Page 286
There doesn't seem to be any direct hatred.
He could find countless reasons if he wanted to, because Xu Tianran was in collusion with the Holy Spirit Church, it was a piece of cake for him to help He Caitou get revenge, and... blocked his way.
Xu Tianran, who was sitting on the rostrum, had no idea that a conspiracy against him was brewing off the stage.
He still had a smile on his face: "My dear ministers, please take your seats."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
The ministers took their seats one by one.
Jing Hongchen was sitting on Xu Tianran's right, while the Holy Spirit Cult leader Zhongli Wu appeared on Xu Tianran's left at some point in time. He was wearing a black robe, his face was foggy and his features could not be seen clearly.
A loud voice sounded.
"Now let me read out the rules of the competition: individual elimination match... team match..."
"The first match of the preliminary round knockout round, Shrek Academy vs. Yanhuo Academy."
The draw has already been done and the first game is about to begin. According to the rules, the first game should feature the previous championship team.
As the champion of the previous competition, Shrek will naturally be the first to appear.
"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"
Cheers like waves suddenly rang out all around.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but be a little surprised.
The vast majority of the audience around were civilians from the Sun-Moon Empire. Logically, the Sun-Moon Empire should maintain a hostile relationship with Shrek Academy.
But in fact, Shrek Academy is also very popular in the Sun-Moon Empire and has many supporters. Even many Sun-Moon high-level officials are fans of Shrek Academy.
In the pergola, several familiar figures stood up and walked towards the waiting area with great dignity.
Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Ning Tian...
Huo Yuhao was more concerned about two acquaintances, Dai Huabin and Ning Tian.
"Hmm? When did Hua Bin break through to Soul Emperor?" he muttered to himself.
Among the seven people sent by Shrek Academy, he believed that these two were the strongest.
Dai Huabin, who has the soul fusion skill Netherworld Cat with Zhu Lu, and Ning Tian, who has a special soul guide device.
He hasn't seen Dai Huabin for a long time and doesn't know how strong she is at the moment, but he has only just met Ning Tian and has a clear understanding of her strength.
With the help of soul guides and his own unique soul-enhancing skills, Ning Tian, who has reached the level of Soul King, may be able to rival a mid- to late-stage Soul Emperor in terms of actual combat power.
"The referee enters the ring, and the first contestant of each team's individual elimination match comes on stage."
The old man in charge of hosting the event on the rostrum spoke loudly.
Shrek Academy's rival, Yanhuo Academy, is also ranked at the bottom among the senior academies. At this moment, the first to play the game is facing the previous champion Shrek. All the participating players are wailing.
Their team leader also had a sullen look on his face. After a long while, he waved his hands at them dejectedly: "Go ahead, just do your best. It's not your fault if you admit defeat."
The first person Shrek Academy sent out was Wu Feng. As the name of Yanhuo Academy suggests, it mainly recruits students with fire attributes, so their captain was sent.
Their captain is a Soul King, the strongest person in their team, but his level is still several levels lower than Wu Feng.
But since they were already there, there was no question of giving up, so the captain gritted his teeth and walked straight onto the competition stage.
This is destined to be a battle without suspense.
On the rostrum, Xu Tianran looked down at the stadium with an expression of emotion.
"Shrek Academy, what a great Shrek Academy."
"Master Hongchen, I remember that Shrek Academy sent two teams for this competition, is that correct?"
He asked Jing Hongchen on his right.
Jing Hongchen nodded: "Not only did Shrek Academy send out a team of its own, it also sent out another team in the name of the Tang Sect, and the players of the Tang Sect team were the reserve players of their last competition."
Xu Tianran said: "As expected of the number one academy on the continent, this is their foundation. Even if the talents are divided into two teams, both teams have the strength to compete for the championship. What a Shrek."
On the other side, Zhongli Wu said grimly: "Your Highness, Shrek Academy is the number one force on the continent after all, so it is natural that it has such a talent pool."
"In the future, as you unify the continent, they will inevitably become your biggest obstacle."
Jing Hongchen said somewhat complacently: "Your Highness, although Shrek Academy has a history of thousands of years, Hongchen will definitely clear it out for Sun and Moon."
He is full of confidence.
So what if Shrek is so powerful?
However, Xu Tianran shook his head and said, "Master Hongchen, I understand your intentions, but in the process of unifying the continent in the future, I will not take action against Shrek Academy."
Jing Hongchen was stunned and asked, "Your Highness, why are you doing this?"
Xu Tianran smiled slightly: "Master Hongchen, do you know? I am also a soul master. In my heart, Shrek Academy is a holy place among soul masters and the supreme palace for soul masters."
"I once had a wish. When the day comes that we unify the continent, Shrek will also submit to us. When that time comes, I will wear the uniform of Shrek Academy and attend classes in the best classroom of the academy."
"I will completely annex Shrek Academy and make it a part of my Sun Moon Empire forever."
