glory, saying, "Since Tang San led the first generation of the Shrek Seven Devils to defeat the Spirit Hall Academy and win the championship ten thousand years ago, this championship trophy has never left Shrek! This glory, this tradition, must not be lost in our hands! We cannot become the sinners of Shrek!"
Dai Youheng inwardly scoffed. What did Shrek Academy's eternal honor have to do with him? He came to participate for two reasons: first, to gain experience and demonstrate his strength; and second, to gain the attention and investment of Xu Jiujiu and Dai Hao, paving the way for future plans.
A hint of difficulty appeared on his face. "Teacher Zhou, I understand what you mean. But I am only a Soul Master after all, and my strength is limited. I can only do my best."
Zhou Yi was incredibly astute and immediately understood the subtext in his words: "Don't act until you see the benefit."
She gritted her teeth and offered a substantial temptation: "The champion of this competition will be rewarded with three extremely high-quality soul bones. The team leader has always been responsible for distributing them. If you can help your team win the final championship, I, as the team leader, guarantee you that one of these three soul bones will definitely be yours!"
Upon hearing this, Dai Youheng finally managed a genuine smile.
That's right. What's the use of empty talk about honors? Real benefits are what truly matter.
Of course, he still had to say the polite words. He immediately straightened his back, his face changing to a passionate expression, "Teacher Zhou, rest assured! For the eternal glory of the academy, for the beliefs of Shrek Academy, I, Dai Youheng, will definitely fight with all my might, even to the death!"
Of course, he added in his mind that the "full power" of the Evil Shadow Demon Tiger Martial Soul and the Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Blade, as well as trump cards like the Reversal of Fate Demon Pill and the external soul bone Ice and Fire Lotus Wings, would never be exposed in this situation.
With the tactical arrangements finalized, everyone headed to the semi-final venue with mixed feelings.
Today, the atmosphere at Xingluo Square is more enthusiastic and solemn than ever before.
Starting from the semifinals, the competition is no longer a matter of choosing one of the following: team battle, one-on-one duel, or 2-2-3 battle.
Instead, all three matches must be played, and only those who win two out of three matches can advance.
Day 1, team battle.
Less than five minutes before the draw began, the gates of the Imperial Palace swung open, and Emperor Xu Jiawei of Xingluo, surrounded by his guards, strode out and walked toward the competition stage. He was present in person today.
"Long live! Long live! Long live!" All the soldiers responsible for maintaining order raised their weapons and shouted "Long live!"
The members of the four teams all stood up and bowed to His Majesty the Emperor.
Emperor Xu Jiawei was surrounded by four old men in the center. Although there were not many guards around him, his protective force seemed weak.
However, everyone knew that this guard team was actually extremely powerful, because the four old men were probably all titled Douluo level experts from the Star Luo Empire.
Ever since the Spirit Hall, which once controlled the strongest spirit master power on the continent, was destroyed by Tang San ten thousand years ago.
The vast majority of powerful figures in the Soul Master world have been recruited by various empires. As Soul Masters have become more and more skilled in cultivating their Martial Souls, coupled with the various medicinal aids available in this era, the frequency of Title Douluo appearances has increased significantly compared to ten thousand years ago.
However, a large portion of these titled Douluo relied on drugs to overcome their final bottleneck. This method of drug assistance resulted in their true strength being significantly weaker than those who broke through on their own.
Of course, even so, the total number of Title Douluos is still scarce, and for every country, a Title Douluo is a national treasure.
Moreover, even among Title Douluo, their Martial Souls, Soul Rings, and Soul Bones differ greatly. Their cultivation levels can be described as worlds apart.
For example, experts like Mu Enxuanzi, these four titled Douluo combined, could be dealt with by them with one hand.
Surrounded by four Title Douluos, Xu Jiawei stepped onto the arena, facing the direction of Star Luo Square, and said with a smile, "My people, rise!"
"The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament is the most important event held every five years on our Douluo Continent. I am deeply honored that this tournament can be held in my Star Luo. First of all, I would like to thank the academy teams from various countries. It is they who have contributed a series of fair and exciting matches, allowing us to see the rapid development of soul masters and soul masters on the continent."
"The semi-finals of the top four will begin shortly, and this year's Soul Fighting Tournament is drawing to a close. The draw for the top four is also the final round of the tournament, so I have decided to preside over it personally. I hope that Shrek Academy, Di'ao Academy, Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, and our Star Luo National Academy will all deliver a thrilling and visually spectacular final match."
Xu Jiawei spoke with great passion, and as soon as he finished speaking, he was once again greeted with cheers from the crowd.
"This competition has now reached its final climax. To ensure absolute fairness and security in the semi-finals and finals, I have decided to specially invite the Imperial Guardian Douluo, Senior Huang Jinxu, to personally serve as the referee for the remaining matches!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a figure appeared silently in the center of the arena, like a ghost.
The newcomer wore a simple gray robe, his face was withered, and his eyes were indifferent, as if he had no attachment to anything in the world. However, he exuded a chilling loneliness and a powerful sense of oppression, which should be the special temperament brought to him by his martial soul.
"Heavenly Fiend Douluo, Huang Jinxu!" Elder Ma, the team leader from the Sun Moon Empire, exclaimed in a low voice, his expression changing slightly, clearly aware of the man's prowess.
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