"Teacher, Shrek's reputation seems to be quite big. So many people are talking about them."
"What a bunch of clueless people. To think there are people who actually find the guys from Shrek handsome. That Thousand Hands Asura must be Tang San, right? He even has so many fangirls, despite his face being all pockmarked now."
"And that Evil Eye White Tiger must be Dai Mubai. 'Evil Eye'? More like cross-eyed, if you ask me."
"I agree."
A young man in a white peach blossom robe, accompanied by three young women of varying demeanors and a tall, simple-minded youth, walked into the Soto City Great Spirit Arena.
From the moment they entered, Ning Rongrong and the others noticed many passersby discussing a Spirit Master team called the Shrek Team. Among them were even many children of nobility.
In this world where Spirit Masters were mainstream, it was an extremely noble profession. One of the great pastimes of the nobility was watching spirit fights. If they encountered someone with great talent, they would spend a fortune to recruit or befriend them. Many nobles also favored choosing talented Spirit Masters as sons-in-law.
They were already placing heavy blind bets on tomorrow's match. The vast majority favored the Shrek Team, which had already demonstrated outstanding performance. They were so confident that they were even placing side bets on who would be the "Finisher" and "Victor" for the winning team.
The so-called "Finisher" was the one who ended the match by defeating the last member of the opposing team. The "Victor" was the best-performing member of the winning team, essentially the MVP.
Fifty to sixty percent of the bets were on the Thousand Hands Asura to be both the Finisher and the Victor, due to his stellar performance in the match against the Royal Battle Team. About thirty percent were betting on the Evil Eye White Tiger, and around twenty percent favored the Evil Fire Phoenix.
Only a handful of speculators, about ten to twenty percent, had placed a portion of their gold coins on the[Taoyuan Team], which had never shown its face before.
As the neighboring academy to Shrek, Ning Rongrong and the others were relatively familiar with their situation. Just by listening, they could guess their arena aliases with a high degree of accuracy.
Ning Rongrong pouted. She could do nothing about these people's ignorance. "Teacher was right. The prejudices in people's hearts are truly a great mountain."
"Just because they performed well in the spirit fights doesn't mean we're weak. Just wait until we win; you'll all be crying then."
"I can only say that these people have never seen anything good. Even the guys from Shrek can be their idols. Sigh~" Ning Rongrong was helpless.
"Right, right. Rongrong, you're the one who's seen good things, and you're keeping it all to yourself," Meng Yiran teased from behind.
"Sigh, Junior Sister Yiran, I know you really want to win that reward, but don't get ahead of yourself," Ning Rongrong sighed. "I'd love to eat all by myself too, but Teacher won't let me."
"What part of Teacher do you want to eat? Hehehe~"
"Look at you, you really don't know how to talk. How can you eat Teacher? How can you think of him as food? Junior Sister, that's not good. You can be witty, but you can't be gluttonous."
"Alright, you two, stop bickering. The match is about to start, and you're still not united. Do you really want to lose?" Su Ran, walking at the front with his immortal dragon and peach blossom mask, was rather exasperated by their banter. Zhu Zhuqing was better; her temperament was colder, and she was rarely flustered, only chiming in when she agreed with something. But Meng Yiran was different. She had grown up with her grandparents and, like Ning Rongrong, was spoiled by her family. When these two got together, their incessant chatter gave Su Ran a headache.
"Don't worry, Teacher, we'll definitely win!" Ning Rongrong said confidently.
Zhu Zhuqing, being calmer, reminded her, "Rongrong, don't be careless. Teacher said a team battle is not the same as a solo duel. And there are only four of us participating. If Shrek Academy sends out the standard seven members, that means each of us will have to fight nearly two Spirit Masters. The pressure on us will be immense."
Wang Sheng also nodded. "Rongrong, have you forgotten the encouraging words Teacher posted on the classroom wall? 'An arrogant army is doomed to defeat!'"
"Senior Sister Rongrong~ Are you being deliberately arrogant, planning to throw the match on purpose? That way, we won't get the teacher's reward, and you'll be the only one who knows what he looks like. Senior Sister, you have some wicked thoughts~" Meng Yiran said, eyeing Ning Rongrong suspiciously.
"Hey—I—I don't! Why would I throw the match? I wouldn't!" Ning Rongrong flatly denied. "Teacher, you have to control Yiran! She's slandering me!!!"
