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The New Godwind Academy's first opponent was Long Kui Academy. As soon as the referee announced the start of the match, Huo Wu and Feng Xiaotian immediately sprang into action.
With his astonishing mastery of wind manipulation, Feng Xiaotian summoned a fierce gale. The violent wind roared through the arena, its howling laced with eerie, wolf-like wails that sent chills down the spine.
Now that Feng Xiaotian's spirit power had reached level forty-eight, the force of his wind was truly terrifying. Under the relentless blast, the members of Long Kui Academy couldn't even open their eyes, forced to shield themselves against Feng Xiaotian's eighth-grade Great Gale.
"Wushuang, Huoyun, they're yours!"
"Heh, leave it to me! Flame Jet!"
The corners of Huo Wushuang's lips curled upward as he gathered spirit power between his palms, compressing it into a massive fireball. With a powerful punch, he sent it flying. Beside him, Huoyun mirrored his actions, channeling his own spirit power into a blazing strike.
Wind fuels fire—under the augmentation of the eighth-grade Great Gale, the two's fire-attribute spirit power merged into an overwhelming sea of flames. Like a towering tsunami, it surged toward Long Kui Academy.
"What?!"
"Run!"
"We surre—"
Before the word "surrender" could be fully uttered, the scorching sea of flames swallowed the members of Long Kui Academy whole. To save themselves from being reduced to charred husks, they had no choice but to leap off the Spirit Arena and admit defeat, ending the match.
In less than thirty seconds, the New Godwind Academy had secured their first victory.
With only three participants, they had defeated Long Kui Academy—a team boasting three Spirit Ancestors. It was undeniable: New Godwind's strength was overwhelming.
Dai Weisi dared to claim that their overall combat power might even surpass that of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
When the match ended, Huo Wu and Feng Xiaotian flashed Dai Weisi a smile, as if to say: Surprised? Thrilled?
Dai Weisi returned a faint smile of his own. Truth be told, he genuinely wanted to spar with this New Godwind team.
After their match concluded, the remaining battles of the day were rather dull. Dai Weisi decided to return to the hotel, training alone in preparation for the upcoming fights.
Time passed in a flash—two days later, his spirit power had once again improved slightly.
During these two days, the first round of the finals concluded flawlessly. The three seeded teams had not yet competed; only thirty other academy teams had battled.
By the end of the first round, fifteen academies were eliminated, leaving Spirit City in dejection, each heading back home to their mothers.
Once eliminated, a team could leave Spirit City. Normally, per tradition, eliminated teams could also choose to remain, watching the rest of the tournament to learn from stronger opponents. It was never mandatory to leave.
However, this year's Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Tournament was different. All eliminated academies—students and teachers alike—were forcibly expelled from the city.
This made many realize that something big might be brewing in Spirit City. To avoid getting caught up in a potential clash of titans, the teachers and students of those high-level spirit master academies wasted no time leaving.
And now, the second round of the finals had officially begun. In this round, the top-ranked academies from the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires would receive a bye. Sixteen teams, including the three seeded teams, would compete.
This meant that the Star Luo Royal Academy's first match was finally here.
At this moment, Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuqing were waiting for the referee's draw for their first battle.
Compared to the visibly nervous Zhu Zhuqing, Dai Weisi found the situation amusing. With his current strength, he could easily defeat the entire Spirit Hall team one-on-seven, let alone any other academy.
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's anxious expression, Dai Weisi waved his hand, and with a startled "Ah!" she found herself pulled into his arms, her soft, jade-like body landing on his lap. His hand rested gently on her slender waist.
Her cheeks flushed crimson as she pouted, "You scared me! You're so bad, Brother Weisi."
"Heh, and do you like it when I'm bad to you?"
"Hee hee, I do," Zhu Zhuqing giggled, wrapping her jade-like arms around his. "I like everything about you, Brother Weisi—after all, Zhuqing is your wife."
"Good girl." Ruffling the little cat's hair, Dai Weisi smiled. "Zhuqing, you don't need to be nervous. I'm here. The final championship will definitely be ours!"
"I'm not nervous," Zhu Zhuqing replied softly. "I was just thinking we should conserve our strength as much as possible. I think you shouldn't participate in this round. Stay hidden as our trump card. My sister and I can handle this one."
"...That makes sense." Dai Weisi nodded slightly. Aside from the Spirit Hall team, no other academy had a Spirit King. With Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing's strength, securing victory shouldn't be difficult.
It would also be a good opportunity to train the newer members. Having made up his mind, Dai Weisi glanced at Bai Chenxiang and the others. Just then, the draw ended, and the referee began announcing the matchups.
"Finals, Second Round, First Match: Botany Academy versus Black Tiger Academy!"
"Second Match: Tianshui Academy versus Flame Demon Academy!"
"Third Match: Star Luo Royal Academy versus Thunder Academy!"
"...Thunder Academy!"
Dai Weisi exclaimed in surprise as he glanced toward the Thunder Academy's team. Their Yu Tianxin, a level forty-three assault-type Spirit Ancestor with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon spirit, was no weaker than Feng Xiaotian.
Though surprised by the opponent, Dai Weisi felt no pressure. A mere Spirit Ancestor was nothing to worry about. After all, his first wife was a Spirit Emperor.
After a moment's thought, he decided to continue concealing his true strength for this match, leaving full command to Zhu Zhuyun.
The participating members were: Zhu Zhuyun, Zhu Zhuqing, Dong Hui, Ning Tianyu, Bai Chenxiang, Yang Zhen, and Niu Tian.
Since they were all here, they deserved at least one chance to compete.
The first two matches ended quickly. Before the third match began, Dai Weisi encouraged them, "Zhuyun, Zhuqing, go for it! Zhuyun, the command is yours. Don't bring shame to the Star Luo Royal Academy.
If you lose, be prepared to spend a week unable to get out of bed—I'll make sure to 'reward' you properly!"
Zhu Zhuyun blushed furiously, shooting him an annoyed glare before nodding slightly. Leading Zhu Zhuqing and the others, she stepped onto the Spirit Arena.
"I announce: Finals, Second Round, Third Match—officially begin! You have one minute to release your spirits!"
"Haah!"
Yu Tianxin let out a roar, a thunderous dragon's cry rumbling from deep within his throat. Behind him appeared the phantom of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, its mighty bellow shaking the audience.
"Yu Tianxin, level forty-three assault-type Spirit Ancestor. Please grant me your guidance."
As Yu Tianxin released his spirit, Zhu Zhuyun and the others revealed theirs. The two sisters transformed into one large and one small adorable cat-girl.
But what truly shocked Yu Tianxin—and the entire audience—was not Zhu Zhuyun's beauty, but the six spirit rings that descended over her, one by one. This beautiful young woman, who looked as delicate as a flower, was actually a Spirit Emperor!
Basking in the awed gazes around her, Zhu Zhuyun chuckled softly. "Zhu Zhuyun, level sixty-two agility-type Spirit Emperor. Please grant me your guidance."
(End of Chapter)