"My last guess, which I think is highly probable, is that there's him in you and you in him."
After he said this, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were stunned. They looked at each other, and Huo Yuhao had a weird look in his eyes. Wang Dong shifted his gaze away the moment their eyes met. His tender face blushed a little.
"Don't misinterpret what I'm saying." Wang Yan snapped at them, "I'm talking about your martial souls, not the both of you. You kids nowadays have such fertile imaginations."
"You were the one being ambiguous," Wang Dong retorted.
Wang Yan ignored him and continued, "The him in you and you in him that I mentioned refers to the fact that there may be some form of co-existence between your martial souls internally, even though they seem to be unconnected on the surface. It's a little awkward to put it this way. I'll give you an example to clarify things."
"For example, the Spirit Eyes and Radiant Butterfly Goddess do not seem to be connected to each other. However, what if Yuhao's Spirit Eyes contain the power of light? This means that Yuhao's martial soul contains a characteristic of Wang Dong's martial soul. Let's shift our attention to the Ice Jade Scorpion and Wang Dong's strength-type martial soul. I've checked, and found out that the strength of the Ice Jade Scorpion is rather powerful. This means that an Ic,e Jade Scorpion possesses strength. This may be a key point why both of your martial souls could fuse together. However, I will still need to research the details further."
After hearing Wang Yan's words, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong pondered them carefully, and their faces gradually showed looks of admiration. Yes! The situation described by Teacher Wang did exist in their bodies, but they hadn't thought of his point before. In this way, it didn't seem too unexpected that their martial souls had fused.
Wang Yan grinned, and his eyes were filled with fanaticism as he said, "Whatever the reason for the fusion of your martial souls, they have already fused. I will continue to research further, but this is not the main point. After all, what's supposed to have fused has already fused. What I really want to research is the difference between the fusion of your twin martial souls and that of a single martial soul.
"Both of you have such a high degree of compatibility. This produced the Golden Road, a powerful martial soul fusion skill in terms of control. Then, did the both of you realize that this is only a fusion between your first martial souls!? Since this is the case, will 4 different fusions occur? As the two of you have two martial souls each, this allows for 4 different permutations. Theoretically speaking, there's the possibility of 4 martial soul fusion skills."
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong stared at each other and saw the shock in each other's eyes. 4 martial soul fusion skills? What kind of concept was that? If they could possess 4 different skills and use them at the same time, they might be able to challenge a soul king with their current abilities!
Wang Yan leaned into the sofa and watched their shimmering eyes. "However, don't be too optimistic. Besides the fact that it's almost impossible for four martial soul fusion skills to appear, you won't have the ability to use all four martial soul fusion skills in battle even if they appear. That's because the power of the martial soul fusion skills will rise along with your cultivations. At the same time, your soul power will be depleted much quicker upon using them. I estimate that the two of you will only be able to use two martial soul fusion skills in a battle, unless some unprecedented situation occurs. Of course, both of your futures will be very bright if more martial soul fusion skills appear.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Wang, is it really possible? Then what should we do?"
Wang Yan replied, "I'm not sure if it's really possible. I mentioned before that such a situation has never appeared in the history of soul masters. The reason why I'm proposing this is because I hope for the both of you to try it out. What you have to do is very simple. It'll still be a fusion of martial souls. However, I hope that both of you can summon a different martial soul during the fusion process. That means both of you should try to summon the single martial soul. There may be a possibility of success."
"So it's that simple!" Wang Dong said.
Wang Yan chuckled, "What else did you think you had to do? For incompatible martial souls, everything will still be futile even with ten thousand attempts. But for those like you, whose martial souls are compatible, this process is not difficult. Based on the use of the martial soul fusion skill that both of you possess now, I believe that the other three martial soul fusion skills can be unleashed once every 3 days if you are able to succeed at your other 3 fusions. Thus, I shall give you both 9 days. Within 9 days, you'll have to complete all the experiments. Wang Dong, can you tell me what your second martial soul is?"
