Lu Cheng's expression remained unchanged as his gaze drifted leisurely toward the distance.
The entire Shrek Academy team rest area was now more than half empty, with only the final sixteen teams remaining, making it appear somewhat vacant.
However, countless gazes remained fixed upon him, seemingly expectant of what he might display this time when facing the Douling Team.
After all, the Douling Team was a top-tier powerhouse, having been one of the top four in the previous All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. Even if they weren't aiming for the championship, they possessed the combat strength to rank among the top four.
Therefore, this match could be considered a battle between dragons and tigers.
In the Sun Moon Empire team's rest area, everyone wore grave expressions, staring intently at Lu Cheng. In the last match, the opposing team only had one Soul King-level powerhouse, so his crushing victory could barely be explained away…after all, Ma Rulong could do that much as well.
But this time, the Douling Team possessed at least five Soul Kings, and their captain, Gu Zhujian, was at least a level 57 Soul King, with combat strength comparable to an ordinary Soul Emperor.
When these seven gathered and coordinated, their combat strength would skyrocket exponentially.
They could easily crush a peak soul emperor. It was hard to say about a Soul Saint, but without using their martial soul true body, even a Soul Saint might not gain any advantage against these seven.
Lu Cheng's expression remained relaxed, knowing that at this moment, most gazes were fixed on him.
After all, no one wasn't curious about where his limits lay.
"Princess Xu Jiujiu?"
Just as Lu Cheng was surprised, a young girl wearing a light yellow academy uniform, with an oval face, beautiful features, and an ethereal temperament, led the Star Luo Royal Team toward the side of the Shrek Academy rest area. A smile bloomed on her face as she struck up a conversation with Lu Cheng: "Fortunately, we didn't meet Shrek in the round of sixteen; otherwise, I fear the Star Luo Team would have met their downfall this year."
"Princess Xu Jiujiu is being too modest…"
Huang Heyun, as the vice-captain of the Star Luo Team, listened secretly behind Princess Xu Jiujiu. It was as if they were old friends; the smile on Princess Xu Jiujiu's face never faded, but seeing this, he could only sigh inwardly.
In the entire Star Luo Academy, there was no one who did not like this intelligent and stunningly beautiful princess. She was poised, her temperament noble and ethereal, like a fairy from heaven who could not be approached, and he was naturally no exception.
Ever since he heard that Princess Xu Jiujiu would be parachuted into the team as captain, he was naturally extremely happy, but he soon recognized the reality.
No matter how hard he tried to cultivate, it was impossible for him to enter Princess Xu Jiujiu's heart.
"Since that's the case, I will wish Shrek Academy victory in advance. See you in the top four~" Princess Xu Jiujiu wore a cute expression, entrancing many of the surrounding male students.
Lu Cheng smiled and nodded slightly.
"Good."
Meanwhile, the referee's gaze shifted, moving away from Lu Cheng and Princess Xu Jiujiu, and his voice came through the spirit guidance microphone: "In the first round of the competition, Shrek Academy versus…the Douling Team!!"
"Lu Cheng!"
"Lu Cheng!"
"Douling!"
The cheers were like a tsunami, instantly sweeping across the entire arena.
Countless spectators looked on with a hint of fanaticism, but the cheers shifted from "Shrek" to "Lu Cheng." After all, in their eyes, it was Lu Cheng who had single-handedly delivered such a visually stunning shock to them.
However, Yan Shaozhe frowned slightly before returning to calm.
With a warm smile on his face, he looked at Lu Cheng and said, "Fight well. After winning the championship, I will request credit for you from the many elders of the Sea God Pavilion. Not only will the previous fault in the Mingdou Mountain Range be written off, but the academy will certainly bestow upon you generous rewards."
Lu Cheng was stunned. He truly hadn't expected Yan Shaozhe to be so shameless: "The 'fault' in the Mingdou Mountain Range…? Wasn't that Elder Xuan's mistake? What did we, the disciples of the Outer Academy, do wrong?"
Yan Shaozhe's face stiffened. He seemed to have lost face in public and felt embarrassed, so he immediately pulled a long face: "Let's focus on the competition first."
"Yes, let's compete first. We can talk about these things later." Teacher Wang Yan was even more anxious and spoke up hurriedly.
Lu Cheng's eyes, however, stayed fixed on Yan Shaozhe: "The competition isn't urgent. I must first ask Dean Yan to be clear. We disciples fought for Shrek Academy, racked our brains, were almost killed by an Evil Soul Master in the Mingdou Mountain Range, and risked our lives to walk out of the cave. Now, for the honor of Shrek, we have fought against a pack of starving wolves to reach the top sixteen. Instead of rewards, we are at fault?
That Elder Xuan patted his butt and left, leaving behind a mess, while he ran back to Shrek Academy to enjoy some peace. The person who should be most responsible for this tragedy ran away, and you want us, a group of Shrek Outer Academy disciples, to be responsible for the Mingdou Mountain Range incident and take the blame for this?
Dean Yan, is there anything you wouldn't do?"
"You…!!!" Yan Shaozhe's face was furious, pointing at Lu Cheng. In front of countless spectators and many competing teams, if he escalated this dispute, Shrek would become the biggest laughingstock of the day.
He had pinned such a big pot on a group of reserve disciples just to PUA Lu Cheng, making the latter work harder to win the championship. But he hadn't expected to play it too hard, forgetting that this guy was someone who didn't buy Shrek's act at all.
When Lu Cheng really started to hold him accountable, he lost the moral high ground.
Not to mention, this match still relied on Lu Cheng to step up.
