Chapter 464: Chapter 464: The Reserve Team as Main Force, Participating in the Spirit Master Tournament (Extra)
"Star Luo City is just ahead."
On the official road,
Zhang Lexuan gazed toward the majestic city in the distance.
Following her line of sight, the others couldn’t help but let out soft exclamations.
Shrek City was magnificent—
but compared to the imperial capital of the Star Luo Empire, it lacked a certain sovereign grandeur.
The walls of Star Luo City rose over a hundred meters high, constructed entirely from massive slabs of stone. The city covered more than a thousand square kilometers. Its broadest streets were wide enough for sixteen carriages to ride side by side.
When the Shrek group arrived at the city gates,
the guards, recognizing their academy uniforms, immediately stood at attention and offered formal salutes,
granting them the highest level of passage.
Upon entering the city,
they found it even more prosperous within.
Carriages flowed endlessly, merchants gathered in droves, and street vendors’ calls rose and fell in waves.
This colossal city, with a permanent population of eight million, could at its limit accommodate twenty million residents.
And recently,
the entire city indeed felt unusually crowded.
All inns were fully booked. The royal family had requisitioned private homes and opened official residences as temporary lodgings.
All of this was because the once-every-five-years All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Tournament was about to begin here.
The team proceeded directly into the inner city.
On the eastern side of the plaza before the imperial palace stood a seven-story building—the Star Emperor Grand Hotel.
This royal property
had been specially designated to host the participating academy teams.
As the defending champions and the number-one academy on the continent, the Shrek team was arranged to stay in the luxurious suites on the top floor, complete with a private conference room.
After a brief rest,
all fourteen members gradually gathered in the meeting room.
Compared to the solemn expressions of Ma Xiaotao and the others from the main team, the reserve members like Xu Sanshi appeared rather relaxed.
Before Zhang Lexuan arrived,
they had even been enthusiastically discussing a nighttime stroll.
"Since we’re in Star Luo, we’ve got to look around!"
"I heard the night scenery is even better!"
"Let’s go join the fun tonight!"
"Huo Yuhao, you coming?"
Soft footsteps approached from afar.
As Zhang Lexuan entered the meeting room, the chatter gradually subsided.
She took the main seat, her gaze sweeping across the reserve team. Without exchanging pleasantries, she went straight to the point:
"I’ve received a message from the academy."
"Unless unforeseen circumstances arise, this tournament will have the reserve team serve as the main force."
"What?!"
"What?!"
Two simultaneous cries of shock erupted from both the main team and the reserve team.
Ma Xiaotao slammed her hand on the table and stood up at once, saying urgently:
"Senior Sister, the main team is in peak condition—why aren’t we the ones competing?"
Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, and the others could barely contain themselves, their knuckles whitening from how tightly they clenched their fists.
"The reserve team is strong, but they’re still too young. Wouldn’t it be better for them to compete next time?"
"Shrek has retained the championship, but the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy is eyeing us closely. Isn’t this decision too rash?"
In contrast to the intense reaction from the main team,
Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and the others were completely stunned.
They had assumed this tournament would merely be an opportunity to gain experience alongside the main team,
to prepare for the next one.
Who would have thought they would actually serve as the main force?
Huo Yuhao’s brows furrowed.
Since the main team was entirely unharmed, why was the reserve team still being sent out?
He lifted his eyes to look at Zhang Lexuan—
and met her calm, dark gaze.
In that moment of eye contact,
a trace of understanding surfaced in his heart.
It must be that Elder Mu, having learned of the future’s trajectory,
chose to follow the path in which the reserve team claimed victory—even though the calamity that had once befallen the main team had been averted.
Zhang Lexuan sat at the head of the table,
allowing Ma Xiaotao and the others to vent their dissatisfaction.
When the voices finally quieted,
she spoke calmly:
"Are you finished?"
"I can only tell you that this is Teacher’s decision."
"It’s not that you won’t be allowed to compete. The main force role is simply being entrusted to the reserve team."
Hearing this, Dai Yueheng and the others opened their mouths to speak but ultimately sat back down in resignation. Everyone in the Inner Court knew that Zhang Lexuan’s teacher was the mysterious Master of the Shrek Sea God Pavilion.
Ma Xiaotao still wasn’t ready to give up.
"But, Senior Sister..."
"The first round is a knockout format. One loss and we’re eliminated—there’s no room for recovery."
"As the defending champions, Shrek has to take the stage first for the draw."
"Are you saying even the knockout round will be handled by the reserve team?"
Zhang Lexuan’s gaze remained calm as she gave a slight nod.
"That’s right."
"..."
Ma Xiaotao’s lips moved, but in the end she sat down in silence.
Led by her, the current generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters all looked at Bei Bei and the others with complicated expressions.
At last,
their gazes converged, almost in unison, on Huo Yuhao.
"Yuhao is indeed powerful."
"But the Spirit Master Tournament is ultimately a team battle. Among the 133 academy teams, not one is weak."
"No matter how strong an individual is, can he really sweep through team after team alone?"
Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and the others instinctively wanted to straighten their backs and declare that Huo Yuhao would not be fighting alone.
But the thought had barely formed before their confidence faltered.
In the end, they could only murmur softly,
"Senior Ma Xiaotao, we’ll give it our all as well."
"Sigh..."
Ma Xiaotao and the others shook their heads and sighed before taking their leave.
Bei Bei and the rest also lost interest in going out that night.
Each returned to their rooms, hearts filled with unease.
Huo Yuhao was the last to leave.
Zhang Lexuan rose gracefully and walked to his side, the corner of her lips lifting slightly.
"So, do you have confidence?"
Huo Yuhao replied,
"I’ll do my best."
Zhang Lexuan extended her slender hand and patted his shoulder.
"Your Senior Sister believes in you."
"Mm."
Back in his room, after a quick wash, Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged and began cultivating.
"Yuhao..."
Within his sea of consciousness,
came the lazy voice of the Skydream Ice Silkworm.
"In this life, are you still going to perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with that daughter of the Tang God King?"
Huo Yuhao didn’t even open his eyes and answered without hesitation:
"No."
Using a Martial Soul Fusion Skill would mean forming ties with the Tang family.
That was something he had sworn to avoid after being reborn.
"Good!"
The Skydream Ice Silkworm smacked his lips.
"When I think about the names of your Spirit Abilities in your previous life, I still get secondhand embarrassment."
"Sigh, you were so caught up back then I didn’t dare try to talk you out of it."
"You really should listen to Brother Zhexian’s sword moves. Every single one of them is incredibly cool."
The Spirit Power swirling around Huo Yuhao paused slightly.
"Brother Skydream, don’t bring it up. Thinking back now, I was unbearably foolish."
Recalling that so-called deeply affectionate set of moves, the "Three Absolutes of Winter Longing," he felt like digging a hole and burying himself.
The fact that his opponents hadn’t burst out laughing when he used those three techniques truly spoke to their professionalism.
"Right now, I just hope to finish the tournament as soon as possible, obtain the qualification to cultivate at the Golden Tree, and ascend to the Divine Star as soon as I can."
Not long into his cultivation, a soft knock sounded at the door. Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power rippled out, and he slowly opened his eyes.
"What is it?"
Hearing his calm tone,
Wang Dong tried hard to make his own voice sound equally casual.
"Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi asked me to get you. The Spirit Master Tournament starts the day after tomorrow—we should at least discuss tactics."
Creak—
The door swung open.
Huo Yuhao stepped out and walked forward without hesitation.
Wang Dong stared at his back, his handsome face clouded with even more frustration, and could only hurry after him.
