After Xu Sanshi stepped onto the stage, even though he had already revealed his fourth soul skill, Xuanming Swap, in the previous team battle, as the young master of the Xuanming Sect and a prodigy who had survived the intense competition of Shrek Academy's outer court, his combat ability was unquestionable.
To mislead his opponents and partly due to his own personality, Xu Sanshi's victories in the previous two matches were both achieved using somewhat shameless tactics,effective but infuriating.
Under such circumstances, the Cloud Luo Advanced Soul Engineer Academy's first two participants were easily defeated. Moreover, several of their main members were still injured from the earlier elimination matches.
To preserve their strength and avoid regret, Cloud Luo Academy's strongest student, their captain Situ Yu, stepped onto the stage for the third battle.
Situ Yu was a tall and powerfully built soul engineer. He walked onto the arena and stood before Xu Sanshi. His expression was tense, but he did not become angry because of Xu Sanshi's earlier antics.
As a captain, he knew very well that in battle, only victory matters,no matter the means. And Xu Sanshi's methods, distasteful as they were, were highly efficient. They allowed him to defeat his opponents while barely using any soul power. It was a psychological tactic worth learning.
Situ Yu bowed slightly and said, "Cloud Luo Advanced Soul Engineer Academy, Situ Yu."
Seeing this, Xu Sanshi realized that this opponent was different from the previous two small fry. As the leader of his academy's best team, Situ Yu would not be easy to deal with. He restrained his annoying grin a little and replied calmly, "Shrek Academy, Xu Sanshi."
Situ Yu continued, "As the captain of Cloud Luo Academy, I hope for an upright battle. I want to clearly recognize the difference between us. If you defeat me, we will forfeit the remaining four matches. I only ask that you win my respect with real strength, not tricks."
Xu Sanshi narrowed his eyes slightly, and then that annoying smile returned. "That depends on how well you perform."
Even so, he understood that those little tricks would likely be useless against this opponent.
The referee stepped forward and interrupted, "Both sides step back and prepare for battle!"
After both fighters retreated to the edge of the platform, the referee shouted, "Begin!"
A flurry of metallic sounds rang out as numerous metal plates and tubes unfolded from Situ Yu's body, encasing him completely. It was a set of soul tool armor, along with more than thirty mounted soul cannons.
Support frames extended from his legs, stabilizing his stance. In an instant, six special storage soul tools activated to complete his transformation into a standing cannon fortress.
In the viewing area for the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Xiao Hongchen snorted coldly, "A siege cannon tactic from four thousand years ago,should be called a suicide tactic by now."
"And clearly they haven't even mastered it. This qualifies as a 'high-level soul engineer academy'?"
Their true captain, Ma Rulong, shook his head. "It's not that they haven't learned it, but that they lack the resources to perfect it. Compared to our Sun Moon Empire's fully developed artillery tactics, the soul tools produced by the three original kingdoms of the Douluo Continent can barely support elite users. They can't be widely distributed. And widespread deployment is the key to the cannon fortress tactic's true strength."
Although the Sun Moon students looked down on the tactic, the ordinary audience was shocked. There hadn't been a major continental war in four thousand years, so seeing such large artillery soul tool tactics was both fresh and amazing.
Xu Sanshi's expression grew more serious. His opponent had soul tools, but so did he. Used correctly, they would allow him to end this battle cleanly.
With his thick Xuanming Turtle Shield raised, he appeared small in comparison to the now enormous Situ Yu.
Situ Yu had sacrificed all mobility for firepower. The platform was only a hundred meters wide,his cannons could cover every inch of it.
Xu Sanshi began charging forward.
Situ Yu's four soul rings flashed, causing his soul power to surge to a level comparable to a Soul King. His cannons roared, filling the air with white projectiles like a storm of raining light.
The projectiles were numerous but weak,some third-ring soul masters could withstand them. They served only to delay Xu Sanshi.
Situ Yu's strongest weapon was the energy-gathering cannon on his chest,but it required a long charging time and consumed massive soul power. Worse, it was an outdated model that couldn't draw energy from external sources like the Sun Moon Empire's latest versions.
Xu Sanshi shrank behind his shield, the shots bouncing harmlessly away. Behind the protection of his shell, he quietly retrieved a pair of soul tool boots,propulsion boots provided by Ning Tian yesterday after Beibei revised their strategy.
With his training in Tang Sect footwork, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, combined with propulsion, his forward charge became even faster.
Situ Yu soon realized something alarming: this defense was overpowering. This was the crushing difference between martial spirits. Without high-level martial spirit power, mid- and low-level soul engineers were always at a disadvantage.
He launched six tracking projectiles to arc around and strike Xu Sanshi from behind. But by then, Xu Sanshi was already too close.
He burst forward at full force. Under the shell's cover, his sight vanished, but he didn't need to aim,Situ Yu couldn't move.
Seeing the incoming threat, Situ Yu committed everything to one last attack,his energy cannon fired!
A blinding beam exploded outward, containing the power of a Soul King-level attack.
But Xu Sanshi's shield pulsed with layers of black ripples,Xuanming Force combined with Xuanming Quake. He tilted his shield and deflected the cannon blast into the protective barrier around the arena.
Situ Yu's soul power was drained dry. Even though he had a soul skill to restore it, there was no time.
Xu Sanshi took one last heavy stride and smashed into him. Xuanming Quake triggered again, knocking the huge man off the platform.
With a smug grin, Xu Sanshi flicked his hair dramatically and called down to the disoriented, bleeding Situ Yu:
"Brother, keep your word!"
In the Sun Moon section, Xiao Hongchen scoffed, "No defensive soul tools, and that cannon was pitifully weak. How did they even make it to the round-robin?"
Ma Rulong could only sigh. He wasn't wrong. In a continent where the great clans and empires hoarded all soul master and soul engineer knowledge, only institutions with powerful backing could truly thrive.
Situ Yu admitted defeat. The rest of the opponents in this group were not strong. Preserving their strength for a chance to advance was a wise choice.
With the first round of the round-robin matches finished, Shrek's team earned a day and a half of rest.
But for Huo Yuhao, his preparations were only just beginning. The auction following the first round-robin match would finally feature the item he had been longing for: the Life Gold.
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