Compared to Ma Xiaotao, who was currently radiating pride and vigor on the stage, Situ Yu, the captain of the Yunluo Team, had a very difficult expression.
He, the captain of the Yunluo Team, was merely a Soul Sect at around level 40.
Although his use of soul tools made his methods and combat power strong among Soul Sects, he had absolutely no confidence facing Shrek Academy's genius Soul Emperor.
"Captain, do I still have to go up?" a beautiful young woman beside him asked cautiously.
She was Shang Yue, also the great unlucky one in the original novel who was teased by Xu Sanshi for an entire match.
According to their original tactics, after Ma Yingjun was eliminated, it would be her turn to go on stage. But just by looking at Ma Xiaotao on the field, Shang Yue felt a shiver down her spine. Let alone fighting, she didn't even have the courage to meet Ma Xiaotao's gaze.
Just three soul rings, why seek self-destruction?
Shang Yue glanced at Ma Yingjun, who was grimacing and enduring the pain as other teammates helped him apply healing medicine, and she pouted, secretly grateful that this blockhead had gone up first to draw some fire.
Situ Yu hesitated. To be honest, he didn't know what to do now.
When the draw results came out, he had already prepared for defeat. After all, their opponent was Shrek; winning was simply a pipe dream.
But to concede just like that...
Wouldn't Yunluo be very embarrassing?
"Yunluo Team, please decide on your combatant as soon as possible, or it will be judged as an automatic surrender!" Situ Yu was still hesitating, but the referee on the stage wouldn't give him too much time to waste.
There were many matches to be held every day, and finishing a competition in one month was already a tight schedule with heavy tasks. The number of matches per day was fixed. If every team wasted a little time, would today's matches even get played?
The referee's words made Situ Yu's expression even more conflicted.
To fight or not to fight?
Seeing that Situ Yu truly seemed to be considering going for broke, Shang Yue quickly tugged at his sleeve, her voice anxious: "Captain, that's Shrek on the other side! There's no need for you to fight a battle you can't win!"
She certainly didn't want to get beaten up!
"Can't win at all? I hear..." Situ Yu smiled slightly, just about to put on a show, and then he saw Ma Xiaotao's cold gaze on the stage.
"I hear... hear... I understand!"
"We, Yunluo, concede!"
Situ Yu made a lightning-fast decision, conceding without hesitation, his words flowing smoothly.
The referee's mouth twitched again.
After three days of knockout matches, this referee had presided over quite a few games. Other teams' battles were either full of fighting spirit or surging with passion, but these guys were playing stand-up comedy, huh?
First, Ma Yingjun chickened out, then Situ Yu arrogantly surrendered.
Good, good, good, the most absurd episode.
But what could the referee do? They simply couldn't beat them and didn't want to get beaten up. What fault was it of Yunluo's?
Wuwuwu~
"Yunluo Advanced Soul Master Academy concedes! Round-robin tournament first round, Shrek Academy wins!" The referee's voice echoed throughout the arena.
Although it was clear that conceding was the best option against Shrek, Yunluo was still mocked by other academies for being so scared that they conceded at lightning speed and fled after only one member was eliminated.
They completely failed to consider that if Yunluo's position were exchanged with theirs, they probably wouldn't fare much better.
The audience, on the other hand, showed no impatience. The four words, "Phoenix Saintess," were shouted even louder.
Even after Ma Xiaotao returned to Shrek's waiting area, the four words "Phoenix Saintess" still resonated persistently throughout the Soul Dueling Arena.
"Phoenix Saintess, huh?" Lin Yun looked at the returning Ma Xiaotao with a playful expression, teasing her.
Compared to Yunluo Advanced Soul Master Academy's lightning-fast concession, he found Ma Xiaotao's title of "Phoenix Saintess" even more absurd.
It was practically a dream collaboration with the Holy Spirit Church.
"It's just the audience's preference," Ma Xiaotao said with a slight smile, speaking gracefully.
She didn't know the deeper meaning behind the words "Phoenix Saintess," nor did she understand the profound implications of Lin Yun's remark. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't have been so calm.
However, this made Lin Yun somewhat thoughtful.
After observing these past few days, he noticed that Ma Xiaotao's personality had changed somewhat. He wasn't sure if the reason for the change stemmed from the purified Evil Fire or from the mental imprint he had planted in Ma Xiaotao's mind.
The current Ma Xiaotao no longer had her previous haughty and arrogant demeanor. Instead, she seemed to have completely reined in the wildness of her flames, becoming peaceful and warm. Compared to her previous personality, the difference was significant.
However, based on Lin Yun's guess, it was probably due to both factors.
Firstly, without the backlash of the Evil Fire, Ma Xiaotao's flames were completely under her control, and she would no longer experience the burning sensation in her heart.
Secondly, Lin Yun had shattered her pride. With someone pressing down on her, she naturally couldn't walk around with her head held high and her nose in the air all the time.
But it must be said, Ma Xiaotao like this was indeed much more pleasing to the eye. Excluding her former arrogant self and her nature as a Shrek fanatic, Ma Xiaotao was quite suitable to be a high-quality "fluffy ball."
Good, good, good, it's getting absurd again.
Lin Yun quickly shook his head, throwing away the uncontrollable lewd thoughts that popped into his mind, and then turned his attention to another matter.
In the original novel, the day after defeating Yunluo Advanced Soul Master Academy, Wang Yan used the pretext of strengthening the team's power to take the Shrek group to the Starlight Auction. It was at that auction that Huo Yuhao was warned by Electrolux and purchased the Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife, which was made from the Gold of Life.
According to the timeline...
That would be tomorrow.
Even if there was still plenty of Gold of Life in the Lake of Life, it was always a good idea to get more.
According to Electrolux, a piece of Gold of Life as large as the engraving knife would require 200,000 years of the entire Great Star Dou Forest's vitality to condense into one piece.
The Heaven Dream Iceworm's million years of vitality could only condense a drop the size of a tear.
Such good stuff must be acquired.
Lin Yun had almost no arrangements here in Star Luo, except for the major auction item from the original novel, the Ice Empress, being diverted by him to the Great Star Dou Forest, resulting in the absence of the final major auction item, the 100,000-year soul beast embryo.
Everything else remained unchanged.
The Spirit Devouring Engraving Knife should still appear at tomorrow's Starlight Auction.
Lin Yun glanced at Wang Yan, who was in a good mood.
"The current Shrek team isn't the old, weak, and sick team from the original novel. Will Wang Yan still use the pretext of strengthening the team's power to go to the Starlight Auction House?"
(End of Chapter)
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