Shrek Academy's opponent in the quarterfinals was Zhengtian Academy, from the same group in the second stage, and the match was won smoothly, allowing them to directly enter the semifinals.
The four semifinalist teams of this Soul Master Competition have been decided: Shrek Academy, Sun Moon Academy, Star Luo Academy, and Di'ao Academy. Besides Shrek Academy, the other three teams are the top academies of their respective nations, also known as Royal Academies.
Judging from the performance of these three teams in previous matches, their strength is greater than in previous competitions, but against Shrek Academy, they still don't have a high chance of winning. Shrek Academy's dominance is very stable.
However, even though the three teams posed little threat to Shrek Academy, Teacher Wang still gathered the students for a pre-match meeting.
The night before the semifinals, at the Star Emperor Hotel, in Shrek Academy's conference room.
Teacher Wang smiled and said, "The top four have all been decided. The semifinals will begin tomorrow and last for two days, with four teams competing for two spots in the finals. We will undoubtedly be in the first match, which is tomorrow's. The team battle will be in the morning, and individual battles in the afternoon. After the semifinals conclude, there will be a three-day rest period, followed by the grand finals."
"Teacher Wang, who will be our opponent in the semifinals?" Xiao Xiao raised her hand and asked curiously.
Teacher Wang shook his head and said, "That is not yet clear.
For fairness, the semifinal matchups require the top four teams to draw lots before the match to determine their opponents. This means we will need to draw our opponent tomorrow ourselves.
Although we cannot know our opponent in advance and plan our strategy, the other three teams are all at a similar level for us. Among them, only the Sun Moon Team needs extra attention. The other two teams, Di'ao Academy and Star Luo Academy, do not require too much focus."
"Teacher Wang, what are the specific strengths of these three teams?" Bei Bei asked.
"Among the three teams, the strongest is definitely the Sun Moon Team. From previous match data, among their fourteen members, besides Captain Ma Rulong, reserve captain Xiao Hongchen, and another reserve member Meng Hongchen who haven't appeared, the other eleven members have all played. Six of their main members are Spirit Kings," Teacher Wang pondered, then continued, "Although their captain Ma Rulong hasn't made a move, he was the captain of the reserve team in the previous competition, so his strength should be at the Spirit Emperor level. One Spirit Emperor and six Spirit Kings, and all of them are Soul Engineers above level five—this is absolutely the strongest team in the competition, second only to our Shrek."
"As for Di'ao Academy and Star Luo Academy, Di'ao Academy also has one Spirit Emperor and six Spirit Kings, and they also have Soul Engineers, but only two level-four Soul Engineers, so their threat to us is minimal. Star Luo Academy, on the other hand, is the weakest of the top four. Their main members only consist of six Spirit Kings, but I estimate they should have one more Spirit King player, making it a seven Spirit King lineup, which is even less of a threat than Di'ao Academy."
Teacher Wang's comments directly belittled the other three semifinalist teams, rendering them worthless. His arrogant demeanor formed a stark contrast to his cautious approach during the initial stages of the competition.
"Why has Teacher Wang suddenly become so overconfident?" Wang Dong leaned close to Huo Yuhao's ear and whispered.
"Perhaps it's because of Senior Ziyang," Huo Yuhao said, his gaze falling on Zhu Ziyang, who looked composed across from him, with a hint of reverence in his eyes.
"That's true," Wang Dong said thoughtfully, "With Senior Ziyang and Senior Xiao Tao, two Spirit Emperors—oh, no, and Senior Gongyang, that's three Spirit Emperors—it's hard for me to imagine how any other team could defeat us."
"Right!" Huo Yuhao agreed wholeheartedly with Wang Dong.
"Alright, the strategy meeting is over. Everyone go back and rest," Teacher Wang announced.
Everyone left the conference room, with Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, and Ma Xiaotao walking at the very back.
By the time they exited the conference room, the reserve team members were already out of sight. The three walked side by side and then, in the corridor, they coincidentally met a young man and a young woman. No, it wasn't a coincidence; the other party was waiting for the Shrek group to appear, or more accurately, waiting for Zhu Ziyang.
Upon seeing Zhu Ziyang, Xiao Hongchen immediately walked up quickly, and his sister Meng Hongchen followed closely behind him.
"Zhu Ziyang, remember, my name is Xiao Hongchen, and I will definitely defeat you!" Xiao Hongchen declared to Zhu Ziyang, his face filled with arrogance and confidence.
"Your name is Xiao Hongchen?" Zhu Ziyang heard Xiao Hongchen's words but didn't take them to heart. Instead, he was quite interested in Xiao Hongchen's name and chuckled softly, "What is your relationship with Jing Hongchen?"
