Di Wu Huan'er's seven consecutive wins against the Heaven Dragon Gate team secured Shrek Academy's advancement to the semifinals.
After a short break at noon, the afternoon matches began. The third quarterfinal match was between the Snow Demon Sect and the Proud Sword Sect.
Proud Sword Sect, as its name suggests, consisted of disciples with sword Spirits. Their seven main players were all exceptionally talented, with two Spirit Emperors and five Spirit Kings. However, they encountered the Snow Demon Sect, a Sect that was nominally and factually completely misaligned—it was the Body Sect's disguised team. Proud Sword Sect was simply no match for them.
The match was straightforward. The Snow Demon Sect first secured victories in three individual matches, then immediately opted for a team battle, which resulted in a crushing, overwhelming victory.
Ultimately, as Zhu Ziyang predicted, the Snow Demon Sect advanced to the semifinals.
Today's matches concluded with the final one: Tang Sect versus Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy.
The audience became exceptionally enthusiastic, as the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's surrender that morning had led the vast majority of Sun Moon Empire citizens to place their last hopes on Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy. This was the first time Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy had received such a welcome, and their players were incredibly excited.
In contrast, the Tang Sect members were relatively calm. After Zheng Zhan announced their entrance, Bei Bei led the way into the waiting area, followed by Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, Tang Ya, Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong'er. If any audience members had watched the previous Star Luo City competition, they would recognize these seven as the exact same members of Shrek Academy's preliminary team from the last event.
Both sides' players ascended the stage and announced their names.
"Tang Sect, He Caitou."
"Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy, Lu Jun."
The player dispatched by Tang Sect was He Caitou, with his dark skin and large bald head, he looked fierce and unlikable. In contrast, Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy's player, Lu Jun, was tall and handsome, and being from the Sun Moon Empire, he garnered many cheers from the audience.
However, a match is not judged by appearance but by strength, so He Caitou remained completely unfazed. He was only thinking about how to help his team win this match beautifully.
The match began, and both players, by chance, chose to release their respective spirit tools. Lu Jun, however, chose to release a flying spirit tool, soaring into the sky to create distance from He Caitou, while He Caitou directly deployed his cannon platform, instantly wrapping himself in a metal fortress of cannons, big and small, thick and thin.
He Caitou watched Lu Jun fly into the sky, a hint of mockery on his lips. Then, with a cigar in his mouth, his eyes narrowed, and his hands worked rapidly. In an instant, various spirit tool cannons erupted from his platform. These cannonballs, trailing long or short, thick or thin tail flames, rushed towards Lu Jun like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.
Seeing this, Lu Jun's expression immediately became grave and somewhat unsightly. He quickly responded, with several cannon barrels emerging from his shoulders, arms, and legs, firing beams of laser to try and block He Caitou's barrage. At the same time, he controlled the flying spirit tool on his back, moving backward to buy himself time.
However, Lu Jun did not know that his action played right into He Caitou's hands. He Caitou finished his cigar in one breath, then a shiny silver cannon barrel, only ten centimeters in diameter, extended from his chest. A thick spirit power surged from He Caitou, flowing entirely into that shiny silver cannon barrel. Then, a white orb of light gathered at the muzzle. Less than a second after the orb appeared, the shiny silver cannon barrel unleashed a silver laser beam. The laser's speed was astonishing; everything it encountered along the way, including the cannonballs He Caitou had fired earlier and the lasers Lu Jun had fired, was easily split into two by this silver laser.
The silver laser surged unrestrainedly towards Lu Jun. Lu Jun only reacted at this moment, but it was too late to dodge, so he unhesitatingly activated his invincible shield.
The formidable Level 6 spirit tool shield was pierced by the silver laser before Lu Jun's terrified eyes. Lu Jun desperately flew upwards, attempting a last struggle, but the silver laser had already arrived, instantly piercing his abdomen, leaving a horrifying hole!
Zheng Zhan immediately intervened to save Lu Jun and stopped He Caitou, who intended to continue attacking. In this round, He Caitou was victorious.
He Caitou calmly glanced at Zheng Zhan, his eyes showing no respect for a Titled Douluo, but rather full of sarcasm and disdain. He Caitou seemed to have no intention of hiding his thoughts, so his gaze was fully observed by Zheng Zhan. Besides feeling offended and angry, Zheng Zhan also felt a strange sense of familiarity. He always felt He Caitou's aura was very familiar, as if he had seen it before, yet He Caitou's face was genuinely that of a stranger. Zheng Zhan was puzzled.
