LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 134: [DD2]: 133
"Really?"
Upon receiving Su Yu's affirmative response, Wang Dong'er's pink-blue eyes lit up instantly. Her whole demeanor seemed to shift instantly, brimming with energy.
"Yeah," Su Yu chuckled lightly and nodded.
"But when on the field, be more cautious and not get hurt. You're the one with the lowest soul power here."
Su Yu reminded her, worried that Wang Dong'er might get too carried away and lose control in the heat of the moment.
"Don't worry; I've got this."
Wang Dong'er smiled confidently, a subtle, different light flashing through her gaze as she looked at Su Yu.
Is he concerned about me?
"As long as you know what you're doing. If there's a chance, I'll join the battle too. We can fight together," Su Yu said softly. It would be too boring to do nothing all day, so he figured he might as well play along for fun. Of course, he wouldn't make frequent appearances; after all, most of the opponents in the round-robin stage were too weak, making it unnecessary.
"Su Yu, you're going to participate too?"
Elder Ma frowned slightly as if he had something to say but decided against it.
"Just for fun, and I'll only use soul tools."
Su Yu understood Elder Ma's concern. Besides being a soul master, he was also a Level 4 soul engineer. From Levels 4 to 7, he had all kinds of soul tools at his disposal.
If those opponents wanted to probe his true strength, they likely wouldn't have the ability to do so.
"Oh, I see. Then that's fine. As long as you have a plan."
"Alright, let's not waste any more time. We have two free days ahead."
"If you want to rest, rest. If you want to watch the matches, go ahead and watch them."
"There are no special arrangements for the next two days."
Elder Ma waved his hand as he spoke.
For the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy's representative team, the upcoming matches posed almost no difficulty. As long as they treated each match seriously, there was no need to be overly tense, lest it affect their mental state.
"So... meeting adjourned?"
"Meeting adjourned!"
The moment those words fell, Su Yu and the others got up one after another. They left the meeting room in groups of two or three.
"Su Yu, where are we going to have fun?"
Wang Dong'er blinked her large eyes, gazing expectantly at Su Yu. Su Yu raised his hand and flicked Wang Dong'er's forehead with a snap, making her wince in pain.
"What are you doing?! That hurt!"
Wang Dong'er glared at Su Yu, baring her teeth and claws at him.
"What am I doing?"
Su Yu replied, feigning innocence.
"Isn't it because all you think about is playing?"
"Why do you have the lowest soul power? Have you ever asked yourself that? Have you been working hard to improve yourself these days? Do you even have the nerve to play around? Go train!"
Su Yu scolded her righteously.
Wang Dong'er's eyes widened.
"Then what about you? I see you lazing around more than I do, and you're lecturing me?"
Feeling wronged, Wang Dong'er was indignant. After all, Su Yu spent his days playfully bantering with Meng Hongchen.
Where did he get the nerve to lecture him?
"That's why I said I'm going to train for the next two days too. Any more complaints?"
Su Yu asked.
"Hmph, no complaints."
Wang Dong'er puffed up her cheeks, glared at Su Yu, and threw two playful punches at him with her little fists before stomping away with a pout.
Meng Hongchen watched the whole scene in silence, not saying a single word. After Wang Dong left, she gazed at Su Yu and softly asked, "Yu, aren't you being a little too strict with Wang Dong?"
"Wang Dong is on the verge of a breakthrough. If he doesn't seize the opportunity and just thinks about playing, wouldn't that be a waste of time? I'm doing this for his good. As the only Soul Elder in the team, he's already facing a lot of doubt from others, though you probably don't know that."
Su Yu raised his hand and gently caressed Meng Hongchen's soft cheek, feeling the tenderness of her skin as he spoke softly.
"Oh, so that's how it is... Then you..."
"I'm going to train too. I'm also close to a breakthrough," Su Yu said with a smile.
"Alright~"
Meng Hongchen pouted slightly, clearly a bit disappointed, but being sensible, she didn't voice any objections.
"Once I break through, I'll spend more time with you."
Su Yu gently stroked Meng Hongchen's delicate face, his tone soft and reassuring.
"Mhm."
