Next, Huo Yuhao continued teaching Ye Lingling the soul power tempering method. This time, the little girl was surprisingly quick, and she grasped it immediately.
The next day, Huo Yuhao sat on the spectator stands as usual. Because the stands were high, he could clearly see that there were far fewer participating academies.
This was normal, as the elimination round had knocked out half of the contestants.
Today also marked the official start of the second phase, the round-robin tournament. After the elimination round, the remaining sixty-seven teams were divided into eight groups. Then, the teams within each group would compete to determine the final victor.
Each group had eight or nine teams. Ben Ti Academy's group had eight teams.
In the round-robin tournament, each academy could compete once, then needed to wait two days before competing again. It wasn't like they'd let your academy go first and just keep competing until you were done. Furthermore, before each match, they needed to draw lots to decide which competition format to use.
That meant Ben Ti Academy's second round of matches would take at least fourteen days.
On the stage, the referee gave a brief opening speech before announcing the teams for the first match. "Now, please welcome Ben Ti Academy and their opponents, the Dou Ling Academy representative team, to the waiting area. At the same time, may the captains of both teams come on stage to draw for the match format."
Following the referee's words, Lin Kong and the captain of the Dou Ling Academy team walked onto the stage.
The captain of the Dou Ling Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy team was named Gu Zhujian. He was a tall, thin young man with slightly sunken cheeks, as if malnourished, but his eyes were bright and sharp.
On the stage, the referee held a transparent ball about the size of a soccer ball. This transparent ball was the drawing prop, containing three brightly colored small balls: red, blue, and yellow.
Drawing a red ball meant a team battle, a yellow ball meant a solo match, and a blue ball meant the two-two-three battle strategy.
The referee first handed the transparent ball to Lin Kong and the Dou Ling team captain for inspection, ensuring there was no manipulation. Then, he explained the drawing method to them.
Then the drawing began. There was a hole on the transparent ball. The referee put the three small balls inside, then turned the hole upwards, and let Lin Kong and the Dou Ling team captain each put their hands on either side.
Next, the referee shouted "Three, two, one!" Lin Kong and the Dou Ling team captain exerted force simultaneously, and the transparent ball was tossed into the air. The red ball was flung out of the hole in the transparent ball, and the referee leaped up and caught it.
Huo Yuhao was speechless watching this whole performance. It was a simple matter that could have been solved with a box and a few notes. Why make it so flashy? Was it just for show?
Ignoring Huo Yuhao's internal complaints, the referee announced the draw results, "Ben Ti Academy versus Dou Ling Academy. The competition will be a one-on-one elimination match. Please send one contestant from each team to the arena."
After the referee finished speaking, the contestants from Ben Ti Academy and Dou Ling Academy took to the stage.
Representing Ben Ti Academy was Lan Shuang, whose Martial Soul was White Bone. Lan Shuang was a handsome young man, but his tall frame didn't quite match his delicate features. His physique was entirely supported by his skeletal frame. He looked like he was all skin and bones, even more so than Gu Zhujian. This was due to the influence of his White Bone Martial Soul.
It was worth noting that Lan Shuang was the son of White Bone Douluo, one of the ten Title Douluo of the Ben Ti Sect. He was also the youngest official member of the Ben Ti Sect team, only fifteen years old.
During the three months of training, the soul power of the Ben Ti Sect members hadn't increased much. Only four out of ninety people had advanced by one rank.
Lan Shuang was one of them.
Lan Shuang now had the highest cultivation among the three Soul Emperors, including Lin Kong. It was clear that the Ben Ti Sect wasn't holding back at all.
The Ben Ti Sect had been in seclusion for many years, and their return this time was bound to be a resounding success, forcing the entire continent to once again hold the Ben Ti Sect in awe.
Therefore, Huo Yuhao and Ran Hongyue's requirement was to utterly crush their opponents; only then would it be satisfying.
After the first round of the elimination matches, the various academies had gained some understanding of each other. Dou Ling Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy had no Soul Emperors, and even two of their members were not even Soul Kings.
This battle could be said to be a sure thing. First, let Lan Shuang probe them. If he was defeated, then the three Soul Emperors would immediately take action without hesitation. To hell with the weak being bullied by the strong.
Facing the Ben Ti Academy, Dou Ling Royal Soul Master Academy also showed considerable seriousness. They sent out their vice-captain, Qian Yuan, for the first match. Qian Yuan was a black man, a skin color that didn't exist in the Douluo Continent before, and it had been introduced later from the Sun Moon Empire.
Seeing this person, even Huo Yuhao in the stands became a little interested. Among this group of the Ben Ti Academy, the greatest threat was this Dou Ling Royal Advanced Soul Master Academy.
And this Qian Yuan had left a deeper impression on Huo Yuhao. This person's Martial Soul was the Fear Claw Bear, one of the top Martial Souls, with extremely formidable attack power. Although not as good as Wang Qiu'er's Golden Dragon, it was much stronger than the Dai Clan's White Tiger Martial Soul.
What impressed Huo Yuhao the most was that this guy was really huge. The largest physique Huo Yuhao had seen before was He Caitou, but this Qian Yuan was even bigger, and Gu Zhujian and Lan Shuang couldn't compare to him at all.
Speaking of which, it seems like regardless of the location, people of African descent are generally of a large and robust build. This is true in the Douluo Continent, and it's also true on Earth.
Thinking about that, Huo Yuhao was reminded of a couple from the Shrek Seven Devils of this generation in the original story: He Caitou and Xiao Xiao. Xiao Xiao had a petite build, only about 1.4 meters tall, while He Caitou was over two meters tall. Their body types were complete opposites.
I wonder if Xiao Xiao could really handle that… Huo Yuhao thought with a touch of mischief.
With this thought, Huo Yuhao's gaze unconsciously swept towards the Shrek group below. As he looked, his brow furrowed.
At that moment, in Shrek's exclusive seating area, a young man of about eighteen or nineteen was talking to a girl with long, golden, wavy hair. The young man also had golden hair, a gentle appearance, and a deep, reserved demeanor.
The girl's face was youthful, appearing much younger, perhaps only twelve years old. She was exquisitely beautiful, but her expression was as cold as ice.
This girl was Wang Qiu'er, the Three-Eyed Golden Ni.
And although Huo Yuhao didn't know the golden-haired young man, he could guess who he was, especially considering the same eyes as Dai Huabin.
Dai Yaohang, Dai Huabin's older brother, the eldest son of Duke Dai Hao of the White Tiger.
At this moment, Dai Yaohang was chattering on and on about something. Huo Yuhao was too far away to hear clearly, but he could tell that Dai Yaohang was just talking to himself, while Wang Qiu'er barely responded.
This sort of scene wasn't the first time Huo Yuhao had witnessed it; he had seen it a few days before.
(End of Chapter)