Chapter 150: The Final Four
For Furina's and Huo Yuhao's teams, the subsequent matches proceeded with the same effortless ease, utterly devoid of pressure.
Even the later placement matches were little more than going through the motions, failing to stir the slightest ripple of tension.
When the dust of the quarterfinals settled, only four teams remained in the ranking tournament. Aside from Huo Yuhao's team, there were two other teams that fielded three-ring Soul Elders.
The semifinal matchups were now clear: Furina's team would face Dai Huabin's squad, while Huo Yuhao's team would go up against the team led by Ning Tian, who possessed the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda martial soul.
Furina felt a faint tinge of regret, but on second thought, her team consisted of only herself—she had no teammates' feelings to consider and could, at any moment, choose to concede without hesitation. That way, she could send Dai Huabin's team into the finals while also paving a smooth path for Huo Yuhao to exact his revenge with his own hands.
That said, before that moment came, she didn't mind teaching them a lesson on Huo Yuhao's behalf first. Conceding outright would make it seem as though she were timid—as though she, Furina, were afraid of them. She had no desire to leave that kind of impression.
When it came down to it, wasn't it all just about a martial soul fusion technique? Frankly, unless Dai Huabin's team used that move right from the start and managed to strike her before she could consume her Nut Cake, they stood absolutely no chance of winning.
Yet Dai Huabin would almost certainly never do that.
For someone like him, who held a soul master's pride as sacrosanct, using a martial soul fusion technique at the very opening of the match would, in his own eyes, be tantamount to admitting that he was no match for a "mere Soul King-level support-type soul master"—Furina.
It would only make it look as though he had to rely on a fusion technique just to contend with a food-type soul master. A complete devaluation of his own worth.
Of course, one couldn't speak in absolutes. After all, the strength Furina had displayed thus far was already astonishing enough—her soul bone skill so fearsome that no team had yet managed to so much as scratch her.
If Dai Huabin wasn't a fool, perhaps he really would unleash the fusion technique at the very start. Otherwise, as long as Furina didn't choose to surrender on her own, their defeat was absolutely certain.
But even if he did use the martial soul fusion technique right from the beginning, their odds of victory were still vanishingly slim—probably around one percent. After all, Furina had never been anything close to a "pure food-type support soul master."
The semifinal stage had been relocated to two more expansive arenas at the center of the assessment zone. The area was considerably larger than before, sufficient to allow soul masters to bring their full abilities into play. In the spectator stands, Yan Shaozhe, Dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, had personally arrived. Beside him, Du Weilun, the Director of Outer Courtyard Instruction, was respectfully delivering his report.
"...Therefore, I believe the above students should be included in the core disciple roster," Du Weilun said, his tone deferential.
Yan Shaozhe nodded slightly. "Mm. Weilun, you've been at the academy for over twenty years now. Your contributions have not gone unnoticed. Naturally, I trust your judgment."
He paused briefly, then added: "Oh, that's right. The team that takes first place in the freshman assessment—all members are automatically inducted into the core disciple roster, correct?"
Du Weilun nodded in confirmation. "Yes. Both Huo Yuhao's and Dai Huabin's teams have already been placed by me on the core disciple roster. That is beyond debate."
"Dai Huabin, eh..." Yan Shaozhe mused thoughtfully. "From what you're saying, do you favor Dai Huabin's team to go all the way?"
Du Weilun, however, shook his head. "To be honest with you, Dean Yan, if this were any ordinary year, I would certainly think so. But this time, that Pope of the Church of the Water God—that young lady Furina—her performance has simply been far too astonishing. Soul King-level soul power aside, I've even heard rumors that she was able to suppress Ma Xiaotao in her berserk state..."
Lowering his voice, he continued: "It's highly probable that she possesses a second martial soul and has been concealing her true strength all along. Under these circumstances, even if Dai Huabin's team has a martial soul fusion technique, victory is likely beyond their grasp."
Reaching this point, Du Weilun couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
Furina was practically here to "bomb the fish pond"—and poach talent on the side, to boot. A freshman assessment like this—all she'd have had to do was exchange a word with Zhou Yi or any other teacher, and she could've probably skipped the exam entirely.
Even if she truly were to lose in the elimination rounds, Shrek Academy would never let such a talent slip away. They would exhaust every means imaginable to keep her here.
After all, Furina was a genius among geniuses. Failing to retain someone like her at Shrek would be nothing short of a loss to the academy—a humiliation, even.
Yan Shaozhe silently conceded the point as well. "Indeed... It's only a shame that we can't confirm whether her second martial soul truly is ultimate water, nor can we compel her to reveal it by force. The Church of the Water God now wields considerable influence; it's practically become the state religion of the Star Luo Empire. Even our Shrek Academy cannot afford to offend them lightly."