"Hello, we would like to register a spirit fighting team," Su Ran said to the staff member at the front desk.
The staff member in charge was a woman with purplish-red hair, dressed in professional attire. Her first impression of Su Ran was that he had an extraordinary aura. "Of course, sir. Are you registering for a 2v2 or a 1v1 spirit fight?"
"We're registering for a team battle," Su Ran said calmly.
"A team battle? If I'm not mistaken, sir, you wish to register for a 7v7 team battle?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
"No problem... I apologize, sir. I saw that there were only five of you, so I assumed you weren't planning on a team battle for now," the staff member quickly apologized.
"Mmm, to be precise, there are only four of us. Can four people register for a team battle?" Su Ran asked.
"Huh?" The purplish-red-haired staff member was clearly stunned, freezing for two seconds before coming back to her senses. "Sir, you're not joking, are you? You want to register for a team battle with only four members?"
"Yes. Is it possible to register?" Unlike Shrek, Su Ran wouldn't just recruit any random students to complete his team for the sake of winning. Although these students hadn't completed their training, they should be more than enough for a Spirit Master team battle. He had that much confidence in his teaching and their techniques.
"It is possible. The missing members can be added at any time later. However, almost no spirit fighting team would choose to do this," the staff member said, taking a deep breath. "Even with just one or two teammates missing, the chances of winning against a team of the same rank, or even a lower-ranked team, are extremely low. It's almost impossible to win. There might be a few isolated cases of victory, but it's incredibly difficult. And your team is missing three members. Sir, are you sure?"
Su Ran smiled faintly. "I'm sure."
"Alright. Please enter your names and receive your Spirit Badges." The staff member continued, "May I ask, what is your team's name?"
"Taoyuan Team," Su Ran stated calmly.
"Okay, wait—Taoyuan Team? You are the Taoyuan Team?!" The staff member had just written down the name when she froze, looking up at the young men and women before her in astonishment.
"What? You got a problem with the Taoyuan Team?" Ning Rongrong huffed.
"I apologize, I'm just very surprised. Please forgive my impertinence, but are you the Taoyuan Team that has never shown its face before, the one scheduled to have a special PK match with Shrek tomorrow?" the staff member asked in disbelief.
"That's right, it's us," Zhu Zhuqing answered coolly.
"Gulp."
"You're going to face Shrek's seven-person team with a team of four?"
"So what?" Both Meng Yiran and Ning Rongrong hated being looked down upon.
"Taoyuan Team? They are the Taoyuan Team?"
"Look, that's the team that's going to PK against the undefeated legend, the Shrek Team, tomorrow! And they only registered four or five people?"
"I'm betting on Shrek to win!"
"All in! I'm going all in! Isn't this a sure win? I might as well earn some pocket money!"
"I'll add another thousand Gold Spirit Coins!"
"I'll add ten thousand!"
"Me too, ten thousand!!!"
In the Soto City Great Spirit Arena, seeing the members of the Taoyuan Team finally reveal themselves—and register for the first time with only four members—sent everyone into a frenzy. The betting, which had already been heavily skewed toward Shrek, became completely one-sided.
Ning Rongrong's face was full of indignation. "Teacher, let's bet too!"
"I already have," Su Ran said calmly.
"How much did you bet?"
"Two thousand Gold Spirit Coins."
"Huh? Only two thousand? Isn't that too little?" Ning Rongrong pouted.
"It's not a small amount. Do you think the money for your body tempering, blood nourishment, and all the training equipment in the academy comes from nowhere? I'm counting on you to win against Shrek this time to earn that ten thousand Gold Spirit Coins from them," Su Ran sighed. Teaching is truly not easy. Although the system rewards me with techniques and Spirit Bones, there are still many things I have to purchase. It's already good enough that I have enough to get by.
"Teacher, you don't have money?" Hearing her teacher's complaints, Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up. She pulled out a gold card from her clothes and slammed it on the table, shocking the entire hall.
"Teacher, why didn't you say so sooner? You don't have money, but I do!"
"I'll bet one hundred thousand Gold Spirit Coins! All the winnings go to Teacher!"
"But if we win, all you have to do is give me a little kiss, Teacher! It's a bargain, right!"
(End of Chapter)