The matches in the following days were largely the same.
Among the new students of Shrek Academy this year, those with two rings of cultivation were ultimately a minority. Most of the opponents Huo Yuhao and his teammates faced only had one ring of cultivation, posing no threat to Huo Yuhao at all.
The result was that until the knockout rounds began, only Huo Yuhao from his team had to participate in the matches.
After watching Huo Yuhao defeat his opponent like a sweeping autumn wind once again in the first round of the knockout stage, Wang Dong finally couldn't hold back.
"Hey, Yuhao, let me play next time! It's too unfair that you're the only one dominating. Give me a chance to show off!"
He understood the tactics Huo Yuhao had arranged and was happy to be the team's trump card, but after watching the matches from the sidelines for so long, his hands were itching.
Huo Yuhao thought for two seconds, then nodded at him.
"Okay, you can take my place in the next match."
"Huh? Really?"
Perhaps because he didn't expect Huo Yuhao to agree so readily, Wang Dong was stunned instead.
Huo Yuhao smiled and said:
"After winning the knockout match just now, we are now in the top thirty-two. We only have five more matches to play after this, so it's time for you to participate."
"Great!"
Wang Dong immediately jumped up excitedly.
Smiling as he watched Wang Dong, Huo Yuhao shook his head helplessly in his heart.
Actually, the main reason he agreed to Wang Dong's request was that Wang Dong's priority as a trump card wasn't that high. Compared to the negative impact of letting him play early, his bad mood was more difficult for Huo Yuhao to deal with.
Besides, he had a way to deal with the next opponent.
Just then, Huo Yuhao felt his sleeve being tugged.
Looking back, Zhu Yun expressionlessly pointed her hand towards a corner in the distance.
Following the direction she was pointing, Huo Yuhao saw the three girls from Ning Tian's team, but their expressions were clearly a bit grim at the moment.
This is... eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage?
Huo Yuhao was thoughtful. He walked over, greeted them, and asked:
"Hello, did you encounter Dai Huabin's team?"
The three girls were engrossed in their own world and were startled to hear his voice. Wu Feng even subconsciously took two steps back after seeing who it was, but quickly reacted, baring her teeth and putting on a fierce but timid front.
Ning Tian forced a smile, then her expression turned gloomy again, and she shook her head.
"No, our opponent this time was Xie Huanyue. Be careful, he is more troublesome than we initially imagined."
After saying that, she didn't wait for Huo Yuhao's response and turned around and left.
Seeing this, the other two girls also quickly followed.
It was evident that they had suffered a great blow.
Huo Yuhao didn't chase after them, but just watched their retreating figures thoughtfully, his eyes deepening.
He knew the strength of Ning Tian's team. With Ning Tian's assistance, her two Great Soul Master teammates could reach the combat power of a quasi-Soul Venerable, which was definitely excellent among the new students.
To be able to make them suffer such a great blow, it seems that the defensive Soul Venerable named Xie Huanyue is indeed very strong.
Huo Yuhao turned to the two behind him and said:
"Wang Dong, Xiaoyun, the plan has changed. The three of us will all participate tomorrow."
He had an impression of Ning Tian's grouping. According to the rules of the competition, they should have been their next opponents.
It was also because of this that he dared to say that Wang Dong could go alone—he only needed to use Soul Shock to deal with Ning Tian at the beginning of the match, and Wang Dong, assisted by Spiritual Detection, would be enough to secure the victory.
But now, Ning Tian's team had lost, so their opponent would become Xie Huanyue's team.
Being able to directly defeat two quasi-Soul Venerable level opponents, this record is enough to show the strength of Xie Huanyue, this defensive Soul Venerable.
Wang Dong and Zhu Yun nodded together.
The next day, as expected, the three of them saw Xie Huanyue on the opposite side of the competition stage.
He was a large, fat boy. According to Shrek Academy's admission rules, he was at most twelve years old, but looking at his build, he didn't look like a twelve-year-old at all.
His height was at least 1.7 meters, and more importantly, his waist circumference was probably also close to 1.7 meters. Standing there, he looked like a small mountain of flesh.
Compared to him, the other two beside him were remarkably slender, not only a head shorter but even somewhat skinny.
These two looked somewhat alike, seeming to be brothers, but not twins. Their arms were particularly long.
If one looked at these three students from a distance, the two smaller ones would likely be completely overlooked.
"Both sides announce your names. Prepare for the match."
The supervising teacher said in a deep voice.
The mountain of flesh-like boy suddenly slapped his chest, causing his flabby flesh to tremble.
"My name is Xie Huanyue, Class Two of the new students."
The other two skinny teenagers also followed by announcing their names.
"Class Two of the new students, Luo Tianlong."
"Class Two of the new students, Luo Tianba."
Huo Yuhao and the other two also announced their names respectively. With the supervising teacher's announcement of the start of the match, this battle of the top thirty-two into the top sixteen officially began.
Xie Huanyue's already fat body expanded further, increasing from 1.7 meters to over 1.9 meters, and his skin instantly turned dark.
Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba's arms transformed into silver praying mantis blades, and their figures appeared extremely agile.
Both sides instantly completed their martial soul possession and charged forward.
The first to act on the field were not the few players responsible for the frontal clash, but Zhu Yun, the only one who didn't charge forward.
As her yellow first soul ring flickered, dozens of black shadows shot out, entangling Xie Huanyue and his two teammates, greatly reducing their speed.
As the highest-level Soul Master on the field besides Xie Huanyue, Zhu Yun's Shadow Bind skill immediately surprised all three of them.
The effect of her soul skill made one suspect that she had also reached the Soul Venerable realm.
In reality, after three months of cultivation since the start of school, Zhu Yun's current soul power level had reached level twenty-eight, and she was working hard towards level twenty-nine, indeed not far from the Soul Venerable realm.
Among the entire first year, her soul power level was among the top five.
At the same time, Huo Yuhao engaged Xie Huanyue, while Wang Dong simultaneously faced the Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba brothers.
This was the judgment they made after learning that their opponent was Xie Huanyue. Huo Yuhao would tie down Xie Huanyue, the defensive Soul Venerable, while Wang Dong would quickly deal with the other two opponents to help surround and attack.
Seeing Huo Yuhao approaching, a light flashed in Xie Huanyue's eyes, then he squatted down, leaping into the air like a cannonball and smashing towards Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and met the attack with a fearless punch.
With a "bang," Xie Huanyue was sent flying directly.