"It's the 2-2-3 battle format. Even if you manage to win one match on your own, what about the remaining two? Remember, we're up against three Soul Kings on the opposing team, which means each match will surely have one Soul King fighting!"
As soon as Wang Yan saw that they'd drawn the 2-2-3 format, his mind went blank with a loud buzzing sound.
How could they win? Facing the Zheng Tian Academy team with its three Soul Kings, at best, they could only win one match, right?
It was over—completely over. Wang Yan, who had held onto a sliver of hope, now felt utterly defeated. He slumped back in his chair, feeling as if every ounce of his strength had been drained.
"Kids, listen to me," Wang Yan forced himself to stand up, looking earnestly at his students. "Let's surrender. If we forfeit the match now, at least it would be a strategic surrender, and the enemy wouldn't get a full read on our abilities."
However, Huo Yuhao merely twitched his lips and sighed, "Teacher Wang, don't you think surrendering now is a bit premature? Let me tell you, you've been misled all along. Even though we're the backup team, our combat power isn't something just any academy could match."
"Brother Bei Bei, and you too, Xu Sanshi, don't think I don't know what you've been hiding. I, Huo Yuhao, may not have received much from Shrek Academy, but this time, you two better give it your all and show your true strength to uphold Shrek's honor!"
Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi exchanged a startled glance, then said to Huo Yuhao in unison, "You figured it out?"
"The bit of power you two are hiding doesn't escape my eyes. In these first two rounds of the 2-2-3 format, one of them will certainly rest on your shoulders." Huo Yuhao said calmly.
"In that case, we'll go all out," Bei Bei said with a wry smile.
Xu Sanshi frowned slightly, then said, "Bei Bei, it might be too early for that. You should know this tournament isn't really for us. If we reveal our full abilities too early, our opponents will surely prepare targeted strategies against us five years from now."
Bei Bei replied firmly, "We can't afford to wait, Sanshi. Forget five years later, for now, we must win this match!"
Xu Sanshi gazed deeply at Bei Bei and replied sincerely, "Bei Bei, if you're in, I'll stand by you."
Bei Bei, looking exasperated, retorted, "You're such a creep. Don't make it sound so romantic! I have zero interest in you."
"I understand your concern. But our abilities are already set; even if we reveal our full power, our core strengths won't change. But you've forgotten one thing: Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Ning Tian aren't yet at their full potential. In five years, they will be the real core of our team."
"Hold on a second," Wang Yan interjected, his face paling. "Are you saying you two have been hiding your true strength all along?"
After all these years of teaching, he had been outwitted by two young brats.
The longest road I've walked is still shorter than the lengths you guys went to hide your strength!
"Uh, I suppose you could say that," Bei Bei nodded.
"It's like this: shortly after we entered the academy, both Sanshi and I were selected as core disciples. As our cultivation improved, we gained the academy's recognition and became unofficially designated as the next generation of Shrek's Seven Monsters."
"In our outer court, only the two of us have been chosen for this role. It's essentially a rank higher than core disciples, with additional resources and support from the academy. But on the condition that, after graduating from the outer court, we must pass the inner court examination and serve as Shrek's Sentinels for no less than five years."
"It's rare for Shrek to designate the Seven Monsters in advance; in Ma Xiaotao's generation, no one was given this honor. Both Sanshi and I have some unique qualities that earned us the academy's favor."
"Of course, among you, there's someone else who meets these qualifications—Yuhao. But since Yuhao doesn't intend to stay at Shrek and wants to return to his Body clan, he didn't receive this type of training."
"We're still young, and the academy has been grooming us for the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. They've required us to avoid revealing our full abilities in normal circumstances."
"But given the current situation and for the academy's honor, I believe we can no longer afford to keep hiding our true strength. In the upcoming matches, if we hold back against a Soul King opponent, our chances of winning are slim."
Everyone exchanged glances, realizing that no one here was as simple as they appeared. And then, they all looked back at Huo Yuhao. The academy's pre-selected inner-court disciples had almost been entirely taken out by Yuhao during the selection tournament. If not for his teammate Wu Feng being eliminated early by He Caitou, one of Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, or Jiang Nannan would likely have been removed from the backup team.
This guy was even more formidable!
Wang Dong turned to Xu Sanshi and asked, "Senior Xu, may I ask how much of your strength you were using in the previous matches?"
Xu Sanshi thought for a moment, then replied, "About fifty or sixty percent. Even if Senior Ling hadn't used her secret skill, I still had a chance to withstand Shen Ce's Thousand Strike Spear. But her soul skill activated too quickly for me to react in time."
"Yuhao has quite the discerning eye. When I team up with Bei Bei, we can bring out our peak power because, well, we're basically a pair."
"Can you stop being so suggestive?" Bei Bei exclaimed, looking disgusted. "Who's a pair with you? We're partners, alright? Make that clear!"
"Alright, alright!" Huo Yuhao clapped his hands, his face now serious. "Stop the nonsense. For this match, I want each of you to go all out. Even if the opposing team fields a Soul King, I trust in your skills and intelligence to break through them swiftly!"
"No problem!" Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi looked at each other, a confident gleam in their eyes. "This time, we'll show Zheng Tian Academy the might of Shrek's twin stars in the outer court!"
"Good, that's the spirit!" Huo Yuhao nodded approvingly. "Wang Dong, and Senior Jiang, come over here—I have something to discuss with you."
Seeing Huo Yuhao beckon them to a corner with a mysterious expression, Wang Dong and Jiang Nannan exchanged a glance before following him to hear his whispered instructions.
"Ah, no way!"
"Isn't that a bit... too much?"
Huo Yuhao gave them a stern look and said seriously, "I'm the team captain now. You have to listen to me. Trust me; this will increase our chances of winning."
"Fine."
Under Huo Yuhao's determined leadership, Wang Dong and Jiang Nannan reluctantly nodded, agreeing to his instructions.
"Alright, last time they thought they had us figured out. This time, we'll leave them completely dazzled!" Huo Yuhao said with a grin.