Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

This is also what Flanders is worried about.

His mind was buzzing. He was heartbroken over the students' injuries, worried about the upcoming schedule, and even more concerned about the money!

That shit-green school uniform, with the words "Seeking Sponsorship" on the back, seemed like a joke to him at that moment.

After such a humiliating defeat in the first game, who would be willing to invest money in them?

Was Flander, who was shrewd all his life, really going to lose everything this time, even his underwear?

Looking at the pale faces of the two men beside her, Liu Erlong felt both anxious and pained.

She wanted to offer comfort, but didn't know where to begin.

Zhao Wuji, panting heavily, slammed his fist hard against the wall next to him, making a dull thud.

Chapter 389 Davis

The Shrek team members on the ring have been helped down.

Tang San refused the stretcher and, supported by Oscar and a substitute player, staggered back to the preparation area.

He kept his head down, making his expression unreadable, but his tightly pursed lips and slightly trembling body revealed his inner turmoil.

Dai Mubai was supported by Zhu Zhuqing and Lin An on either side. His evil eyes had lost their former brilliance, leaving only emptiness and suppressed rage.

Ma Hongjun was carried down, still groaning and complaining of pain.

Seeing the students like this, Flander and Yu Xiaogang felt even more guilty and worried.

Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He was the teacher, the tactical core of the team; he couldn't afford to lose his composure.

He stepped forward, his voice a little hoarse: "Go back first, heal your wounds. Don't think about anything, just recover properly."

His gaze swept over every young face that was filled with frustration, especially Tang San and Dai Mubai.

"Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. One defeat does not mean anything. Find the problem, solve it, and we still have a chance."

His words were calm and composed, an attempt to instill confidence in the students. But even he himself felt that his words seemed so pale and powerless at that moment.

On the Canghui Academy side, Shi Nian, leading his victorious team, left the preparation area in high spirits amidst countless gazes of either amazement or apprehension.

Before leaving, he glanced at Shrek again, his smugness and mockery almost palpable.

The Shrek members silently packed their things, preparing to leave this place that had humiliated them so much.

The turquoise school uniforms and the advertising slogans on the back have become a silent irony, stinging everyone's eyes.

They could sense that the gazes cast by other colleges around them had changed from initial strangeness and ridicule to undisguised contempt and schadenfreude.

……

The Star Luo Empire, Star Luo City.

The First Prince's residence, study.

Davis leaned back in his large chair, holding a piece of intelligence that had just been transmitted back through special channels.

The above details the battle and result of the first round of the Heaven Dou Empire Regional Preliminary Tournament, between Shrek Academy and Canghui Academy.

When he saw the words "Shrek Academy, defeated," a mocking smile slowly crept onto his cold lips.

"Lost?" he muttered to himself, his voice filled with undisguised contempt.

"Lost in the first match of the qualifiers? My good little brother... he really never disappoints me."

He casually tossed the intelligence report onto the table, leaned back, and tapped his fingers lightly on the smooth mahogany surface.

"The Evil-Eyed White Tiger, the Netherworld Spirit Cat, and that so-called Control-type Soul Master... is that all?"

Davis shook his head, his eyes growing even colder.

"With such a martial soul, you can't even beat an obscure academy in the Heaven Dou Empire. Dai Mubai, you really... have failed your talent and your father's expectations of you."

He could almost see Dai Mubai's pathetic defeat on the arena. The displeasure he felt for Dai Mubai's escape from Xingluo and his carefree life outside was now replaced by an even stronger sense of contempt.

Does such a piece of trash deserve to be his opponent? Does he deserve to compete with him for that position?

He even started to worry that his good younger brother didn't even have the qualifications to make it to the finals and stand in front of him.

Wouldn't that be...too boring?

The study door was gently pushed open, and a slender figure walked in.

Zhu Zhuyue wore a form-fitting outfit that accentuated her graceful curves. She wore a gentle smile, but her eyes gleamed with shrewdness and sharpness.

"Your Highness, what are you looking at?" She walked to Davis's side, her gaze sweeping over the intelligence report on the table, and smiled knowingly. "Oh, it's the Third Prince's match results. He lost? That's normal."

Her tone was nonchalant, as if she were talking about a trivial matter.

"Canghui Academy? Never heard of it. It can't be a strong team. It wouldn't be surprising if the Third Prince led a team like that to lose to anyone."

Zhu Zhuyue leaned against the table, her slender fingers twirling a strand of her hair.

"Your Highness, why bother with such a trivial matter? Our Star Luo Squad is now a formidable force. All members are at least Soul Master level, with an average level exceeding forty-five, and we also have you and my Netherworld White Tiger..."

She paused, her smile brimming with absolute confidence, even a hint of disdain.

