When Yang Xiong returned to the Shrek Team, he noticed something subtly unusual about the team. The unity among the members seemed to have diminished compared to before.
However, Yang Xiong didn't care much about it and acted as if nothing had happened.
Ning Rongrong pinched Yang Xiong's waist with force: "You little bear, how dare you take leave and run off during such a critical moment in our competition? Just wait—I'll get back at you!"
Yang Xiong felt a sharp pain in his waist and quickly shook Ning Rongrong off: "How dare you little brat pinch me? Let me pinch you back!"
The two of them whispered and bickered quietly within the team, drawing curious glances from the other members.
Yang Xiong was somewhat puzzled: "Rongrong, how have we been doing in the matches these past few days?"
Ning Rongrong sighed helplessly: "What do you think? We lost to Sky Water Academy a few days ago, and now we're ranked fifth. If we lose a few more matches, advancing will be difficult."
…
Despite this, the Shrek Team still had strength. They went on another winning streak, maintaining their position as the fifth-ranked team overall.
In the final round, the Shrek Team finally faced the first-place team—God Wind Academy, which had only lost one match so far.
God Wind Academy's attack power was incredibly formidable. All of their team members were wind-elemental soul masters, and every single one of them could fly. They were widely regarded as the strongest team in the Tian Dou region, having only lost one match to Blazing Academy during the preliminary rounds.
By comparison, the Shrek Team had lost four matches in total. Although they were still ranked fifth, the sixth-place Elephant Armor Academy had already lost five matches. This meant that no matter what, the Shrek Team was guaranteed to advance.
This marked the first time in history that Tian Dou Imperial Academy had two teams qualify for advancement. Regardless of the circumstances, Emperor Xue Ye's people seemed quite pleased.
Yang Xiong looked at Feng Xiaotian with a sense of resignation. Feng Xiaotian truly lived up to his reputation as one of Douluo's most notorious 'simp', but his strength was somewhat disappointing.
Originally, regarding this match, Yang Xiong had directly suggested giving up the fight during the pre-match planning. After all, even if they lost another match, they could still advance based on their number of wins.
However, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San were completely unwilling to give up. They even planned to go all out. Yang Xiong noticed a hint of tension in Tang San's eyes—perhaps his recent breakthrough to Level 39 had put some pressure on him.
Over the years, Yang Xiong had developed a certain rapport with Tang San. He knew that although Tang San appeared gentle on the surface, he was extremely competitive and stubborn inside. Tang San would never concede easily, nor would he allow others to surpass him.
However, once the battle began in the arena, the situation quickly turned grim.
In reality, God Wind Academy only had four Soul Ancestors. In terms of both the number of Soul Ancestors and overall soul power, they were weaker than the Shrek Team and even inferior to the other Five Elements Academies.
But God Wind Academy had three critical advantages, which were the reasons they ranked first.
The first advantage was that all of their team members could fly.
In the world of Douluo, while martial souls came in countless forms, very few could actually fly—only flight-type soul masters and Title Douluos could achieve true flight. Other soul masters, no matter how strong their soul power, could only rely on powerful leaps to engage enemies.
Thus, God Wind Academy had an absolute advantage over other academies. Any academy facing seven flying soul masters would almost always be at a disadvantage, with no means of attack or countermeasures beyond long-range soul skills.
The second advantage was their control ability. Since all members of God Wind Academy were wind-elemental soul masters, wind inherently possessed control capabilities. Especially when all seven members unleashed their wind-elemental skills simultaneously, any formation could be broken in an instant.
With all seven members possessing wind attributes, it was as if they had seven control-type soul masters. This level of control was unimaginable.
As a result, God Wind Academy breezed through their matches. After releasing a barrage of soul skills in the air, their opponents would gradually be knocked off the stage.
The third advantage lay in Feng Xiaotian himself. At Level 44, his martial soul was the Stormwind Doubleheaded Wolf, making him the highest-ranked soul master in the Tian Dou region. His combat talent was exceptionally formidable, earning him the title of the strongest fighter in the region. So far, he had only used two soul skills, and even against Thunder Academy, he hadn't exerted his full strength.
