The morning sun cast long, stretching shadows across the grounds of Lanba Academy, signaling the start of another rigorous day. However, today was different. The atmosphere was heavy with anticipation, and the air seemed to vibrate with a tension that had been building for months. The entire Shrek group, along with the teachers, had gathered in the main meeting hall.
Dean Flender stood at the front of the room, his sharp eyes scanning the faces of the young monsters before him. He waited until absolute silence fell over the group, ensuring he had their undivided attention.
Seeing that everyone had finally arrived and settled, he adjusted his glasses and spoke slowly, his voice grave. "Starting from now, there are exactly seven days left until the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament begins."
A ripple of excitement went through the group. They had been training for this moment for half a year, enduring hellish workouts and dangerous hunts.
"Today, I will first explain the rules to you," Flender announced.
As he spoke, his gaze drifted to the side. Ma Hongjun, the Phoenix Spirit Master, was sitting beside him, his head bobbing rhythmically. A small line of drool was escaping the corner of his mouth; the Fatty was clearly dozing off, likely dreaming of his next meal.
Without breaking his flow or even looking directly at the student, Flender lashed out with a swift, practiced kick, landing squarely on Ma Hongjun's ample backside.
"Ouch!" Ma Hongjun yelped, jumping up and rubbing his sore spot, looking around in confusion.
Flender didn't even glance at him as he continued, his tone serious. "Don't be dismissive. Rules are restrictions, yes. They limit what you can do. But remember this: rules can also be an advantage that can be utilized if you understand them better than your opponent."
He paused, letting the lesson sink in. "While absolute strength is undoubtedly important in the competition, you must also be clear about all the rules. Otherwise, you might be exploited by others who know the regulations better, and all your hard efforts will be in vain. You could be disqualified before you even land a blow."
Kicked by Flender and seeing the stern looks from the other teachers, the Fatty stuck out his tongue sheepishly. He rubbed his butt one last time and straightened up, not daring to play dumb or sleep anymore.
Satisfied that he had everyone's attention, Flender continued his lecture. "The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament is initiated and hosted by the royal families of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires. It is the largest Spirit competition in the Spirit Master's world, and it is co-organized by Spirit Hall itself."
He paced back and forth, his hands clasped behind his back. "The strength of the participants is second only to Spirit Hall's own elite selection competition. It is the pinnacle of the younger generation. Among the many rules, there are a few that must be strictly followed, or disqualification is immediate."
"First," Flender raised a finger. "The students sent by participating academies must be strictly under twenty-five years old. This is a tournament for the youth, not the elders. Furthermore, every team must be able to maintain seven participants on the field for each match."
"Secondly, during the competition, with the purpose of friendly sparring and exchange, you must try to avoid crippling your opponents as much as possible." Flender's eyes narrowed behind his lenses. "And absolutely no deaths are allowed."
The room went silent at the severity of his tone.
"Once there is an act of killing an opponent," Flender emphasized, "that academy, in addition to bearing the corresponding losses and compensation, will also be immediately expelled from the Spirit Master Tournament. There is no appeal."
"Dean, this rule doesn't seem quite right," a deep voice interrupted.
It was Dai Mubai. The Evil Eye White Tiger raised his hand, his brow furrowed in disagreement. "Spirit Abilities are indiscriminate. Once unleashed, they are hard to recall. What if someone is accidentally killed? If the strengths of both sides are similar, and they fight with all their might to win, casualties are sometimes inevitable. We can't always hold back."
Flender stopped pacing and looked at Dai Mubai. He nodded slowly. "What you said is not wrong. In a real life-and-death struggle, holding back is foolish."
"But," Flender's voice took on a lecturing tone, "you must understand the political purpose of the two great Empires holding this Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament. It is not to have the academies fight for victory just for the sake of glory. It is to select the best talents from them to recruit."
Flender gestured to the world outside the window. "Including Spirit Hall and some kingdoms within the two great Empires, they all share the same intention. They want to find the next generation of generals, elders, and protectors."
"Students who can represent advanced Spirit Master academies in the competition are all the cream of the crop in their respective academies. They are also the future of the Spirit Master's world."
Flender sighed softly. "Cultivating a Spirit Master is incredibly difficult. You are all geniuses, so you may not realize it, but the number of Spirit Masters across the entire continent has never exceeded six digits. We are a rare breed. Prohibiting killing opponents, while somewhat restrictive to your combat style, is also a guarantee for you children. It ensures that you can grow without being killed prematurely. From my perspective, this rule is very correct."
Dai Mubai lowered his hand. He still looked somewhat unconvinced—the tiger in him preferred total dominance—but he understood the logic. Although he didn't like killing unnecessarily, he disliked the feeling of being restrained even more when fighting. But if it meant protecting his teammates as well, he would accept it.
Flender saw that the objection was settled and continued to introduce the regulations to everyone. "Besides these two rigid rules, there are some more standardized rules, all based on the premise of fairness."
"For example: during the competition, no drugs, pills, or food not produced by a non-food system or support system Spirit Master may be used. This means no recovery potions from the outside."
