"No!"
Dai Weisi could only watch in horror as the giant claw, controlled by the minds of his own fiancée and younger brother, slammed down upon him. Was the very Martial Soul Fusion Skill he had counted on for victory now going to be the thing that killed him? And at the hands of the two people who were supposed to be closest to him?
The enormous tiger claw struck Dai Weisi with devastating force. He was sent flying like a broken doll, blood spraying from his mouth. He crashed heavily into the protective barrier at the edge of the stage, the sound of his bones fracturing audible even over the gasps of the crowd. He struggled to lift his head, his eyes locking onto the slowly dissipating phantom of the giant beast. As it faded, the figures of Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuyun reappeared.
Both were unsteady on their feet, reeling from the shock of the forced fusion and the lingering effects of Ye Yin's curse. As Zhu Zhuyun stumbled, Dai Mubai subconsciously reached out to steady her. She, in turn, instinctively grabbed his arm to keep from falling. Their bodies pressed close, their breaths mingling in an intimate posture. But what made Dai Weisi's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets happened next.
Perhaps it was the mental shock from the fusion, or maybe the dizziness from the massive consumption of spirit power, but as they held each other, their balance gave way completely. They fell into one another, and their lips met.
Dai Weisi stared, his mind blank. He had just watched his fiancée and his younger brother embrace and kiss, only moments after they had nearly killed him with their combined power. The blood rushed to his head, a toxic mix of extreme humiliation, blinding anger, and a soul-crushing sense of betrayal. His vision went black, and he fainted.
The accidental contact instantly sobered Zhu Zhuyun. Feeling the lingering warmth on her lips and Dai Mubai's breath on her face, she looked up. She saw the unconscious Dai Weisi in the distance, his face covered in blood and humiliation. She saw the thousands of shocked, disdainful, and amused gazes from the audience. She pushed Dai Mubai away as if she had been burned. Her pretty face, which had been crimson a moment ago, now turned deathly pale.
"It's not like that! Weisi! Listen to me, I can explain!" she screamed frantically towards him, her voice choked with tears. But Dai Weisi could no longer hear her.
The other members of the Star Luo Royal Academy team stood frozen, stunned by the bizarre turn of events. Their morale was completely shattered. The referee looked at the chaotic, almost farcical scene on the stage, swallowed hard, and finally raised his hand.
"Star Luo Royal Academy has lost the ability to fight! Shrek Academy wins!"
On the stage, Dai Mubai looked with a complex expression at his unconscious brother and the flustered Zhu Zhuyun. He glanced down at the hand that had just steadied her, then turned and silently walked off the stage. Zhu Zhuqing gave her distraught older sister a cold glance, her eyes completely devoid of sympathy.
Ye Yin walked up to Dai Mubai and patted him on the shoulder, a gentle smile on his face. "Well done."
He then looked over at Dai Weisi, who was being helped up by his teammates, and at Zhu Zhuyun, who was still trying to explain something to his unconscious form. In a voice that wasn't too loud, but just loud enough for those nearby to hear, Ye Yin said gently, "Prince Dai Weisi, Miss Zhu Zhuyun, there's no need to thank us. Helping others is the duty of all Spirit Masters. I wish you two… a hundred years of harmony."
Dai Weisi, who had just regained consciousness, heard this. Another surge of blood rushed up his throat, and he spat out a fresh mouthful before his eyes rolled back and he fainted once more.
Zhu Zhuyun was so angry her whole body trembled. She pointed a shaking finger at Ye Yin, unable to form a single word. Finally, she just covered her face and wept bitterly. The Prince of the Star Luo Empire's face was ashen, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he glared at Ye Yin, but the rules of the tournament forced him to suppress his rage.
This fated battle, filled with psychological attacks and extreme humiliation, had ended in a way no one could have ever predicted. Shrek Academy, once again, had shocked the entire world.
Dai Mubai looked at Ye Yin, his expression a mixture of resentment and something far more complicated. "Yin Ge… you… you're just too…" He struggled for a long time but couldn't find the right word to describe what had just happened.
Ye Yin leaned closer to Dai Mubai, his characteristic gentle smile twisting into a mischievous grin. "How was it, Mubai?" he whispered. "How did your sister-in-law feel?"
Dai Mubai's face flushed a deep red. He instinctively wanted to deny it, but the memory of the warm sensation on his lips, carrying Zhu Zhuyun's unique scent, was incredibly clear. His throat felt dry, and his heart began to race. He opened his mouth to retort, but no words came out.
Ye Yin's smile grew wider. "Was it fun?"
Dai Mubai remained silent.
Ma Hongjun sidled over, winking. "Hehehe, Boss Dai, what's there to be embarrassed about? As the old saying goes, nothing tastes better than dumplings, and nothing's more fun than…"
"Get lost!" Dai Mubai, utterly mortified, slapped Ma Hongjun on the back of the head.
The fatty rubbed his head, looking wronged. "Ow! Boss Dai, you're so ungrateful! If it weren't for Yin Ge, you never would have gotten to…"
"Shut up!" Dai Mubai glared at him fiercely, but deep in his eyes, a thoughtful look lingered. That feeling really was… interesting.
After that match, Shrek Academy's path through the tournament became a vacation. They had a bye in the second round. In the third round, their opponents, another strong team from the Star Luo Empire, saw the draw results. The team captain's face instantly turned pale, and he unhesitatingly announced their withdrawal.
"We forfeit! We forfeit!"
It was no joke. If the royal heirs of the empire could be humiliated like that, who would dare step up and invite the same fate? Did they want to end up farting, limping, singing, dancing, or worse? None of them wanted to become the next legend on Ye Yin's list of cursed victims.
And so, Shrek Academy advanced almost effortlessly, practically strolling into the finals. The three teams that remained were: Shrek Academy, Shenfeng Academy, and Spirit Hall Academy. They would now compete in a round-robin to determine the champion.
Feng Xiaotian had just been carried to the venue on a stretcher by a medical Spirit Master. He was happy to have made it to the top three and was hoping to compete for second place. But when he saw that one of his opponents was Shrek Academy, his body suddenly convulsed, and his face went from pale to ashen. He remembered the wonderful experience of his seventy-two consecutive dances. He remembered the thunderous laughter of the entire audience. He remembered the title of "Soul Dancer" that he would never be able to live down.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.
The vice-captain of Shenfeng Academy looked at his captain, who was now foaming at the mouth on the stretcher. He recalled his own unforgettable farting incident from the preliminaries. He glanced at his teacher, who gave a slight nod of approval. A huge sense of relief washed over him. He took a deep breath and roared towards the referee's stand.
"Forfeit! Shenfeng Academy forfeits!"
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