Douluo Continent: The Peerless Tang Sect, Angels and Rakshasa Return

Chapter 375 439440—Quarterfinals Warm-up: Tang Sect vs. Sniper! Shrek Tang Sect vs. Holy Spirit Tang Sect!

When Shangguan Weier brought this news to the palace to report, Qian Lingyun's eyes lit up, and she suddenly understood something.

She picked up a piece of fruit from the plate with her fork, eating it while sneering, "Since they're paying, let them stay! But Shrek Academy is so rich, you should probably raise the price!"

"Understood!" Shangguan Wei'er nodded slightly, about to take her leave, but then furtively closed the door and leaned forward to ask:

"Master, the Central Army Group has reached the border where my Sun Moon, Heavenly Soul, and Star Luo kingdoms meet. What are you going to do?!"

"Sweep away the Heavenly Souls and be yourself again!" Qian Lingyu replied with a smile, completely ignoring the fawning look on Shangguan Weier's face.

"So we're just going to fight like this, without finding a reason?" Shangguan Wei'er curiously placed her hand on Qian Lingyun's stomach, letting out a sharp, maternal laugh as she reminded her:

"The Second Armored Group, consisting of the Sixth to Tenth Armored Divisions, has all been loaded onto ships and is ready for a amphibious landing! We need to find a reason to start the war quickly!"

"understood."

"Hey! Why are you touching my stomach? If you want a baby, go have one yourself!" Qian Lingyun glared at Shangguan Weier, annoyed, then shifted slightly and hummed a little tune leisurely...

"How can I have children at my age! Cult Leader, you should give birth soon so I can take care of the baby for you!" Shangguan Wei'er chuckled and jumped out of the window in a flash.

In the following matches, in order to build momentum for Shrek Tang Sect, Shrek Tang Sect always drew the best possible draws in every single one of the matches.

The opponents they encountered were either particularly weak, or they were countered by Shrek Tang Sect.

It wasn't until the final group stage match before the quarterfinals that Shrek Tang Sect encountered their first slightly troublesome opponent—Mingyu Sect.

With the backing of Tang Shenwang, Ade, the younger brother of the Mingyu Sect captain, exploded in front of everyone after drinking a mouthful of Wang Dong'er's blood!

Yes, a physical explosion on the spot.

In response, the captain of the Mingyuzong team rushed onto the field to avenge his younger brother.

Violating the competition rules should have resulted in immediate disqualification, but Zheng Zhan considered that the girl had just lost a relative and that there was some extenuating circumstance, so he only gave her a warning and disqualified her from the individual competition.

What followed was a rather pointless exchange of words, with the exception of Xue Bing, who temporarily created a Martial Soul True Body using a soul tool, which was somewhat interesting. The rest... were just so-so.

As for the results of the individual competition, they remain the same as always:

"Shrek Tang Sect forfeits the remaining individual matches. In this individual elimination match, Shrek Tang Sect has four points, and Mingyu Sect has seven points. Both sides will take a one-minute break to prepare for the team match."

During the team competition, Qian Renxue returned to the palace early due to some matters that arose. After seeing Qian Renxue off, Qian Lingyun heard Zheng Zhan announce the results of the competition as soon as she arrived at the podium: "In the team competition, Shrek Tang Sect wins. In this match, Shrek Tang Sect wins. The tiebreaker is nine points, while Ming Yu Sect has seven points."

The game is actually over.

Qian Lingyun hadn't expected the match to end so quickly, but when she looked at Cain and Xue Bing, frozen like ice sculptures on the stage, she was finally speechless.

"How can they be so bad!" Qian Lingyun looked at Zheng Zhan's helpless expression as he faced the Ultimate Ice, her mischievous thoughts churning within her. "Elder Zheng, have their Mingyu Sect team come to the podium to find me!"

"What did you do to our captain and vice-captain?"

On the competition stage, a group of substitute players from Mingyu Sect, along with You Chen, Qin Yueyue, Chen Jun, Qingqing, and others who were still able to move, surrounded them.

Huo Yuhao smiled slightly and said, "They'll be fine. In a few days, once my soul power has recovered, I'll thaw them."

"A few days? How many days does it take for your soul power to recover?" Qin Yueyue glared angrily at Huo Yuhao.

Chen Jun said in a deep voice, "How long will it take before you unfreeze our captain and vice-captain? If it takes too long, it will threaten their own lives."

Huo Yuhao said, "Three days, at most three days. I will definitely unfreeze them. You have to give me some rest time."

Three days?!

