When Yang Xiong returned to the Shrek team, he noticed something seemed subtly off. The team didn't appear as united as before.
But Yang Xiong didn't care much. He acted as if nothing had happened.
Ning Rongrong pinched his waist hard. "You little rascal! We're in such a crucial stage of the competition, and you took leave to go out and play? Watch how I deal with you."
Yang Xiong felt a sharp pain in his waist and pushed Ning Rongrong away. "You little brat, how dare you pinch me? Let me return the favor."
The two whispered casually in the middle of the group, drawing curious glances from the other team members.
Yang Xiong asked curiously, "Rongrong, how have we been doing these past few days?"
Ning Rongrong sighed, "What else? We lost to Tianshui Academy a few days ago. Now we're ranked fifth. If we lose a few more matches, we might not even make it through."
But the Shrek team was indeed strong. Afterward, they went on a winning streak and held their fifth-place position among all the teams.
In the final round, Shrek finally faced the number one team, Divine Wind Academy, which had only lost one match so far.
Divine Wind Academy had incredibly powerful offensive strength. All their members had wind-element martial spirits and could fly, making them the acknowledged strongest team in the Heaven Dou region. Their only loss was to Blazing Fire Academy.
In comparison, Shrek had lost four matches. Though still ranked fifth, Elephant Armored Academy, ranked sixth, had already lost five. That meant Shrek would advance no matter what.
This was also the first time in history that the Heaven Dou Royal Academy had two teams advancing. No matter the circumstances, Emperor Xue Ye's people looked quite pleased.
Yang Xiong glanced at Feng Xiaotian with a bit of helplessness. This guy really lived up to his reputation as one of the most famous simps in the Douluo Continent. Unfortunately, his strength was a bit underwhelming.
Before the match, Yang Xiong had suggested forfeiting. After all, even if they lost, they could still advance based on their number of wins.
But Yu Xiaogang and Tang San were determined not to give up and insisted on fighting with full force. Yang Xiong even noticed a trace of nervousness in Tang San's eyes, perhaps Yang Xiong's recent breakthrough to level 39 had put some pressure on him.
Over the years, Yang Xiong had gotten to know Tang San fairly well. Though he appeared gentle and refined, he was extremely competitive and stubborn. He would never accept defeat easily, nor would he let others surpass him.
However, once they were on the stage, the situation became rather bleak.
Divine Wind Academy had only four Soul Ancestors, which meant in terms of numbers and total soul power, they were actually weaker than Shrek, less even than other elemental academies.
But Divine Wind had three key advantages that secured their top position.
First, all their members could fly.
In the Douluo World, flight was rare, mostly limited to flying-type Soul Masters or Title Douluos. Other Soul Masters, no matter how strong, could only rely on jumping. So when a team of seven flying Soul Masters took the field, they had an overwhelming advantage. Most opponents had no effective way to counter them aside from long-range attacks.
Second, their control abilities.
Because all their members used wind-element martial spirits, they naturally had excellent control capabilities. When seven of them unleashed wind techniques simultaneously, any formation would collapse instantly.
Having seven wind-element Soul Masters was equivalent to having seven control-type Soul Masters, an almost unimaginable level of control.
Thus, Divine Wind often won their matches easily. After launching their techniques from the air, the opposing team would gradually be forced off the stage.
Third, Feng Xiaotian.
He was at level 44, with the martial spirit "Gale Twin-Headed Demon Wolf." He was the recognized top soul power holder among Heaven Dou students. His combat talent was exceptional. He had only used two soul skills throughout the tournament, even against teams like Thunder Academy, and had never gone all-out.
As soon as the referee announced the start of the match, all Divine Wind members took to the sky. The Shrek team was left staring up at them, struggling to find an opening.
Tang San quickly activated his first soul skill: Binding. Blue Silver Grass shot toward the Divine Wind team at high speed.
But they didn't flinch. Feng Xiaotian immediately countered with several wind blades, shredding the Blue Silver Grass.
Moreover, under the wind's force, Dugu Yan's poison mist was instantly dispersed. Two control techniques were rendered useless.
The Shrek team was stunned. No wonder Divine Wind was ranked first, flight, control, and offense made them seemingly invincible.
As time passed, Divine Wind took their time, occasionally casting soul skills or unleashing gales that left the Shrek team exhausted.
When it became clear Divine Wind was toying with them, Tang San and Dai Mubai were furious. Tang San activated his third soul skill: Blue Silver Hurricane Formation. Countless sharp Blue Silver Grass vines enveloped the arena.
But Feng Xiaotian calmly responded with his first soul skill: Wind Blade Formation. His twin wolf claws unleashed dozens of wind blades that shredded the grass again.
Dai Mubai launched his second soul skill: White Tiger Light Wave. But Divine Wind's speed was astonishing—everyone dodged it. One of their Soul Ancestors even activated his third soul skill: Hurricane Roar, neutralizing the attack.
Shrek did have a potential counter: Oscar's Flying Mushroom Sausage. But Oscar had already been moved to Team One, and his soul power wasn't high.
