Xuanzi was extremely pleased with himself.
The wrinkles on his aged face seemed to bloom like chrysanthemums, every line brimming with unconcealed delight and arrogance. He deliberately straightened his back, planted his hands on his hips, and struck a pose exactly like a rooster that had just crowed in triumph.
Right after that, Xuanzi turned his head and brazenly stared toward the preparation area of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
What kind of look was it?
Provocation. Contempt. Naked schadenfreude.
His gaze lingered on Liu Yuan for a long while, a deeply mocking smile curling at the corners of his mouth, as if silently declaring:
See that, kid? This is what you call fate.
No matter how clever you are, no matter how sharp your tongue is—before absolute luck and the rules of the tournament, you're nothing but lambs waiting for slaughter.
Group Six. Individual elimination rounds… I'll make sure you suffer a miserable defeat.
Not content with just his stare, Xuanzi even childishly made a throat-slitting gesture toward Liu Yuan, then pointed at the group information on the massive screen. He tilted his head back and let out several strange, deliberately subdued laughs—yet they were still jarring to hear.
The leaders and students from the surrounding academies reacted with mixed expressions when they saw this scene.
Although Xuanzi was an elder of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion, behaving like this was truly beneath his dignity and made him look petty.
That said, in their eyes, Xuanzi did have the right to be arrogant.
After all, this was Shrek Academy.
In a world that revered individual strength, and under the rules of individual elimination matches, Shrek was an invincible myth.
And the Sun Moon team was destined to become the latest stepping stone beneath that myth.
…
However.
The reality was completely different from what the outside world expected—there was no panic, no despair.
On the preparation bench of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Facing Xuanzi's near-in-your-face provocation, as well as the sympathetic murmurs from the audience, the members of the Sun Moon team showed not the slightest hint of fear.
On the contrary—
Their expressions were cold and indifferent.
Some even carried a trace of disdain.
"Hmph."
Xiao Hongchen watched Xuanzi gesturing wildly in the distance. With a snap, he closed his folding fan, a mocking sneer appearing at the corner of his lips.
"Isn't that old man getting excited a little too early?"
"Did he really think we were doomed the moment we got drawn into individual matches?"
Sitting beside him, Meng Hongchen slightly curved her lips, a flash of disgust passing through her eyes.
"At his age, he still doesn't know how to keep his composure."
In the past—or for most other Soul Master teams—being placed in individual elimination rounds against Shrek would have caused panic.
After all, it was common sense across the continent that soul engineers were weak in individual combat.
But now—
The Sun Moon team had absolute confidence.
That confidence came not only from their powerful captain, Liu Yuan, but also from the soul tools they had recently developed—specifically to counter Shrek Academy.
Ma Rulong folded his arms, his gaze steady as it swept over the list of opponents on the massive screen.
"Shrek is very strong. That's undeniable."
Then his tone suddenly shifted, his eyes flashing with sharp light.
"But what they don't know is—"
"Just how much preparation we've made specifically to deal with them."
The team members exchanged glances, their faces revealing knowing, enigmatic smiles.
After all, every one of them had already imagined how decisive those soul tools—tailor-made for this matchup—would be when they finally faced Shrek Academy.
"And…"
Ma Rulong raised his head, glanced at the bold words Group Six on the screen, and his smile deepened.
"The matches in Group Six are still a long way off."
"It'll be several days before it's our turn."
"So we can use this time to further refine the remaining soul tools we have."
At that thought, the smiles on everyone's faces grew even wider.
As for the other strong academy in their group—Crimson Flame Academy—
When that name came up, the expressions of the Sun Moon team became even more amusing, with some of them nearly bursting into laughter.
Let's see how they deal with those fire-resistance bracelets.
So at this moment…
When their attention returned to Xuanzi, who was still standing there smugly in the distance—
They felt no anger at all.
Only a detached, mocking interest, like watching a farce unfold.
Laugh while you can, old man.
The happier you are now, the more unforgettable it'll be when the competition day arrives—when you realize your proud individual strength has been completely countered by our soul tools, leaving you utterly helpless…
When you realize that the "soft targets" you looked down on are actually a slab of steel that'll shatter all your teeth…
That expression of yours—now that'll be worth remembering.
Because of this, the atmosphere on the Sun Moon team's preparation bench became unusually relaxed.
They ignored the noise from the outside world and instead began silently rehearsing tactical plans and making final adjustments to their key soul tools.
A "killer move" aimed directly at Shrek Academy was quietly taking shape in this calm.
…
Time passed, second by second.
When the final group placements were confirmed, the long and suspenseful draw ceremony finally came to an end.
On the high platform, the Prime Minister of the Star Luo Empire stepped forward once more, holding a newly compiled list as he announced loudly:
"Everyone! The group draw for the round-robin stage of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament has officially concluded!"
"According to the rules, the competition will proceed in order by group!"
"The matches of Group One will begin tomorrow morning!"
"As for the much-anticipated Group Six—"
He deliberately paused, his gaze sweeping over the direction of Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon team.
"Their matches will begin only after the first five groups have concluded!"
Boom—!
The entire venue erupted in thunderous cheers.
Countless spectators were already eagerly anticipating this destined clash.
Teams from the various academies began to withdraw one after another—some joyful, others dejected—preparing for the brutal battles ahead.
The members of the Sun Moon team also stood up.
Liu Yuan remained calm and composed. He smoothed his sleeves, preparing to lead his teammates away from the square so they could hurry back and complete their soul tool work.
However—
Just as he took his first step.
The surrounding noise and cheers seemed to fade away in an instant.
The world appeared to freeze for a brief moment.
And then—
That familiar, cold, mechanical voice suddenly exploded deep within his mind without warning.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host. A special mission has been triggered!]
-------------Author---------------
Read 50 advanced chapter
👉 patreon.com/Master_fic
U can read 10 chapters ahead just for 5$