Honestly, Xuan Zi was a little flustered.
The person who arrived late was naturally him, and the reason for his tardiness was also simple: the strong smell of alcohol on him explained everything.
In Xuan Zi's opinion, since they were all from Shrek Academy, there shouldn't be any major conflicts, so his slight delay wouldn't matter.
In fact, Xuan Zi had even anticipated that the main team and the reserve team would quickly bond, fostering a friendly exchange between older and younger students.
However, the tense atmosphere before him made Xuan Zi feel a sense of unease.
"Who can tell this old man what just happened here?" Xuan Zi's eyes narrowed as he spoke in a deep voice.
The members of the reserve and main teams exchanged glances, then simultaneously fixed their gazes on Lin Yun and Ma Xiaotao. The status of the team leaders was already self-evident.
Lin Yun was the first to speak: "Nothing much. I was just admiring the formidable strength of the senior students from the Inner Court, and I couldn't resist asking Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao for some pointers. It's not a big problem."
"Am I right, Senior Sister?"
Facing Lin Yun's smiling face, a flicker of imperceptible obedience flashed in Ma Xiaotao's eyes. She replied with a light chuckle, "Junior Brother is right. We just had a small spar, Elder Xuan, it's nothing serious."
"Is that so?" Xuan Zi's expression remained somewhat suspicious.
However, with his brain fermented by alcohol, he clearly didn't have the capacity to grasp the truth of the situation. He couldn't possibly know that the Ultimate Fire Soul Master, in whom they had placed great hopes, was gradually transforming into Lin Yun's pawn.
Xuan Zi rubbed his throbbing temples, sore from a hangover, but he couldn't bear to use his soul power to evaporate the alcohol in his body.
He remained in his drunken state, slumping onto the edge of the arena.
"Since you've already greeted each other, you naturally know what this mission is about," Xuan Zi said, looking at the seven members of the reserve team.
"That's right, selecting the seven of you is for the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, held once every five years! The seven people in front of you are all outstanding individuals from the Inner Court, no older than twenty. They will participate as the main team, and you will be the reserve team, acting as substitutes!"
"Xiaotao, you all introduce yourselves!"
Ma Xiaotao nodded, stepped forward, and said, "Inner Court, Ma Xiaotao, Martial Soul: Fire Phoenix, Level 62 Offensive System Battle Soul Emperor."
Dai Yueheng followed closely: "Inner Court, Dai Yueheng, Level 64 Offensive System Battle Soul Emperor."
"Inner Court, Chen Zifeng, Level 57 Offensive System Battle Soul King."
"Inner Court, Gongyang Mo, Level 59 Support System Soul King."
"Inner Court, Ling Luochen, Level 55 Control System Battle Soul King."
"Inner Court, Xixi, Level 56 Agility System Battle Soul King."
"Inner Court, Yao Haoxuan, Level 55 Control Support System Battle Soul King."
Three offensive, one control, two support, and one agility. For a team of seven, this configuration was impeccable, covering all aspects of abilities.
After the seven members of the main team had introduced themselves, the reserve team naturally didn't want to fall behind.
"Outer Court, Second Year, Lin Yun, Level 56 Offensive System Battle Soul King." Lin Yun stepped forward, announcing his formidable cultivation, comparable to that of an Inner Court student.
Ling Luochen, Xixi, and Yao Haoxuan's expressions immediately crumbled. They had thought Lin Yun was at most around Level 50, but it turned out his soul power was even higher than theirs? Chen Zifeng and Gongyang Mo's expressions also faltered a bit; although their ranks were slightly higher than Lin Yun's, it was indeed only by a little. And considering Lin Yun's age, it wouldn't take long for him to surpass them.
"Outer Court, Second Year, Xiao Xiao, Level 39 Control System Battle Soul Grandmaster." Xiao Xiao followed Lin Yun.
As per Lin Yun's instructions, Xiao Xiao didn't reveal that she had reached the Level 40 bottleneck. She would wait until it was almost time to depart, then directly acquire her soul ring and travel separately from them.
But this level of cultivation was already terrifying, just a step away from a Soul Sect, and it was only shortly after the new semester had begun!
Another prodigy!
"Outer Court, Fourth Year, Jiang Nannan, Level 41 Agility System Battle Soul Sect."
"Outer Court, Second Year, Ning Tian, Level 37 Support System Tool Soul Grandmaster."
"Outer Court, Second Year, Wu Feng, Level 29 Offensive System Great Soul Master."
"Outer Court, Second Year, Huo Yuhao, Level 26 Control System Great Soul Master."
"Outer Court, Second Year, Wang Dong, Level 34 Offensive System Battle Soul Grandmaster."
The latter five were much more normal, and the only one who seemed a bit unusual was Wang Dong, but only those familiar with him knew his abnormality.
At the beginning of the second year, Wang Dong's soul power level had only just reached Level 21. Yet, after a year, Wang Dong had actually advanced to Level 34, a full thirteen levels, meaning he averaged less than a month per level.
Ning Tian's cultivation speed, in contrast, was relatively normal. With the resources of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, she had advanced from Level 31 to Level 37 in a year.
And hidden within the reserve team were three dual martial souls.
Xiao Xiao: Nine Dragon Cauldron, Cold Phoenix Flute.
Huo Yuhao: Spirit Eyes, Titan Snow Demon.
Wang Dong: Goddess of Light Butterfly, Clear Sky Hammer.
But they definitely wouldn't reveal these. Except for Huo Yuhao's Titan Snow Demon martial soul, which might be used, Xiao Xiao's Cold Phoenix Flute martial soul and Wang Dong's Clear Sky Hammer martial soul would generally not be utilized.
Seeing that both sides had finished their self-introductions, Xuan Zi nodded and continued, "This meeting is also to allow you all to get to know each other better. After all, for the upcoming competition, you need to go together. Little ones from the reserve team, don't think that just because you have senior students from the Inner Court, you won't need to participate."
"If you encounter opponents who aren't very strong, you will also need to enter the battle!"
As he spoke of this, Xuan Zi glanced at Lin Yun, his expression a little strange.
Although both Lin Yun and Ma Xiaotao said they had only sparred earlier, Xuan Zi could probably guess that Ma Xiaotao had definitely lost this spar, otherwise her expression wouldn't have been so bad.
And Ma Xiaotao was already the strongest person in the main team, even capable of defeating the other six main team members in a group attack by herself.
Lin Yun was even stronger than Ma Xiaotao. If they truly encountered a strong enemy, it was possible that Lin Yun would be needed to turn the tide.
Dismissing the chaotic thoughts in his mind, Xuan Zi continued, "And the best way to understand each other is through battle! Only through battle can you integrate with each other the fastest, understand each other's abilities, and quickly establish combat effectiveness!"
(End of Chapter)
────────────────────────────────────
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [One Piece: General Blue]."
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [Naruto: Starting with Tsunade-san]."
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [Battle Through the Heavens: Heavenly comprehension]."
"If you want early access to nearly 35+ chapters, join my patreon:- patreon.com/BaDwYGaMeR"