"Huh?"
Ning Rongrong covered her head, giving Ye Qiu a reproachful look.
"Xiao Qiu, how can it not be true?"
Xiao Wu asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, brother, you were right about that fierce sister's reaction just now."
Xiao Lan licked the candied hawthorn in her hand, her sticky red lips glistening.
Hearing Xiao Lan's address,
Huo Wu looked a little embarrassed, but still looked at Ye Qiu and snorted coldly.
"Tell me? Why did I withdraw from the competition?"
Ye Qiu smiled teasingly and said lightly,
"I guess you guys have temporarily joined Shenfeng Academy."
"You!"
Huo Wu looked at Ye Qiu in shock.
This matter was clearly something she, Feng Xiaotian, and Shui Bing'er discussed privately.
How could Ye Qiu know?
"Could it be that Shui Yue'er told you?"
"Hmm? Tianshui Academy is also participating?"
Ye Qiu looked at Huo Wu in surprise, his face full of confusion.
"You!"
Huo Wu's expression changed slightly, somewhat annoyed.
Unexpectedly, Ye Qiu had no idea that Tianshui Academy had also forfeited the competition.
Had he just handed over all his cards?
"The three academies have joined forces?"
Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. It seemed that the pressure she had put on Huo Wu and the others was indeed quite significant.
"Hmph! You'll find out sooner or later anyway. Ye Qiu, I'm looking forward to facing you again on the field!" Huo Wu
didn't say anything more, coldly snorted, and left.
"..."
Ye Qiu shook his head helplessly.
Now, with the three academies united, their combined strength was indeed formidable.
With everyone at the Soul Master level, they were already considered a strong team.
...
The finals didn't have the grand opening ceremony that had been expected.
Everything was simple.
A cardinal from the Spirit Hall went on stage
and announced the start of the finals. He
also announced the matchups and the bye list.
The matches began under the direction of referees specially selected by the Spirit Hall.
The two sides in the first match weren't particularly strong.
Ye Qiu and the other girls, including Liu Erlong, couldn't help but whisper among themselves in their rest area.
Xiao Lan pouted and said,
"Brother, why doesn't this finals look as grand as the qualifiers?"
"There wasn't even an opening ceremony, and the number of spectators is pitifully small, maybe a few thousand at most."
Ye Qiu shook his head helplessly, about to explain.
Hen Qiu Tian spoke up first.
"Sister Xiao Lan, although there are only a few thousand people here, don't forget, they are all Soul Masters, and most of them should belong to the Spirit Hall."
"Haha, Xiao Tian is right."
Ning Rongrong smiled and pinched her two younger sisters' cheeks.
"The Spirit Hall has its reasons for not allowing civilians to watch, after all, the final three-way match will be held in front of the Pope's Palace."
Ye Qiu stroked his chin and smiled,
"That's when the real climax of the finals will happen. The current calm is likely preparation for that climax."
The first match ended quickly.
The second match was between Shenfeng Academy and Longkui Academy of the Star Luo Empire.
"They really did unite."
When the Blue Tyrant Academy students saw the lineup of Shenfeng Academy,
they couldn't help but be surprised.
Among the Shenfeng Academy's lineup...
Six people had suddenly appeared.
Four of them were from Blazing Fire Academy: Huo Wu, Huo Wushuang, and the two brothers whose spirits were Mars.
Two were from Heavenly Water Academy: Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu, who possessed a spirit fusion skill.
The dozen or so academies on the Star Luo Empire side weren't a problem.
But the Heaven Dou Empire side was in an uproar.
How could members of Blazing Fire Academy and Heavenly Water Academy be among the Divine Wind Academy members?
The commotion below naturally didn't affect the match on the field.
Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu were positioned at the rear.
Huo Wu was in the middle, flanked by the two Mars spirit master brothers.
Feng Xiaotian and Huo Wushuang stood at the very front.
When they all revealed their spirit rings,
their opponents felt a chill run down their spines.
The seven people representing Divine Wind Academy were undoubtedly all Spirit Masters above level 40.
The entire match
was practically a one-sided massacre.
Huo Wu hadn't even used her Fire Resistance Ring.
On the Thunder Academy side, also one of the Five Elemental Academies, everyone's faces darkened.
Lei Bao couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, wasn't it said that participating academies can't change their members midway through the competition?"
"I already asked,"
the Thunder Academy team leader shook his head, explaining helplessly,
"They're exploiting a loophole in the rules."
"Although the rule states that participating academies can't change members midway, it doesn't mean that academies already registered can't temporarily switch academies."
"This isn't explicitly stated in the documents. Several students from Blazing Fire Academy and Heavenly Water Academy are on the list for the finals. As long as the Spirit Hall approves, they can switch academies."
Lei Dong frowned and said, "Then can't we do the same?"
"Too late! The competition has already started, and the final spots for each team in the finals have been determined."
Yu Tianxin shook her head with a wry smile.
"Tianxin is right,"
the team leader nodded slightly.
"Everyone is participating today, and once they've entered, it's impossible to change the academy's plans."
"Besides, which academy would give up its place in the finals? Blazing Fire Academy and Heavenly Water Academy have gone all out this time; I wonder what they sacrificed to get the Spirit Hall to be so accommodating."
Although the three academies are united,
they have still given up two spots in the finals.
In a sense, the participating academies are still beneficiaries.
Many academies from the Heaven Dou Empire raised similar protests.
But for the first time, they experienced the Spirit Hall's toughness. The
Spirit Hall's final response was simply that those
who didn't want to participate could withdraw, and the organizing committee would be absolutely fair.
The Heaven Dou Empire officials didn't intervene, after all, the strengthened Divine Wind Academy still belonged to the Heaven Dou Empire, and if they achieved good results, it wouldn't be bad for the Heaven Dou Empire.
Currently, the relationship between the two empires and the Spirit Hall is at least superficially harmonious.
They certainly wouldn't intentionally offend the Spirit Hall over such a small matter.
The first two rounds of the competition quickly ended, and the top ten of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament were determined.
The third round was about to begin.
In this round, Shenfeng Academy and the Star Luo Empire's second-place academy in the qualifying rounds received a bye.
Blue Tyrant Academy also faced their first match in the finals. In
the first two rounds, Ye Qiu and his team had no players, effectively receiving byes.
The first round saw Blazing Fire Academy withdraw.
The second round was as stipulated by the rules, with the first qualifying round resulting in a bye.
Nothing unexpected happened.
After the draw for the third round, the atmosphere in the finals suddenly became tense.