novelhk Chapter 79 The Preliminary Round is Over
Chapter 79 The Preliminary Round is Over
Seemingly looking for himself among the contestants, Xue Qinghe noticed Xiao Yan's gaze and looked at him at the same time, nodding to him.
His move naturally attracted the attention of the nobles present and Emperor Xueye, but following Xue Qinghe's gaze, they had no idea what he was looking at.
The arena used for the Tian Dou Academy selection competition was the same one where Xiao Yan had fought last time. Only the floor that had been melted through had been repaired. Fortunately, out of respect for Master Yan Xiao, the committee members, led by Meng Shenji, did not seek compensation from Xiao Yan, since it was a competition held to save face for the academy.
The selection process did not begin immediately after the opening ceremony.
Meng Shenji waved, signaling Qin Ming behind him to step forward.
After the last incident, Qin Ming was somewhat depressed. However, he seemed to have recovered by now, and he looked solemnly at the three education committee members.
He bowed slightly to them, then turned to face the entire audience and announced in a loud voice: "Students, this year's selection competition will adopt a dual-track advancement system, which is divided into two stages: individual elimination rounds and team competitions. The scores will be combined before the semi-finals to determine the final four teams."
The first stage is the individual competition. Each team member will take turns in one-on-one duels, in a round-robin format. The winner earns 1 point, and the loser does not lose any points. If a team wins two consecutive matches, that is, eliminates two members of the opposing team, they will receive an additional "streak bonus", which will directly give them the maximum of 3 points in the individual competition. Each individual competition is limited to one incense stick's time.
The second stage is a team competition. Teams of three compete in a free-for-all. Winning teams earn 3 points, which, combined with the individual competition results, determine the semi-finalists.
The semifinals will follow the previous rules, while the final will be a single-elimination match, with the winning team having the right to choose an academy to form their Royal Fighting Team!
With this rule in place, some weaker teams suddenly gained confidence. As long as they don't encounter Yu Tianheng's team before the semifinals, it's possible for them to make it into the semifinals if they accumulate enough points.
This rule means that participating teams not only need strong individual skills, but also teamwork and the ability to fight for their lives. Even a Soul Master like Yu Tianheng could be eliminated if his teamwork is poor.
Of course, Yu Tianheng didn't care at all. He wished all the teams would just give him a match and award him the championship. As for team battles, there were no opponents that his Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Martial Soul couldn't easily overcome.
On the first day of the selection competition, the individual and team competitions started immediately.
The "Xiao San Wu" team was matched with relevant opponents on the same day, but Xiao Yan did not participate in any individual or team matches throughout the entire day.
In the first match, Xiao Wu will be the one to compete.
The opponent was the agility-type battle spirit, Venerable Oslo, so it was indeed a clash of sworn enemies.
However, Xiao Wu twisted her waist and unleashed her graceful skills, weaving through the gaps in his attacks like a nimble rabbit. With just two kicks, she easily blasted him off the stage with a "waist bow".
In the ensuing tag team battle, Yu Feng effortlessly threw Yu Feng away using the same physical techniques.
As a result, Xiao Yan's team scored the maximum points in this individual competition.
Then, in the team match, only Tang San appeared. Seeing that the opponent only had two players on the field, Oslo and his two other teammates naturally felt that they had been thoroughly observed.
They believed they had higher soul power and more experience, but their opponents were arrogant because they had only won two individual matches in a row.
Of course, what they didn't know was that after consuming the immortal herb, Tang San and Xiao Wu's soul power levels were almost approaching the Soul Master level.
Tang San and Xiao Wu's teamwork was honed through years of experience in the Soul Arena, so Xiao Yan wasn't worried at all. And as he expected, they won.
"Team 35 wins!"
In just one day, Xiao Wu and Tang San had already defeated three teams, and "Xiao San Wu" quickly climbed to the top of the leaderboard.
Xiao Yan, however, simply sat on the stone steps by the field, playing with the rolling ball beast in his arms, as if none of this concerned him.
"You really don't plan to make a move?" Xue Qinghe walked over and sat down next to Xiao Yan naturally, unable to resist asking.
Long before the opening ceremony ended, a group of royal guards escorted Emperor Xueye back to the palace. Xue Qinghe, however, had to stay behind to oversee the situation. Upon seeing that it was His Highness the Crown Prince, the people around him bowed and offered him a seat.
