The referee said in a low voice: "First round, elimination match, team battle. Both sides may use most spirit tools for the match. However, during combat, if one side surrenders, the other side must not continue to attack. Soul Engineers may not use high-lethality equipment such as fixed-mount spirit tools. Is that understood?"
"Understood," Bei Bei replied in a deep voice, his gaze like a torch.
The captain of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy was a slender young man who looked to be about twenty years old. Among the seven opponents, his expression was the only one that seemed somewhat normal. He also followed with a response, but his voice clearly lacked confidence.
Even though they were only facing Shrek Academy's preparatory team, the name "Shrek" itself was a powerful weapon. Looking at the aggressive gazes of Huo Yuhao and the other six, the students of Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy felt even more apprehensive.
The referee nodded: "Good, both sides retreat to the sides of the arena. Start the match on my command. Before I announce the start, no one may release their Martial Soul in advance, or they will be disqualified."
Huo Yuhao whispered to his teammates beside him: "Next, we'll form a circle with Xiao Xiao in the middle. Let them have no idea what our strategy is."
"Okay," everyone responded in unison, their tones without a hint of hesitation. They had one hundred percent trust in Huo Yuhao's command. Moreover, the opponent's Battle Intent had plummeted; they were no match at all. Just as Furina said: the Laws of victory were already determined.
The referee raised a hand, and the team members on both sides immediately began to take their positions.
At the same time, the one hundred and eight Star Luo Empire Spirit Masters who had been prepared below all pressed their hands onto the metal pillars in front of them.
One hundred and eight metal pillars simultaneously burst with light. Streaks of white light shot into the sky, curving to converge in the air, finally gathering twenty meters above the center of the competition platform.
When those one hundred and eight beams of light all gathered together, a layer of white light curtain immediately draped down, enveloping the entire competition platform. The protective barrier was complete, which also meant that the first match of this session of the Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament was about to officially begin.
On Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy's side, the seven people quickly spread out, assuming a typical traditional formation: three Spirit Masters in front, clearly from the attack system or defense system; two Spirit Masters slightly further back on the flanks, likely from the agility-attack system; and the two Spirit Masters in the center rear, one behind the other, who should be from the control system and support system respectively according to traditional layout.
This was the optimal seven-person arrangement tested by countless battles—the "three, two, one, one" formation.
Below the stage, Furina thought to himself: "ten thousand years have passed, and they're still using classic tactics? Are there no other tactics? They haven't even equipped any spirit tools? The current level really isn't as good as the Grandmaster's."
While Furina was complaining, not many people in the spectator stands were looking at Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy's side either.
Almost everyone's gaze was fixed on the Shrek side, and their focus caused involuntary gasps to escape their mouths.
The ones gasping the most were actually the representatives from the over one hundred participating academies, because Shrek Academy had taken a formation they simply couldn't understand.
Shrek had actually formed a circle. Standing at the very front wasn't the captain Bei Bei, but Jiang Nannan. Even stranger was that there was actually someone inside the circle.
It was Xiao Xiao; she was wrapped up tightly, and combined with her petite stature, her figure was almost invisible from the outside.
The audience's minds were full of question marks: What kind of formation is this? Even protecting a support shouldn't be done like this, right? Even if the entire team consisted of long-range attackers, long-range Spirit Master attacks have distance limits. With a competition field this large, even a Spirit Emperor level Spirit Master wouldn't have a Spirit Ability with such range.
spirit tools could work, but what was the point of them tightly guarding a support or control system Spirit Master like this? They couldn't possibly defeat the enemy in one move, could they? And squeezed together like that, they wouldn't even be able to release their Martial Souls properly, right?
Even the referee was a bit dumbfounded.
Those capable of serving as referees for this tournament were naturally high-level Spirit Masters selected by the Star Luo Empire. Each tournament's host was a major Empire, and this was also a time for the nation to display its strength to the outstanding talents of various academies, so they would naturally put forth their best efforts.
But this referee had never seen a team battle fought with this kind of formation! He even forgot to lower his raised right hand.
"Referee, can we start now?" Jiang Nannan spoke up to remind him.
Only then did the referee snap back to his senses. His raised right hand suddenly dropped as he shouted, "Match start!"
Regardless of the formation, for him, ensuring the smooth progress of the match was enough.
Accompanied by that loud shout, the seven people on Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy's side one by one revealed their Martial Souls and spirit rings.
For a moment, lights of various colors flashed, and spirit rings slowly rotated beneath their feet. But on Shrek's side, forget spirit rings—they hadn't even revealed their Martial Souls.
Just as everyone was focusing their attention on Huo Yuhao and the others.
The seven people from Tianling Advanced Soul Master Academy, one after another, lost consciousness and collapsed limply to the ground.
It didn't look like they were poisoned; rather, it seemed they had received some intense stimulation or a mental-type attack.
But the problem was, Shrek's side hadn't even revealed their Martial Souls or spirit rings! Where did the mental attack come from? Who did it come from?
Could it have been done by that little girl who was surrounded and hidden?
Even from the perspective of the audience and the referee, they couldn't see what Xiao Xiao was doing, nor could they tell if she had revealed any spirit rings.
Jiang Nannan glanced indifferently at the opponents lying on the ground, her tone calm and unruffled: "The match is decided."
She added: "They just received a slight mental attack; it's nothing serious. They'll be fine after resting for a moment."
"Ah?" The referee's mouth hung open. Only then did he notice that on the other side, the students from Tianling Academy had already picked up their fallen teammates and were quickly jumping off the platform, heading toward the treatment area.
At this moment, Xiao Xiao walked out from the group's circle. She took a deep breath and, facing the two hundred thousand spectators, said loudly: "Please remember—we are from Shrek Academy... and from the Axis Cult!"
Though there was still a trace of timidity in her voice, she had summoned all her courage to shout that last phrase, "Axis Cult."
The referee quickly announced the result. The Shrek Seven Devils did not linger, turning to leave the arena with steps as leisurely as if they were taking a stroll.
The spectator stands were quiet for a moment before erupting into deafening discussions.
They naturally wouldn't think the prestigious Shrek Academy would cheat; after all, Shrek's reputation and quality were well-established.
They just hadn't expected the opponents to be defeated by mental attacks without Shrek even revealing their Martial Souls or spirit rings. Such powerful mental force was truly worthy of Shrek Academy.
Among the spectators, many followers of the Axis Cult waved the blue and white flags in their hands. Cheers rose and fell, merging into a small wave.
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