He pointed at Oscar and Ning Rongrong. "Only food system or support system Spirit Masters on the field have the right to replenish their teammates. That is to say, if you want to get supplies or healing on the competition arena, then a support system Spirit Master must occupy one spot on the field."
Oscar puffed out his chest, looking proud. This rule made his sausages invaluable.
"This avoids the possibility of cheating by teams using expensive drugs instead of their own power," Flender explained. "Additionally, there is a rule that prohibits the use of any weapons other than one's Spirit."
Speaking of this, Flender paused and glanced meaningfully at Tang San.
Tang San's hand instinctively brushed against the Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlit Night belt at his waist. He possessed many hidden weapons that could turn the tide of battle, but under these rules, he would have to rely solely on his Blue Silver Grass and his own martial arts. He nodded silently at the Dean, accepting the restriction.
"These are the general rules," Flender concluded. "If there are any additions or changes, I will tell you during the competition. Now, I will tell you about the format of this competition."
As he spoke, Flender crouched down. He picked up a prepared wooden stick from beside him and drew two large, connected circles on the dirt floor.
"These two circles represent the two great Empires, Heaven Dou and Star Luo."
Then he drew a small circle overlapping the space between the two large circles. "This represents Spirit Hall."
"Among the two great Empires, the total number of advanced Spirit Master academies combined is nearly a hundred. Each academy has one participation slot," Flender explained, pointing to the large circles. "And each of the two great Empires has one official advanced Spirit Master academy, which will occupy two slots."
"For example, in the Heaven Dou Empire, it is the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, where we are currently located—or rather, the jurisdiction we fall under."
Flender tapped the ground with the stick. "These two official advanced Spirit Master academy slots are divided into a main team and a sub-team. The main team will directly advance to the final round. This guarantees the prestige of the two great Empire royal families, ensuring they always have representation in the finals."
"The sub-team, however, must fight. Along with Spirit Master teams from other academies, they will participate in the preliminaries."
Flender looked at his students with a hint of regret but also pride. "Although the Shrek Team's strength is stronger than the Royal Fight Team's strength, due to the circumstances of our arrival and the rules of registration, we can only participate in the preliminaries under the name of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team."
Hearing this, everyone's expressions became somewhat indignant. They remembered the humiliation they had faced when they first tried to join the Royal Academy, only to be driven out by Prince Xue Xing. To now fight as their "Second Team" felt like a slight insult.
"Calm down," Flender said, sensing their anger. "It is just a title. The glory will belong to you."
He continued drawing several small circles within the two large circles on the ground. "The preliminary rounds will be held in divisions. Here in our Heaven Dou Empire, with Heaven Dou City as the center, the competition is fierce."
"Within the Heaven Dou Empire, all advanced Spirit Master academies that do not belong to other kingdoms and duchies will participate in the preliminary rounds in the Heaven Dou City division. This is where we will fight."
"Advanced Spirit Master academies from various kingdoms and duchies will participate in the preliminaries according to their national divisions. The Heaven Dou Empire has a total of four kingdoms and one duchy. That is to say, including the Heaven Dou City division, the Heaven Dou Empire will have a total of six preliminary divisions."
Flender stood up, dusting off his hands. "Excluding the one main team that has already been guaranteed entry into the finals, these six divisions will compete for fifteen qualification spots."
"Among them, the Heaven Dou City division, due to its numerous advanced Spirit Master academies and being a direct Imperial division, will have five qualification spots. The competition here will be the fiercest."
"The other four great kingdoms and one duchy will each have two qualification spots per division. The situation in the Star Luo Empire is almost identical to that of the Heaven Dou Empire."
"That is to say," Flender summarized, "thirty Spirit Master teams will advance to the next stage through the preliminaries. These thirty teams will all participate in the finals."
"But before participating in the finals, there will be a promotion round."
"A promotion round?" Ma Hongjun asked, confused. "If we already qualified, why do we need a promotion round?"
"The so-called promotion round is actually a ranking competition for the thirty teams that have already entered the finals," Flender clarified. "No one is eliminated here. Instead, the order of appearance in the finals will be determined based on the ranking from this round."
"The format of the preliminaries and the promotion round is different," Flender added, his eyes gleaming. "The preliminaries will be conducted in the team battle format that you are most familiar with. It is a single-round robin format, with the teams with the highest winning points from each preliminary division advancing."
"But the promotion round will be conducted in a special way. Although the participating teams still send out seven students, they will duel one by one. It is a wheel battle."
"The winner remains on the field, and the losing side continues to send out their next student. This continues until all the students from one side have been defeated."
Tang San's eyes lit up. "So, the preliminaries can be said to be a competition to showcase team strength and coordination, while the promotion round is a stage to display individual capability?"
"Exactly," Flender nodded approvingly. "The reason for having this promotion round is quite simple. It is to allow the high-ranking officials of the two great Empires and Spirit Hall to better identify some exceptionally talented young Spirit Masters among these participating students. In a chaotic team fight, individual brilliance can sometimes be missed. In the promotion round, there is nowhere to hide."