Although Lu Jun's abdomen was pierced, fortunately, Zheng Zhan intervened in time, protecting his wound with spirit power, so there was no danger to his life. However, he was undoubtedly unable to participate in the subsequent matches.
Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy then sent out two more Spirit Kings, both of whom were defeated by He Caitou, making the Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy team members' expressions quite grim. If their opponent had defeated the three of them using Spirit Master methods, they might have accepted it, but they were defeated by Soul Engineer methods, which was a huge blow to their pride.
Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy, after all, was the second-best academy in the Sun Moon Empire, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the second-best Soul Engineer academy on the continent. Now, they were being suppressed in terms of spirit tools by a player from a small Sect. Not only were the Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy players losing face, but even the audience felt somewhat awkward.
Therefore, as He Caitou prepared to step off the stage to begin the team battle, the captain of Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy directly violated the rules by rushing onto the stage and shouting at He Caitou, "Hey, big guy, stop right there!"
Facing this person who had violated the rules and rushed onto the stage, Zheng Zhan's mouth twitched slightly. Clearly, he knew this person, but for the sake of fairness in the competition, he still said, "You've violated the rules. Get down quickly and prepare for the team battle!"
"No!" Although the captain of Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy was dressed in men's clothing and presented herself as a man, anyone with discerning eyes could tell she was the only woman. She shouted at Zheng Zhan, "I can't just let him leave like this, otherwise, where would our academy's face be?"
He Caitou stopped in his tracks after hearing the woman's shout, turning to look at her with an unpleased and puzzled expression, saying, "Is something wrong?"
"Of course!" The woman immediately nodded, a smile appearing on her face. His stopping indicated that they could talk. She said, "Big guy, how about we make a deal?"
"Hmm?" He Caitou showed a puzzled expression. The Tang Sect members in the waiting area below also looked at the captain of Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy, wanting to see what she was going to say. After all, the initiative in the match was now in Tang Sect's hands, so they weren't afraid of the opponent playing tricks.
"Let's have one more individual match. If you win against me, then our Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy will immediately concede, and there will be no need for a team battle. Conversely, if I win, then the team battle can proceed. How about it?" the woman said, a confident smile on her face. Judging by the conditions, she was very confident in her own strength!
"This..." He Caitou was stunned. He hadn't expected this woman to propose such a condition. This condition, for Tang Sect, was beneficial regardless of win or loss. He didn't understand the meaning behind this woman's action. He said, "Is it necessary?"
"Yes!" the woman said unequivocally.
He Caitou was tempted, but he couldn't make the decision himself. So, he looked down at the Tang Sect members below the stage. After seeing Bei Bei and Huo Yuhao nod at him, he had his answer and said, "Okay, I agree!"
"Phew!" The woman couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, saying, "Very good, then let's get ready to begin!"
The woman's words were directed at Zheng Zhan. As an observer, Zheng Zhan had seen everything unfold. He was helpless, because the woman's actions were truly pointless, a complete waste of effort. So, he couldn't help but sigh, and upon hearing the woman's words, he nodded helplessly, saying, "Alright!"
"Given the request of the captain of the Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy team, we will now hold the fourth individual elimination match. If Tang Sect wins this round, then Tang Sect wins this entire match. If Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy team wins this round, then we will proceed to a team battle." Zheng Zhan first announced the events that had transpired on the stage, then said, "Both sides, prepare."
Upon hearing Zheng Zhan's words, the audience immediately erupted in an uproar, not for anything else, but for the Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy captain's actions, which showed a kind of courageous resolve. Anyone with discerning eyes knew that she was defending the dignity of Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy.
"Tsk tsk, this little girl from Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy certainly has some courage, but she's also truly foolish!" Ma Xiaotao offered a sharp critique, saying.
"Heh heh, well, what can you expect when a Soul Engineer Academy is consecutively defeated in three rounds by someone using spirit tools? If they don't want their academy's reputation to be completely ruined, her approach is actually the best." Zhu Ziyang commented, but compared to the process of this match, he was more interested in the two players involved. His eyes were like torches, and he murmured, "Does this count as a battle between siblings?"
"Your Highness, this young lady is quite responsible!" On the VIP platform, Ju Zi praised Xu Tianran beside her. Whether it was an illusion or reality, she always felt that Xu Tianran's gaze towards the young woman from Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy was very peculiar. Such a look should not appear in Xu Tianran's eyes, right? Doting, had she really not misread it?
"Is that so?" Xu Tianran's voice was nonchalant, yet contained a hint of relief, saying, "No matter what, she's already a big girl of nineteen!"
Ju Zi was stunned for a moment and immediately realized that the woman's identity was not simple. It was very likely that she was the only princess of the imperial family!