The competition is coming to an end.
"Seven Asura Dreamland using the seven Gemstone Martial Spirits."
This is Su Wen's biggest gain besides the Brutal Dream Martial Spirit of Shi Nian and that Skull Spirit Bone.
Although it's a combination of the same type of Martial Spirit, Su Wen could achieve it after studying for a while, but with Blue Sunshine Academy developing it, it saved Su Wen a lot of time.
Just by taking a glance, replicating the seven Gemstone Martial Spirits, Su Wen already had the ability to use the Seven Asura Dreamland.
The preliminaries lasted for a full month and a half.
With the final points settled, surprisingly, Shrek advanced to the next round of the playoffs.
With a team that doesn't have a single Spirit Ancestor, advancing from the preliminaries to the playoffs is quite surprising to all the Academies and spectators.
It's worth noting that there are only five spots available for the final rounds in the Heaven Dou City division.
The strength of the Emperor Fighting Team exceeded everyone's expectations. Even when the captain and vice-captain didn't compete, they still had a lineup consisting of one Spirit Ancestor and six Spirit Elders above level thirty-six.
Although they lost two matches, the Emperor Fighting Team's strength was well preserved, and Yu Feng and the other three who were trapped at level thirty-nine also gained great experience.
Apart from the Emperor Fighting Team, there are also Blazing and Godwind, two powerful Academies, both of which only lost three matches each.
Shrek Academy lost to the Emperor Fighting Team, Blazing Team, Godwind Team, and Thunderclap Team, but achieved an undefeated record otherwise, making them a dark horse.
It's worth noting that both the Elephant Armored Clan and Skywater Academy Team have Spirit Ancestors participating. Skywater Team even has two Spirit Ancestors capable of Spirit Fusion Technique. However, they were still hindered by Tang San's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and Eight Spider Lances, eventually giving him the opportunity for a fatal blow.
Skywater Academy's Spirit Fusion Technique lacks a bit in explosiveness but excels in sustainability, which is why Tang San could find opportunities to win.
Su Wen watched the entire preliminary matches, and he wasn't surprised by Shrek's victories.
After all, with the Spirit Fusion Technique Hell White Tiger, strictly speaking, Shrek is not lacking in burst power at the Spirit Ancestor level.
Moreover, Shrek's lineup is extremely top-notch, not only in the highest Spirit Ring matching for all members but also in the outstanding quality of each Martial Spirit.
With proper strategy, victory can always be achieved.
The few defeats, except for the Emperor Fighting Team, were all due to being overwhelmed by absolute strength.
The Emperor Fighting Team is familiar with Shrek's lineup, so they had targeted strategies. Even without Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan participating, they still secured victory.
Of course, even though they stood out from the preliminaries, most people's expectations for Shrek ended there.
Because of the team's lack of a Spirit Ancestor, it is destined to have difficulty advancing further in the subsequent matches.
Almost all the teams that made it to the playoffs have a Spirit Ancestor presiding over them. Moreover, teams like the Godwind Team, Blazing Team, and Emperor Fighting Team have more than one Spirit Ancestor.
"The upcoming playoffs will still be held in the Heaven Dou Empire, but the venue will change from the Great Spirit Arena in Heaven Dou City to the Imperial Hunting Grounds. At that time, ten teams from the Five Kingdoms and empire will come to compete against your five teams.
I hope that your five Academies can excel in the playoffs, so that you can also gain an advantage in the finals."
Emperor Xue Ye instructed the five advancing Academies.
The rules of the Spirit Master Competition are quite complex. The preliminary rounds were relatively normal, using a round-robin format to determine the top five based on points. However, there is no elimination in the subsequent playoffs; it's simply a matter of individual rankings based on personal performance.
Subsequently, in the final championship, there are also three rounds with passes setups.
Out of the thirty-three teams in the final championship, three teams will receive byes in the first round, leaving eighteen teams. Then, in the second round, two more teams will receive passes, leaving ten teams. Out of these ten teams, two more will receive passes, determining the final six.
The three finalists will then compete for the top three spots, advancing to the semifinals.
The three teams entering the semifinals will draw lots to select two teams for individual battles. The winners will advance to the finals, while the remaining two teams will engage in group battles to determine the other finalist.
Afterward, the actual finals will take place.
This kind of tournament structure has left many participating Spirit Masters confused, but they all understand that they must give their all in every battle.
However, the leaders of each team have carefully studied the format, so they are not completely fighting blindly.
During the competition, Dai Mubai made a breakthrough for Shrek.
Instead of accompanying the main force to the Imperial Hunting Grounds, they collectively detoured to Sunset Forest to help Dai Mubai obtain a Fourth Spirit Ring.
"How about you two, do you still want to watch the playoffs?" Su Wen asked Lin Dong and Ye Luochen.
"We do."
Their answers were unanimous, as they both wanted to continue watching the grandest competition on the continent.
"Very well, since both of you will participate in the Spirit Master Competition eventually, watching in advance to familiarize yourselves with the process is a good idea," Su Wen said.
If he remembered correctly, in the next Spirit Master Competition, Spirit Hall would attempt to include sects in the competition.
By then, with Lin Dong and Ye Luochen being part of the team from Wisdom Palace, it would secure two spots. With Su Wen and Ning Rongrong, they only lacked three spots to compete.
...
Imperial Hunting Grounds.
Su Wen accompanied Ning Fengzhi, bringing along Lin Dong and Ye Luochen as his companions.
"Xiaowen, you've been watching the preliminary matches before. How about it? Did anything strike you?" Ning Fengzhi inquired.
Naturally, he was asking if Su Wen had felt any opportunity for a breakthrough.
You see, Su Wen is already level fifty-nine.
Once he breaks through, he'll be at level sixty, obtaining a Spirit Ring means becoming a Spirit Emperor! An unprecedented Spirit Emperor-level participant!
Moreover, Su Wen is only sixteen years old.
With the fervor of the Spirit Master Competition, once Su Wen demonstrates this astonishing achievement, it will surely shock the entire continent.
Clearly, just before the preliminary matches began, he had just reached level fifty-nine, one level away from sixty, and still facing a major bottleneck.
To break through before the final matches means breaking through within three months, which is simply unrealistic.
However, the scene of a Spirit Emperor appearing in the final match with six Spirit Rings is too astonishing.
Even Ning Fengzhi, who is usually composed, couldn't help but end up speachless.
"Uncle Ning, reaching level sixty isn't so easy to achieve. I've been working tirelessly in my cultivation, but it will probably take some time before I can break through."
Su Wen has also imagined himself appearing in the final match as a Spirit Emperor.
Unfortunately, it's still a bit too soon.
"In this competition, you won't see me winning with six rings," Su Wen remarked.
Currently, Su Wen is starting to lean towards choosing the Spirit Ring of the Dark Devilgod Tiger for his sixth ring.
However, it's unlikely that he will be able to find and successfully hunt the Dark Devilgod Tiger's Spirit Ring in such a short time.
"Alas, what a waste of such a good opportunity."
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