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*****
"Good kid, you don't let me down." Yu Luomian smiled faintly, "Don't be so pessimistic. Joining the Spirit Hall isn't bad. Besides the benefits I mentioned earlier, you can also gather information for the clan, and it helps you practice using the Spirit Hall's resources."
Talking about this, Yu Luomian grew resentful towards his brother's son, Yu Xiaogang.
He had once entered the Spirit Hall's library, memorized almost all the information, yet he never shared any of it with the clan, only thinking about his own fame.
Truly—
He had no sense of responsibility.
Now, he's with Liu Erlong; doesn't he fear being mocked by everyone? If the Spirit Hall weren't so crowded, he would've given Yu Xiaogang a proper lesson! But family scandals shouldn't be made public.
Growing increasingly annoyed, Yu Luomian's face soured, and after giving Yu Tianheng a few more words of advice, he left.
Yu Tianheng took a while to come back to his senses and muttered to himself, "The responsibility to the clan is indeed heavy... But it's fine. If you think about it, joining the Spirit Hall means I don't have to worry about the clan for quite some time. I can just focus on training, or follow the Spirit Hall's orders to catch defectors, which is more my style."
Casting aside the family's responsibility, Yu Tianheng suddenly felt that joining the Spirit Hall might not be too constraining. Plus, the Spirit Hall has always been lenient with talent—provided they don't cross any major lines.
But he's Yu Tianheng! Would he not understand?
"Time to find Yan Yan and get some rest." Having figured things out, Yu Tianheng suddenly felt relaxed, his spirit energy bottleneck loosening a bit, suggesting he could soon break through to level 52...
...
In the blink of an eye, the second round of the competition ended within five days.
And in the second round's resurrection match, Canghui Academy advanced.
Though due to Huo Yuhao, Canghui Academy had been suspected of collaborating with a 100,000-year-old soul beast and being traitors, they explained the situation, and the Spirit Hall's pope validated their innocence.
Still, Canghui Academy's reputation took a nosedive, and even in Tian Dou City, some students considered dropping out after watching the live broadcast.
After all, they didn't want to be called traitors.
Canghui Academy advanced mainly because the person replacing Huo Yuhao and the other six members could still use a Seven-in-One Spirit Fusion Technique: Seven Shura Illusions.
This domain-like skill caused opponents to recall their most painful memories, making them sink into their personal nightmare.
The spectators saw that Canghui Academy's leader, that Shi Nian, had real skills and wasn't just lucky to encounter a 100,000-year-old scorpion soul beast.
After two rounds, only 24 academy teams remained.
After the third round, 12 teams remained, with one extra team from the resurrection match, making a total of 13 teams.
With that, the preliminary elimination rounds were over.
Next was the advancement round.
In this stage, teams of seven compete in one-on-one matches. The winner can continue to challenge until all seven members of one team are defeated.
The advancement round mainly serves to test individual combat ability. In the past, it was used to recruit talent.
However, after changing the competition venues to be more diverse, the advancement round became a showcase for individual spirit master skills, as the previous recruitment process focused solely on spirit power levels, which was too simplistic.
Now, in the advancement round, each team must fight every other team once. The focus is not on team victories but on individual points. A win earns a single point.
If a soul master is strong enough and always goes first, they could potentially challenge all twelve teams' eighty-four members in the qualifying tournament, earning a perfect score of eighty-four points. If someone could achieve that level of strength, environmental factors wouldn't matter much—they'd be an unstoppable force, gaining respect from everyone.
"The qualifying tournament is starting," Yufeng said, leaning against the railing to watch the first matchup: Blazing Academy versus Tianshui Academy, a classic clash of fire and water.
"It's just a matter of whose spirit power is stronger," commented Oslo. "Water can extinguish fire, but fire can also vaporize water."
Though fire and water elements aren't literally fire and water, they do carry similar properties. The interaction between the two often hinges on the strength of spirit power, disregarding individual skill in spirit techniques or battle timing.
Tang San agreed with Oslo to some extent, but he added, "In real battles, when spirit power levels are similar, it's not just about raw strength. The timing of spirit skill use, combat technique, and environmental factors all play a crucial role in determining the outcome."
Fairness, Tang San thought, is always relative.
"Captain, which academy do you think will win?" Yufeng asked.
"We're out of Ice Luan Bird meat," Tang San said with a shrug, indicating he had no stake in the outcome.
"I'm not asking because of food," Yufeng sighed. "Just tell us, between these two academies, who is likely to score higher?"
"Between these two, Tianshui has a slight edge because Shui Bing'er has the Ice Phoenix spirit, a top-tier beast spirit," Tang San analyzed. "However, she's unlikely to go first. Top-tier spirits typically consume a lot of spirit power, so she would likely conserve her strength."
"As for individual scores, Huo Wushuang from Blazing Academy will probably score the highest, considering he's stronger than everyone else in Tianshui Academy except Shui Bing'er," he continued. "Since the qualifying tournament emphasizes individual prowess rather than team success, the overall win or loss for the academy doesn't matter as much."
Yufeng was puzzled. "Does that mean Huo Wushuang will go first? Why not Shui Bing'er?"
Tang San adjusted his glasses. "Their personalities are different. Huo Wushuang is extroverted, while Shui Bing'er, though lively, is more prideful. Based on the recent matches, I observed that she doesn't want Tianshui Academy to suffer any losses, even in a round where the overall win doesn't affect their qualification for the final."
"Stubborn, isn't she?" Oslo remarked.
"Actually, she's quite smart," Tang San replied. "This tournament is broadcast across the entire continent. Soul masters and common folk who can't attend in person might not fully understand the intricacies of the qualifying round; they just care about which academy wins. This can influence recruitment."
"That makes sense," Huo Wu nodded. "But wouldn't showcasing individual strength with a chain of victories also attract new recruits?"
"It depends on the approach. Which one is better requires time to determine," Tang San said, playing it safe. "From the perspective of most common soul masters, Shui Bing'er's method seems more conservative."