After the Shrek Team stepped onto the arena and the referee announced the start of the match, all of God Wind Academy's members immediately took to the air. The Shrek Team was forced to look up at their opponents, feeling utterly helpless.
Tang San quickly activated his first soul skill: Bind. Blue Silver Grass rapidly coiled toward God Wind Academy's members with incredible speed.
However, the members of God Wind Academy showed no fear. Feng Xiaotian unleashed several wind blades, instantly shredding the Blue Silver Grass into pieces.
Moreover, under the gusts of wind, Dugu Yan's toxic mist was immediately dispersed. Both control abilities were rendered useless in an instant.
The members of the Shrek Team exchanged glances. No wonder God Wind Academy ranked first—their flying ability, control, and attack power were utterly overwhelming.
As time passed, God Wind Academy adopted a relaxed strategy, occasionally launching soul skills as attacks or simply blowing out bursts of fierce winds. The Shrek Team found themselves struggling to cope.
Seeing God Wind Academy's attitude as if they were toying with the Shrek Team, Tang San, Dai Mubai, and others grew furious. Tang San directly activated his third soul skill: Blue Silver Hurricane Array. Countless strands of Blue Silver Grass enveloped the entire arena, appearing razor-sharp.
But Feng Xiaotian remained unfazed, activating his first soul skill: Wind Blade Burst. A pair of wolf claws unleashed dozens of wind blades. When the wind blades collided with the Blue Silver Hurricane Array, the grass was shredded once again.
Dai Mubai unleashed his second soul skill: White Tiger Fierce Light Wave. However, every member of God Wind Academy moved with incredible speed, dodging the attack entirely. One of their Soul Ancestors even activated their third soul skill: Hurricane Roar, blocking Dai Mubai and the others' attacks.
The Shrek Team still had one potential solution: Oscar's Flying Mushroom Sausage. Unfortunately, Oscar had been transferred to Team One, and his soul power level was relatively low.
As the match dragged on, the battle between God Wind Academy and the Shrek Team turned into a grueling tug-of-war. This time, the Shrek Team was completely at a disadvantage.
Especially Feng Xiaotian's wind blades—they were incredibly sharp and powerful. Even beast-type martial souls struggled to withstand them and were easily injured.
As time went on, under the relentless gales, the Shrek Team members began to be gradually eliminated.
The first to fall were the Shi brothers, whose slower reactions made them vulnerable. Despite their formidable defense, God Wind Academy employed unconventional tactics, creating small tornadoes that swept the slower-reacting duo off the stage.
The battle lasted a full half hour. In the later stages, everyone summoned their martial souls to defend with all their might. Even Tang San used the Hao Tian Hammer to attack the wind blades. Clearly, whether it was Blue Silver Grass or the Xuan Yu Hand, their defenses were ultimately limited.
Throughout the process, Yang Xiong managed to eliminate three members of God Wind Academy using his teleportation ability. Yu Tianheng and Dai Mubai coordinated their soul skills, especially Dai Mubai's White Tiger Meteor Shower, a powerful fourth-soul-skill area-of-effect attack, allowing multiple people to work together to eliminate a Soul Ancestor.
Ultimately, as expected, Tang San and the others exhausted their soul power and were all knocked off the stage. Only Yang Xiong remained, facing the three remaining members of God Wind Academy.
Yang Xiong's incredible speed allowed him to evade wind blade attacks each time, his predictive ability leaving Feng Xiaotian questioning his own life choices.
After a fierce struggle, Yang Xiong reluctantly conceded defeat.
However, Yang Xiong couldn't help but feel puzzled. In the original storyline, how did God Wind Academy lose repeatedly to the Shrek Team? Based on their current performance, their advantages over soul masters of the same level were undeniable. Even if Yang Xiong wanted to win, it would require significant effort. Yet, the Shrek Team had somehow defeated God Wind Academy multiple times in succession.
The match against God Wind Academy was the final one, concluding all matches in the Tian Dou region. The qualifying spots were finalized.
