MTL NOVEL Chapter 97: Chapter 97: When the Tang Princess Leaves the Umbrella Held by the Tang God-King, She Will Realize—It Was Never Raining Outside…
"The Dio Academy team… aside from their captain, Jiang Peng, who has some skill, the rest aren't much of a threat." Lin Xi lounged back with a relaxed expression.
"True, but that's not for you to say. Also, when you say he has 'some skill,' do you mean those two axe strikes of his? Are you about to head into the match yourself?" Mika retorted.
"Hmph! Am I wrong, though? He's only got those three signature axe moves. Five years ago, when he competed in the tournament as part of the reserve team, I actually faced him in a one-on-one duel. I only narrowly lost…" Lin Xi argued, unwilling to back down.
"Oh, cut it out. The guy has undergone a complete transformation over the past five years. Five years ago, you managed to last ten minutes against him—now, you'd be lucky to survive one." Chen Fei ridiculed him.
"Sigh… What is wrong with you people? Why do you keep boosting the enemy's morale while undermining your own?" Lin Xi widened his eyes in frustration.
"Alright, enough. Since His Highness showcased his strength in the last match, I highly doubt the other team will go all out against us. Most likely, they'll just send in their reserve team and wrap things up quickly. As one of the favorites to win the championship, they'll definitely want to conserve their strength for the semifinals."
Ma Rulong analyzed the situation and then looked at Lin Xi with a mischievous smile.
"In that case, we don't need to send out our strongest players either. Lin Xi, you'll be going in."
Lin Xi: ???
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The match proceeded as scheduled.
The draw determined a 3-2-2 team format.
The Sun Moon Empire sent out Lin Xi, Chen Fei, and Chen An as the first group, Jiang Nannan and Huo Yuhao as the second, and Mika and Xiao Xiafeng as the third.
At first glance, all participating members were main team players, but this year's situation was special. If it weren't for Jing Hongchen finalizing the official lineup early, the so-called main team members might have just been reserves. The truly powerful ones were actually the reserve team, led by Xu Cheng.
Xiao Hongchen needed no introduction—he was practically a walking soul cannon array. With hundreds of cannon tubes at his disposal, combined with Xu Cheng's mental sharing, his accuracy was ridiculously overpowered. It was no longer just wide-range bombardment but precision saturation fire, ensuring every blast landed on the enemy.
Meng Hongchen was slightly weaker, but as a Soul King with an Ice-Toad martial soul, even in the original story, she gave Shrek's team quite a headache.
Tang Ya, despite only being a four-ring Soul Ancestor, had the Evil Soul Master buff elevating her beyond her level. Even Meng Hongchen wasn't confident she could win against her.
Ji Juechen needed no explanation—a five-ring Sword Maniac whose pure combat ability even made Xiao Hongchen ashamed. His strength was comparable to a Soul Emperor.
As for Jiang Nannan, she was strong but roughly on the same level as Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi. She functioned more as an assassin. Aside from Huo Yuhao, she was the weakest on the team, which is why she was sent in.
And the result?
A clean 3-0 victory.
Dio Academy didn't strategize much either, sending in their own reserves. The only match that had any real difficulty was Huo Yuhao's group, while the other two matches were absolute stomps.
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Shrek Academy rarely came to watch matches like these.
Perhaps because Caitou's last two binoculars had been broken, they had no choice but to attend in person.
What surprised Xu Cheng, however—
Shrek's betting odds remained unusually high.
Even though they had struggled in the elimination rounds, their championship odds were barely affected. Countless gamblers clung to blind faith, convinced that Shrek Academy would work miracles again and claim the title.
Gambling addicts never had good endings, but Xu Cheng still went all in on the Sun Moon Empire Royal Team, using a massive portion of the empire's funds—billions of gold soul coins—for the bet.
After all, the bookmaker behind the operation was the Star Luo Empire's royal family. No matter how much they lost, as long as the Xu Family had any reputation left, they'd have to grit their teeth and pay up.
A Glance at Wang Dong
Seated in the resting area, Xu Cheng casually glanced at Wang Dong.
The latter looked rather dejected.
Just moments ago, the Sun Moon Empire team had put on a soul tool exhibition— Lin Xi, and the others might not have been the strongest, but they were fully equipped with the latest cutting-edge technology from the Sun Moon Empire: photon beam weapons, automatic homing soul cannons, cloaking technology, and more.
At first, the girl had been thrilled, but then she remembered…
She couldn't use soul tools.
And so, her mood plummeted.
Xu Cheng let out a soft sigh.
When Wang Dong finally steps out from under the umbrella that Tang San has been holding over her head…
She'll realize—it was never raining in the first place.
In fact, there was even a jet thruster hidden inside that umbrella.
Xu Cheng smirked slightly.
Still…
He pondered.
He was quite looking forward to seeing that heartwarming father-daughter reunion, especially now that Tang San was restrained by the God of Destruction, unable to interfere in the lower realm.
But for now, that was just a thought.
Wang Dong was still a member of Shrek Academy. Kidnapping her in broad daylight would be a bit too bold. Moreover, removing Tang San's divine imprint wasn't something that could be done easily—only someone at Yi Lao's level could possibly pull it off.
In Shrek's Resting Area
Wang Yan sat quietly, watching the stage.
Yet his mind was occupied with strategic concerns.
His original plan had been for Shrek to dominate their first match, then struggle through the later rounds with mostly reserve members, giving the illusion that Shrek had suffered some unknown setback.
Then, once they reached the quarterfinals or semifinals, they would barely scrape through, allowing him to step forward and 'sell the tragedy'—claiming that Shrek had heroically lost their main team while fighting Evil Soul Masters.
But their first match had shattered that plan entirely.
Now, every academy had seen Shrek's weakness.
From here on, every match would be a storm of aggression against them. Just like today—the opposing academy was only third place in the Cloud Soul Empire, yet they fought as if it were the elimination round, pushing Shrek to the brink.
Xu Sanshi was injured.
Bei Bei was completely drained of soul power.
And they had only barely won.
Moving forward, to even qualify for the Top 16, they could only afford to lose one more match—the other two rounds were must-wins.
"…Sigh."
Wang Yan shook his head.
This is going to be tough…
At the Hotel
Xu Cheng lay back on a lounge chair.
The room was filled with several figures in black robes—some familiar, some less so.
Zhang Peng licked his lips, clicking his tongue.
"This Mao Xue Wang from Star Luo Empire is amazing. Way better than the stuff in Sun Moon. I might just kidnap a few chefs and bring them over…"
Wu Yun twitched at the corner of his mouth. "Your cultivation technique… has now extended into the culinary world?"
"Hah! The blood of soul beasts—it's an exquisite delicacy. You lot just don't appreciate it like I do." Zhang Peng sighed in indulgence.
"…And how does that relate to Mao Xue Wang?" Xu Cheng raised an eyebrow.
"Well… at first, I thought cooking it would ruin the flavor. But after just one bite, I discovered an entirely new world!" Zhang Peng laughed awkwardly.
Xu Cheng: "Alright, enough. Since everyone's here, let's take this opportunity in Star Luo Empire to hold a meeting regarding the New Holy Spirit Church…"
(End of Chapter)