The competition venue was still bustling with activity, even more so than in the past few days, with a stronger scent of gunpowder. An invisible fighting Spirit permeated everyone's hearts, whether they were spectators or contestants.
Starting today, the competition entered its second round of elimination, where 92 teams would be selected from 184 to advance to the third round. And the first match of this second round was definitely the highlight, because Shrek Academy was about to make its appearance.
As the saying goes, a person's name is like the shadow of a tree; Shrek Academy's title as the continent's number one academy was not unfounded. Even proud and arrogant traditional Sects had to take this academy, which held a pivotal position on the continent, seriously. Therefore, at this moment, all the teams were present in the contestant rest area.
The last time all team members from all teams were present like this was at the opening ceremony five days ago. In the following days, advancing teams didn't bother to come, and eliminated teams weren't qualified to come, so it was never very complete. The fact that everyone was present today showed that Shrek Academy indeed had a formidable reputation.
However, the greater Shrek Academy's reputation, the unhappier the Sun Moon Empire's populace became. Because from any perspective, their favorable impression of Shrek Academy was not high, especially those who could come to Mingdu to watch the Soul Master Competition, who were basically powerful and influential people from the Sun Moon Empire. They had even less of a good impression of Shrek Academy.
In the eyes of these Sun Moon Empire dignitaries, it was precisely because of Shrek Academy's existence that they were unable to upgrade from national dignitaries to continental dignitaries, so their favorable impression naturally couldn't be high.
"The second round of the elimination tournament is about to begin. Please be quiet. The champions of the previous competition, or rather, the Shrek Academy team that has held the championship for many years, will make their appearance in the first match today."
As the referee's announcement concluded, a wave of ill-intentioned boos immediately erupted from the stands. This caused several male members of Shrek Academy's preliminary team, who had already entered the waiting area, to become quite angry, their faces flushing with rage.
"Calm down," Zhu Ziyang said indifferently, observing the reactions of the boys. "If you get angry, then you've already lost."
The boys were momentarily stunned and began to ponder Zhu Ziyang's words. Zhu Ziyang no longer paid attention to them, his gaze shifting to another waiting area. There, the contestants of Taining Advanced Soul Master Academy, their first opponents in this competition, sat upright and proper. Even from dozens of meters away, Zhu Ziyang could feel their nervousness.
Taining Advanced Soul Master Academy was also considered an old team in the Soul Master Competition; their best result to date seemed to be the top eight. Unfortunately, they had bad luck in this competition, encountering Shrek Academy in the second round of eliminations. No one believed they could defeat Shrek Academy, including themselves. Their team leader had told their members: you can lose to Shrek Academy, but you cannot lose to yourselves!
The meaning of this statement was very clear: they could not surrender without a fight. The team leader's fighting Spirit successfully ignited the fighting will of the Taining Team members. One by one, they straightened their backs. Although their muscles were still visibly tense, at least they were no longer as stiff as before.
As Zhu Ziyang looked over, their team leader also happened to look towards Shrek Academy. Their gazes met, and the Taining Academy leader's face immediately broke into a somewhat honest smile. Zhu Ziyang also smiled and nodded at him.
This action aroused the curiosity of Jiang Nannan and Ma Xiaotao, who were beside him. Both looked over, only to see a very sturdy, tall young man with an honest smile on his face. Jiang Nannan didn't recognize him, making her even more curious, but Ma Xiaotao's expression changed, revealing a look of surprise and delight.
"Ziyang, is that…" Ma Xiaotao looked at Zhu Ziyang excitedly and called out.
"Don't be so impulsive, Sister Xiaotao." Zhu Ziyang smiled, gently pressing Ma Xiaotao down, and said, "Let's talk after the match is over."
"Oh, oh!" Ma Xiaotao finally gave up, but her joyful expression made the other team members look at her.
"Ahe, you'll take the lead in this first match!" Zhu Ziyang began to arrange the match details, saying to Zhou Tianhe.
"Alright!" Zhou Tianhe immediately jumped up excitedly. He was undoubtedly a battle-hungry individual. Watching other teams fight fiercely for days, but never getting his own turn, had truly frustrated him. He shouted excitedly, "Watch me take on seven directly!"
Zhou Tianhe stepped onto the arena. On the other side, a Taining Academy contestant also stepped onto the arena; he was a very robust young man, whose demeanor surprisingly shared some similarities with Zhou Tianhe. Clearly, he was also a power-type contestant.
"Both parties, state your names!" The referee for this match was an old man with a goatee, a Spirit Saint cultivator. He announced.
"Shrek Academy, Zhou Tianhe!"
"Taining Academy, Niu Wei!"
With both sides having stated their names, the match officially began. Zhou Tianhe and Niu Wei simultaneously released their spirit rings and Spirits.
