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Ye Lingling frowned a little, a hint of confusion in her eyes. She looked like she had noticed something but didn't ask, simply saying softly, "Tang Chen, I came to thank you."
She stepped closer, her simple white dress gently brushing the Blue Silver Grass leaves under her feet.
"My Spirit, the Nine Heart Begonia, successfully evolved ." As she finished speaking, Ye Lingling suddenly opened her arms and hugged Tang Chen.
Tang Chen instantly stiffened, his hands hanging in the air, not sure where to put them. At that moment, he caught the faint, pleasant scent of the young girl.
"We're all classmates; we should help each other. There's really no need for thanks ," he said. "Besides, this is something I promised you.
If you left Heaven Dou Royal Academy and joined our Skywalk Academy, I would find a way to evolve your Spirit ." Tang Chen awkwardly patted Ye Lingling's back, his voice sounding slightly strained.
Just then, another clear sound of footsteps came from the corner of the corridor. Xiao Ruier suddenly appeared, her golden hair softly shining in the moonlight.
"???"
However, when her gaze passed through the corridor pillars covered with Blue Silver Grass and she saw the scene in the courtyard, she suddenly stopped. A trace of shock flashed in Xiao Ruier's eyes. She glared fiercely at Tang Chen first , then, without letting him explain, she immediately turned and walked away.
"Oh no! This is bad..."
Hearing the footsteps, Tang Chen looked up and met Xiao Ruier's eyes, which were full of disappointment and anger. His expression froze instantly, and he quickly called out, "Rui'er, let me explain!"
But Xiao Ruier didn't want to listen. Her golden hair made a decisive arc in the air as she disappeared without looking back down the corridor.
Ye Lingling gently tugged at Tang Chen's sleeve, her soft voice sounding innocent as she said, "Did Rui'er misunderstand something? It's all my fault; I was too excited just now ... Do you think I should go and explain to Rui'er later?"
Hearing this, Tang Chen straightened up, trying to look calm. He waved his hand in a relaxed manner and said, "It's fine. She and I are just classmates. What is there to explain ?" Even though he said that, his eyes couldn't help but glance in the direction Xiao Ruier had left , and his fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of his clothes.
"But... Rui'er looked very angry."
"I said it's fine! Come on, we need to go find Dugu Bo to discuss the competition ." Tang Chen's voice, though pretending to be casual, carried a hint of guilt that he couldn't hide.
"The Pan-continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition will start in just over three months. The Academy needs to make a few simple preparations first. I'll see if we can recruit a few more people from the Royal Fight Team."
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
At the moment, Skywalk Academy was bustling with life, and the training ground was full of students in uniform. Sunlight spilled onto the teaching buildings made of white jade , and the sounds of Spirit Abilities being used echoed from the training ground, mixed with the instructors' directions and the students' laughter.
The Dean's office was even more crowded right now.
"Not bad. The Academy has so many people in just a few months ." Taking a deep breath, Tang Chen stood by the window, looking at the lively scene on the training ground, and sighed with emotion.
Not far behind him stood Dugu Bo, Ye Lingling, Ning Rongrong, and other core members of the Academy. Although Xiao Ruier was also present, she deliberately stood in the furthest corner from him, with her arms crossed, looking out the window.
Pointing to the thick roster on the table, Dugu Bo stroked his beard and smiled. "The first batch of three hundred students all passed the simple assessment. The Academy's teaching staff is fully ready, and even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School has sent several support system Spirit Masters to teach."
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong smiled slightly at Dugu Bo and nodded. She had been at the Academy for over two months now and was very familiar with Tang Chen and the others, and they had a quite good relationship.
Just then, the office door opened, and Dugu Yan walked in with several teachers from the Academy. Her gaze swept over everyone, finally stopping on Dugu Bo, and she said seriously, "Grandpa, all the participating students are ready. We're just waiting for you to lead the team to the competition venue."
Dugu Bo stepped forward and gently waved his hand, signaling everyone to sit down. After everyone had quietly taken their seats, he cleared his throat. His gaze swept over every student present, and he spoke with a serious expression:
"The Pan-continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Competition is the largest Spirit competition in the Spirit Master world. It was started and is hosted by the royal families of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires , and co-organized by Spirit Hall. The strength of the participants is second only to Spirit Hall's Elite Selection Competition."
"There are several rules we must follow ." He then went on. "First, the students sent by the participating academies must be under twenty-five years old and be able to keep seven participants for each match.
Second, during the competition, the goal is friendly sparring, so try your best to avoid seriously injuring or crippling opponents. Killing is absolutely forbidden. If an opponent is killed, the Academy will not only face the consequences but also be expelled from the Spirit Master Competition."
The office fell silent, with only the faint sound of training coming from outside the window.
"Grandpa, doesn't that rule seem a bit unfair ?" Dugu Yan raised her hand, interrupting Dugu Bo, and frowned slightly. She continued, "You know, ever since my Spirit evolved into the Jade Phosphor Serpent, the power of my snake venom has increased by quite a bit. Spirit Abilities don't have eyes; what if an opponent is too weak and accidentally gets poisoned to death by me?"
Sighing helplessly, Dugu Bo looked at his granddaughter with a comforting expression and explained, "These are the rules set by Spirit Hall and the two Empires; I can't change them. We can only let you play when we face strong teams."
Hearing this, Dugu Yan pouted, complaining a little unwillingly, "What if we encounter a weak team that deliberately tries to annoy us... like Shrek Academy ..." Under Dugu Bo's serious gaze, she finally nodded.
Immediately after, Dugu Bo looked around at everyone, his voice clear and strong as he continued, "Besides these two strict rules, there's one more thing I need to remind all of you.
That is, participants on the stage are not allowed to use any medicine or food that was not created by a food system or healing system Spirit Master. That means, if you want to receive supplies on the competition stage, a support system Spirit Master must take up one of the spots."
"In addition, there is another rule: no weapons other than Spirits can be used. You all must remember this, or you will be directly thrown out of the competition.
" At this point, he looked at Xiao Ruier, who was leaning by the window not far away. "In that case, your golden spear that can drain Life Qi also can't be used anymore."