For the teams of Furina and Huo Yuhao, the subsequent matches were equally effortless and stress-free.
Even the following Ranking matches were merely a formality, failing to stir up the slightest ripple.
Once the dust settled on the Quarter-finals, only four teams remained in the Ranking matches. Besides Huo Yuhao's team, there were two others led by Three-ring Soul Elders.
The semi-final matchups were now clear: Furina's team would face Dai Huabin's team, while Huo Yuhao and his companions would go up against the team led by Ning Tian, who possessed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul.
Furina felt a slight sense of regret, but then she reconsidered. Since her team consisted of only herself, she didn't need to worry about any teammates' feelings and could choose to surrender at any time without hesitation—this would not only send Dai Huabin and his team into the finals but also pave the way for Huo Yuhao to take his revenge personally.
However, before that, she didn't mind teaching them a lesson on Huo Yuhao's behalf. Surrendering immediately would seem cowardly, as if she, Furina, were afraid of them. She didn't want to leave such an impression.
After all, wasn't it just a Martial Soul Fusion Skill? Frankly, unless Dai Huabin and his team used that move right at the start and managed to hit her before she could enjoy her Nut Cake, they stood absolutely no chance.
Yet, it was almost impossible for Dai Huabin to do so.
For someone like him who held a Spirit Master's pride as supreme, using a Martial Soul Fusion Skill right at the beginning would be no different from admitting he was no match for a "mere Spirit King-level support system Spirit Master" like Furina.
It would only make it seem like he had to rely on a Fusion skill to counter a Food System Spirit Master, which would be a complete self-degradation.
Of course, one shouldn't speak in absolutes. After all, the strength Furina had displayed so far was astonishing, with Soul Bone Skills so powerful they were intimidating; up until now, no team had been able to harm her in the slightest.
If Dai Huabin wasn't stupid, he might actually use the Fusion skill at the start; otherwise, as long as Furina didn't surrender voluntarily, they were bound to lose.
However, even if he did use the Martial Soul Fusion Skill at the start, his chances of winning were still slim, about one percent. After all, Furina had never been a "pure Food-type Support Soul Master."
The stage for the Semi-finals had moved to two more open areas in the center of the assessment zone, much larger than before, allowing the Spirit Masters to fully display their abilities. In the spectator stands, Yan Shaozhe, the Dean of the Shrek Academy Martial Soul Department, was present in person, while Du Weilun, the Director of Teaching for the Outer Court, was respectfully reporting to him.
"...Therefore, I believe the aforementioned students should be included in the Core Disciple list," Du Weilun said modestly.
Yan Shaozhe nodded slightly. "Mm, Weilun, you've been at the academy for over twenty years, and I've seen all your contributions. I naturally trust your judgment."
He paused and then asked, "By the way, I recall that the team ranked first in the New Student Assessment is automatically included in the Core Disciple list, right?"
Du Weilun nodded and replied, "Yes. Both Huo Yuhao's and Dai Huabin's teams have already been listed by me as Core Disciples in advance; there's no need for further discussion on that."
"Dai Huabin, huh..." Yan Shaozhe said thoughtfully. "From what you're saying, you favor Dai Huabin's team to go all the way?"
Du Weilun shook his head. "To be honest, Dean Yan, in the past, I certainly would have thought so. But this time, that little girl Furina, the Pope of the Axis Cult, has performed quite astonishingly. Not even mentioning her Spirit King-level Soul Power, I've even heard she could suppress Ma Xiaotao in her berserk state..."
He lowered his voice and continued, "It's highly likely she has a Second Martial Soul and has been hiding her true strength. In this situation, even if Dai Huabin and his team have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, they might still find it difficult to win."
At this point, Du Weilun couldn't help but sigh softly.
Furina was practically here to "smurf," and she even seemed to have the intention of poaching talent. For this kind of New Student Assessment, if she had just spoken to Zhou Yi or any other teacher, she probably could have bypassed the exam entirely.
Even if she really lost in the knockout stages, Shrek Academy would never let such a talent leave and would surely do everything possible to keep her.
After all, Furina was a Genius among Geniuses. If such a person couldn't stay at Shrek, it would be a loss for the academy, even a disgrace.
Yan Shaozhe also tacitly agreed with this. "Indeed... unfortunately, we can't be sure if her Second Martial Soul is truly Ultimate Water, and we can't force her to reveal it. The Axis Cult has significant influence now, having almost become the state religion of the Star Luo Empire. Even for us at Shrek Academy, it's not convenient to easily offend them."
"Unless they are in league with Evil Soul Masters, but according to public reputation and rumors, this Sect acts uprightly and is dedicated to the people, serving as a model for all Sects. I'm afraid if you combined all the Sects on the continent, they still wouldn't compare to them in terms of popular support. Even the Spirit Hall from ten thousand years ago, before it fell, was only about this level."
Indeed, most other Sects only cared about expanding their own power and rarely truly cared about the plight of commoners; even fewer would be willing to travel across the country or even to other nations just to help commoners in villages awaken their Martial Souls.
Although the Spirit Hall from ten thousand years ago had done similar things, it hadn't been as wholehearted as the Axis Cult in helping people grow and healing the sick.
A thought even flashed through Yan Shaozhe's mind: if the Axis Cult expanded its influence in the future and developed ambitions to unify the continent, they might only need to give a single call for the people to rise up in response, willingly supporting them to overthrow the royal families of various nations. They wouldn't even need to start a war like the Spirit Hall did, or create a god to unite people's hearts.
But he immediately shook his head, dispelling this somewhat dangerous thought.
While the unification of the continent would be a good thing, it might also give birth to the next Spirit Hall. Besides, if a war really broke out, it would ultimately be the commoners who suffered.
For now, the balance maintained by the four great Empires was relatively stable. As long as the Sun Moon Empire didn't take the initiative to start a war, peace might continue—especially as long as Elder Mu was still around. Even the Sun Moon Empire's Class 9 Stationary Soul Cannon Shells might not be able to shake the current strongest Limit Douluo on the continent: the Dragon God Douluo, Mu En.
Yan Shaozhe shifted the topic back. "So, what do you think of the team consisting of Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao?"
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