Zhou Tianhe's body suddenly swelled by a circle, his height soaring to three meters. His arms and legs were covered in thick fur, and the muscles on his body were like coiled dragons, astonishing to behold. Behind him were six spirit rings: two yellow, two purple, and two black. With his Spirit Emperor cultivation, the strength Zhou Tianhe displayed made some discerning individuals nod secretly, feeling an undeniable sense of pressure. The first contestant Shrek Academy sent out was a Spirit Emperor; they were indeed not to be underestimated.
At the same moment, Niu Wei was also releasing his Spirit. His body also swelled, and the muscles on his body experienced explosive growth. A thick, hard white single horn emerged from his forehead, and behind him were five spirit rings: two yellow, two purple, and one black. He was the captain of the Taining Academy Team, a Level 56 attack system Spirit King, with the Plate Armor Rhinoceros Spirit.
The two burly men, both with intimidating physiques, began their contest of strength. Both tacitly avoided using Spirit Abilities and spirit power, relying solely on their physical strength to contend. They gave it their all; Niu Wei's arms were already bulging with veins. Zhou Tianhe's body was covered in fur, so the details weren't visible, but it was likely no better.
Zhou Tianhe was, after all, a Spirit Emperor, and his physique was also more robust than Niu Wei's. So, in the first round of pure strength competition, Zhou Tianhe emerged victorious. Veins bulged on his head, and with a loud roar, he suddenly erupted, knocking Niu Wei out. Niu Wei retreated several meters before he could barely stop his momentum.
Both of them now knew each other's strength, so they no longer held back and directly activated their Spirit Abilities. Four spirit rings lit up behind Niu Wei, and the aura on his body suddenly increased several times. Zhou Tianhe was equally impressive; he also activated all his amplification-type Spirit Abilities. The surging power made it so that even a wave of his hand could create a gust of wind.
The two clashed again, their fist-to-flesh combat exciting all the spectators, who cheered with great satisfaction. However, such a brawl only lasted for a dozen seconds, ending with Niu Wei's inability to parry. No matter what, Zhou Tianhe was a top student from Shrek Academy's Inner Courtyard. Previously, he had been eager to test his skills and exchange pointers with Niu Wei, a fellow practitioner, so he hadn't been serious. But now that he was serious, an overwhelming victory was naturally a matter of course.
Niu Wei decided to make one last desperate attempt. His fifth spirit ring lit up; this was his only offensive Spirit Ability. A giant white rhinoceros phantom appeared behind him, and the single horn on his forehead glowed with white light, directly doubling in size, looking quite eerie.
Fifth Spirit Ability, Frenzied Rhinoceros Horn Charge, concentrates all of one's power into the single horn, and then releases it with full force.
Zhou Tianhe looked at Niu Wei, who was charging at him, a cautious expression on his face. His fifth spirit ring lit up, and his hands suddenly grew several times larger. When clenched into fists, they were like a pair of bronze hammers, smashing fiercely into the charging Niu Wei's body.
"Boom~" After a loud bang, Niu Wei directly fell to the ground, groaning. His back was already bruised, but he seemed otherwise unharmed, because Zhou Tianhe had held back. He had no grudge against Niu Wei; on the contrary, he felt a sense of camaraderie, so he naturally wouldn't go for a killing blow.
First match, Zhou Tianhe wins.
Without delay, the second match immediately began. Taining Academy's second contestant was an agility-attack system girl. Although she also had Spirit King cultivation, she was only Level 52. Initially, she was able to make Zhou Tianhe appear somewhat flustered with her speed advantage, but after Zhou Tianhe changed his strategy and waited for her, the outcome of the match became clear.
Second match, Zhou Tianhe still wins.
Taining Academy's third contestant was also a Spirit King, and he was the last Spirit King in their team. With Level 53 spirit power, he was a control system Spirit King. Facing a power-type attack system Spirit Emperor like Zhou Tianhe, his control methods were all soft controls, making it difficult for them to be effective. In the end, he could only fail.
Third match, Zhou Tianhe wins. At this point, he was still in good condition. If Taining Academy didn't choose to concede, he was very confident in achieving the first one-versus-seven victory of this competition.
However, just as Zhou Tianhe was preparing to welcome the fourth contestant, he heard Zhu Ziyang's order to switch players. He was very surprised and confused, but he could not disobey Zhu Ziyang's command. He could only walk off the stage with a displeased expression, handing over to Dai Huabin of the preliminary team.
"Boss, why the sudden change of players? I could clearly have taken on seven!" Zhou Tianhe complained to Zhu Ziyang as soon as he came down.
"Haha, there will be many more opportunities later, this one doesn't matter," Zhu Ziyang said, patting Zhou Tianhe's shoulder with a smile. "The opposing team belongs to a senior brother, so we have to give him some face!"