One month later, Shrek Academy training grounds.
Today was the day Li Chang'an had set to test the results of his special training against Yu Xiaogang. As a result, a large crowd had already gathered on the training field.
Dressed in black with one hand casually behind his back, Li Chang'an stood at the forefront. Behind him were Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and Ma Hongjun. Even a casual observer could tell that the three had undergone tremendous changes. Each of them stood calm and composed, like unsheathed blades waiting to strike.
On the other side stood Yu Xiaogang and his team. Tang San's group of four had also improved significantly—especially Oscar and Ning Rongrong, the two support-type Spirit Masters. They appeared far more energetic than before. However, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but keep glancing toward Li Chang'an's team.
Sharing a dorm with Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong was fully aware of the training the others had undergone. Compared to that, their own training seemed inefficient and unproductive. Of course she was envious—how could she not be?
Dai Mubai and the others had also heard about Li Chang'an's methods through Ma Hongjun. While they wouldn't admit it out loud, they couldn't help but feel a little sour. Tang San, of course, was the exception.
Not far off, the teachers of the academy, led by Flender, had all gathered to observe. While the event appeared to be just a sparring match, everyone knew it was really a contest of teaching philosophies.
Which training method was better—Li Chang'an's or Yu Xiaogang's, the famous Grandmaster of the continent? The answer would be revealed today.
"Let me make this clear—this is a match between fellow students. No excessive force, no losing your temper!"
Flender stepped into the center to serve as referee. After all, they were all his students—he couldn't bear to see any of them get hurt.
"Have you decided how you'll compete?" Flender asked, turning to Li Chang'an and Yu Xiaogang.
"My three versus your four. You've got two support-type Spirit Masters, after all," Li Chang'an said confidently, clearly unimpressed by the opposition.
"That doesn't seem fair. We have four people…" Yu Xiaogang replied, frowning slightly.
After all, his side had Dai Mubai—the strongest in terms of raw soul power—Tang San, who was versatile and unpredictable, the continent's strongest support type Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and a food-type Spirit Elder. On paper, they clearly had the advantage.
"No need. I'm confident. Dean, let's begin." Li Chang'an refused flatly, his tone bordering on arrogant.
"Alright then. Since you're so insistent, we'll proceed as you wish. Get ready—begin!" Flender nodded, seeing that Yu Xiaogang had no further objections.
Li Chang'an lightly leapt to the side while Yu Xiaogang strode off the field. At the same time, all seven combatants released their martial soul and soul rings!
The first to charge was Dai Mubai—unsurprising, given his high soul power and ability to apply pressure.
With Ning Rongrong activating her Pagoda, Dai Mubai's soul power surged to that of a four-ring Spirit Ancestor. He let out a mighty roar, and the oppressive aura of the White Tiger surged forth!
But to his surprise, Ma Hongjun and the others on the opposite side remained completely unfazed. Not only were they unaffected—none of them even flinched.
'How is that possible?, Ma Hongjun only has two rings, and I'm equivalent to a four-ring power right now!'
But there was no time to dwell on it. Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fire had already launched—four streams of fire, each from a tricky angle!
Simultaneously, Xiao Wu used her third soul ability to dart forward amidst the fire, while Zhu Zhuqing had already vanished from sight.
"Fatty, take this!" Dai Mubai shouted.
Abandoning the pressure tactic, he activated his White Tiger Shield Body Barrier and fired a White Tiger Intense Light Wave to counter Ma Hongjun's flames. He even prepared to counterattack!
Tang San unleashed his Blue Silver Grass, activating Bind and Parasite, aiming at Xiao Wu. He also used the vines to tether his three teammates together, ready to provide support at a moment's notice.
But then, a sudden sense of danger washed over him. Without hesitation, Tang San released his third soul ability—Spider Web Restraint—and dashed backward using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
A shadowy figure appeared—Zhu Zhuqing. But Tang San's control was precise, and the web was about to entrap her.
Yet at that critical moment, Zhu Zhuqing vanished again, leaving him with no target. Even with his Purple Demon Eye, Tang San couldn't locate her.
Meanwhile, although Ma Hongjun was forced to retreat under Dai Mubai's attacks, he moved with slick evasiveness, never letting himself get close. Even when his fire missed its target, it burned through Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, preventing him from forming a proper network of control.
Xiao Wu had already launched three attacks against Dai Mubai, and on the third attempt, she shattered his shield barrier. Though he barely held his ground using sheer soul power, it was clear he was starting to falter.
Zhu Zhuqing, meanwhile, was becoming a nightmare for Tang San. She kept appearing unpredictably, targeting either him, Oscar, or Ning Rongrong. Even with his Purple Demon Eye, Tang San was struggling to keep up.
Off to the side, the teachers were dumbfounded. From the moment the match began, Ma Hongjun's team had taken control of the tempo. They knew full well how strong Tang San and Dai Mubai were, yet they were the ones getting played!
Ma Hongjun never engaged directly, constantly creating opportunities for Xiao Wu to go in close. Zhu Zhuqing never lingered after a failed strike—she'd vanish and wait for another chance. But each time she struck, her angle and power were terrifying. One mistake from Tang San, and someone would be out of the fight.
Clever. That's the word—clever.
The three of them were pushing their limits in every way imaginable, and yet their composure never wavered. Even when danger arose, they remained calm.
In contrast, Oscar and Ning Rongrong were already panicking—and even Dai Mubai was beginning to lose his cool.
"Fatty, it's time to finish this!"
Xiao Wu shouted.
Ma Hongjun nodded. His large body suddenly surged forward and leapt high into the air. For just a moment, a pair of flaming wings flared from his back. They only flashed briefly—but just enough to carry him over Dai Mubai's head and land directly in front of Tang San.
This flame control technique had been taught by Li Chang'an—it was the pinnacle of Ma Hongjun's current ability!
At that same moment, Xiao Wu used Teleportation to appear right before Tang San, activating her Charm ability!
And Tang San had just barely fended off Zhu Zhuqing's last strike.
"No! Mubai, get back!"
Tang San shouted, panic flooding his voice.
Dizzy and disoriented, he tried to pull Dai Mubai back using Blue Silver Grass—only to realize it had already been severed by a dark slash. The next second, Zhu Zhuqing appeared behind Dai Mubai, all three of her soul rings gleaming simultaneously!
That's right. From the very start, Ma Hongjun and Xiao Wu's real target had been Tang San. Ma Hongjun's flames neutralized Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, even after he'd reached the third ring. His fire had evolved through a month of intensive training.
Xiao Wu's job was to lock Tang San down—if she could get in close, his abilities were nearly useless. And Tang San had already consumed much of his energy dealing with Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing, meanwhile, had been waiting to deal with Dai Mubai. She had studied his every move. To her, his form was now full of openings. Attacking from behind, with a soul power of level 35 and a 5,000-year third soul ring, her strike was lethal.
Everything happened in an instant—Tang San's group had no time to respond.
Dai Mubai—defeated!
Tang San—defeated!
Yu Xiaogang—lost!
_
T/N:
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