The final battle of the Hagendas Kingdom Sub-division was between the Hagendasi Battle Team and the Exotic Beast Team to decide who would be first in that bracket. Yu Yan strongly suspected that scheduling this highly anticipated battle for the end was to keep the people who came to Häagen-Dazs City to watch the matches until the very last moment.
Amidst the atmosphere of great anticipation, the Hagendasi Battle Team and the Exotic Beast Team stepped onto the battlefield.
"Is that the Exotic Beast Academy captain who hasn't appeared yet, the one named Yu Yan with the mutated Spirit?"
In the VIP seats, the King of the Hagendas Kingdom looked at the additional male contestant on the Exotic Beast Team and asked the Prime Minister beside him.
"Yes, Your Majesty. He is the secret weapon of Exotic Beast Academy, Yu Yan, who possesses the Ice and Fire Twin Fish Martial Soul and an Innate spirit power of level seven and a half. The last time he showed his strength in public was a year ago; at that time, he was already a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, and his Spirit had evolved from a fish into a flood dragon with Dragon Clan Bloodline."
The Prime Minister of the Hagendas Kingdom adjusted his reading glasses, and after clearly seeing the appearance of that contestant on the field, he began to explain Yu Yan's known intelligence to the King in detail.
"The Exotic Beast Team has hidden him until now before making their move. It seems they are determined to take first place in this qualifier."
The Bishop of the Main Spirit Hall, sitting next to the King, gave a relatively objective evaluation after hearing the Prime Minister's report.
"If Exotic Beast Academy has hidden a card, how could my Hagendas Noble Academy only have these few tricks? Do you see that new face in the Hagendasi Battle Team?"
Following the direction of the Hagendas King's gaze, everyone in the VIP seats saw the new face in the Hagendasi Battle Team.
"So you're that captain from Exotic Beast Academy who hasn't appeared yet?"
Wu Li, the main force of the Hagendasi Battle Team, stood at the very front, scanning Yu Yan, who stood behind Dugu Yan and Zhu Zhuqing, with a contemptuous gaze, wanting to see what right this guy had to be the captain of the Exotic Beast Team.
The Hagendasi Battle Team's formation was very cautious. Their vital support system Spirit Master was protected by three people, while the other two stood behind Wu Li to assist, preventing their leader from being focused and taken down by the Exotic Beast Team.
"Yes, I am."
Yu Yan nodded in admission, ignoring his gaze, and simply waited quietly for the start of the battle.
Hearing Yu Yan admit it so straightforwardly, Wu Li didn't know what to say for a moment. If he continued to mock, he would look stupid; if he said nothing, it felt inconsistent with his usual habits.
The lineup for Exotic Beast Academy this time was Yu Yan, Dugu Yan, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Wang Hu, Xiong Da, and Xiong Er.
Yu Yan stood beside Ning Rongrong to protect her and would apply buffs to his teammates when the battle began. The rest would all push forward, the entire team pressing up directly to resolve the battle in the most violent way.
Accompanied by the announcer's loud shout of "Match Start!", everyone in the Soul Fighting Arena underwent Martial Soul Possession and summoned their spirit rings.
"Nine Treasures turn, showing the Glazed Tile. Nine Treasures have names: first is Power, second is Speed, third is Spirit."
Ning Rongrong was the first to act, adding the triple augmentation effects of Power, Speed, and Spirit to her teammates.
Yu Yan raised his right hand as the Fire Flood Dragon Martial Soul possessed him. His third spirit ring settled on his arm, and a small sun rose from his spirit ring's position, floating above the Soul Fighting Arena, applying the Sun Manifestation: Light Forged Crystal Wheel effect to all members except Ning Rongrong.
A gear-shaped energy ring with twelve prisms appeared behind Dugu Yan and the others to provide protection. This was the reason why Ning Rongrong did not apply a defensive augmentation spirit ring to them.
While Yu Yan and Ning Rongrong were performing their Spirit Abilities, the support Spirit Master standing at the back of the Hagendasi Battle Team also applied all his Spirit Abilities to Wu Li to increase his speed.
After the support Spirit Masters of both sides performed their Spirit Abilities, Zhu Zhuqing, the fastest, turned into an afterimage and rushed straight forward, targeting the strongest opponent, Wu Li.
Dugu Yan's speed was a notch slower than Zhu Zhuqing's, but the moment she saw Zhu Zhuqing rush out, she immediately followed.
Both of their combat strengths were not weak; whoever rushed up first was the main force, and the slower one would play support.
Having finally encountered an opponent whose strength and speed were not weak, Zhu Zhuqing was naturally unwilling to give up such a good opportunity to verify her combat power.
As Zhu Zhuqing and Dugu Yan rushed toward Wu Li, Wang Hu, Xiong Da, and Xiong Er circled around from the sides toward the rear of the Hagendasi Battle Team, preparing to launch a planned sneak attack on the support system Spirit Master in the back.