"To put it bluntly, among our peers on this continent, the number of teams that can rival us can probably be counted on one hand. As for the Heaven Dou Empire... apart from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team, which we might need to be wary of, the others are nothing but chickens and dogs."

"Dai Mubai?" Zhu Zhuyue's red lips pursed slightly.

"Whether he can even make it to the finals and meet us is a question. Even if he does manage to get here... he'll just be another insignificant stepping stone on His Highness's path to victory."

As Davis listened to Zhu Zhuyue's words, the sarcasm on his face gradually transformed into a deep coldness and absolute confidence.

He reached out and pulled Zhu Zhuyue into his arms, his fingers stroking her smooth cheek.

“You’re right,” Davis said in a deep, powerful voice.

"I overestimated him. He's a piece of trash who might even struggle in the qualifiers. He's not worth my time."

His gaze drifted out the window, as if piercing through layers of space, revealing Wuhun City, the massive Soul Arena, the cheering crowds, and the final champion's podium.

"Our goal is the championship. It's to stand on everyone's shoulders and reach the highest point. Dai Mubai... if he's lucky enough and works hard enough, maybe he can witness that moment from the audience."

“As for now…” Davis withdrew his gaze, looking at Zhu Zhuyue, who was smiling sweetly in his arms, a burning light flashing in his eyes.

"We should go train. The competition is just around the corner, and we can't afford to slack off in the slightest."

"Yes, Your Highness," Zhu Zhuyue replied obediently, but her eyes burned with the same ambition as Davis.

The Star Luo Team is invincible.

They firmly believed this.

The minor setback in the Heaven Dou Empire regional qualifiers was nothing more than a trivial interlude, not even worthy of their attention.

……

The preliminary rounds at the Heavenly Dou City Grand Arena are in full swing.

The schedule is packed, with several matches taking place almost every day on different arenas.

For the audience, it was a month-long carnival feast; for the participating academies, it was a cruel test of physical strength and willpower.

Shrek Academy was not defeated after its crushing defeat by Canghui Academy, at least not on the surface.

That very night, Yu Xiaogang gathered everyone together for a long and stressful post-war analysis.

There was no reprimand, only a cold, almost cruel, debriefing.

He dissected and analyzed every mistake and every misjudgment, laying it all out under the light.

Chapter 390 A Time of Great Success

Dai Mubai and the others listened, their faces pale. The images of defeat flashed through their minds repeatedly, and a sense of shame and resentment burned through their nerves.

Starting the next day, Yu Xiaogang completely overturned his original prudent plan of "hiding his strength and training his substitutes".

Reality did not give him the opportunity to plan at his own pace.

The Tiandou Division is filled with academies and strong teams, with only five qualifying spots available.

Shrek cannot afford to lose any game that could result in losing points.

Hiding your strength? First, make sure you stay at the poker table!

As a result, in the subsequent matches, the core members of the Shrek Seven Devils appeared on Shrek Academy's roster more frequently.

Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Zhu Zhuqing played almost every match, while Lin An, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Cinderella rotated their appearances based on the characteristics of their opponents. The four true substitutes, including Tailong, only got some valuable playing time and accumulated experience in major competitions when facing a school with significantly weaker strength.

The tactics have also reverted to the most basic form of aggressive attack.

With Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun leading the way with their explosive power, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass providing crowd control and support, Zhu Zhuqing and Lin An waiting for an opportunity to ambush, and Oscar's sausages and Cinderella's support providing sustain.

Simple, but effective.

With their solid skills and fighting prowess, the Shrek Seven Devils won several victories in a row, and their ranking on the leaderboard began to climb steadily.

The taste of victory eased some of the gloom of the first defeat, but the atmosphere in the team remained heavy.

Everyone could sense that the brows of Commanders Yu Xiaogang and Flander were furrowing deeper and deeper.

The reason is simple: as the preliminary rounds progress, the strength of each academy is gradually revealed, like rocks after the tide recedes.

The picture pieced together by Yu Xiaogang through observation, collection, and analysis of intelligence is chilling.

The registration information for the Soul Master Competition is extremely brief. You only need to fill in your name, martial soul, and soul power level. As for the age of your soul rings, specific soul skills, tactical style, teamwork, etc., which are the key factors that truly determine the outcome, none of them are provided.

This gave all the academies room to hide their trump cards, and also turned intelligence gathering into a covert game.

Yu Xiaogang worked almost non-stop, and his study was covered with dense charts and notes.

Flander also leveraged his limited network of contacts accumulated over the years in Tiandou City to purchase some insider information at a high price.

However, the more information they gathered, the worse their complexions became.

"Level 43 Power Attack Type Battle Soul Master, Martial Soul: Bloodflame Lion..."

"Level 41 Control-type Battle Soul Master, Martial Soul: Mist Vine..."

……

Flander clutched a love letter, his fingers trembling, whether from anger or worry, it was hard to tell.