"Gamble? Why wouldn't I?"
"Alright, what are the stakes?"
"The loser buys drinks for everyone at the Platinum Palace later. How about it?"
"It's a deal! I'm not scared of you!"
Conversations like this were breaking out all across the audience stands. It was a common feature of the Spirit Dueling Arena. As many of the regulars would say, just watching the duels felt like something was missing. But adding a small wager made everything much more interesting.
"Why isn't Huo Feng moving yet?"
Over at the Shrek Academy group, Ning Rongrong looked anxiously at the battle on the stage. She knew Huo Feng was strong, but he was facing a Spirit Elder of over rank thirty. Wasn't he being a little too overconfident?
Zhu Zhuqing also frowned slightly, a hint of doubt creeping into her mind.
"Don't worry, Huo Feng won't be in any danger," Xiao Wu's calm voice interjected. Her expression was serene. She clearly had a much better understanding of Huo Feng's true strength than Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing did.
At the same time, the battle on the stage had reached its most critical moment. The pink-haired girl's expression was grim. If this attack landed, she could regain control of the situation and possibly gain the upper hand. If she were facing any other Spirit Master, they might have been intimidated by her fearless momentum and forced to retreat.
With his front blocked, retreating was the only logical option to dodge her attack. Huo Feng had already moved back a bit when he dodged her claws earlier, and now he wasn't far from the edge of the stage. In the pink-haired girl's mind, she even had a chance to force him off the stage entirely before he could even unleash his martial soul's true power.
Unfortunately for her, this was merely a delusion. The gap between her and Huo Feng was far greater than she could possibly imagine.
Just as her sharp blades were about to connect, the pink-haired girl felt a powerful gust of wind scrape across her face. A black shadow flashed past her eyes. When she could react again, Huo Feng had vanished into thin air.
Her eyes saw nothing; not even a silhouette remained.
The pink-haired girl was stunned. Huo Feng's movements had been impossibly fast. She had no idea how he had done it. Her attacks, naturally, all struck empty air. Though her brain had registered what happened, her body couldn't keep up. Her ten sharp claws unleashed a frantic barrage of attacks into nothingness.
"Holy crap! How did he dodge that?" a collective gasp erupted from the audience.
The pink-haired girl on the stage hadn't seen Huo Feng's movements, and neither had they. But unlike her, they could now see where he had reappeared. The girl, however, was still frozen in place, a look of bewilderment on her face as she began to question reality.
Huo Feng now stood quietly in the center of the stage, facing her. The dark blue Thunderclap Sword in his hand had transformed into a short sword as black as ink. It was the second form of his God-Devil Sword.
"Good heavens! I remember the sword in his hand was a dark blue longsword, right?"
"How did it turn into a black short sword in the blink of an eye?"
The people in the audience were completely bewildered. They had never seen a martial soul that could transform so drastically. Minor changes were one thing, but this was a complete transformation into a different state. That guy was just too outrageous!
"Is this kid really a Spirit Elder over rank thirty?"
"Yeah, and isn't he a power-attack type? How can his speed be so fast!"
The spectators looked at each other, completely dumbfounded. If Huo Feng's opponent were a defense-type Spirit Master, then his speed might seem fast in comparison. But his opponent was an agility-attack type Spirit Elder; speed was supposed to be her advantage. Now, it seemed to have become a disadvantage. He had completely flipped the script, using his power to overwhelm her in the one area where she should have been superior. It was a complete and thorough suppression of her abilities.
"Hahahaha! Now this is the level our Shrek Academy students should have!" Flender, sitting in the audience, showed a rare, beaming smile.
These past few days, Tang San and Yu Xiaogang had nearly depressed him to death with their antics. Now, Huo Feng had finally given him a pleasant surprise. As a rank seventy-eight Spirit Sage, he had, of course, been able to follow Huo Feng's movements. Even so, he didn't quite understand the boy's martial soul. Usually, such powerful martial souls were inherited within powerful sects and families. But having wandered the continent for so many years, Flender had never heard of any prominent family or power with a sword-type martial soul that could transform into multiple forms.
Flender gently shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it. That was Huo Feng's private matter. Besides, there was another way for powerful martial souls to appear: natural mutation. Mutated martial souls, like his disciple Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix, could be equally powerful.
Flender subconsciously glanced back. The seat where Yu Xiaogang had been sitting was now empty. He and Tang San had actually missed Huo Feng's spectacular battle. It was a true pity.
For the foreseeable future, Shrek Academy's students would be competing here. Tomorrow, for Huo Feng's next duel, he would absolutely make Yu Xiaogang come and watch with his own eyes. He would show him the true level of a Shrek Academy student. He would show him what a real spirit duel was.
What the hell was that disaster Tang San had produced?
Although he had never said it out loud, Flender had always thought it. Yu Xiaogang's disciple, the one he treasured like a priceless gem... he was no good.
Now, Flender was deeply regretting his decision to allow Yu Xiaogang and Tang San to join Shrek Academy. It was definitely the biggest mistake he had made all year.
"Wahoo—!"
"This kid is absolutely amazing! From now on, I'm his fan!"
"This 'Shrek One' is just too strong, so much better than that clown 'Shrek Eight' from the last match. I really don't know how they ended up in the same group."
"He's so cool! I wonder if his face under the mask is even more handsome, hahaha."
At this moment, the audience was buzzing with noise. The atmosphere of the entire Spirit Dueling Arena had reached its climax. Some of the younger girls stared fervently at Huo Feng, their faces filled with infatuation. His movements were handsome, clean, and decisive, and his physique was quite impressive. The only regret was that he wore a mask, so they couldn't see his face. It was a good thing they didn't know his real name, or they might have already started thinking of names for their future children.
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