The seven members of the Royal Fighting Team walked out of the central Soul Arena, all looking somewhat dejected.
They knew that if Long Chen hadn't intervened, the match would have ended in a crushing defeat.
They underestimated the strength of the Shrek Seven Devils team and underestimated the Blue Silver Grass Soul Master.
Upon seeing Qin Ming, Yu Tianheng said with self-reproach:
"I'm sorry, teacher. We underestimated our opponent. Although this battle of spirits has no result, we are the ones who lost."
"Teacher, I was also wrong. I didn't heed your instructions and used poison on them, but they were able to break the spell."
Dugu Yan continued.
She hadn't expected that the Blue Silver Grass Soul Master could so easily break her Jade Phosphorus Serpent Venom.
She knew in her heart that the man's spider venom was more potent than her own jasmine venom.
A sense of frustration welled up inside her, causing her to lower her proud head.
Qin Ming comforted him:
"Alright, you don't need to blame yourselves. In the previous Soul Battle competition, you won too easily and too smoothly, without encountering any setbacks. Strong opponents are the only standard to test your strength, and it's good to experience some setbacks. You should learn from these lessons and never underestimate any opponent again."
"Teacher, we understand."
Although Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and the others were arrogant, they respected Qin Ming very much.
Because Qin Ming became a six-ring Battle Soul Emperor in his early thirties, he was the second fastest Soul Master to reach this record in the history of the Spirit Hall.
They all regarded him as a role model.
Qin Ming said:
"Senior Dugu and Long Chen should be waiting for you at the main gate. Go and meet them, then head back to the hotel. I have some things to attend to, so I'll be back later."
Dugu Yan suddenly asked:
"Teacher, are you going to find the Shrek Seven Devils?"
Qin Ming nodded.
"The truth will eventually come out. As long as Long Chen participates in the Soul Master Competition, he will demonstrate his soul skills, and they will find out sooner or later. To be honest, I was once a member of Shrek Academy and graduated from that academy. The cat-owl soul master who just stood on the Soul Arena was Dean Flander."
The group exchanged bewildered glances, finally understanding why Qin Ming had instructed them not to be too harsh on the Shrek Seven Devils before the Soul Battle.
Ye Lingling said:
"Teacher, Brother Chen didn't mean them any harm; he just didn't want to see me get hurt."
"Yes, I know how Long Chen feels about you. He's still young, so it's understandable that he acted impulsively under those circumstances. Alright, you two should go now, don't keep Senior Dugu and Long Chen waiting too long."
"Okay, teacher, see you later."
After the others left, Qin Ming went to find Flander with mixed feelings.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Flander, Yu Xiaogang, and the Shrek Seven Devils were talking to Manager Ao.
Supervisor Ao found a therapist to treat Tang San.
Ma Hongjun was furious.
"If it weren't for outsiders interfering in tonight's game, we would definitely have won."
"Yeah, damn it. The duck that was almost in our hands flew away. I wonder which bastard did this!"
Dai Mubai was also indignant.
Manager Ao sighed and said softly:
"I don't know who made the move, but their methods are really too strange."
Flanders continued:
"That person's attack method seems to be related to sound waves. He can condense phantoms through music to confuse people. He should be a powerful control-type Soul Master."
Yu Xiaogang nodded.
"That phantom is the legendary nine-tailed fox, possessing extremely strong bewitching abilities. Its soul power and mental strength must be much higher than Xiao San's to be able to completely control her. Manager Ao, you should know something about those nobles, don't you think there are any suspicious people among them?"
Manager Ao frowned and thought for a moment.
"A couple of days ago, a strange guy did come to our arena. He came specifically to watch the matches at the central arena. Originally, there were no VIP rooms available at the central arena, but I couldn't afford to offend that guy, so I had to make room for him."
Everyone was shocked to hear this.
Tang San's face was grim as he said:
"Manager Ao, as the manager of the Soto Grand Arena, you have such a wide network of connections. Even you can't afford to offend someone like him. He must have a special identity and a high status. I wonder who he is?"
Manager Ao looked around and, seeing that no one was around, said softly:
"It's unlikely that the person who attacked you was him, because his soul skills are only related to poison."
Yu Xiaogang was suddenly startled, realizing something.
"It's related to poison. Even you, Manager Ao, can't afford to offend him. Xiao San and the others' opponent tonight is also a poison soul master, and his martial soul is the Azure Scale Serpent. Could it be him?"
"Teacher, who is he?"
Tang San asked anxiously.
Yu Xiaogang didn't rush to answer Tang San's question, but exchanged a glance with Flander beside him.
"Flander, you probably guessed it already, right?"
Flander nodded, looked at Supervisor Ao, and asked:
"Director Ao, I know you have your concerns, but as the dean of Shrek Academy, I cannot stand by and do nothing while the children suffer."
Manager Ao shook his head helplessly and said:
"Dean Flander, since you two already know the truth, why do I need to point it out? You guessed it was him, so you should also know that it couldn't have been him personally. Although the match has no result, our Soul Arena has minimized its losses to the greatest extent possible, and I will still give you the gold soul coins I promised. Give me some face, and let's leave it at that. After all, that powerful figure is someone neither of us can afford to offend, so why invite trouble upon ourselves?"
"Manager Ao"
Just as Flander was about to say something, Yu Xiaogang stopped him.
"Alright, Flander, let's not cause any more trouble for Manager Ao."
Supervisor Ao nodded to Yu Xiaogang and smiled:
"Thank you for your understanding. Please remember to collect the Gold Soul Coins I promised you from the front desk later."
After finishing his speech, Manager Ao left.
Yu Xiaogang looked at Tang San and asked with concern:
"Mistress, how are you? Are you still in pain?"
"Teacher, it still hurts a little, but it's much better now, don't worry. By the way, who exactly are you talking about? Why is Supervisor Ao so wary of him?"
Yu Xiaogang sighed.
"Because he is a powerful expert at the Title Douluo level, and he is unparalleled in the world for his poison skills. He is ruthless and kills people without hesitation."
"A Title Douluo?!"
The Shrek Seven Devils looked at each other in bewilderment.
They naturally knew what the words "Title Douluo" meant, no wonder Manager Ao was so wary of mentioning that person's name.
Tang San then asked:
"Teacher, could it be that the Title Douluo has some connection with the Azure Serpent Poison Soul Master on the field?"
"It's highly likely that there's some connection. That Title Douluo's title is Poison, his name is Dugu Bo, and his martial soul is the Azure Serpent Emperor, which was cultivated and evolved from the Azure Serpent."
As the group was chatting, Qin Ming walked over.
"Dean Flander, it's been a long time."