Chapter 151: The First Battle – Elephant Armor!

Chapter 151: The First Battle – Elephant Armor!

Hearing the audience's doubts, the members of the Oakland team felt a surge of frustration, their hearts burning with anger.

Especially Feng Qianli, who had participated in the previous Continental Soul Master Elite Competition, was deeply familiar with this kind of feeling.

Disdain, contempt, even scorn.

On the continent, it's a world where the weak are preyed upon by the strong, and the same applies in competitions. The powerful win honors, gaining the respect and admiration of the crowd, while those with lesser abilities are ignored and looked down upon.

Before Dai Yao came to Oakland, Feng Qianli, as the core member of the team, had been entrusted with the responsibility of defending the honor of the academy. However, with his weak abilities, how could he defend the academy's honor?

He was a commoner, raised under the guidance of the academy's principal, Jackson, who treated him like family.

When his family was insulted, he could do nothing about it. That feeling of helplessness had carved itself deep into his heart, spurring him to train relentlessly day and night.

He clenched his fist tightly and said in a voice only Dai Yao could hear:

"Dai Yao…"

"What's wrong, Captain?"

"Hoo—"

Feng Qianli let out a long breath, his voice carrying a tone of pleading as he said to Dai Yao:

"Dai Yao, please, I beg you, carry our academy forward in the Soul Master Competition."

Upon hearing these words, Dai Yao was momentarily stunned. He looked up sharply at Feng Qianli, but all he could see was Feng Qianli's broad back, trembling.

Dai Yao understood the weight of the responsibility that Feng Qianli carried, and in that moment, a firm resolve grew within him. He whispered:

"Don't worry, I'll give it my all."

Feng Qianli finally let out a sigh of relief, the intense and struggling look in his eyes softening:

"With those words, I'm at ease."

Just as they were speaking, the last team entered the arena, and Shrek's group stood at the back of the line.

Unlike the applause received by the other academies, Shrek's bizarre costumes sparked laughter from the entire audience.

Dai Yao didn't pay attention to the mocking laughter. His gaze was focused on the VIP seats.

The three people seated at the front exuded an intangible air of nobility. They were Emperor Xueye of the Heaven Dou Empire, Ning Fengzhi, the leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the world's foremost support-type Soul Master, and Salas, the Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall.

Behind them were the three committee members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy and the empire's aristocracy, along with the deans of the twenty-eight academies.

However, the most prestigious person among them was the leader of the Sixth Great Sect of the continent—Tianxiang Huyan Zhen!

At this moment, Ning Fengzhi seemed to notice Dai Yao's gaze. He turned his head slightly, locking eyes with Dai Yao, offering him a faint smile and a nod.

Salas, who usually carried an air of arrogance, now showed a gentle smile, his gaze carrying a deep meaning.

Upon seeing Salas' eyes, Dai Yao's heart tightened, recalling the conversation he had with Salas a few days ago. Unconsciously, his fists clenched.

"Dai Yao, you know that the Spirit Hall harbors many Soul Masters, which has led to many factions within the organization."

"Because of you, Spirit Hall's relations with the Star Luo Empire soured, but you've stayed in the Heaven Dou Empire for so long without returning to Spirit Hall, which has upset many people."

"Your potential is great, so I, along with that fat fellow Ferdinand, have allowed you to stay in Heaven Dou Empire, but others don't agree."

"They question your abilities, believing you're only using Spirit Hall."

"That's why, in this competition, you must prove your potential to them! If not, they'll take you away by force."

"Therefore, they have arranged an opponent for you in this competition."

Recalling these words, Dai Yao's thoughts became heavy. Based on Salas' words, he knew his first opponent was sent by Spirit Hall to test his strength.

"Which team could it be? Could it be one from the Five Elements Academy?"

A cold smile curled on his lips. He was already eager for the battle.

Just as he was deep in thought, Emperor Xueye and Ning Fengzhi finished their conversation.

Looking at the deviations from the original storyline, Dai Yao couldn't help but complain in his mind:

"Huh, so the scene where Ning Fengzhi supports Shrek Academy is gone?"

"It seems that without the help of the immortal herbs, Shrek Academy doesn't qualify as a strong team. Not even talking about the finals; they might struggle in the preliminaries."

"If Tang San doesn't use the Haotian Hammer, they might even get eliminated in the preliminaries!"

When Ning Fengzhi returned to his seat, the emcee smiled and said:

"Unfortunately, Sect Master Ning didn't mention the team he's backing. Now, let's invite the Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall, Salas, to conduct the draw for the first round of the preliminaries."

"After the draw, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's vice captain will face their first-round opponent. This will be the only match today!"

Salas slowly stood up and walked to the emcee's side, beginning to draw the names.

"First round of the preliminaries: Canghui Academy vs. Zixing Academy."

"First round of the preliminaries: Heaven Dou Royal Academy vs. Shrek Academy."

When the draw for Heaven Dou Royal Academy was announced, the crowd was in an uproar. Everyone assumed that Heaven Dou Royal Academy had chosen an easy opponent to cheat.

Hearing the results, Dai Yao wasn't surprised at all. "Looks like Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team is destined for a rough time."

But the real surprise was yet to come.

"First round of the preliminaries: Elephant Armor Academy vs. Oakland Academy!"

"What?"

Dai Yao thought in shock. In the original story, Oakland was only up against a regular academy, but now they were facing Elephant Armor Academy, clearly Spirit Hall was involved in this decision.

"Looks like Elephant Armor Academy is the test Spirit Hall has arranged for me?"

"After the Soul Hunting Plan, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was left in ruins, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was wiped out, and the Elephant Armor Sect immediately joined Spirit Hall. It's not surprising that they'd use them to test me."

After the last of the draws, Salas looked over the entire arena, his voice cold as he said:

"This draw was completely fair. Earlier, Sect Master Ning mentioned that he didn't back any team, but as for me, I have a team I'm supporting."

Upon hearing these words, the entire arena was thrown into an uproar. Even Emperor Xueye couldn't help but glance over the twenty-eight teams, trying to figure out which one Salas was supporting.

Ning Fengzhi frowned slightly, stroking his jade staff, a possibility forming in his mind.

Meanwhile, Huyan Zhen of Tianxiang Sect smiled coldly. He had come specifically to back the team Salas was supporting.

"That team is—Oakland!"

Salas's cold voice rang out, amplified by the soul guide speaker and echoing throughout the Soul Arena. Hearing this, all eyes turned to the Oakland Academy team.

Surprise, confusion, skepticism, and a multitude of other looks of ill-intent converged on Oakland's nine members, as if they were under a spotlight, with everyone trying to figure out why Salas had such faith in them.

Oakland's nine members were equally stunned, not knowing how to react under the sudden attention.

(End of Chapter)

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