Because of this behind-the-scenes manipulation, this Round Robin Stage proceeded very quickly.
Five days passed in a flash; the competition, which was originally supposed to last at least ten days, was now nearing its end under the interference of various "forces majeure."
The schedule had been artificially compressed, leaving the teams with a pitifully small amount of time to adjust or catch their breath.
A hurried, unsettling heat filled the air, like the oppression before a storm.
It only waited for the final bolt of lightning to strike before it would completely explode.
And today, the Mingluo Sect finally faced their Peak confrontation with the Star Luo National Academy.
After five days of high-intensity gauntlet matches, the members of the Mingluo Sect appeared even more exhausted.
A lingering weariness hung between everyone's brows, giving off the impression that they were at their wits' end and could be easily handled.
Especially the core of the team, the youth who always wore the Rakshasa Mask; his eyelids were currently lowered.
Huo Yuhao's long eyelashes cast shadows beneath his mask, and he seemed to be swaying as if he could barely stand.
Yet only Huo Yuhao and his companions knew what bloodthirsty wolf fangs were hidden beneath this weak and weary exterior.
Huo Yuhao stood at the very front of the team, his gaze beneath the mask cold as frost.
He slightly raised his head, his gaze passing through the crowd to look directly at the Star Luo National Academy team opposite him.
This was a battle he was determined to win, and even more so, a hurdle he had to cross on his path of revenge.
Especially that Xu Jiujiu, who now served as the captain of the Star Luo National Academy.
In Huo Yuhao's eyes, the Star Luo Imperial Family and the White Tiger Dukes Mansion were birds of a feather.
They stood high above, viewing Mortals as ants and rules as playthings.
Since he wanted revenge, he would start by dealing with Xu Jiujiu.
He wanted to see how the Star Luo Empire officials would continue their double-standard games once he killed this princess, Xu Jiujiu.
In the resting area, Xu Tianhao and the others finally made an appearance after disappearing for five days.
Since Qiu Hetian had previously guaranteed he would cripple the Star Luo National Academy, Xu Tianhao naturally wouldn't miss this show.
It just so happened that he also wanted to see Qiu Hetian's performance to confirm his true identity.
In fact, Xu Tianhao had already secretly looked with his True Sight Eye.
But that Rakshasa Mask was no ordinary item; it wasn't a common camouflage spirit tool.
Even Xu Tianhao's True Sight Eye could not see through to the face beneath it.
This proved that the Rakshasa Mask was a product of a higher-level existence—the Rakshasa God.
Therefore, Xu Tianhao could only seek confirmation through other means.
If Qiu Hetian truly managed to personally kill Xu Jiujiu in today's match, it would inevitably trigger an earth-shattering chaos.
When that time came, amidst the chaos, Qiu Hetian might reveal a flaw.
On the Soul Fighting Platform, the members of the Mingluo Sect team and the Star Luo National Academy team stared at each other from a distance.
Seeing the seven members of the Mingluo Sect looking half-dead and listless, the killing intent in Xu Jiujiu's eyes instantly surged.
A cold smile curled at the corner of her mouth, and her eyes were filled with disdain and the certainty of victory.
The reason the Star Luo National Academy was placed in this group was, of course, Xu Jiujiu's careful arrangement.
Her idea was simple: first, let the Mingluo Sect and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, the two strongest teams, exhaust each other and suffer mutual losses.
Afterward, she would let other teams take advantage of the situation to continue wearing down the Mingluo Sect's strength.
In this way, even if the Mingluo Sect had a luxurious lineup of three Spirit Emperors and four Spirit Kings, their remaining strength would be less than ten percent.
Now that the Round Robin Stage was nearing its end, it was time for Xu Jiujiu to lead the Star Luo National Academy to reap the benefits and harvest the fruits of victory.
Regarding Evil Soul Masters, Xu Jiujiu only had the thought of complete extermination.
She had to personally kill them to demonstrate the justice of the Star Luo Empire while also accumulating enough political capital for herself.
Especially that Qiu Hetian, with a cultivation of rank fifty-nine at the age of twelve—it was simply Heaven-Defying to the extreme!