Looking at the two people racing toward him, Wu Li used his spirit ring to increase his strength and met the fastest, Zhu Zhuqing, with a punch.
Zhu Zhuqing did not retreat in the slightest. She released her Hell Rush Stab Spirit Ability, doubling her speed, and swung her sharp claws to collide with Wu Li's fist. A terrifying force transmitted through both their arms, producing a dull thud.
In the brief exchange, Zhu Zhuqing, realizing she was not Wu Li's match in terms of pure strength, backed up two steps and performed a combined continuous attack of Hell Rush Stab and Hell Hundred Claws, launching an assault on Wu Li with the speed she excelled at.
Wu Li, who had experience dealing with Agility Attack System Soul Masters and whose speed was not slow after being buffed, did not panic. He calmly dealt with the attacks, looking for an opportunity to catch Zhu Zhuqing and win with a single blow.
The high-speed moving Zhu Zhuqing and Wu Li were two afterimages that were hard to capture within their small battlefield.
Dugu Yan, who was ultimately a step slower, was blocked by the two assisting members. Looking at the two people blocking her path, an angry Dugu Yan condensed her First Soul Skill, Blood Jade Corrosion Claw, and attacked them.
Of the two blocking the way, one was a three-ring agility-attack system Spirit Master who had appeared before, while the other was a completely new face, likely the hidden strength of the Hagendasi Battle Team.
Looking at the four spirit rings on the new face, Dugu Yan only hoped he could be a bit stronger so this battle wouldn't be too boring.
The new Spirit Ancestor brandished the Wind Sword in his hand, bringing a gale as he slashed at Dugu Yan. The gale augmented the power of the Wind Sword, making the sword's power grow greater and greater during the swing.
After blocking the attack, Dugu Yan felt the force coming from it and gained some interest in this guy; such an opponent was worth her fighting with all her might.
Standing in the back, Yu Yan recognized the unique wind-attribute energy longsword in the new face's hand and identified him as likely being a descendant of the Wind Sword Sect, one of the lower four of the current Seven Great Sects.
Interesting.
A descendant of the Wind Sword Sect actually joined the Hagendas Noble Academy's team. Is the relationship between the Wind Sword Sect and the Hagendas Kingdom that good?
Yu Yan, who wasn't very busy, took out information on the Wind Sword Sect from his storage soul tool and began searching for information on this outstanding descendant.
Through a search and comparison, Yu Yan guessed that this new face was likely the Personal Disciple and nephew of the Wind Sword Sect's Sect Master Feng Bailong, named Feng Jianluo.
It was said that Feng Jianluo originally didn't have this name. When his spirit power was tested, he was found to have an Innate spirit power of level nine, with the potential to become the Wind Sword Sect's new generation Titled Douluo, which is why he changed to such a name.
With the assistance of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Zhu Zhuqing and Dugu Yan at the front completely suppressed their opponents. If no turning point occurred, victory in this battle seemed to already belong to the Exotic Beast Team.
The three who circled to the rear—Wang Hu, Xiong Da, and Xiong Er—also faced off against the three Spirit Elders protecting the support system Spirit Master. Originally slightly weaker than their opponents, they now had the strength to suppress them with the assistance of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
From this battle, one could see the value of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda as the continent's number one support system Spirit; and Ning Rongrong's was the even more powerful Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Because of the Exotic Beast Team's powerful performance, their supporters in the audience shouted the names of those they supported loudly to cheer them on.
The shouts from the audience caused the expression of the Hagendas Kingdom's King to gradually turn cold. This year's Hagendasi Battle Team had been personally established by him, and seeing this team suffer setbacks made him very uncomfortable.
In a World where strength is paramount, whether the King felt comfortable or not was important, but not entirely that important. Even if the Exotic Beast Team knew he was uncomfortable, they wouldn't hold back in the slightest.
A middle-aged man in white sitting in the audience looked at his completely disadvantaged Disciple, his lips moving slightly as he used a sound transmission technique to relay a solution.
"You can use that agility-attack system Spirit Master beside you as a shield to stall Dugu Yan. Use the Sword Flight method to circle to the back and take down their support system Spirit Master. That girl from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School is the key to the outcome of this battle."
Feng Jianluo, who was at a disadvantage, suddenly heard a familiar voice and a timely solution.
When the voice reached Feng Jianluo, the powerful Yu Yan also captured it. He looked in the direction the sound came from and saw a middle-aged man dressed in white.
Yu Yan recognized at a glance that the middle-aged man in white was the Sect Master of the Wind Sword Sect, an attack system Spirit Douluo, Feng Bailong.
With Feng Bailong appearing here, it meant there was a ninety percent chance this young man was Feng Jianluo, the one most likely to become a Titled Douluo in the current Wind Sword Sect.
