Faced with the young man's clever plea, Chu Chengzhou didn't give any verbal response. He simply unleashed an illusion technique, eliminating the opponent from the match.
According to the original plan for the advancement tournament, ten members of the Lan Ba team were participating. Among them, the three substitutes—Jiang Zhu, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan—who had been given special treatment during the preliminaries, as well as Ning Rongrong and Oscar, who lacked combat abilities, were merely there to make appearances.
Moreover, both he and Xiao Wu, who also possessed the ability to take on all seven opponents in a row, would not be the starting players. Instead, they would rotate as second-wave participants, allowing Zhu Zhuqing, Ma Hongjun, and Tai Long to take turns showcasing their strength as the first wave.
This time, he directly started because Liu Erlong specifically requested it. It could only be said that Balak Academy was unlucky.
Of course, it wasn't just Balak Academy that was unlucky. While Ma Hongjun and Tai Long, both Soul Elders, weren't particularly strong, weaker academies couldn't rule out the possibility of being swept by Zhu Zhuqing's one-versus-seven dominance.
And as for stronger teams, even if their starting players could eliminate one member of Lan Ba Academy, when facing him or Xiao Wu in subsequent rounds, they would still be swept in a one-versus-seven fashion.
Do you think the advancement tournament is a stage for individual participants to showcase their strength? Continuously sweeping teams in a one-versus-seven fashion—how can others display their individual abilities?
Er, am I, Chu Chengzhou, not a participant?
And in terms of age, aside from his own Lan Ba Academy teammates, who isn't older than me, Chu Chengzhou?
When Chu Chengzhou walked off the arena, the members of Lan Ba Academy immediately surrounded him.
"Drag him off, next! Tsk tsk, Boss Chu, you're incredible!"
Mimicking Chu Chengzhou's earlier tone and gestures, Ma Hongjun flattered him with exaggerated praise.
"Stay low-key, stay low-key!"
Chu Chengzhou pressed his hands downward, smiling and nodding.
"Low-key? Boss Chu, after pulling off that eye-catching streak, can this still be called low-key?"
Oscar spoke with an exaggerated expression.
"You guys don't understand. When our captain says 'low-key,' he means being as high-profile as possible!"
Flexing his biceps, Tai Long shook his head and smirked.
"So that's what 'low-key' means!"
The two "princes of the club" suddenly realized.
Chu Chengzhou: "..."
The performance of Lan Ba Academy in the first round of the advancement tournament was undoubtedly perfect.
Although the first round exposed Chu Chengzhou's overwhelmingly powerful strength in the competition, so what if others knew part of his abilities?
Once the gap in strength was too large, even the best tactics wouldn't help against someone you couldn't defeat.
After all, the disparity in strength wasn't something easily bridged.
In subsequent matches, the other four academy teams that advanced from the Tian Dou Division preliminaries also achieved victories.
Though they were all participating in the advancement tournament, it was undeniable that the overall strength of the elemental academies far surpassed that of these kingdom and duchy academies.
Even the Elephant Armor Academy team, which failed to advance during the preliminaries, would have been considered mid-tier in the advancement tournament.
All five academies representing the Tian Dou Empire won their first-round advancement matches, earning immense face for Emperor Xue Ye, who was utterly satisfied.
He immediately announced on the spot that each winning academy would be rewarded with 1,000 gold spirit coins, and even the losing academies would receive 500 gold spirit coins.
After the seven matches of the first day ended, the deans of each academy went on stage to draw lots for their opponents the next day.
In Ma Hongjun's view, their Principal Liu Erlong had excellent luck. For tomorrow's match, they drew the Plant Academy team from the Kingdom of Sylvis.
Of course, neither the name of the academy nor the kingdom it came from was Ma Hongjun's main focus.
What he cared about most was that all the members of the Plant Academy team were beautiful young ladies, and their martial souls were all plant-type.
Fire overcomes wood, air dominates ground—it was time for your big brother Ma to shine!
Moreover, he could show off his prowess as the "Phoenix Prince" to the young ladies of the Plant Academy!