Wouldn't they miss the next round of the competition in three days? For a moment, everyone from Mingyu Sect was filled with anger and resentment, yet they were helpless against the Shrek Tang Sect members.

"Hey, you guys, take the ice sculpture to the Empress Dowager below the stage, she has a way!" Zheng Zhan rolled his eyes at Huo Zhongxian's grinning face.

"Does Your Majesty have a solution?"

Upon hearing this, the members of Mingyu Sect immediately lit up. They carried the two ice sculptures and scurried off the stage, running to the area directly below the platform.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress!" Shortly after the Mingyu Sect members arrived at the platform, Qian Lingyun slowly descended to the first floor in a soul-guided elevator.

She nodded to the group of promising young people, and with a simple tap of her finger on the ice sculpture, Cain and Xue Bing, who were frozen under the ice, were released!

"Do you want revenge for your brother?" Qian Lingyun pulled up the still trembling Cain and stated her condition without any hesitation: "Work for me, and I will use the heads of the Shrek Tang Clan to avenge your brother!"

"Really?" Cain stared intently at Qian Lingyun, his eyes filled with undisguised deep hatred!

"I have no reason to lie to you! As far as I know, the next sect leader of your Mingyu Sect has already been decided in advance!" Qian Lingyun said calmly, revealing all the secrets of the Mingyu Sect.

"So, you want not only me, but also the Mingyu Sect!" Cain glanced at her companions behind her, whose already frozen faces turned even paler.

"My methods aren't that ugly! I don't intend to swallow up the Mingyu Sect outright. You can still live your own lives, but... you'll just need to do things for me when I need them!"

After speaking, Qian Lingyun took out a storage soul guide ring with a thorn pattern from her pocket. She placed the ring in her palm and smiled, "Tell me your decision! As long as you agree to join my Thorn Soul Guide Corps, then you're mine! Your enemies are naturally my enemies too!"

"..."

After a long silence, Cain's gaze would occasionally sweep over the smiling faces of the Shrek Tang Clan members. With each glance, the sinister look on her face deepened.

Finally, she took a deep breath, snatched the ring, and slipped it onto her index finger: "Your subordinate... greets the Empress!"

"Your Majesty, may we join in too!?"

Qin Yueyue, who was positioned behind Cain, pulled up Qingqing, who looked somewhat embarrassed, and it seemed that they had their own ideas.

"My personal guard is open to all beautiful women! Since you're coming, I'm happy to welcome you!"

As she spoke, Qian Lingyun gave the two of them a ring. As for the other men, they naturally couldn't join the Thorn Soul Master Corps; they could only take their letters of introduction to the Evil Monarch Soul Master Corps for internships…

"Your Majesty, when will I see Shrek Academy and Tang Sect pay the price!?"

Following Qian Lingyun onto the stage, Cain lowered his head and looked at her quietly, asking somewhat anxiously.

"The quarterfinals!"

"My opponent in the Shrek Tang Sect quarterfinals will be me!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Three days later, the final round of the round-robin tournament came to a close.

The top eight teams of this competition have been selected, which means that the All-Continent Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition has entered its final stage.

Of all the teams that qualified, the four that finished first in their groups were Holy Soul Hall, Snow Demon Sect, Holy Spirit Tang Sect, and Shrek Tang Sect.

Needless to say, the Holy Soul Hall is dominated by Contra Douluo Qian Lingyu, who has consistently maintained records of taking on seven opponents at once and winning seven consecutive matches, whether in individual or team competitions.

He can be considered the number one player in this competition.

The Snow Demon Sect is the sect of Princess Vina of the Heavenly Soul Empire and Mu Xue. It is essentially a front for the True Body Sect.

Needless to say, the Holy Spirit Tang Sect's powerful evil soul masters, combined with soul tools, have never given their opponents a single chance in any competition. They haven't encountered any truly formidable opponents along the way.

In the vast majority of cases, the opponent forfeits during the individual elimination rounds.

Shrek Tang Sect, those who know, know. Their hard strength is arguably the weakest among these four teams, yet they bear the name of Shrek, a team that was eliminated long ago.

According to insiders, several members of the Shrek Tang Sect are actually the current generation of the Shrek Seven Devils…

Among the top eight teams, the four teams that finished second in their groups include: Aojian Sect, Xingluo National Academy, Mingdu Soul Master Academy, and Riyue Royal Soul Master Academy.

