Oscar's strength shocked everyone. They had thought Ailan was already unbeatable, but they had not expected Oscar to be even more powerful.
Ailan's seven swords that killed seven people were still vivid in their minds, but now Ailan and Xie Yue together were no match for Oscar.
How could a soul master's strength reach this level? Are all geniuses this terrifying?
Ailan was also level 55, but even with Xie Yue, he still lost to Oscar.
Was this the true strength of the Sword Sect's heir?
Ailan was defeated. He sheathed the Frost Moon Sword, cast a deep look at Oscar, and left without looking back.
Hu Liena watched Ailan's back as he left, knowing he must be feeling miserable, but she could not follow him.
After a long pause, the referee finally spoke: "Oscar of Shrek Academy wins. Spirit Hall Academy and Frost Academy will compete in a team battle this afternoon. The winner will face Shrek Academy in the final tomorrow."
Xie Yue's eyes flickered with displeasure at the referee's words. He had thought this was a good opportunity, but he had not expected Oscar to be so powerful.
Even if he had fought alongside Ailan with everything he had, he still would have been defeated. This was a far greater shock than simply being unable to beat Ailan.
On top of that, they would have to face Ailan again that afternoon, turning allies into rivals.
More importantly, Frost Academy was extremely strong. With three Soul Kings and four Soul Masters, they would likely have to reveal their trump cards in order to win.
Unless Frost Academy conceded, Spirit Hall Academy's advantage against Shrek Academy would disappear, and they might even end up at a disadvantage.
Ailan's strength was frightening on its own, but Frost Academy's other members were formidable as well. In a team fight, Spirit Hall Academy was not guaranteed victory.
Of course, this was without using their hidden trump cards.
But if they used their trump cards now, Shrek Academy would know what they were and could prepare countermeasures for tomorrow's final.
After the results were announced, everyone left in an orderly fashion, waiting for the afternoon match between Spirit Hall Academy and Frost Academy.
Hu Liena left and went straight to Ailan. Now that the result was decided, she had no choice, even if she was reluctant. She had to find a way to resolve this.
She found Ailan sitting alone in a small tavern, drinking sake from the bottle, his eyes lifeless.
Hu Liena sat down beside him, her heart aching. Ailan was a proud man, and this loss was a heavy blow.
If he had lost in a one-on-one match, he might not have been so crushed. But losing even with Xie Yue by his side had dealt a devastating blow to his confidence.
"Are you all right?" Hu Liena asked softly.
Ailan looked up at her. "Do I still have a chance? He's only sixteen, and he's already this strong. No wonder the elders favor him more."
Hu Liena was stunned and did not know how to respond.
Oscar was simply too strong. The rain of swords falling from the sky was still vivid in her mind. Even if she faced him herself, she would have been pierced through in an instant.
Even a Soul Emperor might not scare Oscar, and he might even be able to defeat one.
A ten-thousand-year fourth spirit ring was terrifying.
It was unheard of that Oscar could absorb such high-level spirit rings.
Hu Liena patted Ailan's back and took the wine bottle from his hand. "Don't get drunk. There's still a battle this afternoon."
Ailan looked at her. "I thought you were here to persuade me to admit defeat."
Hu Liena smiled faintly. "I know you won't, so I won't waste my breath. I just hope you fight with everything you have and don't let this weigh you down."
Her gentle words reached Ailan's ears. He stroked Hu Liena's soft hair. "Aren't you afraid of exposing our trump cards to Shrek Academy?"
Hu Liena nodded. "Of course I am. But I'm more afraid you'll never recover from this blow."
"And didn't you say it yourself? A true genius is never afraid of setbacks. Since there's no other path, we should go all out."
"Besides, even if they know, so what? It doesn't mean we will lose. Oscar is powerful, but he's still only one person."
Ailan nodded. "But don't forget, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing have a spirit fusion skill, and Ma Hongjun is also level 55. Even if you defeat me today, tomorrow will still be a hard battle."
Hu Liena laughed lightly. "I'm not worried about that right now. I just need to defeat you this afternoon."
…
Inside the Pope's Palace.
