Chapter 157

Under the gaze of the four Honored Douluo, the four team captains came before Xu Jiawei.

Xu Jiawei smiled slightly and said, "I'm delighted to see you young talents. The competition is about to begin. I hope you will uphold the principle of friendship first, competition second, and complete this tournament. In a moment I will throw out four balls with the draw numbers written on them; you will all rush for them at the same time. Are you ready?"

All the captains nodded in agreement.

"Then pay attention."

Xu Jiawei narrowed his eyes, and before anyone could see how he made his move, four clusters of golden light shot up into the sky simultaneously.

Dai Yaoheng had already been poised and ready; his relationship with Xu Jiawei was the closest, and if he could win Xu Jiawei's favor, his chances of inheriting the White Tiger Dukedom would greatly increase. Now that he had an opportunity to perform in front of Xu Jiawei, he naturally exerted himself the most.

Only a flash of white light was seen shooting up; by the time Dai Yaoheng landed on the ground, a golden small ball had already appeared in his hand.

Ma Rulong and Jiang Peng were also unwilling to lag behind, respectively grabbing the second and third of the balls thrown by Xu Jiawei.

Only Xu Jiujiu stood motionless in place, smiling as she watched the scene; after everyone had landed, she then reached out and caught the last golden small ball.

She had entered the competition as a secret weapon for Star Luo National Academy, and it was better to reveal as little information as possible before the match began; thus, she naturally would not involve herself in this exhibition that was more show than substance.

A faint smile appeared on the princess's delicate face; she glanced at the small ball in her hand, and although she was the last to obtain it, she was the first to announce the result.

"I am number one."

Ma Rulong said in a deep voice:

"Number two."

Dai Yaoheng's gaze fell directly onto Xu Jiujiu.

"Number one."

By this point, although the Imperial Academy had not yet announced their numbers, the draw results were already out; as both were number one, Shrek Academy would face Star Luo National Academy today, while the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy would naturally be matched against the Imperial Academy.

The Star Luo Emperor personally inspected the draw numbers and then announced the result to the populace; when the people of the Star Luo Empire heard that their team would be facing Shrek Academy, waves of exclamations continually rose from the crowd.

On the surface, Dai Yaoheng seemed to have drawn a very favorable lot for Shrek, given that yesterday's analysis indicated that the Star Luo Royal Academy was the weakest of the remaining three teams.

But is that really the case? Looking at Wang Yan's solemn profile, Tang Wulin felt a sense of foreboding rise in his heart.

After Dai Yaoheng returned to the players' bench, Wang Yan was the first to go up to him.

"Yaoheng, what do you know about that Princess Jiujiu?"

Dai Yaoheng shook his head.

"Sorry, teacher, I don't know. My father only spoke with me about the current Emperor's cultivation talent, using just one word—unfathomable—and he had no comment on Princess Jiujiu."

Without waiting for Wang Yan to continue questioning, he went on to say:

"Furthermore, I have just observed her carefully; she is not simple at all, and I cannot see through her. I originally hoped to gauge her cultivation level through her physique during the draw competition, but she didn't move at all, nor did she activate her soul power, leaving me nothing to observe. Yutong, why don't you try using mental detection?"

Huo Yutong regretfully shook her head. "I've tried it already, to no avail. This princess must have something special on her person; when my mental probe touches her body, a layer on her surface blocks my detection, preventing me from sensing the flow of her soul power or predicting her actions."

At this moment, everyone gathered around; the semifinals were about to begin, but the opponent suddenly presented an unknown variable, which is certainly not a good thing for the Shrek team, which is not composed entirely of its regular starters.

Wang Yan's face grew increasingly grave, and his uneasy feeling intensified.

He took a deep breath and said:

"Let's proceed according to the original plan and not lose our formation; that Princess Jiujiu may not necessarily have Soul Emperor-level cultivation, and as long as she remains a Soul King, we still have a decent chance. Prepare to go out; this team battle absolutely cannot be lost. I have a premonition that Star Luo National Academy must have some unique expertise in the 2-2-3 combat method; if we lose the team battle, the match may deviate from our control. Yaoheng, remember to tell them about the characteristics of the Star Crown martial soul; your understanding of it should be no less than mine."

The rules for the semifinals and finals follow those of the previous elimination rounds, also taking place over two days, consisting of team battles plus individual elimination matches.

The difference is that one must win both matches to advance; if each side wins one, then a tiebreaker must be conducted using the 2-2-3 combat method.

If Shrek loses the team battle, they must then win two consecutive matches afterward; but if Wang Yan's premonition is correct, Star Luo National Academy will be extremely strong in the 2-2-3 battlefield, and Shrek may very well end up stopping at the semifinals.

This is undoubtedly something no one wishes to see.

Dai Yaoheng nodded.

"Don't worry, teacher; the difficulty of this match is all due to our regular team being too careless, so I will surely give my all to bring victory to the academy, sparing no effort."

Wang Yan revealed a faint smile.

"Having that intention is good, but you must still prioritize safety; after all, you are still just children. Come on, give it your all."

Saying this, he extended his right hand, and the Shrek members each placed their hands on top, together shouting a loud "Victory!" with high spirits.

Compared to the fervent atmosphere on Shrek Academy's side, the Star Luo National Academy side appeared much calmer, with the competitors about to enter the field walking out one after another.

Xu Jiujiu stood at the forefront, her gaze calmly sweeping over Shrek Academy's side, her eyes hinting at amusement.

As the secret weapon that Star Luo National Academy has kept hidden until now, she was very curious about what Shrek was thinking at the moment.

The Titled Douluo Heavenly Slayer Huang Jinchu, whom Xu Jiawei had mentioned earlier, stepped forward and shouted loudly:

"Shrek Academy, Star Luo National Academy, team battle members, take the field!"

Xu Jiawei had already returned to the imperial city under the protection of the other three Honored Douluo, ascending the city wall to watch the battle.

The members of both teams stepped onto the competition platform at the referee's call; the semifinals had not yet begun, but as the sides eyed each other, a thick smell of gunpowder already began to permeate the air.

Huang Jinchu, with a cold and stern expression, said: "Both sides step back; before I announce the start of the match, no one is permitted to release their martial soul."

Both teams retreated simultaneously, yet their gazes remained fixed on each other; during the withdrawal, their formations shifted rapidly.

(End of chapter)