Meng Hongchen nodded lightly, her beautiful eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled.
...
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Soon, the day of the round-robin matches arrived.
The round-robin stage was divided into eight groups, with four groups competing each day. This allowed one round of matches to be completed in just two days. Each group had about eight to nine teams, meaning each team had to compete in seven to eight matches.
The entire round-robin stage would take about 15 to 16 days to complete.
Su Yu and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy representative team were placed in Group 2. As expected, there were no other seeded teams in Group 2. Representative teams from Shrek Academy, Star Luo Empire Academy, and others were each placed in separate groups.
Around 8 a.m., the participating teams arrived at the competition area. By then, the spectator area below was already packed with people. This tournament brought an enormous amount of revenue to the Star Luo Empire.
The spectator stands could hold around 200,000 people. Just from ticket sales alone, the daily revenue was likely to reach two million gold soul coins. Considering the tournament would last for at least a month, that meant a total income of 60 million gold soul coins. This was a fortune that ordinary people couldn't earn even in ten lifetimes. Even for the Star Luo Empire, this was a significant profit. Saying they made a fortune wouldn't be an exaggeration. This explains why empires on the continent were so eager to host Soul Master Tournaments — there was a lot of profit to be made.
The first group to take the stage was Group 1, and the first team to appear was none other than the Shrek Academy representative team. The moment the Shrek Academy team took the stage, the entire crowd erupted into a deafening roar of cheers. With its ten-thousand-year history, Shrek Academy's popularity was indeed extraordinary.
But it made one wonder — with so much fanfare, how would the crowd react if Shrek Academy lost the match?
Shrek Academy's opponent wasn't strong; once again, they drew a team battle match.
The round-robin tournament is divided into three modes: Single-elimination matches, a 2-2-3 format (two 2v2 matches and one 3v3 match), and 7v7 team battles.
The format for each match is completely random.
The Shrek Academy representative team drew the 7v7 team battle, which naturally led to an intense clash. Unfortunately, their opponent was not strong, and they were easily defeated by Shrek Academy.
After the Shrek Academy's match ended, the other teams in Group 1 competed. By the time Group 1's matches were all complete, it was already close to 10 a.m. At this moment, it was finally time for the Group 2 matches to begin.
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy representative team also took the stage. Their opponent this time was the Everlasting Advanced Soul Master Academy representative team from the Dou Ling Empire. This opponent wasn't particularly strong but not particularly weak either — just average. All their team members were Soul Ancestors (40-49 level Soul Masters), but their levels were on the lower side.
The match format for this round was the 2-2-3 format, meaning that if a team won 2 out of 3 matches, they would win overall.
First Match (2v2)
The first two to appear were Yang Xu and Zhou Qin, both of whom were experienced Level 4 Soul Engineers.
The battle ended without any surprises. With the overwhelming firepower of Yang Xu and Zhou Qin, the two Soul Ancestors from the Everlasting Advanced Soul Master Academy were quickly defeated. Generally, before reaching the Soul Sage level, a Soul Engineer has the upper hand against a Soul Master of the same level.
The only exceptions are extremely talented Soul Masters or Evil Soul Masters.
The Everlasting Advanced Soul Master Academy was not in this category.
Second Match (2v2)
Next, it was Wang Dong'er and Su Yu's turn. Wang Dong'er was the main attacker, while Su Yu's role was to support and handle any threats to Wang Dong'er, allowing her to fight freely.
The captain of the Everlasting Advanced Soul Master Academy team took part in this second match. His goal was to seize at least one victory for his team, hoping to avoid a total defeat. This captain had at least level 48 soul power and wielded a powerful weapon-type martial soul: the Soul-Breaking Spear.
In one-on-one combat, even Yang Xu might not be able to guarantee victory over this captain since the Soul-Breaking Spear is known for its fierce attack power.
Unfortunately, his luck was terrible — he encountered Su Yu. Armed with only a Level 4 Soul Tool spear, Su Yu toyed with the captain, making him feel like he was in hell. When Wang Dong'er defeated the other opponent, Su Yu struck a decisive blow, using the spear to send the Soul-Breaking Spear captain flying off the stage.
