Word Count: 2,967 Words
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Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong Er gazed at Ling Bai with expectant faces. The seven Tang Sect members had discussed this matter extensively in private and felt their plan had a high chance of success.
Ling Bai had received six years of education at Shrek Academy. How could he not despise the Sun Moon Imperial Academy? Using even the most shameless methods against them would be perfectly justified, and all they needed was for someone from Angelic Sanctuary to step on stage and casually utter a single sentence of forfeiture.
The audience wasn't stupid. No one would believe Angelic Sanctuary feared Shrek Academy. The two teams clearly shared a tacit understanding, joining forces to squeeze out the Sun Moon Imperial Academy. Suppressing a common enemy was perfectly reasonable.
Ling Bai didn't give an immediate answer. Instead, he asked in a probing tone:
"I remember this year's Shrek captain is Dai Huabin, and the supervising teachers are Big Senior Sister and Elder Sister. If Shrek wants to advance, why didn't they come themselves? Why are you two the ones who couldn't sit still?"
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong Er subconsciously exchanged a glance, each catching the flash of guilt in the other's eyes.
Zhang Lexuan was the Inner Courtyard's Big Senior Sister; Ling Bai would usually give her a measure of face. Han Ruoruo was someone he acknowledged as his partner. The Tang Sect Seven had already approached the Shrek team and asked both Senior Sisters to intercede, only to be firmly rejected.
Having Angelic Sanctuary escort Shrek Academy was, in truth, a private initiative by the Tang Sect Seven. They were all die-hard Shrek supporters who simply couldn't stand by and watch the Academy suffer an untimely elimination when a path to advancement still existed.
Silence was as good as admission. The atmosphere grew increasingly awkward until Wang Dong Er pressed her rosy lips together and spoke:
"Regardless, Shrek Academy advancing is still better than the Sun Moon Imperial Academy advancing.
Ling Bai, we've known each other for six years. We had some minor friction before, but those were just misunderstandings.
Setting all that aside, we're still friends. Shrek is our shared alma mater."
"We... friends?"
Ling Bai fell into momentary contemplation. He knew both words well, and their combination was familiar enough. But applied to Wang Dong Er, they felt strangely alien.
He studied the young lady sitting primly across from him. Her devastatingly beautiful face was flushed a rosy crimson, enchanting in its warmth. Those pink-blue eyes locked onto him without flinching, the emotions churning within them layered and complex.
Wang Dong Er seemed like a completely different person today; that was his first impression. The hatred she had always harbored toward the Seraphim and toward him personally appeared to have vanished like smoke, replaced by a fierce, almost desperate desire to mend their relationship.
Huo Yuhao kept his head lowered. He hadn't wanted Wang Dong Er to come, but he couldn't prevail against his girlfriend's insistence.
She hadn't shown him a kind face lately, yet here she was, extending goodwill toward Ling Bai right before his eyes. Something inside Huo Yuhao's chest seemed to crack, leaking a bitter, sour liquid.
Wang Dong Er pressed on earnestly. "The Sun Moon Empire is the common enemy of all three Douluo nations. As a citizen of the Heavenly Soul Empire, you should unconditionally suppress the Sun Moon Imperial Academy.
Senior Sister Ma has already been formally approved by the Sea God Pavilion Council and named by Elder Xuan as the next-generation heir to the Sea God Pavilion Master's seat. She must be at the academy right now, hoping you'll help her protect Shrek's ten-thousand-year glory!"
Ling Bai's expression darkened instantly. His voice turned to ice. "Don't mention Xiaotao in front of me. We each have our own independent personalities and make every decision in our lives for ourselves.
If Shrek lost the tournament championship, then in five years they can reclaim it fair and square with their own students.
And even if Shrek Academy advances this way, then what?
In the Top 8, they draw the weakest team and barely scrape through after a grueling fight. In the Top 4, they face the Tang Sect. In the finals, they meet Angelic Sanctuary. We clear the path the entire way, and Shrek coasts to the championship lying down?"
"That's exactly our ideal outcome! Angelic Sanctuary and the Tang Sect helping the Academy continue its ten-thousand-year brilliance!"
Huo Yuhao pressed on stubbornly. "According to this tournament's rules, two teams qualifying from the same group won't face each other again until the finals.
As long as Shrek advances, you don't need to worry about the quarterfinals or semifinals. Whether we run into the Tang Sect or not, I have my own ways to help Shrek progress."
Same old repertoire. Those who know, know.
"That's all I have to say, Ling Bai. Teacher had high hopes for you while he was alive. A person can't be ungrateful. Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year glory needs every Shrek person to defend it with all their strength."
With that, Huo Yuhao let a rare hint of domineering aura slip through. He wrapped an arm forcefully around Wang Dong Er's slender waist and pulled her against him as he turned to leave, as if declaring ownership to the entire world.
"Let go... don't touch me... keep your distance... Huo Yuhao, this lady is counting to three!"
Wang Dong Er's indignant cries drifted faintly down the corridor. Ling Bai wore a grin that said he never found chaos quite chaotic enough. Those two's relationship didn't seem to be progressing very smoothly. Perhaps because they'd never shared the trials of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well...?
The two visitors gone, Wu Feng came skipping in humming a cheery tune, her crimson ponytail bouncing with each step. In her rare good mood, she even tossed Ling Bai a piece of fruit.
He took a bite. The flesh was sweet and crisp, juice bursting across his tongue. Then he noticed the blush that still hadn't faded from Wu Feng's cheeks and raised an eyebrow:
"What were you doing just now? Your face is so red."
"Huh? I didn't see anything! Didn't look at anything!"
Wu Feng denied it flatly, not realizing she sounded exactly like someone shouting 'there's definitely no three hundred taels of silver buried here!'
Ling Bai instantly connected this to his earlier passionate session with Ning Tian. The girl had probably gotten all worked up after catching a glimpse of Ning Tian in her amorous state. He shot her an exasperated glare.
Wu Feng ignored his look of disdain and flopped onto the sofa without the slightest regard for propriety, draping her long, fair, shapely legs right across his lap.
"So bold. Aren't you afraid Xiao Tian will come out and see this?"
"Hehe, she's fast asleep. You wore her out completely."
Wu Feng's grin turned wicked as her toes began their idle stroll along his thigh. Her voice dropped to something soft and deliberately sultry as she tested the waters:
"I heard a little of that just now. Are we surrendering tomorrow?"
"Not a chance."
Meng Hongchen had washed herself spotless and laid herself out on a bed as an offering, yet he still refused to throw the match. Did they really think a single pig's tongue could talk him into it?
At least it would take...
Bah, bah, bah. Ling Bai, you really are starving!
Wu Feng's crimson eyes lit up at once. She sprang upright in a smooth kip-up and sprawled across his chest, her soft body fitting neatly against him. Her lips grazed his ear, warm breath carrying the faint sweetness of orchids as she whispered in a voice dripping with temptation:
"I bought something new... a snake-patterned black lace set. The lace is so thin it's practically see-through. Want to try it out?"
"Something's off. You're being way too accommodating. When things turn abnormal, there's always a demon lurking."
"Oh, listen to you... I want to go first tomorrow."
"Granted."
...
The final day of the Continental Youth Elite Spirit Master Grand Tournament's group stage arrived.
The four groups—Yellow, Purple, Black, and Red—took the stage one after another for their last round-robin matches. The six qualifying spots for Yellow, Purple, and Black had already been locked in. In the Red Group, Angelic Sanctuary stood head and shoulders above the rest, but the fate of the Sun Moon Imperial Academy and Shrek Academy remained undecided.
The tournament committee knew perfectly well how to toy with the audience's nerves. They had deliberately scheduled Angelic Sanctuary versus Shrek Academy, the match that would decide the Red Group's fate, as the day's closing battle.
By dusk, the sky had turned a deep yellow. The Sun Moon Imperial Academy had completed its schedule and now led Shrek Academy by eleven points.
Because of the head-to-head result between the two teams, Angelic Sanctuary needed only to win a single individual match for Shrek Academy to be mathematically eliminated.
All three teams were drenched in sweat. Over on the Sun Moon side, every member had their hands clasped together in prayer, hoping that Angelic Sanctuary would live up to its name as a bastion of justice.