Wang Dong hesitated for a moment before nodding his head. Then, he said, "My second martial soul is the Clear Sky Hammer."
After hearing the words 'Clear Sky Hammer', Wang Yan stood up in shock from the sofa before Huo Yuhao even had a chance to react. "What, the Clear Sky Hammer? It's actually the Clear Sky Hammer. You are from the Clear Sky Sect?"
Wang Dong nodded his head and replied, "Yes! Why?"
Wang Yan laughed bitterly. "No wonder. The Clear Sky Sect was once the top sect on the continent! Come to think of it, it has a rather close yet complicated relationship with our academy. But as the Tang Sect fell, the Clear Sky Sect hid itself from the world again. If I'm not wrong, a direct disciple should have the surname Tang! Why is your surname Wang then?"
Wang Dong snorted and said, "This is my secret. I can't tell the both of you. What's wrong if my surname is Wang? Inheriting the Clear Sky Hammer means that I'm a part of the Clear Sky Sect. Furthermore, the Clear Sky Sect did not really hide itself from the world."
"No wonder," Wang Yan muttered, "Yuhao's second martial soul is Ultimate Ice. You are compatible with him because you have the most powerful offensive tool on the continent. I am really looking forward to the other martial soul fusion skills that can be created between the both of you. I suggest that the both of you try to fuse the Clear Sky Hammer and Ice Jade Scorpion first. These are two martial souls that have not been used in your current martial soul fusion skill. After this, the two of you should try fusing the Clear Sky Hammer and Spirit Eyes, as well as the Ice Jade Scorpion and Radiant Butterfly Goddess."
"Teacher Wang, is it possible for 3 or even all 4 martial souls to fuse together at the same time?" Huo Yuhao asked suddenly.
Wang Yan jumped in shock, and hurriedly said, "No. Don't ever attempt that, at least not now. It's not easy to tell what will arise from that kind of situation. However, a martial soul fusion skill causes a great depletion of power. Once you attempt a fusion of such a degree, both of your powers may be depleted even if you succeed. To be safe, only consider such an attempt when your cultivations reach six rings. As long as you succeed with one of the three combinations that I proposed, there will be extra changes in your strategy for the latter stages of the tournament."
"3 rounds have already been completed in the round robin stage. We have also met our strongest competitor in our small group, which was the Justsky Academy. The remaining 4 rounds won't be too difficult for us either. Especially for tomorrow's competition, since Ling Luochen has already recovered from her injuries and can participate. After one more round, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng will also recover. With the return of these 3 official team members, it won't be too difficult for us, at least during the round robin stage. The two of you should think on how you can unleash a brand new martial soul fusion skill."
Huo Yuhao said, "Teacher Wang, we will do our best. However, please keep this a secret for us."
Wang Yan nodded and said, "Naturally. I may not even let you use your new martial soul fusion skill even if you succeed. After all, you will carry the responsibility of handling the Shrek Academy Tournament in 5 years' time.
Huo Yuhao said, "Teacher Wang, can you give me that Soul-Devouring Carving Knife? I am a spiritual-type soul master. When I bid for that carving knife, I had a feeling that it had some sort of special connection to me. I'm sure it won't harm us."
Wang Yan shook his head and said, "No, I can't. The two of you are the pride of our academy. Even if there's only a slight danger, I still must keep you away from it. It's not too late for you to try using it under the guidance of your teacher from the soul tool department when we return to the academy. You can't possibly make a soul tool right now.���
"I…" Huo Yuhao was helpless, and could only forget his wish to obtain the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife.
After bidding goodbye to Wang Yan, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong returned to Huo Yuhao's room excitedly. However, they couldn't possibly try a new martial soul fusion skill right now. They had just unleashed the Golden Road yesterday, and their bodies had not yet recovered fully. If they were not at their peak states, it was less likely for their martial soul fusion to succeed. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao had already expended all his energy. Hence, their priority now was to recover.
