After the third round of the round-robin matches, Shrek Academy still had four matches left to play, but compared to the opponents from Zhengtian Academy, the next four were far weaker.
For these four matches, the main team didn't even take the field; all were left to Huo Yuhao and his group to handle, with Zhang Lexuan and Wang Yan assigning the matches to them.
Three of the matches were individual battles, and one was a team battle, allowing everyone to fight freely while still concealing much of their strength.
Beibei did not reveal her Golden Holy Dragon ability. Xu Sanshi's Xuanwu bloodline was not activated. Cai Tou's Energy-Concentrating Soul-Driving Cannon remained hidden. The only ones showing a bit more were Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Jiang Nannan.
As for Huo Yuhao, to be honest, few could truly perceive his spirit abilities. Normally, a Soul Master at the Soul Lord level has only three spirit skills, but him? Counting carefully, he had almost ten.
Even more than a regular Title Douluo by one.
Besides that, he also knew several magical skills, though most were auxiliary magic.
Winning all seven matches, Shrek Academy smoothly advanced to the top sixteen, sharing the group with Zhengtian Academy.
At the same time, some good news reached Huo Yuhao.
Xiao Xiao had successfully broken through to level thirty, needing only one more spirit ring to officially become a Soul Lord-level spirit master.
For Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao's promotion meant that one thing could now be prepared to enter subsequent plans.
He couldn't help but wonder—if Tang Wutong's soul were shattered, how would a certain "Path of Death" behave?
The thought alone made him smile broadly.
Inside the conference room.
The Shrek group sat together, their spirits lifted by the smooth progress of the matches over the past few days.
Nine days had passed since defeating Zhengtian Academy, and the top sixteen to top eight elimination matches were approaching.
"The elimination round matchups have been released," Wang Yan said in a calm tone. He and Zhang Lexuan had just returned from the Xingluo Empire palace where the draw had taken place and immediately called everyone together for a meeting.
Zhang Lexuan spoke: "Our first opponent will be the Douling Royal Spirit Master Academy from the Douling Empire."
"Teacher Wang, your luck with the draw isn't great," Ma Xiaotao teased.
Wang Yan chuckled: "It's not bad. At least we didn't draw the Sun-Moon Royal Spirit Tutor Academy directly."
Not participating in combat, Zhu Lu curiously asked: "Is the Douling Royal Spirit Master Academy strong?"
Ma Xiaotao smiled: "Quite strong. They reached the semifinals in last year's tournament. Judging from the previous matches we watched, their strength this year will probably be even greater."
Wang Yan nodded: "The Douling Royal Spirit Master Academy isn't purely a spirit master academy; they rely heavily on Soul-Driving Devices, and many of their devices are even purchased from the Sun-Moon Empire. In the upcoming matches, we are likely to face various unknown Soul-Driving Device attacks, so be vigilant."
Hearing this, the main team members all nodded.
Although their own strength was sufficient, caution was always wise.
Zhang Lexuan said gravely: "There's another issue. Within the Douling Royal Academy group, there's a dark horse. They won all their previous matches, but in the last one, the Douling Royal Academy chose to forfeit. This dark horse advanced as first in the group. There might be something unusual about it."
Wang Yan said: "I have my doubts too. For now, the only guess is that they're conserving strength to avoid being eliminated in the top sixteen to top eight matches by a strong opponent."
"In the end, by avoiding the match, they ran into us instead—a lonely forfeit," Yao Haoxuan couldn't help but comment.
"Everyone has their own considerations," Zhang Lexuan shook her head. "Now, let Teacher Wang explain the rules of the elimination round."
Hearing this, everyone turned their attention to Wang Yan.
Wang Yan smiled: "The Douluo Tournament has existed for over ten thousand years, and the rules have changed many times. But for the past thousand years, the elimination round rules have remained almost unchanged. There are two types: team battles and individual battles.
"The former highlights team strength; the latter showcases individual skill. Most importantly, even if a team loses, if in the individual battle three of our members defeat seven of the opponent's, we can still reverse the result.
"This system adds uncertainty to the matches, earning nearly ninety percent support from the academies. Because the individual battle format allows for comebacks, the reserve team becomes crucial. If the main team is injured in the team battle, the reserve team may become the ultimate decider."
"Next, I will assign the students for the team battle: Huo Yuhao, Dai Yaoheng, Ling Luoxuan, Chen Zifeng, Yao Haoxuan, Xixi, and Gongyang Mo."
As Wang Yan called out the names, everyone's expressions shifted.