The Tang Sect members stared unblinkingly at Angelic Sanctuary's rest area. Ling Bai was nowhere to be seen, and they relaxed, if only a little.
On Shrek's side, Cao Jinxuan asked weakly, "Big Senior Sister, Senior Sister Ruoruo... will Angelic Sanctuary let us advance?"
"Why even entertain that thought?" Zhang Lexuan shot back. "If Angelic Sanctuary forfeited, it'd be an insult to Shrek. Fighting us seriously is the real form of respect.
Clear out the distractions. Be ready to step onto the stage at any moment. Give it everything you've got so you have nothing to regret."
"You don't need to feel pressured," Han Ruoruo said with a faint smile. "It's just one Spirit Master Tournament. It can't erase Shrek's ten thousand years of brilliant history. You've all done wonderfully. You are this generation's Shrek Seven Monsters."
The tournament had put unprecedented pressure on the seven of them. Countless voices had slandered and cursed them as too weak, unworthy of representing Shrek Academy. The constant abuse had slowly bent their straight backs and dragged them into self-doubt.
"I'll go first. Let's treat this as our final battle!" Dai Huabin said firmly.
The others straightened their chests once more. Insults were also a form of tempering. Their talent might never allow them to become existences like Ling Bai or Ling Qiuxi, but after the crucible of this tournament, the Shrek Seven's mindsets had been sublimated. They were destined to become outstandingly powerful Spirit Masters among their peers.
"Will the individual battle participants from both sides please come on stage!" Unbreakable Douluo Zheng Zhan bellowed.
Wu Feng strode up with blazing fighting spirit. A barely noticeable quiver lingered in her long legs, the last aftereffect of last night's 'snake versus man' bout that had earned her today's vanguard position.
"Huabin, be careful. Wu Feng doesn't look like she's coming up to surrender," Zhu Lu warned anxiously.
"It's fine. I wanted to experience Ultimate Fire anyway."
Dai Huabin gazed at Wu Feng, who stood dazzling beneath the lights. Memories of their days studying together in the Outer Courtyard remained vivid. Back then, he had been one of the three great Spirit Elders among the freshmen, the widely recognized number-one genius.
It was just that Wu Feng had followed the right person. Fed by Ling Bai without regard for cost, her Red Dragon Martial Spirit had evolved into a Fire Dragon, a descendant of the legendary Fire Dragon King. She had awakened Ultimate Fire, broken through to become a six-ringed Spirit Emperor, and left him far behind.
Dai Huabin's pride bordered on arrogance. Being overtaken by a latecomer didn't sit well with him at all. So what if she was a six-ringed Fire Dragon Spirit Emperor? He would still tear two chunks of flesh from her!
"I've been waiting for this day for a long time!"
Wu Feng's pupils burned with flame as she stared at Dai Huabin across from her. Xie Huanyue hadn't cared much about Shrek Academy's shady operations five years ago, but she was different.
She was the branch family's number-one genius of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. From childhood, everyone around her had showered her with praise, thumbs-up, and glowing compliments. Aside from constantly being flattened by Ling Bai, Wu Feng had never tasted any real hardship.
She had accepted losing to Huo, Wang, and Xiao in the freshman assessment tournament. No complaints. That had been a straightforward, upright battle.
But during the chaotic battle selection, she had clearly been the victor! She should have joined the Shrek Seven Monsters and traveled to Star Luo City alongside Ling Bai and Ning Tian!
Instead, someone else had taken her spot!
Wu Feng had fought for one breath of pride her entire life. Five years ago, Shrek Academy had decided she wasn't worthy of representing the Shrek Seven. Five years later, she would eliminate Shrek Academy with her own hands!
"Match, begin!"
Zheng Zhan's shout kicked off the final battle of the group stage.
"ROAR—!"
A furious roar burst from Dai Huabin's throat. Dense white spirit power poured from his body as five perfectly proportioned spirit rings rose around him. Bones crackled and popped in a sound that set teeth on edge, and his frame swelled explosively. The top-tier Assault System Martial Spirit, White Tiger, manifested!