Liu Erlong, Flan, and Zhao Wuji were extremely confident in their Lan Ba team's strength. Aside from today's requirement for a strong start, all specific match tactics were left to Chu Chengzhou, the team captain.
After the draw results were announced, on the way back to the camp, Ma Hongjun kept looking pitifully at Chu Chengzhou.
The meaning was clear: I want to start tomorrow's match!
"Fatty, stop looking at me like that!"
Chu Chengzhou said helplessly.
"Hehe, Boss Chu, let me go first! If I don't show off more in the Soul Master Tournament, when will I ever find a girlfriend?"
Ma Hongjun chuckled shamelessly.
Chu Chengzhou rolled his eyes: "Fine, I give up! But let's get one thing straight—if you can't even defeat one opponent, then forget about starting in future advancement matches!"
"No problem, you can trust me! Even if the Plant Academy sends their captain first, I'll definitely win!"
Ma Hongjun immediately puffed out his chest and guaranteed.
Although he was only a Level 39 Soul Elder, while the Plant Academy's captain was a Soul Ancestor, thanks to the superiority of his martial soul, attribute advantage, and the benefits of being a flying-type soul master, the gap of a few soul power levels and a fourth soul ring wasn't insurmountable.
Even if he hadn't yet advanced to Soul Ancestor, Ma Hongjun felt that even sweeping all seven opponents wasn't impossible.
That night passed without incident, though there was a small hiccup.
A certain person (whose name shall remain undisclosed) attempted a midnight rendezvous but was kicked out the moment he pried open the door.
The tempo of the advancement tournament was much faster than the preliminaries. With no ordinary spectators, only match results mattered. Without the cumbersome processes and audience noise, most participants found it easier to perform at their peak.
Lan Ba Academy's match against the Plant Academy was the fourth to take the stage. As soon as they arrived at the training ground, Chu Chengzhou noticed wary gazes coming from nearby.
Turning his head, Chu Chengzhou saw a long-legged young lady in eco-friendly (or was it green?) team attire, staring intently at him.
Seeing that the captain of the Plant Academy team was fairly attractive, Chu Chengzhou smiled and whistled.
Yao Zi: "..."
"Hiss~"
Suddenly, as Chu Chengzhou was whistling, he felt sharp pain on both sides of his waist and sucked in a breath of cold air.
Looking down, he saw two small hands had already latched onto his waist, pinching his soft flesh and twisting it 180 degrees.
"Whistle~ Keep whistling! Why did you stop? Rongrong, Zhuqing, pinch harder!"
Xiao Wu crossed her arms, glaring menacingly.
"Cough, well, Xiao Wu, I was just gathering intelligence on the opponent!"
Chu Chengzhou grabbed Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing's hands, laughing awkwardly.
"Gathering intelligence requires whistling? Why don't you just say you want to flirt with her?"
Xiao Wu glared, her eyes flashing angrily.
"No, no, absolutely not!"
Chu Chengzhou quickly waved his hands.
"Hmph, I'll deal with you later!"
Given the crowd around, Xiao Wu huffed and temporarily let the matter slide.
"Big scoundrel, aren't we enough for you?"
Ning Rongrong leaned over and whispered into Chu Chengzhou's ear, giving him another pinch.
Chu Chengzhou's expression turned serious: "Rongrong, don't misunderstand. I was genuinely just gathering intelligence on the opponent, nothing more."
"If you dare look at other girls, your little Chu is in trouble!"
Zhu Zhuqing made a scissors gesture toward Chu Chengzhou.
Chu Chengzhou: "..."
What Chu Chengzhou didn't know was that the three sisters had already planned ahead. From now on, they would unite to keep a close eye on him, preventing any further additions to their group.
The matches proceeded quickly. After three rounds, it was finally Lan Ba Academy's turn to face the Plant Academy.
The Plant Academy's tactical arrangement was the same as yesterday's Balak Academy: their starting player wasn't the strongest but a Soul Elder.
Though this tactic wasn't brilliant, to avoid being completely swept, the Plant Academy had no choice.
