Chapter 267 Xuanzi: I laugh at Liu Yuan's guilty conscience!
On the south side of the preparation stand, heavy, earth-yellow soul energy fluctuations were subtly surging around Xuanzi's body.
He stared intently at Liu Yuan's retreating figure as he walked back to the preparation area, his teeth grinding together.
The frustration and anger of punching cotton almost distorted the face of this newly promoted Limit Douluo.
However, Xuanzi had lived for over a hundred years.
He glanced around and keenly noticed that Bei Bei, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and the others beside him had turned pale because of the terrifying cultivation level displayed by the six members of the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy. Their eyes were filled with undisguised shock and heaviness.
Once the younger generation's morale is shattered, there's no point in continuing the competition.
Thinking of this, Xuanzi forcibly suppressed the raging anger and resentment surging in his chest.
In a very short time, a smile was forced onto his gloomy face, followed by a loud and unrestrained laugh that burst out of his throat without warning.
"Hahaha! Great! That's wonderful!"
Xuanzi's loud laughter not only broke the dull atmosphere inside the Shrek team, but also made several teachers from nearby academies turn around in surprise.
Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, Wang Dong, and the others sitting to the side all looked puzzled as they watched Xuan Zi suddenly burst into laughter.
Xu Sanshi couldn't help but scratch his head, and asked somewhat blankly:
"Elder Xuan, what are you laughing at all of a sudden? The Heavenly Soul Royal Academy didn't even have its core member Liu Yuan make a move; the remaining six of them swept through a prestigious academy in just one minute. That Long Aotian even crossed the level 70 threshold and became a genuine Soul Saint. This... this situation is a bit bad. What's so funny?"
Wang Dong bit his lip, somewhat dejectedly echoing in a low voice, "Yes, Elder Xuan. Their overall cultivation level is clearly a notch above ours. We haven't even figured out just how strong Liu Yuan is yet. If we run into them in the upcoming round-robin tournament..."
"Foolish! You bunch of brats, you can't see through that kid's guilty conscience at all!"
Xuanzi stopped laughing, slammed his wine gourd on the table, and his arrogant and disdainful expression returned. He leaned forward slightly, looked at the core disciples before him, lowered his voice, and said with an air of self-assurance that suggested he had seen through everything:
"Let me ask you this: before Liu Yuan went on stage, the eyes of the entire continent's audience and all the major powers were on him, yet he chose to retreat to the very edge with his hands behind his back, not even daring to release a single trace of his double pupil martial soul. Do you think he was putting on an act or being arrogant?"
Beibei frowned slightly and replied hesitantly, "Could it be... that it's to conceal the tactics and spirit ring configuration?"
"That's just the surface level!"
Xuanzi sneered, a smug glint flashing in his narrowed eyes, and categorically denied it, saying, "This isn't some hidden tactic at all; he's afraid of Shrek Academy! To be precise, he was utterly frightened by the Limit Douluo strength I displayed at the North Gate just now, and by your thunderous offensive that lasted half a minute in the fourth match!"
Xuanzi smirked, his tone growing increasingly arrogant and inflated: "Think about it carefully. If Liu Yuan's strength had truly reached the point where he could easily crush our Shrek Academy and disregard me, a level 99 Limit Douluo, why would he have to be so secretive and covert in his first match against an ordinary academy? Wouldn't it have been far more intimidating if he had just crippled Fenglin Academy with a single move? The reason he dared not make a move was because he was unsure of himself! He was afraid of exposing all his trump cards to me now, afraid that I would see through his weaknesses at a glance!"
Hearing Xuanzi's confident and logically consistent analysis, the members of the Shrek team were slightly taken aback.
Beibei, Wang Dong, and the others exchanged glances and thought about it carefully following Xuanzi's train of thought. Surprisingly, their originally heavy mood actually relaxed a lot.
In their view, Elder Xuan was, after all, a Limit Douluo of level 919, whose vision and knowledge were far beyond what they could compare to.
If the opponent is truly incredibly strong, there's no need for them to be so resistant and secretive in the very first elimination round. The more cautiously they hide their strength, the more they fear the power of this generation of Shrek Academy students.
"Elder Xuan is wise. It seems that Liu Yuan is not invincible after all." Xu Sanshi chuckled, and the color returned to his pale face.