The Proud Sword Sect is a reclusive sect that usually keeps a very low profile, and every match they play seems like a narrow escape. However, they proceed with extreme caution, advancing through the round-robin tournament with a near-perfect record (if they hadn't encountered the Holy Soul Hall).

The other three academies each have their own characteristics, but judging from the situation, apart from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, they are basically just there to be defeated.

The top eight teams have been determined.

The tournament will take a two-day break, after which the quarterfinals will officially begin.

The quarterfinals will conclude in just one day, followed by a two-day break before the semifinals. After another two-day break following the semifinals, the final will take place.

By then, this competition will have come to an end.

Today is the first day of rest before the quarterfinals begin, but all eight teams got up very early this morning.

Before the competition begins, a draw ceremony will be held. This is extremely important for every team.

The draw ceremony was held at the Mingyue Hotel, and it must be said that the organizer's actions were very well received by the participating teams.

Grand Ballroom, Mingyue Hotel.

All eight teams that made it to the quarterfinals have arrived.

The eight teams stood in eight rows. On the Tang Clan's side, Jiang Nannan, who had the best luck, was at the very front.

Without a single pleasantry, Zheng Zhan directly announced the rules of the lottery:

"Next, we will be holding the draw for the quarterfinals. This draw will not only determine your opponents in the next match, but also the range of opponents you will face afterward. This will hopefully be helpful in your preparation for the matches. The rules are as follows."

"We've prepared four numbers and eight balls, shuffled them, and put them in a box for random drawing! Teams that draw the same two numbers will be their opponents in the quarterfinals!"

"In the semifinals following the quarterfinals, odd-numbered teams will play against odd-numbered teams, and even-numbered teams will play against even-numbered teams."

The first to take the stage is the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

With Shrek Academy out of the way, as the face of the Sun Moon Empire, they naturally deserved to be the first to draw lots.

Xiao Hongchen reached into the box and pulled out a number ball with the number ③ written on it.

Next up was the Holy Soul Hall. Qian Lingyu walked forward confidently and casually took out a number with the number 4 written on it!

The third group to go up was the Aojian Sect. Unfortunately, their captain also drew the number 3.

Looking at the ambiguous smile on Xiao Hongchen's face, the members of the Aojian Sect felt... this match would be tough.

The Snow Demon Sect sent Princess Vina, who was very lucky to draw the strongest team currently known as the Holy Soul Hall!

After scoffing, Yan Feng, who was in charge of drawing lots for the Holy Spirit Tang Sect, walked to the box and took out a red number ball with the number ① written on it.

Both Xingluo Royal Academy and Mingdu Soul Master Academy felt a pang of anxiety when they saw Yan Feng draw number 1, and they were filled with the hope that they could draw a different number.

But right now, groups three and four have already been decided. Unless they draw group two, they will be competing against the helpful Holy Spirit Tangmen.

Heaven rewards those who are prepared. Perhaps because these two teams prayed so earnestly, both Mingdu Soul Master Academy and Xingluo Royal Academy actually drew ②.

For a moment, the two groups of unfortunate souls looked at each other with tears in their eyes, almost embracing and cheering...

Now, the Shrek Tang Sect found themselves in an awkward position. There was only one item left in the box, so whether they drew it or not made no difference…

At this moment, Princess Jiu Jiu, the leader of the Xingluo National Academy, had a noticeably unpleasant expression.

The second and fourth groups include the Holy Soul Hall, which is openly considered the strongest, and the Snow Demon Sect, whose strength is unknown.

Even if they defeat Mingdu Soul Master Academy in the quarterfinals, they will face either the Holy Soul Hall or the Snow Demon Sect in the semifinals.

Both of these teams are too strong for the Star Luo National Academy team to defeat…

After the draw, Qian Lingyun found Jing Hongchen and said calmly, "Hall Master, the Body Sect is about to reveal its true colors. You should be prepared, right?"

"The Body Sect, I have been waiting for them for a long time, but they have not shown up yet."

Qian Lingyun said, "According to reliable sources, the Body Sect is definitely participating in this competition. However, they haven't shown their presence yet."

"Out of eight teams, we can eliminate five directly!"

After speaking, Qian Lingyun immediately used the process of elimination:

"The Holy Soul Hall and the Holy Spirit Tang Sect are my people, there's no way they could be problematic, and neither could the two Soul Master Academies! And you know the true strength of the Shrek Tang Sect!"

"And what remains are only the Proud Sword Sect, the Snow Demon Sect, and the Star Luo Royal Academy!"

"But no matter which team they're hiding in, they'll all slip up during the quarterfinals!"

(End of this chapter)