After Emperor Xue Ye announced the rules and importance of the promotion match, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. The young Soul Masters from the fifteen teams all had a more fervent fighting spirit burning in their eyes. The ranking in the promotion match directly affected the schedule advantage in the finals, making every victory crucial and not to be taken lightly.
Immediately after, under the direction of the royal master of ceremonies, the draw for the first round of the promotion tournament began. The ceremony was solemn and concise, with the leaders of each academy stepping forward to draw a jade plaque engraved with the name of their opponent's academy from a sealed jade box.
All eyes were fixed on the ceremonial platform, everyone silently speculating about their first-round opponent. Whether strong or weak, it would directly impact the morale at the start.
The leader of the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy's first team was none other than the chief of the three Education Committee members, Meng Shenji. With a calm expression, Meng Shenji stepped forward slowly, reached into the jade box, and retrieved a smooth jade plaque. His eyes scanned the characters on the plaque, and a faint, almost imperceptible strange expression crossed his face before he announced clearly:
"Heavenly Dou Royal Academy second team, first round match—Blazing Academy!"
As his voice faded, the square first fell silent, then erupted into low murmurs and discussions!
"Blazing Academy? A clash of titans right from the start!"
"Blazing Academy's luck is terrible, facing that monster from Heavenly Dou's first team in the very first match!"
"This will be interesting! Huo Wu's fiery temper against Marco's unfathomable depth—what a show to watch!"
"Heavenly Dou second team got lucky; they drew an academy from the Barak Kingdom."
Reactions to the match results varied among the crowd. The members of Shrek Academy breathed a sigh of relief; their opponent was an academy from a kingdom, relatively weaker in strength. Feng Xiaotian of Divine Wind Academy rubbed his nose; their opponent was another kingdom academy. Shui Bing'er of Heaven Water Academy remained calm; their opponent was an academy from the Silvers Kingdom.
At this moment, the focus of everyone's attention naturally fell on the two opposing sides—Heavenly Dou Royal Academy's first team and Blazing Academy.
Marco stood among the crowd. Upon hearing the result, his eyebrows lifted slightly as he calmly turned his gaze toward the members of Blazing Academy not far away. Coincidentally, the eyes of Blazing Academy's captain Huo Wushuang, vice-captain Huo Wu, and others also turned toward him at the same time.
Their gazes met in the air.
On Huo Wushuang's resolute face, a trace of astonishment first appeared, then transformed into a helpless bitter smile. He shook his head and sighed softly to his younger sister Huo Wu beside him, "Ah... this luck... truly abysmal." Facing the biggest "BOSS" of this tournament in the very first match would make anyone feel immense pressure. Though full of fighting spirit, he was well aware of the vast gap in strength between the two sides.
Standing beside Huo Wushuang, Huo Wu, however, displayed a completely different demeanor. Her charming face showed no trace of fear but was instead instantly covered with a frosty expression. Her beautiful eyes, flickering with flames, fixed intently on Marco as if they were about to spit fire. Biting her lower lip tightly, she abruptly took a step forward, fearlessly meeting Marco's gaze. She let out a cold snort, her voice filled with undisguised fighting spirit and a hint of... defiance?
"Hmph! Marco! Don't get cocky! Tomorrow on the arena, I'll definitely show you what I'm made of!" Huo Wu's voice rang clear and loud, carrying her usual fiery pride, cutting distinctly through the slightly noisy square.
Having said that, she didn't wait for Marco's response, abruptly tossed her fiery red long hair, and turned to leave. But in that instant of turning, the deliberately maintained tsundere and provocative expression on her face quickly faded, replaced by an unprecedented gravity and seriousness. Facing a powerful opponent right from the first match, and one who seemed almost undefeatable – this pressure was far greater than what she showed.
