The chaos from the previous night didn't affect today's matches at all—or perhaps more accurately, it was because Xu Tianran and the Sun Moon Empire's officials didn't care in the slightest. In Xu Tianran's view, last night's turmoil was nothing more than the dying struggle of a few desperate people. As for his brother, who had been rescued... truth be told, he actually hoped that foolish sibling would raise a rebellion. Otherwise, how could he have a legitimate excuse to purge all dissenters?
Today marked the beginning of the final round—the start of the quarterfinals. All eight teams were already waiting in their respective rest areas, and the draw had concluded.
The morning's first match was between the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Academy and the Holy Spirit Sect. The second morning match featured Shrek Academy versus the Heavenly Dragon Sect. In the afternoon, the Snow Demon Sect would face the Proud Sword Sect, followed by Tang Sect versus Mingdu Soul Engineering Academy.
Indeed, all the quarterfinal matches would be completed today, determining the top four. The semifinals, the second round of the finals, would take place the day after tomorrow. The final match for the championship would be held three days after that.
It was still too early to speak of the championship. For now, attention turned to the present: the first match—Sun Moon Imperial Soul Academy versus the Holy Spirit Sect. Officially, this was an internal match between teams from the Sun Moon Empire, and it clearly showed that the draw had been fair. If it hadn't been, a match like this, which drained their own forces, would never have happened.
This match drew a great deal of attention from all participating teams. It wasn't just because it determined the first team to enter the semifinals, but also because it was the Holy Spirit Sect's first match against a genuinely powerful opponent. During the group stage, they had forfeited against Shrek Academy, but this was the quarterfinals—there was no option to surrender now. Everyone wanted to see if this team of evil soul masters could still be as savage when faced with true power.
Naturally, most people hoped that the Sun Moon team would eliminate the Holy Spirit Sect. Even those confident in their own abilities preferred not to face them. After all, it was human instinct to avoid lunatics—and the Holy Spirit Sect was exactly the type of lunatic that didn't care about their own lives but could still take yours.
On the stage, Head Referee Zheng Zhan had taken his place. His expression was a bit gloomy. Although he strongly disagreed with the Holy Spirit Sect, they were still a team from the Sun Moon Empire. Yet now, they were facing off against the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Academy—an internal conflict that was deeply frustrating. After a moment of reflection, he announced loudly, "Quarterfinals, Match One: Sun Moon Imperial Soul Academy versus the Holy Spirit Sect. First round of the individual elimination—competitors, take your positions!"
With Zheng Zhan's announcement, the venue fell silent. Each team sent forth a single representative.
"Wu Fei, safety first!" In the Sun Moon team's rest area, Xiao Hongchen spoke gravely to his teammate. He knew at least a little about the Holy Spirit Sect's nature and had no full confidence in this battle.
"Don't worry, Captain!" Wu Fei replied with a smile.
Both sides took the stage. The Holy Spirit Sect's representative was a short, thin youth who flashed onto the platform like a falling leaf—light, weightless, drawing attention.
In the VIP stands, Xu Tianran sighed while watching the match begin. He hadn't expected this. Both the Sun Moon Academy and the Holy Spirit Sect were his trusted arms, yet now they were clashing. Even if it was just a match, should real conflict break out, it could jeopardize his grand plans for unification.
"Grand Preceptor, Hall Master Hongchen, what an unfortunate turn of events," he said aloud, easing the tension around him.
"Heh heh heh, Your Highness, my disciples will treat Hall Master Hongchen's students with great care," the black-robed Grand Preceptor replied with a chilling smile. His words made Jing Hongchen twitch visibly. If this weren't the wrong occasion, he'd have erupted already.
Forced to smile through clenched teeth, Jing Hongchen responded, "Then I must thank Your Excellency on behalf of my students."
"Haha, no need for thanks!" The Grand Preceptor's ever-present smile sent chills through everyone.
"Let's focus on the match," Juzi interjected, cutting off their veiled threats.
Xu Tianran remained smiling, seemingly oblivious to their exchange.
"Brother, who do you think will win?" Jiang Nannan asked.
"Hard to say," Zhu Ziyang replied. "But I'm leaning toward the Holy Spirit Sect. After all, they're a bunch of lunatics with nothing to lose. Xiao Hongchen's team might do well against normal foes, but not against these guys. Watch closely—this is a great lesson for us Shrek students. We'll have to deal with evil soul masters one day, and how the Sun Moon team handles this is something you should learn from. Understood?"
"Yes!" everyone answered in unison.
Onstage, the two fighters' names were called, and the battle began.
Wu Fei immediately activated his martial soul and soul tools. His martial soul was a spear, surrounded by two yellow, two purple, and one black soul ring. He wore an exquisitely crafted suit of soul armor that covered him completely, leaving only his eyes exposed. Fully geared for battle, Wu Fei was equipped with a level-six soul tool. With his Red Tassel Spear martial soul, he could rival a high-level Soul Emperor.
The Holy Spirit Sect's fighter, named Jili, also released his martial soul. His small frame swelled with power. Blue scales covered his body, and pale blue energy swirled around him. His upper body became muscular and grotesque, while his lower half shrank. His whole figure distorted—his head shaped like an inverted triangle, mouth pushed forward, revealing jagged fangs. He looked truly monstrous.
Jili's martial soul was strange—Wu Fei couldn't even identify it. But that didn't stop him from attacking. No matter how odd the soul, Jili was still just a Soul King, and Wu Fei could take on Soul Emperors. Without hesitation, Wu Fei unleashed his first and second soul skills. His Red Tassel Spear glowed with faint soul light as he charged forward, the wind howling around the strike.