As the battle dragged on, it turned into a tug-of-war. Shrek was clearly on the defensive.
Feng Xiaotian's wind blades were incredibly sharp. Even beast martial spirits had difficulty resisting the attacks.
Eventually, under the relentless gale, Shrek members began to fall one by one.
The first to go were the Shi brothers. Although highly defensive, Divine Wind used miniature tornadoes to blow them off the stage.
The match lasted over half an hour. In the later stages, everyone summoned their spirits and fought defensively. Tang San even used his Clear Sky Hammer to resist the wind blades, but neither Blue Silver Grass nor his Xuan Yu Hands were enough.
Only Yang Xiong managed to eliminate three Divine Wind members using his teleportation ability. Yu Tianheng and Dai Mubai cooperated as well, Dai's fourth soul skill, White Tiger Meteor Shower, was a large-scale, powerful attack that helped take down one Soul Ancestor.
In the end, Tang San and the others exhausted their soul power and were forced off the stage, leaving Yang Xiong to face the remaining three Divine Wind members alone.
He lasted only because he was fast enough to dodge all attacks instantly, his predictive abilities even made Feng Xiaotian question reality.
After a tough fight, Yang Xiong finally admitted defeat.
But he was left puzzled. In the original story, Divine Wind Academy repeatedly lost to Shrek. Based on this strategy, they clearly had the advantage among similarly ranked Soul Masters. Even for him to win would have required significant effort, yet Shrek kept winning.
The match between Divine Wind and Shrek marked the end of the Heaven Dou regional tournament. All qualifiers were decided.
Divine Wind Academy, Thunder Academy, Tianshui Academy, Blazing Fire Academy, and Shrek (representing Heaven Dou Royal Academy) advanced. Elephant Armored Academy was eliminated.
After an impassioned speech, Emperor Xue Ye handed out generous rewards to all teams and promised even greater prizes for the final champion, including gold soul coins, noble titles, soul ring assistance, and possibly land.
From the atmosphere, it was clear tensions were rising between the Heaven Dou Empire, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Spirit Hall. Though no direct conflict broke out, Platinum Bishop Salas seemed visibly angry.
Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng took the stage to receive certificates and prizes. Though Tang San was also vice-captain, his performance had been underwhelming and suppressed throughout. He didn't shine nearly as much as Dai or Yu, let alone Yang Xiong.
It was clear Tang San and Yu Xiaogang were both frustrated. They had designed the team's strategy, but it had failed completely against Divine Wind.
Yang Xiong noticed their serious expressions. They clearly couldn't come up with a good strategy to counter Divine Wind. But Yang didn't bother with them. Some things could only be learned through real combat—especially against flying Soul Masters.
Once the award ceremony ended, Yang Xiong chatted briefly with the others, then left the team with Ning Rongrong.
The Shrek team was getting more and more disorganized. Yang Xiong barely spoke with the others anymore. Only Ning Rongrong still had decent relations with the team, especially with the girls.
Of course, Ning Rongrong and Dai Mubai didn't get along. She was a bit childish and blunt, while Dai Mubai was flirtatious and had a bit of a chauvinistic streak. She often felt sorry for Zhu Zhuqing.
After leaving the team, they bumped into Feng Xiaotian and the other core members from the elemental academies, Huo Wushuang, Huo Wu, Shui Bing'er, and others.
Feng Xiaotian's eyes lit up when he saw Yang Xiong walking with Ning Rongrong. "Yang Xiong, didn't think you'd win the girl so fast. Teach me your ways sometime."
Yang Xiong gave him a helpless look. "You dare flirt around like this? Aren't you afraid Huo Wu will get jealous?"
Feng Xiaotian quickly looked over at Huo Wu. Her face was dark, clearly furious.
He immediately said, "Huo Wu, I swear I'm loyal to you. Yang Xiong's just making stuff up!"
Ning Rongrong chimed in mischievously, "You two-headed freak! A few days ago, you were asking for my contact info. Now you're denying it?"
Feng Xiaotian stammered, "Little devil, don't joke around! You'll ruin my image!"
Ning Rongrong snorted. "What image? You wear a mask every day, maybe you're hideous under there!"
After several matches against the elemental academies, Yang Xiong had become somewhat familiar with them. Though they were only acquaintances, these prodigies weren't as arrogant as expected. In fact, they were relatively simple and straightforward, at least not driven by any personal agendas.
After a round of small talk, Feng Xiaotian put his arm around Yang Xiong's shoulder. "Yang Xiong, even though you lost today, I'm really impressed with your strength."
Yang Xiong gave him a sideways glance. "You two-headed freak, you really think I lost to you?"
Feng Xiaotian froze. "What's that supposed to mean? Want to duel one-on-one and find out what I'm really capable of?"
Ning Rongrong said, "You two-headed freak! Are you trying to corrupt my Little Bear? I bet you just want to learn his flirting secrets. Stay away from him!"
Feng Xiaotian: …
Elemental Academy members: …
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