The group stage of the Continental Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition has begun.
Thirty-two teams are gathered at the competition venue. The renovated lounge area has been divided into thirty-two areas, each with a canopy and sofa setup, a courtesy from the official organizers for teams that made it to the top thirty-two.
Everyone believed that today's matches would be more exciting than the previous four rounds of preliminaries. After all, every match in the group stage is crucial, as each one affects the possibility of advancing further. Therefore, every team is bound to give their full attention and dare not be negligent in the slightest.
However, the very first match of the group stage made everyone's eyes widen in surprise: the Shrek Academy Team faced the Tianjia Sect Team, and Tianjia Sect actually conceded directly!
This caught everyone off guard, yet it also felt perfectly reasonable. It was clear to all how completely crushed Tianjia Sect was by Shrek Academy in the fourth round of the preliminaries. Tianjia Sect's direct concession was, in fact, the wisest choice.
Because there was truly no need to invite humiliation. Knowing there was no chance of winning and still stubbornly holding on would only make one seem foolish; no one would consider it tragic. So, while other teams understood Tianjia Sect's direct concession, the audience was not having it. They clamored, shouting words like "coward" and "chicken." The Tianjia Sect team leader remained unmoved.
Because Tianjia Sect conceded, the first match ended instantly, and the second match began immediately.
In the second match, the Tang Sect Team faced the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy Team. These two teams had met in the fourth round of the preliminaries, but there was no real confrontation because Tang Sect conceded. This time, Tang Sect could not continue to concede.
The audience's emotions instantly soared, and the dissatisfaction caused by Tianjia Sect's concession completely dissipated. Most people cheered the name of the Sun Moon Team in unison. Almost everyone unilaterally believed that the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy would win this match, and most of the participating teams thought the same. This was because Tang Sect's concession in the fourth round led many to mistakenly believe that Tang Sect was no match for Sun Moon Academy. But what the true outcome would be, only the arena would reveal.
In the Tang Sect resting area, Tang Ya, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Xue Weiwei, He Caitou, Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, Wang Dong'er, and the three friends Huo Yuhao had 'abducted' from Sun Moon Academy—Ji Juechen, Jing Ziyan, and Nana—a total of eleven people, had their palms stacked together. All of them were full of fighting spirit, and they shouted in unison: "We will win!"
The commotion from Tang Sect naturally couldn't be hidden from the other teams. In the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's resting area, the Sun Moon Team members naturally heard Tang Sect's shouts, but they were quite dismissive. A sneer appeared on Xiao Hongchen's face as he said, "Heh heh, how arrogant. If they were really that formidable, why did they concede directly in the last match?"
"Brother, don't be careless!" Compared to the overly confident Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen was much more rational. She analyzed, "We are all familiar with the Tang Sect Team's information. They are essentially the Shrek Academy's preliminary team from the previous competition. Although I don't know why they are representing this so-called Tang Sect, to be able to become Shrek Academy's preliminary team, their talent and strength must be extraordinary. Can't you see that from Bei Bei?"
"Meng, you're too cautious!" Xiao Hongchen smiled confidently and said, "Besides him, among those of the same age, I, Xiao Hongchen, have never feared anyone! What if they were once Shrek Academy's preliminary team? At most, they are just a Shrek Academy Team of a past level. Our strength is already far beyond what any previous Shrek Academy Team could compare to!
We must win this match so that Princess's team can advance with us!"
Xiao Hongchen's last words were full of confidence and determination, causing Meng Hongchen and the other Sun Moon Team members to tremble. A surge of passion welled up, and all their faces flushed with excitement as they shouted, "Yes! The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy will win!"
Both teams were fully energized, and the match was on the verge of breaking out.
The players from both sides ascended the stage. The player from the Sun Moon Team was a tall, broad-shouldered young man with calm eyes, appearing to be someone who remained unperturbed in any situation. His hands were particularly large, with long, slender fingers, a characteristic that easily brought to mind a Soul Engineer. Standing there, he exuded an aura of considerable strength. The player dispatched by Tang Sect, however, was Wang Dong'er, making this her first appearance in this competition.
