Chapter 142: Substitutes for the Competition:
After the Shrek group returned to the academy, the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Competition would begin in twenty days.
However, upon arriving at the academy's gate, Flanders simply left, leaving Xuan Mo and the other Shrek Eight Devils with a suspenseful explanation.
But as Xuan Mo watched Flanders's departing figure, he caught a glimpse of Zhao Wuji's stifled smile. For some reason, Xuan Mo felt a sense of unease.
Upon entering the academy, the Shrek group immediately headed to the conference room, following the Grandmaster's instructions.
"Grandmaster, we've been busy for over a month now, why aren't we allowed to rest?"
Upon entering the conference room, Oscar and Ma Hongjun slumped in their chairs. Oscar, looking particularly exhausted, complained uncontrollably to the Grandmaster.
"Oh? Little Ao, would you like me to take you to a training camp for the last twenty days to improve your skills?"
Before the Grandmaster could even reply, Liu Erlong clenched her fists and glared at Oscar with a fierce gaze.
Oscar felt a chill run down his spine upon seeing this, then immediately gave in, standing up and hiding behind Xuan Mo and the others.
After all, after spending over six months together, Oscar knew the female Tyrannosaurus's ferocity. If he were dragged off to training for twenty days, he'd likely be left to "collect her body."
"Alright, Erlong," the Grandmaster said, seeing the commotion had escalated. A slight tug of his stiff face rang, and he intervened, stopping the situation.
Only after Liu Erlong snorted and withdrew his attack did the Grandmaster turn his gaze to the others with a serious and formal expression.
"Our Shrek Academy can arguably form an all-Soul Sect team. In the Soul Master Competition, academies of this caliber are rare, if not few."
The Grandmaster glanced at the smug-looking crowd around him and continued, "Therefore, I've decided that until we face a truly formidable opponent, in the finals, Shrek Academy will conceal its strength. For example, among the eight of you, you can't all attack; you must hold back."
As the Grandmaster finished speaking, Ma Hongjun, who had just stood beside Xuan Mo, couldn't help but grumble.
"Why go to all that trouble? With our strength, there's no need to hide. We can just push right through."
Everyone present was a spirit master, and since they were so close, Ma Hongjun's mutterings were heard by everyone. The Shrek Eight Devils didn't say a word.
Liu Erlong, on the other hand, seemed about to explode with rage at Ma Hongjun's words. But just as he was about to lecture Ma Hongjun, he was stopped by the Grandmaster.
"What if we don't hide our strength, and encounter a stronger opponent who happens to see through you and completely suppress you?"
Ma Hongjun muttered in disbelief. "No matter how strong I am, what good is it? I don't believe I can stop Brother Mo, me, Zhu Qing, and Boss Dai's spirit fusion..."
Before Ma Hongjun could finish his words, Xuan Mo had clearly noticed Liu Erlong clenching his fists, his face darkening. He immediately reached out and silenced Ma Hongjun's mouth, muttering, "Shut up, Fatty!" He then turned to Liu Erlong and offered an apologetic smile.
"Teacher Erlong, ignore the fat guy. He's just a jerk. Just ignore his words."
"Hmph!" Liu Erlong snorted coldly, but didn't say anything else. She simply looked at Ma Hongjun with a look that was almost identical to that of a "dead man."
At this moment, seeing that the "troublemakers" had been mostly dealt with, the master said, "To keep your abilities hidden, I've found four students to serve as your backups. Zhao Wuji should have brought them here by now."
As the saying goes, "Speak of the devil, and he will appear."
Just as the master finished mentioning Zhao Wuji, his gruff voice echoed from outside the conference room door. "Master, I've brought them here. Take a look!"
With that, the door swung open.
A figure suddenly charged towards Xuan Mo. Xuan Mo reacted instinctively.
He cried out, "Fuck!" and then, with a sharp kick, he lifted his foot and delivered a vicious kick at the shadowy figure.
With Tang San's "Wait a minute," and Master and the others' "Stop," Xuan Mo's kick sent the shadow flying. A rumble echoed against the wall, and smoke billowed.
"Who the hell did you come from? How dare you launch a sneak attack?"
Xuan Mo slowly lowered his leg, rubbing his nose as he looked at Tang San and the others, all scowling. "Xiao San, what did you just call me? I wasn't listening carefully?"
"Uh."
Tang San and the others wiped the sweat from their foreheads, which hadn't even existed. Just as they were about to speak, a voice that sounded vaguely familiar to Xuan Mo rang through the smoke. "Brother Mo, it's me."
A tall, muscular figure emerged from the shrouded ground. "Hey, you're Tai Long!"
Xuan Mo felt an immediate wave of embarrassment. Just as he was about to apologize, Tai Long glanced at Tang San, as if seeing something.
He ignored everything else and rushed to Tang San's side, dropping to his knees excitedly, practically hugging Tang San's thighs.
This action made Tang San feel extremely embarrassed for a moment, and then he was kicked away by Xiao Wu again, which made the eyes of the people around him twitch.
Xuan Mo muttered, "Don't blame me now, it seems that Tai Long is a masochist."
Then, he turned his attention to the other three people.
After the master's introduction, everyone was completely acquainted. The remaining three were already acquaintances: Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Jiang Zhu.
Huang Yuan and Jing Ling didn't pique Xuan Mo's interest, but upon seeing Jiang Zhu's martial spirit, Xuan Mo's brow furrowed slightly, as if a memory had occurred.
"Jiang Zhu, is your grandmother's name Zhu Ling?"
Xuan Mo asked, startling everyone.
Jiang Zhu, recovering her composure, nodded slightly, "Yes, junior, do you know my grandmother?"
Xuan Mo then explained, and everyone realized that Jiang Zhu's grandmother was a Soul King and a teacher at the Barak Junior Soul Master Academy. No wonder Xuan Mo knew her.
After this interlude, the four replacements officially became acquainted with the Shrek Eight Devils.
Seeing this, the Grandmaster pointed at the four and said slowly, "These four are your replacements. They'll help you hide your strength and avoid being targeted! In the next few days, you'll all train together, practice tactics, and get to know each other."
"Yes."
After everyone agreed, the Grandmaster, who was about to leave, turned around again and said, "By the way, I remind you that the so-called hidden strength means that in the team battles in the preliminaries, only three of you eight can play. Ning Rongrong and Oscar cannot play."
As the Grandmaster left, the Shrek Eight Devils and the four replacements exchanged a glance and began to prepare for tomorrow's training session between the ten of them...
After an incense stick of time, the Shrek Eight Devils and Tyrone were just about to leave when Flanders' voice suddenly rang out from outside the door. His figure flashed, and he immediately blocked Xuan Mo back into the meeting room alone.
"Little monsters, you go first. Mo boy, wait a moment..."
["Hey… I really need your help right now. 💔
Life has been tough, and I'm struggling to cover room rent and basic expenses at home. Every little bit of support gives me hope and strength to keep going.
If you can, please consider supporting me on Patreon. Your membership, no matter how small, can truly make a difference.
[Join me on Pat Reon [email protected] FicToric]
Thank you… from the bottom of my heart. 💖"]
Read 60+ Advance Chapters At Pat Reon [email protected]
(End of this chapter)