Chapter 119: The First Battle of the Promotion Tournament

"Young Master, according to the tournament schedule, our first-round opponent should be Elephant Armor Academy."

Xuanwu spoke in a deep voice, "Elephant Armor Academy is an affiliate of the Elephant Armor Sect. Based on the qualifying round data, all seven core members are direct disciples of the sect, and their martial souls are all the ancestral Diamond Mammoth. Among the seven, three have reached the fortieth level of soul power. Their strongest is their captain, Huyan Li, a forty-third-level defense-system battle soul ancestor who also possesses a ten-thousand-year-level external soul bone on his head."

Xiao Yu nodded. Although his butterfly effect had caused Blazing Academy to be eliminated early, allowing Elephant Armor Academy to take their place, the roster of the Elephant Armor team remained identical to the original work.

Xiao Yu remarked, "Elephant Armor Academy is the quintessential representative of the 'extreme path' in the soul master world. With all seven main members wielding Diamond Mammoth martial souls, their weaknesses are glaringly obvious. Speed is their greatest deficiency. I suggest we prioritize control-system and agility-attack-system soul masters for this match."

Xuanwu agreed, nodding. "The Young Master's thoughts align with mine. The opponent lacks any particularly formidable soul masters, so there is no need for us to deploy anyone above the Soul King level. For this match, I suggest Huo Wu, Xie Wu, and Iao as the starters. Huo Wu is a control-system soul master, and both Xie Wu and Iao possess flight capabilities, which will provide varying degrees of suppression against the Elephant Armor team's lineup."

"Then let Huo Wu be a starter!"

Xiao Yu smiled slightly and said, "That wild girl has been depressed because Blazing Academy failed to qualify. Let her vent her frustrations on the arena floor. As a precaution, let Cang Mo be the final reserve, though I doubt it will reach a point where he needs to step in."

...

Early the next morning, the promotion tournament commenced as scheduled at the Heaven Dou Imperial Hunting Grounds.

As soon as Xiao Yu entered with the members of the Nine Stars Team, he felt multiple hateful gazes fixate upon him.

Xiao Yu did not even bother to look back; he knew without thinking that, apart from the Shrek group led by the "God King" Tang, no one else here would look at him with such eyes.

In the Shrek team's lounge area, compared to the furious glares of Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, Tang San's eyes were even more venomous, like a viper lurking in the grass, ready to strike at any moment.

The double-standard "God King" Tang would never reflect on the impropriety of his own actions—coveting the immortal herbs of the Nine Stars Palace and secretly infiltrating their sect. All he remembered was the brutal beating and torture he had suffered at the Nine Stars Palace.

After half a month of treatment and recovery, the awakened Tang San was dealt another thunderous blow: Xiao Wu, who had been by his side for over seven years, turned out to be a hundred-thousand-year transformed soul beast. Because her identity was exposed, she had been forced to leave him and return to the Star Dou Great Forest. This only deepened Tang San's hatred for the Nine Stars Palace.

Yes, that was it—if not for the Nine Stars Palace, how would Xiao Wu's identity have been revealed?

According to the records of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Manual, there were superior immortal herbs capable of masking one's aura. If the Nine Stars Palace had just let him take the herbs quietly, perhaps Xiao Wu would never have had to leave him.

Yes, everything was the fault of the Nine Stars Palace!

The logic of the "God King" Tang remained as breathtakingly clear as ever.

Yu Xiaogang gently patted Tang San's shoulder and said earnestly, "San, stay calm. This is the promotion tournament. If you attack students from another team outside the arena, not only will Shrek Academy be immediately disqualified, but you yourself will be held accountable by both the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Imperial family. Even Sect Master Ning wouldn't be able to protect you then!"

Tang San took a deep breath, withdrew his hateful gaze, and nodded heavily. "I understand, Teacher!"

Yu Xiaogang looked around at the equally enraged Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun. "Don't worry. Regardless of previous results, every team will face off against each other in this tournament. As long as you follow my arrangements, when we encounter the Nine Stars Academy, that will be your time for revenge."

"First round, first match of the promotion tournament: Balak Academy team versus Shrek Academy team. Please have both sides send their first student to prepare for battle!"

Just then, the referee's voice rang out from the center of the arena, interrupting Yu Xiaogang's ongoing lecture.

"Teacher, I'm going!"

Tang San stood up and strode toward the arena.

Although Shrek Academy encountered Balak Academy in the first round just as in the original story, Xiao Wu—who had originally been the first to compete—was currently imprisoned by Xiao Yu, waiting for him to reach the seventieth level so he could use her as his seventh soul ring. Thus, Tang San became Shrek's starter.

The two sides stood on opposite ends of the arena. At the referee's signal, they summoned their martial souls, both displaying the standard optimal soul ring configuration of two yellow and two purple.

Having lost the greatest opportunity at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, and without the body-enhancing benefits of the Blazing Apricot and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Tang San naturally dared not risk absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring. Furthermore, without the Fragrant Silk Immortal Orchid to attract soul beasts, he never encountered the six-thousand-year Human-Faced Demon Spider. Ultimately, under Yu Xiaogang's guidance, he absorbed a standard poisonous devil scorpion, approximately four thousand five hundred years old. Following the snake and spider toxins, his Blue Silver Grass martial soul had now added scorpion venom; the original life-force attribute of the Blue Silver Emperor had been thoroughly ruined.

"Match start!"

Once the soul masters had fused with their martial souls, the referee swung his hand down heavily, announcing the start of the match.

"First soul skill: Demon Wolf Assault!"

"Second soul skill: Demon Wolf Claws!"

The first competitor from Balak Academy was a forty-first-level soul ancestor with a wolf-type martial soul...