Chapter 273 Shrek Academy vs. Heavenly Soul Royal Academy? The match begins!
In the center of the high platform, under the focus of countless gazes, Huo Yuhao had arrived in front of the huge metal lottery box.
Bei Bei, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and others in the audience clenched their fists tightly and held their breath.
Xuanzi, who was on the south side of the waiting area, also put down his wine gourd and stared intently at the high platform with his squinted eyes.
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, stretched out his slightly cold right hand, and directly reached into the top of the box.
The metal box blocked all mental detection; he could only rely on his intuition to find a cold metal sphere. Without any hesitation, Huo Yuhao pulled the metal sphere out of the box and handed it to the referee beside him.
The referee took the metal ball, and when he saw the words engraved on it, even the chief referee, who had seen it all, froze for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, the referee raised the metal ball high, channeled his pure soul power, and let out a shout that resounded throughout the entire plaza:
"Shrek Academy team, drawn into Group A, Team 2!"
boom--!
As the referee finished speaking, the blank space in the column for Team A2 on the giant screen high in the sky instantly transformed into four large characters: Shrek Academy.
After a deathly silence of half a second, the entire large square on the outskirts of Mingdu was plunged into an uncontrollable and violent tremor.
The gasps and murmurs of hundreds of thousands of people coalesced into a terrifying wave of sound, almost lifting the entire sky.
"I won! I actually won! Round 1 of the round-robin tournament, Heavenly Soul Royal Academy vs. Shrek Academy!"
In the front row of the audience, an elder from a long-established sect suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with fervor and shock: "The champion and runner-up of the previous competition, the two strongest behemoths on the continent, are actually going to face off head-on in the very first match of the round-robin tournament. This is no ordinary round-robin tournament; this is a preview of the finals!"
"It's unbelievable. Shrek Academy just displayed absolute dominance with a half-minute sweep, while Heavenly Soul Royal Academy instantly defeated their opponent with just mental power. When these two teams clash, who will be able to maintain their undefeated myth?"
At this moment, all the spectators and independent cultivators were extremely excited. Everyone's face was flushed as they talked loudly, and even many of the usually mature and composed high-ranking members in the stands couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
Not only ordinary people, but also the other top forces remaining on the preparation side are under intense scrutiny because of this draw result.
On the preparation stand of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, Jing Hongchen looked at the match diagram on the big screen and narrowed his eyes coldly.
The premature clash between these two giants of the Soul Master world is undoubtedly the best news for the Sun Moon Empire.
Whichever side loses, they will expose more of their cards in advance, and may even lose key players in the fierce confrontation.
On the Xingluo National Academy side, Xu Jiujiu was also somewhat astonished as he watched this scene.
She had originally planned to shift her attention to another secret project of the Empire, but faced with such a pivotal battle that could almost determine the outcome of this tournament, she had no choice but to temporarily suppress her thoughts and focus intently on the two teams.
Meanwhile, on the exclusive preparation bench of the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy.
When Chen Lu and Wang Yanfeng saw Shrek's name placed in Team A2, they were first taken aback, then they both grinned and laughed.
"Hey, Huo Yuhao's right hand is really rotten, he actually ran right into our line of fire." Chen Lu clenched his fist, his arrogance and fighting spirit rising to their peak in an instant. "Senior brother, Shrek's arrogant attitude in the fourth match yesterday was infuriating. Now that they've run into each other, we have to teach them a lesson."
Long Aotian's expression remained cold and stern, but his gaze darkened slightly as he looked at the white-robed youth sitting at the very front.
Liu Yuan remained seated. The instant he heard the referee call out Shrek's name, his usually closed double pupils did not open, but a cold, controlling smile slowly crept onto his lips.
They finally crashed into each other.
Liu Yuan silently circulated the Golden Double Pupil Origin within his body, a cold laugh rising in his heart.
In the past few days, from the North Gate to the fourth elimination round, Shrek Academy, led by Xuanzi, has practically written their arrogance and pride on their faces.
That old fellow Xuanzi, relying on self-deceptive reasoning, spread rumors behind Liu Yuan's back that he dared not make a move because he was afraid and had a guilty conscience.
Since this is the first head-to-head match in the round-robin tournament, Liu Yuan plans to take advantage of this opportunity to completely suppress Shrek's recent arrogance in the most direct and ruthless way on the field.
