章節 181: [DD]: 181
Their voices of surrender, transmitted clearly through the loudspeakers around the arena, echoed in everyone's ears.
The venue instantly fell silent.
Moments later, an uproar ensued.
What on earth was happening? The crowd had been enjoying the match, and now, out of nowhere, there was a surrender. And it was Blue Tyrant Academy, the team that had just eliminated one of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's student second team!
Chaos spread through the venue, but the referee remained focused on his duties.
He quickly stepped forward, checked Tai Long's condition, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, while the injuries appeared severe, they weren't fatal. His body was battered, with two-thirds of his bones broken, but he could still be saved.
However, even with treatment, it was unlikely that Tai Long could participate in the upcoming preliminary or round-robin matches.
But that wasn't the referee's concern. As long as the boy wasn't dead, everything was fine.
Moreover, this was only the first match of the preliminaries, and such a large-scale fight had already broken out. It seemed the referees would need to raise the qualification threshold in future matches. At least that way, he could enjoy watching from the stands.
Ignoring the uproar around him, the referee announced loudly, "Blue Tyrant Academy has surrendered. In the first match of the preliminary round, Heaven Dou Imperial Academy is the winner!"
He then signaled for the waiting healing-type soul masters to come onto the stage, lift Tai Long, and urged both teams to leave the arena.
As the teams exited from opposite sides of the arena, their reactions couldn't have been more different.
On the Blue Tyrant Academy side, despite their loss, the members were smiling. Even Huang Yuan, pale from blood loss, was chatting and laughing with his teammates as they supported him.
On the other hand, the second team of Heaven Dou wore grim expressions despite their victory.
They had been too careless. Looking at Tai Long being carried away for treatment, they felt as if they had swallowed a fly — completely uncomfortable.
It was only the first match, and they had already been outplayed. Blue Tyrant Academy hadn't come to win the competition; they had come purely for revenge against Tai Long.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have surrendered immediately after severely injuring him.
What was worse, Blue Tyrant Academy's actions set a dangerous precedent.
They had no idea whether other academies would follow suit, but they knew they had conflicts with Canghui Academy, and Skywater Academy was even more troublesome.
If those two academies decided to mimic today's tactics, Heaven Dou's second team would lose all competitiveness in the round-robin stage with just one repeat performance.
In the stands, Emperor Xue Ye and the three members of the Education Board wore equally displeased expressions.
Their frustration wasn't about future concerns but because they had lost face.
In their eyes, the second team had never been serious contenders, but this match was disgraceful.
They would have preferred the second team to lose outright in a show of strength rather than win in such an embarrassing fashion.
Worse still, their opponents hadn't even been particularly strong.
The negative atmosphere in the venue was palpable.
Even from their high seats, they could faintly hear murmurs of "rigged" and "refund."
"Everyone, while Blue Tyrant Academy's approach cannot be encouraged, it is also not appropriate to criticize them openly. Since Spirit Hall is co-hosting the event, allow me to address the crowd and calm things down. As for the follow-up, I'll leave that to you all," Han Li said.
With a glance at the stands, Han Li stood up.
After all, he was the representative of Spirit Hall in the Heaven Dou region, and he needed to take responsibility.
Moreover, it was Han Li who had personally selected the opponents for Heaven Dou's second team, and he had anticipated situations like this.
However, even he hadn't expected Blue Tyrant Academy to be so blatant — not even bothering to pretend, directly targeting one person and surrendering right after. Still, this was very much in line with Liu Erlong's style.
With these thoughts in mind, Han Li walked over to the loudspeaker.
He gave a signal to the staff, and the image on the floating screen shifted from the arena to Han Li.
Under the gaze of the entire audience, Han Li raised his right hand, gesturing for silence. Once the crowd quieted down, he began to speak.
"I understand that everyone is frustrated and confused. Why did the battle end so suddenly, and why did Blue Tyrant Academy surrender? But I must tell you, this was completely within reason."
On-screen, Han Li's expression turned serious.
"The Soul Master Tournament, while open to the public and allowing spectators, is ultimately a battle for the participants. It's not just one battle, but a series of battles."
"During this process, participants not only have to showcase their strengths but also carefully evaluate themselves and their opponents. This includes planning their strategy for the entire tournament."
"You're all wondering why Blue Tyrant Academy, despite having the upper hand, suddenly chose to surrender, right?"
"In my view, what we witnessed was a well-thought-out strategy. Although I feel a bit sorry for the students of Blue Tyrant Academy, to clarify things, I must reveal a bit of their tactics."
Han Li paused briefly to express his apology, then continued:
"First, they accurately assessed the strength of both sides. Knowing they couldn't defeat their opponents outright, they chose an unconventional tactic — the one you all witnessed, where three of their members engaged in a direct clash with the enemy."
