After the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy's quarterfinal match concluded, the members of Shrek Academy remained seated in the audience stands, animatedly discussing the performance they had just witnessed.
"Their soul tool cannon fire… how the hell was it that accurate?"
He Caitou frowned deeply. He had been racking his brain over this question since the match ended and still had no clue.
"Yeah. I saw it too. It was like those beams had eyes of their own."
Bei Bei had kept his Purple Demon Eyes active throughout the match, watching closely from start to finish.
"But honestly, forget about that for a moment. What about that blue-haired reserve member? Did he do anything other than pop in at the end and finish off a few weakened enemies?"
Wang Dong furrowed his brow, recalling the figure that had made him inexplicably uneasy.
That single question instantly jolted Wang Yan from his deep thoughts. A spark of realization flashed across his mind.
"That child… he was the core member. That's why he was the only one strictly protected in the rear. In that case..."
Wang Yan muttered under his breath. Hearing his voice, the rest of the team turned to look at him.
"In that case, logically speaking, there's no way those soul cannon shots could have been that accurate on their own. That core member's role… it must have been support—guidance and precision targeting. Only a spiritual-type soul master could provide that kind of assistance."
He quickly arrived at a conclusion. The others thought it over and nodded. It made sense.
"Teacher Wang Yan, you really are a master of soul master theory. But Caitou, what do you think? If we had to face that kind of firepower, could we fight back?"
Seeing the concern on Bei Bei's face, the rest of the group quieted down and looked toward He Caitou.
Scratching his head, He Caitou gave a slightly sheepish smile.
"A regular team would definitely have no way to handle something that powerful and accurate… but Dou Ling Academy didn't have any soul emperors among their offense-type fighters. We do. If we prepare in advance and give both of our offense-type soul emperors high-grade defensive soul shields, we can force our way through their barrage. Once we get up close, those immobile cannon operators would be sitting ducks."
"And besides, the Sun Moon team isn't stupid. They probably wouldn't use the same strategy on us."
"That's good, then."
Even so, Bei Bei still didn't feel much better. Their understanding of the Sun Moon team was far too shallow. Whether they could win against them was a mystery—like opening a blind box and hoping for the best.
Let alone making it to the finals in the first place…
"Wang Yan, come here."
Just as the day's matches came to an end, Wang Yan heard a voice in his mind—a hoarse, aged voice he didn't like at all.
He turned to his students and told them to head back to the hotel first. Then he quietly walked alone toward a corner of the arena.
Sure enough, there he saw a scruffy, half-dressed old man chewing on a chicken leg and downing alcohol.
This bastard… Still lazing around like nothing happened, even after letting so many students die? Just thinking about those evil soul masters made Wang Yan's chest burn with anger.
But as an outer court teacher whose status didn't even match that of inner court disciples, Wang Yan didn't dare show any disrespect toward this man—a Rank 98 Super Douluo and elder of the Sea God's Pavilion. He gave a polite bow.
"Elder Xuan, is there something you need?"
Chicken Drumstick Douluo took another bite, downed some more wine, and lazily glanced at him without a hint of courtesy.
"What do you think about that blue-haired kid? The one who mocked our whole Douluo Alliance?"
Wang Yan clenched his jaw. This elder clearly looked down on him, and the disrespect stung. Still, he kept his emotions in check and answered calmly.
"From what I saw, I'm not sure about his cultivation level… but I'm confident he isn't a Soul Emperor. He's likely a spiritual-type soul master with strong support abilities, capable of aiding cannon accuracy and simulating soul skills."
Elder Xuan furrowed his brow. With a loud "bang," he smashed his wine bottle onto the ground.
"Wang Yan, are you spouting nonsense? That kid is clearly an ice-type soul master! And not just any kind—he's an Ultimate Ice wielder! How could you not see that?"
Wang Yan nearly spat blood in his heart.
'My good ancestor, I should be the one asking you why in the world that kid… why Huo Yuhao has an Ultimate Ice martial soul!'
"Elder Xuan… why do you say that?"
"Hmph! You didn't notice? Xiao Tao's evil fire was suppressed by that kid's ice aura! I even went back to the Sea God Pavilion's library and dug through ancient records. Only Ultimate Ice can suppress that level of evil fire!"
Wang Yan had a broad knowledge base, but truthfully, he hadn't noticed when Huo Yuhao released any ice aura at all.
"You're right… but I'm still certain that Huo Yuhao possesses spiritual attributes as well—"
Elder Xuan slapped his thigh, eyes bulging with anger.
"Stop spewing crap! What spiritual power? That's just your mistake! He's an Ultimate Ice soul master, I'm telling you! What, are you trying to tell me he has dual martial souls—one Ultimate Ice and one spiritual? Don't be ridiculous! The Sun Moon Empire hasn't produced any genius in thousands of years, and suddenly they've got a monster like this?"
Perfectly dodging the actual answer.
Wang Yan was trying to say exactly that. But at this point, he didn't even want to talk anymore.
Seeing Wang Yan go quiet, Chicken Drumstick Douluo finally calmed down a bit. He snorted to himself.
'Hmph, a mere Soul King in his thirties, and you think you know better than me? This old man's judgment is far superior!'
"Ultimate Ice, huh… If we can bring him over to Shrek Academy and resolve Xiao Tao's problem… we'd have both Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Fire under our banner. Two superweapons! Hahahahaha!"
He took another swig of wine and burst into raucous laughter.
Wang Yan kept his head down.
'This old bastard… did he just call students "weapons"? And "bring him over"? You sure you don't mean kidnap?'
He genuinely wished all those Shrek fanboys across the continent could see the true face of this so-called Sea God's Pavilion elder.
Of course, he wisely kept those thoughts to himself.
After laughing for a while, Elder Xuan finally shot Wang Yan another sideways glance and said coldly,
"The reason I called you here was to give you a heads-up."
"If Shrek Academy doesn't win this tournament… Hmph. The Sea God's Pavilion elders have issued a firm order. Either we win, or you—the team's lead instructor—take full responsibility. And pack your bags. You'll be leaving the Academy."
"I'm telling you now, this wasn't my decision. I couldn't argue against the Pavilion's orders."
Despite those words, Elder Xuan's tone made it clear that he didn't care what happened to Wang Yan at all.
The statement hit Wang Yan like a thunderbolt.
Wait… what? You're pushing all the blame onto me?
Weren't you the one who let so many official team members die?
I've gotten this bunch of reserve students to the brink of the finals. What more could you possibly expect from me?
A storm of emotions surged within Wang Yan—frustration, injustice, bitterness, rage. His heart was drowning in it all.
(End of Chapter)
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