Chapter 102: Diao vs. Qianling
Upon entering the conference room as usual, Du Qianjue was the last to arrive. After the auction yesterday, everyone felt a bit more distant towards him. The scene of Du Qianjue spending 180 million gold soul coins to purchase the dragon pill had deeply embedded itself in everyone's minds, awakening them to his true status. This easygoing young man was not only powerful but also the young sect master of the Body Sect.
Even Lin Weiwei, who had harbored other thoughts towards Du Qianjue, put away her little schemes. Only Wei Feng remained unperturbed, smiling at Du Qianjue as he entered.
"Junior brother is here, come check out our opponents for today!" Wei Feng handed Du Qianjue a document. Taking it, Du Qianjue looked down.
"Qianling Academy?" Du Qianjue raised an eyebrow. That name sounded familiar. Wasn't this the academy from the original story with the Ice and Fire Dual Control Thousand Strikes Lance? Why were they encountering them so early at Diao Academy? This round was supposed to be against Shrek.
With just one Thousand Strikes Lance captain at the Soul King level and the rest being Soul Ancestors, this team posed no challenge at all. Diao Academy's weakest were Soul Kings, directly matching their strongest captain.
Recalling the ice-control girl from Qianling Academy in the original story, Du Qianjue almost couldn't help laughing. She was the girl scared off by Huo Yuhao. Elemental suppression was indeed hilarious. A Great Soul Master directly taking down a Soul Ancestor was like a fantasy.
He wondered if they would think he was also a fake Soul Sage and come up to test their strength against him. Du Qianjue was somewhat looking forward to it.
"Yes, Qianling Academy," Wei Feng nodded. "Their strength is average among the regular teams, impressive, but they stand no chance against us."
"Their Ice and Fire Dual Control has some interest. Boss, let me take this one?" Yang Lian chuckled, his attention fixated on the two girls from Qianling Academy.
"Forget it, An Lengye is taken, her boyfriend is their team captain," Wei Feng said exasperatedly. As the captain, even if the opponent wasn't worth his full attention, Wei Feng made it a point to know as much as possible about them, including the relationship between Qianling's team captain Shen Ce and vice-captain An Lengye.
"Ah, is that so…" Yang Lian deflated immediately.
The room fell silent, Lin Weiwei and Ouyang Qian both casting disdainful glances at Yang Lian.
"We still don't know today's battle format. If it's one-on-one or a team fight, it should be easy with junior brother Du here. We can play around and still win," Wei Feng tapped the table.
"But if it's a two-two-three battle, we need to think about who to send out."
"Two-two-three, that's fine too. I'll take the first match, you take the second, brother. It's just Qianling Academy, we'll shatter them in minutes," Du Qianjue dismissed.
It wasn't that he looked down on Qianling Academy. He alone could take on seven, and Wei Feng, a Soul Emperor, could easily handle them too. It was like using a cannon to swat a fly.
Wei Feng paused, then nodded. "That's the plan then. Does anyone else want to fight?"
"Boss, if you and the junior are going, it's a guaranteed win. We won't crowd the field," Yang Lian said reluctantly.
"Okay, the rest of you will be on standby. We won't participate," Lin Weiwei decided. As a support, she'd just be a mascot on the field; neither Du Qianjue nor Wei Feng would need her help against Qianling.
No one else objected, so Wei Feng set the lineup. To be honest, he was itching to compete himself since he hadn't fought since the competition began.
With the lineup decided, they left the hotel for the soul fighting arena. While the others weren't competing, they were still eager to watch the match, especially Wei Feng's debut.
After a few unremarkable matches, it was time for Diao Academy to face Qianling Academy.
"Both teams, please enter the prep area. Captains, come forward for the draw!" the referee announced.
Wei Feng stood and walked towards the platform, joining Shen Ce, Qianling's team captain, to draw lots. Shen Ce looked resigned; encountering Diao Academy, a veritable boss team, in the second round of the tournament pretty much sealed their fate.
But a match was a match, and Shen Ce didn't want to back down without a fight. It was a good experience to compete against Diao Academy.
"I just hope their Soul Sage doesn't go too hard on us," was all Shen Ce could hope for.
Indeed, after two matches, no one doubted Du Qianjue's status as a Soul Sage anymore. His terrifying strength couldn't be faked with spirit rings.
Unlike Huo Yuhao from the original story, who deceived many, Du Qianjue's fights—whether the sky-filling thunder in the first or his victory over the Fengyu team in one strike—showed genuine power.
Thus, Qianling's team didn't entertain the naïve thought that Du Qianjue's spirit rings were fake.
Wei Feng and Shen Ce each pressed the draw button, and a ball rolled out of the box. The referee picked it up, lifted it above his head, and announced:
" Diao Academy versus Qianling Academy, match format: two-two-three battle!"
Wei Feng raised his eyebrows, and Shen Ce's face fell.
"Actually two-two-three," Wei Feng sighed, his premonition coming true.
Shen Ce felt miserable. Qianling's forte was their Ice and Fire Dual Control Thousand Strikes Lance, best suited for team fights. The two-two-three format split their team, making them even less effective against the powerhouse that was Diao Academy.
Both returned to their prep areas. Du Qianjue nodded to Wei Feng, who casually picked a team member to accompany him, and they both strolled towards the stage.
"He really is relaxed," Du Qianjue noted, a few black lines forming on his forehead. But there really was nothing to be tense about—it was just a formality.
(End of Chapter)