Fortunately, the Plant Academy breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the person stepping onto the field for Lan Ba Academy wasn't Chu Chengzhou but a chubby boy whose soul power hadn't yet reached the Soul Ancestor level.
Victory? That was impossible. After all, Lan Ba Academy had Chu Chengzhou, the ultimate powerhouse. Based on yesterday's performance alone, no one could surpass him.
But since the starting player was only a Soul Elder, there was no chance of being swept seven-to-zero.
Surely this chubby boy didn't possess Chu Chengzhou's absurd strength, right?
"Little fatty, big sister will take good care of you~"
On the arena, before the match officially began, the long-legged young lady from the Plant Academy smiled sweetly at Ma Hongjun.
In Xiao Wu and the others' eyes, Ma Hongjun was quite lecherous, but to those unfamiliar with his habits—and older women—he appeared somewhat cute.
"Is that so? How will big sister take care of me?"
Ma Hongjun licked his lips, grinning lecherously.
With just one sentence and that sleazy smile, Ma Hongjun's true nature was instantly revealed.
Young lady from the Plant Academy: "..."
She thought he was a cute chubby boy, but he turned out to be a vulgar pervert?
"Match begins!"
At this moment, the referee announced.
"Molten Lava Phoenix, attach!"
With a shout, the cry of a phoenix rang out. Ma Hongjun's martial soul activated, and a black phoenix shadow enveloped in orange flames flashed behind him. A surge of soul power emanated from his body.
"P-Phoenix?"
The young lady from the Plant Academy team widened her eyes in shock.
Plant-type soul masters, especially control-type plant soul masters, typically had a significant weakness: they were easily countered by fire-attribute power-type soul masters. And Ma Hongjun's martial soul wasn't just any phoenix—it was the White Bird King, the noble Phoenix martial soul.
Though this Molten Lava Phoenix wasn't a Fire Phoenix, its noble aura clearly indicated it was a pure-blooded Phoenix martial soul, just with a different attribute—a variant phoenix.
Though Ma Hongjun was sleazy, he showed no mercy when his opponent was a young lady.
Whoosh—
As his second soul ring lit up, a surge of orange flames erupted into the sky. Immediately afterward, a torrent of molten lava spewed forth, rushing straight toward his opponent.
With no time to dodge, the young lady from the Plant Academy, whose martial soul manifested as wisteria vines, hastily erected dense vines as a shield.
Unfortunately for her, the overwhelming power of attribute suppression was on full display.
Fire naturally overcame wood, and Ma Hongjun's Molten Lava Phoenix was a top-tier fire-type avian martial soul, while the wisteria vine martial soul was far inferior—not even a top-tier martial soul. The scorching lava instantly corroded the dense vines and adhered to the young lady's eco-friendly uniform.
Feeling the molten lava about to burn through her protective soul power, the terrified young lady, forgetting this was a match, immediately tore off her outfit to avoid permanent injury.
Girls loved beauty. Compared to risking disfigurement, showing off her figure wasn't a big deal, especially since she still had her undergarments.
However, she didn't forget she was still in the middle of a match. Dense wisteria vines surged from behind her, rushing toward Ma Hongjun in an attempt to stop this sleazy fatty from attacking her again.
But Ma Hongjun acted as if he didn't see the incoming vines. Ignoring their assault, his eyes widened, unblinking, as he stared at the young lady's figure, now clad only in purple lace undergarments after removing her uniform.
With just his second soul skill, Molten Phoenix activated, the orange molten phoenix flames surrounding Ma Hongjun formed an insurmountable barrier. Any vines that approached instantly turned to ash.
"We concede this match!"
The Plant Academy's leader, a middle-aged beauty, rushed onto the field without hesitation and shouted to the referee.
Her student was still an unmarried maiden! Being on the field in just undergarments was unacceptable.
If they could win this match, it would be worth it, but since victory was hopeless, continuing was unnecessary.
"Disgusting!"
Arriving on the field, the middle-aged beauty retrieved clothing from her storage-type soul tool and draped it over her student. She glared furiously at Ma Hongjun.
