"Gentlemen, I won't repeat the rules of the elimination round."
In the rest area of Liyue Academy, Wu Yun addressed the group.
Beside him, Xuan Ziwen stood with his arms crossed, nodding in agreement without saying a word.
He didn't understand the rules of the competition, nor was he interested in this continent-wide advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament.
The lead instructors of Liyue Academy were Xuan Ziwen and Wu Yun. Both were teachers of soul tools and soul master cultivating at the academy, so it was only natural for them to lead the team.
"After the draw, you'll decide among yourselves who will participate."
"How you allocate it isn't important; what matters is securing the victory."
As if struck by a thought, Wu Yun narrowed his eyes and smirked, saying, "You wouldn't want to be eliminated before even reaching the first round, would you?"
Hearing this, Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and the others twitched at the corners of their eyes, feeling somewhat speechless.
They were very familiar with the rules of the elimination round.
Unlike the rules from ten thousand years ago, this elimination round, as the name suggests, was a knockout stage from the very first match. The losing team wouldn't even get a chance to enter the first round.
The elimination round was also a screening process, weeding out the teams that were just there to make up the numbers, speeding up the race for the championship.
You see, in the competition ten thousand years ago, it took a month of matches just to reach the ranking rounds, and another half-month of ranking matches to get to the finals. It was truly cumbersome.
But now, after the rules were revised, the tournament process was shortened by a month and a half.
"Yes, Instructor Wu Yun!"
The elimination round was something they had to carefully consider.
If they encounter a strong team in the elimination round, they will have to give it their all. Otherwise, they might suffer an upset!
Judging from historical experience, such things were very likely to happen.
"Instructor Xuan, will you go for the draw, or shall I?"
Wu Yun revised at Xuan Ziwen and asked.
For this young Level 8 Soul Tool Master, Wu Yun showed enough respect, even though the man was from the Sun Moon Empire.
Hearing this, Xuan Ziwen shook his head and loudly said to Wu Yun, "I'm not familiar with the competition rules, so matters like the draw are better left to you, Instructor Wu."
Seeing this, Wu Yun didn't refuse and nodded in agreement.
This young Level 8 Soul Tool Master, even after arriving in Star Luo City, spent all day locked in his room studying soul tools. He wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the competition.
The fact that he was here to lead the team shows his attitude, he was just here to make up the numbers.
Wu Yun didn't say much more. After giving a few instructions to the group, he went to conduct the draw.
"Fellow teammates, Tang Ya and I need two spots for some special reasons. Please don't compete for the spots in the elimination round and the finals."
Bei Bei clasped his hands and spoke with a firm expression.
Although the others were a bit puzzled, not knowing what Bei Bei and Tang Ya were up to, they nodded in agreement.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya weren't competing for other spots, just the elimination round and finals. It was fine to let them have those.
Seeing how reasonable everyone was, Bei Bei breathed a sigh of relief.
He and Tang Ya indeed needed those two spots because they weren't just representing Liyue Academy, they were also representing the Tang Sect.
As the sect leader and senior brother of the Tang Sect, they had a major task to accomplish after the competition!
A monumental task!
Something that the former sect leader of the Tang Sect and the rest of the world wouldn't even dare to imagine!
"Since you and Tang Ya need those two spots, we naturally won't compete for them."
"As for the other spots, will they be decided by drawing or rotation?"
Everyone was friendly and harmonious, so they didn't want to fall out over a spot.
They were all well aware of each other's strengths.
"I think rotation would be better. Let's go with rotation."
"If we decide by drawing every match, it would be a joke if someone unlucky never got to play."
That made sense, and they were all afraid of being the unlucky one.
Thus, rotation was necessary.
"Here's what we'll do: when facing average teams, we'll use rotation. But if we encounter a strong team, we'll switch to voting!"
Gu Yuena stepped forward and addressed the group.
Although they were all participants, their strengths varied. If the weaker ones face a strong team, there was a real chance of losing!
Hearing this, everyone nodded without objection.
The reason they were so agreeable was simple, they all wanted to win the championship!
"In that case, it's settled?"
"Alright, it's settled!"
After the group had finished discussing, Wu Yun returned from the draw.
Wu Yun came back with a smile, showing no signs of tension, which meant they hadn't drawn a strong opponent in the elimination round.
At least, not a strong opponent for Liyue Academy.
"I'm known for my lucky hand, and the team we drew isn't particularly strong."
"Instructor, which team did we draw?"
Bei Bei was the first to ask.
"Heavenly Soul Advanced Soul Master Academy!"
Bei Bei had some impressions of Heavenly Soul Advanced Soul Master Academy.
The academy had a long history, but it had been renamed after the Heaven Dou Empire split into the Heaven Soul and Dou Ling Empires.
Heavenly Soul, Heavenly Soul, wasn't that just Heaven Soul and Dou Ling combined?
Unfortunately, even with the name change, it didn't win them any favors. They tried to please both sides but ended up pleasing neither.
Still, Heavenly Soul Advanced Soul Master Academy had some heritage, which was why it had survived until now.
"As expected of Instructor Wu!"
"Aside from Bei Bei and Tang Ya, everyone else will rotate for this round."
Bei Bei and Tang Ya got their wish and became the participants for the elimination round. As for the other five spots, they had nothing to do with them.
The rules for the elimination round were simple: it was a team battle, seven versus seven.
Although the Soul Master Tournament emphasizes individual heroism, the purpose of the elimination round was to filter out the academies that were just there to make up the numbers.
Thus, the elimination round was a team battle.
Only in the later stages will individual battles, two-on-two, and even three-on-three matches appear.
After the drawing, it was time for the opening ceremony. The Star Luo Emperor will say a few words, and then they will proceed directly to the elimination round.
But today was different!
After all, besides Xu Jiawei was a god the Martial God!
How could such a competition not invite the Martial God to say a few words?
The voice-amplifying soul tool was in Xu Jiawei's hands for only a few seconds, just enough time for three sentences.
"Greetings, everyone. I am Xu Jiawei, the Star Luo Emperor."
"I don't have much to say. This year's tournament will proceed as it had in previous years."
"Now, let's invite the Martial God to say a few words!"
After saying this, Xu Jiawei respectfully placed the voice-amplifying soul tool in front of Zhongli.
Everyone's gaze turned to Zhongli.
But Zhongli simply waved his hand and stood with his hands behind his back.