Jing Hongchen, the Hall Master of Mingde Hall in the Sun Moon Empire, the most powerful level-nine Soul Engineer, the leader of the Soul Engineer World in the Sun Moon Empire, and also a person Mu En often mentioned. In Mu En's words, this person was one of Shrek Academy's greatest threats.
"You..." Xiao Hongchen was furious. Zhu Ziyang dared to ignore his challenge and even asked about his relationship with his grandfather with a look of disdain. Did he think that Xiao Hongchen was a good-for-nothing who only relied on his elders? Xiao Hongchen felt immensely humiliated, his face immediately changed, and he angrily said, "Hmph! I will remember today's disgrace!"
Having said that, Xiao Hongchen turned around and tried to pull his sister's hand to leave, "Meng, let's go."
However, he found that he couldn't pull Meng Hongchen. In his astonishment, he looked back and saw that his infatuated sister was actually standing in front of Zhu Ziyang, her eyes sparkling, saying something.
"Big brother, you're so handsome!" Meng Hongchen gazed at Zhu Ziyang infatuatedly and said, "My name is Meng Hongchen, I'm Xiao Hongchen's sister. Why are you so handsome? You're much more handsome than my brother!"
Meng Hongchen's actions not only broke Xiao Hongchen's composure but also made Jiang Nannan and Ma Xiaotao instantly bristle like cats with their tails stepped on. The two girls simultaneously squeezed between Zhu Ziyang and Meng Hongchen, shielding Zhu Ziyang behind their delicate bodies, and watched Meng Hongchen with wary expressions.
"I didn't expect the women of the Sun Moon Empire to be so shameless, so wanton in broad daylight!" Ma Xiaotao sneered, her verbal attack sweeping across the entire Sun Moon Empire.
"Hmph! Auntie, I advise you not to meddle! We women of the Sun Moon Empire dare to love and dare to hate, unlike you people from the Douluo Continent who say one thing to your face and another behind your back!" Meng Hongchen was naturally not someone to be trifled with, and she retorted immediately.
"Auntie?!" Ma Xiaotao was directly triggered by Meng Hongchen's address. She, a nineteen-year-old blooming maiden, was called an auntie. Her already fiery temper instantly ignited, and the aura of a Spirit Emperor burst forth from her, directly pushing Meng Hongchen back several meters.
"Ha! The auntie is getting angry out of embarrassment!" Although Meng Hongchen suffered physically, she remained relentless verbally, saying, "Seeing a beautiful young girl like me, who is invincible in her youth, do you feel old and inferior?!"
"I've noticed, you two siblings are definitely related by blood; you're both equally narcissistic and unaware of it!" Jiang Nannan spoke at this moment, raising her slender jade fingers to cover her mouth and chuckle softly. Her enchanting charm actually made Meng Hongchen, a woman herself, pause in a daze.
Facing Jiang Nannan, Meng Hongchen seemed a little less confident. Her looks were on par with Ma Xiaotao, but compared to Jiang Nannan, she was still a few points behind. So she grumbled, "What's there to be so proud of? Just wait a few more years, and I'll definitely be even prettier than you!"
As she spoke, she even puffed out her budding chest, a proud look on her face.
Hearing this, Ma Xiaotao's anger suddenly vanished, a hint of triumph flashed across her face, and she smiled alluringly, saying, "Oh! Is that so? With just you?"
After saying that, Ma Xiaotao also imitated Meng Hongchen, puffing out her chest. Her bouncing bosom immediately made Meng Hongchen's triumphant expression collapse. A sense of defeat welled up in her heart, and then, the young girl immediately turned around, pulled the already eager-to-leave Jing Hongchen, and fled the scene somewhat awkwardly.
Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but laugh at this scene. He could imagine what kind of psychological shadow today's encounter would leave on Meng Hongchen. After all, Ma Xiaotao was 'World-class.' As an ordinary young girl, it would be impossible for her to surpass Ma Xiaotao unless she resorted to technological means.
"What a pair of characters!" Zhu Ziyang exclaimed, "Are all people from the Hongchen family so straightforward?"
"Perhaps," Ma Xiaotao said, feeling very pleased now, "I'm in a great mood now, and I'm going back to my room to get some beauty sleep, hahahaha!"
Ma Xiaotao left, leaving behind a smiling Zhu Ziyang and a slightly changed Jiang Nannan.
Jiang Nannan looked down at her own body, then looked up at Zhu Ziyang, her face a little worried, and said, "Brother, do you think I can surpass Sister Xiaotao?"
"Ah!" Zhu Ziyang choked upon hearing this, and could only offer comforting words, "Actually, some things being too big isn't necessarily a good thing. As long as it can maintain coordination with other parts, that's the best!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Nannan immediately understood Zhu Ziyang's meaning. Although she understood Zhu Ziyang's intentions, she still couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Ziyang felt quite helpless.