Chapter 41 The Competition Begins_1

After listening to Xuan Zi's words,

Xu Jiawei and Xu Jiujiu, brother and sister, both changed their expressions at the same time.

They both understood, what Xuan Zi meant by saying that was, without the need for effort, just by going through the motions, I have to ensure you make it to the top four.

It's truly... Some outrageous expectation.

A team with an average strength that doesn't surpass the Soul Ancestor Level, how are they to make it into the top four?

Through fatherly love?

Xu Jiawei really wanted to ask Xuan Zi out loud, why don't you be more bold?

Why not directly come to me and have me covertly fix it for you to be the runner-up?

Lying down and winning second place, how good would that be?

It wouldn't be shameful, right?

"What's the matter, is it that difficult?"

Seeing Xu Jiawei took too long to respond to his suggestion, Xuan Zi frowned and asked impatiently.

"No, it's not that..."

"You, a sovereign of a nation, don't tell me you cannot do even this little thing. Besides, in every Soul Master Tournament held by your three countries, the teams from the host countries always end up with respectable rankings. Definitely do not tell me there's no inside operation involved."

As Xuan Zi spoke, he took out his wine gourd and took a hefty swig.

While drinking, he didn't forget to give Xu Jiawei a sidelong glance.

Ah this...

Having some secrets being called out made Xu Jiawei somewhat embarrassed.

Xingluo, Heavenly Soul, Dou Spirit, Shrek, and several other major powers all understood these unspoken rules.

Now that Xuan Zi was laying these latent rules out in the open, it was truly challenging people's bottom lines.

As if telling Xu Jiawei,

It's difficult, isn't it?

If it's too difficult, then don't bother.

But, you need to think carefully about the consequences of not arranging this for me.

"Huff..."

After a long while, Xu Jiawei, having weighed his options, actually stood up and gave Xuan Zi a respectful fist salute, "Senior, rest assured, I will remember the purpose of your visit today.

I assure you that this matter will be properly arranged. Shrek Academy, definitely securing a place in the top four, I guarantee it."

Without a doubt.

He still agreed to Xuan Zi's request.

No.

It should be said, his command.

And.

To put Xuan Zi at ease, he had no choice but to make a firm military pledge.

"Hahaha."

"Good, from the moment I saw you, I felt you were a smart kid. You know what needs to be done and what shouldn't be done."

"Remember, as a sovereign of a nation, never try to challenge Shrek Academy's bottom line. The consequences are not something you can bear."

Having received a firm response from Xu Jiawei, Xuan Zi was extremely pleased.

He took another big gulp of his wine, swept his sleeves with a flourish, and left with great strides, full of disdain in his heart.

Hmph, thinking that Shrek Academy needs a strong team to secure a good ranking?

The answer is definitely no.

What need is there for a strong team?

Just a little bit of talk is enough.

Thinking back to the contempt he faced earlier at the hotel, Xuan Zi scoffed even more.

A bunch of folks with no vision, probably won't achieve much in their lives.

If I say you can make it to the top four, then you will!

But he wasn't in a hurry.

He planned to wait until they really made it into the top four, then go and thoroughly slap the faces of Shrek's people.

...

"Brother, do we really have to do... do what that senior suggested?"

After Xuan Zi had completely disappeared, Xu Jiujiu stepped forward, clenched the hem of her dress tightly, pursed her lips, and after a while asked seriously.

"I have no choice... For the sake of the empire, we cannot offend Xuan Zi."

Xu Jiawei shook his head with a bitter smile.

He believed.

If it were Shrek Academy, changing to another person, they wouldn't propose such an unreasonable request.

"But... the strength of Shrek Academy is really too weak. Even if we engage in some behind-the-scenes manipulation, it would be okay in the early stages without likely being noticed.

However, it becomes very troublesome in the middle and later stages. If we want them to advance, we'll have to arrange for many weaker teams to progress.

Such manipulation wouldn't just favor Shrek. Moreover, if Shrek's luck increases excessively, I'm afraid many will notice the anomaly and know that the Soul Master competition is unfair.

By then, the impact on our Xingluo, even on all the great Empires, will be immense."

Xu Jiujiu had a long-term view.

This matter might seem trivial, but its impact was actually profound.

By then, the offensive prowess of the Xingluo Empire would suffer a great blow.

"I know."

"How could I not know about the issues you mentioned?"

Xu Jiawei shook his head helplessly, "Still, we have no choice.

You happen to be here, so don't leave tonight. Regarding the Soul Master competition, we need to plan together on how to arrange the entry of competing teams."

...

Time flew swiftly.

Smoothly and without incident.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the continental Soul Master competition arrived.

That day in Xingluo City, the gongs and drums thundered, firecrackers burst in unison, banners fluttered, and there was a sea of people.

It was even livelier than the Spring Festival.

The opening ceremony of the Soul Master competition was also being held in full swing in the square before the Imperial Palace.

Star Luo Emperor Xu Jiawei, Xuan Zi from Shrek Academy, representatives from the Heavenly Soul Empire, representatives from the Dou Spirit Empire, and all the civil and military officials of the Xingluo Empire, including the Nobles, were all on the city walls.

They looked down from their high vantage point at the competing teams below the city walls and the people beyond them.

First,

Xu Jiawei delivered a speech.

After a spate of extremely official platitudes, he invited each of the dignitaries to speak in turn.

This process was lengthy.

Qin Xiao felt utterly bored.

His gaze wandered involuntarily through the crowd.

Suddenly,

he noticed, not far away, a group wearing green school uniforms.

Seeing the peculiar image of a monster on their uniforms, he was certain.

These people were from the mightiest academy in Soul Land, the Shrek Academy team.

This made Qin Xiao take a few more glances.

It wasn't that there was someone particularly eye-catching in the team.

Rather, he wanted to see if these people had managed to avoid a disaster without Huo Yuhao's help.

Thus he began to discern the Shrek Academy team members in the field.

That young man with a heroic face and a straight figure, could that be Beibei?

Following him was someone with a smile on his face and a somewhat cheap expression.

Without doubt,

that must be Xu Sanshi.

By Xu Sanshi's side, there was a beautiful girl.

The name Jiang Nannan naturally surfaced in Qin Xiao's mind.

After all,

in the original story, most of the time where Jiang Nannan was, Xu Sanshi would be there, too.

And looking at Xu Sanshi's line of sight, which occasionally glanced at the girl,

Qin Xiao was even more certain.

There was no mistaking it.

Otherwise, he would write his Qin character upside down.

Next,

Qin Xiao spotted a tall youth, and immediately felt a sense of discomfort in his chest.

"Dammit, it could only be someone from the Duchy Residence that could make me feel unwell like this, right?"

"So young, it must be Dai Huabin."

"Huo Yuhao, watch. I will definitely deal with this person for you," Qin Xiao silently vowed.