Over the next week or so, the round-robin matches were drawing to a close.
As the perennial runner-up, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had no trouble at all winning their remaining matches and topped their group in points.
It wasn't that the other teams in their group were weak—rather, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was simply too strong.
In the later matches, Elder Ma didn't send Jiang Jue out again. Instead, he treated him as a hidden trump card, much like Xiao Hongchen, to be used only in the finals. He knew that Jiang Jue's true strength lay in his first martial soul.
Star Emperor Hotel – Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy Meeting Room
"Come on! No need for words, it's all in the wine. I'll down mine—you all do as you please!"
Ma Rulong raised his cup and drained it in one gulp. With his sturdy build, the gesture carried a sense of boldness.
Jiang Jue, seated in the main seat, likewise lifted his cup with the others and drank it all.
Normally, Elder Ma would take the main seat, but he was away on business. Ma Rulong had gotten the idea to insist that Jiang Jue take it instead, claiming that Jiang Jue's contributions in the round-robin were indispensable.
Jiang Jue could only think: You've really made things awkward for me.
Still, he sat there. No one objected—after all, the strongest team in their group had been Otto Academy with two Soul Kings, and Jiang Jue had personally dealt with them. Saying he had made great contributions was not an exaggeration.
After the round-robin came a two-day break. Ma Rulong suggested they celebrate. Elder Ma didn't object—it wasn't good for the team to stay tense all the time, and some relaxation was healthy.
They had also been watching the other matches. When Shrek Academy fought Zhengtian Academy, Ye Wuqing from Zhengtian was so overwhelmingly strong that Huo Yuhao's disguise as a six-ring Soul Emperor was exposed. This came as a relief to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
However, Shrek's main team member Ling Luochen had also recovered and rejoined the lineup. They still had to take Shrek seriously.
"This meal's on the academy. Eat your fill."
Ma Rulong clapped his hands, and the waiting servers came in carrying platters of delicacies, quickly filling the table.
The team enjoyed themselves without restraint.
Soon, the night passed.
Knock knock knock!
"Jiang Jue, come on—Elder Ma wants us."
Hearing the knock, Jiang Jue stopped circulating his soul power and slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of emerald passing through them.
"I know."
After dinner the night before, he had expelled the alcohol from his system, escorted Meng Hongchen back to her room, and begun cultivating. He wouldn't waste a moment until his goals were met—and he was already brushing up against the bottleneck to level 49.
At only twelve years old, with the spiritual origin of the Skydream Iceworm and the forty-thousand-year origin power of the Ice Emperor, his extreme attribute hadn't slowed his cultivation speed at all.
He dressed neatly and headed for the meeting room.
Once everyone arrived, Elder Ma cleared his throat.
"I've already had people investigate Shrek Academy's situation."
"On the way here, Shrek ran into some trouble. Only three of their main team members made it. Aside from Ling Luochen, who we saw last time, the other two haven't competed yet—my guess is they're still recovering from injuries."
"Doesn't that mean we have a real shot at the championship?!"
Chen Fei's face lit up.
"Not that simple."
Elder Ma shook his head, expression grave.
"The two who haven't appeared are both Soul Emperors—one is Dai Yaoheng, level 64, White Tiger martial soul. The other is Ma Xiaotao, level 67, Evil Fire Phoenix."
"Two Soul Emperors?!"
Lin Xi gasped in disbelief. Last tournament, Shrek had only one Soul Emperor—this time they had two, and one was nearly a Soul Sage.
"But don't feel pressured. At the high end, we can't match Shrek, but they have only one Soul King—the rest are below that. In mid- and low-tier strength, we're superior."
"And remember, the finals are best-of-three matches."
This rule—combining team battle, singles, and 2v2 formats—would let their depth shine. Overall, they still had the edge.
"Next, I'll go over our strategy. Listen carefully."
Half an hour later—
"Phew! Finally done. Jiang Jue, what should we eat?"
Meng Hongchen peeked her head up to ask softly.
"Whatever you want, we'll go." Jiang Jue replied warmly.
Knock knock knock!
The meeting room door rattled again.
"Didn't we say no interruptions from staff?" Elder Ma frowned.
A pleasant female voice came from outside.
"Apologies, I'm not staff—I'm from the Starshine Auction House."
"The Starshine Auction House?"
The group exchanged puzzled looks. Jiang Jue's eyes flickered—he knew tonight the auction would hold a top-tier event containing something he very much wanted.
But he also remembered that this same auction was part of the Star Luo Empire's scheme against Mingdetang… the key to which—the Snow Emperor's embryo—was quietly in his own Soul Refining Banner.
Was this visit intentional, or coincidence?
"Let her in."
Elder Ma motioned for Xiao Xiafeng, nearest the door, to open it.
A woman in a red gown stood outside, looking about twenty-eight or twenty-nine—at the perfect balance of mature charm and youthful allure.
"Greetings, I'm Qingyuan from the Starshine Auction House. I'm here because tonight we'll be holding a top-tier auction—"
"How top-tier?" Elder Ma interrupted.
Still smiling, her eyes glimmered.
"We have soul bones and some advanced soul tools—soul bones above the ten-thousand-year level."
"Ten-thousand-year soul bones?"
Xiao Hongchen perked up immediately. Soul bones were treasures anywhere, always in demand. Ten-thousand-year ones were even rarer—some sects treated them as heirlooms.
As for the high-level soul tools she mentioned afterward, Xiao Hongchen barely registered them—Mingdetang lacked for nothing in that regard.
"Here's our invitation…"
Seeing their interest, Qingyuan struck while the iron was hot and handed over a prepared card.
"Alright, I understand. Leave it on the table—we'll come if we have time." Elder Ma said. He was tempted himself—despite being a Soul Douluo, he only had two thousand-year soul bones, and knew well how valuable they were.
Qingyuan placed the invitation down, bowed slightly, and left.
"Alright, if everyone wants to go tonight, we'll take a look." Elder Ma chuckled. Many of these students came from wealthy families, and opportunities to see a ten-thousand-year soul bone weren't to be missed.
Outside
Qingyuan reached a corner in the corridor, glanced around, then pressed a hand to the wall. A hidden door opened and she stepped in. It closed seamlessly behind her.
The Starshine Auction House and Star Emperor Hotel both belonged to the Star Luo royal family.
"How did it go?"
An elderly woman's voice came from within.
"I've delivered the invitation to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team. I'm not sure if they'll attend."
"They'll come. No one can refuse the lure of a soul bone. Go prepare."
"Yes."
When Qingyuan left, an old woman in red rose from her chair—this was Nebula Douluo, Man Yi, aide to Xu Jiujou.
"The bait is set. Now we wait for the fish to bite.
"And His Majesty is generous indeed—to put that up for auction. That treasure could grant a soul master a second martial soul…"
Her quiet murmur lingered in the room.
(End of Chapter)