On the ninth day of the promotion round, the match between Seven Treasures Academy and Tian Shui Academy began.
In the Tian Dou Empire region, in terms of team spirit battles, Tian Shui Academy was undoubtedly second best. However, their performance in one-on-one duels wasn't particularly impressive.
In the past few days, they had consecutively lost to the Beast Academy and Shrek Academy.
Although Shui Bing'er's control-type soul skills were very powerful and remained effective in one-on-one spirit battles, they consumed a tremendous amount of soul power. Even if she managed to win against one opponent, her soul power would be depleted before facing the next one.
Only the first-place team in the promotion round would earn the privilege of skipping a round in the finals. The other rankings didn't significantly affect the final standings.
As such, Tian Shui Academy approached the promotion round with a rather nonchalant attitude, treating wins and losses as irrelevant.
Today, in their match against the Seven Treasures Academy team, there was no strategic lineup—just a straightforward sequence from weakest to strongest.
First to step onto the stage was Huang Wu, who consecutively eliminated two opponents.
Next up were Zhu Zhuqing and Chen Huayu, who nearly wiped out the entire Tian Shui team.
After the match, Chen Huayu couldn't help but exclaim, "Their individual abilities aren't strong, yet they perform exceptionally well in team spirit battles—I can't figure out how they do it."
"Individual strength doesn't equate to team strength," Ning Tianchen said, patting his shoulder.
"The seven strongest individuals in this tournament don't necessarily form the strongest team. In a team, there needs to be clear division of roles. Someone always has to do the dirty work, and though there's only one fruit of victory, someone must claim it."
"If others resent the one who claims the fruit of victory, the team loses its cohesion."
"One aspect is that Tian Shui Team's coordination is excellent, but I also think they benefit from being an extreme-style team."
Ning Tianchen's analysis was spot on.
In general, a team usually has only one core. Despite the Seven Treasures Team having Feng Xiaotian, Ning Tianchen, and the Yu sisters, in each team match, only one true core is deployed—the rest are just support.
Of course, balanced teams have relatively even capabilities across the board, unlike extreme-style teams, which excel in specific areas.
Chen Huayu regarded Tian Shui Academy as strong based solely on their strengths.
But Ning Tianchen could tell that if Tian Shui Academy faced the Beast Academy in a team battle, they'd stand little chance of winning.
After all, the latter lived in extremely cold regions and possessed natural immunity to ice and snow.
Back in the rest area, Ke Jie reminded them, "The next match will be between Shrek Academy and the Beast Academy. Since you've fought against the Beast Academy before, comparing them to Shrek Academy will give us a better understanding of their strength."
By the second half of the promotion round, everyone was well aware of which teams were qualified for the top five spots.
"On paper, Shrek Academy only has Tang San who can decisively outmatch the Beast Academy. It's hard to say who will come out victorious in this match," Feng Xiaotian mused, stroking his chin.
Ning Tianchen couldn't help but recall what Tian Chao had said.
If Tian Guozhen, the top genius of the Snow Mountain Sect, had participated in the competition, perhaps Shrek Academy wouldn't have stood a chance against them.
Now, given the current situation, he wasn't so sure.
While he pondered, the match began quickly.
Seeing that it was Shrek Academy's match, the referee's heart leapt into his throat.
Ever since the Seven Treasures Team's one-against-seven sweep, their behavior during matches had become more restrained—they hadn't damaged the stage again. On the other hand, whenever Tang San took the stage for Shrek Academy, the stage was inevitably destroyed.
The referee fervently hoped that Shrek Academy could win without sending Tang San onto the stage.
But was that possible? The Beast Academy team wasn't one to underestimate.
---
"Xiao San, follow the plan we discussed earlier. In this match, you'll guard the final position. For the first round, let Hongjun take the stage and test the waters of the Beast Team," Yu Xiaogang instructed.
The Beast Team's strength was formidable—they couldn't afford to be careless.
Flender added, "All members of the Beast Team are power-type soul masters. Hongjun, be sure to handle them carefully. If you're at a disadvantage, surrender immediately to avoid injury."
"There are no healing-type soul masters in the promotion round. If you sustain serious injuries, relying solely on Zhu Jiangzhu's healing ability won't be enough to treat all of you."
Ma Hongjun puffed out his chest confidently. "Teacher, rest assured—I won't disappoint you."
Currently, Shrek Academy had eight main players, but anyone with eyes could see that Ma Hongjun's status within the team had greatly diminished.
Flender saw it but felt helpless.
There was nothing he could do about it—it was because Ma Hongjun's cultivation lagged behind the others.
If Ma Hongjun performed poorly in this match, he might not get another chance to play in subsequent matches.
For the first round, the Beast Academy also wanted to gauge Shrek Academy's strength, so they sent their Soul Emperor onto the stage.
This person was named Xue Ao—a peak-level Soul Emperor with a tall, imposing build and the Snow Mountain Dog martial soul.
As soon as both stepped onto the stage, Ma Hongjun was already at a disadvantage in terms of presence.
"Hey, big guy, are you ready to get beaten up?" Ma Hongjun declared arrogantly.
His confidence stemmed from Shrek Academy's current achievements—but he seemed to forget that those victories had nothing to do with him.
Below the stage, Tang San covered his face, his expression awkward. "Fatso is getting cocky again. A tall physique gives a significant advantage in physical confrontations. Although Fatso is an offensive-type soul master, grappling isn't his forte."
Dai Mubai's lips twitched. "Dead fatty, looking down on your opponent before the match starts—looks like you're in for a beating."
Flender looked at everyone awkwardly. Apparently, he hadn't expected his disciple to act so foolishly.
The match began.
The Snow Mountain Dog let out a roar, and the surrounding air temperature began to drop slightly.
"Huang Wu fought him before—this domain-like ability greatly enhances the soul master's own power," Ning Tianchen analyzed.
Huang Wu scratched his head sheepishly. "I only managed to beat him by overwhelming him with soul power. At the same level, I doubt I'd be his match."
Ke Jie shook his head. "A win is a win—don't belittle yourself. As long as you don't slack off in your cultivation, your strength will always surpass his."
---
"Second soul skill, Phoenix Rebirth. First soul skill, Phoenix Fire Line."
With the enhancement of the fire attribute from the second soul skill, the Phoenix Fire Line's power increased significantly.
Ma Hongjun's strategy was simple: use his fire attribute to suppress the opponent first, then create opportunities for follow-up tactics.
But it seemed he had forgotten that the Snow Mountain Dog martial soul was no slouch when it came to speed.
As Ma Hongjun unleashed flames, Xue Ao had already darted to his side.
"Your martial soul may have a grand reputation, but you're no true fire phoenix—you're just a chicken with some fire attributes," Xue Ao taunted.
Xue Ao avoided wasting soul power clashing with Ma Hongjun's soul skills. Dodging and weaving, the Phoenix Fire Line couldn't land a single hit on him.
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