area51novel Chapter 209 Winning the Championship is More Difficult Than Imagined
Chapter 209 Winning the Championship is More Difficult Than Imagined
"Well, it's impossible for the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy to meet us in the semifinals, which means our opponent is either the Star Luo National Academy or the Imperial Academy."
"That's how it works in theory. Tonight's tactical meeting is specifically for these two academies. As Teacher Wang mentioned before, everyone needs to prepare what they consider to be reasonable lineup arrangements and tactical plans, and then the feasibility will be discussed collectively. Now that you're awake, hurry up and think about whether you have any suitable tactics."
Oh, right. Teacher Wang Yan also said that starting from the semifinals, the 2-2-3 formation will reappear in our battle strategy. If the team battle and individual battle are only one win and one loss, then we will need to use the final 2-2-3 formation to determine the winner.
"They have quite a few tricks up their sleeves, but in the end, it all comes down to their own strength. To be honest, we're not in a strong position! According to the intelligence we've gathered, in terms of soul power level alone, we're almost the weakest of the four."
"You still care about this?"
"Of course we care. If we follow the previous lineup, sometimes we are clearly on Shrek's side."
You might not believe it, but before we set off, I had a feeling our journey might not go smoothly. So I used some methods to make Elder Xuan and the senior students in the inner courtyard re-understand the power of soul tools, and I also had the Soul Tool Department equip them with a considerable number of trigger-type defensive soul tools. But what I didn't expect was that my feeling came true, but my preparations failed.
Honestly, this feeling is awful. It's like you knew beforehand what was going to happen, and you made all the necessary preparations, only to find that your preparations were completely useless, or even counterproductive. It's really hard to accept.
"You never told us about this."
"Because it's useless. Before things actually happen, what I call feelings are just my own useless anxiety, and once things actually happen, it's no use saying anything."
I'm only saying this now because the competition is about to end, and throughout the competition, no one felt much difficulty due to the incomplete lineup, so the expectations for the champion were a bit too high.
I don't care that much about what others do, but Beibei, as the captain of the reserve team, you need to be mentally prepared. Be prepared that Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year-old championship title in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament will fall into the hands of others in our year.
To be honest, I'm confident I can defeat both Star Luo National Academy and Di'ao Academy. However, our chances of winning against Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy are too low.
Even a Soul Saint-level Soul Master, even one who's constantly taking medicine, is capable of wielding an eighth-grade Soul Tool. The power of an eighth-grade Soul Tool produced by Mingde Hall is something no Soul Emperor can withstand.
If Senior Ma Xiaotao were here, she could use the evil fire power of the Evil Phoenix, along with her soul power level of over 65, to try and overload the Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Blade. In that case, she might have a slight advantage, but she wouldn't necessarily be without a chance of victory. However, Senior Ma Xiaotao isn't here, and Senior Dai Yueheng's soul power level is too low. The Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Blade, an eighth-level soul tool, is simply not something Senior Dai Yueheng can currently use, even if he tries his best.
In this situation, even if Teacher Fan Yu created a soul-guided powered armor for Senior Dai Yueheng, it's highly unlikely that Senior Dai Yueheng could defeat Ma Rulong. This is absolutely not meant to belittle our own abilities or boost the enemy's morale; it's a serious analysis based on a careful comparison of combat strength. A Soul Emperor from Shrek Academy has a high chance of defeating an ordinary Soul Saint, but this category of "ordinary Soul Saints" doesn't include those from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy!
Shrek Academy has been researching the inheritance of Soul Masters for tens of thousands of years, but the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy has also been researching the inheritance of Soul Tools for tens of thousands of years, or even longer!
To be honest, I'm not the only one who knows what the outcome will be. Don't you think Teacher Fanyu is a bit too busy? He's been making all sorts of soul tools for us, and after Senior Dai Yueheng's soul-guided power armor was made, it has also been undergoing various adjustments.
If Teacher Fanyu were truly confident, given his personality, he wouldn't be so meticulous about every little detail; it's more likely he's using this opportunity to test me and He Caitou.
As Long You lay on his back on the bed, he spoke these words in a low voice, and for a moment the atmosphere in the room became somewhat stagnant.
Bei Bei wasn't stupid. He knew Shrek Academy wasn't the strongest, but he always believed that as long as they fought hard enough, defeating a stronger opponent wasn't impossible. Shrek Academy's eternal honor would absolutely not be lost in his hands.
However, Beibei was ultimately a rational person. Although Longyou did not specifically mention one-on-one battles in his words, Beibei still grasped the hidden meaning in Longyou's words: "We may still have some tricks up our sleeves in team battles, but in one-on-one battles, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy has an opponent that we cannot currently contend with."
"Is the best outcome we can achieve just one win in team battles and one loss in individual battles, and then decide the winner using a 2-2-3 strategy?"
"That's right. And with our current personnel configuration, even if we use the 2-2-3 strategy, we need to finish the battle in a 2-on-2 match. Once it gets to 3-on-3, we don't have that many personnel reserves, and we will definitely lose."
"Aren't you going to tell anyone about this?"
"No, there's nothing wrong with making things easier for everyone. Those who need to know the situation will know."
"You mean Teacher Wang Yan? Will Teacher Fan Yu tell Teacher Wang Yan?"
"They will definitely tell them. Not only will they tell Teacher Wang Yan, but Teacher Fan Yu will most likely also inform them in advance. Although if we're talking about responsibility for the defeat, we, the reserve team members from the outer academy, shouldn't bear the main responsibility under any circumstances. But this world is one where success or failure determines who is a hero."
