"Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Boss Dai, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling—go all out on those two!"
Seeing the enemy formation fall apart, Tang San's eyes lit up. Despite their high defense, with their formation completely broken, they were basically standing targets. And the two who had rushed out happened to be the strongest Spirit Elders among them.
"Got it. Let's move!"
Spirit Rings flared to life as Zhu Zhuqing and the others charged toward the exposed duo.
Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and Dai Mubai were all Spirit Elders. Huang Yuan and Jing Ling weren't weak either. Against the coordinated assault of five, the two isolated opponents couldn't resist for long—within moments, they were both seriously injured and downed.
With the strongest pair eliminated, only four Spirit Elders from Elephant Armored Academy remained. But against the unscathed Shrek Seven Devils, they were quickly overwhelmed as well.
All seven of Elephant Armored Academy's team members were now either incapacitated or too injured to resist. The stunned referee finally came to his senses and declared:
"Second round of the qualifiers, match one—Shrek Academy versus Elephant Armored Academy—Shrek Academy wins!"
Bang!
On the VIP platform, Hu Yanzhen's face was twisted in fury as he crushed the armrest of his chair.
He couldn't accept it. Not at all.
How could they lose? Both sides had three Spirit Elders, and his grandson even had a Spirit Bone he had gifted personally—and yet, they lost? He couldn't wrap his head around it.
But it wasn't just Hu Yanzhen—Salas, sitting beside him, was also momentarily dazed. From start to finish, the match hadn't even lasted five minutes. And Elephant Armored Academy's strongest member had been the first to fall.
Ning Fengzhi, on the other hand, wore a faint smile as he nodded approvingly.
"A brilliant strategy—attack the weak points, leverage your strengths, break them down one by one."
Back in the arena, Hu Yanli was slowly helped to his feet. Though his consciousness had returned, the deep gash across his face remained.
The seven members of Elephant Armored Academy supported each other as they made their way toward the Shrek team. Shrek's seven also stepped forward. Both sides exchanged formal bows.
As they turned to leave, Hu Yanli touched the scar on his cheek. His eyes fixed intensely on Zhu Zhuqing.
"You're strong. To think you broke through my fourth Spirit Ability… I'll remember this scar. Next time, I won't underestimate you."
Then he looked at Tang San, his gaze carrying a deeper meaning.
With that, the team helped him off the stage.
Meanwhile, Lin Jie and the others were already waiting in the rest area for Zhu Zhuqing and the team to return.
Soon, Liu Erlong arrived with Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and the rest of the squad. Spotting Lin Jie and the others already waiting, everyone's faces lit up.
"We won," Dai Mubai announced with a grin.
"Yeah—we really won!"
"Another win in the bag!"
The twelve of them smiled at each other in shared triumph.
"Nice work, Tang San." Lin Jie gave him a thumbs-up with a smile.
Before the stadium had even begun to disperse, Shrek's twelve quickly left the Great Spirit Arena—they had no intention of being swarmed by curious spectators.
Though Shrek had left, the crowd only grew louder with excitement.
On the VIP platform, Hu Yanzhen had forced himself back into a state of composure, though his expression was still like dark water.
Beside him, Salas rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
Emperor Xue Ye maintained a pleasant smile the entire time, occasionally chatting with Ning Fengzhi.
Elsewhere on the competitor stands, the members of Canghui Academy—dressed in moon-white Spirit Master robes—looked grim.
Their first-round opponent had been Elephant Armored Academy, and they had suffered a crushing defeat. But today, Shrek had handily beaten the very team that crushed them. Their expressions were understandably ugly.
If Shrek could defeat Elephant Armored Academy so decisively, then defeating them would be child's play.
Canghui Academy's teacher-in-charge, Shi Nian, had ambitious goals. He was aiming for the finals. But having already lost one match, any further losses could destroy that dream.
And they all knew—if they ended up facing Shrek Academy, the beating would be brutal, perhaps even worse than what Heaven Dou Imperial Second Team suffered.
Shi Nian noticed their expressions and said calmly, "There's no need to worry. Just focus on preparing for the next round. As for Shrek… leave that to me."
Hearing that, the students relaxed noticeably. They trusted Shi Nian. If he said he'd handle Shrek, they believed him.
A week passed in the blink of an eye. The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament had completed six rounds of its qualifying phase.
During that week, Shrek Academy fought four more matches—and won all four, cleanly. That brought them to a six-match winning streak. What surprised them was that these victories were even easier than expected. So far, Ning Rongrong and Ma Hongjun—both Spirit Elders—hadn't even needed to take the field.
Of course, Shrek wasn't the only team with a perfect six-win record. Thunderclap Academy and Godwind Academy also remained undefeated.
Today was the eighth day of the qualifiers—the start of the seventh round. Shrek's opponent was Othello Academy, a team with only two wins to their name.
But to everyone's surprise, Othello Academy forfeited the match.
Shrek Academy advanced to a seventh straight win—without even breaking a sweat.
"Haha! Can you believe it? They were so scared they just forfeited!" Ma Hongjun laughed heartily, hands on his hips.
"Yeah, I didn't expect that either. Looks like our reputation precedes us," Oscar said with a grin.
"Well, no match today means more rest for us. Let's go check out the other battles." Lin Jie waved to the group.
"Let's go!" everyone echoed in agreement.
As they exited the rest area, they came face-to-face with a group clad in the moon-white robes of Canghui Academy.
Leading the group was none other than Shi Nian himself.
As Shrek passed by, Shi Nian's eyes narrowed, his gaze locking on Lin Jie with a trace of malice.
Lin Jie met his gaze without blinking as the two sides brushed past each other.
Dai Mubai, ever the provocateur, drew a finger across his throat as he walked by.
"I really hope we face them next," Tai Long muttered. "I'll beat them into the ground."
"You said it!" Ma Hongjun agreed. "We'll mess them up so bad they'll forget how to walk!"
No one in Shrek Academy had any love for Canghui Academy.
At that moment, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang approached from the spectator stands.
"Teacher!" Tang San called out respectfully.
"Master!" Oscar and the others greeted him as well.
"Mm," Yu Xiaogang nodded briefly.
Over the last week, Lin Jie had directed four matches while Tang San handled two. Grandmaster hadn't intervened during those battles, usually watching silently from the stands. But today, he had something to say.
"I've been watching closely these past few days," Yu Xiaogang began as they walked.
"You've done very well so far. But don't grow overconfident. The opponents you'll face going forward will be no easier than Elephant Armored Academy—some may even be stronger."
He paused slightly, then continued.
"There are four teams you must be especially cautious of: Thunderclap Academy, Godwind Academy, Tianshui Academy, and Blazing Academy. I trust the names sound familiar—they're each based on a single elemental specialization. Along with the defeated Elephant Armored Academy, they make up the Five Element Academies of Heaven Dou Empire."
"Each of them is backed by a powerful faction. None are easy to deal with. I've observed their matches these past few days and have formed a basic understanding of their strengths. For the remainder of the qualifiers, these Element Academies will likely be your toughest opponents."
He stopped walking and looked at them seriously.
"From this point forward, I want you to treat every match with the utmost seriousness. Aim for perfect victories—if you succeed, you'll advance directly to the finals. Understood?"
"Understood, Teacher! I'll give it my all," Tang San responded.
"Yes, Master!" the others echoed.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin