As much as the girls wanted to take out the Holy Spirit Sect team, Lu Jingming had no such intention, so they held back.
"They're strong enough, and this is just a simulation. Even if we beat them, it doesn't matter. If you really hate them, there'll be plenty of chances in the future," Lu Jingming said with a shake of his head.
He knew that March 7th and the others were inherently kind and couldn't stand the Holy Spirit Sect's evil ways.
But fighting them in the simulation would be pointless, and they'd miss out on many interesting developments.
If they encountered these evil soul masters in the real world, though, Lu Jingming wouldn't stop them—and the evil soul masters would only have themselves to blame for bad luck.
"So, what do we do now?" March 7th quickly put the Holy Spirit Sect team out of her mind, refocusing on the match.
"Let's split up. If we all move together, we're too strong," Lu Jingming suggested.
"Okay! I want to team up with Sister Robin!" March 7th's eyes lit up as she affectionately took Robin's arm, beaming with excitement.
Robin, as a support, was weaker in direct combat and needed protection—March 7th by her side would suffice.
Lu Jingming's plan was unanimously approved.
After all, moving together would make their team overwhelmingly strong—and they weren't in it for the championship, so there was no need to pressure the other teams.
Soon, the group of seven split up. Only March 7th and Robin stayed together; the others went solo.
Lu Jingming watched Huo Yuhao's group leave, thought for a moment, then decided to follow.
His intuition told him that trailing the Holy Spirit Sect team would lead to more interesting events.
…
Elsewhere, Wang Qiu'er, Ye Gu Yi, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Meng Hongchen, Xiao Hongchen, and Lan Ruoruo (who had joined the team because of her friendship with Ye Gu Yi) formed a seven-person team.
Lan Ruoruo had come with Ye Gu Yi to St. Freya Academy, not as talented as Ye Gu Yi but still quite capable.
Though her surname was Lan, she wasn't related to Lan Susu or Lan Luoluo; she was from the Sun-Moon Empire.
But this made her get along well with the Lan sisters, and with her friendship with Ye Gu Yi, she was invited to fill the team's vacant spot.
Now, the seven were gathering resources as they made their way towards the center of the island.
They were lucky—not running into any other teams at the start, only encountering one while gathering supplies.
But with Wang Qiu'er, Meng Hongchen, Xiao Hongchen, and Ye Gu Yi all being Soul Kings, plus the strong Soul Ancestor-level Lan twins and Lan Ruoruo, the other team had no choice but to surrender their resources and become walking loot boxes.
Just then, a red dot lit up on the virtual map nearby, instantly drawing attention.
They all knew from the rules that a red dot on the map meant a high-level resource drop.
"It's so close—should we go for it?" Meng Hongchen asked Wang Qiu'er.
Wang Qiu'er was the team captain, having won the most in their usual sparring.
"Of course!" Wang Qiu'er summoned her Golden Dragon Spear.
She feared no one except Lu Jingming's group—and since they'd declared they weren't going for the championship, her team had a real shot.
The more high-level resources they got, the better their chances.
Ye Gu Yi and Xiao Hongchen were equally confident, so they all headed for the drop.
All teams on the island could see the high-level supply location.
Unless a team was too far away, most rushed for the drop.
Some teams played it safe, avoiding the coming chaos; others prepared to ambush nearby, hoping to pick off the weakened victors.
Strategies abounded, and the tournament's first climax was about to begin.
Spectators everywhere focused on the resource drop, ready for the coming melee.
A red pillar of light shot skyward, with a huge treasure chest glowing dazzlingly within—the high-level supplies.
Its special effects were so striking that anyone nearby would easily notice, even without the map marker.
The first to arrive was the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team—Yu Tianheng led Dugu Yan and the others at top speed, eager to grab the loot and escape.
But the simulation wouldn't let them off that easy.
Opening the chest required a full minute.
When they saw the countdown, Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan's group were dumbfounded—they hadn't known about this rule!
"Captain, maybe we should back off; the other teams will be here any minute!" Oslo, a Heaven Dou team member, was more nervous than ever. The thought of lurking teams or ambushes made him break out in a cold sweat.
"What are you afraid of? We're the Heaven Dou Royal Team," Yu Feng tried to keep calm, but his eyes darted around anxiously.
Yu Tianheng hesitated. He knew the first team to get the loot would likely become everyone else's target.
But he couldn't give up so easily—they'd arrived first, after all.
"Just wait a bit more, almost done!" Yu Tianheng gritted his teeth, unable to resist the temptation.
Just the Invincible Golden Body and Teleport Ring in the chest would greatly boost their strength.
A minute passed—no other teams showed up, and the Heaven Dou team breathed a sigh of relief.
The chest opened, revealing soul tools, pills, and potions. Yu Tianheng's face lit up.
But then, a dragon's roar thundered—a giant blue lightning dragon bared its fangs and lunged at them.
"Not good!" Shi Mo and Shi Mo, the Heaven Dou defensive duo, immediately released their Black Tortoise Martial Souls and shielded the team.
But in the next instant, the lightning dragon sent them flying. The savage lightning tore their bodies apart.
By the time they hit the ground, they were nothing but charred corpses—instantly killed, their bodies turning to points of light, leaving behind only indestructible blue resurrection chips.
"How is this possible!" Yu Tianheng and the others were shocked.
The Shi brothers' Black Tortoise Martial Souls were no joke. Even though they defended in a rush and hadn't used their soul skills, they shouldn't have been killed instantly!
"Leave the loot and you can leave!"
A tall, burly figure led six others over in steady strides.
The leader had short blue hair, a rugged face, and lightning flickering around him, blue dragon scales faintly visible.
Two yellow, two purple, one black—five soul rings pulsed rhythmically on him, making Yu Tianheng and his team's faces turn grim.
"Soul King!" Yu Tianheng squeezed the words out, his face dark.
No wonder the Shi brothers had died so quickly. The huge soul power gap, a powerful martial soul, and a planned ambush—no wonder they couldn't resist.
But the more Yu Tianheng looked at the man's martial soul, the more it reminded him of his own Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, making him suspicious.
"Bastard!" Dugu Yan, always hot-tempered, immediately released her martial soul.
Two yellow, two purple—four rings circled her.
Her legs turned into a snake tail, a green scale appeared on her brow, and a purple poison mist spread around her, making her dangerous.
Her third soul ring flashed, and she spat a surge of thick purple poison mist at the enemy.
"Overestimating yourself!" Yu Tianlong snorted, clapping his hands.
A blue thunderball formed in his palms, compressed until it turned pitch black.
He thrust it forward, and the black thunderball shot out like an arrow, brimming with wild electric power, charging at Dugu Yan.
But her poisonous mist, seemingly so dangerous, simply couldn't compare to the rampaging lightning.
The poison was instantly dispersed by the thunder's force, wiped out in midair.
"Yan Yan, watch out!" Yu Tianheng's face changed. He released his own martial soul, his arms turning into blue dragon claws wrapped in lightning, shielding Dugu Yan.
Boom!
The black thunderball struck Yu Tianheng's arms, causing a violent explosion.
Black lightning exploded outward in a frenzy, instantly engulfing Dugu Yan and the others.