As the Haodong Power was initiated, they entered a state of cultivation very quickly. In their hearts, they were yearning for the creation of a new martial soul fusion skill.
Wang Yan's words seemed to have opened a door for them. Even though they had not attempted it yet, the two of them had the feeling that they would succeed.
Gloomy clouds filled the sky. Rounds after round of the Continental Advanced Soul Duelling Tournament continued. As of yesterday, the third round of the tournament had already ended. There were only 1 or 2 teams that managed to ensure perfect winning streaks in each small group.
With the results of the first 3 rounds of competition in, the situation was much clearer. The traditional powerhouses pulled away from the rest, and the team that evoked the most debate was still the top academy of the continent, Shrek Academy!
Today should mark Shrek Academy's fourth appearance in the round robin stage of the tournament. However, nobody knew whether they would participate today, and if they did, whether they would emerge victorious in the end.
Shrek's Seven Monsters had relied upon their incredible perseverance and determination, as well as their extraordinary talent, to overcome stronger opponents during their last battle. Their lineup had been composed of four soul ancestors, one soul elder and two soul grandmasters, but they still defeated their opponents, Justsky Academy, who had had three soul kings and four soul ancestors in their lineup. Despite their victory, they had paid a painful price for it. Six of them had hit the deck the moment their battles ended, and some of them were severely injured. It was hard to say whether or not Shrek Academy had enough people for the next round.
Furthermore, could they recreate the same miracle if they went on to the next round? Could they win today's contest with an exhausted and wounded team?
All the spectators had already arrived on scene way before the appointed time, and they were all silently standing in wait with these doubts in mind. They either wanted to see another phenomenal performance from Shrek Academy, or Shrek Academy's exasperated and helpless defeat.
It was already midday, but dark clouds were moving aimlessly in the sky and the heavens seemed a little gloomy. A light drizzle had begun as miniscule raindrops drifted downwards. This was the first time there had been rain since the beginning of the competition, and there was no doubt that the teams would carry on the contest in the rain.
"Here they come!" Somebody shouted into the air as the audience, the participants and the other students turned towards the entry tunnel.
Indeed, the troupe of participants from Shrek Academy were here, clad in their dark green school uniforms.
Bei Bei, as the team leader, led the entire company. He Caitou, Jiang Nannan, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong and another young girl who looked like she was around twenty years of age followed closely behind in that order. Nobody had seen this girl before in this competition.
This young girl was elegant and pretty, but her expression was ice-cold. Their teacher in charge, Wang Yan, was behind her. This meant that only six people would represent Shrek Academy in today's contest – Xiao Xiao and Xu Sanshi were both absent, as Xiao Xiao had been heavily injured, and Xu Sanshi's vitality had been damaged.
Xu Sanshi needed to recuperate after bruising his vitality. Even though Xiao Xiao's injuries had been stabilized, there was no way she could participate in the competition for the time being. There was a silver lining to her injuries – she was now at the bottleneck of Rank 30, and was on the brink of becoming a soul elder once she broke through. All she had to do was gain another soul ring.
Therefore, it could be said that Xiao Xiao had remained at the hotel to recover and cultivate at the same time. The girl with the chilly expression that walked behind every other participant was Ling Luochen, who was a control system battle soul master with an ice-type martial soul.
Even if there were people who were familiar with the participants from Shrek Academy in the previous competition, those who recognized Ling Luochen were few and far between. Puberty could change a girl's looks in all kinds of ways, and Lin Luochen was but fourteen or fifteen years old five years ago. She was nearing twenty now, and there had been many transformations in her physical appearance since the last time she had competed. Furthermore, she had never made an appearance for Shrek Academy when she was only a reserve participant. This was the reason why nobody was familiar with her abilities.
