It wasn't just Huo Wu who found it strange.
The Shrek family members had the same question.
"Hey, Fatty, look, Dongfang Jing isn't here!" Oscar nudged Ma Hongjun beside him with his elbow and said in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, Ma Hongjun immediately perked up, his small eyes darting around the group of beautiful girls from Zixing Academy, his drool practically dripping from his mouth.
"Hehe, it's better that he didn't come! He's not in the way!" he said, while smugly flipping his non-existent bangs. "Without that pretty boy, Purple Star Academy is like a phoenix that has plucked its feathers, nothing to be afraid of!"
"Quiet down, everyone! What kind of behavior is this!"
Yu Xiaogang had somehow appeared beside Tang San and the others. His current identity was that of the team leader of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, replacing Qin Ming, so his status was naturally extraordinary.
He had just pulled some strings and gotten a list of all the participants from the Tiandou official staff in charge of registration.
"I just checked," he said in a low voice to the crowd, "Dongfang Jing's name is on the list of participants provided by Zixing Academy. I just don't know why he's not here today."
Hearing this, Ma Hongjun regained his confidence, puffed out his chest, and said arrogantly, "So what? Even if he doesn't come alone, can he turn the tide? Master, just you wait and see, when we meet them, I'll beat them until they cry for their parents!"
Tang San glanced at the smug fat man and gently shook his head.
"We can't be careless," he said in a deep voice. "Don't forget, we still have Dongfang Yao in the team. Her strength is not to be underestimated either."
However, Tang San's tone was also full of confidence.
"The Soul Master Competition is, after all, a team competition of seven people. No matter how strong she is, she can't cause much trouble on her own. Besides, our strength is no longer what it used to be. As long as that Dongfang Jing isn't around, defeating them is only a matter of time!"
Tang San's words resonated with everyone at Shrek Academy, who nodded in agreement.
After this period of grueling training, their skills have improved significantly, and their teamwork has become much better.
In their eyes, Purple Star Academy, which had lost its leader and was only a group of women, could not possibly be a match for their Heavenly Battle!
The only thing they need to consider now is how to win this match with an overwhelming advantage and wipe out their previous defeat!
Tang San, in particular, had already begun to conceive what he should say when he personally trampled Dongfang Yao under his feet, so that she and that damned Dongfang Jing would feel the deepest pain and despair!
...
The opening ceremony was long and tedious. After the passionate speech by Emperor Xueye and Ning Fengzhi's impeccable remarks, the last segment finally arrived—the draw for the first round of the preliminary competition.
On the dais,
Wearing a platinum bishop's robe, Salas slowly walked to the lottery box amidst expectant gazes.
His eyes swept over the Purple Star Academy's group below without leaving a trace, his mind racing.
'Should we... arrange for Purple Star Academy and Heavenly Dou Team Two to meet beforehand?'
The moment this thought crossed his mind, he remembered the admonition His Holiness the Pope had given him not long ago.
Regarding the suddenly emerging Purple Star Academy, His Holiness the Pope's attitude was to observe the situation and refrain from taking any rash actions.
Salas dared not disobey the Pope's orders in the slightest.
That's enough.
He sighed inwardly, and finally abandoned his plan to cheat in the lottery, and began to draw lots honestly.
"Round 1, Match 1: Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team 2 vs. Blue Tyrant Academy!"
As each draw result was announced, the atmosphere in the audience became increasingly heated.
Unlike in the original story, Blue Tyrant Academy has not merged with Shrek Academy.
Therefore, the team that will be playing the opening match against Tiandou Team 2 today is Blue Tyrant Academy, which is just there to make up the numbers.
Soon, the lottery results for other colleges were also released one after another.
"Round 1, Match 2, Purple Star Academy vs. Azure Radiance Academy!"
When they heard the result, Ning Rongrong, Dongfang Yao, and Zhu Zhuqing were all stunned, and then strange expressions appeared on their faces.
Meanwhile, the members of Canghui Academy were all eager to fight, their eyes filled with malicious frivolity as they looked at Zixing Academy.
In their eyes, drawing such a team full of girls was like winning the lottery.
The draw ceremony has concluded, marking the official end of today's opening ceremony.
The first match is about to begin. Teams from other colleges can watch or leave the field to wait for the subsequent matches.
"Let's go, we have nothing to do today, let's go back to the academy." Seeing that there was no competition today, Dongfang Yao stretched and suggested to everyone.
No one objected. After finding Ice Emperor and Snow Emperor waiting for them in the stands, the group chatted and laughed as they walked out of the Great Soul Arena.
"Sigh," Ning Rongrong sighed as she walked down the street, "The competition has already started, why hasn't the captain come back yet? We even specially prepared a team uniform for him."
The team uniforms were designed by someone who paid for them.
As she spoke, she winked at Dugu Yan beside her.
Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan was immediately amused and retorted, "I remember you prepared an extra women's version? Do you think the captain would wear it?"
"Ahem... We also have men's versions~ And although Brother Jing said we didn't need to prepare one for him, how could we leave him out? I put a lot of thought into it and had someone design it for him! I guarantee it will look even better than what we're wearing! The captain will definitely look incredibly dashing in it!"
...
Meanwhile, on the other side...
The Shrek Academy members were also following Yu Xiaogang back to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
"Pah, a bunch of pretentious women!" Ma Hongjun said sourly as he watched the departing figures of the girls from Zixing Academy.
"Alright, Fatty, that's enough." Oscar patted him on the shoulder. "Instead of wasting time, you should be thinking about what to eat this afternoon."
Dai Mubai walked at the front, arms crossed, and snorted coldly: "No matter what skills they have, they will only lose when they meet us. I hope that Dongfang Jing comes back soon, otherwise, it's too boring to win."
A belligerent glint flashed in his eyes.
Ever since Zhu Zhuqing publicly broke off their engagement and he was humiliated by Dongfang Jing and his gang, he had been holding back his anger with nowhere to vent it.
He couldn't wait to use his absolute power on the field to crush Zhu Zhuqing and everyone in Zixing Academy under his feet, to prove that he was the strongest!
Tang San listened silently to his companions' discussion without saying a word.
His mind had already wandered elsewhere.
Mom... Xiao Wu...
Oriental Mirror!!!
These names, like a tangled mess, kept swirling in his mind.
Tang San knew that the only way to unravel all of this was to become stronger!
So strong that it can crush everything, so strong that it can take back everything that belongs to it!
The Soul Master Tournament was his first step in proving himself to the world!
And Purple Star Academy is the first and most important stepping stone on his path to the peak!
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(End of chapter)