"There's no need," Xiao Yan said calmly. "Xiao Wu's speed is enough to suppress Soul Masters of the same stage, and Xiao San's crowd control and attrition are enough to fight against opponents of higher levels. As for team battles, their combined strength is greater than the sum of its parts."
He turned to Xue Qinghe beside him and said, "But Your Highness, isn't this reward a bit too meager?"
Xue Qinghe smiled and said, "It's just making it into the Royal Fighting Team. The academy will also provide spiritual medicines and other resources to help the team strengthen itself, which is quite an expense. Of course, you don't seem to need whale glue that much."
As the other person spoke, they looked at Xiao Yan with a playful expression.
Xiao Yan smiled wryly, after all, he had indeed used the other party's help to amass a fortune.
"I will make the suggestion to His Majesty, but whether you can win the championship depends on yourself. After all, Yu Tianheng is a genius Soul Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan."
After exchanging pleasantries, Xue Qinghe got up and left.
"A genius...?" Xiao Yan felt that a Soul Master in his twenties might not be considered a genius.
The selection process continued in full swing for the next few weeks.
With her exceptional soft skills and explosive power, combined with Tang San's accurate judgment and versatile tactics, Xiao Wu defeated strong opponents one after another, tying for first place with Yu Tianheng's team, which had never lost a single match.
Xiao Yan, on the other hand, still did not make a single move. With Xiao Wu's strength, as long as she was not facing Yu Tianheng's team, there was no need for him to take action.
He would record each team's soul skill combinations, battle rhythm, and the moment their weaknesses were exposed during each match he watched, especially every battle when Yu Tianheng made his move.
Xiao Yan even compiled a "Record of Elite Combat Power Assessment of Tiandou Academy" in his spare time, which detailed Yu Tianheng's limit in controlling lightning, Dugu Yan's range of poison diffusion, and so on.
He started selling it on campus before the competition results were finalized, and he even made no secret of the weakness of his fire-attribute martial soul: low hit rate.
"Xiao Yan, if you write it like this, won't they all know to guard against my flames?" The Rolling Beast asked lazily, perched on his shoulder.
"No." Xiao Yan closed his notebook, his gaze deep. "With my current soul power, your flames should be able to cover the entire arena. So what if the hit rate is low? Apart from those who fly into the air and jump off the platform, who else can dodge your flames?"
That night, the moonlight was as clear as water.
Inside the male dormitory of Tiandou Royal Academy, candlelight flickered.
Tang San walked into Xiao Yan's dormitory without any hesitation. Xiao Yan, who was sitting cross-legged cultivating his soul power, also opened his eyes and looked at the newcomer.
"Big brother," Tang San called out in a low voice, "the semi-final list is out. We didn't face Yu Tianheng. It seems like you won't have to participate in the semi-finals again."
Xiao Yan jumped off the bed, poured the tea from the teapot into a cup, and instead of taking the list of opponents that Tang San handed him, he gestured for him to put it on the table.
"Don't be too careless." He handed a cup to Tang San. "The teams that make it to the semifinals all have their own strengths."
"But this time, the opponent's lineup, the three Soul Masters, are not even as strong as me and Xiao Wu."
Xiao Yan took a sip of tea: "Then you should fight a quick and beautiful battle. Remember, don't easily reveal your soul power cultivation level, so that you can catch your opponent off guard."
He then pushed another piece of paper in front of Tang San, on which a line of text was clearly written:
Yu Tianheng
Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex
Soul Rings: Three Yellow and One Purple
The fourth soul skill is predicted to be a fast-attack type soul skill.
Soul Master's Weakness: Suspected old injury on the right shoulder, caused by lightning backlash from frequent use of the first soul skill (Thunder Dragon Claw). Backlash cycle: Occasionally occurs once every three battles.
Tang San's pupils contracted sharply, and he couldn't help but admire his elder brother Xiao Yan: "Brother, you even noticed these things?"
"These are all just my guesses; we'll only be able to confirm it after actually fighting him."
Xiao Yan then looked at the semi-final list brought by Tang San, and then let out a "Huh," as if he was a little unsure. He quickly took another look.
Because on that list of opponents, the captain's name was clearly written as Zhu Zhuqing.