"Unless, of course, they were found to be colluding with evil soul masters. But by all outside accounts and circulating rumors, this church conducts itself with upright principles, wholeheartedly devoted to the people. It is a model of sectarian conduct. I'm afraid all the sects across the continent combined could not surpass them in winning the hearts of the common folk. Even Spirit Hall, before its corruption ten thousand years ago, likely only reached this level."
Indeed, most other sects focused solely on expanding their own power and rarely paid genuine heed to the plight of ordinary civilians. No one else would willingly travel across an entire nation—even into foreign lands—just to awaken the martial souls of commoners in small villages.
Spirit Hall, ten millennia ago, had indeed once done similar things, but had never been able to match the Church of the Water God in wholly dedicating itself to helping others grow, healing the sick, and saving lives.
A thought even flickered through Yan Shaozhe's mind: If the Church of the Water God were ever to expand further in the future and harbor ambitions of unifying the continent, it might only take a single rallying cry, and the common people would rise up en masse, wholeheartedly and willingly supporting them to overthrow the imperial houses. They wouldn't even need to wage war like Spirit Hall, or to sculpt a deity to rally the masses.
But he immediately shook his head, banishing that rather dangerous thought.
The unification of the continent might be a good thing, but it could also give rise to the next Spirit Hall. Besides, if war truly broke out, the ones who would suffer in the end would still be the common people.
For now, the balance maintained between the four great empires remained relatively stable. As long as the Sun Moon Empire did not initiate hostilities, peace might yet endure—especially while Elder Mu was still here. Even the Sun Moon Empire's Class 9 fixed-type soul ammunition shells might not necessarily be able to shake the world's current strongest Limit Douluo: the Dragon God Douluo, Mu En.
Yan Shaozhe redirected the conversation: "And what is your assessment of Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao's team?"
Du Weilun pondered for a moment before replying. "That is also a team of formidable strength. They've steamrolled through every match so far; their record is even more outstanding than those of Dai Huabin's and Ning Tian's teams. Their opponents are often left utterly defenseless."
"Furthermore, according to Teacher Wang Yan's feedback, although Huo Yuhao's first soul ring is only a ten-year ring, its support effects are comparable to those of a hundred-year or even thousand-year ring. It's as though that ten-year ring is merely a disguise, concealing a foundation of a thousand—or even ten thousand—years beneath. His second and third soul skills have yet to be used. And as for the soul bones provided as compensation earlier, those have already been absorbed by Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao—their soul bone skills have also never been revealed. Therefore, if they truly face Dai Huabin's team, the outcome remains far from certain."
Yan Shaozhe nodded in agreement. "A sound analysis. Besides, Huo Yuhao is also a member of the Church of the Water God. To stand side by side with Furina, its Pope, his talent and strength must be extraordinary. He absolutely cannot be measured by ordinary standards—his very soul rings already surpass ordinary logic."
Du Weilun suddenly recalled something and asked, "Oh, by the way, Dean Yan, I heard that you dispatched Xiaotao to the Far North for cultivation. Is that true?"
Yan Shaozhe confirmed it. "It is true. The evil fire within Xiaotao's body is growing ever harder to suppress. The bitter cold of the Far North might help alleviate her condition. Besides, that region is vast and sparsely populated, and the soul beast population is not as dense as in the Great Star Dou Forest. It's relatively safer, which will allow her to focus entirely on her training and release the evil fire freely."
Du Weilun's voice betrayed a note of concern: "But that is the Far North... The Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North dwell there, two of whom possess the ultimate ice attribute, and the third—the Titan Snow Demon King—is no less formidable than the Titan Giant Ape. All of them are Savage Beast-class existences. For Xiaotao... isn't it too dangerous?"
"That's why I dispatched a Titled Douluo to follow her covertly. Both to protect her and to observe—to see whether the Far North can truly suppress her evil fire and aid her cultivation."
"Oh? Which Titled Douluo?" Du Weilun asked, curious.
Yan Shaozhe waved a dismissive hand, declining to elaborate. "Don't ask too much about that."
In truth, the number of people at Shrek Academy capable of accompanying Ma Xiaotao to the Far North for training was quite limited. After much deliberation, he had ultimately gone to beg his old flame, Xian Lin'er. To persuade her to lend her aid, he had not hesitated to part with a ten-thousand-year soul bone from his personal collection and to allocate a batch of extra funds to the Soul Tool Department.
But even if he didn't say it aloud, Du Weilun would figure it out sooner or later. The Dean of the Soul Tool Department suddenly vanishing from sight, combined with what Yan Shaozhe had just said—anyone could guess where she had gone.
While the two conversed, the match on the arena below was already poised to begin. The referee's commands rang out clearly, and the members of both teams took their places on the field one after another. The semifinals were about to commence. The broad assessment zone felt like a miniature battlefield; soul power rippled faintly, and the air grew quietly laced with an undercurrent of tension.
The spectator stands gradually fell silent. All eyes converged upon the two figures about to clash—Furina and Dai Huabin. A duel that seemed lopsided on the surface, yet churned with hidden currents, was about to begin.