Seeing Emperor Xu Jiawei leading the applause, the other high-ranking officials of the Star Luo Empire, who had been exchanging uncertain glances, could only force smiles and join in the clapping.
However, in their hearts, they were seething with resentment towards Wang Yan and Shrek Academy.
Beside Xu Jiawei, a golden-haired girl did not applaud. Her face was pale, and her delicate, fair fingers tightly gripped her skirt.
Compared to Xu Jiawei, who was adept at concealing his emotions, Princess Xu Jiujiu of the Star Luo Empire was much more inexperienced. She was nearly overwhelmed by Wang Yan's words.
What did he mean by "Shrek Academy has an unshirkable responsibility"?
What did he mean by "sacrifices were made to eliminate the evil soul masters in the Ming Dou Mountain Range, which is why the reserve team is competing"?
He never mentioned the Star Luo Empire directly, yet his words subtly highlighted the empire's incompetence and inaction.
After Wang Yan's speech, the audience finally understood why Shrek Academy seemed so weak this time.
They also began to worry: with Shrek Academy in such a dire state, would they even be able to continue competing in the tournament?
If Shrek Academy were to withdraw, the tournament would lose much of its luster!
"What a cunning move by Shrek Academy. If we were to face them with our main team, whether we win or lose, we'd be put in a difficult position," Xiao Hongchen said through clenched teeth.
As for Shrek Academy's tragic situation, what did it have to do with him? It was their own decision to go after the evil soul masters.
If they were unprepared and got ambushed, that was their problem. Did they expect him to sympathize with them?
Of course, Xiao Hongchen acknowledged that fighting evil soul masters was a righteous cause, but that didn't mean he had to feel sorry for Shrek Academy.
Meng Hongchen remained silent for a moment before asking, "Is their persistence really worth it? Aren't they afraid that their injuries might lead to a decline in their cultivation or even permanent disability?"
The battle between Shrek Academy and Just Sky Academy had truly been a life-and-death struggle for both sides.
"Perhaps this is the true value of 'honor,'" Liuxing said with a shake of his head. For some people, honor was more important than life itself.
But for Liuxing and Liuying, they would never go to such extremes as Shrek Academy had.
Therefore, they couldn't understand the mindset of Huo Yuhao and the others. Without understanding, they couldn't pass judgment.
The sky was overcast, and the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament continued match after match.
By yesterday, the third round had concluded, and only one or two teams in each group had managed to maintain a perfect record of three wins.
With the first three rounds completed, the overall situation was becoming clearer.
The traditional powerhouses were gradually emerging from the pack, but the team that sparked the most discussion was, without a doubt, the continent's top academy, Shrek Academy.
Today was the fourth round, and the audience was uncertain whether Shrek Academy would even show up. After all, in their last match, Shrek Academy had been completely devastated.
It was unclear whether they could even field a team of seven. And even if they did, could they still win in their crippled state?
With these questions in mind, both the audience and the competing teams arrived early, eager to witness either the fall of Shrek Academy or the birth of another miracle.
Liuxing and the others were no exception.
Though it was already bright outside, the sky remained gloomy, with a light drizzle falling.
It seemed today's matches would be held in the rain. However, such environmental factors were insignificant to soul masters.
Before long, Shrek Academy, clad in their green uniforms, finally arrived. Among them, aside from the reserve team members, there was also a cold-looking girl who appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old.
"It seems their injuries have healed. Shrek Academy is quite lucky. They shouldn't have any trouble advancing through the group stage now," Liuxing remarked after a quick glance. He recognized her as one of the three injured main team members of Shrek Academy, Ling Luochen.
When they saw Ling Luochen, Ma Rulong, and others perking up, it was clear that the main team of Shrek Academy was finally about to make their move.
Compared to the impressive performance of the reserve team, the three main team members were the ones who truly captured their attention.
This time, Shrek Academy's opponent was Changning Academy. Changning Academy seemed convinced that Shrek Academy was already crippled, and they believed they would become the first academy in ten thousand years to defeat Shrek.
Excited by this prospect, they even started dancing in celebration on the spot.
To everyone's surprise, Shrek Academy only sent two participants: Huo Yuhao and the aloof girl, Ling Luochen.
Seeing only two members take the stage, the captain of Changning Academy grew even more excited, convinced that Shrek Academy couldn't field any more participants. In a way, he wasn't entirely wrong.
As the referee announced the start of the match, both sides released their martial souls. It had to be said that while Changning Academy was arrogant, they did have the capital to back it up.
With one Soul King and six Soul Ancestors, they were among the top-tier academies in the competition.
Ling Luochen, the Shrek Academy main team member who had attracted everyone's attention, finally revealed her true strength.
