With the preliminaries in full swing, Shrek Academy continued its triumphant advance. Their unpredictable fighting style, combined with Ye Yin's terrifying curse abilities, had become the nightmare of every opponent they faced. Now, standing before them was Tianshui Academy, the only team among the Five Element Academies composed entirely of female Spirit Masters—and a highly popular one at that.
When the members of Shrek stepped into the Douhun Arena, the roar from the audience was distinctly different from usual. There was less fear of the "devils" and far more excited cheers and whistles.
"Tianshui! Tianshui! Go, Goddesses!"
"Shui Bing'er! I love you!"
"Xue Wu! Yue'er! Look over here!"
On the other side of the stage stood seven graceful figures, like seven immortal flowers blooming in a world of ice and snow. The leader, Shui Bing'er, had a tall figure and a cold, aloof temperament that reminded one of mountain ice. She wore a long, sky-blue dress that outlined her exquisite curves, her long hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, and her skin was as fair as snow. Her ice-blue eyes seemed capable of freezing a person's very soul.
Beside her was her lively and charming younger sister, Shui Yue'er. The vice-captain, Xue Wu, was exceptionally tall, even surpassing some of the men in the tournament, with a slightly stern demeanor and sharp eyes. The other members—Yu Hairou, who was gentle as water; Gu Qingbo, calm and reserved; Shen Liuyu, spirited and bold; and Qiu Ruoshui, nimble and adorable—each had their own distinct style. The seven of them standing together instantly captivated the entire audience.
"Wow! They're all beauties!" Ma Hongjun's eyes went wide, and he practically started to drool.
"Hmph! Fatty, watch yourself!" Xiao Wu grumbled, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him.
Ning Rongrong nodded slightly in agreement. "The girls from Tianshui Academy really are very pretty, and they have a good temperament."
Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, but her gaze lingered on Shui Bing'er for a moment. A hint of approval and fighting spirit flashed in her beautiful eyes. The opponent's aura was strong, especially the ice-type control user.
Ye Yin stood at the very front of his team. His gaze calmly swept over the seven girls opposite him, a gentle, harmless smile on his face. His eyes were clear and showed no trace of ill intent, a fact that earned him a nod of approval from Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe in the VIP section.
"Both teams, salute!" the referee's voice rang out.
Shui Bing'er led her teammates in a slight bow, their movements elegant and proper. "Tianshui Academy, Shui Bing'er, a Level 43 Control-type Battle Spirit Ancestor." Her gaze remained on Ye Yin, carrying a hint of inquiry and deep vigilance.
"Shrek Academy, Ye Yin, a Level 52 Support-type Battle Spirit King," he returned the salute, his voice gentle.
"Match begins! You have one minute of preparation time!"
The moment the referee's words fell, both sides instantly released their Spirits. On Tianshui Academy's side, a huge Ice Phoenix phantom soared into the sky behind Shui Bing'er, emitting an intensely cold aura as her four spirit rings—two yellow and two purple—shone brightly. All seven members released their spirits at once, and the temperature of the entire stage plummeted. Tiny ice crystals condensed in the air, and the ground was quickly covered with a thin layer of white frost.
On Shrek's side, the spirit rings of all seven members also shone brightly. Ye Yin's support aura was the first to fall. A white light landed on Dai Mubai.
First Spirit Ability: Luck! The effect was an increase in ice resistance.
Immediately after, his fifth spirit ring flashed. He was using Luck Replication. The ice resistance buff was instantly replicated onto the other six members of the Shrek team. All seven of them now had a strong resistance to the cold, making it much easier to contend with Tianshui Academy's abilities.
"Nine Treasures Glazed Tile! First: Strength! Second: Speed! Third: Defense!" Ning Rongrong called out as three streams of colorful light accurately injected themselves into Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dai Mubai.
Having received a double amplification, Zhu Zhuqing left a faint afterimage in her original spot. Her entire body moved like a black lightning bolt, merging into the cold wind and charging directly toward the flank of Tianshui Academy's formation. Her target was the support-type Spirit Master, Xue Wu, in the back row. She didn't know why Ye Yin wanted her to specifically target Xue Wu, but since he had said so, she would do it without question.
"Stop her!" Shui Bing'er's clear voice rang out. She and Xue Wu possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill; neither of them could be incapacitated before they had a chance to use it. Only by unleashing their fusion skill did they have a chance to defeat Shrek.
Qiu Ruoshui and Shen Liuyu, two attack-type Beast Spirit Masters, moved to intercept Zhu Zhuqing, their bodies covered in condensing ice armor. Their mission was to protect the back row. However, Zhu Zhuqing's speed was simply too fast. Boosted by the buffs, her figure flashed like a ghost through the gaps in their attacks.
"Such incredible speed!" Shui Bing'er and the others were stunned. They had seen agility-type Spirit Masters before, but they had never seen one this fast.
"Nether Claw!" Sharp cat claws created trails of afterimages as she rushed toward Xue Wu.
"Ice Seal!" Shui Bing'er reacted extremely quickly. Her first spirit ring shone, and a beam of light landed on Zhu Zhuqing's body, freezing her solid in an instant.
Yu Hairou, Qiu Ruoshui, and Shen Liuyu all rushed toward the frozen Zhu Zhuqing at the same time, intending to deal with the powerful agility-type Spirit Master immediately to gain an early advantage.
But just at that moment, on Shrek Academy's side, three figures were still rapidly approaching Tianshui Academy: Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, and… another Zhu Zhuqing.
"How is there another one?!" Shui Bing'er's face instantly paled in shock. "Oh no! The frozen one is a clone! It was meant to attract our attacks! The follow-up is the real killing move!"
"Repel Ice Ring!" Shui Yue'er's third Spirit Ability was released. A ring of cold, ice-blue air spread out from her. Her ability was similar to Huo Wu's Repel Fire Ring, but it also had a freezing and weakening effect.
Dai Mubai was instantly pushed back by the force, but Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing's figures flashed. They used displacement skills to move right past the ice ring and continue their advance.
"They can do that?!" Shui Bing'er was surprised. Shrek Academy's combat experience was simply too rich. Her sister's Repel Ice Ring had always been successful before; this was the first time it had ever failed.
Shui Bing'er rapidly retreated, moving closer to Xue Wu to both evade the attack and protect her vice-captain. At the same time, Yu Hairou, Qiu Ruoshui, and Shen Liuyu quickly turned and charged toward the real Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing.
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