The team captain, Ma Xiaotao, was still not selected—Huo Yuhao had been chosen instead.
Ma Xiaotao asked puzzledly, "Senior Sister, Teacher Wang, I'm still not going in?"
Zhang Lexuan glanced at her. "For the Douling Royal Academy, you're not needed. Besides, you've been holding back for days; if you enter now, you'd probably unleash full force with every skill, leaving nothing in reserve. Better to wait for now."
Hearing Zhang Lexuan's words, Ma Xiaotao smiled awkwardly and quickly praised her, "You're the only one who understands me, Senior Sister."
Zhang Lexuan affectionately tapped Ma Xiaotao's forehead. "Don't worry. When it's your turn, I'll give you unlimited freedom to unleash your skills."
"All right," Ma Xiaotao obediently nodded.
Sitting nearby, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but reflect: in the original story, Little Tao wasn't this easy to manage. Even against the Douling Royal Academy, she had revealed almost all her skills, exposing her full strength. And at that time, the main team wasn't even complete.
"Reserve team members, carefully observe the upcoming matches. You'll rarely get a chance to fight now, and five years from now is when you'll truly shine," Zhang Lexuan said, turning to Beibei and the others.
"Understood," everyone replied in unison.
Ding-ding-ding.
Suddenly, the meeting room's doorbell rang.
Hearing it, Zhang Lexuan and Wang Yan both frowned. Wang Yan said, "Didn't I say no interruptions right now?"
Only Huo Yuhao's eyes brightened slightly, recalling something.
"Yuhao, go check who it is," Zhang Lexuan called.
Huo Yuhao got up and went to the door. Opening it, a striking figure appeared.
She wore a black long dress, appearing around twenty-eight or twenty-nine—a woman with the mature charm of adulthood yet still youthful.
It was none other than the refined auctioneer from the previous auction.
With a gentle smile on her beautiful face, Qingya looked at Huo Yuhao: "Sorry to bother you. I've come to deliver invitations."
She then took nineteen gold-embossed invitations from her storage Soul-Driving Ring and respectfully offered them, saying, "Last time, we weren't aware you were from Shrek Academy. Tonight, we're hosting a top-level auction, and the owner of our Starlight Auction Hall asked me to invite your academy."
Huo Yuhao smiled and accepted the invitations: "We'll attend."
Qingya, knowing Shrek Academy might be busy with tomorrow's match, didn't linger: "Then I'll take my leave. Sorry for the interruption."
She lightly closed the door for Huo Yuhao and left.
Holding the gold-embossed invitations, Huo Yuhao subconsciously touched his left arm.
Soon, a new soul bone would be added there.
Returning to the conference room, all eyes turned to him.
"Who is it?" Zhang Lexuan asked.
"It's Qingya, the auctioneer from Starlight Auction Hall. She brought invitations. Their owner is inviting us to a top-level auction tonight," Huo Yuhao explained, placing the invitations on the table where everyone could see.
"Delivering invitations despite the Xingluo Empire's official restrictions—this auction hall must have strong backing," Wang Yan said, frowning.
Huo Yuhao smiled: "The owner behind the Starlight Auction Hall is the royal family."
"What?" Everyone exclaimed in surprise.
"Who would dare to send invitations without royal permission?" Huo Yuhao said.
"No wonder," Wang Yan nodded, understanding why the Starlight Auction Hall occupied such prime territory.
Looking at the finely made invitations, Dai Yaoheng's expression showed astonishment: "It's a Red-Level auction."
"Very powerful?" Xixi asked.
Dai Yaoheng nodded: "Red-Level auctions are the highest tier at Starlight Auction Hall. Items are all precious, and in the past they've even auctioned soul bones up to ninety thousand years old. Besides my father, only top-tier Soul Masters, Spirit Tutors, imperial nobles, and trade association heads qualify. It seems they're trying to establish good relations with the academy, hence the invitations."
Zhang Lexuan's slender fingers lightly tapped the table. Her eyes scanned everyone, noticing their eager expressions, and she smiled: "You all want to go?"
"Yes."
Xu Sanshi was the first to express his opinion, and the others nodded. Young people all wanted to see something different.
Zhang Lexuan smiled: "All right. Tonight we'll all go together. Consider it a way to relax before the match."
"Long live Senior Sister!"
Everyone cheered in unison.
Zhang Lexuan suppressed their excitement and allowed Wang Yan to explain upcoming tactics. Naturally, their team was so strong that the strategy didn't require much detail.
Time passed. Outside, dusk fell. Birds returned in flocks, and the fiery sunset painted the sky in vivid colors.
