"Beautiful!" "That was awesome!"
As soon as Tang San was knocked out of the ring, the crowd erupted. Cheers filled the Soto Spirit Arena.
"See? I told you Blue Silver Grass is a useless Spirit," someone in the audience shouted. "Even if you train it to the Spirit Grandmaster level, what's the use? He still got completely dominated."
Everyone's attention was on the stunning little girl who had won so impressively. The applause was thunderous. With just one fight, Xiao Wu had already gained a large number of fans. She smiled and waved to the audience members who were cheering for her, which only made them cheer louder.
The host, who had been stunned for a moment, finally composed himself and hurried onto the stage.
"The winner is Spirit Master Xiao Wu, with a record of one win and zero losses!" he announced in a powerful, magnetic voice. "Tang San's record is now zero wins and one loss!"
His announcement sent the crowd into a frenzy, pushing the atmosphere in the arena to its peak. The host then turned to Xiao Wu, bowing slightly.
"Master Xiao Wu, please go and register your points after you leave the stage."
When Xiao Wu walked out of the Spirit Arena, it marked the end of the day's matches for the Shrek Academy students. It was a successful day for them; they had fought in five battles and won every single one. Each student who won earned one point and ten gold spirit coins.
As for Tang San, he had slipped away in disgrace at some point after his loss. The ten gold spirit coins he had used for the registration fee had been borrowed from the owner of the blacksmith shop. Now, not only had he failed to earn a single coin, but he had also lost the borrowed money. It was likely he would have to spend a long time working as a forger just to pay off his debt.
The next day, Dean Flender didn't put the students through any systematic training. Instead, he made them spend the day getting used to the sausages Oscar created with his spirit power. Before, almost everyone had refused to eat them because of Oscar's vulgar spirit incantations. The three girls—Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing—found it especially unbearable. After a full day of "special training," they were finally able to accept the food.
There was a good reason for Flender's sudden focus on this. Oscar's spirit power had broken through to level 30, which meant it was time for him to get his third Spirit Ring.
That evening, after dinner, Flender gathered the seven of them on the playground. Once everyone had arrived, he began to speak slowly.
"Alright, listen up. I want each of you to go back and prepare. You have one day to rest and adjust."
His words left everyone stunned. A day to rest? What were they supposed to be preparing for? Was he planning some kind of intense training? All seven students were curious, but no one dared to ask.
Seeing that he had their full attention, Flender continued, "Tomorrow morning, you will all set out. Teacher Zhao Wuji will lead you to the Star Dou Great Forest to help Oscar obtain his third Spirit Ring."
"Wow, am I that important?" Oscar asked, clearly flattered. All of Shrek's students, plus a level 76 Spirit Saint like Teacher Zhao Wuji, were going to accompany him just to get his third Spirit Ring. It felt like an incredibly grand escort.
"Of course not!" Flender immediately poured cold water on his excitement. "Oscar, don't get ahead of yourself."
Oscar touched his head awkwardly and fell silent.
"This isn't just about Oscar," Flender explained. "This is a training experience for all of you. Teacher Zhao won't step in unless you encounter a thousand-year Spirit Beast. Until then, everything is up to you. Okay, you're dismissed."
The students didn't have much to prepare. The next morning, they gathered on the playground after breakfast, where Zhao Wuji was already waiting.
"Now that everyone is here, let's get going!" he said in a loud voice. "Mubai, you've been to the Star Dou Great Forest before. You'll lead the way."
Dai Mubai nodded. When he turned back around, Zhao Wuji had already vanished. As a level 76 Spirit Saint, he wasn't going to walk with the students. Realizing this, Dai Mubai turned to the group with a rare look of seriousness on his face.
"The Star Dou Great Forest is no joke," he warned them. "It's filled with countless Spirit Beasts, and they're extremely aggressive towards humans. Everyone needs to be careful."
At Huo Feng's suggestion, the group rearranged into a defensive formation. Dai Mubai took the lead at the front, with Huo Feng and Zhu Zhuqing protecting the rear. Ma Hongjun and Xiao Wu walked on the left and right flanks, while Ning Rongrong and Oscar were safely in the center.
The Star Dou Great Forest was located in the southeastern part of the Barak Kingdom, not far from Soto City. The journey was less than 500 kilometers, making it a popular place for Spirit Masters to hunt for Spirit Rings. However, while it was full of opportunities, it was also filled with danger. If you weren't careful, or just had a bit of bad luck, you could easily end up trapped there forever.
The distance was too great to cover in a single day. On the first night, the group rested in a small town about a hundred miles from the forest. They set out again at dawn the next morning, picking up their pace as they got closer to their destination. The forest was so vast that it spanned the border between the Tian Dou and Star Luo Empires.
Among the seven of them, the most excited was naturally Oscar, who was about to get his third Spirit Ring.
From a distance, they could already feel a cool, fresh breeze blowing from the forest ahead. The rich scent of plants was refreshing and incredibly pleasant. As they drew closer, they finally arrived at the edge of the Star Dou Forest. The trees here were enormous, easily towering over twenty meters high, and this was only the outermost area. The dense canopy of leaves blocked out most of the sunlight, making it impossible to see what lay deeper within.
"Everyone, stop," a deep voice commanded.
Zhao Wuji suddenly appeared in front of them, his face serious.
"The Spirit Beasts in this forest are extremely dangerous. You could be attacked by thousand-year or even ten-thousand-year-old monsters at any moment," he warned. "Once we enter the forest, you must stay within twenty meters of me at all times. And without my order, no one is to attack any Spirit Beast. Do you understand?"
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