The Spirit Pagoda members' faces underwent a significant change upon hearing this, their eyes sweeping disdainfully over the man lying on the ground, a bloody mess with only his head intact!
"So that's the case, I didn't expect him to be such a despicable person!"
The other Soul Masters also showed awkward expressions, hastily correcting themselves, "So it was like that, it seems I've wronged that young man! I had no idea his opponent was so devious!"
"If that's the case, his death is not a pity, still attempting a sneak attack after surrendering!"
"You're right, such a guy doesn't deserve to appear in a martial contest for a bride; he'd only bring shame to the Young Pavilion Master!"
"Now that the Young Pavilion Master has personally spoken, there can't be a mistake!"
Seeing the conflict easily resolved by Gu Yue's few words, Tang Wulin stared at her cheeks, somewhat spellbound, "Gu Yue..."
Gu Yue, of course, sensed this and gave him a smile...
Then she commanded, "Alright, clean up the corpse on the ground, and let the martial contest continue!"
The surrounding Spirit Pagoda members immediately cupped their fists, "Yes, Young Pavilion Master!"
Afterward, they quickly dragged away the corpse of the one-eyed man and then cleaned the bloodstains off the ground...
With an apologetic expression, the leading man said to Tang Wulin, "We were too hasty just now; please accept our apologies!"
Tang Wulin pursed his lips, the other party was already being so humble, and he couldn't continue to hold a grudge...
"It's okay, after all, I was also at fault!"
Outside the duel arena!
Xu Xiaoyan patted her chest, sighing with relief, "That scared me to death! I didn't expect Wulin to strike so hard, directly killing a Titled Douluo!"
Ye Xinglan said coldly, "Tsk, the one-eyed man deserved it, considering he planned to launch a sneak attack. If I saw it right, he was about to use his eighth soul skill. Had he succeeded, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"
Xu Lizhi nodded in agreement, "That's right, I saw it too. Wulin was just acting in self-defense!"
Yuanen Yehui crossed her arms, "It's good that Gu Yue stepped in. The identity of the Spirit Pagoda's Young Pavilion Master is really useful, just a few words and the situation was reversed!"
Xie Xie nodded in agreement, "Indeed!"
Everyone then noticed Xie Xie, who had suddenly appeared beside them. Xu Xiaoyan exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, Xie Xie, weren't you participating in the duel? Why are you back?"
Xie Xie heard this and scratched his head awkwardly, "Cough... cough cough, just bad luck, I met a Titled Douluo with a soul power rank of ninety-four. Even with all my strength, I was no match!"
He also didn't expect to be so unlucky, facing such a formidable opponent right away!
Ye Xinglan propped up her chin, "So you encountered an opponent just one step from breaking through to the Super Douluo Level... that really isn't your fault!"
Xie Xie then looked at Yuanen Yehui, "Um, Ye Hui... seeing that I lost so miserably, can I get a kiss for comfort?"
Yuanen Yehui glared at him, "What do you think?!"
Xie Xie was still persistent, his tone coquettish, "Ye Hui... just one kiss!"
Everyone shuddered, feeling like they were about to throw up everything they had eaten the night before...
Yuanen Yehui stepped back, her disdain unmistakable, "Xie Xie, if you continue to call me in such a nauseating tone, forget about a kiss, I won't even hold your hand in the future!"
...
Three to four hours later, the first round of duels had ended, with nearly half of the Soul Masters eliminated!
Even so, there were still thousands of people left!
The member from the Spirit Pagoda responsible for presiding over the assembly announced loudly, "Congratulations to all who have advanced from the first round of competition. Next, due to the excessive number of participants, we will adopt a battle royale system!"
"The rules are quite simple: there are ten participants in each battle royale, and only the last one standing will be able to continue advancing!"
"Of course, if any accidents occur during the duel, the Spirit Pagoda will provide assistance immediately!"
Upon hearing this, many people began to say, "A battle royale... That means only one in ten will advance, which significantly increases the difficulty of winning!"
"That's true, but I have to say, this method of combat efficiently selects the strongest among the ten and also drastically reduces the number of competitors! Otherwise, with thousands of people fighting one-on-one, who knows how long it would take!"
"Hehe, my strength is weak anyway, I'll just lie low during the battle royale and hope for the best!"
"It sounds nice in theory, but the area for the duel is only so big. Once the fighting starts, if you are not careful, you could be eliminated right away!"
"Who cares, right now, I just want to know who will win the championship and be wed to the beautiful Young Pavilion Master!"
Tang Wulin also pondered, "A battle royale... should be an advantage for me!"
Without using the Sea God's Trident and the Soul Fusion Skill, he had a rough estimate of his own strength!
As long as the opponent was not a Super Douluo-level powerhouse, he had a high chance of victory!
...
Yue Zhengyu looked at the eight Soul Masters surrounding him with predatory eyes and couldn't help but swallow nervously. He turned to Tang Wulin and said, "Wulin, isn't this supposed to be a ten-person battle royale? Why do I feel... like they're all targeting us?"
Tang Wulin glanced over at them and said helplessly, "Zhengyu, remove the word 'feel,' and you'll see that their goal is to eliminate us first. I'm afraid they'll team up to attack us as soon as the battle royale starts!"
Upon hearing this, Yue Zhengyu couldn't help but retort, "That... Isn't that against the rules?"
The former sighed, "That's the downside of a battle royale! It's very easy to end up in a situation where it's many against one!"
"Zhengyu, the upcoming battle is going to be exceedingly difficult. Why don't you just withdraw from the battle royale?"
Yue Zhengyu's eyes narrowed gradually as he said, "Wulin, what are you talking about! Two against eight, the advantage is ours!"
"And besides, even if I fall today and can't get up again, I will make sure to carry you through to the next round, so I don't disappoint Gu Yue!"
Tang Wulin was stunned, then patted him firmly on the shoulder, his eyes flickering with emotion...
With such a good brother, what more could he ask for!
After taking a deep breath filled with fighting spirit, he said, "Then let us create a miracle, two against eight, so what? We are the Shrek Seven Monsters, the monsters among monsters!!"
At the same time, an amplified voice rang out, "Participants, please release your Martial Souls. The battle royale will begin in five seconds!"
In an instant, including Tang Wulin and his companion, they all released their Martial Souls...
Among the remaining eight people, there were actually three Titled Douluo and five Soul Douluo!!
Yue Zhengyu smacked his lips, "What a luxurious lineup."
"Wulin, I'll handle the three Titled Douluo, you take care of the five Soul Douluo as quickly as possible!!"
Tang Wulin's pupils tightened, and he responded in a cold tone, "No problem!!"
This battle royale must be settled quickly!!
...
...
...