The day passed quickly. The next morning, the eight Shrek students gathered on the playground as scheduled. The sun was exceptionally bright in a cloudless sky, and even in the early hours, its rays felt scorching. Dean Flender and Vice President Zhao Wuji were already waiting for them. After a few brief instructions from Flender, the group, carrying only simple luggage, prepared to set off for Soto City.
"Wait a minute!"
A figure came running toward them. As he got closer, everyone recognized the unwelcome sight of Yu Xiaogang.
Flender frowned slightly. "What is it now?"
"I'm coming with you," Yu Xiaogang declared, looking at Tang San with a somewhat unhappy expression. "I don't feel comfortable with him going alone."
In truth, he didn't want to stay in that shabby little house by himself. And without Tang San, who would take care of his daily needs? What annoyed him most was that Tang San had gotten up and left for the assembly without even waking him.
A look of exasperation flashed across Flender's face, but he simply nodded and motioned for Yu Xiaogang to join them. Worried about Tang San? he thought sarcastically. Is he afraid his precious disciple will be harmed? With Tang San's current strength, anyone can beat him in a fair fight. Who would need to resort to underhanded tactics?
Since the spirit battles in the Great Spirit Arena were held at night, the group had the entire day. Upon arriving in Soto City, Flender led them to an ordinary hotel near the arena. Because of its prime location, the prices were twice as expensive as anywhere else in the city. To save money, most of the students decided to share rooms.
The exception, of course, was Dai Mubai. With his considerable wealth, he rented a large suite for himself and generously took in Oscar and Ma Hongjun.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing decided to share a room. They had initially wanted Xiao Wu to join them, as Ning Rongrong, the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, never had to worry about money. However, Xiao Wu insisted on staying with Huo Feng, her reason being that he would be left all alone otherwise. This excuse earned her an eye-roll from Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. Ning Rongrong even suggested renting the best suite in the hotel so all four of them—Huo Feng, Xiao Wu, and themselves—could stay together. This proposal, however, was immediately shot down by Zhu Zhuqing. It wasn't that the plan was bad, but they were still students of Shrek Academy and needed to be mindful of their reputation. With Flender and Zhao Wuji staying just downstairs, it wouldn't look right.
As for Tang San, with no one else to take him in, he naturally had to continue rooming with Yu Xiaogang.
To keep themselves in peak condition, everyone stayed in the hotel to cultivate their spirit power and wait for nightfall. Currently, all eight students held the rank of Iron Fighting Spirit. From their previous participation, everyone except Tang San had between five and ten points. Tang San, having lost both of his previous battles, was still at zero. Zero was the lowest possible score in the arena; otherwise, he would have been in the negatives. To advance from Iron to Bronze Fighting Spirit required one hundred points, and reaching Silver Fighting Spirit required a thousand. It was going to be a long journey.
Huo Feng and Dai Mubai, being at the top of their rank and confident in their powerful spirits, decided to participate in one-on-one battles first before teaming up for the duo competition. Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu also decided to warm up with a solo match.
In these situations, Oscar's role became invaluable. While his sausage incantations were usually nauseating, at critical moments, his creations could effectively replenish everyone's spirit power and physical strength. This gave them a significant advantage over ordinary spirit masters. For most fighters, participating in three spirit battles in one night was nearly impossible, but for the Shrek students, it had become routine.
Tang San, however, was hesitant. He knew he had no advantage in a one-on-one match. Unless he was lucky enough to face a spirit master who had just broken through to level 20 and was unfamiliar with their second spirit skill, winning would be incredibly difficult. The shadow of his two previous defeats loomed large in his mind, and deep down, he didn't want to participate in a solo fight at all.
But before he could even voice this thought, Yu Xiaogang quashed it. As a substitute, Tang San already had little chance of participating in team battles. Although he would never admit it, Yu Xiaogang knew Tang San wasn't strong enough to replace a starting member. Therefore, the solo and duo fights became his only reliable sources of points. With Dai Mubai as his partner in the two-on-two matches, he was likely to gain some points there. Thus, Yu Xiaogang focused all his attention on Tang San's one-on-one performance, regardless of whether his disciple was actually capable of winning.
While the other students were meditating and conserving their energy, Yu Xiaogang was in their room, acting like a charlatan, forcefully drilling his "invincible theories" into Tang San's mind. The brainwashing was certainly effective. By the end of it, Tang San felt a renewed sense of fighting spirit, eager to go to the Great Spirit Arena and prove himself.
As night fell, the area around the arena came alive with its usual bustle. Crowds of people began to gather from all directions. As the city's most traditional and popular form of entertainment, it drew in large audiences every night. The rich could indulge in the best seats and services, while even commoners with little money could afford to watch the spectacle, thanks to cheap ticket packages. For most civilians, just being able to see a spirit master in action was enough to satisfy their curiosity.
Of course, the cheap tickets only granted access to the most ordinary spirit fights. The truly spectacular matches were expensive affairs, and Soto City had no shortage of wealthy patrons willing to spend lavishly.
The time for the first matches was drawing near. Soon, the preliminary one-on-one and two-on-two fights would begin, followed by the main event: the team battles.
At that moment, a group of eleven people approaching the entrance caught the attention of the crowd. It was their strange attire that stood out: among the eleven, eight of them were wearing identical, monstrous green masks.
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