After leaving Cai Meier's office, Zhu Ziyang checked the time. It was almost time for their main team's training, so he didn't linger in the Outer Courtyard and headed straight for the Inner Courtyard's Martial Arts Arena.
Upon arriving at the Martial Arts Arena, Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and the others were already there, with only he and Jiang Nannan yet to arrive.
"Sister Xiaotao, Brother Yueheng, I'm here," Zhu Ziyang greeted everyone upon his arrival.
"Ziyang, where have you been? Why are you only just getting here?" Ma Xiaotao asked, a smile on her pretty face.
"I heard there were three Spirit Elders among the new students this year, so I made a special trip to the Outer Courtyard," Zhu Ziyang replied with a smile, then looked at Dai Yueheng, "Brother Yueheng, your younger brother also entered the academy this year, right?"
"Hmm! Calculating his age, it should be this year," Dai Yueheng nodded indifferently. To be honest, born in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, he didn't care much about the concept of siblings.
While Zhu Ziyang and Dai Yueheng were talking, Jiang Nannan and Zhang Lexuan arrived together. Zhang Lexuan was the opponent their main team had to face today.
"Everyone, since everyone is here, let's not waste any more time," Zhang Lexuan said directly. "Today's combat training is simple: Jiang Nannan and I on one side, and the six of you on the other, for a two-on-six Competition (duìkàngsài) — a confrontation match."
"Sister Lexuan, just you and Nannan? Although you are a Spirit Douluo, isn't that a bit too dismissive of us?" Ma Xiaotao said, her face showing dissatisfaction. "How about you pick one more person to join you, otherwise I'm afraid the training will be over before it even begins!"
The others also nodded, indicating their agreement with Ma Xiaotao.
Zhu Ziyang, however, fell into thought. He remembered something Jiang Nannan had excitedly told him not long ago. If that was true, then with Zhang Lexuan and Jiang Nannan teaming up, the six of them might really not be able to handle it.
So, he said, "Sister Xiaotao, let's agree for now. If a one-sided situation truly arises later, it won't be too late to adjust."
"Uh!" Ma Xiaotao pondered for a moment after hearing this, then looked at the others and said, "What do you all say?"
"Then let's listen to Ziyang," Dai Yueheng said, and the others also nodded.
"Alright, Sister Lexuan, we agree. Let's get started," Ma Xiaotao said directly to Zhang Lexuan, no longer arguing.
"I hope you all give it your best!" Zhang Lexuan said with a smile.
"That's right, brother, Sister Lexuan and I won't go easy on you!" Jiang Nannan also said with a beaming smile, clearly very excited.
The battle was about to erupt. Zhu Ziyang, Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, Gongyang Mo, and Chen Zifeng formed a triangular formation. Ma Xiaotao, as a Spirit Emperor and captain, stood at the very front. The 59th-ranked Dai Yueheng and the 53rd-ranked Zhu Ziyang stood side-by-side in the middle. The 55th-ranked Gongyang Mo, the 51st-ranked Ling Luochen, and the 52nd-ranked Chen Zifeng were at the back. Opposite them were Zhang Lexuan and Jiang Nannan, standing shoulder to shoulder.
"Prioritize taking care of Nannan, then we'll deal with Sister Lexuan together!" Ma Xiaotao, as captain, set the battle objective.
She made the first move, her Phoenix Spirit instantly attaching to her body. Huge flame wings carried her into the sky, and then a crimson flame shot out from her mouth, sweeping towards Jiang Nannan. Dai Yueheng and Zhu Ziyang followed closely, each releasing their Spirit and Spirit Ability. Dai Yueheng unleashed three amplification Spirit Abilities, simultaneously releasing a scorching light wave that surged towards Jiang Nannan and Zhang Lexuan. Zhu Ziyang, holding the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe, activated his second Spirit Ability, and then the golden scythe, carrying brilliant light, instantly transformed into a vortex of light, flying towards the two opponents.
Behind them, Ling Luochen and Gongyang Mo were not idle. Gongyang Mo simultaneously unleashed his first and second Spirit Abilities, amplifying the strength and speed of the three. Ling Luochen, through her Spirit Ability, harassed and controlled Zhang Lexuan, preventing her from assisting Jiang Nannan. As for Chen Zifeng, his task was to protect Gongyang Mo and Ling Luochen from Jiang Nannan's surprise attacks.
Facing the fierce offensive of Zhu Ziyang and the other two, Jiang Nannan dared not underestimate them in the slightest. Her Spirit instantly attached to her body, and then she activated her first Spirit Ability. After her speed suddenly increased, she made a move that baffled everyone: she easily dodged Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Fire Wire and Dai Yueheng's White Tiger Light Wave, then broke free from the Two-Yin Revolving Style's pull, rushing straight towards Zhang Lexuan.
After Zhang Lexuan released her Spirit, she did not attack immediately but stood still, awaiting Jiang Nannan's move.
Watching Jiang Nannan charge towards Zhang Lexuan, Zhu Ziyang vaguely realized their plan, and a faint sense of anticipation stirred within him, causing his movements to momentarily pause. However, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng did not stop. They swiftly attacked Jiang Nannan, one unleashing her fourth Spirit Ability, Phoenix Soaring Sky Strike, and the other his White Tiger Meteor Shower.
