The drawing of lots was quite unique; instead of reaching in to draw, three small balls of different colors were placed in a transparent sphere. The sphere would then spin, and whichever ball fell out would determine the competition format.
Wang Nan and the captain of Cloud Luo Academy placed their hands on the transparent sphere. Through it, Wang Nan saw no trace of tension on his opponent's face. After the captain met Wang Nan's gaze, he even gave him a simple, honest smile, seemingly devoid of battle intent.
At the referee's command, Wang Nan and the Cloud Luo captain exerted force simultaneously. The transparent sphere flew high, and soon, the yellow ball, representing individual combat, was the first to fall out.
"Oh—it seems the draw results are out! The competition format for the Shrek Academy representative team and the Star Luo Empire's Cloud Luo representative team is: individual elimination tournament!"
The host's impassioned voice, amplified by a spirit tool, echoed throughout Star Luo Plaza. Even those outside who couldn't buy tickets could hear him.
"The rules for the individual elimination tournament: Both teams will send out seven members for one-on-one battles. The winner remains on the stage, while the loser withdraws. The team that first eliminates all seven members of the opposing team is the ultimate victor. Now, please, both sides send up their first contestant!"
As the host introduced the rules, Wang Nan had already descended from the stage. Shrek Academy's resting area was in the northernmost part, and its size was noticeably larger than those of other academies. There were twenty sofas, and a nearby table was fully stocked with food, fruit, and drinks.
"Cloud Luo Soul Master Academy isn't very strong. After the first round of elimination, several of their main players are injured and unable to compete. Their highest cultivation is only three Spirit Ancestors. For the first match, we can send out a reserve player. How about it, who wants to go first?"
Wang Yan looked around, and finally, Beibei, the captain of the reserve team, stepped forward. "I'll give it a try. If I lose, the main team members are there to back me up."
"Good." Wang Yan nodded, then turned back to the other Disciples. "You should have rarely fought against pure Soul Masters. This is a good opportunity to see how pure Soul Masters fight."
As the match began, the Cloud Luo Academy member raised his arms, revealing three thumb-thick metal pipes. Metal pipes also appeared on his shoulders and legs, and a metal chest guard-like spirit tool appeared on his chest.
As an attack system Spirit Master, Beibei's attacks were most effective when he was close to his opponent. Therefore, the moment the match began, he charged forward.
The opponent's first three spirit rings had already lit up, seemingly all Spirit Abilities that enhanced himself. After this, more than a dozen different colored light rays assailed Beibei.
Beibei's first spirit ring lit up, and blue-purple lightning condensed on his right hand. He moved constantly, trying his best to dodge the opponent's attacks. If he couldn't avoid them, he used the lightning in his hand to strike them down.
Wang Nan sat in the resting area, his eyes on the arena, when he suddenly felt a subtle mental force fluctuation spread from beside him.
Turning to look, he saw Huo Yuhao with his head down, seemingly doing something.
"Yuhao!" Wang Nan called out, interrupting him.
Huo Yuhao looked up in response, the milky-white light in his eyes slowly receding.
The other Disciples around also looked over.
Wang Nan paused but did not scold him. Instead, he stood up with a gentle smile and approached Huo Yuhao. "I said before that I wanted to chat with you, but there hasn't been an opportunity. Would you like to sit with me for a while?"
The other Disciples only glanced over before losing interest. Cloud Luo Academy was not a strong opponent, so it was understandable that Wang Nan wasn't focused on the battle on the stage, especially since they themselves were also watching half-heartedly.
"How is life at the Academy? Are you getting used to it?" Wang Nan asked as he sat down next to Huo Yuhao.
"Senior Brother Wang," Huo Yuhao called out, then nodded. "Yes, everyone at the Academy is very kind to me."
A faint golden light glowed in Wang Nan's eyes as he looked towards the arena and said, "If Beibei on the stage now had your help, he would surely be able to easily dodge the opponent's attacks, wouldn't he?"
"Senior Brother Wang?" Huo Yuhao looked up in confusion, momentarily puzzled.
"If this were a real battle, I definitely wouldn't have interrupted what you were just doing. After all, when I was in the Outer Courtyard, our homeroom teacher told me that battle means using any means necessary."
Huo Yuhao then understood that his small action just now had not escaped Wang Nan's notice.
"Senior Brother Wang…" Huo Yuhao lowered his head. "I just wanted Senior Brother to win, I wanted our Academy to win this match."
"Your thought isn't wrong. If you were on the competition stage right now, any preparations you made, any tactics you employed, would be acceptable. But you are in the audience, so you cannot do anything improper."
"The Academy has always told you to defend the glory of Shrek, but in truth, true glory is not just about victory."
Wang Nan didn't say much more. Instead, he patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder, prompting him to look up at the arena.
On the stage, Beibei had already, by his own ability, reached the Cloud Luo Academy's Soul Master. That Disciple offered no resistance; upon seeing Beibei approach him, he immediately conceded.
For them, drawing Shrek Academy meant they had already tacitly accepted defeat, so they didn't put up much resistance, instead conceding promptly to avoid further casualties.
It wasn't until the applause and cheers around him erupted that Huo Yuhao realized the surrounding sounds seemed to have diminished significantly.
He looked up at Wang Nan, seeing a faint golden light flickering in his eyes, and then the thunderous sounds finally reached his ears.
Wang Nan turned to glance at Huo Yuhao. "Mental force isn't only used for Spirit Abilities; it has many other applications."
Huo Yuhao understood. It was Wang Nan who had used his mental force to block the transmission of some sounds, ensuring that his conversation with Wang Nan wasn't overheard by others.
Then, recalling that Wang Nan hadn't directly criticized him after interrupting him earlier, but instead sat beside him under the pretense of wanting to chat, Huo Yuhao's thoughts churned, and a strange emotion welled up in his heart.
"Alright, Beibei can come down now." Wang Yan's voice rang out from the front row. "Next, Xu Sanshi, you go up. Cloud Luo Academy isn't very strong, so you all can go up and get a feel for it. Later, when the opponents get stronger, the reserve players won't have a chance to play."
Seeing Shrek Academy also change players, Cloud Luo Academy showed no dissatisfaction. Since they were already prepared to lose, having more matches against Disciples from the continent's top academy was also a good learning opportunity.
Thus, a round-robin match of the Soul Duel Tournament was unexpectedly turned into a friendly exchange match. Both sides swapped a player after each fight, and finally, Dai Yueheng entered the stage and defeated three opponents to conclude this round-robin match.