The referee soon announced the result in a clear, ringing voice.
Wang Qiuer was victorious.
In an instant, the entire Mingdu Plaza erupted into thunderous cheers.
As the hosts, the audience of the Sun Moon Empire showed unrestrained fanaticism toward Wang Qiuer's violent yet aesthetically overwhelming fighting style. Countless voices shouted the name of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, the roar of the crowd surpassing that of all previous matches.
Standing at the edge of the arena, Wang Qiuer did not immediately step down. Instead, she slightly lifted her chin, calmly basking in the deafening cheers.
The sensation of standing at the center of attention swept away much of the gloom that had accumulated in her heart over the past few days.
But what truly satisfied her was not the applause itself.
Out of the corner of her eye, she clearly caught the reactions from the Shrek Academy rest area.
Bei Bei's pale face.
Huo Yuhao's tightly furrowed brows.
And the deep apprehension hidden in the eyes of those Shrek students who prided themselves on being geniuses.
Wang Qiuer sneered inwardly.
Just wait, Shrek. This is only an appetizer.
When we truly meet on the battlefield, I'll show you hypocrites how I deal with you.
She put away her golden dragon spear and stepped down from the arena with steady strides, quickly returning to the Sun Moon Royal Team's waiting area.
Liu Yuan watched her sit down. He said nothing, simply handing her a bottle of soul power recovery potion.
After that, everyone remained in the venue, continuing to watch the matches and observe the strength of opponents in other brackets.
Soon, the first day of competition came to an end.
Because the tournament adopted a single-elimination format, more than half of the participating teams were eliminated in just one day.
Numerous second-rate academies and lesser-known sects left Mingdu with regret. Those still remaining were all elites who had survived the baptism of the first round.
The matches of the second and third days followed.
To most insiders, however, these two days were not particularly interesting.
During this period, the Shrek Team, the Star Luo Team, and the Sun Moon Royal Team all displayed terrifying dominance. The opponents they faced were generally of average strength, and the three major favorites almost always ended their matches with clean sweeps, revealing neither core spirit abilities nor deeper tactical arrangements.
While the process looked lively and exciting to ordinary spectators, insiders saw it for what it was—nothing more than a one-sided slaughter.
Everything changed on the fourth day.
A match finally appeared that was enough to shake the entire venue.
In the East District, the previous runner-up—the Star Luo Team—faced off against a team that had remained largely unknown until now: the Body Sect.
This battle marked the final round of the first phase of the elimination tournament.
According to the rules, the winner would advance into the top sixteen and officially qualify for the upcoming round-robin stage.
Almost everyone had assumed the Star Luo Team would win without difficulty. After all, a team led by Xu Jiujiu was unquestionably powerful.
Yet the course of the battle shattered all expectations.
Not only did the Star Luo Team fail to gain the upper hand, they were instead completely suppressed by the Body Sect.
Every member fielded by the Body Sect displayed utterly outrageous physical strength and explosive close-combat power.
In less than an hour, the Star Luo Team was thoroughly defeated and forcibly eliminated from the tournament.
A former powerhouse didn't even make it into the top sixteen.
The result sent shockwaves through everyone present.
Teams that had previously paid little attention to the Body Sect now turned solemn, scrutinizing gazes toward this suddenly emerging dark horse.
In Shrek's rest area, Xuan Zi's expression turned extremely grave.
He stared intently at Long Aotian and the others as they stepped off the arena, lowering his voice as he spoke to the elder beside him.
"This team's strength is absurdly high. Have you noticed? Their fighting style is completely unified, and every single one of them possesses an Original Body Martial Soul."
Though arrogant by nature, Xuan Zi was still a Super Douluo. He knew very well what an Original Body Martial Soul represented.
Across the entire continent, there was only one sect famous for that trait alone—the Body Sect.
Watching from afar, Liu Yuan's expression remained calm.
From the moment the Body Sect registered for the tournament, he had already known their true identity. In his eyes, it was only natural that a group of monsters personally trained by Poison Undying could defeat the Star Luo Team.
Frankly speaking, the Star Luo Team's ability to last as long as they did was already impressive.
That very night, the first phase of the elimination tournament officially concluded.
The tournament committee used a massive screen to conduct the draw, confirming the matchups for the next stage after the top sixteen were decided.
Because too many powerhouse teams were concentrated in the East District, the instant the draw results were revealed, the atmosphere in Mingdu Plaza seemed to freeze.
An explosive and highly dramatic outcome appeared.
The Sun Moon Royal Team had been drawn into the same group as the Body Sect for the upcoming round-robin stage.
That meant that tomorrow, these two teams—both having displayed absolute dominance in the elimination rounds—would clash head-on far earlier than expected.
As the news spread, the entire venue erupted.
"Sun Moon Royal Team versus Body Sect? This is incredible—this is practically a final being played in advance!"
"The Body Sect just crushed the Star Luo Team. I wonder if Liu Yuan can suppress them."
After learning the draw results, Xuan Zi's previously heavy mood actually lifted somewhat.
Sitting on the hotel sofa, his eyes flickered as he analyzed the situation.
"Can this so-called Body Sect really defeat Sun Moon? Even if they can't, their desperate fighting style should be enough to force out all of Liu Yuan's strength, right?"
He snorted coldly, eager to see Liu Yuan suffer a setback.
Bei Bei stood by the window, gazing toward the Duke's Mansion in the distance, his voice hoarse.
"It's hard to say who will win or lose now. But this is definitely the highest-level clash since the tournament began."
"We'll just have to watch it in person tomorrow. Hopefully, this match will let us see Liu Yuan's hidden cards clearly."
As night deepened, Mingdu did not grow quiet. On the contrary, it became even more clamorous in anticipation of tomorrow's "dragon-versus-tiger" showdown.
In the courtyard of the Duke's Mansion, Liu Yuan glanced at the match list in his hand, then casually crushed it into fragments that scattered into the air.
"The Body Sect?"
He stood up, feeling the surging power brought by the steady rotation of the soul core within his body. A cold curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"It seems… I can finally put in a little effort."
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