Xiao Xiao patted her chest and said happily, "That scared me to death! I thought he was so strong that he didn't need to make a move. Turns out he was afraid that Elder Xuan would see through his trump card."
In an instant, the somewhat oppressive atmosphere on the Shrek training bench vanished. Xuanzi's words rekindled the spirits of the young team members, and their eyes once again gleamed with eager fighting spirit.
Huo Yuhao, however, frowned even more deeply upon hearing Xuanzi's reasoning.
He knew Liu Yuan's style all too well.
In Huo Yuhao's mind, although Liu Yuan seemed calm and reserved, he possessed an extremely cold and absolute pride in his bones.
With Liu Yuan's strength and the presence of the old necromancer and Xue Di hidden around him, the other party could not possibly feel any so-called "fear" or "apprehension" just because Xuan Zi had advanced to the Limit Douluo level.
Perhaps the reason the other party chose to retreat to the sidelines and not make a move was simply because they felt that there was no need for them to use their double pupils against an opponent of the level of Fenglin Academy.
Even... it was just to deliberately use this cold attitude to target and disgust the Gluttonous Douluo in the audience who was eager to probe the truth.
Thinking of this, Huo Yuhao, seeing the blind optimism on the faces of his companions, finally couldn't help but speak up: "Elder Xuan, I still believe we cannot underestimate Liu Yuan. Given his personality, he might just think that Fenglin Academy is too weak and doesn't need his help..."
"Alright, Yuhao, you're just too cautious. You're always scaring yourself."
Xuanzi waved his hand impatiently, interrupting Huo Yuhao.
Xuanzi pulled off the wine gourd from his waist, took another swig, and sneered, "I've lived this long and eaten more salt than you've walked the roads. That brat's little schemes can't escape my eyes. What do you mean there's no need to take action? That's just an excuse to cover up his guilty conscience. You all just focus on preparing for battle these next few days. With me watching from behind, he can't cause any trouble."
Seeing that Xuanzi wouldn't listen to any advice, and even Beibei and Wang Dong beside him were looking at him with some disapproval, Huo Yuhao sighed helplessly in his heart.
He opened his mouth, but ultimately could only swallow his words back down. Faced with the absolute obsession of the Limit Douluo, as a junior, anything he said would only cause unnecessary resentment.
Amidst the Shrek Academy team's internal discussions, the Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament continued in earnest on the high platform.
The sixth elimination round concluded with a crushing defeat for Fenglin Academy. Immediately following, the seventh and eighth matches began. Xingluo National Academy unsurprisingly took to the stage in the eighth match, with Xu Jiujiu leading Xingluo's elite forces. They dominated the competition, sweeping their opponents off the stage in minutes and showcasing the formidable strength of this long-established imperial academy.
As time passed, the sun slowly slanted westward from its zenith, gradually painting the sky with a magnificent sunset.
On the central stage of the large square on the outskirts of Mingdu, the aura of soul power and the sounds of explosions never ceased. After a full day of brutal battles, more than a hundred participating teams from all over the Douluo Continent finally completed their first round of matches as the sun completely set.
Originally a formidable force of over a hundred teams, half were eliminated in a single day under the ironclad rule of winners advancing and losers being eliminated. While the remaining teams were somewhat exhausted, each member radiated a sharp edge honed through the rigorous selection process.
As dusk settled, dozens of enormous streetlights engraved with soul-guiding core arrays around the Mingdu Grand Square lit up simultaneously, illuminating the entire venue as if it were daytime.
On the high platform, the middle-aged official of the Sun Moon Empire, dressed in a magnificent silver robe, solemnly walked to the megaphone amidst a low murmur of noise. He glanced around at the contestants below who had already completed the initial selection, took a deep breath, and his booming voice instantly resounded throughout the entire arena:
"Fellow Soul Masters, fellow citizens! After a day of fierce competition, the first round of the first stage of this tournament has now successfully concluded!"
The man pointed to the now empty, ruined platform, his voice carrying an undeniable authority: "In the duel just now, we witnessed the birth of countless young geniuses, and also the formidable strength of many established academies. But the competition is brutal, with no time for rest. Now, all captains of the teams that have advanced through the first round of elimination, please immediately reconvene at the center of the arena!"
At this point, the middle-aged man pointed to the lottery box, its cold, metallic texture gleaming under the light, and shouted:
"We will immediately begin the draw for the second round of this year's Elite Competition!"
(End of chapter)