Chapter 123: Becoming a Target

Chapter 123: Becoming a Target

"The format for the preliminaries and the main tournament is different. The preliminaries will be a team battle, with seven participants chosen at random to represent each team. It will follow a single round-robin format, and the team with the highest victory points from each preliminary division will advance to the main tournament.

The main tournament, however, will be conducted in a special manner: each team will still send out seven participants, but they will face off in one-on-one duels. The winner remains on the stage, while the losing side sends out another participant, until one side has all their participants defeated..."

Upon returning to the estate from Skywater City, Xue Qinghe didn't just spend time chatting with his father, the Emperor. He also took the time to learn about the upcoming tournament, and now, facing the group, most of whom had never participated in the Young Soul Master Tournament before, he began to explain the rules.

"So, you could say that the preliminaries are a showcase of team strength, while the main tournament is a stage for individuals to shine. The main tournament is designed to allow the higher-ups from the Two Great Empires and the Continental Soul Master Union to discover exceptional young Soul Masters..."

Among those who had come to participate in the tournament, only Zhu Xie, Ren Ling'er, and Zhu Zhuqing were listening intently. The others found it boring and yawned indifferently.

"Hey, Xiao Wu, aren't you nervous at all about such a tense competition?" Zhu Zhuqing poked Zhu Wu, puzzled by her nonchalant attitude towards the upcoming Young Soul Master Tournament.

Zhu Wu glanced at Zhu Zhuqing and then looked at A'Lan and the group of puppets behind her, blinking. "What's the point of listening to all this? It's not like being nervous now will make you any less nervous when it's your turn to fight."

Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but admire Zhu Wu's strong mindset, but before she could express her admiration, Zhu Wu patted her on the shoulder.

"Look at our lineup," Zhu Wu said. "We could say that others are here to compete, but we're here on a fully-funded vacation. After all, we have a Soul King, a Soul King! How many other teams can match us?"

Zhu Zhuqing realized the truth in her words. Furthermore, the strongest in their group, Zhu Xie, wasn't even their most powerful member; even A'Lan alone could face the two of them combined in a Soul Fusion skill. Perhaps this competition wasn't something to be too anxious about.

Zhu Wu's words made Zhu Xie, who had been listening attentively, feel a little uneasy. The others might not know, but Zhu Xie was aware that Zhu Wu was her mother. Being praised by her mother made Zhu Xie feel a bit strange, and she resolved to take the upcoming competition seriously and not let her mother down.

Seeing that only a few were paying attention, with one or two already daydreaming, Xue Qinghe lost interest in sharing further intelligence. "Never mind. I can tell you guys aren't that interested in the competition rules, so I'll share some inside information instead.

For this Young Soul Master Tournament, Skywater City will send out sixteen teams, and several of those spots are already reserved. One of those reserved spots is for our Skywater Academy, and we all know the situation with our academy.

This means that during the draw, we'll have some advantages. Either our opponents won't be very strong, or they would have recently gone through a battle and suffered casualties.

This isn't to make you complacent or discourage you from fighting. Remember, there will be a large audience, and if you can't put on a good show, it might reflect poorly on us."

Xue Qinghe sighed as he glanced at the group. "I believe in your strengths, but precisely because I know your capabilities, I hope to see you showcase a spectacular battle!"

............

"Unfortunately, our Shrek Academy will likely become a target in the upcoming tournament.

It was their first time participating in a large-scale competition like the Advanced Soul Master Tournament, and they were already being targeted. It was enough to ruffle anyone's composure.

"What's going on? Why is Team Shrek being singled out for no reason?" Tang San asked, his brows furrowed in displeasure.

He had been feeling quite frustrated lately, especially after Ning Rongrong informed him that Xiao Wu wouldn't be joining them from the Tianwu Academy. This only added to his gloom.

"Why? Of course, it's because someone did something that displeased certain people in the Heaven Dou Empire," Ning Rongrong replied, her eyes narrowing as she glanced at Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.

One had publicly kidnapped the young mistress of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the other had openly challenged the authority of the Tianwu Academy, causing even the teachers of Shrek Academy to be humiliated.

And to think that the Tianwu Academy was under the jurisdiction of the Crown Prince—the first son of the Emperor. Even though Xue Qinghe wasn't the current Crown Prince, his status as the eldest prince remained, and challenging him was akin to challenging the royal family's dignity.

Under Ning Rongrong's piercing gaze, Tang San felt his face burning.

"I never expected the Heaven Dou Empire to stoop to such petty tricks!" Liu Erlong slammed her palm on the table in anger and spat disdainfully.

"And that Tianwu Academy! They are so petty, targeting Shrek Academy over such a trivial matter!" Liu Erlong's anger was evident as she unconsciously rubbed her abdomen.

"Erlong, this is my fault. Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Yu Xiaogang assured, sensing the tense atmosphere and speaking cautiously.

"Solve it? How? Are you going to kowtow and beg for their forgiveness? If they hold a grudge over such a minor issue, do you think they'll easily let it go?" Tang San felt like slapping himself. It was his big mouth that had brought this up in the first place.

Now, not only was he feeling dejected, but the others also had a target for their frustration—they all knew whose mistake had caused this situation.

Breathing out heavily, Tang San turned to Ning Rongrong.

"Since it's the royal family we're dealing with, there must be people who don't see eye to eye with the first prince. Can we contact them and ask for their help?" Tang San suggested.

In the past, Tang San wouldn't have cared much about such competitions. After all, he had once been capable of challenging Dai Mubai even with a lower soul power level.

But now, with his martial arts skills essentially useless, he was no different from an ordinary Control System Soul Master. Without the advantage of his body's agility and technique, he had lost his ability to fight opponents of a higher level.

In this situation, he could only seek external assistance.

Despite her personal dislike for Tang San, Ning Rongrong acknowledged his quick thinking and intelligence.

"The current Crown Prince of Heaven Dou City does have some opposition, namely the third prince of Heaven Dou City. Do you want me to introduce you to him?" Ning Rongrong offered.

Hearing Ning Rongrong's suggestion, Tang San's heart sank. He felt like she had been waiting for him to make such a request.

He had walked right into her trap!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end