"Old bastard, is that all you've got? If you're helping Tang San, then you can die with him!"
"Seventh Spirit Skill: Martial Spirit True Body!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo raised the Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum in a delicate, almost feminine gesture. Without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed his eighth spirit skill.
"Radiant Stream of Light!"
The enormous chrysanthemum shot into the sky, spinning as it locked onto the green venomous dragon formed by Dragon Duke and Snake Lady's fusion skill. A blinding beam of light burst from its center, crashing head-on with the dark green energy sphere gathering in the dragon's maw.
The two forces collided violently, shaking the entire canyon. Shards of rock rained down toward the competing teams below, a dangerous secondary threat.
But Chrysanthemum Douluo's eighth skill was too powerful. His beam pierced straight through the dark green energy ball, shattering it and striking Dragon Duke and Snake Lady directly. Their fusion spirit form dissolved, and the two of them plummeted to the ground, blood streaming from their lips.
"Tang San… we thought our Dragon-Snake Fusion could at least hold off Chrysanthemum Douluo, but now—"
Before he could finish, Chrysanthemum Douluo floated high above, the Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum held aloft. In a flamboyant pose, he declared, "For Spirit Hall, Tang San, you must die!"
"Ninth Spirit Skill: Chrysanthemum Fragments, Scattered Blades, Petals Fall and Hearts Break!"
In an instant, spirit power exploded outward. The petals of the Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum turned into countless razor-sharp blades, all hurtling toward Tang San and the fallen Dragon Duke and Snake Lady.
The Shrek Seven all wore grim expressions. Xiao Wu, standing closest to Tang San, was ready to burn her newly obtained Invincible Golden Body to shield him.
But just as the storm of petals descended, a massive blue sword slashed in from the side, blocking the attack completely.
"Sword Douluo… Chen Xin!"
The moment Chrysanthemum Douluo saw that sword, he knew it: the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's Sword Douluo, Chen Xin, had arrived to protect Tang San.
Relief flickered across his face—only one Titled Douluo, after all—until a voice rang out from the cliffside.
"The Seven Treasures are famed: the third is Spirit!"
Rainbow light poured down on Tang San's group. Their drained spirit power began to recover visibly.
At the same time, a shadow streaked toward Chrysanthemum Douluo, landing on a boulder and slowly taking shape.
"Ghost Douluo… so you came too."
Chen Xin hadn't expected this assassination attempt to draw not one, but two Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall. Their vendetta with Tang Hao clearly ran deeper than he'd imagined.
"Chrysanthemum Douluo, the Pope's orders must not fail. Stop wasting words. Let's finish this—use that move!"
"Understood."
Chrysanthemum Douluo quickly moved beside Ghost Douluo. Chen Xin's eyes sharpened. He knew exactly what they planned. Gripping the Seven Kill Sword tightly, he roared:
"Sixth Spirit Skill: Myriad Swords as One!"
Countless sword shadows surged forth, slamming toward both Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo. Against a Rank 96 Super Douluo, the two Rank 95s had no chance. Their Martial Spirit Fusion was broken mid-cast, leaving them injured and forced to flee.
Seeing two Titled Douluo defeated in succession, the Spirit Hall Spirit Masters attacking the others quickly retreated as well. The ambush against Tang San had collapsed.
After regrouping, the six Heaven-ranked academy teams marched straight toward Spirit City.
At the front of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy contingent, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo appeared atop Ignaz's carriage.
"Kid, I just sensed a fierce clash behind us, where Shrek's team is. Three Titled Douluo crossed blades back there. You'd better keep your guard up on the road to Spirit City. Even once we're inside the city, don't wander off. Last thing we need is a repeat of last time, when someone put a target on your back before the fight even began."
"I understand."
Before long, the Heaven Dou delegation arrived in Spirit City. They checked into the hotel assigned by Spirit Hall, quietly awaiting the finals.
The next day, twelve teams from Star Luo and Heaven Dou gathered with Spirit Hall Academy in the grand square before the Pope's Hall. Standing high above on the platform, Bibi Dong gazed down at the finalists.
"Welcome, young Spirit Master elites of the two empires, to Spirit City. The finals will begin shortly. And as for the prize awaiting the champions…"
She raised her hand. Three spirit bones floated into the air, dazzling with raw power.
"These three ten-thousand-year spirit bones will go to the champions."
Although rumors had spread, the sight of three spirit bones displayed together still electrified the crowd.
Ghost Douluo stepped forward to emphasize, "That blue skull is the Spirit Condensing Wisdom Skull, over fifty thousand years old—a rarity among rarities."
The contestants below buzzed with excitement. A head-type spirit bone, infused with spiritual power—that was as good as it got.
Ignaz's eyes sharpened. That skull was exactly what he needed. Spirit-attribute beasts were vanishingly rare, and the odds of one dropping a head bone were slimmer still. He'd once hoped to wait until his spirit bones were nearly complete, then hunt a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast for one. But that plan was too far-off.
This fifty-thousand-year Spirit Condensing Wisdom Skull wasn't perfect, but it was more than good enough. It would pair perfectly with his external head bone, massively boosting his spiritual power.
With the welcome ceremony and rules explained, it was time to draw lots.
"Heaven Dou Imperial Academy will draw first."
At his teammates' expectant looks, Ignaz stepped forward. He knew the finals were split into a winners' and losers' bracket. With thirteen teams, one would draw a bye—and not just one round, but two, advancing straight to the semifinals.
Whether Shrek drew the bye or not, they were destined for the losers' bracket.
That meant his job was clear: injure their opponents just enough to weaken them, but not so much that fear drove them to forfeit into the losers' bracket. Only then could he maximize Shrek's chances of reaching the championship match.
Scanning the twelve tokens laid out before him, he set his hand on one.
"It's you, Star Luo Imperial Academy."