God Wind Academy, Thunder Academy, Sky Water Academy, Blazing Academy, and Tian Dou Imperial Academy's Shrek Team advanced, while Elephant Armor Academy was unfortunately eliminated.
After an impassioned speech by Emperor Xue Ye, generous rewards were distributed to the teams. He even promised additional prizes for the champions, including gold spirit coins, noble titles, future opportunities to obtain soul rings, and even fiefs.
From the scene, tensions between the Tian Dou Empire, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, and the Spirit Hall were beginning to escalate. Though no direct confrontation had occurred, Platinum Bishop Salas appeared visibly angered.
Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng went on stage to receive certificates and prizes for the preliminary rounds. Though Tang San was also a vice-captain, his performance was not particularly outstanding. Throughout the match, he was completely suppressed, lacking the brilliance of Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng's ferocity, let alone Yang Xiong's dominance.
It was clear that Tang San and Yu Xiaogang were deeply frustrated. The team's tactics were primarily formulated by the two of them, yet against God Wind Academy, their strategies seemed utterly ineffective.
Yang Xiong saw the serious expressions on Tang San and Yu Xiaogang's faces, realizing they couldn't come up with any effective tactics against God Wind Academy. However, Yang Xiong didn't want to bother with them. Some things could only be truly understood through real combat experience, especially against flying soul masters.
After the awards ceremony ended, Yang Xiong exchanged pleasantries with everyone before leaving the team with Ning Rongrong.
The current Shrek Team was becoming increasingly uninteresting and chaotic. Yang Xiong didn't interact much with the others, though Ning Rongrong maintained good relationships with everyone, especially the girls.
Of course, Ning Rongrong and Dai Mubai didn't get along well. Ning Rongrong had a childlike temperament and often spoke without thinking, expressing pity for Zhu Zhuqing. On the other hand, Dai Mubai was somewhat flirtatious and displayed a strong patriarchal (misogynistic) attitude.
After leaving the team, they unexpectedly encountered Feng Xiaotian and his group, including Fire Wu Shuang, Huo Wu, and Shui Bing'er, the main forces of the elemental academies.
Feng Xiaotian's eyes lit up upon seeing Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong together: "Yang Xiong, I didn't expect you to win the heart of a beauty so quickly. When you have time, perhaps you can give me some pointers."
Yang Xiong sighed in exasperation: "You shameless double-headed freak, how dare you flirt around? Aren't you afraid Huo Wu will get jealous?"
Feng Xiaotian quickly glanced at Huo Wu, whose face darkened with an expression of impending fury.
Feng Xiaotian hastily said: "Sister Huo Wu, you know I'm devoted to you. How could I flirt around? It's all Yang Xiong's nonsense."
Beside him, Ning Rongrong, clearly enjoying stirring trouble, chimed in: "You double-headed freak, wasn't it just a few days ago that you asked for my information? How can you deny it so quickly?"
Feng Xiaotian became flustered: "Little devil girl, don't ruin my reputation like this!"
Ning Rongrong sniffed disdainfully: "You wear a mask every day—who cares about your reputation? For all we know, you might be hideously ugly underneath!"
…
Recently, Yang Xiong had clashed with the elemental academies multiple times, gradually becoming familiar with these individuals. Though they were only acquaintances, these geniuses weren't as arrogant as imagined. Their personalities were relatively pure and straightforward, and there were no underlying interests between them.
After exchanging pleasantries, Feng Xiaotian casually slung his arm over Yang Xiong's shoulder: "Yang Xiong, although you lost to God Wind Academy this time, I have high hopes for your strength."
Yang Xiong rolled his eyes: "You double-headed freak, do you really think I lost to you?"
Feng Xiaotian's expression froze: "What do you mean? How about we fight one-on-one? I'll show you my true strength."
Ning Rongrong interjected: "You double-headed freak, are you trying to corrupt Little Bear? Little Bear, this guy definitely wants to teach you some pickup artist tricks. Stay away from him!"
Feng Xiaotian: …
Elemental Academy members: …
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