With two yellow, two purple, and one black soul ring, she was a five-ringed Soul King, living up to the reputation of a Shrek Academy main team member.
Huo Yuhao, on the other hand, still only had two white soul rings, but no one believed that those were his true soul rings.
As soon as the match began, Ling Luochen released her martial soul.
An ice staff appeared in her hand, and a chilling aura spread across the entire arena, causing the temperature to plummet.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao placed his right hand on Ling Luochen's back.
Her aura suddenly changed, and the next instant, the black light of her fifth soul ring began to glow.
The members of Changning Academy felt the temperature around them drop sharply, and then a ring of icy blue light rapidly expanded toward them.
"A ten-thousand-year soul skill? Damn it," the captain of Changning Academy cursed under his breath, thinking that the woman opposite them was insane.
Who would start a match by unleashing a ten-thousand-year soul skill?
But before they could react, they felt an extreme chill spread through their bodies. In the next moment, their vision blurred, and they stopped thinking altogether.
Under the stunned gazes of the audience, eight ice sculptures now stood in the arena. Why eight? Because even the referee had been frozen.
Following Ling Luochen's instructions, Huo Yuhao kicked each member of Changning Academy off the stage one by one.
"Crack!"
The referee broke free from the ice, shivering as he looked at Ling Luochen with fear in his eyes.
He was a Soul Sage-level powerhouse, but that chilling aura had frozen him in an instant, leaving him no time to react.
Although he hadn't been frozen for long, it was still astonishing. After all, Ling Luochen was only a Soul King!
In the stands, whether it was the audience, the competing teams, or those watching through screens, everyone was dumbfounded. This was undoubtedly the fastest match since the start of the Soul Master Tournament.
What kind of absolute powerhouse was this? Even the referee had been taken down.
"Ultimate transformation, huh?"
Liuxing looked at Huo Yuhao. While Ling Luochen was strong, she couldn't have frozen the referee and the Changning Academy team in an instant.
But if her martial soul had temporarily evolved into Extreme Ice at that moment, that would explain it.
Ling Luochen's performance also made the other academies take Shrek Academy seriously again.
It seemed that even a "crippled" Shrek Academy was not to be underestimated.
Changning Academy had underestimated them, and as a result, they now held the record for the fastest defeat in the tournament's history.
By the fourth round of the group stage, the competition had entered its mid-phase.
Neither Shrek Academy nor the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy had encountered any particularly strong opponents, and both had advanced with dominant undefeated records.
On the eighteenth day of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, the Star Luo Empire announced the matchups for the round of 16.
In the round of 16, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy would face the Dou Ling Royal Academy.
"Finally, a decent opponent. My body was starting to rust from all this waiting," Liuxing said, stretching lazily. His tone made it clear that he didn't think much of the Dou Ling Royal Academy.
"The Dou Ling Royal Academy was a semifinalist in the last tournament. They have five Soul Kings and two Soul Ancestors. Moreover, they aren't traditional soul masters. In their previous matches, they've used soul tools," Elder Ma said, lighting his pipe as he shared the information about Dou Ling Royal Academy.
"Gu Yue, Xue Nu, how about we go out and stretch our legs?" Liuxing looked at Gu Yuena and Xue Nu.
"Sure, I've been itching to fight after watching so many matches," Gu Yuena nodded. She wasn't particularly interested in this kind of competition, but since Liuxing had invited her, she decided to join in.
Xue Nu also nodded coldly. She had been holding back her frustration for days and was eager to vent it on someone.
Liuxing had noticed this, which was why he suggested they participate in the match.
Otherwise, they could have easily dealt with the Dou Ling Royal Academy without needing to step in.
"Elder Ma, wait a minute. We advanced as the top team in our group, so why are we facing the Dou Ling Royal Academy? Didn't they finish first in their group?" Meng Hongchen suddenly realized something.
According to the tournament rules, the top teams from each group should face the second-place teams from other groups in the round of 16.
"Correct. The Dou Ling Royal Academy didn't go all out in the group stage and advanced as the second-place team," Elder Ma nodded.
"Heh, tough luck for them. They tried to hide their strength, and now they've run into us," Liuxing smiled.
The Dou Ling Royal Academy had clearly been saving some trump cards for the critical moments, not wanting to reveal their full power in the group stage.
Unfortunately, because they held back in the group stage, they ended up facing the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy in the round of 16.
Otherwise, with their strength, the Dou Ling Royal Academy could have easily made it to the quarterfinals, and even the semifinals weren't out of reach.
But now, they were going to be stopped in the round of 16 by the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy.
Liuxing really wanted to see the expressions on the faces of the Dou Ling Royal Academy team. Maybe next time they'd think twice about holding back.
After the group stage, the knockout rounds began again, but compared to the first round of eliminations, the rules had been adjusted slightly.