Chapter 371: The Weak Support-Type Spirit Master
"Mo Ran! What are you spacing out for?"
"Ah? I…" The young man named Mo Ran slowly shifted his gaze away from the Han Shi restaurant's signboard and smiled at the approaching teammates beside him. "It's nothing."
"Han Shi?" Following Mo Ran's line of sight, a tall and muscular boy chuckled, "Now that you mention it, if we win today's match, let's celebrate at Han Shi tonight."
"Hah! Then the captain's going to have to splurge." A cheerful girl next to him spoke up with a grin. "The food there is expensive—I haven't even been there more than a few times."
"Everyone's going! Tonight's my treat!" The captain laughed heartily and waved his hand.
"Long live the captain!"
The rest of the group burst into laughter. One lanky young man even added confidently, "Don't worry, Captain. That so-called Fierce Dragon team won't be a match for us!"
"Absolutely! Once this match is over, we'll officially be a Gold Spirit Fighting Team." The captain's face showed a mix of excitement and longing. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned toward Mo Ran, who had been silent. "Mo Ran, about what we talked about earlier..."
"I remember." Mo Ran gave a faint, somewhat melancholy smile. "Once the team becomes a Gold Spirit Fighting Team, I'll leave. You guys can look for a new support-type spirit master then."
At his words, the smiles on the others' faces began to fade. Even the cheerful girl from earlier looked visibly reluctant.
However, no one tried to convince him to stay.
They all knew that Mo Ran was destined to part ways with them.
"Let's go," the sturdy captain sighed. "Our match is about to begin."
…
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Shrek City Great Spirit Arena!" The announcer's voice boomed from the floating platform high above, his spirit power resonating through the air and echoing to every corner of the arena. "I'm your host and commentator for today, Ang Tian! And what we're bringing to you now is a matchup between two Silver Spirit Fighting Teams at the four-ring level—each with seven members!"
"As you've probably noticed, the atmosphere today is way more intense than usual. A normal seven-versus-seven Silver-level team match doesn't draw this kind of crowd." The host paused for dramatic effect. "But! The reason today's battle is so popular is that both teams are just one win away from being promoted to Gold Spirit Fighting status!"
"In other words, whichever team wins today will become the eighteenth seven-person Gold Spirit Fighting Team at the four-ring level—right here in Shrek City, in front of all of you!"
With the announcer's voice rising to a crescendo, the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers and excited screams.
A Gold Spirit Team made up of four-ring spirit masters!
And a full seven-member team at that!
Achieving Gold Spirit status at the Great Spirit Arena was incredibly difficult.
The ranking system of the Spirit Fighting Arena went from Iron, to Copper, to Silver—and then to Gold.
Though Gold was only the fourth tier among eight total, it was already a significant milestone.
To reach this level, a team had to fight in hundreds of matches and maintain a win rate of at least 60%.
It was somewhat easier to attain Gold status in solo matches, but for team fights—especially seven-member teams—accumulating enough points was much harder.
Moreover, the lower your cultivation level, the harder it became to reach the higher rankings.
Spirit Fighting rankings had nothing to do with the cultivation realm. For instance, if someone earned a Silver Spirit badge at the three-ring level, it would automatically be considered a four-ring Silver badge once they broke through—without needing to start over from Iron.
To become a Gold Spirit Battle Team, a squad must go through hundreds of battles, which takes a great deal of time. By the time a team truly achieves Gold Spirit status, they're often no longer at their initial level of cultivation.
Therefore, in the Great Spirit Arena of Shrek City, Gold Spirit battle teams with five or more spirit rings aren't exactly rare. However, seven-member Gold Spirit teams at the four-ring level—there are only seventeen in total. As for three-ring teams, only two have ever made it to Gold Spirit status.
You have to understand—Shrek City is the number one city on the continent. The number of spirit masters here is in no way less than those in the imperial capitals of Heaven Dou City and Star Luo City. And with Shrek Academy, the place where the continent's most gifted youth gather, right next door, the rarity of four-ring seven-member Gold Spirit teams becomes even more apparent.
And now, right before everyone's eyes, a brand-new four-ring Gold Spirit team is about to make its debut. How could the audience not be thrilled?
Once the crowd's screams had died down slightly, the announcer cleared his throat and regained control of the arena's tempo.
"Now, let's give a warm round of applause to welcome our… Fierce Dragon Team!"
The cheers in the arena surged once again, clearly showing that this team had quite a bit of fan support and recognition.
"The seven members of the Fierce Dragon Team are—"
As each member of the Fierce Dragon Team stepped into the spotlight, the announcer's passionate voice introduced them one by one.
Each time a member was introduced, they would wave to the crowd in greeting, drawing another round of excited screams from their passionate fans.
"And now, let's give an equally warm welcome and cheer for our other team—Undying Team!"
Another spotlight instantly lit up the tunnel entrance. The seven members of Undying Team emerged in matching uniforms, triggering another wave of frenzied cheers from the stands.
This team's popularity was by no means inferior to the Fierce Dragon Team.
At the very end of the line walked a young man named Mo Ran.
"The seven members of Undying Team are—"
"Undying Team's captain, Zhao Panqing—Level 49 Power Attack System Spirit Ancestor. Martial Spirit: Bloodthirsty Bull Demon King!"
"…"
"Undying Team member, Mo Ran—Level 46 Support System Spirit Ancestor. Martial Spirit: Halo!"
The announcer introduced the members in the same order as their entrance onto the field.
Hearing his own introduction, Mo Ran forced a faint smile onto his handsome face and waved to the stands. Yet, unlike the others, he received almost no cheers in return. Instead, he was met with scattered boos and even a few harsh jeers.
His expression stiffened slightly as he silently lowered his hand and followed the team with his head down.
Forget it. He had expected too much.
In the Great Spirit Arena, good looks did nothing for Mo Ran. Here, strength and influence always went hand in hand.
When Mo Ran first joined Undying Team, everyone was only at the two-ring level. His support abilities were still considered strong, and he had helped secure many victories for the team.
But now…
As everyone else's power had grown, his martial spirit had only fallen further behind. By this point, even the audience had started to notice.
Once the team officially became a Gold Spirit team, it would probably be time for him to leave. After all, nearly any Support System spirit master they picked up could likely outperform him now.
So, after this battle—where would he go?
"Let the match begin!"
The announcer's voice snapped Mo Ran back to reality. He forced himself to focus on the battle. Rings of different-colored light radiated from his body, spreading out to envelop his teammates.
Even if this was his final battle—as a Support System spirit master, he still had to do his best to help his team!
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