Only Pope Bibi Dong, Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, and the newly promoted Elder Master Yu Xiaogang remained.
Yu Xiaogang, recalling old memories, said slowly, "Back then, I didn't know the child's identity. Now it seems the Sword Sect may have already been paving the way for Oscar. The children around him are all geniuses."
"Sixteen years old, level fifty-five, with a ten-thousand-year fourth spirit ring—he is no less of a threat than Tang San."
Chrysanthemum Douluo said, "Master, let's put Oscar aside for now. You said Tang San is Tang Hao's son, but Tang Hao hasn't appeared yet, and Tang San has never revealed his second spirit. Are you sure he is as talented as you claim?"
Yu Xiaogang stiffened his neck. "I absolutely did not lie. Since Tang Hao bears a grudge against Spirit Hall, he would never let Tang San go. I know the boy's talent."
Ghost Douluo said suddenly, "Your Majesty, why not just arrest Tang San when the time comes? Oscar is untouchable, but Tang San would be easy to capture."
Bibi Dong glanced at them, then after a long silence, said, "Let's wait until tomorrow's final. If Spirit Hall makes a wrong move during the tournament, it will harm our prestige."
Yu Xiaogang paused but said nothing more, finally nodding in agreement.
Bibi Dong waved her hand, dismissing Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo, leaving only her and Yu Xiaogang.
Once alone, Bibi Dong shed her Pope's cold dignity and looked at Yu Xiaogang with bright eyes. "Xiaogang, I will avenge the grievances you suffered, but now is not the time."
"Oscar may be gifted, but the Sword Sect is behind him. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect now has a close relationship with the Sword Sect. If I act rashly, my plan will fail."
Yu Xiaogang's stiff posture finally relaxed. "I understand. Everything is up to you."
Bibi Dong continued, "Ailan has now lost to Oscar. I fear he won't be able to surpass him in the future. It depends on what strength the Sword Sect is still hiding."
Yu Xiaogang suddenly said, "What about using poison? With your strength, it should be easy to get rid of Oscar without anyone noticing."
Bibi Dong froze for a moment, then said, "With the Sword Sect's Fifth Elder guarding him, there's no chance. If I acted personally, I'd be the first suspect if anything happened to Oscar, so I can't use poison."
After a long silence, Yu Xiaogang said slowly, "The only chance is in the Spirit Battle Arena."
Bibi Dong nodded. "I've already told Nana. She'll do it."
Yu Xiaogang said, "Thank you."
Both of them were eager to kill Oscar. Fortunately, they weren't reckless. They knew Oscar had the Sword Sect behind him, which gave him some protection.
Besides, both Oscar and Ailan were just clones. The real Oscar was in the Star Dou Great Forest, trying to break through the level 60 bottleneck.
Even if a plot unfolded, the real Oscar would not be harmed, so there was no need to worry too much.
That afternoon, the battle between Spirit Hall Academy and Frost Academy began.
Frost Academy's lineup:
Ailan, Spirit: Frost Moon Sword, Level 55 Power Attack Soul King.
Fu Zi, Spirit: Cat Owl, Level 52 Agility Attack Soul King.
Liu Yunxi, Spirit: Crimson Flame Dragon, Level 51 Power Attack Soul King.
Zhao Lei, Spirit: Mighty Diamond Bear, Level 48 Power Attack Soul Sect.
Lu Qi, Spirit: Star Chess, Level 47 Control Soul Sect.
Li Song, Spirit: Dragon Pattern Staff, Level 46 Power Attack Soul Sect.
Shao Yan, Spirit: Sugar Bean, Level 45 Support Soul Sect.
Spirit Hall Academy's lineup:
Xie Yue, Spirit: Moon Blade, Level 52 Agility Attack Soul King.
Yan, Spirit: Flame Lord, Level 52 Power Attack Soul King.
Hu Liena, Spirit: Demon Fox, Level 51 Control Soul King.
Sun Chuantao, Spirit: Circular Giant Blade, Level 48 Power Attack Soul Sect.
Li Kai, Spirit: Black-Horned Boar, Level 47 Defense Soul Sect.