The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy's team had the biggest reaction upon seeing her appearance. Ma Rulong's eyebrows creased as he muttered under his breath, "Are they finally sending out members of the official team? If I remember correctly, their team at this competition consists of ten people. This is the first appearance of someone outside of the reserve team."
Wang Yan didn't arrange any tactics or strategy when they entered the resting lounge. Due to Shrek's Seven Monsters' outstanding performance in the last round, Wang Yan had completely let go of his authority and handed it over to Bei Bei.
Bei Bei wasn't severely injured, and was but a little exhausted. He had already recovered after two days of rest, and with the help of his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul and the physique of a Golden Holy Dragon soul master.
Instead of sitting down, Bei Bei stood before his comrades and said, "Our opponents today are from the Longpeace Academy of Star Luo City. It can be said that they're battling us on their home ground. Even though their strength cannot be compared to Justsky Academy's, they're not that weak, and they have a soul king amongst their ranks. I will decide on the order of battle after drawing lots."
The judge swiftly arrived on stage and the announced the drawing of lots. Bei Bei displayed his unnaturally lucky touch, and it was clear that luck was on Shrek's side today. In light of the fact that they were a man down, a group battle gave them the best edge, and the result of the ballot was as such.
Bei Bei was about to step off of the stage after the ballot was drawn when the team leader from Longpeace Academy exclaimed, "It seems the task of defeating Shrek Academy has fallen to us."
He was big and tall, with a center parting to his hair. There was a tinge of arrogance in his eyes, and he looked at Bei Bei as if he was looking at an opponent that he had already defeated.
Bei Bei glanced at him from the corner of his eye and curled his mouth a little. "Just like the bamboo shoots in the mountains. A sharp mouth and tough skin – but empty inside." As he spoke, he had already stepped off the stage.
Longpeace Academy's team leader was boisterous in speech, and he had been loud enough for the other members of Shrek Academy, who had already entered the waiting area, to hear him.
He Caitou was indignant. "Seems like everybody wants to bully Shrek Academy. We will surely teach them a lesson later."
At this moment, Ling Luochen stood up and stepped over to Bei Bei's side. She lowered her voice and said, "Do they really think we have no depth? Leave this group battle to me, Bei Bei. Let Huo Yuhao and I take this round. I will make them pay the price for their outrageousness."
Bei Bei hesitated. "Just the two of you? Senior sister, this…"
Ling Luochen lowered her voice again and said, "I never joke about Shrek Academy's honor and glory."
Bei Bei contemplated his options for a moment, then nodded his head. "Alright. Do be careful."
Ling Luochen gestured to Huo Yuhao and whispered something in his ear. Huo Yuhao nodded his head repeatedly before he followed Ling Luochen onto the competition stage.
All seven members Longpeace Academy's team had moved swiftly to the stage after the conclusion of the ballot. Even though they hadn't stepped back into their corner, their cone formation was set up, and the person standing at the forefront was their outrageous team leader.
The judge was a little confused as he only saw two members from Shrek Academy on stage. "This is a group battle, Shrek Academy. It's not a two-two-three fight or anything – please get the other members on stage. If not, they'll be considered to have forfeited this round."
Longpeace Academy's team leader laughed condescendingly. "Shrek Academy is truly disappointing! Making such a low-level mistake when under stress." He sighed, "What bad news for the reputation of the number one academy on the continent. Let's get ready, boys. We will not lose this round due to a moment's lapse in concentration."
Ling Luochen said plainly, "We only need two people for this group battle." She hadn't even looked at her opponents once as she took Huo Yuhao to the other corner of the competition stage.
The judge was slightly taken aback, and couldn't help but press the issue. "Will it really just be the two you?"
Ling Luochen nodded her head without even turning back as she sauntered away.
Longpeace Academy was a little perplexed as well. "Are they too arrogant, or are they preparing to admit defeat?"