But Jili didn't flinch. With a twisted smile, he advanced instead of retreating. His stubby legs were surprisingly fast. In a few steps, he reached the tip of Wu Fei's spear and raised a thick arm—disproportionate to his body—to block it. Then he clung to the spear's shaft, charging closer.
Wu Fei instinctively retreated while trying to throw Jili off. But Jili's steps remained firm, unaffected by the retreat.
As the distance narrowed to less than half a meter, Wu Fei realized he couldn't let Jili get closer. He immediately triggered his fifth soul skill. His armor flashed with light, boosting his power severalfold. His spear spun rapidly, aiming to throw Jili off.
Jili was thrown—but not by Wu Fei. Instead, he used the momentum to hurl himself into the air, rising more than ten meters. Wu Fei hesitated, surprised, and that brief pause cost him dearly.
Jili's eyes glinted gold midair. He twisted his body, dove headfirst toward Wu Fei, and launched his attack. From his mouth extended a purple-black tongue, sharp like an arrow, piercing straight toward Wu Fei's brow.
Wu Fei reflexively raised an arm to block—but tragedy struck.
A soul ring lit up behind Jili. His tongue, now blade-like, pierced through Wu Fei's armguard, his arm, his helmet, and drove straight into his forehead. A sickening slurping sound followed.
Everything happened too fast. Neither Zheng Zhan nor the audience reacted in time. By the time Zheng Zhan shouted, "Stop!", Jili had already retreated to the stage's edge, face full of satisfaction. Wu Fei stood frozen, a bloody hole in his forehead.
"Bastard!" Jing Hongchen exploded. He leapt up, ignoring imperial decorum, and pointed furiously at the black-robed Grand Preceptor beside Xu Tianran. "This is what you call 'taking care'? I'm not finished with you today!"
Power surged around him.
"Hall Master Hongchen!" Xu Tianran's cold voice rang in his ears, instantly extinguishing Jing Hongchen's fury like a bucket of ice water.
"Your Highness, I—I…" Jing Hongchen turned pale with fear and hurried to explain, but Xu Tianran raised a hand.
"No need. It was indeed the Grand Preceptor's fault. I'll have him apologize. As for the deceased student, the Empire will compensate his family—generously." Xu Tianran's tone was soft. "But there's no need to continue this match."
"...Understood." Jing Hongchen shut his eyes in pain before speaking again.
He left the platform, looking utterly aged. Xu Tianran and Juzi exchanged glances. The Grand Preceptor, unfazed, remarked, "Your Highness, some subordinates mustn't be pampered too much. Otherwise, they grow arrogant."
"Haha, you make a good point." Xu Tianran smiled—but his grip on the wooden armrest tightened until his knuckles turned white.
Meanwhile, Jing Hongchen returned to the Sun Moon team's rest area and stopped the enraged team from storming the stage for revenge.
"Grandpa, why are we conceding? Are we just going to let Wu Fei die for nothing?"
Xiao Hongchen was losing control, furious that the victims were the ones forced to back down. "Is it just because that bastard's one of the Grand Preceptor's men? Or an evil soul master? Is it because of that damn Grand Preceptor and that worthless crown prince?!"
Slap! Jing Hongchen smacked Xiao Hongchen across the face. "Mind your tongue! Back to confinement! Don't come out until I say so!"
"Grandpa, why did you hit my brother?!" Meng Hongchen yelped, shocked. "He didn't say anything wrong!"
Slap! Another slap landed on her cheek. Meng Hongchen stood stunned. Jing Hongchen hesitated, regretting it, but said firmly, "You too. Confinement with your brother!"
"You hit me!" Meng Hongchen stared at her grandfather, tears streaming down her face. "You actually hit me! I hate you! Waaaah!"
She burst into tears and fled the arena. Xiao Hongchen, now clear-headed, chased after her. The rest of the team trembled and followed. No one dared speak of revenge or withdrawal anymore. Their captain and big sister had just been slapped! Everyone knew Meng Hongchen was Jing Hongchen's precious darling—he'd never even scolded her before. Yet now…
Best not to think about it.
Jing Hongchen stood in place, staring after the two grandchildren. He looked decades older, burdened and weary. Was his decision right?
After a long silence, he hardened his resolve again, turned to the stage, and carried away Wu Fei's body. He informed Zheng Zhan that the Sun Moon team was conceding.
"Hall Master Hongchen…" Zheng Zhan wanted to speak, but Jing Hongchen was already gone. Sighing, he announced, "Due to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Academy's forfeit, the Holy Spirit Sect is the victor!"
Uproar! The arena exploded in disbelief.
"Tsk tsk, worthy of being the head of the Mingde Hall. Jing Hongchen knows when to bend and when to stand tall." Zhu Ziyang wasn't surprised. He and the Shrek team had witnessed the confrontation in the rest area—three generations in conflict.
As for Xiao Hongchen's cursing of Xu Tianran? Bold move. Dancing on a landmine.
He understood Jing Hongchen's restraint—but could he really swallow this humiliation?
The audience didn't know what happened backstage. They only knew that the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Academy had once again conceded. This time, even after losing a teammate. What a blow to the face of the Empire's top academy!
So they raged—but no one truly cared.
Next up: Shrek Academy versus the Heavenly Dragon Sect.
(End of Chapter)
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