Chapter 74 The preliminaries are over and we are back to the rest area.
"Well done." Yu Xiaogang looked at Shi Yi with a look of satisfaction on his face, his eyes full of emotion.
Shi Yi's current appearance is not the same as the self deep in Yu Xiaogang's heart?
Looking at the Shrek teachers who came to greet him, Shi Yi also smiled and nodded.
Oscar put his arm around Shi Yi's shoulders and asked in a low voice: "Xiao Yi, you are a little different today. Did you see those beauties on the opposite side showing mercy? With your strength, it is obvious that as long as you defeat the captain of the other side, they will not be able to release the martial soul fusion technique."
Ning Rongrong rolled her cunning eyes and pricked up her ears waiting for Shi Yi's answer. Zhu Zhuqing also moved closer without leaving any trace.
"After all, she danced for you at the beginning. We can't let her dance for nothing, right? This is the final battle, so we have to make some contribution to Tiandou, right? However, the other team's captain is indeed the most talented woman I've seen in this competition. She's also very smart. Her Ice Phoenix is not a half-baked variant like the fat man's." Shi Yi chuckled.
Ning Rongrong snorted softly at this and said, "How can her talent be higher than mine?"
Shi Yi smiled and nodded. "Theoretically, her talent is indeed higher than yours. Soul masters with ultimate attributes have a characteristic: they cultivate slower than ordinary soul masters. This is because soul masters, influenced by their martial spirits, reject the energy of heaven and earth with other attributes. Their captain possesses the ultimate ice attribute. At this age, she has cultivated to the Soul Sect level, which is the most talented person I have ever seen."
Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes at Shi Yi and said, "I think you are simply attracted to their captain."
"She is indeed very different. I admire her very much, just like when I first saw Zhu Qing," Shi Yi smiled.
Upon hearing this, a flicker of disappointment flashed across Zhu Zhuqing's eyes, and she glanced at Shi Yi, who was not far away.
"Extreme? That's a very good description. I've also seen such examples in the records of the Spirit Hall. Some spirit masters with a single attribute possess extremely strong combat power among those of the same level and attribute, but their cultivation speed is also restricted, just as Xiao Yi mentioned." Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly.
"So Hongjun's flame isn't extreme enough?" Flender approached them at some point and asked softly.
"Of course, evil fire is only evil fire after all, and it's far inferior to the true fire of the Phoenix. If you're interested, you can go and try it with the girl in Tianshui. Although the fat man's fire can't be extinguished with ordinary water, encountering her is no different from a father beating his son. She's a legitimate phoenix. Dean, you have a bird spirit. When she summons the Ice Phoenix, you should be able to feel the pressure from her spirit," Shi Yi chuckled.
Flanders nodded, his sharp eyes glancing towards the Tianshui rest area. A thought suddenly dawned on him, and he turned to survey his disciple. Seeing Ma Hongjun gazing at something obscenely not far away, he couldn't help but smile wryly.
"What female spirit master would be interested in a man like Hongjun, let alone one who's an Ice Phoenix?" Flanders sighed inwardly.
With this thought in mind, Flanders instantly dove to Ma Hongjun's side and, with a look of dismay, struck him on the back of the head.
"Master, why are you hitting me?" Ma Hongjun said, looking at Flanders in grievance.
Shi Yi observed this scene with a smile, saying nothing. In the original novel, someone who followed Tang San's actions was only a Level 2 God. What great things could they possibly achieve?
The preliminaries in Tiandou City had concluded, and according to protocol, the awards ceremony would soon take place. The top five teams in the preliminaries would be awarded with certificates for the qualifying rounds.
Since the central arena had been destroyed during Shi Yi's match, the process had been streamlined. The other academies that didn't advance did not participate in the final ceremony. Only the top five teams went to the VIP podium to receive their qualification certificates.
The ceremony was simple. Following the host's announcement, the captains and vice-captains of the top five teams took the stage.
Shrek Academy, undefeated, took first place. Shinfeng Academy and Thunder Academy tied with a record of twenty-six wins and one loss. Based on the results of the match, Shinfeng Academy ranked second, Thunder Academy third, Blazing Academy fourth, and Tianshui Academy fifth.
Representing Shrek Academy were naturally Shi Yi and Tang San. As they approached the podium, Shi Yi felt a gaze fixed on him. Following the feeling, he saw Huo Wu staring at him.
