Back in the rest area, Chen Huayu couldn't help but chuckle. "His Majesty did well. This way, the members of the second Imperial Team will also receive appropriate compensation instead of being stiffed by Shrek Academy."
"Let's split the money." With that, Ning Tianchen took out nine gold soul cards worth one thousand gold soul coins each from his soul tool and distributed them among the team.
This was the prize money for the match—an affirmation of their individual strength. Therefore, Ning Rongrong didn't refuse it.
After dividing the money, Ning Tianchen continued, "After the preliminaries, there will be a one-month break. Although we secured first place in the preliminaries, the format of the promotion matches is completely different. It will involve one-on-one soul duels to determine the strongest individual fighters on each team."
"Our personal strengths are solid, but we can't rule out the possibility that other teams might improve during this period."
"So moving forward, our training will still focus on one-on-one combat."
Chen Huayu complained, "Boss, seriously? We've just finished the preliminaries, and now you're saying we have to undergo special training?"
The competition within the Soul Master Tournament was intense, and it placed an enormous strain on the competitors' stamina.
The preliminaries lasted a month, followed by a one-month break. Afterward, there would be roughly half a month of promotion matches.
The final round would last nearly a month as well. Including the travel time to the finals venue, the entire tournament spanned over four months. Competitors had to stay constantly vigilant—it was indeed exhausting.
At that moment, Ke Jie walked into the rest area. He smacked Chen Huayu on the forehead and scolded, "If we don't train, do you think the other teams will stop? Do you really want to lose in the promotion matches?"
In reality, with two Soul Kings like Ning Tianchen and Feng Xiaotian on their side, the Seven Treasures Team had a significant advantage in the promotion matches, making the likelihood of losing minimal.
But underestimating opponents was a grave mistake. Ke Jie didn't want anyone on the team becoming complacent or arrogant.
"Still, proper rest is necessary. After returning to the academy, we'll take a break for today and tomorrow—feel free to gather and eat together. Starting the day after tomorrow, we'll officially enter a 25-day intensive training regimen."
"Let's go—I'm treating everyone," Ning Tianchen waved his hand and led the group to the Seven Treasures Mall.
As captain, it was only right to host a celebration banquet for the team.
---
On the other side, inside the Shrek Team's rest area
Tang San and the others were deeply troubled, and the atmosphere in the room was somewhat oppressive.
Without the life-saving ten thousand gold soul coins, Flender truly had no idea how to revive the academy.
After the preliminaries ended, Thunderclap Academy was eliminated, and Yu Tianxin, who had already agreed to join the Shrek Team, followed behind them.
After a long silence, Yu Tianxin finally broke the quiet. "Everyone knows the situation of the academy. How about this—each of us donates some money to help the academy get through this crisis."
"After we achieve good results in the Soul Master Tournament, the academy will gain a recruitment advantage. If we make a profit in the future, we can return the donations then."
After hearing this, Yu Xiaogang nodded in agreement. "This proposal is good. I'll start by donating one hundred gold soul coins."
Since joining Shrek Academy, teachers like Yu Xiaogang hadn't received any salary, but their food and lodging were covered by the academy. The ten gold soul coins he received monthly from the Spirit Hall could almost all be saved.
Tang San thought for a moment, then took out one thousand gold soul coins from his soul tool. "Xiao Wu and I will donate this much."
After breaking through to the Soul Ancestor rank, Tang San and Xiaowu could no longer receive any stipend from the Spirit Hall.
This thousand gold soul coins was part of the money Tang San had earned from auctioning off his hidden weapons.
Dai Mubai, Yu Tianheng, and Yu Tianxin were all wealthy individuals, so they immediately stated that each of them would donate one thousand gold soul coins.
Tai Long wasn't rich, so he reluctantly pulled out one hundred gold soul coins from his pocket.
Jiang Zhu donated two hundred gold soul coins, and the two substitutes each contributed one hundred gold soul coins.
"I'll donate fourteen hundred gold soul coins," Flender said with a smile. "As the principal, I should contribute more."
Liu Erlong donated one thousand gold soul coins, bringing the total to seven thousand gold soul coins.
"What about you, Fatty? Aren't you going to chip in?" Dai Mubai grabbed Ma Hongjun's flabby belly and scolded him.
Ma Hongjun looked at everyone with a bitter smile.
As a Soul Elder, he could receive a stable income of one hundred gold soul coins per month from the Spirit Hall.
But he was a spendthrift—whatever he earned each month, he spent entirely.
He shrugged. "You all know my situation. So, at most, I can only… donate ten gold soul coins."
Dai Mubai furrowed his brows and took out ninety gold soul coins from his soul tool. "Alright, Fatty contributes ten gold soul coins, and I'll cover the remaining ninety to make it a nice round hundred."
Seven thousand one hundred gold soul coins.
This amount of money would be enough to support the academy's expenses for about a year.
Of course, this was assuming they didn't engage in reckless business ventures or investments.
Flender bowed to everyone. "Thank you all for generously contributing to the academy. When the academy improves, I, as the principal, will repay every single coin you've given."
Tang San smiled and said, "Principal, this money was donated to the academy in the first place. Over the years, without the guidance and help of our teachers, we wouldn't have been able to improve so quickly, nor would we have been able to acquire suitable spirit rings on our own."
Dai Mubai chimed in, "Exactly. None of us lack this money. Principal, we are all part of Shrek Academy, and we all want to see the academy thrive."
Everyone voiced their agreement.
With the academy's survival crisis resolved, it was time to discuss the next steps.
Yu Xiaogang spoke first, "The promotion matches are different from the preliminaries—they emphasize the individual abilities of soul masters. During this one-month break, I'll lead you through intensive training. Erlong and Flender, you'll need to guide the students on tactics for one-on-one soul duels."
Flender adjusted his glasses. "Don't worry, I'll have Old Zhao and the others conduct specialized training for the little monsters."
"Teacher Zhao?! No way!" Dai Mubai's face showed clear resistance.
Over the years at Shrek Academy, he hadn't been spared from Zhao Wuji's harsh lessons.
Over time, he developed an instinctive fear of Zhao Wuji.
Apart from Ma Hongjun, no one else understood why Dai Mubai was so afraid.
Even Tang San and Xiao Wu had never undergone special training under Zhao Wuji.
"Tianheng, why are you so nervous? From what I've seen, Teacher Zhao seems like a good person—there's no reason to be afraid of him, right?" Yu Tianheng asked, puzzled.
Dai Mubai shrugged. "Once Teacher Zhao starts training us, you'll understand."
When Ning Tianchen and the others entered the academy, Zhao Wuji had gone hard on the new students during their sparring sessions—and it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision.
During ordinary times at the academy, Dai Mubai had endured plenty of Zhao Wuji's torment.
"Tianxin, follow along with the group during training and integrate yourself into the Shrek Team's system as soon as possible," Yu Xiaogang reminded him.
Yu Tianxin nodded and then asked, "Uncle Xiaogang, I haven't formally joined the Shrek Team yet. What do you think?"
Before Yu Xiaogang could respond, Tang San patted his shoulder and smiled. "Tianxin, don't worry. If Teacher says so, he must have full confidence in it."
------------------------------------------------------
Thank you to our new Patrons: bwuooq, Mike Foster, miney laster and Jose Carrillo! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to 'Chapter 295: Changes in the Shadow Guard, Cultivation Method for Weapon Martial Soul Beast Transformation' on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed.