Douluo: Starting from the Nine-Curved Vine Dragon

Chapter 348: Byes Again
With countless demonic feathers fluttering down, Xu Keming retreated to the edge of the abyss.

He glanced to the side, his expressionless face revealing no change, and said in a somewhat indifferent tone:

"A surprise attack is useless. We have no chance of winning this battle. We're leaving now."

Before he finished speaking, Xu Keming unfurled six pairs of jet-black magic wings and flew out of the arena without looking back.

"Captain, captain!"

Several team members chased after him a few steps, and after seeing Xu Keming leave the ring, they looked at Luo Minghua behind them, and said hesitantly:

"Vice-captain, the captain..."

Their tone was very cautious when they asked, because even a fool could see that something unknown had happened between the two captains, causing a rift in their relationship. This rift was so severe that their Martial Soul Fusion Technique had even disintegrated as a result.

In response, Luo Minghua clenched his fists, remained silent for a moment, and finally said with resentment:
"The Skybound Team surrenders, let's go!"

Without waiting for his teammates' reaction, Luo Minghua used the spatial blade in his hand to cut open a spatial rift and quickly walked into it, disappearing from the arena.

The five of them were left alone on the stage. After exchanging a few glances, they hurriedly ran off the stage.

Seeing this, the referee loudly announced the result of the match:
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School seeded team wins this match!"

The end of this battle also signifies the conclusion of the third round of the elimination tournament for the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.

……

Preparation area, Spirit Hall area.

The three members of the golden generation looked particularly somber.

After the third round, six teams remained.

Among them, the Poseidon team withdrew from the competition for some reason, leaving only five of the six teams.

Of these five teams, apart from their Spirit Hall, the remaining four teams all came from the Heaven Dou Empire.

Although the Eating and Drinking Team originated from the Kingdom of Silves, the Kingdom was one of the major kingdoms that split off from the Heaven Dou Empire, so it's not wrong to say that the team originated from the Heaven Dou Empire.

In addition, among these four teams, except for the Eat & Drink team which did not show its full strength, the other three teams each have a Soul Saint.

Ye Lingling of the Tian Dou Royal Seed Team.

Feng Xiaotian of the Wind and Fire Team from the Four Elements Academy.

Yun Gui, a seed member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

If the captain of the Eating and Drinking Team, who has yet to appear, is also a Soul Saint, then among the remaining five teams, only their Spirit Hall seed team does not have a Soul Saint-level participant.

Not only were Hu Liena and the other two sullen, but Bibi Dong on the high platform was also somber.

The Soul Fusion Skill of the Kongming Team will not disintegrate for no reason, nor will the two captains and vice-captains of the team suddenly become estranged.

Someone must have used some special means, and that person could only be Yun Hui, the captain of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's seed team.

That special method must be related to the other party's divine inheritance.

"Emotional breakdown, a growing estrangement? Could the succession to divine authority be related to emotions?"

……

"Ah!"

In the preparation area, Yi Shuihan, the captain of the Eating and Drinking Team, suddenly sneezed.

"Captain, did you kick off the covers while you were sleeping last night?"

The fat man who was eating snacks nearby heard the sneeze and quickly used his arm to protect his food from being splashed on something. At the same time, he asked curiously.

"You think I'm like you? Even food can't shut you up!"

Yi Shuihan's face darkened, and he grabbed a handful of snacks and stuffed them into the fat man's mouth. He was a high-level Soul Master; he wouldn't catch a cold even if he slept naked.

Then, Yi Shuihan remembered what had happened last time and, still worried, gave the following instructions:

"Next up is the fourth round of the knockout stage. No drinking lately, lest you get drunk and pass out again, understand?"

"What are you laughing at? You're the same."

Yi Shuihan then turned his attention to a slightly overweight person sitting next to the fat man.

To this, the slightly overweight man waved his hand dismissively and said:
"It's alright, Captain. The Poseidon Empire has already left, so as long as we draw the same spot as the Poseidon team in tomorrow's draw ceremony, it's equivalent to getting a bye and advancing, right?"

"I've always been very lucky. Believe me, our team will definitely be the one to draw the same draw as the Poseidon team."

……

Day two.

The Battle Arena, the draw ceremony.

Yi Shuihan silently looked at the lot in his hand, then at the lot drawn by the Poseidon team on behalf of the competition committee, and fell into deep silence.

He had the number one draw, and the tournament committee, representing the Poseidon team, also drew the number one draw.

The first pick against the first pick, and the Poseidon team withdrew from the competition.

According to the competition rules, the Eat & Drink team, which also received the first draw, was given a bye and automatically advanced to the next round, becoming the first team to reach the top three in this competition and guaranteeing them the reward of seven 10,000-year soul bones for third place.

"Damn, the Eating and Drinking Team got a bye again. This luck is cheating!"

On the stage, everyone, from the representatives of the remaining five teams to the staff, stared at Yi Shuihan, or more precisely, at the number one draw in his hand, with disbelief.

They receive a bye in the fourth round, and advancing to the fifth round means they will be among the top three in the competition, with a guaranteed reward of seven top-grade soul bones that are over 50,000 years old.

If looks could kill, Yi Shuihan would have been killed a thousand times over by looks of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Looking at the other teams' draws and then at their own, aside from the tournament committee members representing the Poseidon team, the other four didn't know what to say.

Hu Liena, the representative of the Spirit Hall seed team, drew the third draw.

Dugu Yan, the representative of the Tian Dou Royal Seed Team, drew the second seed.

Ning Rongrong, the representative of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School seed team, drew the second lot.

Feng Xiaotian, the representative of the Wind and Fire Team of the Four Elements Academy, drew the third lot.

Thus, the three matches for the fifth round of the knockout stage were determined:

Eat & Drink Team VS Poseidon Team
Heaven Dou Royal Seed Team VS Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School Seed Team
Spirit Hall Seed Team VS Four Elements Academy Wind and Fire Team
Among them, the Poseidon team withdrew from the competition, and the Eat & Drink team advanced to the fifth round of the competition by a bye.

The three matches will be reduced to two, and will be held over two days, one match per day.

"Sigh, in the end, it's still internal strife!"

Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan looked at the same number two lottery ticket in each other's hands and sighed inwardly.

The two women knew that the other was on their side, but even among those on their side, there was internal competition.

The rewards for the top three in this competition are exceptionally generous, and none of them want to give up.

But since they've been drawn together, they have no choice but to eliminate each other for the sake of the Soul Bone.

If one of their two teams swaps positions with the Eating and Drinking team, they might be able to sweep the top three spots in this tournament.

However, the prerequisite for sweeping the top three spots is that the remaining team must be absolutely certain of defeating the Eat & Drink team.

(End of this chapter)