"Master Hongchen, in this competition, do you have the confidence to defeat Shrek Academy and win the championship for Sun and Moon?"
Jing Hongchen hesitated for a moment before saying, "I will definitely fulfill your mission."
Zhongli Wu on the side also said: "Haha, Master Hongchen, don't worry, we will help you eliminate the opponents."
Jing Hongchen frowned but said nothing.
Chapter 321: Conjecture on the Ultimate Spiritual Attribute
“Hey——”
Following Wu Feng's clear and powerful shout, she swung the scarlet broadsword-shaped melee soul guide in her hand quickly, slashing out with two flaming blows.
The five spirit rings behind the captain of Yanhuo Academy lit up simultaneously. He was unable to dodge and had to hastily put his hands in front of his head.
Two flaming slashes instantly engulfed him, and he let out a muffled groan, fell back three or four meters, and lay on the ground.
The referee quickly moved in front of him to check the situation.
The captain of Yanhuo Academy was not seriously injured. After all, he was a level 51 soul king, and had the same fire attribute as Wu Feng, so the injury he suffered was not serious.
Wu Feng's fire attribute was far from the ultimate level, but it was far above him. Both the level and the attribute suppressed him.
"Individual elimination match, first match, Shrek Academy wins."
The referee announced loudly.
"Please invite the second contestant to come on stage."
The captain of Yanhuo Academy stood up, looked at the dejected team members in the battle area from a distance, shook his head and said, "No need to compete, I admit defeat on behalf of the academy."
The referee's eyes flashed with surprise, and he asked, "You just lost an individual elimination match. Are you sure you want to admit defeat so early?"
The captain of Yanhuo Academy nodded helplessly: "Sure, we believe we are no match for Shrek Academy. It would only be a waste of time to compete further."
After saying that, he looked at Wu Feng, clasped his fists and saluted: "As expected of you, you are the number one academy on the continent. Thank you for letting me do that."
Wu Feng carried the greatsword on his right shoulder and smiled confidently.
The referee nodded and announced loudly again: "Yanhuo Academy admits defeat and gives up the following games. The first game of the preliminary knockout round is won by Shrek Academy."
As soon as the words fell, the entire viewing area was once again filled with thunderous shouts.
"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"
This is the strength of the number one academy on the continent. They defeated their opponents cleanly in the first battle, scaring them into surrendering directly.
But this time, there was a sense of lingering aftertaste in the cheers.
On the rostrum, Xu Tianran nodded approvingly: "As expected of the number one academy on the continent, the two teams they sent out this time should be at least Soul Kings, and there are quite a few Soul Emperors as well."
"It's a pity that this is our Sun Moon Empire's home turf after all, and we can't let you steal the show."
Ju Zi took over the conversation: "This is all arranged by the Red Dust Hall Master. He secretly arranged a weaker team for Shrek Academy. Even if Shrek Academy wins beautifully, it is inevitable that there will be suspicion of bullying the weak."
Jing Hongchen said confidently: "Your Highness, the next game will be against our Sun Moon Academy. Their opponent will be a strong sect team. You can see how those children can easily defeat their opponents."
"Okay, then I'll wait and see." Xu Tianran acted like a junior at the right time.
At present, Xu Tianran and Jing Hongchen maintain a delicate relationship.
Xu Tianran wanted to completely win Jing Hongchen and Mingdetang over to his side. Jing Hongchen began to intentionally get closer to Xu Tianran, but never made a clear statement.
In the past, Jing Hongchen had the Hongchen family and Mingdetang behind him. Now, he has a last insurance as a support, which is enough for him to be at ease and deal with Xu Tianran calmly.
Shrek Academy won easily and simply, causing everyone in the Tang Sect to cheer as well.
Huo Yuhao did not show too much surprise.
In fact, among all the participating teams in every competition, Soul King is already a strong player.
For a weak team like Yanhuo Academy, it was a blessing to be able to produce a Soul King three classes ago and three classes later, even though he had just broken through to the Soul King level.
Among the two teams that Shrek Academy selected, the weakest players were Soul Kings.
Speaking of the weakest, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but turn his attention to Tang Ya.
Her Blue Silver Grass martial soul awakened the special ability of devouring. After so many years, and after cultivating to the current Soul King realm, has she ever used that power again?
Tang Ya does not have the resentful aura of an evil soul master, which seems to be good news.
"Hey, Yuhao, what are you daydreaming about? Why do you have such a sullen face when I see you today?"
Wang Dong continued the previous topic and spoke to Huo Yuhao with dissatisfaction.
Huo Yuhao was silent for a while, then suddenly flipped his right hand and produced a few grilled fish.
"Want some grilled fish?"
Wang Dong was stunned for a moment, then took the grilled fish unhappily and said, "This is the attitude you should take."
As she said this, she took a bite without hesitation.
"Brother Huo, I haven't had your grilled fish for a long time. Give me one too."
"I also want."
The eyes of the other members of the Tang Sect suddenly lit up, and they all started to make a noise.