Such a Genius, if he were an Evil Soul Master, would be the greatest threat, an existence that must die just like Xu Tianhao!
Thus, as soon as she stepped onto the Soul Fighting Platform, Xu Jiujiu's killing intent was fully exposed.
Her gaze was firmly locked onto the youth wearing the Rakshasa Mask, as if she wanted to skin him alive.
Beside her, the other team members also broke into excited smiles.
Personally killing an Evil Soul Master was not only the academy's glory but also their personal achievement!
As for winning unfairly, it was not even worth mentioning in their eyes.
They were the light of the Righteous Path.
What morality was there to speak of when dealing with Evil Soul Masters?
What rules?
Besides, the rules had been agreed upon in advance; if you were afraid of death, you could just admit defeat—no one was forcing you.
The announcer's voice rang out incessantly through the amplification device across the entire fighting arena, introducing the member information of the two teams.
His words were clearly biased toward the Star Luo Academy, constantly praising the strength and justice of the Star Luo team while intentionally or unintentionally belittling the Mingluo Sect.
Xu Jiujiu shared a subtle glance with Huang Jinxu.
A silent understanding that only the two of them could comprehend flashed in Huang Jinxu's eyes, and he then nodded gently.
Having presided over so many matches, Huang Jinxu was already well-versed in how to blow a biased whistle and manipulate the rhythm.
Even if there was a Super Douluo-level Evil Soul Master from the Mingluo Sect watching.
He was absolutely certain he could prevent the opponent from finding any fault with the rules.
Furthermore, this was Star Luo City, surrounded by righteous Spirit Masters of the Righteous Path.
If that Evil Douluo really dared to show his teeth on the spot, countless people would naturally swarm forward and beat him to death!
In the words of Xu Jiawei, if not for the fear that the Evil Douluo would lose control in a rage and harm the hundreds of thousands of ordinary spectators in Star Luo City.
They would have swarmed forward long ago to eliminate this Evil Douluo.
This was an Evil Douluo!
To reach his current Realm, who knows how many innocents he had harmed and how much blood was on his hands!
In short, it wasn't that they wouldn't kill this Evil Douluo, but that they had to fight with a plan, priorities, and safeguards.
If a Titled Douluo-level battle broke out in Star Luo City, especially involving an Evil Douluo, heaven knows how many innocent civilians would die and how much turmoil it would cause.
Xu Jiawei could not afford to bear that infamy.
This was also why Cult Leader Zhongli Wu dared to bring his team to compete so brazenly.
He was an Evil Soul Master; if a fight truly broke out, he could be ruthless and without scruples.
But this group of people, who claimed to be righteous but were actually hypocritical, was different.
They had too much to consider—reputation, status, the public's perception—all of which were their shackles.
And the considerations of Xu Jiawei and his hypocritical group were Cult Leader Zhongli Wu's best protective talisman.
For Cult Leader Zhongli Wu, the most dangerous place was actually not inside Star Luo City.
Because in the city, there were countless eyes watching and various rules binding them; no one dared to act lightly.
What was truly dangerous was the wilderness after leaving Star Luo City, where there were no rules and one could hunt at will.
Therefore, as long as Cult Leader Zhongli Wu didn't initiate trouble himself in Star Luo City, no one dared to blatantly provoke him.
This was an open scheme.
A seemingly fair duel was actually surging with undercurrents.
The exhaustion of the Mingluo Sect was a disguise, and the confidence of the Star Luo Academy was a trap.
Huo Yuhao clenched his fists, feeling the spirit power within him becoming increasingly violent due to suppression.
Today's match would be his first step in defying heaven.
The moment he put on the Rakshasa Mask, he was already prepared to overturn everything.
The announcer's voice rang through the arena: "Match—Begin!"
With the command, Xu Jiujiu was the first to move.
A dazzling Star Crown slowly rose, and the five spirit rings on her body—two yellow, two purple, and one black—all began to rhythmically pulse.
Dazzling starlight instantly spread out, covering the entire Soul Fighting Platform.
She wanted a quick resolution; she wanted to personally kill these Evil Soul Masters in front of everyone!
Beneath Huo Yuhao's mask, a pair of crimson eyes suddenly lit up: "The show has begun.""}],