One of the participants beside him said, "I think it's more likely they're trying to admit defeat. They are too depleted from the last round, and they barely managed to bring six people here today. I've never seen this girl before. They only have two people on stage – what else can it be, but attempting to admit defeat? This is a kind of self-assurance, as losing a battle to seven people when they're only two isn't embarrassing at all. However, a loss is a loss, and Shrek Academy will still have lost this battle."
All seven members of Longpeace Academy's team seemed to agree with this argument. This was the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, and they refused to believe that these two people on stage were about to challenge them in any way.
The judge heard their flagrant discussion, and his eyebrows furrowed. He said with a serious voice, "Step back, all of you. Get ready for battle."
He disagreed with their assessment. As a powerful soul sage, he could feel the fearsome ripples of soul power coming from Ling Luochen's body. It was clear that she was at least a soul king – a soul king from Shrek Academy. As such, she was at least thirty percent stronger than the soul kings from other academies. With a participant of her level, how could Shrek Academy just be admitting defeat?
Ling Luochen had already retreated to the edge of the stage. She took point, while Huo Yuhao stood behind her. Her expression was typically chilly, but right now her face was so icy that it was frightening. It was even a little pale.
She was a member of the official team from Shrek Academy. She didn't have an explosive temper like Ma Xiaotao, but the pride deep within her heart was no different from the same pride shared by the other members of Shrek. She would never swallow any humiliation suffered by Shrek Academy.
Following the lowering of his right hand, all of the members of Longpeace Academy's team immediately released their respective martial souls. It was hard to deny the reason behind their outrageousness – besides their team leader, who was a soul king, the other six were soul ancestors. Furthermore, their team leader had the optimal combination of two yellow, two purple and one black soul ring. This was the origin of his arrogance.
Ling Luochen unleashed her martial soul as well – she also had two yellow, two purple and one black soul ring. Huo Yuhao had two white soul rings behind her, as usual. Nobody knew the true level of his soul rings, and this included Wang Dong and his other friends, let alone his opponents.
Ling Luochen raised her right hand and exclaimed, "Begin." Following the flickers of her first soul ring, the Icy Staff appeared in her hands, and the surrounding air instantly became freezing cold.
She was naturally speaking to Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao stepped forward and closed his eyes as he pressed both of his hands to Ling Luochen's back.
Immediately, Ling Luochen's eyes turned even colder as an inexplicable aura started to emanate from her body. In the next moment, she directly channeled her fifth soul ring – the black one – and she began to radiate a pressurizing effulgence as the brilliant color extended outwards.
The seven people from Longpeace Academy who had just released their martial souls immediately felt that something was amiss, because they could feel a rapid fall in temperature. Then they saw the icy-blue halo of light opposite them starting to expand.
"That crazy woman is using her ten thousand year soul skill straightaway. Everyone, be careful," their team leader cursed in a low voice. He immediately released his soul skill as he prepared to resist carefully. From his perspective, a soul skill with such a large area-of-effect could not be too powerful. If they could withstand it, they would counter-attack. After all, there was strength in numbers.
However, he soon saw something that made his gaze pause. In his field of vision, the judge of the competition, who was swiftly moving away from the center of the arena, suddenly stumbled.
Then, this unlucky judge turned into an ice statue. He was frozen in a retreating position.
What was going on?
Before the people from Longpeace Academy could react, they all felt an immense, frigid chill at the same time. It appeared to be coming straight for them. Then, their vision started to blur. While they were still conscious, their martial souls, soul power, and even their soul skills were frozen in the ice and snow.
In an instant, there were eight sculptures in the arena.
Ling Luochen retracted her staff and turned to Huo Yuhao and said, "Go, kick them all down. Remember, use only your legs and not your hands. These foul-mouthed scoundrels don't warrant such respect."
Huo Yuhao's heart missed a beat. He thought, "The seniors from the inner courtyard are so strong!"
The strategy that Ling Luochen had just used was very simple. With the help of Huo Yuhao, her ice-elemental attack had turned into Ultimate Ice, and then she had used her fifth soul skill, the Icebrilliant Halo.