His first, third, and fifth rings lit up simultaneously. Three amplification skills activated as one: White Tiger Shield Body Barrier, White Tiger Vajra Transformation, White Tiger Devilgod Transformation!
Facing Wu Feng, whose spirit power and Martial Spirit both surpassed his own, Dai Huabin went all out from the very first moment!
His body surged even larger, more imposing. The white fur that had covered him turned completely gold. Only the black 'King' (王) character on his forehead remained, stark and clearly defined.
Every muscle bulged with explosive power. At the peak of his eruption, even the blades on his tiger claws had been stained golden. His attack power had reached the absolute limit of his current cultivation. With three spirit skills stacked atop one another, Dai Huabin's combat strength had been magnified to its most terrifying level!
He thundered toward Wu Feng. His fourth ring flared in brilliant gold, and countless points of light rained from the sky, pelting wildly in her direction.
Fourth Spirit Skill, White Tiger Meteor Shower!
A pair of crimson dragon wings burst from Wu Feng's back. She shot skyward and charged straight into the meteor shower. Dai Huabin's eyes flew wide, his expression going momentarily blank.
Charging straight through White Tiger Meteor Shower... is she insane?!
Wu Feng didn't fall beneath the hail of light. She seemed to bathe in it instead. Magma-like pillars of fire spread across her body, and under the golden radiance, her crimson dragon scales shone like finely carved rubies.
Fire Dragon Third Spirit Skill, Dragon's Armor!
Fourth Spirit Skill, Dragon's Wings!
The black sixth ring at the end of her sequence blazed to life. In the next instant, Wu Feng dove from the sky.
A thunderous boom shook the arena. The Fire Dragon's blazing flames swallowed both figures whole.
Sixth Spirit Skill, Dragon's Explosion!
A mushroom cloud of torn earth billowed upward from the battlefield. The spirit-power shockwave triggered the tournament's Spirit Barrier, and team members seated near the stage reflexively activated their own spirit power to brace themselves.
Wu Feng's foot slammed down on Dai Huabin's back. The terrifying explosive force of Dragon's Explosion punched straight through the White Tiger's defenses. The Fire Dragon crushed most of the White Tiger's body into the ground, and poor Dai Huabin's eyes rolled into spirals.
The victor was decided!
The Shrek contingent slumped with defeated sighs. There would be no miracle. Shrek Academy was out!
The Sun Moon Imperial Academy erupted in hugs, brimming with admiration for Angelic Sanctuary's act of putting righteousness before an old friendship!
'They really cast aside the Academy's kindness and severed Shrek's ten-thousand-year glory...'
Mingdu was the Sun Moon Empire's home ground. The spectators greeted Shrek Academy's elimination with a storm of boos. The deafening roar washed over the arena, and Huo Yuhao clenched his jaw until it ached.
Aside from Ling Qiuxi and Na Na, everyone in Angelic Sanctuary had come from Shrek. Yet they weren't even willing to do something so small and effortless!
'The Tang Sect and Angelic Sanctuary will clash sooner or later. We'll be the ones to shatter your arrogance...'
Shrek's defeat was already sealed, but Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo refused to let the students surrender. They sent them onto the stage one after another, fighting earnestly to the very last second.
When the group stage concluded, the Top 8 were as follows:
Angelic Sanctuary, Sun Moon Imperial Academy, Tang Sect, Proud Sword Sect, Radiant City Spirit Guidance Academy, Snowdemon Sect, Heavenly Dragon Sect, and Star Luo Imperial Academy!
The quarterfinal draw followed immediately. Ling Qiuxi walked onto the stage with her pretty face set in its habitual cold expression. She wanted to see just what kind of freaks and monsters fate would hand her this time!
Group first-place teams could only draw group second-place teams. With the Sun Moon Imperial Academy excluded, Angelic Sanctuary's opponent would come from the runners-up of the Yellow, Purple, or Black groups.
Angelic Sanctuary held the highest overall point total, so Ling Qiuxi drew first. She rubbed her snow-white chin with a jade-like hand, considered for a moment, then plucked the white ball that looked most pleasing to her eye. She cracked it open, and three characters stared back at her...
Snowdemon Sect!