"..." Ning Fengzhi didn't speak.
He knew very well that if he tried to defend Shrek Academy now, he would lose the chance to ever pull Dugu Bo and Yang Yunhai to his side in the future. Besides, why should he stop this? If Shrek Academy was forced to withdraw...
Wouldn't his daughter Rongrong be free from them?
Beside him, Xue Ye frowned slightly, just about to speak, when a loud voice rose from the arena.
"Referee, I want to file a complaint!"
The Elephant Armored Academy's team leader faced the referee with a furious expression. "All of their attacks and soul skills were aimed at the head. This isn't a competition, it's attempted murder! They've violated the rules. I demand they be judged as having lost!"
At this point, Tang San had already withdrawn his Blue Silver Grass. Hu Yanli's full body was revealed—he had already lost consciousness.
His face was a bloody mess, all his hair burned away. Burns covered his forehead and cheeks, still giving off wisps of smoke. His condition was miserable.
Seeing his grandson like this, Hu Yanzhen on the VIP stand trembled with rage. He didn't even bother with pleasantries and walked straight down toward the arena.
Seeing this, neither Xue Ye nor Ning Fengzhi said a word. After all, it was his own grandson who had been injured.
And truthfully, Hu Yanzhen couldn't do anything. Among the attackers were the heir of the Clear Sky Sect and the direct heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—neither could be provoked.
"Honorable referee, I'll just ask you one question." Tang San smiled faintly. "Is he dead?"
The referee was stunned. He glanced at Hu Yanli. Though unconscious, his chest still rose and fell.
He was breathing—clearly alive.
"As for attacking the head," Tang San continued, "their Martial Soul is specialized in defense. The only weak point is the head. For us, targeting the head is the most effective strategy. Attacking their strong points with our weaknesses would be foolish. And if we really intended to kill, wouldn't my teammates have just used their fourth soul skills already? Wouldn't that have been far more direct?"
Finishing, he swept a cold gaze over the audience, as if to declare to everyone who the true strong ones were.
Meanwhile, the two assistant referees rushed up to the chief referee. They huddled, speaking in low voices.
A moment later, the chief referee turned, raised his arm sideways, and loudly declared, "In the second round of the qualifiers, first match—Shrek Academy wins!"
Victory in just one minute. And against the Elephant Armored Sect's elite heirs. This was Shrek Academy's shining moment.
In the audience, some were still swayed. Applause and cheers erupted.
The Shrek team lifted their heads proudly and strode toward the tunnel. Fatty Ma Hongjun even strutted with a cocky swagger, steps full of arrogance.
'Arrogant indeed! But the more arrogant and confident they were now, the more miserable and disillusioned they'd be later…' Yang Yunhai arched a brow.
And that was exactly what he wanted to see.
'Exhaust every means to raise your strength, my dear Brother San!'
"Second round, sixth match—Heaven Dou Royal Academy versus Canghui Academy!" The announcer's voice rang out.
Because of the many participating teams, to ensure the qualifiers finished on schedule, the Great Spirit Arena had set up four new arenas around the main stage the night before. So as soon as the main arena's match ended, the next match—the sixth of the day—began immediately.
In the Shrek rest area, Yu Xiaogang led his team to the stands.
The Heaven Dou Royal Academy was a major rival. Observing their matches to gather intel was essential. And from the outside, watching how Yang Yunhai used his Martial Soul could also help his disciple Tang San gain new inspiration for his own Martial Soul development.
Two quarters of an hour later, from the tunnel, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's team walked onto the main stage.
"?" Yu Xiaogang froze.
Looking over, only Zhu Zhuqing, Oslo, and Yu Feng—the three agility-attackers—appeared.
"Whoa!" Cheers thundered from the audience.
"Another 3 versus 7! Awesome!"
"..."
"Such pretentious show-offs!" Xiao Wu snorted coldly.
'If you had the strength, you could do the same,' Ning Rongrong glanced at her sideways.
"Teams, salute!" On stage, the referee raised his hand. After both sides bowed, his hand sliced down. "Match, begin!"
"Second Soul Skill—Wind Wings!" Yu Feng's wings spread wide as he shot into the sky. On the ground, Zhu Zhuqing and Oslo lunged forward at full speed.
On Canghui Academy's side, all seven moved quickly, forming a hexagonal formation around their captain.
The next second, they raised their gem Martial Souls together, dazzling light spreading.
"A Martial Soul Fusion Skill?" Yu Xiaogang's eyes narrowed.
"Third Soul Skill—Windstorm!" Yu Feng's wings flapped, sending a gale howling down onto the enemy formation. At less than 20 meters, it hit in an instant.
The weaker ones among Canghui staggered, their steps thrown off.
