Douluo's Spiritual Pearl and Divine Sword

The preliminaries had been in full swing for twelve days. By now, the leading academies had already opened up a considerable gap from those trailing behind.

An academy like fabia, having lost all twelve of its matches, had completely lost hope of advancing.

The Emperor Team had won all twelve of its matches, securing an undisputed first place. Following closely were Shrek, Godwind, Skywater, Thunder, and Blazing Fire academies, all boasting similar win records.

Shrek remained formidable. While not as overwhelmingly strong as in the original timeline, they were still on par with the five major academies and even managed to defeat Elephant Armor Academy. However, they suffered a crushing defeat against Blazing Fire Academy.

Without fire immunity, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was too easily restrained. He lacked the Eight Spider Lances and dared not reveal his Clear Sky Hammer. As a result, he was overpowered by Huo Wu, another control-type fighter, who burned away all his Blue Silver Grass.

Once Tang San fell and Ning Rongrong abstained from the battle, the team lost its backbone, and their formation crumbled. Dai Mubai was entangled by Huo Wushuang, while Zhu Zhuqing repeatedly attempted to combine with him to unleash their fusion skill, Nether White Tiger. However, Huo Wu refused to let that happen, using her Fire Resistance Ring to separate them. Then, Huo Lie, the agile attack soul master, struck with his superior speed, effortlessly knocking Zhu Zhuqing out of the field. Soon after, Oscar, the auxiliary soul master, was also eliminated by fire-element attacks.

Dai Mubai fought valiantly, but despite his strength matching Huo Wushuang's, his level was only 40 compared to Huo Wushuang's 43. Ultimately, he, too, was defeated. In the end, only Ma Hongjun remained standing for Shrek. Though his fire was stronger than Blazing Fire Academy's, he couldn't withstand the combined assault of Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang.

Yu Xiaogang's carefully devised tactics were meaningless in the face of overwhelming power.

Shrek could have won had Ning Rongrong participated. Her Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda could have significantly boosted the team's overall strength. However, Yu Xiaogang believed that securing a top-five placement in the preliminaries was sufficient for advancement. Winning every match was unnecessary; conserving strength was the priority.

Jun Tianlin, however, was deeply dissatisfied with Tang San's performance. He had been counting on Tang San to attract Shi Nian's attention and lure him into a trap. But with his current level of strength, how could he possibly draw Shi Nian's interest?

If Jun Tianlin weren't certain that Shi Nian wouldn't dare target him, he would have considered acting as the bait himself. Just as he was brooding over this, the new match schedule appeared on the big screen.

The qualifiers had entered their second half, with two matches being displayed at a time.

The Emperor Team's next opponents were Shrek today and Purple Star tomorrow.

There was no need to worry about teams like Purple Star. What mattered was Shrek. Jun Tianlin examined their match schedule—after facing them today, their next opponent was Canghui Academy.

A faint smile played on Jun Tianlin's lips. "There's a way."

Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang was once again persuading the Shrek team to forfeit. He believed this battle was unwinnable unless he revealed his final trump card, which he preferred to save for the finals.

Ning Rongrong was exasperated. This was the nth time Yu Xiaogang had suggested surrendering. He had urged them to concede against Elephant Armor and Blazing Fire as well. While securing a top-five spot was enough for advancement, they still needed to maintain their position.

More importantly, the Soul Master Competition was about gaining experience. If they simply gave up every time they faced a strong opponent, what was the point of participating? Fighting against a powerhouse like the Emperor Team would be invaluable for their growth, even in defeat.

In the end, the team stood firm, insisting on fighting. However, Yu Xiaogang's final compromise was that Ning Rongrong should sit out the match. This time, she didn't object. She had no desire to fight against Sword Douluo's disciple, and her presence on the battlefield would be meaningless.

Others might not understand, but she knew exactly how much control Jun Tianlin had over auxiliary soul masters. His Flow of Purity technique was the ultimate nightmare for all support fighters.

"In the first match today, Shrek Academy will face the Heaven Dou Royal Academy!" In the Great Soul Arena, the announcer's voice boomed as the teams strode onto the battlefield with their heads held high.

The stadium erupted into deafening cheers—Jun Tianlin, who had missed nearly ten battles, was finally stepping onto the field again today.

"Is Shrek really that strong? The Sword Lord is actually taking the field for them?" Feng Xiaotian grumbled "Our Godwind Academy is stronger than Shrek, but he didn't fight against us. That's just disrespectful."

On the battlefield, Jun Tianlin clasped his fists and smiled at Tang San "Brother Tang, this is our first battle. Please guide me well."

Tang San was momentarily stunned by Jun Tianlin's courtesy. Weren't they supposed to be at odds? Why was he being so polite? Still, he responded "Let's have a good match, brother Jun."

Once both teams took their positions and released their martial souls, the referee officially started the battle

"Basalt Shield Formation!"

At the start of the match, the Shi brothers executed an unusual maneuver, summoning countless shields to enclose all the members of the Emperor Team.

Spectators were puzzled. Was the Emperor Team being too defensive? Why were they turtling up before the battle had even begun?

'This is bad! They must be buying time for that Guqin Spirit Master to charge up and unleash a pinpoint attack!' Tang San's face darkened. Without hesitation, he led his team forward in an all-out offensive.

This time, Shrek had no auxiliary members. Meng Yiran replaced Oscar, and Tailong substituted for Jiangzhu, making the entire lineup attack-oriented.

"Third Soul Skill—Eight Consecutive Snake Blade Strikes!" Meng Yiran launched the first attack. Her third soul skill, inherited from the Human-Faced Demon Spider, didn't grant her a spider web or Eight Spider Lances, but her Snake Staff had inherited the sharpness of spider legs. She could strike eight times in an instant, with each strike being eight times stronger than her first soul skill.

*Ding ding ding...*

Using concentrated strikes, Meng Yiran repeatedly targeted a single point, eventually piercing a small hole into one of the shields, causing cracks to spread outward.

"Not bad. This woman's attack power is quite impressive. She actually managed to breach our defensive formation." Shi mo praised.

"Well done, Senior Sister Yiran! It's our turn now!" Ma Hongjun cheered

With a weak point in the shield, the rest of the team focused their attacks on that spot. Tai Long's iron fist, Xiao Wu's kicks, Dai Mubai's light waves, Zhu Zhuqing's thrusts, and Ma Hongjun's flames all struck the same area.

Finally, the shield shattered, exposing the seven members of the Emperor Team.

"Third Soul Skill—Blue Silver Strangulation!" Tang San's Blue Silver Grass shot through the opening, aiming directly at Huanyin's neck. The attack was ruthless—his poisoned vines were deadly enough to take out an opponent in one strike