After organizing their sleeping quarters, Lin Fan and the rest of the Shrek team gathered at another camp, which served as Shrek Academy's temporary war room.
Inside the barracks, Lin Fan, Yu Xiaogang, and the others convened to discuss their strategies and lineup for the upcoming advancement tournament.
Once everyone was present, Yu Xiaogang stepped forward and explained the rules.
"The advancement tournament is a singles format. Each team can field up to seven members. One person fights at a time, and if they win, they can choose to either stay and continue or swap out for a teammate."
"Defeating four opponents earns the team four points, which counts as a win. The more victories a team gets, the higher their overall ranking in this stage."
Yu Xiaogang looked around the room, then elaborated further on the format and objectives.
"Master, since it's a singles tournament, and with Lin Xuan on our team, aren't we guaranteed to win?"
Ma Hongjun asked with a bit of frustration.
"Yeah, he single-handedly swept through the team battles during preliminaries. A one-on-one format? This will be even easier for him," Oscar chimed in.
But Lin Fan looked at them and said coldly:
"This time, I won't steal your spotlight. Since the advancement stage doesn't eliminate teams, and we've already secured a spot in the finals, I have no interest in the rankings."
"It doesn't matter to me what rank we get in the advancement rounds."
Yu Xiaogang's expression softened. Lin Fan's words were exactly what he had hoped for.
He had wanted to request Lin Fan to let Tang San and the others gain experience, and now Lin Fan had offered on his own.
"Ah, come on! I just wanted to cruise my way to the finals without lifting a finger," Ma Hongjun moaned.
Yu Xiaogang immediately scolded him coldly:
"Hmph. With your current spirit power at level 36, even if I let you go up, you might not win a single fight. You'd just hand a free point to the opponent."
Ma Hongjun shrank back, embarrassed.
"So Master, should we start assigning the battle order now?" Tang San asked.
"Not yet," Yu Xiaogang replied. "The opponents will be decided by random draw. Once we know who we're up against, I'll finalize the battle order."
"Remember, rankings do matter—the top two teams in the advancement tournament will get a bye in the first round of the finals, which is a big advantage."
"That said, Lin Xuan…" Yu Xiaogang turned to him, "Since you're giving others a chance, how about this: you'll always be our fourth contestant. If the first three lose, you'll anchor the match and secure our victory."
"Fine. Skipping one match in the finals doesn't sound bad," Lin Fan nodded.
"Alright then," Flender added, patting Yu Xiaogang on the shoulder. "We'll send in Zhu Zhuqing, Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, and Tang San as the first fighters. If they win, great. If they lose, Lin Xuan will clean things up."
Just then, a sharp, proud voice echoed from outside the camp:
"Shrek Academy—come out!"
Lin Fan immediately recognized the voice—it was Huo Wu, the hot-headed vice captain of Blazing Academy.
"Oh, a girl coming to provoke us?"
Ma Hongjun rushed outside gleefully.
Dai Mubai and the others followed. Lin Fan came out last.
"Isn't this Blazing Academy, the team we already beat? What do you want now?"
Dai Mubai, as captain, fired back instantly.
"What's there to be smug about? If it weren't for Lin Xuan, you wouldn't have even qualified," Huo Wu retorted, arms crossed.
"Oh? Do you have a Spirit King? Why didn't you carry your team, then? Don't blame us for your loss."
Ma Hongjun replied with a smirk.
"You—! Fatty bastard! If you have the guts, don't send Lin Xuan out in the singles match. I'll beat the crap out of all of you!"
Huo Wu stomped her foot in frustration.
"Watch it. Fatty, here's only a Spirit Elder. I'll fight you right now if you want."
Dai Mubai stepped up beside Ma Hongjun, his tone sharp.
Although Huo Wu was strong, Dai Mubai wasn't afraid. After all, his Evil Eye White Tiger was a top-tier martial spirit—not as rare as Ice Phoenix, but still extremely powerful.
"Enough! All this shouting is pointless. Save it for the tournament. If you keep disturbing our rest, don't blame me for throwing you out."
Lin Fan finally spoke, his voice cold and laced with killing intent.
Seeing the chill in his eyes, Huo Wu flinched instinctively. She still feared Lin Fan's overwhelming strength.
"Let's just go. Talk is cheap. The arena will speak for itself."
Tang San stepped forward calmly.
He didn't fear Huo Wu either. Though his Blue Silver Grass was ordinary in appearance, his Hao Tian Hammer was the true trump card. As a Spirit Elder, he was confident he could take down someone like Huo Wu.
"Hmph. Just you wait!"
Seeing the numbers and strength on Shrek's side, Huo Wu left behind a parting threat and stormed off.
Her visit was just a minor disruption.
After she left, the Shrek team returned to the barracks to rest and preserve their strength for the tournament.
The Next Morning — 9:00 a.m.
The teams gathered at the central building within the Royal Hunting Grounds.
In front of the structure stood a large circular stage, surrounded by walkways for spectators.
This space, typically used by soldiers, had been temporarily cleared for the use of the academy battle teams.
The host of this tournament stage wasn't the usual Great Soul Arena announcer, but rather the 86th-level Dream Machine, a Contrasoul Master and an academic director of Tian Dou Royal Academy.
The supervisors were none other than Emperor Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, and Bishop Salas from Spirit Hall.
Behind the Emperor, Qian Renxue stood silently, watching Lin Fan with narrowed eyes.
"I tried to find him before, but he wasn't at the academy… Just like Lin Fan—mysterious to the bone. Cut from the same cloth."
"Would the team captains please step forward to draw for the first round!"
Dream Machine announced from the center of the stage.
"Mubai, go ahead," Yu Xiaogang said.
"Boss Dai, the Barak Academy was trash-talking us earlier. You better draw them—we'll crush them hard."
Ma Hongjun said, pointing at a nearby team with a smirk.
"Leave it to me. I'll bring back good news."
Dai Mubai nodded.
"Yeah! Let them be the first to get wrecked!"
Xiao Wu added enthusiastically.
Barak Academy—a team under the Barak Kingdom—had often clashed with Shrek in the past, back in Soto City.
Fifteen captains stepped forward to the draw lot with Dream Machine. Each would pull an emblem badge, determining their opponent.
Dai Mubai reached into the box and pulled out a red badge edged in gold.
"Barak Academy emblem!"
He shouted.
"Boss Dai, you're the man!"
Oscar cheered.
"The first match of the first round is confirmed!"
Dream Machine announced.
Shrek Academy vs. Barak Academy of the Barak Kingdom!