It was a match! Why did you burn my student's clothes? Don't you know she's a girl?
Well, technically, entering the arena without the referee's permission was already a violation. Otherwise, the middle-aged beauty would have surely taught this little rascal a lesson!
"Please have the Plant Academy's leader immediately leave the arena and send out the second participant.
Additionally, I'll reiterate: during the match, no one from either academy may enter the arena unless they are participating. Otherwise, the tournament committee will disqualify the academy and hold them accountable!
However, considering the circumstances and the lack of impact on the match, the Plant Academy will receive a warning this time, and no further action will be taken."
The referee announced loudly.
"What a pity!"
Watching the young lady cover herself again, hiding her figure, Chu Chengzhou, who had been watching the "match" intently from outside the arena, slapped his thigh and sighed regretfully.
"Indeed, such a pity!"
Oscar nodded in agreement.
"A pity for what?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Chu Chengzhou heard Xiao Wu's ominous voice in his ear.
"I'm lamenting that the Plant Academy, which violated the rules, wasn't disqualified!"
Chu Chengzhou quickly turned to Xiao Wu with a serious expression.
"Is that so?"
Xiao Wu frowned slightly: "Is it?"
"What else do you think I'm lamenting?"
At this moment, Chu Chengzhou's eyes were clearer than ever.
"Hmph, you pass!"
Snorting softly, Xiao Wu turned her head away.
On the arena.
The previous match seemed to have opened a new world for Ma Hongjun.
Three more young ladies from the Plant Academy team took the stage consecutively, all having their eco-friendly uniforms burned by Ma Hongjun's molten lava.
Fortunately, the young ladies of the Plant Academy knew this fatty was sleazy and were prepared.
Though not every member of the Plant Academy team had a storage-type soul tool, they could borrow them, and ownership transfer was simple. They all brought spare outfits, avoiding the embarrassing situation of having no clothes after their uniforms were burned.
Hmm, just a bit wasteful on clothes.
Though the clothing issue was resolved, the problem of attribute suppression remained unsolvable.
Facing the scorching molten lava Ma Hongjun spewed, the entire Plant Academy team, composed entirely of plant-type martial souls, suffered greatly.
After four consecutive losses, it was finally a Soul Ancestor's turn to take the stage. Only then did they manage to defeat Ma Hongjun, whose soul power had been depleted.
Of course, this young lady didn't fare well either. Though she had the advantage in level, after defeating Ma Hongjun, she too had to withdraw due to excessive use of soul skills and depleted soul power.
After leaving the arena, Ma Hongjun quickly ate an energy-restoring sausage crafted by Oscar, recovering some stamina and soul power.
"Boss Chu, how was my performance?"
After recovering slightly, Ma Hongjun raised his head proudly and asked with self-satisfaction.
"Fatty, impressive!"
Giving a thumbs-up, Chu Chengzhou praised him generously.
The opponents were all single-combat-focused control-type soul masters, yet Ma Hongjun managed to take on five opponents, including one Soul Ancestor. This was enough to demonstrate the strength of this "Phoenix Prince."
After all, Ma Hongjun's soul power level was only 39. One couldn't expect too much.
Next up was Xiao Wu. Though she lacked attribute advantage, her displayed strength far surpassed Ma Hongjun's performance—even rivaling Chu Chengzhou's from yesterday.
With her Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul activated, her second soul ring lit up, and her Charm soul skill immobilized everyone, including Yao Zi, the Plant Academy's captain and a Level 44 Soul Ancestor, who was promptly kicked out of the arena.
One of the rules of the Soul Master Tournament stated that once a participant exited the arena boundary, they were considered eliminated.
Xiao Wu, a bonafide Soul King, had spiritual power far surpassing an ordinary Soul Ancestor. Moreover, she had cultivated the Eternal Thought technique to enhance her spiritual power. The Plant Academy's two Soul Ancestors naturally couldn't resist her Charm soul skill.
Over the next ten days, Lan Ba Academy continued its unstoppable streak, defeating opponents in the advancement tournament, including the previously unmet Sky Water Academy.
