Chapter 125: Arrangements
Xiao Yu glanced at Huo Wu and said, "This time, you won't be the first to go on stage!"
"Why not?" Huo Wu asked indignantly.
Xiao Yu replied seriously, "You've been the first in too many matches already. Tomorrow, Shrek Academy will naturally assume you'll be the first again. By changing our first player, we can catch them off guard. Also, you've fought in so many battles already—your soul skills and abilities have been exposed. If you go first again, they'll easily target you."
Huo Wu dismissed his concerns lightly, "Is all this really necessary? Shrek doesn't even have a single Soul Master above level 45. Sure, according to our intel, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan's next heir, Ning Rongrong, is at Shrek Academy, but she's an auxiliary Soul Master. If this were a team battle, her being the best auxiliary-type martial soul user would indeed elevate the team's strength. But in the one-on-one knockout matches, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda is useless!"
Ning Rongrong had not appeared in the preliminary rounds, hidden as one of Yu Xiaogang's secret weapons. However, as the heir to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, her presence hadn't escaped the Nine Stars Hall's attention, even without Xiao Yu's foreknowledge from the original work.
"Underestimating your opponent is a grave mistake!" Xiao Yu cautioned seriously. "Don't underestimate Shrek Academy. Aside from Ning Rongrong, the other members are no pushovers, especially Tang San. Don't forget, he's the son of Tang Hao, a dual-martial soul user!"
Huo Wu had been present during the battle between Xiao Yu and Shura outside Soto City, where Tang Hao intervened. Thus, she already knew about Tang San's background and dual-martial soul abilities, secrets that weren't exactly hidden within the Nine Stars Hall.
Similarly, Huo Wu had also learned about the deep grudge between Tang Hao and the Spirit Hall. "With such enmity between Tang Hao and the Spirit Hall, would that brat Tang San really dare to use the Clear Sky Hammer in the tournament?"
You'd be surprised—he would dare!
Xiao Yu responded gravely, "Even though the Spirit Hall and Tang Hao are sworn enemies, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan and the Heaven Dou Royal Family would go out of their way to protect him. More importantly, Tang San doesn't even know how deep the grudge between Tang Hao and the Spirit Hall truly is. If things go poorly in the knockout rounds, he wouldn't hesitate to use the Clear Sky Hammer. And his advantage isn't just his dual martial souls."
In Xiao Yu's opinion, Tang San's greatest advantage lay in his Xuantian Technique. His skills like Mysterious Jade Hand, Purple Demon Eyes, and his hidden weapon techniques could prove even more effective in combat than his famed Clear Sky Hammer. Just as in the original story, the final showdown in the tournament was decided by Tang San's Tang Sect hidden weapon techniques—specifically, Bat Wing Reincarnation.
Huo Wu seemed ready to argue further, but Xiao Yu glared at her. This fiery girl had let the string of victories get to her head. If he didn't rein her in, she'd fly right off the handle.
For the first time, the usually easygoing Xiao Yu adopted a commanding tone as team leader. "I'm the captain of the Nine Stars Battle Team, and as a member of this team, you need to follow orders! Don't think that just because you've won a few one-on-seven battles, you're invincible. You know full well the true strength of the teams from the kingdoms and duchies. Ask yourself honestly, if you faced the Godwind, Thunder, or Tianshui Academies, which also advanced from the Heaven Dou Division with Shrek, how many rounds could you endure? Elephant Armor Academy was only easy because their extreme single-attribute approach played right into your control."
Seeing Xiao Yu's stern face, Huo Wu reluctantly sat back down.
"Now, I'll assign tomorrow's battle order."
Xiao Yu tapped the table and began issuing his plan. "Ian, you'll be the first to fight tomorrow."
According to Xiao Yu's analysis, Shrek would expect Huo Wu to be the first. Since there was no water-attribute Soul Master on Shrek's side to counter fire, and without the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Tang San no longer had ice and fire immunity. Yu Xiaogang would likely send out weaker agility-type members like Jing Ling and Huang Yuan to wear down Huo Wu's soul power first.
As for Shrek's third fighter, Xiao Yu predicted it would most likely be Ma Hongjun, followed by Zhu Zhuqing.
If Shrek sent out Zhu Zhuqing as the third fighter, her role would be similar to Jing Ling and Huang Yuan's—to exhaust their opponent's soul power through agility.
However, using three Soul Masters just to deplete a single opponent's energy seemed unlikely to Xiao Yu, which made Ma Hongjun the likeliest third combatant.
Why?
Shrek Academy didn't have any Soul Masters who could counter fire attributes, so sending Ma Hongjun, who also had a fire attribute, into the final match was the best choice.
After losing the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, Ma Hongjun had taken a mid-quality pill funded by Ning Rongrong, and his current soul power was around level 37 to 38.
Although his soul power was nearly ten levels lower than Huo Wu's, logically speaking, Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Martial Soul should give his flames greater strength than hers. If Xiao Yu hadn't secretly enhanced Huo Wu's abilities, that would indeed be the case.
According to Yu Xiaogang's plan, after Jing Ling and Huang Yuan had exhausted Huo Wu's energy, sending in Ma Hongjun, whose flame quality was superior, should be enough to eliminate her.
Of course, that was just Yu Xiaogang's theory!
Xiao Yu had no intention of sending Huo Wu in first. Instead, Ian, who would go first, had four soul skills that allowed him to transform into a python, wolf, grizzly bear, or bat. With both strong attack and agility attributes, he could perfectly counter the likes of Jing Ling and Huang Yuan.
Additionally, coming from a naval background, Ian had some water-attribute abilities, which gave him an advantage over Ma Hongjun as well.
On Shrek's side, as expected, Yu Xiaogang's arrangements were exactly as Xiao Yu had predicted.
Following Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai would take the stage. With the highest soul power among Shrek's members, Yu Xiaogang tasked him with eliminating as many Nine Stars Academy members as possible to even the score.
To Yu Xiaogang, Nine Stars Academy's exposed strength consisted only of Huo Wu and Meiyi, who was at level 41. He assumed these two were the main force of Nine Stars Academy, along with Xiao Yu, who in his eyes had hit a dead end and was likely around the Soul King level.
Given that most teams from other kingdoms and duchies had only two Soul Elders at best, Yu Xiaogang—narrow in his view—couldn't imagine just how terrifying the true strength of Nine Stars Academy was.
After Dai Mubai, Tai Long and Zhu Zhuqing were scheduled to enter. Their goal was to eliminate any remaining Nine Stars members and drain Xiao Yu's soul power, whom Yu Xiaogang assumed would be the last to fight.
Yu Xiaogang had placed Tang San last, intending to avoid having him face Huo Wu, who countered his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. Furthermore, Yu Xiaogang, selfishly aiming to build Tang San into the core of Shrek's team, hoped his beloved disciple would be the one to decide the match.
(End of Chapter)
🌟 Unlock the World of Stories with Early Access on Patreon! 🌟
Hello, beloved readers and supporters!
I am thrilled to offer you an exclusive opportunity to dive deeper into our captivating stories before anyone else. By joining the Patreon community, you'll unlock a treasure trove of benefits, including:
📚 Early Access to 20 Chapters: Be the first to explore new chapters, experiencing the twists and turns of our tales well ahead of regular readers. Your journey through our stories doesn't have to wait!
💬 Connect with the Community: Join a vibrant, like-minded group of readers who share your passion. Engage in exciting discussions, share theories, and make new friends who love the stories as much as you do.
👏 Support the Creator: Your patronage directly contributes to the ongoing creation and improvement of the content you love. Be a vital part of the creative journey!
Patreon.com/anish_44