The morning in Star Luo City was sunny and bright, with a gentle, refreshing breeze.
For most people, it was just an ordinary morning, but for the teams participating in the All-Continent High-Rank Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, every day was full of variables and challenges.
The members of the Sun Moon Royal Team had played a bit wildly last night, but they were Spirit Masters after all. With their excellent physical fitness, a brief session of Calm Mind and breath regulation was enough to restore them to high spirits.
"Let's go. Although we don't have a match today, we should still go check on the other teams."
Liu Yuan changed into a clean team uniform and walked out of the room in high spirits.
Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and the others followed closely behind, each with a relaxed smile on their faces.
When they arrived at the spectator area of Star Luo Plaza, the appearance of the Sun Moon Team immediately caused a small stir.
After all, yesterday's match had been truly shocking.
Liu Yuan's incomparably overbearing figure was still etched into the minds of countless spectators.
Seeing the man himself appear now, many people cast looks of awe and admiration.
Liu Yuan had long since become accustomed to this. He calmly found a seat, turned his gaze toward the arena, and began to seriously observe today's matches.
In stark contrast to the relaxed and cozy atmosphere of the Sun Moon Team was the Shrek Academy rest area on the other side.
There, it seemed as if a lingering haze shrouded the area.
The members of the Shrek Team were all present, but they were dejected, like eggplants hit by frost—wilted.
Dai Yueheng sat in a chair, staring blankly at the ground, his fists tightening and loosening from time to time, clearly in the midst of an extreme internal struggle.
Chen Zifeng and the others also had dark expressions and remained silent.
Even the usually most active preparatory team members, such as Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, were taciturn now, their faces filled with confusion.
After all, for those accustomed to failure, losing one more time might just be adding another scar.
But for these Shrek students who had been indoctrinated since childhood with the concepts of 'Shrek is invincible' and 'I am a Genius', yesterday's crushing defeat was like falling from the clouds into a quagmire. It didn't just break their bones; it shattered the pride and belief they had relied on for survival.
This psychological gap was harder to heal than physical pain.
Especially when their eyes inadvertently swept over the Sun Moon Team opposite them and saw Liu Yuan talking and laughing, that sense of frustration and helplessness would surge into their hearts like a tide, drowning what little fighting spirit they had left.
"That guy... is he really human?"
Xu Sanshi looked at Liu Yuan in the distance and couldn't help but mutter in a low voice, his tone full of bitterness.
Although Jiang Nannan beside him didn't speak, the dimness in her eyes explained everything.
This lifeless atmosphere made Xuan Zi, who was sitting at the very front, feel extremely anxious.
He stuffed chicken legs into his mouth while secretly observing the team members behind him.
The chicken legs still tasted the same, but he felt as if he were chewing wax, making them hard to swallow.
"Ahem..."
Xuan Zi cleared his throat, trying to break the suffocating silence:
"That... everyone, cheer up!"
"Yesterday was just an accident; victory and defeat are common in battle. As long as we learn our lesson, we'll definitely win it back next time!"
"You are Shrek's geniuses, a collection of monsters! How can you be knocked down by one small failure?"
However, his 'chicken soup' didn't have any effect.
The team members only looked up at him once, their eyes even carrying a hint of numbness, before lowering their heads again.
Xuan Zi was anxious in his heart.
He knew very well that if this state continued, the Shrek Team would be truly finished.
The current Round-robin Tournament was fine; after all, they had already qualified, so it didn't matter.
But once the Round-robin Tournament ended and they entered the cruel top sixteen Elimination Round, if they had bad luck and encountered the Sun Moon Royal Team early...
With their current state of being intimidated before the fight and having no morale at all, let alone winning, they probably wouldn't even have the courage to fight back and would be eliminated directly!
That would be Shrek Academy's greatest disgrace in ten thousand years!
"No, it absolutely cannot go on like this."
Xuan Zi took a hard bite of his chicken leg, his brow furrowed.
Although that freak Liu Yuan was indeed difficult to deal with, aside from Liu Yuan, Shrek wasn't actually inferior to the Sun Moon Team in overall strength.
As long as they could boost morale and arrange their tactics well, they wouldn't necessarily be without the power to fight.
But the key now was that these kids had lost their spirit.
He had to find a way to help them divert their attention and change their mood.
Over the next few days, the competition continued.
Although the Shrek Team had been resting, that oppressive atmosphere always hung over the team.
Xuan Zi saw it and felt anxious.
Finally, four days later, an opportunity came.
After the matches ended, Xuan Zi mysteriously called all the team members into the room.
"That... ahem, I have some good news for everyone."
Xuan Zi rubbed his hands together, forcing a kind smile onto his face:
"This old man just heard that tonight, Star Luo City's largest auction house will hold a top-tier auction."
"I heard there will be many good things at this auction, like rare metals, high-rank spirit tools, and even Spirit Bones."
Hearing the word "auction," the eyes of the previously lifeless crowd finally flashed with a faint light.
They were all young people after all, and they still had an instinctive curiosity for such lively and unknown occasions.
Seeing that everyone had a reaction, Xuan Zi was delighted and immediately struck while the iron was hot:
"Everyone has worked hard in the matches recently, and the pressure has been great. I was thinking, why don't we all go relax tonight and broaden our horizons at the same time?"
At this point, Xuan Zi grit his teeth, as if he had made some major decision, and patted his chest, saying:
"Furthermore, tonight, as long as it's something you like, and as long as the price isn't too outrageous, I'll buy it for you!"
"Consider it a reward for your hard work during this time!"
"Really?!"
Hearing this, Xu Sanshi was the first to jump up, his eyes widening like copper bells:
"Elder Xuan, you're not joking, right? You're really paying?"
"Nonsense! When has this old man ever gone back on his word?" Xuan Zi gave him an annoyed look, but his heart was bleeding.
This was money he had saved for a long time, originally intended for top-quality food and wine. Now it seemed that for the sake of these kids' morale, he had to take a major hit to his wallet.
"Wow! Long live Elder Xuan!"
With this promise from Xuan Zi, the atmosphere in the room instantly became much more active.
Although they hadn't completely regained their former vigor, at least they were no longer as lifeless as before.
Watching this scene, Xuan Zi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Money could be earned again, but if these kids' spirits were broken, he really wouldn't be able to face Elder Mu when he returned.
...
Meanwhile.
On the top floor of the Star Emperor Grand Hotel, inside Liu Yuan's room.
Liu Yuan, who had just returned from watching the matches, was about to rest when a familiar mechanical prompt suddenly sounded in his mind.
[Ding! System triggered a limited-time mission!]
Liu Yuan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
With a thought, he immediately checked the mission details.
[Mission Name: Raiders of the Lost Treasure]
[Mission Content: Go to tonight's Star Luo City top-tier auction and successfully bid for the key item—gold of living beings (Spirit Devouring Carving Knife).]
[Mission Reward: Random Pokémon world Item ×1!]
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