At this moment,
although his heart was filled with infinite longing for the upcoming top-tier auction,
Liu Yuan wished he could fast-forward time to the start of the auction, especially when he thought of the fate-changing "Heal Ball" and the soon-to-appear Snow Empress.
But reality was reality, after all; time would not accelerate for the sake of an individual's will.
The preparations for the top-tier auction still required time, and the current All-Continent High-Rank Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament was still in full swing.
Therefore, back in his luxury suite at the Star Emperor Grand Hotel, Liu Yuan calmed his agitated emotions.
He then double-locked the door and activated the soundproofing spirit tool barrier within the room.
Having done all this, he sat cross-legged on the bed, and with a flick of his wrist, the crystal box containing the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife appeared in his palm.
"Whew..."
Liu Yuan took a deep breath, attempting to mobilize a sliver of spirit power within his body to cautiously probe into the crystal box, trying to touch the gold of living beings beneath that layer of resentment.
However, the moment his spirit power made contact with the carving knife itself,
Buzz!
A shrill scream suddenly exploded in his spiritual sea, as if countless vengeful spirits were wailing in his ears. That black current, filled with negative emotions, surged back along his spirit power, attempting to erode his sanity.
Liu Yuan frowned and made a decisive move, quickly cutting off the connection to that sliver of spirit power. He closed the crystal box again and stored it back into his storage spirit tool.
"As expected... forcibly absorbing this thing is still unwise."
Liu Yuan opened his eyes. A layer of fine cold sweat had broken out on his forehead, but his gaze remained clear.
He did not feel discouraged.
After all, in the original work, the reason Huo Yuhao could purify this knife was because Electrolux lived inside him, and he had a million-year spiritual-type Spirit Beast like the Heavenly Dream Ice Worm as a safety net.
Liu Yuan couldn't do that, so he would just change his approach.
"Since Dean Jing Hongchen told me not to be reckless, I'll take his advice and stay safe."
A relaxed smile curled at the corner of Liu Yuan's mouth.
"Anyway, this thing is already surnamed Liu; it can't run away."
"Once this tournament is over, I'll get my hands on the Snow Empress, then return to the Sun Moon Empire and have the Dean gather several Ninth-Rank Soul Engineers to set up a grand array and refine it slowly. Wouldn't that be more secure?"
Having thought this through, Liu Yuan no longer obsessed over it.
His primary task now was to adjust his condition, prepare for the upcoming matches, and... wait for the optimal moment to capture the Snow Empress.
...
The next few days passed without any major incidents.
Liu Yuan and the members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy returned to their usual rhythm.
During the day, they would go to Star Luo Plaza to watch the matches and analyze the tactics and strength of potential opponents;
at night, they would either Cultivate individually or gather to discuss strategy.
As time passed, the schedule for the Round-robin Tournament finally came to an end.
Although this year's tournament seemed particularly dramatic due to the frequent "accidents" of Shrek Academy, the competition among other academies remained fierce.
After countless battles of blood and fire, only the final sixteen elite teams remained from the original hundred-plus participating squads.
These sixteen teams were all powerhouses who had survived layers of screening and the winnowing of the sands.
With the conclusion of the Round-robin Tournament, the tournament was about to enter its most brutal and exciting stage—the Top Sixteen Elimination Rounds!
Unlike the point system of the Round-robin Tournament, where losing one match still left a chance for a comeback,
the elimination rounds were an asura field where one battle decided life or death.
Win, and you advance to the top eight, continuing the march toward the glory of the championship;
lose, and you pack up and go home immediately, with all your hard work and sweat going to waste.
This format reduced the margin for error to the minimum and pushed the tension of the competition to its peak.
...
Inside a conference room at the Star Luo Grand Hotel.
All members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy were sitting together, the atmosphere relaxed yet carrying a hint of murderous intent.
Jing Hongchen sat at the head of the table, holding a freshly released list of the top sixteen. His gaze swept across the room, finally landing on Liu Yuan, Ma Rulong, and the others.
"The Round-robin Tournament is over. Starting tomorrow, the real fighting begins."
Jing Hongchen's voice was steady and powerful. "Tonight, the drawing ceremony for the Top Sixteen Elimination Rounds will be held. This draw has no avoidance principles; it's entirely down to luck."
"In other words, we could potentially face any team that advanced from the groups."
At this point, Jing Hongchen paused, a proud smile appearing on his face. "Of course, with the strength of our Sun Moon Team, no matter who we face, there is no need for fear!"
The team members nodded one after another, their Battle Intent high.
Liu Yuan sat in the corner, his fingers lightly tapping the table, while his gaze looked through the conference room window toward the area where Shrek Academy was located.
Even though they were far apart, he seemed to feel the low pressure emanating from that direction.
Over the past few days, while watching the matches, he had specifically paid attention to the situation of the Shrek Team.
It had to be said that as the number one academy on the continent, Shrek's foundation was indeed deep.
Ma Xiaotao, who had suffered significant injuries in her battle against him, had already returned at full health.
However, to Liu Yuan's surprise, this group's ability to handle pressure was somewhat absurdly poor...
Ever since Ma Xiaotao lost to him last time, that group of people from the Shrek Team had been acting as if they had lost their souls.
Their morale appeared low.
Liu Yuan had originally thought they would be able to adjust quickly.
But so many days had passed.
The Shrek Team's condition still hadn't recovered.
Particularly at times, when Liu Yuan heard other spectators discussing the possibility of the Shrek Team losing if they met the Sun Moon Team in the later matches...
deep in the pupils of the Shrek Team members, there seemed to be a faint, flickering fear.
This was a bit ridiculous.
Liu Yuan continued to ponder.
Perhaps...
this was the so-called "the higher you stand, the harder you fall"?
Or...
was it because the pressure brought by the so-called "Shrek's Glory" was simply too great for them?
Liu Yuan thought it made sense.
Before this, when Shrek Academy had never lost and there was no possibility of losing...
this so-called "Shrek's Glory" indeed wouldn't give them too much pressure.
But now it was different; they likely still hadn't thought of a way to defeat him.
So, this so-called "Shrek's Glory" had become a shackle upon them.
Putting himself in their shoes, if he were a member of Shrek and thought about the possibility of breaking Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year undefeated record, he would also feel a lot of pressure...
So it wasn't surprising that the Shrek Team was in this state now.
However...
Liu Yuan and Shrek were enemies.
The enemy's misfortune only brings sorrow to their loved ones and joy to their foes.
So Liu Yuan was quite gloating right now.
He was even thinking, how great would it be if they actually drew the Shrek Team in the top sixteen matches when the drawing started later?
The Shrek Team's current state was clearly a mess.
It was the best opportunity for the Sun Moon Team to defeat them.
If they drew them, there was a high probability they could eliminate them directly.
And when that time came, the defending champion Shrek being eliminated in the top sixteen?
That script... it was interesting just thinking about it...
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