In the observation area, Wang Yan was furiously taking notes in his small notebook. Ever since Wang Yan learned about the conflict between Su Yu, Xu Sanshi, and Dai Huabin, he had been paying close attention to Su Yu. He didn't miss a single second of the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team's match. To Wang Yan's surprise, the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy sent out only their reserve team but still defeated the Everlasting Advanced Soul Master Academy. This outcome left him shocked.
The two Level 4 Soul Engineers who went up first, as well as Wang Dong'er, were all far from ordinary. Despite being only a Soul Elder, Wang Dong'er's strength was undeniable. Wang Yan noticed that Wang Dong'er seemed younger than Xu Sanshi and the others, possibly the same age as Ning Tian, yet her soul ring configuration was superior. His rings were yellow, purple, and purple — a far better lineup than the standard yellow, yellow, and purple. Plus, his martial soul was the rare Bright Goddess Butterfly, indicating he had a very special talent.
But the person Wang Yan paid the most attention to was Su Yu.
Su Yu did not release his martial soul, nor did he demonstrate the signature firepower typical of Soul Engineers. He fought the entire match with nothing but a soul tool spear, making it look like a game, and still managed to defeat the Soul-Breaking Spear captain.
"He's strong," Wang Yan thought. He could sense Su Yu's strength, but he couldn't identify exactly what was special about him.
"This young man is so good at hiding his abilities. I can't get a read on him at all."
Wang Yan sighed, feeling helpless.
With the conclusion of this fight, the first round of the Group 2 matches came to an end. There were only eight teams in Group 2, meaning the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team still had to face six more teams in the round-robin.
After Su Yu and Wang Dong'er left the stage, Wang Dong'er's face was flushed red with excitement.
Today, she defeated a Soul Ancestor, and his mood was through the roof.
"Look at you, acting like you've never seen success before."
Su Yu laughed and scolded her.
"Hehe."
Wang Dong'er scratched her head with a cheeky smile and followed Su Yu back to the team area.
"Alright, everyone has worked hard. I'll treat you all to something good today," Su Yu called out loudly, earning enthusiastic cheers from the others.
"Captain, you're amazing!"
"Yeah, Captain is the best!"
Su Yu wasn't stingy. When they returned to the Star Emperor Hotel, he ordered a table full of delicious food for the team. After all, he wasn't short on cash — he had more than 10 billion gold soul coins on hand, and every day he received more rewards just for checking in.
There was no way he could spend it all.
The group feasted until they were stuffed, their bellies round and satisfied.
"After dinner, feel free to walk around and digest. Tonight, I'll take you all to relax a bit," Su Yu announced.
"There's going to be a small auction happening at the auction house near the hotel. I'll take everyone to check it out."
Hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up with excitement.
"An auction?!"
It had been boring hanging around the hotel, so everyone was eager for some action.
This auction was not a high-level event, but there would still be some valuable items, including the coveted Life Gold.
Life Gold was a rare material, and although it could be found in the Star Dou Forest's Lake of Life, Su Yu wouldn't dare touch that — the Lake of Life was vital to the Star Dou Forest's ecology.
But this piece of Life Gold at the auction?
"I'm getting it," Su Yu thought.
..
After dinner, as Su Yu and his group walked through the hotel corridor, they once again ran into the Shrek Academy team.
"It's you!!!"
Both Xu Sanshi and Dai Huabin glared at Su Yu with hostility.
"Oh, it's you guys," Su Yu smirked.
"Don't block the road. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you off."
"You! How dare you act so arrogant in front of us?!"
This time, the four Shrek Inner Court Soul Kings were also present. Seeing Su Yu act so cocky, they all stepped forward.
But Su Yu was unfazed.
"You four… what do you count as, huh?"
His smile was cold, and Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen stepped forward as well, their combined aura suppressing the four Shrek members.
"Don't think being five years older gives you the right to act tough in front of us."
"The four of you still have a long way to go."
With a casual shove, Su Yu pushed Chu He and the other aside and walked away, leaving Shrek's team behind with clenched fists and angry expressions.
"One day, I'll make him pay!" growled Chu He.