Wang Dong'er and the Sun Moon Team player walked to the center of the arena. The referee for this match looked at the two and said in a deep voice, "This match is nominally the second group stage match, but effectively the first. Both of you, be careful and try not to severely injure your opponent. Once I determine that the match's outcome has been decided, I will immediately separate you. No one is allowed to continue attacking; otherwise, you will be disqualified. Understood?"
Due to the excessive number of casualties during the preliminary stage, the organizing committee was under immense pressure, which prompted the referee to give such a stern warning to the two.
The young man from the Sun Moon Team nodded and said, "My name is Shi Xing. Remember my name; perhaps it will accompany you for the rest of your life." With that, he turned and walked towards the edge of his team's side of the arena.
Wang Dong'er frowned slightly and asked the referee, "Are all young people nowadays so presumptuous?"
The referee's mouth twitched, and he said, "Hurry up and get ready. The competition is about strength, not bickering."
Seeing the referee's reaction, Wang Dong'er threatened in a flat tone, "Don't show favoritism, or you'll regret it!"
The referee was stunned. He had officiated many matches during the preliminary stage and encountered dozens of contestants, but Wang Dong'er was absolutely the first to dare threaten a referee! This girl was far too arrogant.
Wang Dong'er walked to the edge of the arena. Just as she turned around, Shi Xing on the opposite side had already launched his attack. She frowned slightly, but her movements were not at all hesitant. A flash of light in her eyes, and two dazzling wings unfurled from her back. The enormous blue wings covered her entire back, simultaneously bathing her in a magnificent blue-gold glow. The golden light spots on the Goddess of Light Butterfly wings now seemed to come alive, and a rich aura of light instantly surged forth.
At the same time, Shi Xing on the opposite side had already charged towards her. Behind him, a pair of spirit tool flying wings suddenly spread open. He took two steps to accelerate, and as he leaped high, he was already in the air. Four dazzling white lights shot out from the flying spirit tool wings, propelling his body upward like a meteor.
As he ascended, a crimson Level 4 high-explosive bomb had already roared towards Wang Dong'er.
Similar to the previous competition in Star Luo City, in this Mingdu competition, Soul Engineers are also not allowed to use any fixed-form spirit tool. The Level 4 high-explosive bomb spirit tool Shi Xing used holds a similar status to a 'baby bottle' among Level 4 spirit tools; it possesses immense power but also requires a longer charging time. His ability to control the flying spirit tool to ascend while simultaneously releasing a spirit tool high-explosive bomb so quickly demonstrates considerable skill in spirit tool usage.
Wang Dong'er curled her lips in disdain. With a light flap of her wings, she shot straight up like an arrow. But a surprising scene unfolded for those watching the match below: the Level 4 high-explosive bomb actually changed direction in mid-air, chasing directly after Wang Dong'er.
Without hesitation, her second spirit ring glowed brightly. A golden light shot out from a wing's light spot on Wang Dong'er's back, instantly meeting the high-explosive bomb in the air.
In an instant, a violent roar echoed in mid-air, and a fiery red glow, over ten meters in diameter, immediately lit up above the arena. The powerful shockwave caused the air above the entire arena to twist significantly.
After the explosion, Wang Dong'er was not affected in the slightest. Shi Xing, however, had already revealed his spirit rings: two yellow and three purple, which were simply incomparable to Wang Dong'er's spirit ring configuration of two yellow, two purple, and two black.
"It's over," Zhu Ziyang said faintly, leaning on the sofa in the Shrek Academy Team's resting area. "Wang Dong'er won this round. If the Sun Moon Team doesn't send out a powerful player, then this entire match can be declared over."
"Mmm-hmm!" Ma Xiaotao strongly agreed with Zhu Ziyang, nodding in affirmation. "No matter what, Wang Dong'er is your junior sister, after all; she can't possibly embarrass you, her senior brother!"
"Haha!" Zhu Ziyang laughed, a meaningful glint in his eyes.
Just as Zhu Ziyang predicted, Wang Dong'er was more than capable of dealing with a Level 5 Soul Engineer. In fact, she even teased the Spirit Saint-level referee, causing him to instantly flash dozens of meters away to the edge of the arena, looking quite flustered.