After hearing Xuan Zi's reply, the middle-aged man didn't dare linger for even a second.
"Y-yes! I'll take care of it right away!"
He answered in a rush, as if he'd just been granted a royal pardon. Turning around, he all but fled the conference room, where the air felt frozen solid. He was terrified that if he stayed even a moment longer, Xuan Zi might vent his anger on him.
Bang.
The door slammed shut, and the room once again fell into an eerie silence.
The atmosphere was unbearably awkward.
None of the Shrek team members even dared to breathe loudly.
Dai Yueheng stared straight down at the tabletop, as if a flower had suddenly sprouted there. Ma Xiaotao idly twirled the tips of her hair, her eyes full of forced boredom. Even Xu Sanshi, usually the liveliest of the bunch, had shrunk his neck and was doing his best to make himself invisible.
Xuan Zi sat at the head of the table, feeling worse by the second.
His old face still burned, as though Elder Mu's scolding were still echoing in his ears. He could even sense that, although these juniors all had their heads lowered, they were probably laughing at him—the veteran leader—in their hearts.
"Cough, cough…"
Xuan Zi cleared his throat twice, a little guilty, breaking the silence. Instead of launching into one of his usual long-winded speeches, he waved his hand somewhat dispiritedly.
"Well… Elder Mu's instructions have been delivered, and everyone's heard them. In the upcoming matches, you all need to stay alert and not let your guard down again."
"It's getting late. Even though there's no match tomorrow, don't wander around."
Xuan Zi stood up. He didn't even dare look Huo Yuhao in the eye as he spoke hurriedly:
"Alright, everyone, go back and rest."
With that, he grabbed the wine gourd on the table and hastily left the conference room as if fleeing, his retreating figure looking distinctly disheveled.
…
Nothing more was said that night.
The next day.
Although Shrek Academy had successfully advanced past the first round of elimination and had no matches scheduled for them today, staying cooped up in the hotel all day clearly wasn't their style.
Moreover, knowing both yourself and your enemy was the key to victory in every battle. Personally observing the strength of other academies was absolutely necessary.
Thus, led by Xuan Zi, the Shrek group still headed to Star Luo Square to watch the matches.
Today's battles were just as thrilling as ever. The appearances of several established powerhouse teams set the entire stadium ablaze with excitement.
However, as they watched, puzzled expressions gradually appeared on the faces of the Shrek members.
Their gazes swept the stands again and again.
Nothing.
Whether in the most conspicuous seats or in the most obscure corners, there was no sign at all of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team.
"That's strange…"
Xu Sanshi scratched his head, puzzled.
"Where are the people from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy? I haven't seen a single one of them."
"Yeah," Jiang Nannan said, also confused. "As last year's runner-up, they don't need to participate in the first round of eliminations. Logically, they should all be here today observing their opponents."
He Caitou snorted.
"They're probably just too arrogant. They think they're invincible and don't care about other academies at all, so they can't even be bothered to watch."
"Arrogant?"
Hearing that word, many of the Shrek members nodded inwardly.
It did sound like a reasonable explanation.
However, standing at the back of the group, Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei exchanged a glance. Both saw a hint of gravity in the other's eyes.
Arrogant?
No.
If someone else were leading the team, arrogance might indeed keep them away.
But the team was led by Liu Yuan.
If it were him, he would never make such a mistake.
"Senior Brother, what do you think?" Huo Yuhao asked quietly.
Bei Bei frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then said in a low voice:
"Yuhao, you know Liu Yuan's personality. His absence definitely isn't because of arrogance."
"On the contrary… it's even more frightening."
Looking toward the empty seats where the Sun Moon team should have been, Bei Bei's tone grew heavier.
"This means he's doing something more important than simply 'observing his opponents.'"
Huo Yuhao nodded in full agreement.
A sense of unease rose in his heart.
Yet no matter how they thought about it, they couldn't guess what Liu Yuan was doing.
Neither of them spoke again.
Although they had a good personal relationship with Liu Yuan, in this setting—on a battlefield where academy honor was at stake—stance came before friendship.
They were rivals.
As members of Shrek Academy, they could not and should not speak in defense of their opponents.
…
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
Inside a luxurious top-floor suite of the Star Luo Grand Hotel.
Just as Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei had guessed, the members of the Sun Moon team were indeed extremely busy.
"The core array is complete! Accuracy at ninety-nine point eight percent!"
"Outer shell alloy shaping finished! Compression test passed!"
"Energy conduction circuits connected successfully!"
The Soul Tool workbenches hummed and roared nonstop inside the room.
Liu Yuan, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, Ma Rulong… all the main members of the Sun Moon team had transformed into highly focused soul engineers, working feverishly on the manufacture of soul tools.
The air was filled with the sharp scent of rare metals melted at high temperatures, as well as the oppressive pressure brought on by intense fluctuations of spiritual power.
They barely stepped outside.
They ate at the workbenches. When exhausted, they slept right beside them, then resumed work the moment they woke up.
For ordinary soul masters, this kind of nonstop, high-intensity labor would have been sheer torture. But for this group of fanatical soul engineers, it was pure enjoyment.
Especially when they thought of the kind of "surprise" these soon-to-be-completed creations would bring to the seemingly invincible Shrek team—their hands moved even faster.
"Hah…"
At last, as the final core component was installed, Liu Yuan let out a long breath.
He wiped the fine sheen of sweat from his forehead and looked at the newly assembled device on the workbench, now emitting a faint white glow. A satisfied smile curved his lips.
It was an unremarkable metal sphere, its surface engraved with intricate patterns.
Yet beneath this plain exterior lay power sufficient to make a power-type soul master like Dai Yueheng question his very existence.
A Rank Six special soul tool—Dragon Binding Rope.
It had been created specifically to counter the terrifying physical defense and brute strength of the White Tiger Martial Soul.
"Finally, one's finished."
Xiao Hongchen collapsed into a chair, shaking his slightly sore wrists as he stared at the metal sphere with excitement.
"I'm a bit tired, but this thing… heh. I really can't wait to see Dai Yueheng tied up like a dumpling."
Liu Yuan glanced at the time and smiled faintly.
"One isn't enough. It's still early—we need to hurry up with the rest."
…
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
For the next two days, the Sun Moon team remained completely closed off, all members pushing themselves to the limit.
Until the morning of the fourth day.
With the first round of eliminations complete, more than half of the original hundred-plus teams had been mercilessly cut down. The remaining sixty-seven teams now entered a far more brutal and intense second round.
That day, the sky was overcast, as if foreshadowing an approaching storm.
Early in the morning, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team—absent for two full days—finally reappeared in the lobby of the Star Luo Grand Hotel.
"Let's go."
Liu Yuan adjusted his collar and took the lead out of the hotel.
"The round-robin is about to begin."
"I wonder… what kind of draw we'll get this time?"
-------------Author---------------
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