Shi Yi said nothing, but politely smiled and nodded at Huo Wu before retracting his gaze.
The qualification certificate was essentially a handwritten note, and it was easy to forge. After all, both the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire knew which academies advanced.
The top five academies received the same prize money; after all, this was only the preliminaries. Each team received a reward of 10,000 gold soul coins from the Heaven Dou Empire. In the finals, the top three teams would receive prizes from the Spirit Hall.
Xue Ye, with his white hair, smiled kindly and said, "Heroes truly emerge from youth. Congratulations, Xiao Yi. The future of Heaven Dou will be ruled by young people like you." With that, Xue Ye handed over the tray.
Shi Yi also slowly half-knelt, raised his hands to take the tray from Xue Ye's hand, and said softly, "Your Majesty, you are too kind."
Soon, the rewards were distributed, and the representatives of each academy returned to their respective teams. Xue Ye, holding the scepter, slowly stepped forward and began to speak:
"First of all, children, I want to congratulate you. You have passed the preliminaries and successfully qualified for this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition. As the supreme ruler of Tiandou, I, Xue Ye, am proud of you. You are all rising stars of the empire."
"As captains of your respective teams, you are the soul of your teams, so I have decided to grant you the title of Viscount, and the other participating team members will be barons. After you graduate, the door to the imperial royal family will always be open to you! Your fiefs will be uniformly distributed after you graduate."
"To celebrate Shrek Academy's undefeated record in this competition, Captain Shi Yi's nobility rank will be promoted one level. If any of your teams can win the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition, the entire team's nobility rank will be promoted one level further. At the same time, the word 'Royal' will be added to the academy's prefix, and it will receive financial support from the Empire."
For a moment, everyone looked at Shi Yi in astonishment. What did it mean to jump three levels in nobility? Xue Ye's meaning was clear: Shi Yi was already an Earl. If he could win the finals, he would become a Marquis. For a moment, the nobles with titles looked at the figure on the stage, and a feeling of jealousy rose in their hearts.
Of course, everyone also knew that Shi Yi was the only one worthy of the Tiandou Imperial Family's expense to win over. Many present already knew Shi Yi's close relationship with the Imperial Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. Once Xue Qinghe ascended to the throne, Shi Yi would definitely be a future Duke, not to mention a Marquis.
Shi Yi knew full well that the title was merely a label Xue Ye had given him, a declaration of his personal belonging. Winning all the preliminaries wasn't a significant event for the Empire, at least not one worthy of a first-level title.
The players on each team were a bit bewildered. What did the title entail? A viscount could possess his own territory and retainers, and also receive a stipend from the state. This alone was more than enough to live on.
Shrek's substitutes were now immersed in endless joy. Although many spirit masters possessed titles, it was easy to obtain titles in kingdoms and duchies, but obtaining titles in the empire was not so simple. Although they only had the title of baron, it had already changed their destiny.
Never underestimate the title of baron. Even a mere baron is a noble status in the empire, fundamentally widening the gap between them and commoners.
"The next promotion tournament will still be held in the empire. However, the venue will be changed from the Tiandou Great Soul Fighting Arena to the Royal Paddock. At that time, the ten teams from the five duchies and kingdoms that passed the preliminaries will come to compete with you in the promotion tournament. I hope that all five of your academies will rank among the top in the promotion tournament, so that you will have a head start in the finals."
"The promotion tournament is the best stage to demonstrate your personal strength. At that time, the top three students with the most wins in the promotion tournament will be provided with the soul beasts needed for the next title upgrade by the empire. You can choose the type of soul beast by yourself. The empire can guarantee all soul beasts with a cultivation level of less than 30,000 years."
"The promotion tournament will be held in a month. I hope you can make another breakthrough within this month. Well, I won't say anything else. You kids are all very smart. I think you will make smart choices."
Not long after, Xue Ye finished his speech and slowly left accompanied by a group of dignitaries.
Everyone slowly dispersed. Just as Shi Yi was about to leave, he was stopped by an unfamiliar voice, "Captain Shi Yi, stay."
Shi Yi stopped and looked in the direction of the voice, smiling, "It's Captain Bing'er. I hope you're okay."
Shui Bing'er smiled slightly and shook her head, "Thank you again. If you don't mind, just call me Bing'er."