The streets were bustling with people enjoying nightlife, and aromas of food drifted through the air.
Under Zhang Lexuan and Wang Yan's guidance, the group arrived at the Starlight Auction Hall. At the entrance, they stopped—Qingya, in her black dress, stood waiting, accentuating her elegant figure.
"Auctioneer Qingya," Wang Yan greeted with a smile.
Qingya's face brightened. "Welcome, esteemed guests. I'll lead the way."
"Good," Wang Yan smiled, noticing a subtle change in Qingya's demeanor. "It seems she's upgraded!"
Qingya smiled: "Thanks to you all auctioning the Soul-Eating Engraved Knife, I accumulated enough performance points to achieve Black-Level auctioneer promotion. Otherwise, it would've taken much longer."
"I see," Wang Yan nodded.
"Teacher Wang is finally seeing some springtime in life," Yao Haoxuan joked to the group.
"Teacher Wang must be around forty. Time to find a partner. This auctioneer Qingya looks quite nice," Xixi remarked.
"Cough, cough."
Zhang Lexuan coughed, deliberately walking at the back to give Wang Yan a chance to chat with Qingya. After all, Wang Yan had been urged to marry by Elder Xuan multiple times.
The group quietly averted their eyes, as if the conversation hadn't occurred.
Huo Yuhao, observing Wang Yan walking ahead with Qingya, shook his head. Qingya's friendliness was mainly because she was entertaining Shrek Academy; any personal feelings were absent.
For her, the focus was on cultivating beneficial relations.
As for Wang Yan's fiancée, she remained in the inner academy—a female student named Han Ruoruo.
Inside the auction hall, Qingya led the group deeper. They passed the location of the previous auction but continued further.
At the end of a corridor, two young women in golden dresses guarded the entrance.
After some negotiation, Qingya had the women press the wall behind them. Like a touch screen, the solid wall shimmered with rippling light.
The light converged into a star-shaped pattern. One girl pressed again, and with a crisp sliding sound, the wall split open, revealing an exquisitely crafted passage.
Soft white light filtered from all sides, with pale blue light forming lines along the ceiling.
"Esteemed guests, follow me," Qingya led the way. Once inside, she smiled: "Thanks to you all, I can enter Hall No. 1; otherwise, I wouldn't have the qualification."
Finally, they stopped at a door labeled No. 7, flanked by two girls in golden dresses—service personnel. Rings on the wall could summon them if needed.
They were, of course, legitimate staff.
Entering, they found a two-hundred-square-meter room. The luxurious décor, fragrant wood, exquisite jade, and boldly styled Soul-Driving Devices in transparent cases on either side caught their eyes. The sofas and tea tables were gold-colored, reminiscent of a nightclub style.
Listening to the companions' exclamations, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but click his tongue. Douluo Continent's aesthetic was… somewhat over the top.
Most styles pursued ostentatious luxury and gaudiness, lacking gentle elegance.
It seemed that without flashy items, the environment felt incomplete.
But it didn't matter.
The sofas were large enough for all students to sit comfortably, and the tables had expensive drinks and fruits.
"Auctioneer Qingya, why is this room closed? How do we conduct the auction?" Zhang Lexuan asked.
Qingya smiled, exchanging glances with the two girls in golden dresses. They pressed the wall in front of the sofas, and light flowed across it like a borderless TV turning on, forming a white screen.
"What is this?" The Shrek group was curious and surprised.
"A Light-Conducting Screen, the latest Soul-Driving technology of the Sun-Moon Empire. It can transmit images, powered by a mineral called soul stone."
Before Qingya could explain further, Huo Yuhao spoke.
Qingya smiled: "The guest is correct."
The rest of the group was stunned.
They had no concept of image transmission, but hearing that the energy came from soul stone, their expressions turned serious.
This meant the device didn't require a soul master; ordinary people could operate it.
Soul-Driving technology in the Sun-Moon Empire had advanced to this level?
For a moment, everyone except the three internal staff members of the auction hall became solemn.
Qingya had intended to explain that soul stones could only power low-energy Soul-Driving Devices, not military-grade ones, but Huo Yuhao shook his head, signaling her to stop.
Seeing this, Qingya paused and fell silent.
What Huo Yuhao wanted was for his team to feel a sense of tension toward Soul-Driving Devices, so that in the future, the tasks Elder Mu assigned him could be completed more smoothly.
He alone couldn't easily change the academy's students' attitude toward Soul-Driving Devices—but a group could.
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(End of Chapter)