After ushering Zhang Erhe into the room, Ning Tianchen pressed on, "What's so urgent about this matter?"
The other party had been tracking the traces of Gold Palace Soul Douluo, and his return to Tiandou City must mean something significant had occurred.
Zhang Erhe pointed toward the window.
Following the direction of his finger, it was clear he was pointing at the Spirit Hall in Tiandou City.
"I've been tracking the Gold Palace Soul Douluo all the way to Tiandou City. Currently, he's hiding inside the Spirit Hall!"
"Just this matter?" Ning Tianchen's lips twitched slightly, feeling a bit displeased.
After all, the Gold Palace Soul Douluo couldn't influence the situation in Tiandou City. What was the big deal about him being in the Spirit Hall?
Zhang Erhe shook his head and said gravely, "He came to Tiandou City together with one of the Spirit Hall's executives. While I was tracking them, I overheard that several Title Douluos from the Spirit Hall are lurking within Tiandou City."
"Several?" Ning Tianchen quickly asked.
If it were two, he could probably identify their identities.
To protect Qian Renxue, Qian Daoliu had sent two individuals—Snake Spear and Pufferfish—both of whom were Title Douluos.
Zhang Erhe hesitated before replying, "From what I overheard, there should be three Title Douluos. Moreover, one of them is a Super Douluo."
"Any more information? For instance, the identities of these three Title Douluos?"
"No. From what I gathered, even they aren't entirely sure. Their mission this time is to deliver a message from Spirit City to the Spirit Hall, where Bishop Salas will coordinate with the three Title Douluos."
Ning Tianchen stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Among the three Title Douluos, he already knew the identities of two.
Snake Spear and Pufferfish—two low-level Title Douluos—were hidden within Tiandou City. Neither the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect nor the Tiandou Empire could detect their presence.
As for the other Super Douluo, there was no way to track them down.
There were quite a few Super Douluos within the Spirit Hall. If it were from the Pope's Hall, the scope would be smaller. But if it were from the Elder Hall, then things would get complicated.
Putting aside his thoughts, Ning Tianchen reminded him, "Before you make a move against the Gold Palace Soul Douluo, go to the academy and find Elder Dugu to back you up."
"Salas is a peak Soul Douluo. Whatever you do, don't engage him. And the location of your confrontation must not be within the city."
Zhang Erhe nodded in agreement. After discussing some trivial matters, he left Ning Tianchen's room by climbing out of the window.
---
The match between Thunderclap Academy and Blazing Academy
Without Yu Tianxin participating, relying solely on Lei Tian was far from enough to compete with the Blazing Team.
In the end, Thunderclap Academy suffered a crushing defeat.
Having lost four consecutive matches, Thunderclap Team was now on the brink of elimination. If they lost one more match, they would lose their chance to advance.
Within Shrek Academy, Tang San analyzed the promotion prospects of the Thunderclap Team. "Tomorrow, in our match against the Thunderclap Team, if we win, they'll lose all hope of advancing. Conversely…"
"Xiao San, are you suggesting we intentionally throw the match?" Dai Mubai couldn't help but ask.
Tang San nodded. "Even if we can advance, we'll be alone. The Three Elements Academies have good relations with the Seven Treasures Team. It's possible they'll gang up on us in the finals. With the Thunderclap Team as an ally, we can alleviate some pressure."
Yu Tianheng wanted to take this opportunity to completely crush Yu Tianxin.
But Tang San was right. Without the support of the Thunderclap Team, the Shrek Team would be standing on shaky ground.
Yu Xiaogang interrupted, "Xiao San, if we intentionally lose to the Thunderclap Team and assuming they face no strong opponents in their remaining matches—even if they win all their matches—their record would only tie with the Godwind Team."
Tang San asked in confusion, "With the same record, both teams would be ranked fifth. But there are only five spots available. Wouldn't they have a playoff match? Given the Thunderclap Team's strength, defeating the Godwind Team wouldn't be difficult."
Not just him, but the rest of the Shrek Team members shared the same belief.
Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "A tie in rankings hasn't occurred in the past two tournaments. However, according to the tournament rules, since the Godwind Team previously defeated the Thunderclap Team, even with the same number of wins and losses, the Thunderclap Team would be ranked behind them by default."
"There's such a rule?" The Shrek team was stunned.
Before the competition, they had reviewed the rules and hadn't heard of this.
Yu Xiaogang solemnly explained, "This rule—"
His thoughts drifted back more than twenty years ago.
At that time, Bibi Dong was conceptualizing the idea of the Soul Masters Tournament.
According to her vision, the Soul Masters Tournament would become a grand event for young soul masters across the continent to showcase their talents and abilities.
This idea remained buried in Bibi Dong's heart until she became the Pope and gained preliminary control over the Pope's Hall, allowing the Soul Masters Tournament to be promoted.
Yu Xiaogang remembered very clearly that Bibi Dong had once asked him how to determine the rankings of two teams with the same number of wins and losses.
Without hesitation, he had replied, "The two teams must have competed against each other. Rankings should be determined based on their direct head-to-head results."
At the time, his reasoning was that after enduring prolonged, intense competitions, the contestants' bodies would be exhausted. Ranking this way avoided extra matches and spared the competitors further exhaustion.
Snapping back to reality.
He didn't expect that this suggestion, made years ago, would result in another nephew's team being unable to advance.
After a brief pause, he retrieved the tournament rulebook from his soul-guided device and found the relevant rule: "Each round, a win earns one point, and a loss earns zero points."
"If the points are tied, rankings will be determined based on the direct head-to-head results between the two teams."
Yu Xiaogang reminded them, "Direct head-to-head results do not mean an additional match—it means ranking according to the method I just mentioned. Very few people know this rule, and most misunderstand it."
Tang San's eyes widened in surprise, and he asked, "Teacher, are you saying that the Thunderclap Team has already been eliminated?"
Yu Xiaogang didn't state it outright. "If the Godwind Team has no losses in their remaining matches, then yes, Thunderclap Academy has no chance of advancing."
Yu Tianheng quickly flipped through the schedule to check the Godwind Team's upcoming matches.
"Flame Glory Academy, Purple Star Academy… As long as the Godwind Team doesn't underestimate their opponents, they won't lose any of their remaining matches."
In other words, the Thunderclap Team's elimination was practically set in stone.
"Teacher, should we still deliberately throw the match?" Tang San hesitated.
If they lost to the Thunderclap Team, there would still be a glimmer of suspense. If the Godwind Team lost a match, the Thunderclap Team might still have a chance. Otherwise, their path to advancement would be completely blocked.
Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "No need. The Godwind Team will prioritize stability in their remaining matches to ensure advancement. So far, the Shrek Team has no losses. Why not continue our winning streak?"
"Tang San, let me take the field. Let me send Tianxin off on his 'final journey.'"
After a moment's thought, Tang San nodded. "For this match, all seven members of the Shrek Seven Monsters will take the field. Consider it our farewell to the Thunderclap Academy."