Ning Fengzhi also smiled and chimed in, "Your Majesty, what the Crown Prince said is true. Although Shrek Academy hasn't officially accepted support from my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, my own daughter is one of its students, and its dean is an old friend of mine. They are representing the glory of the Heaven Dou competition zone, and that glory naturally belongs to the Empire." As he spoke, his gaze also passed over Ye Yin, filled with gentle approval and encouragement.
Platinum Bishop Salas listened quietly to the exchange between the two most powerful men in the Heaven Dou Empire. His eyes scanned back and forth over the members of the Shrek Academy team, a flicker of scrutiny and amusement in their depths.
"Hmph, to be so highly regarded by both the Crown Prince and Sect Master Ning… it seems this Shrek Academy must have a few tricks up its sleeve," Salas said, his voice flat with a metallic edge. "I just wonder if they possess true talent or are simply overhyped. I'm quite curious to see their actual strength."
Neither Xue Qinghe nor Ning Fengzhi paid him any attention. Both held a very low opinion of Spirit Hall.
At that moment, the host on the stage announced, "Next, we invite the Master of the Heaven Dou City Spirit Temple, Platinum Bishop Salas, to conduct the draw for the first round of the preliminaries! After the draw is complete, the first two teams selected will compete in today's only match."
Platinum Bishop Salas rose slowly from his seat. Led by a palace attendant, he walked toward the master of ceremonies to begin the draw. As he approached the large, transparent crystal ball used for the selection, a subtle, almost imperceptible sneer touched his lips. A faint ripple of mental force, nearly impossible to detect, shot out from him.
Under the influence of his spirit power, the giant crystal ball began to rotate, sending the countless name tags inside tumbling and dancing. Then, guided by an invisible force, one of the name tags slowly floated to the top.
"The first team drawn is—" the host announced loudly, "Shrek Academy!"
A wave of discussion immediately swept through the arena. Being drawn first could be either good luck or a terrible misfortune. Moments later, the name tag for the second team began to rise. When the characters on it appeared clearly on the giant spirit-tool screen, an even louder uproar echoed throughout the stadium.
"Shrek Academy's first-round opponent is… one of the Five Element Academies, Shenfeng Academy!"
Shenfeng Academy! They were famous for their incredible speed and unique wind-attribute attacks, and they had achieved excellent results in the previous tournament. They were, without a doubt, one of the strongest teams in the preliminaries. It seemed Salas had arranged quite a challenge for the Shrek Academy that had piqued his curiosity.
The drawing continued, and pair after pair of opponents were announced. "Canghui Academy versus Purple Star Academy," the host called out. "Oakland Academy versus Blazing Glory Academy…"
Over at the Shrek Academy rest area, the expressions on Flender, Yu Xiaogang, and Liu Erlong's faces grew more solemn. Liu Erlong had been the Dean of Blue Tyrant Academy for many years and was very familiar with Shenfeng Academy's reputation. From across the arena, Feng Xiaotian, the captain of Shenfeng Academy, shot them a look filled with fighting spirit and open provocation.
"Shenfeng Academy's strength can't be underestimated," Yu Xiaogang said, a hint of worry in his voice. "Most importantly, every member of their team has the ability to fly. They are considered the strongest of the Five Element Academies. This is going to be a difficult match for you all."
Ye Yin rolled his eyes at the Grandmaster. "Difficult? Grandmaster, if a team like this is still difficult, then wouldn't I, a five-ring Spirit King, be a complete disgrace?"
[Resentment from Yu Xiaogang +30!]
Ye Yin cleared his throat. "How about this? I'll decide the lineup for the match. I'll go first, then Xiao Wu, Zhuqing, Jiang Zhu, Rongrong, Fatty, and Tang San. That's exactly seven of us. Dean, Second Sister Erlong, what do you think? Since everyone from Shenfeng Academy can fly, they won't be fighting on the ground. We should exclude the heavier members, like Tai Long and Mubai."
[Resentment from Dai Mubai +30!]
Flender nodded. "Good. Then let's go with your lineup."
After the draw concluded, Platinum Bishop Salas's gaze swept across the entire arena. "My draw is absolutely fair, I swear on the honor of Spirit Hall," he announced indifferently. "At the same time, I declare that any student from the participating academies who reaches the final championship will be given an exception to join the Spirit Temple directly."
While the general audience was largely unaffected by this news, the Spirit Masters in the arena were thrown into an uproar. Upon hearing the Platinum Bishop's words, Emperor Xue Ye's expression clearly darkened. Ning Fengzhi, sitting beside him, gave a slight shake of his head, and the Emperor's face softened a little.
"Alright," the host continued, "the first match of the preliminaries will be Shenfeng Academy versus Shrek Academy! All other participating academies, please exit the arena. The two competing academies, please prepare. The match will officially begin in half an hour!"
Soon, staff members arrived to urge the teams onto the stage. Both teams walked into the arena at the same time. On Shrek's side, seven members stepped onto the platform, still wearing their characteristic shit-green uniforms, which looked especially out of place in such a high-profile competition.
Opposite them, the seven members of Shenfeng Academy appeared elegant and sharp. They were dressed in matching light cyan robes that flowed freely as they moved. Compared to Shrek, they looked far more handsome and professional. Their leader, a tall man with a handsome but arrogant face, was none other than Captain Feng Xiaotian, a level 44 attack-system Battle Spirit Ancestor. Behind him, his six teammates stood in a neat lineup, their combined aura intimidating.
As soon as the members of Shenfeng Academy stepped onto the stage, their gazes fell upon Shrek's conspicuous advertising uniforms, and looks of undisguised disdain and mockery appeared on their faces.
"Pfft…" One of the team members, a boy with sharp, monkey-like features, was the first to laugh. His voice wasn't too loud, but it was just loud enough for everyone on and near the stage to hear. "Hey, am I seeing things? What kind of academy is that over there? They're dressed like… like something you'd dig up from the ground."
Another teammate immediately chimed in, dragging out his words sarcastically, "Sh—rek? Tsk, tsk, just the name itself smells bad! You'd think it was a fresh pile of… you know! I say, why don't they change their name from Shrek Academy to 'Shit's Here' Academy! Hahahaha!"
"Hahahaha! 'Shit's Here'! That's perfect! So perfect!"
The rest of the Shenfeng Academy members burst into unrestrained laughter. They respected the strong, but for those they considered weak, respect was simply not an option.
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