Shi Yu's performance was already highly anticipated and received a lot of attention. After this battle, the attention on him reached an unprecedented level.
The scene was buzzing with discussion, all marveling at Shi Yu's performance.
After the event dispersed, through the spectators recounting the battle to those around them, Shi Yu's performance spread wildly throughout the city, becoming a hot topic of discussion after meals.
The number of times he alone was mentioned exceeded the total discussion of all other participating students combined, even by several times.
Some Soul Master families and powers in Star Luo City attempted to contact Shi Yu, hoping to recruit him.
After inquiring and understanding the situation, they could only give up helplessly, because the Xingluo Royal Family had already extended an olive branch to Shi Yu, leaving no opportunity for them to recruit him.
The Xingluo Royal Family also publicly announced the news that Shi Yu had become an honorary elder of the Xingluo Royal Family.
This was to completely cut off the thoughts of those powers who wanted to recruit Shi Yu, telling them that Shi Yu already belonged to the Xingluo Royal Family.
Many people still knew the difference between an honorary elder and a regular elder.
Strictly speaking, Shi Yu was not a member of the Xingluo Royal Family; it was just that their relationship was relatively good.
But this also made them hesitant to contact Shi Yu too much.
The Xingluo Royal Family's attitude was very clear: if they forced contact, it would be digging at the Xingluo Royal Family's foundation, something they would not tolerate.
With the Xingluo Royal Family helping block those who wanted to recruit him, Shi Yu was happy to have peace and quiet.
On the rest day, Shi Yu stayed in his room pondering magic, trying to integrate as many magic arrays as possible with his Eight Spider Lances Soul Bone.
After defeating Zheng Tian Academy, the next two Academies they had to face were relatively easier to deal with.
They were also lucky enough to draw the team battle and individual battles, avoiding the two-two-three battle format they disliked the most.
Unknowingly, the group stage of the tournament had reached the mid-to-late stage.
Shrek Academy's current opponents were only Douling Royal Academy and Di Ao Academy.
These were also the two most difficult Academies to deal with. Douling Royal Academy was the strongest Academy in the Douling Empire, so its strength was undoubtedly unquestionable.
Di Ao Academy's strength was even greater, possessing Soul Emperors, making them more difficult to deal with.
For Shi Yu and the others, the worst part was that Ma Xiaotao's recovery was not as good as expected, and she might not be able to participate normally in the final two matches.
Dai Yueheng and He Caitou had also woken up long ago, but their condition was even worse, making them basically out of consideration for this tournament.
"Shrek, Shrek!" As the members of Shrek Academy arrived at the rest area, the audience excitedly cheered and shouted.
Today's match could be said to be very exciting. Shrek Academy against the strongest Academy of the Douling Empire – this battle was bound to be a clash of titans, incredibly fierce.
The audience was very excited, while the team members from both Academies were relatively nervous, all believing the other side was not easy to deal with.
With the example of Zheng Tian Academy being swept seven times in a row, Douling Royal Academy was very reluctant to draw the individual battles, as this was the most unfavorable match format for them.
Shi Yu's Naruto's Instant Transmission ability was simply outrageous; he was basically invincible in one-on-one combat, and they had no good countermeasures.
If they were also swept seven times in a row by the opponent, it would be a huge embarrassment.
Shrek Academy, on the other hand, was worried about drawing the two-two-three battle format, as this was the most unfavorable match format for them.
One must know that Douling Royal Academy had five Soul Kings. If it was the two-two-three battle format, two people would inevitably have to face two of the opponent's Soul Kings.
These two people referred to those other than Shi Yu. Shi Yu was confident in defeating two of the opponent's Soul Kings, but the others might not be.
If they lost the second match, there would be no need for them to compete in the third match.
To win the two-two-three battle format, they had to win the first two matches directly. If they couldn't win, they could declare surrender.
Shi Yu, as the captain, went up to draw lots.
The result did not make him feel good; he drew the two-two-three battle format he least wanted to draw.
Douling Royal Academy, on the other hand, was beaming with smiles. This was the situation they most wanted to see, and they all felt they could already announce the result.
"There's nothing I can do," Shi Yu said helplessly upon returning.
Huo Yuhao, Jiang Nannan, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao all had solemn expressions. How could they win this?
"To win, I have no choice but to force myself to fight," Ma Xiaotao said, standing up.
She had also come along, thinking of stepping up to fight at a crucial moment.
"If you fight now, it's easy to aggravate your injury and worsen your condition, which might affect your future appearances," Zhang Lexuan advised.
Ma Xiaotao's injury could recover significantly after another five or six days of rest, and she would be able to fight normally then.
But right now, it wasn't quite possible; it was very easy to worsen the injury, leading to a longer time needed to fight normally.
"But there's nothing I can do. If I don't fight, this match will likely be lost. Shrek Academy cannot easily lose matches. We'll worry about future matters later," Ma Xiaotao said.
Xuan Lao was silent, wanting to persuade her, but considering the honor of Shrek Academy, he did not speak, and the self-blame in his heart deepened a little.
It was all his fault for not being able to protect these participating children.
Seeing Ma Xiaotao's determined expression, Shi Yu did not try to persuade her further.
"Then, Xiao Tao Senior Sister, you and Jiang Nan Nan will fight in the second match. We can strategically give up the first match, and I will fight in the third match," Shi Yu thought for a moment and said.
And he briefly explained his reasoning.
The opponent might default to assuming Shi Yu would fight in the first match, which presented two possibilities.
Either they would have a go at it and send out their two strongest Soul Kings to counter, or they would use their two weakest Soul Grandmasters to deal with Shi Yu.
In the second scenario, they would definitely lose the first match, and in the first scenario, it was also highly probable.
They might default to losing the first match, so they would definitely send out a winning lineup for the second match, which would be two Soul Kings.
It should be certain that Ma Xiaotao would lead Jiang Nannan to victory.
Ma Xiaotao was, after all, a Soul Emperor, and one who was about to break through to Soul Saint. If she fought despite her injuries, two Soul Kings would simply be unable to handle her.
In that case, there would be a third match. At that time, Shi Yu would either easily crush one Soul King and two Soul Grandmasters, or he would need to face three Soul Kings.
Regardless of the situation, he had some confidence.
"This should be the most stable arrangement," Ma Xiaotao agreed.
Zhang Lexuan and Xuan Lao also nodded. Huo Yuhao and the others had no objection to Shi Yu's arrangement.
The Referee began to call the students from both sides onto the stage.
Two people walked out from Douling Royal Academy's side, and one person walked out from Shrek Academy's side.
Xiao Xiao nervously walked onto the competition stage. She was the person from Shrek Academy fighting in the first match, and she was alone.
The two-two-three battle format requires a maximum of two people, two people, and three people, but it does not stipulate that there must be that many people to conduct the match.