While it was Ultimate Ice, with her powerful control of magic and elemental mastery, she was able to freeze her opponents for a while. Coupled with Huo Yuhao���s Ultimate Ice, even if her opponent were a Soul King, he would be unable to escape for at least ten minutes.
This was the terrifying aspect of an Ultimate martial soul. If aided by the same element, the power of Ultimate Ice would become abnormally terrifying.
The audience and representatives from the various schools were all dumbfounded.
The moment Huo Yuhao walked past the unfortunate judge, the ice cracked, and the judge was able to break free from it. However, his entire body shivered for a while because of the cold. He seemed to have something to say, but in the end, he swallowed his words, which were likely a warning against beating the judges.
If a Soul Sage could be frozen for a period of time, what was there to say about a Soul King?
Subsequently, the 'battle' chiefly became a scene where all Huo Yuhao did was kick the seven ice sculptures that enclosed the members of Longpeace Academy's team. The teacher in charge of the academy was deathly afraid that his team would be injured from the impacts, and rushed down to catch his students as Huo Yuhao kicked them out of the arena. Fortunately, Huo Yuhao was generous enough to give that teacher enough time to catch each of his students.
The judge had recovered from his shivers too. In shock, he stared at Ling Luochen, who had already withdrawn her martial soul, and proclaimed, "Winner, Shrek Academy."
The entire audience was stunned.
Just as everyone thought that Shrek Academy was out of the fight, Ling Luochen used her powerful ice-manipulation skills to tell them that Shrek Academy was still number one in the continent! They were the invincible Shrek Academy!
The faces of the students from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy appeared to have frozen over. They seemed to have lost their ability to think.
In the earlier rounds of the competition, no matter how excitingly Shrek Academy battled, no matter how strong their will, they would show them respect at most, and never caution. After all, a preparatory team was ultimately a preparatory team. If they had so much difficulty resisting the onslaught from Justsky Academy, what more could be said about them? Even Ma Rulong, their captain, believed that victory would ultimately be theirs.
However, just as their hearts were filled with hope, Ling Luochen appeared today. She was able to control all her opponents in the blink of an eye. This was not enough to shock everyone from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. After all, they had been careless when dealing with her. What shocked them was that the judge, a Soul Sage, was frozen by her too. Even though the judge was only frozen for five seconds, and he had not released his martial soul, it was a testament to Ling Luochen's powerful ten thousand year soul skill.
Who dared to say that they would not be immobilized by her powerful soul skill? In a battle, even if one was immobilized for a single second, the consequences on the outcome of the battle would be dire! Shrek Academy only deployed a single Soul King, but was able to stun everyone with her prowess. This was testament to the awe of Shrek Academy.
When Ling Luochen and Huo Yuhao left the arena, the others from Shrek stared at each other. They knew the power of this icy-cold soul master, who was also a member of the official team.
Ling Luochen was able to maximize her own elemental powers with the help of Huo Yuhao's Ultimate Ice. However, the power of her ten thousand year soul skill was equally terrifying too! Skills with an area-of-effect coverage were the hardest to control. Yet, they were able to see that when the Icebrilliant Halo appeared, it did not spread out in all four directions, but instead went straight for her opponents. This was enough to illustrate her mastery over ice, which she could control as well as any other part of her body.
Wang Yan exhaled, and his body evidently relaxed. With the return of Ling Luochen, Shrek Academy regained its status as a powerful team. As the teacher in charge of this team, the pressure on him had been greatly reduced. Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng would soon return too. The upcoming rounds would be easier for them.
Ever since he had brought the team here, he had been under a huge amount of pressure. The responsibility on his shoulders was heavier than that on the shoulders of his students. At this point, he could truly take a breather.