Scorching pillars of fire erupted from the ground, and blazing golden orbs of light crashed down from the sky. After Jiang Nannan broke through the ice mist's blockade, she was met with these two attacks. Her expression changed slightly, and then she immediately used her fourth Spirit Ability. In a blink, she vanished from her original spot, leaving only a faint silver afterimage. The next second, she reappeared ten meters away, having avoided the area covered by the Phoenix Soaring Sky Strike and the White Tiger Meteor Shower, and rushed to Zhang Lexuan's front.
Jiang Nannan's fourth Spirit Ability, Silver Moon Instant Body Art, was an assault-type Spirit Ability that allowed her to Teleport to any location within ten meters, and within ten seconds, she could Teleport back to her original position.
After Jiang Nannan and Zhang Lexuan converged, they immediately embraced each other. Then, to the six people's astonishment, a giant silver moon enveloped them both. A terrifying aura instantly erupted, and then the figures of Jiang Nannan and Zhang Lexuan disappeared, replaced by a massive silver female phantom. The phantom's appearance resembled both Jiang Nannan and Zhang Lexuan, dressed in a magnificent long gown of gold and silver, with silver hair trailing to her ankles and a golden full moon behind her head. She exuded an incredibly sacred aura, like a Moon Goddess!
"This is... a Spirit Fusion Ability!" Ma Xiaotao and the others exchanged glances, not expecting Zhang Lexuan and Jiang Nannan to pull off such a feat. They clearly felt that the aura of this Moon Goddess had already surpassed the Spirit Douluo realm, comparable to a Titled Douluo!
What the hell was there to fight? Everyone's mentality was a bit shattered.
Zhu Ziyang was also very shocked, not expecting Jiang Nannan and Zhang Lexuan to actually create a Spirit Fusion Ability, and from the looks of it, its power could rival a Titled Douluo. From the aura, Zhu Ziyang felt that the Moon Goddess's strength could rival half of Yan Shaozhe.
The Moon Goddess made her move. She stepped with her long, slender legs, her long dress sweeping the ground, and gently raised her jade hand, waving it towards Ma Xiaotao in the air. Ma Xiaotao, startled awake, hastily moved to block, but it was ineffective. The fair, slender jade hand firmly struck Ma Xiaotao's body, and Ma Xiaotao was instantly knocked down, crashing to the ground.
Next were Dai Yueheng and Zhu Ziyang. The Moon Goddess used both hands, striking at the two of them. Because of Ma Xiaotao's prior experience, the two immediately reacted. Dai Yueheng directly used a Rising Dragon Fist, meeting the Moon Goddess's attack. Zhu Ziyang, on the other hand, directly used spatial Teleportation, appearing in front of the Moon Goddess, wielding the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe, and slashing towards the goddess's neck.
However, their resistance was ultimately futile. Dai Yueheng's fist met the Moon Goddess's palm, lasting less than a second before he was smacked to the ground, following in Ma Xiaotao's footsteps. And Zhu Ziyang, who had tried a surprise attack, also gained no advantage. The Moon Goddess simply lowered her head, golden light blooming in her eyes, and directly froze Zhu Ziyang's figure, then gently blew a breath, knocking Zhu Ziyang to the ground.
The Moon Goddess pressed her advantage, easily defeating Chen Zifeng, after which Ling Luochen and Gongyang Mo could only admit defeat.
After achieving victory, the Moon Goddess shattered instantly, revealing the figures of Zhang Lexuan and Jiang Nannan. Zhang Lexuan held Jiang Nannan, her expression normal, while Jiang Nannan's face was pale, clearly due to exhaustion from depleted spirit power.
"Sister Lexuan, you can't do that!" Ma Xiaotao crawled up from the ground and immediately protested to Zhang Lexuan, "If you do that, it won't have any training effect on us at all!"
"Hehe, I'm sorry, Nannan and I just wanted to test the combat power of our Spirit Fusion Ability," Zhang Lexuan chuckled. "It proves that our Spirit Fusion Ability is still very powerful."
"How could it not be powerful? A Spirit Fusion Ability of a Spirit Douluo and a Spirit King, I'm afraid even an ordinary Titled Douluo wouldn't be an opponent," Dai Yueheng said. When it came to Spirit Fusion Abilities, he had the most say. Their White Tiger clan and Black Cat clan had the Hell White Tiger, a Spirit Fusion Ability passed down for ten thousand years. Unfortunately, in this generation of the Zhu family, there were no girls of his age. Fortunately, there were no girls of the Zhu family of the same age, so he could choose the person he liked!
"Zhang Lexuan, Nannan, what is the name of your Spirit Fusion Ability?" Zhu Ziyang asked.
"Hehehe, of course, it's called Moon Goddess, isn't it very fitting!" Although Jiang Nannan's voice was a bit weak, the pride and excitement contained within it were undeniable.
"Moon Goddess, hmm, it's indeed very fitting!" Everyone expressed the same opinion.