It was worth noting that, to prevent the Shrek Seven Devils from suffering casualties that would leave them short-handed in future battles,
Of the four newly recruited members, aside from Tai Long, the other three were as follows: Thirty-fifth rank Assault-type Combat Soul Venerable
Thirty-fifth rank Agility-type Combat Soul Venerable
Thirty-fifth rank Healing-type Tool Soul Venerable
Before the Shrek Seven Devils arrived—or rather, before the academy was renamed Shrek Academy—Tai Long and these three had been the core members the academy planned to send to this year's Advanced Soul Master Tournament. They were elites painstakingly cultivated by
None of them—not Tai Long, not the other three—had the slightest objection to serving as substitutes for the Shrek Seven Devils. After all, who in the academy would dare question them after witnessing
The Great Master had consulted with Flandre and Liu Erlong before recruiting these four into the school team. The purpose was simple: to provide the Shrek Seven Devils with rotation, conserving their energy as much as possible in battles that were not too demanding. They also served as necessary backup.
The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament was not merely a competition between Soul Master academies—it was a major event for the entire Soul Master world. From the preliminary rounds, through the advancement rounds, to the final championship, the entire process spanned three full months. Over such a prolonged period, who could guarantee that none of the Shrek Seven Devils would be injured and unable to continue?
Since effective cooperation between Soul Masters required a minimum of seven participants, every academy had to field at least seven people per match. A sufficient pool of personnel for rotation was therefore essential.
"Everyone, take a seat." The Great Master waved his hand, signaling for everyone to sit down where they were. Perhaps because the knot in his heart had been untied, his complexion looked noticeably rosier than before.
The Shrek Seven Devils and the four substitutes sat in a circle around the Great Master, quietly listening as he began his explanation.
"In just a few days, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament will begin. Today, I'll go over the rules with you first." As he spoke, the Great Master kicked the dozing
After the kick, the Fatty stuck out his tongue and didn't dare slack off any more. His small eyes brightened as they landed on the substitute member sitting across from him—Jiang Zhu.
Jiang Zhu was nineteen, a few years older than the Shrek Seven Devils. She stood about one meter sixty-five tall, with distinctive dark crimson hair. Her features were gentle and delicate—while she might not be as eye-catching as
Although the problem of the evil fire within his body had already been resolved, he had once frequented brothels and was no stranger to matters between men and women. His heart had long since left behind any innocence. In fact, he understood such things better than some adults. And among the Shrek Seven Devils, he appeared to be the only one without a partner. Everyone else was paired up—how could the Fatty not feel envious? Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so jealous as to curse
Jiang Zhu naturally noticed Ma Hongjun looking at her. She blinked, a warm smile gracing her delicate face as she regarded this Fatty—the only member of the Shrek Seven Devils whose physique was, well, not exactly normal—with interest.
The other students in the academy had only had limited contact with the Shrek Seven Devils. In Jiang Zhu's eyes, Ma Hongjun, who was only fourteen, was nothing more than a chubby little brother—round-faced and big-eared, quite adorable. She had no idea that this Fatty's mind was full of all sorts of unsavory thoughts.
The Great Master continued, "The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament is the grandest Martial Soul competition in the Soul Master world, jointly organized by the royal families of the Tian Dou Empire and the Xing Luo Empire, with Spirit Hall as the co-organizer. The strength of its participants is second only to Spirit Hall's Elite Selection Tournament. There are several rules that must be strictly followed. First, the students sent by participating academies must be under twenty-five years of age, and each academy must maintain a minimum of seven participants in every match. Second, the competition is intended to be a friendly exchange; competitors must try to avoid causing disability or serious harm to their opponents. Killing is strictly prohibited. Should any participant kill an opponent, their academy will not only bear the resulting losses but will also be expelled from the tournament."
"Great Master, this rule seems rather unreasonable."
The Great Master looked at Dai Mubai and spoke gravely, "What you say is not wrong. However, you must understand that the purpose of the two empires in holding this tournament is not to have academies fight each other to the bitter end, but to identify and recruit the best talent. Spirit Hall and the various kingdoms within the two empires all share this same intention. Those who represent their academies in this competition are the elite of their respective schools—the future of the Soul Master world. Training a single Soul Master is no easy feat, and the total number of Soul Masters across the entire continent has never exceeded six figures. The prohibition on killing opponents does impose certain constraints, but it is also a safeguard for young people like you. From my perspective, this rule is entirely correct."
Dai Mubai still seemed somewhat unconvinced. Though he didn't enjoy killing, he disliked the feeling of having his hands tied even more.
The Great Master said, "Beyond these two hard rules, there are more standardized regulations, all predicated on fairness. For example: during a match, no drugs or food items produced by anyone other than Food Type or Healing Type Soul Masters may be used. Only Food Type or Healing Type Soul Masters on the field have the right to replenish their own teammates. In other words, if you want to receive supplies on the competition stage, a support-type Soul Master must occupy one of the slots on the field. This eliminates the possibility of cheating through a Food Type Soul Master who isn't on the field. Additionally, no weapons other than one's Martial Soul may be used. Therefore, the Hidden Weapons you crafted, Tang San, cannot be used in this tournament. You must remember this clearly—violation will result in immediate expulsion."
At this point, the Great Master paused. "Those are the rules in broad strokes. Any supplementary details I'll tell you as the competition progresses. Now, let me explain the tournament format."
As he spoke, the Great Master picked up a prepared wooden stick from beside him and drew two interlocking circles on the ground.
"These two circles represent the two empires." He then drew a smaller circle that touched both larger circles. "This represents Spirit Hall."
"Across the two empires, the total number of Advanced Soul Master Academies adds up to nearly a hundred. Each academy is allotted one slot, and each empire has one official Advanced Soul Master Academy that occupies two slots. In the Tian Dou Empire's case, that would be the Tian Dou Royal Academy you already know about. Of these two slots for the official academy, one goes to the main team and one to the secondary team. The main team advances directly to the final round—this is a guarantee of face for the two imperial families. The secondary team competes alongside the other academies' squads in the preliminary rounds."
The Great Master drew several small circles within each of the two large circles. "The preliminary rounds are held by region. In the Tian Dou Empire's case, centered on Tian Dou City, all Advanced Soul Master Academies within the Tian Dou Empire's borders that do not belong to other kingdoms or principalities will compete in the Tian Dou City regional preliminary. The academies of each kingdom and principality will hold their preliminaries according to their respective territories. The Tian Dou Empire has four kingdoms and one principality. Including the Tian Dou City regional, there will be six preliminary regions in total on the Tian Dou side. Excluding the one team that has already secured direct entry to the finals, these six regions will compete for fifteen qualifying spots. The Tian Dou City regional will have five spots, owing to the large number of advanced academies and its status as the empire's direct-administration region. Each of the other four kingdoms and one principality will have two qualifying spots. The situation in the Xing Luo Empire is nearly identical."
"In other words, after the preliminary rounds, thirty Soul Master teams will advance to the next stage. All thirty will compete in the finals. However, before the finals, there will be an advancement round. The advancement round is essentially a ranking tournament for the teams that have qualified for the finals. The rankings will determine the order of appearance in the championship."
— The update didn't come late today—Little San can finally breathe a sigh of relief. He basically didn't sleep last night; the princess woke up roughly every two hours…
A new week has begun! Brothers and sisters of the
(End of chapter)