Like before, the team from Shrek Academy did not linger long. After the competition, they quickly returned to their hotel to rest. Everyone who stayed behind were from the other academies, who were discussing Ling Luochen's elemental control with great interest. The hot topic of the day was how to counter her.
The round robin portion of the competition entered its fourth round, which was also its mid-phase. Shrek Academy was in the first group, which was comprised of eight other teams. Every team had to take part in seven rounds of competition to complete a cycle.
In the next three rounds, Shrek Academy did not meet any opponent who posed a serious threat to them. They were on a winning streak. After two rounds consisting of a one-on-one deathmatch and a group battle, they were able to defeat their opponents. Finally, they were able to emerge victorious in their group with zero losses, drawing closer to the cruel elimination round.
Unexpectedly, the other team that was able to progress to the next round from their group was Justsky Academy, who had caused so much trouble for them before.
As the other groups had nine teams each, they were able to obtain three full days of rest after this round-robin cycle ended.
Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng had by now fully recovered from their injuries. However, they did not participate in the round robin portion of the competition. They did not even go down to the arena. This was part of Wang Yan's strategy. Concealing their true power would be immensely beneficial to the subsequent rounds of the competition.
In these few days, Shrek Academy received a lot of good news. Xiao Xiao had more or less recovered completely, and after that difficult battle, she was able to break through her Rank 30 bottleneck. All she needed was a third soul ring.
After experiencing many arduous battles and relentless sessions of cultivation, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong both experienced an increase of a single rank in soul power. Wang Dong's soul power was now at Rank 32, while Huo Yuhao's was at Rank 28, bringing him a step closer to Rank 30.
What was even more delightful was their experimentation with the martial soul fusion skill. However, they did not know what their rate of success was. Only Wang Yan knew that. At least, they had experimented with the other three combinations, and they had been able to achieve breakthroughs as they tried out these three combinations.
Xu Sanshi remained in bed for five days before Bei Bei finally kicked him out of it. He was shameless indeed. To receive Jiang Nannan's care, he had remained persistently in bed as he moaned about his predicament non-stop. He thought that this would improve Jiang Nannan's attitude toward him, but everyone knew that it was a one-sided affair. Jiang Nannan still treated him coldly.
As everyone recovered from their injuries, Shrek Academy returned to peak condition. Their power might not yet be comparable to the original official team, but it was not too far off.
After all, the two Soul Emperors and main control-type soul master of the original official team were still present. Coupled with Bei Bei, whose martial soul could evolve into the Golden Holy Dragon, and Xu Sanshi, whose martial soul could evolve into a Xuanwu, a powerful Soul Ancestor, and the exceptional powers of the rest, their overall strength was still terrifying.
"The pairing for the elimination round is out," Wang Yan said in a deep voice. He had just returned from the Star Luo Empire's palace, where he had drawn lots. Afterwards, he gathered everyone for a briefing.
"For the Round of 16, our opponent is a familiar one. They are the premier academy from the Dou Ling Empire, the Dou Ling Imperial Soul Academy."
When they heard the name 'Dou Ling Imperial Soul Academy', a look crossed the faces of Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen and Dai Yueheng.
Ma Xiaotao arched her brows and asked, "Why did we meet them so early on?"
Xiao Xiao asked curiously, "How powerful is the Dou Ling Imperial Soul Academy?"
Ma Xiaotao said, "They were in the top four in the previous tournament, that's how powerful they are. They are much stronger than the Justsky Academy who you met earlier on. Teacher Wang, how powerful are the members of their delegation this time?"
Wang Yan said, "The Dou Ling Imperial Soul Academy's official team is comprised of five Soul Kings and two Soul Ancestors. They are powerful indeed. Furthermore, they are not inflexible in their approach. While they are an advanced soul academy, they are also the premier soul engineering academy. Through my observations, I have realized that every single one of their delegation possesses a soul tool, and they are able to wield them efficiently in battle. At least two of them are soul engineers, which means that they are Soul Kings with soul tools. This is a difficult opponent."