Chapter 69: Living in Two Worlds, Never a Slave!

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Several people turned their attention to Tang San, eagerly awaiting his response.

Since their first encounter on the day they entered the Great Soul Arena, Tang San had noticed the close relationships among Feng Xiaotian, Shui Bing'er, Huo Wu, and others.

Though he hadn't had the chance to face Feng Xiaotian in combat, Tang San had already lost to Huo Wu and the rest of the Blazing Academy team. No matter what, he could not afford to lose to the Shui Academy team.

It would be incredibly humiliating to be defeated by a group of girls.

Tang San said with unwavering determination:

"Teacher, you've always said that practical experience is the best way to test oneself.

For us, facing a strong team is more challenging.

Winning or losing isn't important; what matters is gaining experience. Let's go out and fight."

The others nodded in agreement, showing their support.

Yu Xiaogang furrowed his brow, as he understood what Tang San was thinking.

Tang San was very competitive and unwilling to accept defeat.

In their last battle against the Blazing Academy, they had fallen into the opponent's trap and ended up losing, which had been very discouraging for him.

Though some time had passed, Tang San still brooded over it.

Dai Mubai also couldn't let it go.

Like Tang San, Dai Mubai was also a very competitive person.

Moreover, as the captain of the Shrek Academy team, he had even greater responsibilities.

They had previously dealt with the members of Canghui Academy, but that hadn't eased his frustration.

The Four Elemental Academies—Godwind, Water, Blazing, and Thunder—were all quite strong. Missing out on battles with Godwind and Thunder and losing to Blazing meant that the match against the Shui Academy was Shrek Academy's only chance to prove themselves.

Yu Xiaogang decided to give them this opportunity.

"Alright, do you have any thoughts on the team lineup?"

Having learned from the previous battle, Tang San wasn't taking this lightly. This was a match they had to win, so it was important to deploy several key players.

"Teacher, in the previous matches, Rong Rong and Fatty didn't participate. We should continue to keep their strengths hidden. I propose that I, Dai Mubai, Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Xiao Ao, Tai Long, and Huang Yuan be the ones to compete. What do you think?"

Yu Xiaogang nodded in satisfaction.

"It makes sense to include Zhuqing and Xiao Ao, as the Shui Academy's strength is only slightly below that of Godwind and Thunder Academies."

Tang San was somewhat excited.

"Then we'll use this lineup for tomorrow's match."

"Good!"

Everyone responded in unison.

~~~~~~~~~

The next day.

Tang San and his teammates arrived at the rest area, all eagerly anticipating their match against the Shui Academy.

Today was also the final round of the current qualifiers.

The teams that had already lost their chance to advance had forfeited their matches before they even began, when faced with the stronger teams.

As the top two teams, Shrek Academy and Shui Academy were unsurprisingly scheduled to compete on the central arena.

This was the most important match of the day, crucial for determining the final rankings of the two teams.

The audience arrived early at the Great Soul Arena to cheer for their favorite teams.

The Shrek team was resting when Yu Xiaogang approached them.

"You won't need to compete today. The Shui Academy has forfeited, so Shrek Academy is the winner."

"???"

Everyone was stunned into silence, especially Tang San.

In preparation for the match against Shui Academy, Tang San had studied many targeted strategies the night before. To his dismay, they turned out to be unnecessary.

Ma Hongjun asked, puzzled:

"Is this for real? They could secure third place just by winning, which is a far better chance than ours. How could they forfeit?"

"And the audience was really looking forward to our match."

"Could it be that they're afraid?"

Yu Xiaogang interrupted their discussion.

"Given the situation, there's no need to dwell on it. Additionally, since the Shui Academy forfeited, Shrek Academy now has the same record as Shui and Blazing Academies. The lottery results for rankings are out, and fortunately, we've secured third place."

"Third place?"

"Great! We got third place without even having to compete!"

Ma Hongjun and Oscar cheered enthusiastically.

But Tang San couldn't feel any joy.

He wanted to defeat his opponents through his own abilities, and this sense of achieving something without effort left him feeling a bit disheartened.

Moreover, he felt that the Shui Academy's decision might have been deliberate, possibly related to Feng Xiaotian.

Today, the qualifiers in Tian Dou City were over.

After the matches, an award ceremony was held to present qualification certificates and prizes to the top five teams.

Teams that did not advance did not attend the final ceremony. Only the top five teams were present at the VIP award area.

Under the announcer's direction, the captains and vice-captains of the top five teams took the stage.

Godwind Academy, with 27 victories and no losses, ranked first.

Thunder Academy, with 26 wins and 1 loss, ranked second.

Shrek Academy, Shui Academy, and Blazing Academy, all with 24 wins and 3 losses, were ranked third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

The Xue Ye Emperor, Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and Archbishop Salas personally awarded the qualification certificates and prizes to the top five teams.

Each of the top five academies received 10,000 gold soul coins from the Tian Dou Empire as a reward.

After the awards, the Xue Ye Emperor gave a speech.

He bestowed the titles of viscount on the ten team captains and vice-captains, and baron titles on the other participating students from the five academies.

He promised that the territories would be allocated after graduation.

The Xue Ye Emperor also promised that if any team reached the final and won, their titles would be upgraded, their academy would receive royal honor, and the empire would provide financial support.

In recent years, the conflict between the two great empires and the Spirit Hall had deepened, reaching an irreconcilable point.

Although things seemed calm on the surface, there was underlying tension and hidden agendas.

This time, the top five teams were impressive, and their performances were remarkable.

Especially notable were the talents of Feng Xiaotian and Tang San.

To attract talent, the Xue Ye Emperor offered rewards greater than any previous Soul Master Tournament.

This displeased Archbishop Salas.

The Xue Ye Emperor was using a tremendous temptation to openly compete with the Spirit Hall for talent.

But as these academies were part of the Tian Dou Empire, Salas could not interfere too much.

For the captains and vice-captains, these rewards were undoubtedly substantial.

Being able to graduate before the age of 25 and attain a title was a great honor and a source of pride.

Everyone looked pleased and full of anticipation for the future.

Only Feng Xiaotian remained indifferent.

"In two lifetimes, how could I, Feng Xiaotian, remain beneath others and be a slave to your empire? Dream on!"

(End of Chapter)