After stepping off the stage, the members of the Shrek Academy team, except Tang San, had varying degrees of burns on their skin.
Ma Hongjun was in the worst condition. His flames were already impure, but he stubbornly tried to clash head-on with Huo Wu, resulting in severe burns across his body.
Flender's face was filled with anxiety as he urged, "Jiang Zhu, quickly treat Hongjun."
After a soul duel, Jiang Zhu's soul power was heavily depleted, making it impossible for her to heal so many people at once.
Ma Hongjun's injuries were too severe—even if she exhausted all her soul power, it wouldn't be enough to fully heal him.
Tang San looked at Xiao Wu with relief.
Not assigning her to this match had been a wise decision.
"Big Brother Flender, calm down. Jiang Zhu's soul power is almost depleted," Liu Erlong said helplessly. "Tomorrow, our match is the first one in the morning. To avoid delaying the match, we'll have to find a healing-type soul master."
Pausing briefly, she asked, "Big Brother Flender, how much money does the academy have left?"
Since stepping down as principal, she rarely interfered with academy affairs and never paid attention to its finances.
At the mention of funds, Flender immediately felt guilty. "Erlong, part of the academy's funds were used to pay for the uniforms, and the rest went toward other expenses. Now, we only have a few hundred golden soul coins left."
Liu Erlong's eyes widened as she asked incredulously, "How can we only have a few hundred golden soul coins left?"
Yu Xiaogang stepped in to explain. "Erlong, you can't blame Flender for this. During this period, the children have been frequently injured, and the academy spent a lot of money on supplements."
Liu Erlong nodded silently and left the rest area.
With no funds in the academy's account, she still had some personal savings. The injuries of the Shrek team couldn't wait, so she decided to pay out of pocket to find a healing-type soul master.
"Tomorrow, our opponent is the Godwind Team. Their strength is weaker than the Blazing Academy, so we absolutely must win," Yu Xiaogang said gravely, addressing everyone.
Dai Mubai forced a bitter smile. "Master, all of us are injured. Surely you don't expect us to fight while wounded?"
Yu Xiaogang glared at him and snapped, "Don't worry, your injuries will be healed."
---
That night, in the hotel where the Seven Treasures team was staying.
Ning Tianchen and the others gathered together.
"Tomorrow, in the match against the Thunderclap Academy, we're not just aiming to win—we also need to ensure the Godwind Academy advances. Therefore, during the soul duel, we must at least severely injure their core members."
Their opponents weren't fools; they wouldn't just stand there and let them attack.
To seriously injure the opponent, they would inevitably encounter resistance, and there was even a chance of getting injured themselves.
"For this match, Rongrong will take the field as the auxiliary-type soul master. Zhuqing and Fatty won't participate."
"During the inter-academy exchange tournament, we used a fast-attack tactic against the Thunderclap Academy—they've definitely prepared for it. Therefore, in this match, we shouldn't rush forward immediately."
The core of the Thunderclap Academy was Yu Tianxin. To significantly weaken the Thunderclap Academy, he needed to sustain serious injuries.
However, the opponent wasn't stupid—if they sensed trouble, they would undoubtedly choose to surrender.
Thus, finding a way to keep them engaged in the fight was crucial.
In the hotel where the Thunderclap Academy was staying.
Compared to the Seven Treasures team, Yu Tianxin and the others weren't in high spirits.
The Seven Treasures team had two Soul Kings—Ning Tianchen and Feng Xiaotian—and the Thunderclap Academy was no match for them.
This confrontation was a continuation of the inter-academy exchange tournament and a fated showdown between the two teams.
Over the past six months, the gap between them had only widened.
The Thunderclap Academy's coach sighed and said, "Let's surrender. The three elemental academies—Wind, Water, and Fire—all surrendered to the Seven Treasures team. If we choose to surrender, it's not shameful."
Lei Tian immediately agreed. "What the teacher says is right. There are five spots available for advancing in the preliminaries, and with our current strength, we're guaranteed one of them. There's no need to fight the Seven Treasures team to the death."
"When we reach the finals, if we're lucky and don't face the Seven Treasures team in the first round, we can still achieve a good ranking."
Once the vice-captain spoke, the other members quickly echoed his words.
After all, who wouldn't prefer resting over getting beaten up on the stage?
But Yu Tianxin sneered. "Surrendering without a fight—don't any of you fear bringing shame to the academy?"
"Without sufficient strength, relying solely on luck won't secure us a good ranking."
The coach awkwardly responded, "Tianxin, in previous years, teams with Soul Kings always became the tournament champions. The Seven Treasures team is too strong—why not avoid their sharp edge?"
Yu Tianxin held a high position within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.
His words could influence the team's tactical arrangements.
Lei Tian and the others lowered their heads, fearing a scolding.
Yu Tianxin continued, "Even if we know we can't defeat them, we must still fight. Battling against Soul Kings will greatly improve us. If we avoid the fight, wouldn't we miss such a valuable training opportunity?"
"Tomorrow, we will not only fight but also give it our all, striving to eliminate several members of the Seven Treasures team!"
The coach rubbed his nose and reluctantly agreed. "If that's the case, we need to rework our tactics."
---
The next day
The entire Shrek Academy team was "fully restored" and easily defeated the Godwind Team in their match.
At this point, the Godwind Team had already lost four matches. If they lost their upcoming match against the Thunderclap Academy, their chances of advancing would become extremely slim.
"Whether the Godwind Academy advances or not depends on us," Feng Xiaotian said gravely.
Chen Huayu suddenly thought, "What if the Thunderclap Team chooses to surrender? Wouldn't our tactical plans become useless?"
Everyone fell silent.
The three elemental academies had chosen to surrender to the Seven Treasures team—it was highly likely that the Thunderclap Academy would follow suit.
In the afternoon.
Surprisingly, the Seven Treasures team didn't receive a surrender from the Thunderclap Academy.
After being reminded by the staff, the Seven Treasures team made their way to the contestant tunnel.
"They didn't choose to surrender. This match, we'll have to fight seriously," Yu Die chuckled behind her hand.
After joining the team for so long, the sisters had never used their martial soul fusion technique in public.
This match would be their "debut." The power of their martial soul fusion technique would soon be revealed.
The two teams entered the arena from opposite tunnels.
Ning Tianchen stood at the front of the group, curiously observing Yu Tianxin. "I didn't expect you'd actually dare to accept the challenge."
"Other academy teams dared to fight you—why should we surrender?" Yu Tianxin sneered. "What's so special about a Soul King? Only through battle can we determine who's stronger."
"Admirable courage," Feng Xiaotian applauded.
He was worried that the opponent might surrender after the match began, so he offered a few words of encouragement.
The Thunderclap Academy team was confused.
Why was Feng Xiaotian encouraging them?
The match began!
After their previous encounter in the inter-academy exchange tournament, the Thunderclap Academy had thoroughly studied fast-attack tactics.
The seven members spread out, ready to face the Seven Treasures team at any moment.
Unexpectedly, the Seven Treasures team remained standing in place, seemingly in a defensive stance.
"Captain, what are they doing?" Lei Tian asked, puzzled.
The Seven Treasures team's strength far exceeded theirs. Shouldn't they have launched an offensive right after the match began?
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