Zhang Ping, Spirit: Golden-Waisted Flying Swallow, Level 46 Agility Attack Soul Sect.
Xu Yu, Spirit: Brilliant Golden Scepter, Level 45 Support Soul Sect.
With the exception of level 55 Ailan, the two teams were evenly matched in spirit power.
Shrek Academy members sat in the spectator stands, carefully observing Spirit Hall Academy's fighting styles and spirit abilities. If Frost Academy lost, they could develop a better plan for tomorrow's match.
Yu Xiaogang was perhaps the only one who felt something was off. He didn't know Zhao Wuji and the others, but Fu Zi and Liu Yunxi looked strangely familiar.
The Cat Owl and Crimson Flame Dragon spirits reminded him of his former friends. His gaze shifted to Flender and Liu Erlong in the spectator stands. Seeing how close they were, he looked away.
Spirits of similar appearance were not uncommon. Besides, Fu Zi and Liu Yunxi were from Frost Academy, clearly nurtured by the Sword Sect, and had no relation to Shrek Academy.
Flender and Liu Erlong noticed Yu Xiaogang's glance and were surprised.
From the moment they had first seen Yu Xiaogang, they had felt uneasy, especially Liu Erlong, who knew about Yu Xiaogang's relationship with Bibi Dong.
She had not expected that after all these years, Yu Xiaogang would once again be with Bibi Dong.
Liu Erlong had once held out hope for Yu Xiaogang, but seeing him with Bibi Dong crushed those feelings completely.
Flender had been comforting Liu Erlong these past few days, and the two of them had inevitably grown closer.
Flender was not someone who took advantage of others in their moments of weakness, but his feelings for Liu Erlong had never changed.
Now that Liu Erlong had given up on Yu Xiaogang, Flender finally saw hope. He did not act rashly, but stayed by her side, waiting for her to move on.
Bibi Dong noticed Yu Xiaogang's glance and asked him softly, "How does it feel to see them together?"
Yu Xiaogang paused, then said slowly, "It's all in the past. From now on, you are the only one in my heart."
Bibi Dong's expression didn't change, but inside she had already decided that Flender and Liu Erlong would die by her hand one day.
"Let's watch the match," she whispered.
In the arena, fourteen people had already released their spirits, their spirit rings glowing white, yellow, purple, and black. The only surprising thing was Li Song, whose first spirit ring was actually white.
Geniuses of this level usually had optimal spirit ring configurations, so Li Song's case was unusual.
"Match… begin!"
The referee's shout rang out, and both sides exploded with soul power.
Lu Qi instantly released the Starry Chessboard, two purple rings shining brightly as a black-and-white chessboard spread over fifty meters in the center of the arena.
The Mighty Diamond Bear roared and charged at the Black-Horned Boar. Li Song, wielding his dragon-patterned staff, faced off against the giant circular blade.
Hu Liena and Xie Yue fused their spirits, and a demonic phantom appeared. A red mist spread, weakening everyone's attributes.
Ailan's ice sword glowed coldly as he faced the demonic phantom alone.
Yan clashed with Liu Yunxi's Crimson Flame Dragon, while Fu Zi fought Zhang Ping.
The arena glowed with soul power as Frost Academy and Spirit Hall Academy clashed fiercely.
Lu Qi's Starry Chessboard was extremely restrictive. Whenever combat broke out, countless chess pieces flew out, locking onto Spirit Hall's players.
Hu Liena's fusion ability weakened everyone, so she moved to fight Ailan one-on-one, so she wouldn't affect her own teammates too much.
With Lu Qi, the control-type spirit master, unrestrained, Frost Academy's advantage grew on the main battlefield.
Xu Yu's golden scepter glowed, providing support abilities to his teammates, barely allowing Spirit Hall to keep up.
But Shao Yan kept supplying sugar beans at just the right times, so Frost Academy still maintained the upper hand.
Hu Liena could only just barely suppress Ailan, and the fight showed no sign of ending quickly.
For a time, the two teams remained in a deadlock, draining each other's spirit power and turning the match into a contest of endurance.
But Shao Yan's sugar beans mainly restored energy, so Spirit Hall Academy had no advantage in a battle of attrition.
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