Everyone is having a fair duel, yet you're there using petty tricks and underhanded moves. Then don't blame me for giving you a surprise in a moment.
Having received this information, Feng Jianluo fought two more rounds with Dugu Yan. After confirming that he really couldn't win head-on, he finally decided to use the method his master taught him to win this battle.
Retreating a few steps, he came to the side of the assisting agility-attack system Spirit Elder and whispered an order for him to go up and stall Dugu Yan while he kicked the female Spirit Master with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit off the field.
The agility-attack system Spirit Elder looked at Dugu Yan, gritted his teeth, and rushed up, using the most desperate fighting style to successfully stall Dugu Yan for a short time.
Feng Jianluo stimulated the power of the Wind Sword to the maximum, then leaped onto the Wind Sword and flew high over Dugu Yan's head, heading for Yu Yan and Ning Rongrong at the rear of the Exotic Beast Academy team.
Sword Flight, a secret Sect technique of the Wind Sword Sect, uses special means to stimulate the power of the wind within the Wind Sword to achieve the purpose of flying.
Feng Jianluo's actions attracted everyone's attention.
There were many spectators supporting the Hagendasi Battle Team; they looked expectantly at the flying Feng Jianluo, hoping he could create a miracle and reverse the outcome.
"Heh."
After raising a middle finger in Feng Bailong's direction, Yu Yan raised his left hand and released Profound Ice Chain at the airborne Feng Jianluo. Ten full Profound Ice Chains appeared beside Yu Yan, locking onto Feng Jianluo in the air.
Feng Jianluo dodged the first four Profound Ice Chains but was eventually bound in mid-air by the chains, unable to move.
Without Feng Jianluo, Dugu Yan quickly defeated the weak agility-attack system Spirit Master in front of her. Having won, Dugu Yan looked at her teammates who had the upper hand, not knowing whom to go and help for a moment.
The Hagendasi Battle Team's usual tactic was for Wu Li, with increased speed, to take down the opponent's main force first, and then win the battle by outnumbering the remaining members.
Wu Li, who had high expectations placed upon him, was being completely suppressed by Zhu Zhuqing. Even the decisive blow he managed to strike with great difficulty would be blocked by Yu Yan's Sun Manifestation: Light Forged Crystal Wheel; he simply had no room to expand his side's advantage.
More than ten minutes later, with Wu Li's fall, this highly anticipated but suspense-free match ended.
Exotic Beast Academy, with a perfect record, won the championship of the Hagendas Kingdom Sub-division and secured a spot to advance.
The Hagendasi Battle Team took the runner-up spot with a record of 7 wins and 1 loss, also securing a spot to advance.
Then came the 'Leadership Speech' phase. The King first said a bunch of words hoping everyone would fight for the honor of the Hagendas Kingdom, while the Spirit Hall Bishop spoke about the purpose and starting point of this grand competition. In short, it was all insubstantial rhetoric.
"Dean Jiang Jing, don't be too happy. Why don't you look at the expression on the King's face? When the Hagendasi Battle Team was winning all their matches, he didn't have that expression."
Seeing the overly happy expression on Jiang Jing's face, Yu Yan spoke to remind her to look at the King's unhappy expression on the stage.
"Who cares? As long as I'm happy myself. Ice Soul City is far away from the capital; they can't reach us there at all."
Jiang Jing didn't care at all about the King's current mood; she only knew she was very happy.
After the celebration, Jiang Jing instructed Yu Yan: "Once we reach Heaven Dou City, you can reveal your strength as a Five-Ring rank in the promotion matches. Xiao Wu will continue to be hidden as a secret weapon. As long as we take first place in the Heaven Dou Sub-division Points Match, we can get a Bye for the Grand Finals."
"Dean Jiang Jing, don't worry. There's no need for Yu Yan at all; Zhuqing and I can just slaughter our way through."
Before Yu Yan could speak, Dugu Yan was already prepared to go on a rampage in the promotion matches.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't say anything, but her expression didn't lie; she was also prepared to face stronger opponents and temper herself.
"Fine, fine, fine. When the time comes, I'll arrange the two of you ahead of Yu Yan. As long as you can handle the opponents, there will be no chance for Yu Yan to take the field."
If possible, Jiang Jing still wanted Yu Yan to keep hiding, but there were too many geniuses this year. She felt that Dugu Yan and Zhu Zhuqing couldn't ensure a hundred percent victory, which is why she explained her arrangement to Yu Yan to be safe.
After the simple 'Leadership Speech' phase, the advancing Exotic Beast Team and Hagendasi Battle Team took the carriages arranged by the royal family and followed behind the King's carriage, slowly driving toward Heaven Dou City.
The fifteen teams that secured advancement spots would participate in the final promotion matches in Heaven Dou City.