He wanted to use this battle to break Shrek's backbone once again in front of the entire continent.
While everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, Huo Yuhao had already returned to Shrek Academy's preparation area.
Returning to his seat, Huo Yuhao looked at Bei Bei, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and the others, whose faces were all somewhat pale, and a deep sense of guilt flashed in his eyes. He lowered his head painfully, his hands gripping the armrest trembling slightly, and said in a dry voice:
"Senior Brother, Wang Dong... I'm sorry. I didn't draw the right lot, and it led everyone into the worst possible situation."
Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong bit their lips. Although they didn't complain, the fear and anxiety in their eyes caused by facing the Body Sect were impossible to hide. After all, the terrifying strength of the Body Sect's level 70+ Soul Saint Long Aotian and all the high-level Soul Emperors in yesterday's competition was still lingering in their minds.
However, just as the entire Shrek team fell into depression and panic again, Xuanzi, who was sitting to the side, suddenly snorted coldly.
*Smack*
Xuanzi suddenly stretched out his rough, large hand and patted Huo Yuhao heavily on the shoulder.
Although a fleeting look of surprise crossed his narrowed eyes, he forced a smug and contemptuous sneer onto his face as he looked at the core disciples before him and loudly reassured them:
"You little brat, what are you feeling guilty about? So what if you drew their names? Did you all just ignore what I told you yesterday?"
Upon hearing Xuanzi's words, Beibei and Xu Sanshi both looked up at him.
Xuanzi grabbed the wine gourd on the table and shook it, coldly snorting in an extremely arrogant tone: "I've said it before, Liu Yuan of the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy is nothing more than relying on sneak attacks and unexpected mental attacks. Now that we've met him in the first match, with our Shrek Academy fully prepared, his mental attack is completely ineffective. As for Long Aotian and Chen Lu, so what if they have high cultivation levels? Have all of Shrek Academy's hard training over the past five years been for nothing?"
At this point, Xuanzi stood up, put his hands behind his back, and a heavy aura of a level 99 Limit Douluo emanated from his body, which greatly relieved the oppressive feeling in the disciples' hearts.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes gleaming with extreme confidence, and shouted, "Don't be afraid! They may not be a match for us! Now that we've run into them, it's the perfect opportunity for you to wash away the shame of five years ago. With me watching over you from behind, you just go up there and beat them to a pulp, unleash the full might of the First Academy!"
Hearing Xuanzi's extremely forceful, even somewhat arrogant, words of comfort, Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi exchanged a glance. The panic in their eyes gradually faded under the imposing presence of the Limit Douluo, and a renewed fighting spirit rekindled. Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao also took a deep breath, their expressions gradually returning to normal.
Huo Yuhao sat back in his wheelchair, looking at the still stubborn Xuanzi with only deep helplessness in his eyes.
Time passed quickly on this eagerly anticipated morning.
With the match between Shrek Academy and Heavenly Soul Royal Academy concluded, the subsequent draw ceremony quickly followed. The thirty-two advancing teams were divided into four groups, and the round-robin tournament schedule was now fully booked.
"The draw ceremony is over. The first match of the second stage of the round-robin tournament has officially begun!"
With the referee's loud shout, the college teams that were drawn in the early rounds of Groups B and C began to take to the stage.
However, although the clash of soul power on the stage remained intense, the hundreds of thousands of people and soul masters in the stands surrounding the main square had no interest in watching these ordinary duels closely. Everyone's thoughts and eyes were fixed on the black text on the large screen high above, representing the first match of Group A.
They were waiting. Waiting for the highly anticipated battle, dubbed the "preview of the finals," to begin. Under the pressure of that immense suspense, the first two matches seemed so pale and bland.
In this distracted atmosphere, the two round-robin matches quickly came to an end.
Half an hour later, as the last loser on the stage was knocked off, the chief referee in charge of the match strode to the center of the stage.
He took a deep breath, channeling his abundant soul power. His high-pitched voice, imbued with intense fighting spirit, resounded like thunder through dozens of amplified soul-guided devices, instantly echoing in every corner of the grand plaza.
"The second match is over! Now, please prepare yourselves for the first match of Group A, the two top teams that have the entire continent watching!"
"Heavenly Soul Royal Academy Team vs. Shrek Academy Team!"
(End of chapter)