"Then, they used their defensive-type soul master's shield to obscure the opponent's vision. And, of course, they cleverly utilized the unique characteristics of their control-type soul master's martial spirit."
"The Hollow Vine martial soul is quite rare among control-type soul masters, known primarily for its eerie and unpredictable nature. The soul power of the martial soul itself isn't particularly strong, but what most people don't know is that the Hollow Vine is renowned for its ability to mask soul power fluctuations to a certain extent."
"And if I'm not mistaken, the two students from Blue Tyrant Academy at the rear possess soul skills that require charging. The longer they charge, the more powerful the attack becomes. In a standard arena battle, they wouldn't typically be well-suited for competition."
"But it was precisely because of their tactics that the situation unfolded as you all witnessed."
"They sent their main fighters to hold off the opponent's offense, using the shield to block their line of sight while taking advantage of the Hollow Vine's ability to mask the soul power of their teammates in the back. This allowed them to successfully charge their soul skills, leading to the scene you saw — with just one strike, they managed to eliminate one of their opponents."
"Unfortunately, their front-line fighters were ultimately weaker than their opponents. After their tactics succeeded once, they couldn't buy enough time for another charged attack."
"So, despite having just defeated one enemy and outnumbering the opposing team, they chose to surrender. This was because four of their opponents had yet to make a move, and their overall strength still surpassed that of Blue Tyrant Academy. Now, does everyone understand?"
"Oh, I see!"
Many in the audience suddenly understood. After hearing Han Li's explanation, it seemed reasonable. It wasn't some kind of rigged match — they simply hadn't understood what was happening.
Han Li nodded with satisfaction. His words were intended for the general public and lower-level soul masters.
As for the nobles and competing students, their expressions told a different story.
If they believed his explanation, that was fine too.
After all, the tactics Han Li described were accurate, even if his interpretation of why Blue Tyrant Academy had chosen such a strategy didn't fully align with their actual motives.
But since he wasn't a member of Blue Tyrant Academy, he could only speculate from an outsider's perspective. He had presented their actions in the best possible light. No one could find fault with his reasoning, and they had to praise him for his insight.
Just look at the expressions of the Blue Tyrant Academy students who had now reunited with Liu Erlong.
If they hadn't been the ones involved, they might have been confused after hearing Han Li's explanation, wondering if that had been their plan going into the match.
As discussions in the venue shifted, Han Li cleared his throat and continued:
"Of course, now that we've discussed Blue Tyrant Academy, we must also acknowledge the victors of this match, Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's second team."
"As the match demonstrated, their strength is indeed impressive. It's no wonder Sect Master Ning holds them in such high regard. With just three members — or four if you count the opening amplifications — they shattered the opposing team in a single charge."
"As I mentioned earlier, Blue Tyrant Academy's careful planning and effective tactics prevented them from being utterly crushed. But even so, Heaven Dou's second team suffered only one injured member and still secured victory in the first match."
"And as far as I know, Heaven Dou's second team roster includes seven fully capable substitute members. Their captain, Tang San, is even able to suppress the opponent's main agility-type soul master without using any soul skills, despite being a control-type soul master. His strength is truly remarkable."
"Today's battle for Heaven Dou's second team was nothing more than a minor stumble on their path to the top. The victors are still them."
"As spectators, we shouldn't be stingy with our applause. Victory deserves recognition. Let's look forward to even more exciting performances from them in the future."
As Han Li finished speaking, applause and cheers once again filled the venue. Though a few people still seemed dissatisfied, they had no choice but to let it go.
In the rest area, Tang San's expression hadn't improved after Han Li's speech. It had darkened even more.
Tactical planning? Tournament strategy? Nonsense.
Blue Tyrant Academy had come purely for revenge. He didn't believe for a second that Han Li hadn't seen through it.
By making such remarks publicly, Han Li had not only covered up the loss Heaven Dou's second team had suffered during the match but also blatantly shielded Blue Tyrant Academy.
As expected, no one from Spirit Hall could be trusted.
Meanwhile, in the stands, Emperor Xue Ye and the three members of the Education Board appeared slightly more at ease. They had no objections to Han Li's handling of the situation.
Elevating Blue Tyrant Academy somewhat, while downplaying Heaven Dou's second team's mistakes, was probably the best solution at this point.
"Afterward, send someone to remind all the academies," Emperor Xue Ye said, his gaze drifting toward Yu Yuanzhen with a hint of displeasure. "Grudges are grudges, but if anyone causes trouble openly in the tournament again, they will face severe punishment."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The three members of the Education Board could only nod in agreement. They would take the blame for this incident, even though it was Xue Qinghe who had approved Tai Long's inclusion in the second team. But could they point that out? Of course not.
Ning Fengzhi, however, cast a deep glance at Han Li, uncertain of what to make of his actions. Han Li's behavior was truly perplexing.
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