"Damn it!" their captain cursed. It was as if the enemy knew exactly what they planned. Yu Feng had opened with his third soul skill precisely to disrupt them.
Now, with their formation broken, they couldn't release their Fusion Skill at all.
"Second Soul Skill—Extreme Shadow Strike!" Seeing the disruption, Oslo activated his speed boost and darted forward.
A moment later, Zhu Zhuqing's figure flashed past him. In the blink of an eye, she was inside the enemy ranks.
"First Soul Skill—Hell Rush Stab!"
"So fast!" Oslo was shocked. Since Zhu Zhuqing had broken through to Soul Ancestor, he hadn't seen her fight seriously. He hadn't expected such an enormous leap in strength.
No wonder she was the captain's chosen student!
Her steps flickered like a butterfly weaving through flowers. The enemy could no longer track her true body. Only a shadow sliding behind each enemy, and at their throats—purple light flashed, thin red lines appearing.
In an instant, all seven had shallow cuts across their throats. Faces pale with terror, they stood rooted, not daring to move.
'Sis... this makes me look useless.' Oslo stopped mid-run, left floundering in the wind.
"Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!?" Tang San's pupils shrank as he stared down from the stands. In Zhu Zhuqing's footwork, he clearly saw the shadow of his Tang Sect secret art.
Every pivot, every sudden burst of acceleration—it was identical.
"Damn it, she actually stole my skill! Courting death!" Rage twisted his face.
But a flicker of doubt crossed his mind.
'Wait! My Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track requires specific soul power circulation to trigger muscle acceleration. How could she replicate that without learning it from me? Soul power routes inside the meridians can't be seen with the eye. Even my Purple Demon Eye couldn't see that.'
Impossible to figure out.
Maybe it wasn't Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track after all—just her own speed as an agility-attack type.
'But even so... this speed was terrifying.' Even with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he might not be this fast. His heart sank.
"So fast!" Dai Mubai and the others were shaken.
"I feel like trash now." All across the other academies' stands, agility-attackers groaned in despair. How could they compete? Support-types nervously rubbed their necks.
"We surrender!"
Canghui Academy's captain, feeling the sting of blood on his throat, went cold with terror. He immediately raised his voice.
"Second round, sixth match—Heaven Dou Royal Academy wins!" the referee declared.
"Zhuqing, you're too fast. At least give us a chance!" Oslo complained with a bitter smile afterward.
"This is a match, not child's play," Yu Feng snorted. He turned to Zhu Zhuqing, giving her a big thumbs-up. "Zhuqing, a clean sweep. Amazing!"
"I feel like even without us, you could have taken them all down."
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head slightly. "If you hadn't broken their formation with your skill, it wouldn't have been this easy."
She could have done it, yes, but only by using her fourth soul skill for extra speed.
Hearing praise from her, Yu Feng straightened proudly. "Come on, let's go back."
Oslo only shot him a glance and nodded.
The three walked off the stage together.
"Awesome, Zhuqing." Their teammates greeted her with admiration.
"Well done," Yang Yunhai smiled.
Zhu Zhuqing allowed herself a faint smile.
Yu Feng clapped Oslo on the shoulder. "Don't be discouraged. It's only the qualifiers. You'll have your moment to shine later."
"Yeah, exactly," the others chimed in warmly.
The mood was harmonious.
On the other side, Yu Xiaogang looked around at his team's heavy expressions and said quietly, "Let's go back to the academy."
That afternoon, Shrek Academy.
Tang San didn't follow them to spectate.
His injuries from yesterday weren't fully healed, and chatting with Xiao Wu had cost him a day of practice. Today he had to resume training his Distraction Control technique. It was critical for his growth in controlling his Martial Soul.
As usual, he went to the back mountain where Blue Silver Grass grew thick.
Sitting cross-legged, he summoned his Martial Soul and reached out with his senses.
Moments later, his eyes snapped open in confusion.
'Why can't I feel that familiar closeness anymore?'
His progress in Distraction Control had always relied on that special sense of connection with the surrounding Blue Silver Grass. Now it was gone. Without it, his progress would surely slow.
His expression darkened. He closed his eyes, trying again.
Still, nothing.
'What's happening?' Tang San couldn't figure it out.
He had never understood where that sense had come from—so how could he know why it vanished?
"Damn it!" His fist slammed into the ground, face grim.
No immortal herb, and now even his training was hindered. He began to wonder if the heavens themselves were deliberately targeting him.
Brought inexplicably into this world, he did believe such things might exist.
'Heaven's will was unjust—it always seemed to favor Yang Yunhai. Damn it!'
At the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's hotel, Yang Yunhai hadn't gone to watch the match.
Instead, in his room, he was practicing Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track with his wives.
With their graceful figures moving before his eyes, he felt life was utterly beautiful.
(End of Chapter)
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