Chapter 174: Is the Shrek Team a Dark Horse?

The preliminary round was set to officially begin tomorrow, but today there would be an opening match.

The main event of this opening match would naturally feature the second team of the Royal Battle Academy, representing the royal family, facing off against Shrek Academy. 

"The Imperial Second Team is in for some bad luck," Ning Tianchen remarked casually. 

Everyone agreed wholeheartedly. "The first team of the Imperial Academy lost to the Shrek team, and now Yu Tianheng has joined the Shrek team—this has greatly boosted their strength."

"Perhaps the Shrek Academy will be the dark horse of this tournament," Sun Buyu added. 

Ning Tianchen didn't comment but simply said, "Let's watch the match first. Whether they're a dark horse or not depends on their performance." 

Based on the timeline from his previous life, Shrek indeed turned out to be a dark horse that went all the way, defeating the Spirit Hall team and winning the championship. 

But now, who could say for sure? 

The drawing ceremony concluded quickly, and Salas assured everyone that there was no foul play involved. 

However, for those who had even a basic understanding of the participating teams, it wasn't hard to notice that the draw seemed suspicious. Many teams of similar strength were pitted against each other in the first round. 

Salas didn't leave the venue immediately. His gaze swept across the entire arena as he calmly announced, "Taking this opportunity, I will declare a decision made by the Spirit Hall. All participants in this Soul Masters Tournament who successfully advance to the finals will be directly recruited into the Saint Spirit Hall." 

Within the hierarchy of the Spirit Hall, the Saint Spirit Hall ranked just below the Pope's Hall and the Elder Hall—it was one of the highest-level branches. 

Moreover, every Platinum Bishop was promoted internally from within the Saint Spirit Hall, rather than being appointed externally. 

For soul masters who believed their potential ceiling was only up to Soul Douluo level, joining the Saint Spirit Hall was undoubtedly the wisest choice. 

After all, the treatment of a Platinum Bishop was second only to that of a Title Douluo, and they enjoyed privileges distinct from other Soul Douluos within the Spirit Hall system. 

This announcement caused a stir. 

On the high platform, Ning Fengzhi and Xue Ye's expressions turned grim. 

The average audience didn't see anything particularly alarming, but the soul masters in the arena were already buzzing with shock. 

The perks offered by the Spirit Hall were undeniable, but for Salas to make such an announcement at this juncture was clearly a move to poach talent from the Tiandou Empire. 

"The Spirit Hall has grown increasingly brazen—they no longer show respect to Patriarch Ning or the Tiandou Empire," Sun Buyu said angrily. 

Ning Tianchen, however, remained unfazed. 

Bibi Dong had dared to wipe out the top three clans; what wouldn't she dare do? 

Now, the soul power of the Sword and Bone Douluos had increased by another level compared to the original timeline. If the Spirit Hall dared to make a move, they would inevitably lose a couple of Title Douluos. 

"He's going to be disappointed. The teams that can advance from the preliminaries are limited to just a few. The Wind, Water, and Fire academies have already decided to ally with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—they won't join the Spirit Hall. The Thunder Academy is backed by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, so they won't join either. And as for our Seven Treasures team, we don't even need to discuss it," Ning Rongrong sneered. 

Feng Xiaotian shook his head with a bitter smile. "Rongrong, you might be disappointed. Not all members of the Wind, Water, and Fire teams come from their respective families. The academies can't interfere too much with the decisions of other students." 

"Do we just sit back and let the Spirit Hall grow stronger?" Ning Rongrong asked angrily. 

Ning Tianchen maintained a calm demeanor and replied, "Rongrong, do you know how many soul masters there are on the continent? About one hundred thousand. Do you know who counted them?" 

"It must have been the Spirit Hall," Ning Rongrong replied, puzzled about the meaning behind his words.

And surely, the number of soul masters on the continent far exceeded that figure.

Yu Die suddenly understood and chimed in, "I get it. This 'one hundred thousand' figure was certainly compiled by the Spirit Hall. But these numbers only represent the soul masters officially registered with the Spirit Hall. If I'm not mistaken, Captain, Rongrong, and Chen Huayu—you, as disciples of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, have never received any subsidies from the Spirit Hall, right?" 

It wasn't just the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Both empires, as well as certain merchant families and nobility, refrained from registering with the Spirit Hall. Not to mention, there were countless reclusive sects scattered across the continent. 

By not registering with the Spirit Hall, families avoided exposing their exact population counts and the strength of their experts, which greatly ensured their safety. 

Institutions like the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect provided subsidies to lower-level soul masters that far exceeded what the Spirit Hall offered. 

Ning Tianchen continued, "Among the one hundred thousand soul masters, if even thirty percent respond to the Spirit Hall's call, it would become an unstoppable force. With such a vast pool of soul masters at their disposal, the Spirit Hall indeed has the confidence to defy any power." 

"In terms of soul master heritage, the Spirit Hall surpasses any other faction. Now that Salas has opened the floodgates, I suspect more than half of the participants here are already considering it." 

With that, he clapped his hands. "That's enough about this matter. It's not our problem to worry about, so let's stop discussing it and focus on the upcoming duel." 

---

Inside the Shrek Academy rest area, Yu Xiaogang urged, "Get ready to go on stage. The opening match will be between us and the Royal Battle Second Team." 

They very much wanted to use this opportunity to teach the Royal Battle team a lesson, but wearing these uniforms felt utterly humiliating. 

"Wearing these uniforms makes it inconvenient to fight—can we take them off?" Dai Mubai asked with a bitter smile. 

Tang San also disliked the uniforms, but he understood the gravity of the situation. "No, we can't. We're all members of Shrek Academy. If we don't wear the uniforms, outsiders might think we're divided. Master Flender and Teacher Erlong would be heartbroken to see that." 

"So what do we do? If we go out like this, we'll definitely become the laughingstock of everyone!" Dai Mubai threw up his hands, his eyes full of resentment. 

Tang San gave a bitter smile. "We'll just have to go out like this. Afterward, we can talk to the principal about it." 

After a pause, he began assigning tactics. "For this match, Tianheng and Xiao Wu will sit this one out. Everyone else, prepare yourselves." 

"Brother San, I'm fine—let me go on!"

With three herbs concealing her aura, Xiao Wu didn't think she'd be exposed. 

"Tang San, why can't I participate?" Yu Tianheng asked, confused. 

Yu Xiaogang interjected, "Tianheng, you're the strongest member of the team, and you're our trump card. Against the Imperial Second Team, there's no need for you to reveal yourself yet. As for Xiao Wu, she'll rotate with Tai Long. Before we face strong opponents, Jing Ling and Huang Yuan must participate." 

Tang San smiled confidently. "Exactly. If we could defeat the Imperial First Team before, there's no way we'll lose to their second team."

"This match isn't just about building the reputation of the Shrek team—it's also about avenging the humiliation Prince Xue Xing dealt us and avenging the death of Senior Qin Ming." 

Yu Xiaogang's expression changed drastically, and he quickly reminded Tang San, "Xiao San, killing is strictly forbidden in the Soul Masters Tournament. Don't do anything foolish." 

Tang San nodded. "Don't worry, Teacher—I have a plan. In this match, our Shrek Academy will rise to fame by stepping over the Tiandou Imperial Academy." 

Yu Tianheng couldn't help but gasp. 

He knew better than anyone why Qin Ming had been killed—embezzling royal assets was a capital offense. 

He didn't understand why Tang San and the others blamed Prince Xue Xing for it. 

Still, as a member of the team, he couldn't say anything that might harm unity.

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