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As expected, the Imperial Battle Team easily defeated the Rage Team.
Backstage at the Grand Spirit Arena, the Shrek Seven Monsters had just finished their own soul battle when they ran into the battered and bruised members of the Rage Team.
"How did you end up like this?" Tang San couldn't help but ask.
A month ago, their victory over the Rage Team had relied on hidden weapons. Now, what kind of team could have beaten the Rage Team so thoroughly?
The female captain of the Rage Team heard his voice and gave a bitter smile. "Thousand-Handed Asura, I suppose we're acquainted through battle now. Let me give you a heads-up: a Silver Battle Team composed entirely of Soul Elders has arrived at the Suotuo Grand Spirit Arena. Every single one of them is a high-level Soul Elder. No matter what tactics we used, they effortlessly dismantled us."
"Their individual strength and team coordination are impeccable. You'd better prepare yourselves. I think their next target will be the Shrek Team."
After leaving the backstage, Tang San's mind was filled with thoughts about the strength of the Imperial Battle Team.
Seeing the unusual expression on his face, Xiao Wu teased him. "Third Brother, didn't the Rage Team lose to us too? In my opinion, that so-called Imperial Team isn't worth worrying about. They're no match for us."
For nearly a month, the Shrek Team had remained undefeated in team soul battles. Moreover, Yu Xiaogang had instilled in them an unshakable belief in victory.
Aside from Tang San, none of the Shrek Seven Monsters thought they would lose to the Imperial Battle Team.
"What's there to be afraid of? We've always won by overcoming stronger opponents. So what if they're high-level Soul Elders? It's not like we haven't beaten them before," Ma Hongjun said dismissively.
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A few days after Ning Tianchen and the others left, Flender guessed where the four of them had gone when he noticed that Oscar, who had the shortest vacation, hadn't returned to the academy. Still, he held onto a sliver of hope.
After a month passed, the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect sent a letter of withdrawal for Ning Tianchen and the other three. Flender finally gave up all hope.
The original eight-member team had been reduced to just four, making it impossible to form a proper team for soul battles.
Under Yu Xiaogang's insistence, Flender ultimately decided to recruit three new students.
The current Shrek Seven Monsters consisted of Tang San and the original four members, while the other three newcomers were all children of noble families from Suotuo City.
These three possessed the strength of 25th-level Great Soul Masters and were all over thirteen years old.
Strictly speaking, they didn't meet the admission standards of Shrek Academy.
In the past, the academy adhered to the principle of quality over quantity. Even if they went an entire year without admitting a single student, they wouldn't lower their standards.
But times had changed. Yu Xiaogang's training regimen was incredibly expensive, and the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect had withdrawn its funding. Where else could Flender find money?
In the end, the families of these three students sponsored the academy under the guise of donations, and Flender reluctantly allowed them to join.
However, these three weren't well-liked by Tang San and the others.
They carried themselves with an air of arrogance and lacked significant strength.
More often than not, they were the source of conflict within the team.
Over time, Yu Xiaogang essentially gave up on them. He even excluded them from some of his training sessions and secretly continued searching for new recruits for Shrek Academy.
---
That evening, the manager of the Grand Spirit Arena approached Yu Xiaogang, requesting that the Shrek Team face off against the Imperial Team.
At first, Yu Xiaogang refused.
He knew that the three new recruits couldn't coordinate with the rest of the team. While they might handle weaker opponents, facing a strong team would expose their weaknesses immediately.
It had taken a long time to cultivate an undefeated mindset in Tang San and the others. If they lost this battle, all their hard work would be wasted.
But when Manager Ao mentioned that the prize money for participating was fifty thousand gold spirit coins, Flender couldn't sit still any longer.
Fifty thousand gold spirit coins would cover the academy's expenses for quite some time.
"Teacher, I want to face the Imperial Team. Constant battles against strong opponents will help improve our overall strength," Tang San said, seeing this as an opportunity to earn more funds for the academy.
"Master, what's there to fear? Beating anyone is the same to us," Xiao Wu said confidently, not taking the opponent seriously.
Yu Xiaogang thought for a moment and warned everyone, "The Imperial Team's strength is no joke. If we participate, there's a good chance we'll lose."
Dai Mubai laughed heartily. "Master, the Shrek Seven Monsters have never feared failure. Facing strong opponents is exactly what we want."
Every member of the Imperial Team was a high-level Soul Elder, whereas only Dai Mubai, Tang San, and Xiao Wu among the Shrek team had reached the Soul Elder rank. The rest were still Great Soul Masters. By all accounts, this was a lopsided matchup.
If the Grand Spirit Arena hadn't been desperate, they wouldn't have sent the Shrek Team to fight.
With nothing left to lose, they decided to take the risk. If the Shrek Team somehow pulled off an upset, the arena could minimize its losses.
Before leaving, Manager Ao reminded them, "The Imperial Team is extremely powerful. Prepare yourselves. Here's some information about them. Take it back and study it—it might help."
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Returning to their hotel, the members of the Shrek Team eagerly gathered around.
Just as in the original timeline, the information provided by the Grand Spirit Arena was pitifully sparse. A single sheet of paper summarized the Imperial Team's details.
"Is this all? Only the first and second soul skills of three people are listed, and for the remaining four, only the first soul skill of this Azure Phosphorus Snake soul master is recorded," Tang San complained.
This information was practically useless.
Of course, it was possible that during their battle against the Rage Team, the Imperial Team hadn't used any soul skills beyond what was recorded. Even if the arena had tried to gather intelligence, they likely wouldn't have gotten much.
When Yu Xiaogang saw the name Yu Tianheng on the list, he couldn't help but feel happy for the young man.
Yu Tianheng was a member of the family and also his nephew. A sudden idea occurred to Yu Xiaogang.
If they could bring Yu Tianheng into the Shrek Team, their overall strength would undoubtedly increase significantly.
Moreover, this could be an opportunity to push the three new recruits out of the team.
Shaking off his thoughts, he turned to Tang San. "Xiao San, do you remember what I once told you about the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul?"
After pondering for a moment, Tang San replied, "Yes, Teacher, you said that the first three soul skills of a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon soul master are fixed. Even if they're not listed here, we can still deduce Yu Tianheng's abilities."
Yu Xiaogang nodded. "Exactly. The third soul skill of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul is Thunder Fury. Mubai, your White Tiger Vajra Transformation might stand a chance."
Dai Mubai raised his head confidently. "No problem, Master. You can count on me."
Without Ning Rongrong, the Shrek Team overlooked Ye Lingling in their analysis.
In their minds, aside from the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, other auxiliary martial souls weren't worth paying attention to.
But the Nine-Heart Begonia martial soul, though seemingly unremarkable, could play a role far greater than the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda in certain aspects of actual combat.
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