In every round, Zhu Zhuqing, Ma Hongjun, and Tai Long took turns starting, while Chu Chengzhou and Xiao Wu alternated as second-wave participants. By the end of the twelfth round, Lan Ba Academy had never fielded more than two players in any match.
There was no helping it. With two ultra-strong "gatekeepers" taking turns guarding, other academy teams simply couldn't get past them.
Even in the fifth round, against a minor academy team, following Chu Chengzhou, Zhu Zhuqing, who started that day, completed the second one-versus-seven sweep of the Tian Dou Division advancement tournament.
Thus, Lan Ba Academy had already secured twelve victories in all fourteen advancement matches.
Notably, in the tenth round against God Wind Academy, Ma Hongjun, who started, was decisively defeated by God Wind's Feng Xiaotian.
Feng Xiaotian could also fly. His Gale Twin-Headed Wolf wasn't an avian martial soul, but its quality was top-tier, not inferior to Ma Hongjun's Molten Lava Phoenix. Though Feng Xiaotian's soul power was only at Level 44 Soul Ancestor, considering his signature move, Gale Wolf Thirty-Six Consecutive Slashes, his strength was no less than an ordinary optimal-ratio Level 51 power-type Soul King. Naturally, Ma Hongjun was no match for him.
However, just as the many observing academy teams thought the undefeated God Wind Academy had risen, Xiao Wu, Lan Ba Academy's second-wave participant, "avenged" Ma Hongjun. Her second soul ring lit up, and with a single glare, within three seconds of the match starting, she kicked Feng Xiaotian, now in a daze, out of the arena, completing a one-versus-seven sweep of God Wind Academy.
Xiao Wu: Seven isn't enough—I want to fight ten!
Following Chu Chengzhou, the devil who loved hanging people from trees, Lan Ba Academy produced another powerhouse in Xiao Wu, capable of instantly defeating Soul Ancestors. In the eleventh and twelfth rounds, their opponents all chose to forfeit.
With no hope of victory and able to defeat at most one Lan Ba Academy participant before being swept like gourds on a string, continuing the match held no meaning. It was better to surrender and conserve strength for the next day's competition.
The next morning, the Lan Ba Academy team arrived at the arena. Liu Erlong went to submit the lineup order for the team.
Not long after, Liu Erlong returned, smiling.
"Principal Liu, how did it go?"
Chu Chengzhou quickly asked.
Today's opponent was one of the elemental academies: Thunderbolt Academy, backed by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family. Surely they wouldn't lack the backbone to forfeit early.
"Good news!"
Liu Erlong smiled as she spoke.
Though it was called "good news," Chu Chengzhou's face fell.
For him, good news equaled bad news because it meant no match—his opponent had forfeited early.
Thunderbolt Academy, backed by one of the continent's three great families, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, had also forfeited?
I, Chu Chengzhou, hadn't even gotten to hang Yu Tianxin, one of the "Blue Lightning Twin Stars," from a tree yet! How dare they be so disrespectful?
"My dear nephew Tianxin said I'm his aunt, so he doesn't feel comfortable fighting us."
Liu Erlong smiled brightly.
Everyone: "..."
It wasn't familial affection—it was clearly because the leader of Thunderbolt Academy's team, Yu Tianxin, feared being hung from a tree!
Thinking about it, compared to forfeiting early, being publicly swept seven-to-zero and hung from a tree in front of everyone would be far more humiliating.
Yu Tianxin: Surrendering to my own aunt's academy—I'm not embarrassed!
"Who's our last opponent in the advancement tournament?"
Chu Chengzhou asked the group.
"It's Bacarl Duchy's Bacarl Academy. Bacarl Academy's team isn't strong—only two Soul Ancestors, and their ranking in the advancement tournament is at the bottom."
After some thought, Ning Rongrong replied.
Bacarl Duchy was the sole duchy among the five kingdoms and duchies under the Tian Dou Empire.
"Well, it seems our advancement tournament effectively ended ten days ago."
Spreading his hands, Chu Chengzhou remarked helplessly.
------------------------------------------------------
Double Chapters Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)