Shi Yi nodded slightly and smiled, "Then I won't be polite. Just call me Xiao Yi. I also think calling me Captain is too polite. Calling me by my full name seems impolite, and just calling me Bing'er seems too intimate, so I can only compromise."
A blush appeared on Shui Bing'er's cold face when she heard this. Xue Wu also joked at this time, "Congratulations, brother Xiao Yi. You should be the youngest earl in Tiandou now."
Shi Yi also smiled and said, "It's just an empty title. I'm also borrowing some of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's face. I'm sorry to bother you, Sister Xue Wu."
"If you don't mind, we at Tianshui would like to invite you to lunch as a token of our gratitude. I wonder if you..." Shui Bing'er looked at Shi Yi and said softly, seeming a little embarrassed.
"No, it should be Bing'er who wants to invite you to lunch," Xuewu chuckled and joked.
Shui Bing'er came back to her senses and quickly said, "Hey... Sister Xuewu, didn't we agree..."
Shi Yi chuckled and said, "Of course."
The few of them chatted and unknowingly returned to the rest area.
Seeing their captain and vice-captain walking side by side with Shi Yi, the people of Tianshui immediately burst into boisterous cheers.
"Oh..."
Shui Bing'er looked at the scrutinizing eyes of her teammates, and her fair face became even more rosy.
The tall Xuewu said slowly, "Alright, sisters, stop bullying Bing'er. Let's go back first."
Knowing that Shui Bing'er was shy, with Xuewu, the vice-captain, leading the way, the women of Tianshui slowly left. As Xuewu passed by Shi Yi, she winked at him and chuckled, "Brother Shi Yi, please protect our captain."
Shi Yi smiled, "Of course."
With that, Shi Yi went to Flanders and explained the situation to Yu Xiaogang before reuniting with Shui Bing'er. After the preliminaries, there was a long break, which provided a buffer for the contestants to prepare for the next round.
Shi Yi and Shui Bing'er then headed out of the Tiandou Great Soul Fighting Arena.
Zhu Zhuqing, watching this scene from a distance, a complex expression crossed her face. Just as she was losing focus, a familiar voice reached her ears.
"Zhuqing..." Ning Rongrong had unknowingly arrived at her side.
Zhu Zhuqing, having come to her senses after hearing the shout, couldn't help but flash a trace of panic across her face. She looked at Ning Rongrong and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, "Rongrong..."
"Zhuqing, you haven't confirmed your relationship with him yet? " Ning Rongrong
looked at Zhu Zhuqing and chuckled jokingly. Zhu Zhuqing blushed and said quickly, "What relationship? I don't know what you're talking about."
Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes at Zhu Zhuqing and said, "Zhuqing, just lie to yourself. After all this time, I can't tell that you like him."
Zhu Zhuqing's face showed a complicated expression, but she didn't know what to say.
Ning Rongrong took Zhu Zhuqing's hand and said unhappily, "I was so worried about you when I saw you standing by. If you delay any longer, you won't be able to get a number."
Zhu Zhuqing looked disappointed when she heard that. She looked at Ning Rongrong and said softly, "I don't want to cause trouble for him..."
Ning Rongrong poked Zhu Zhuqing's forehead and said, "Zhuqing, you are so stupid. Do you only have him and cultivation in your mind? Do you understand what official position the Emperor of Tiandou gave Shi Yi just now? Marquis, the youngest marquis in Tiandou. That bad guy Shi Yi has long stood on the side of Brother Qinghe. If it were before, Your explanation is quite reasonable."
"Now, as long as you want to stay in Tiandou, Brother Qinghe can completely protect you. Besides, if we follow Shrek, we may not lose the match against Xingluo Royal Academy. Letting Dai Mubai go back and fight for the throne on his own is already the most benevolent and righteous thing. So do you understand the current situation? "
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Ning Rongrong and said hesitantly: "But... what about you?"
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong was slightly stunned for a moment. After coming to her senses, she shook her head slightly and smiled self-deprecatingly: "Maybe it's impossible for me and him."
Zhu Zhuqing hugged Ning Rongrong gently.
Ning Rongrong forced a smile and gently pushed Zhu Zhuqing away and whispered: "Okay, don't talk about me. I don't have a chance anymore. So, I hope you won't be like me. Some things are wrong and they are wrong."
(End of this chapter)