The championship symbolized the honor of Shrek Academy, and he could not have the slightest mishap, and he could not be the sinner.
"Why go so far? Get on the field quickly; the referee has already started the countdown." Teacher Wang Yan was like an ant on a hot pan, his face flushed with anxiety. He really wanted to lead the team to win the championship.
Lu Cheng's expression remained calm, unmoved.
"Don't go too far…" Yan Shaozhe's face turned green, gnashing his teeth.
"Heh."
Lu Cheng sneered, his expression unchanged.
Fine, fine, very good…
Yan Shaozhe was already furious inside, crazily cursing Lu Cheng's immediate family. Once he returned to Shrek Academy, he would make his life miserable. Just wait.
Anyway, Elder Mu didn't intend to hand over the position of Pavilion Master of the Sea Gods Pavilion to Lu Cheng, so he wasn't worried about Lu Cheng holding power in the future; he was just a tool-man fighter.
"Perhaps it was a slip of the tongue." Yan Shaozhe, despite his extreme reluctance, coldly spat out a few words.
"That is to say, the Mingdou Mountain Range incident has nothing to do with us, the many reserve disciples?" Lu Cheng asked seriously.
"Correct," Yan Shaozhe said coldly.
"That's good. I was afraid that Dean Yan would pin this big pot on our heads afterward. I am only an Outer Academy disciple; my small frame cannot bear such a big pot. " Lu Cheng let out a breath of stale air, looking somewhat fearful.
Yan Shaozhe: "…"
His face grew colder.
"It is still just me. With this level of team, there might be some harm, and I cannot look after others…" Lu Cheng waved his hand lightly, and his figure headed toward the competition arena.
"This…" Teacher Wang Yan opened his mouth but stopped, his face worried.
The opposing team had five Soul Kings!!!
Compared to the previous team with one Soul King, it was a world of difference.
But now, all they could do was believe.
"I…" Bei Bei frowned slightly, "I can also go on stage. I am a soul ancestor; I am definitely not weak."
Before Elder Mu came, he had specifically instructed him to make a prominent appearance to prepare for taking over Shrek Academy in the future, which was to build momentum. But the previous matches had all been overshadowed by Lu Cheng, as if Lu Cheng were the youngest and strongest spokesperson of this generation of Shrek. And although Lu Cheng didn't participate in the subsequent matches, and he had fought quite hard, everyone knew it was the momentum Lu Cheng had built, and he was just muddling through.
And the applause he received after winning with the other reserve team members was far less than one percent of what Lu Cheng had received earlier.
He had even fantasized that with his golden long hair, handsome face, and such powerful talent, there would definitely be many girls winking at him and favoring him.
But the reality was that there was no one.
Not only had Tang Ya and Zhang Lexuan completely ignored him, but even the ordinary spectators seemed to have ignored him halfway.
"You want to go on stage?" Lu Cheng's footsteps paused, looking slightly surprised.
Hearing this, Yan Shaozhe also hurriedly said, "Yes, Bei Bei, go on stage together. One more person is one more source of help."
He had been so angry before that he had forgotten to let Bei Bei ride on Lu Cheng's reputation. Although the original plan to keep Lu Cheng pinned to the reserve bench and prevent him from playing, allowing Bei Bei to show his face more, was no longer possible, it was still good to let Bei Bei appear more.
"Then you go."
Lu Cheng showed a smile and nodded slightly.
Bei Bei was overjoyed and was about to go on stage but saw Lu Cheng stopping in his tracks, watching him go away.
"What do you mean?!!" Bei Bei was a little annoyed.
This was making him go up alone?
Are you kidding me? Five Soul Kings on the other side! Five Soul Kings!!
Could someone who had just advanced to Soul Ancestor not long ago defeat five Soul Kings? How was that any different from seeking death?
"Lu Cheng! You are all classmates; don't go too far!" Yan Shaozhe's face became even uglier.
He didn't expect Lu Cheng to be so ruthless.
"Dean Yan, don't make false accusations. I have already given the opportunity to Bei Bei. What else do you want?" Lu Cheng spread his hands, his face full of question marks.
"You…" Yan Shaozhe was going crazy.
"I said he is just a burden. If he dies on the stage, I won't be responsible." Lu Cheng shrugged.
The scene fell into a sudden silence.
Bei Bei's face turned pale instantly.
He suddenly remembered that this was a competition arena where one could kill. If only two people went up, although it attracted the audience's attention, the firepower from the opposite side would also be more concentrated.
He was not as strong as Lu Cheng. If he were to be…
But Yan Shaozhe was in a fit of rage and didn't notice Bei Bei's pale face, coldly snorting: "It doesn't matter. If he dies on the stage, he dies. Just say whether you are willing or not."
"That…is also fine."
Lu Cheng nodded slightly, showing a difficult posture: "I have no opinion."
"I…" Bei Bei was about to speak.
The referee's urging on the stage also arrived: "Please have both teams take the stage!"
The seven main players of the Douling team had basically been standing on the competition arena early on, and many gazes also fell on the Shrek rest area.
"Heh."
A smile curled at the corner of Lu Cheng's mouth.
He walked toward the competition arena.
And behind him was Bei Bei, whose legs were slightly weak.
Looking at the five Soul Kings on the opposite side, even the weakest was a peak Soul Ancestor of level 48 or 49; he swallowed and then cast his gaze on Lu Cheng: "This guy, he should be the one to solve the opposite side first, right…"
Notes:
Bonus for Cumulative Milestone (300 PS)
(1/1)