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The three of them didn't hesitate. Flames, light waves, and sword qi were unleashed simultaneously, surging toward the web.
Though this was the white-haired woman's strongest control-type soul skill, it was instantly shattered by these three powerful soul skills.
However, she remained unfazed. With a flick of her hair, the destroyed web regenerated, spreading toward the group once again.
Dai Mubai and the others repeated their earlier tactic, but Tang San had already realized that the white-haired woman's hair-based soul skill, like his Blue Silver Grass, was of the low-consumption type. If this continued, their side would be worn down to nothing!
Direct confrontation and threats were no longer viable paths to victory. Tang San's expression darkened.
However, under the tutelage of Yu Xiaogang, who had extensive experience in failure, Tang San naturally didn't rely on just one battle plan.
Though winning this way felt somewhat dishonorable, Tang San gritted his teeth and said, "Change of plans. Execute Plan Two."
The members of Shrek exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement.
Tang San took the lead, and a burst of blue light erupted from his hands. Lush Blue Silver Grass surged skyward, intertwining with the white-haired woman's web. Using this opening, Dai Mubai and the others charged toward the Berserker Team.
From the stands, Ye Wen watched as the two teams became entangled once more. His expression remained calm, but he recalled some discussions about the world of Douluo.
San Shao was undoubtedly a god-tier author of web novels, but Douluo Continent wasn't necessarily the most brilliant among all his works. Its status as one of the pinnacle works of web fiction owed much to the manga adaptation, where the artist polished over many of its uglier aspects, attracting a flood of new fans.
(T/N: Ehhhhhh, subjective take)
For instance, the current battle was one of the diverging parallels between the manga and novel versions of the Douluo world.
In the novel, Shrek's Seven Monsters fought desperately, but only Tang San managed to hold on. It was only after revealing the hidden ace—the Eight Spider Legs—that they finally defeated the Berserker Team.
But in this world…
The battle intensified. Powerful soul skills that were previously held back were now unleashed relentlessly, as if money were no object.
It couldn't be denied that Shrek's martial souls were exceptional, but in the face of an overwhelming gap in soul power, they weren't enough to create an insurmountable advantage—unlike the future protagonist, who would dominate with game-breaking abilities thousands of years later.
Moreover, the disparity in soul power represented not just cultivation levels but also the reserves of soul energy within each soul master.
Even with Ning Rongrong's extraordinary support, the main attackers like Dai Mubai began visibly running out of soul power.
But at this moment, the members of Shrek's Seven Monsters pulled out tender tofu from their storage-type soul tools, prepared in advance by Oscar.
???
Ye Wen's eyes filled with question marks. Was it allowed to prepare consumable items beforehand in team battles?
Since his group consisted of only three people, Ye Wen hadn't delved into the specific rules of team duels and thus didn't know.
But thinking back to when Shrek faced the Imperial Team, and Tang San directly threw out realgar wine, it seemed that such tactics were indeed permissible.
Still, it felt a bit too much like cheating. After all, if they had prepared these items in advance, Oscar's endurance could effectively be considered doubled or even tripled.
However, recalling that most soul masters in the Spirit Arena were ruthless and often resorted to underhanded tactics, Ye Wen suddenly felt it wasn't so surprising.
Fortunately, there were still restrictions in the Spirit Arena. Since this wasn't a deathmatch, direct offensive props likely weren't allowed.
After all, in the future, Yu Xiaogang, in order to train Shrek's Seven Monsters in bloodshed, directly let Tang San use his Zhuge crossbow—a move that delivered a crushing blow.
The white-haired woman, who had been confident just moments ago, looked displeased upon seeing Shrek's blatant disregard for martial ethics. However, since the rules allowed it, there was nothing she could say about their exploitation of loopholes.
With their soul power restored, Shrek's group became energized and began using powerful millennium-ranked soul skills without restraint, suppressing the Berserker Team's civilian soul masters.
The twin monkey soul brothers, tasked with protecting the auxiliary soul master, grew frantic and wanted to step in and help.
However, the white-haired woman, who had been observing the entire battlefield, suddenly changed her expression. She noticed a sneaky figure rapidly approaching and angrily shouted:
"Fools, quickly return to protect the Wishful Disk!"
Although Zhu Zhuqing's strength was lacking, her overly developed physique and the agility inherent to her Cat Martial Soul allowed her to swiftly bypass the monkey brothers' defenses and reach the Berserker Team's auxiliary soul master!
"Focus fire on the healer first"—a basic rule of team battles.
To outsiders, the Wishful Disk had already provided most of its possible boosts. So why target it now, in the late stages of the match?
This was part of Yu Xiaogang's carefully planned strategy.
Though Yu Xiaogang was lacking in many areas, his foundational knowledge was rock-solid. (A/N: Though he preferred to prove his theories by doing things backward.)
In this version, Yu Xiaogang excelled at gathering intelligence. He had thoroughly investigated the number of soul masters in Soto City and used that information to predict whom Shrek might encounter.
After numerous battles, the Berserker Team's secrets were already laid bare before him.
According to Yu Xiaogang's intel, the Berserker Team's third soul skill was incredibly powerful but came with severe side effects. They wouldn't use it unless pushed to their limits.
And now was precisely that moment!
At this instant, the Berserker Team's auxiliary soul master was sent flying, on the verge of falling off the stage.
But before hitting the ground, the auxiliary soul master's veins bulged as they pushed their mental energy to the limit.
"Wishful Disk Third Soul Skill—Mystic Light: Bloom!!!"
From the stands, Yu Xiaogang frowned slightly and sighed upon seeing this scene. He had been one step too late.
Streams of light streaked across the arena, striking the battling members of the Berserker Team.
AAAAAHHHHH!!!
The next moment, the Berserker Team members clutched their heads in agony, violently shaking off Shrek's attacks while screaming in pain.
Effect of the Wishful Disk's third soul skill, Mystic Light: Frenzy State!
All attributes increased by 15%, pain vanished, rationality disappeared, and previously applied support skills were locked in the frenzied state. This was the ultimate manifestation of the Wishful Disk's abilities—and a do-or-die finishing move!
Facing the Berserker Team, now transformed into a group of berserkers ready to tear into anyone…
The members of Shrek's Seven Monsters, nurtured in a sheltered environment, broke into cold sweat. The opponent's aura was terrifying—it felt as though they might truly devour them alive!
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