It's almost inevitable that there will be dissenting and insulting voices among the students. Even within the Sea God Pavilion, there might be some unpleasant whispers. After all, only Elder Mu made the decision not to provide support; it's hard to say whether the other elders might be particularly attached to the academy's enduring honor.
Will it be difficult?
Beibei was still the same clever Beibei, but even the smartest person will feel uncertain about things they have never experienced before, so subconsciously, Beibei began to ask Longyou for advice.
However, Long You's answer disappointed Bei Bei. "I don't know, I've never experienced something like this. I only know that when everyone is disappointed in you, if you're not strong enough inside, it's hard to guarantee that you won't be disappointed in yourself and give up on yourself completely."
Perhaps the two wanted to continue their conversation, but the sudden surge of life force emanating from the next room interrupted their exchange.
Xiao Muyang had already darted to the wall of the room, rubbing against it vigorously, trying to glean some benefit from the spreading life force. Long You and Bei Bei were naturally not attracted by this obviously unusable life force, but since such an exaggerated aura was emanating from the next room, it meant that what was happening there was nearing its end, and it was time to go and join the fun.
The topic we just discussed was a bit too heavy; it's better to clear our heads.
"Let's go see what's going on. If Lady Luck hasn't abandoned us, we're not necessarily doomed to lose; there's still a chance we can fight back."
"Ha, I wasn't comforted by that perfunctory tone."
As Huo Yuhao strolled out of his room, the door next door opened at the same time. Huo Yuhao, still looking bewildered, walked out holding a striking emerald green knife. Behind him, Zhang Lexuan, carrying the seemingly asleep Jade Swan, also came out.
"Tsk, Big White seems to have pretty good luck! By the way, what exactly does Big White see in you? When it comes to cooking, I think I'm definitely better than you, so why does Big White like to stick with you?"
The process of purifying the Soul-Devouring Blade was obviously going smoothly, but perhaps a little too smoothly. Neither the team leaders Fan Yu, Zhang Lexuan, and Wang Yan, nor Huo Yuhao, a student, had any interest in satisfying Long You and Bei Bei's curiosity. Only Fan Yu, with a serious expression, left with the question, "Are you all so free because you've already figured out the tactics?"
It must be said that, as a teacher, collecting homework is indeed a skill that can make the vast majority of students obedient.
Back in his room, after ruffling the little creature's soft, fluffy fur for a while, Long You had no choice but to obediently begin preparing his own tactical analysis report.
At dinner time, Long You saw He Caitou, who had clearly been forcibly woken up, and Huo Yuhao, who looked refreshed and energetic, as if he had been reborn. After a simple and perfunctory meal, the tactical meeting officially began.
First, let's talk about the information. At this stage of the competition, thanks to Shrek Academy's current information gathering methods, the lineup information of each academy is basically completely transparent to Shrek.
Once the abilities of the other participating students are thoroughly analyzed, predicting their tactics and formulating targeted strategies will no longer be absurd.
As usual, Wang Yan was in charge of the information presentation. However, when Long You saw that Xu Jiujiu's name was not on the section belonging to the Star Luo National Academy, he subconsciously narrowed his eyes slightly.
"The strength of the top four academies has become quite transparent at this point. The strongest is undoubtedly the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. Although they do not appear to have any Soul Emperors in their ranks, we all know that Ma Rulong, who has only appeared once (to show off to Shrek Academy, Ma Rulong appeared once but did not reveal his Soul Rings), is actually a Soul Saint."
For the four strongest academies at this stage, Soul Saint-level Soul Masters are a formidable obstacle. In fact, if we don't have the means to deal with level eight Soul Tools, this obstacle could very well become an insurmountable chasm.
Besides Ma Rulong, two other figures from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy are noteworthy: their reserve team captain, Xiao Hongchen, and vice-captain, Meng Hongchen. These two are siblings who haven't appeared in the competition, but information gleaned by Xiao You reveals that their martial souls are quite unique. Xiao Hongchen even possesses a trace of divine beast blood, and their strength has already reached the Soul King level. More importantly, they also possess a martial soul fusion skill—a trump card whose exact power is unknown.
Clearly, if we encounter the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, it will be almost inevitable that we will face this brother and sister duo in a two-on-two match.
Aside from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, the Heavenly Soul Empire's Imperial Academy appears to be stronger, as they also have a Soul Emperor-level student in their ranks, and the other six members of their main team are all Soul King-level.
However, in terms of average strength, the Star Luo National Academy is not to be underestimated, and may even be stronger than us. The Star Luo National Academy has six Soul Kings, and most of these Soul Kings are not newly promoted, but at least level 55 or above.
All of the above demonstrates the difficulties we will face in the semifinals. In terms of strength, Shrek Academy can be said to have no advantage whatsoever.
Alright, if you have nothing to add regarding the opponent's intelligence, then we can move on to the tactical discussion.
Wang Yan's opening remarks were nothing new to the Shrek Academy students present, but even such familiar phrases could still exert considerable pressure. At least, the atmosphere in the conference room became even more tense after Wang Yan finished speaking.
"Teacher Wang, there's something I need to add."
Long You's voice came from the other end of the conference table. Although a large number of regular players were injured and had to leave, resulting in the team's strength being even worse than in the original world, Long You had indeed made physical changes. However, he was still able to reasonably reveal information to make Shrek Academy more relaxed in terms of tactical preparation.
"The Star Luo National Academy's lineup is missing one person. That person is actually the captain of the Star Luo National Academy, a princess of the Star Luo royal family, and the auctioneer at the top auction that day—Xu Jiujiu."