"Sister Huo Wu! Wait for me!" Seeing this, Feng Xiaotian from the Divine Wind Academy quickly called out and hurried to catch up, a concerned smile on his face, the very picture of a loyal follower. As he walked, he tried to comfort her: "Sister Huo Wu, don't worry. Although Marco is strong, your flames are exceptional too. It's not necessarily hopeless..."
But Huo Wu seemed in no mood to pay him any mind, quickening her pace instead. Only her tightly furrowed brows showed she was rapidly thinking of countermeasures.
Marco watched Huo Wu's retreating back – feigning toughness yet clearly weighed down – and Feng Xiaotian's eager pursuit, and couldn't help but shake his head, a wry, helpless smile touching his lips. This Miss Huo Wu truly had a temperament as blazing and direct as fire.
"Pfft..." A light, barely suppressed chuckle came from beside him.
Marco turned to see Shui Yue'er from Heaven Water Academy covering her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter, her water-blue long hair swaying in the breeze. Noticing Marco's gaze, she abandoned all restraint, planted her hands on her hips, and laughed heartily: "Hahaha! This is killing me! Sister Huo Wu looked so obviously nervous, but she still had to talk tough! But... hahaha, serves Blazing Academy right! Drawing a big demon king like you in their very first match!"
Shui Yue'er's voice wasn't quiet, drawing sidelong glances from many around them. Even Huo Wu, who had walked some distance away, paused slightly, her shoulders trembling faintly – she had clearly heard but was stubbornly resisting the urge to look back.
"Yue'er! Stop your nonsense!" Shui Bing'er chided lightly, her pretty face also holding a trace of amusement, but it quickly returned to its usual cool composure. She tugged at her sister's sleeve, signaling her to rein it in, then turned to Marco, her tone even and polite: "Blazing Academy is quite strong, and Miss Huo Wu is exceptionally talented. Tomorrow's match likely won't be easy for you. We should also return to prepare for our own match tomorrow."
Scolded by her sister, Shui Yue'er stuck out her tongue but still couldn't resist making funny faces at Marco, whispering, "Yeah, yeah, Marco, you're going to have to 'work hard' tomorrow!"
Marco was somewhat caught between amusement and exasperation by Shui Yue'er's mischievous antics. He could only nod slightly at Shui Bing'er and say, "Captain Shui is right. We'll see each other at tomorrow's match."
Shui Bing'er nodded, gave the still-snickering Shui Yue'er another light tug, and said quietly, "Let's go!" Then, pulling along Shui Yue'er – who kept looking back over her shoulder every few steps to make faces at Marco – she led the rest of the Heaven Water Academy team out of the square.
As she was being dragged away by her sister, Shui Yue'er still managed to twist around and call out to Marco: "Marco! If you win tomorrow, you're treating us to something delicious!"
Shui Bing'er shook her head helplessly and quickened her pace.
Watching the members of Heaven Water Academy depart, Marco glanced in the direction where Blazing Academy and Divine Wind Academy had disappeared before letting out a soft sigh. The atmosphere of the advancement round was indeed different from the qualifiers—more direct and more... interesting. He didn't care who his first opponent would be; regardless of who it was, he would crush them with absolute strength. However, Huo Wu's unyielding spirit had sparked a faint interest in him for tomorrow's match.
"Let's go," Marco said to the few members of the Heavenly Dou First Team who had attended the ceremony (mainly for appearances) before turning and heading toward the accommodations arranged by the royal family. The setting sun cast his shadow long, and beneath his calm exterior lay unparalleled power and confidence.
On the plaza, the other academies also began to disperse under the guidance of their leaders, each making final preparations for tomorrow's opening match. Within the Heavenly Dou Royal Hunting Ground, the tense atmosphere of impending battle had already begun to spread. Everyone knew that starting tomorrow, every fight would determine the final rankings and shape their destinies upon arriving at Spirit City. And the opening match between the Heavenly Dou First Team and Blazing Academy would undoubtedly be the most anticipated showdown of the first round!
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