Su Mu was sitting cross-legged on his bed with a painful expression on his face, his five big tails moving softly. The hideous, deep cuts on them contrasted sharply with his dense, silky fur. One tail of his had almost been severed by a horrible wound; it looked as if it might snap off any minute.
Faint red light danced around his wounds, accelerating the healing process, but it must be really hurting, from the way he was grimacing.
Opposite Su Mu sat the fourth prince of the Star Luo Empire, Dai Yueyan, also known as Tiger King. He was one of the Monster Eight Kings as well. His hands twitched and curled up into fists, his breath heavy and ragged. He had never got so angry in a long time.
He was absolutely shocked by what he was seeing. He hadn’t thought that Su Mu’s tails had sustained such severe damage, and he suddenly realized why he hadn’t used his battle armor.
Losing this match was a huge blow to Su Mu’s confidence, and it made the Monster Academy look bad.
The situation was bad enough for them, but Fang’er’s remarks made it even worse. Although she said it was just her opinion, Dai Yueyan was convinced that his father was behind it. Knowing Father, he must be using her to put pressure on us to win. The Monster Academy is funded by the government, and clearly Father is not happy with our performance.
Tang Wulin! I’ll make you regret what you have done! Dai Yueyan’s eyes flashed with anger.
The second round of the one-on-one competition lasted two days. Half of the contestants had been eliminated. However, there would be a few more rounds of knockout matches until the remaining number of the participants totaled 128. Then they would be divided into eight groups and compete in a round robin. The top eight of each group would advance, so a total number of 64 participants would take part in the final knockout stage.
So to win the one-on-one championship, one would have to compete in at least 20 matches. The tournament was very lengthy – it would last about two months.
The two-on-two and team battles would follow the similar rules as those of the one-on-one competition. But since there were far fewer teams participating in the two-on-two and team battles, they wouldn’t take as many days as the one-on-one competition would.
Tang Wulin’s unlucky streak finally came to an end after the second round of the one-on-one competition. After ten days of fighting, he cruised to the round robin without having to compete against anyone on a par with him, and so did his teammates.
And the four teams of the Shrek Academy had all made it to the round robin of the two-on-two competition. In total, 64 teams had advanced, and they had been divided into eight groups. Only the top two teams of each group would gain the chance to compete in the final knockout stage.
As for the team competition, 32 teams had made it to the round robin, including Tang Wulin’s. They had also been divided into eight groups, but only one team in each group would advance to the final knockout stage.
The one-on-one round robin was not for another two days, but the round robin of the two-on-two and team competition had already started.
“We have a team match in the afternoon, so try to save your strength and soul power if you can while fighting your two-on-two match in the morning, and try not to get hurt,” said Tang Wulin. He had become more level-headed than before.
They were participating for the first time in such a large-scale tournament. After a dozen days of fighting, they had got used to the atmosphere in the stadium.
Tang Wulin was under the most pressure, because the audience booed him as soon as they spotted him, even though he couldn’t hear them once he got on the stage.
That commentator, Fang’er, was a woman of her word – she was commentating on Tang Wulin’s every match like she had promised. Her remarks were perceptive and insightful.
Tang Wulin hadn’t really unleashed his Bluesilver Emperor so far; he had only used his staggering strength empowered by the Golden Dragon King’s bloodline to fight.
64 teams would compete in the two-on-two round robin, and they had been divided into eight groups, so each group had eight teams. Tang Wulin and Gu Yue were in the same group as Xie Xie and Yuanen Yehui. That was the good news. The bad news was a team from the Monster Academy was also in their group. The rule was that only two teams would advance, which meant one of the three teams would be eliminated.
The Monster Academy’s team in their group consisted of a man and a woman. Tang Wulin had watched their matches. The man’s name was Hua Lantang, an assault-type soul master; the woman’s name was Ye Zhi, a support-type soul master, and she was the only support-type in the Monster Eight Kings. They both had five soul rings, and although Tang Wulin hadn’t seen them use battle armor, he was pretty sure they were both one-word battle armor masters. It sure won’t be easy to defeat these two, thought Tang Wulin.
Tang Wulin noticed that only three teams from the Monster Academy were competing in the two-on-two round robin.
The second team comprised Su Mu and Dai Yueyan. Su Mu was a control-type, while Dai Yueyan was an assault-type. They had developed excellent teamwork and made a powerful team.
To Tang Wulin’s astonishment, Long Yue and Dai Yun’er made up their third team. Why did he choose the weakest one in the Monster Eight Kings to be his partner? Tang Wulin wondered. Then the answer hit him. He’s helping her up her fame and battle experience. And he is more than capable of undertaking that job. He has defeated their opponents with ease even without Dai Yun’er’s assistance.
Dai Yueyan and Su Mu were not in the same group as any of the teams from the Shrek Academy, while Long Yue and Dai Yun’er were in the same group as Xu Xiaoyan and Yue Zhengyu. The current situation is better for us than it is for the Monster Academy, Tang Wulin thought. Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi will advance with no problem, and so will Xu Xiaoyan and Yue Zhengyu. The only problem is Yuanen Yehui and Xie Xie. If they want to advance, Gu Yue and I will have to defeat Hua Lantang and Ye Zhi in a short time, because if they end up with the same number of wins as Yuanen Yehui and Xie Xie, the team that lasts longer before getting defeated will advance.
Tang Wulin and Gu Yue’s first two-on-two match started, and their rivals were no other than Hua Lantang and Ye Zhi.
As always, Tang Wulin’s opponents were strong, only this time, he didn’t have to face them alone. And somehow he felt much more confident with Gu Yue standing by his side. We will win! Tang Wulin told himself.
This match was expected to be one of the greatest two-on-two matches in this round, and some even believed it would decide which team was the strongest in this group.
Hua Lantang and Ye Zhi had entered the stage. The former was a plain-looking man of average stature. There was nothing about him that could possibly please or interest anyone, except for his school uniform.
As for Ye Zhi, she was very pretty, like Dai Yun’er, only she was more mature – due to her age – like a blossoming flower.
They were far from well-matched in looks, yet she was holding his hand. Apparently, they were not just teammates but a couple.
He must be really strong if he can make such a talented and beautiful girl like Ye Zhi fall for him, Tang Wulin thought.