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"It seems my appearance has indeed changed quite a bit of the plot."
Xue Tianxing thought to himself.
The reason the three academies formed a joint team ahead of time was probably not only for the tournament rewards, but more so because they were wary of his Barak team—after all, he was a Soul Emperor, and his team also included three Soul Kings and three Soul Masters.
Such strength made them feel threatened, which is why they joined forces early to eliminate other obstacles before concentrating their forces on dealing with him. Thinking of this, Xue Tianxing was not angry at all, but instead felt a bit curious.
The original team was already quite powerful, and now with the addition of strong members from Thunder Academy, the new team's combat strength will undoubtedly reach a new level.
He wanted to see just how capable this joint team, which had been formed in advance to counter him, really was.
Xue Tianxing smiled but didn't say anything more.
He knew that saying more now was useless, so he decided to wait until the competition and let his performance speak for itself.
Moreover, he also wanted to take advantage of this match to see just how capable this united team, which he had changed, really was.
Seeing her mother still looking worried, Shui Bing'er took Shui Wuyue's hand and gently comforted her:
"Mother, don't be discouraged. Even if we face them in the first round, we will give it our all. Maybe a miracle will happen?"
Moreover, with us here, even if Tianshui Academy is eliminated, Team Barak will definitely seek justice for us and let them know that a victory won through such means is nothing!
Looking into her daughter's determined eyes, Mizuki felt some of her melancholy dissipate and nodded.
"Okay, let's give it our all! No matter the outcome, as long as we've done our best, we won't have any regrets."
The atmosphere in the teahouse private room gradually eased, and everyone began to discuss the characteristics of the team members in preparation for the upcoming match.
Meanwhile, Xue Tianxing was silently calculating in his heart—this continent-wide Soul Master Tournament, because of the appearance of this joint team, would probably be more exciting and more dangerous than in the original story.
Meanwhile, in another inn in Tiandou City, Huo Wu, Feng Xiaotian, and Yu Tianxin were training with other members of the joint team.
Huo Wu looked at her teammates in front of her, her eyes full of confidence:
"This time, we must win the championship and let everyone know the strength of our Elemental Academy! Especially that Xue Tianxing, I want to see if this Soul Emperor can withstand our combined attack!"
Feng Xiaotian also clenched his fist, his eyes filled with determination:
"I will prove to you that I'm no worse than Xue Tianxing!"
Yu Tianxin then said with a cold laugh:
"The glory of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan must not be trampled upon by Team Barak! In this tournament, we will make sure they suffer a crushing defeat!"
Both strong teams, destined to meet, are making their final preparations for the upcoming tournament.
The air in Tiandou City seemed to have become tense because of the upcoming contest.
On the opening day of the All-Continent Soul Master Tournament, the Heavenly Dou Soul Arena was packed to capacity, with cheers and shouts rising and falling, creating an exceptionally enthusiastic atmosphere.
The first match was between Tianshui Academy and the Three Academies Joint Team. As expected, although the students of Tianshui Academy tried their best, they could not withstand the powerful offensive of the Joint Team. In particular, Huo Wu's fire range attack and Feng Xiaotian's rapid attack, coupled with the suppression of the level 48 Soul Master, Tianshui Academy was quickly defeated and eliminated.
Sitting in the audience, Xue Tianxing watched the dejected figures of Tianshui Academy students walk off the field, and a sense of regret welled up in his heart.
Xue Tianxing originally planned to leave after watching the match to prepare for the next match for the Barak team, but when he inadvertently glanced at the match list for the next game—Shrek Academy versus Elephant Armor Academy—he stopped in his tracks.
"Shrek Academy versus Elephant Armor Academy?"
Xue Tianxing raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity rising in his heart.
In the original novel, Shrek Academy narrowly won against Elephant Armor Academy thanks to Tang San's hidden weapons and teamwork.
Now, without the help of the immortal herbs, and with not all the original characters present, including Tang San, Shrek Academy's overall strength is different from the original story. It remains to be seen how they will cope with Elephant Armor Academy, which is known for its defense.
With this curiosity in mind, Xue Tianxing sat back down in his seat and patiently waited for the next match to begin.
Soon, it was time for both players to enter the arena.
Xue Tianxing's gaze immediately fell on the Shrek Academy coaching bench, and he recognized Flander and Yu Xiaogang standing there at a glance. Flander was still as unkempt as ever, but there was a hint of expectant smile on his lips.
Yu Xiaogang, dressed in a neat long robe, adjusted his glasses and was intently observing the competition.
Beside the two stood a middle-aged woman with delicate features and a sharp look in her eyes. Based on his memory of the plot, Xue Tianxing quickly guessed that this woman should be the third member of the Golden Iron Triangle—Liu Erlong.
Then, Xue Tianxing turned his attention to the competition field.
The first team to enter was the Elephant Armor Academy team. The seven members, dressed in heavy armor, walked onto the field with steady steps, each with an arrogant expression on their face.
They stood in a row, their bodies radiating heavy earth-type soul power fluctuations, their eyes filled with disdain as they looked at the entrance of Shrek Academy—after all, this was Shrek Academy's first time participating in the Continental Soul Master Tournament, and in their eyes, it was just an unknown "country school" that was no match for them at all.
"Shrek Academy dares to compare itself to Elephant Armor Academy? I doubt they can even break through our defenses!"
"I can't believe it!" said Hu Yanli, the captain of Xiangjia Academy, which drew laughter from his teammates.
However, when the Shrek Academy team stepped onto the field, the laughter from the Elephant Armor Academy abruptly stopped. Xue Tianxing's eyes widened slightly, revealing a surprised expression—he actually saw Tang San in the Shrek Academy team!
Tang San is now even more upright than he was two years ago, and the fluctuations of his soul power are more refined.
Xue Tianxing secretly probed with his divine sense and discovered that Tang San's soul power had actually reached level 45, Soul Master!
This discovery surprised Xue Tianxing quite a bit—after all, he had already taken all the immortal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. Logically speaking, Tang San's cultivation speed should have slowed down significantly. However, Tang San had not only become a Soul Master, but his Soul Power level was even higher than that of the same period in the original work.
"As expected of the protagonist's halo, even without the immortal herb, he can still grow rapidly through other opportunities."
Xue Tianxing sighed inwardly, his interest in Tang San growing even stronger.