Seeing everyone display exceptional excitement, Yu Xiaogang continued, "Students, spirit bones are extremely valuable treasures. Only the champion of the finals can obtain them. This represents the greatest reward in the history of the Spirit Master Competition. I can promise you that when the time comes, rewards will be distributed according to individual performance."
Upon hearing this announcement, everyone became excited once again, while Yang Xiong couldn't help but complain inwardly: There are only three spirit bones, and the one truly suitable for him would be that skull bone. Unfortunately, given Yu Xiaogang's character, it will definitely be awarded to his disciple, Tang San, so it won't be his turn. As for the other two, he really has no interest in them.
Rather than hoping to win the Spirit Master Competition, it would be better to directly approach Ning Fengzhi. Perhaps the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School even possesses such treasures. If that fails, he could ask two experts to make a trip to Sunset Forest and Star Dou Great Forest, as he knows some relevant information about spirit bone locations.
After Yu Xiaogang's persuasion, everyone confidently and spiritedly stepped onto the arena, as if the championship was already within their grasp.
Following Yu Xiaogang's arrangements, Yang Xiong served as the sole assault-type Spirit Master, Ma Hongjun was responsible for aerial harassment, Zhu Zhuqing functioned as the agility-attack Spirit Master, and Qin Shuang was tasked with protecting the three auxiliary Spirit Masters.
As soon as they stepped onto the arena, Yang Xiong was speechless looking at Flame Radiance Academy's formation opposite them.
The opposing team didn't even have a single auxiliary Spirit Master. Besides one control-type Spirit Master, all of them were assault-type and agility-attack Spirit Masters. They didn't even field a defense-type Spirit Master, likely because they had learned of Shrek's current situation.
The opposing control-type Spirit Master's martial soul was indeed Heavenly Azure Vine, but his spirit power was only at level thirty-six, and judging by his age, he should have already exceeded twenty-two years old.
Their captain, who was also the only Spirit Ancestor on their team, possessed a Blazing Tiger martial soul, which could be considered quite formidable.
As Yang Xiong anticipated, as soon as the match began, the three of them, including Yang Xiong, charged directly toward the opposing formation.
However, the opposing side clearly expected this strategy, sending three people to intercept Yang Xiong, with countless Heavenly Azure Vines erupting from the ground, practically surrounding him completely.
Yang Xiong used his teleportation ability to appear directly in front of the opposing control-type Spirit Master. Three more Spirit Masters rushed to provide rescue, but with just one strike, an opposing Spirit Master was knocked back several meters, even spitting a trace of blood, though he quickly recovered and continued besieging Yang Xiong.
Yang Xiong found himself instantly caught in a heavy siege, with various spirit abilities emerging endlessly. Even though Yang Xiong's offensive power was formidable, his movements became somewhat sluggish under the coordinated assault.
Compared to Yang Xiong, the others were far less fortunate. The remaining three Battle Spirit Masters had to face Spirit Masters whose spirit power exceeded theirs by five levels, and they immediately found themselves overwhelmed.
Even with Ning Rongrong's auxiliary support and Oscar's recovery sausages, the Shrek Team quickly fell into a disadvantage. The three auxiliary Spirit Masters were basically defeated one by one and were swiftly knocked off the arena.
As the other six gradually fell, a situation emerged where seven opponents surrounded Yang Xiong. Although Yang Xiong performed admirably and defeated four of his opponents, he was ultimately overwhelmed by sheer numbers and simply leaped off the arena himself.
In truth, Yang Xiong had only displayed about fifty percent of his actual strength, which was roughly equivalent to a Spirit Ancestor's power, but he stood no chance against so many opponents, not to mention that Yang Xiong never intended to secure victory anyway.
Ultimately, Shrek Academy lost to Flame Radiance Academy, marking their second consecutive defeat.
Although the opponents were consecutively defeated by Yang Xiong, the actual battlefield situation wasn't favorable. The entire team operated chaotically, without even basic command structure. If it weren't for Yang Xiong's exceptional combat abilities, it would have likely resulted in a complete seven-person rout.
After this match, Yu Xiaogang's expression became even more unsightly. The entire process lacked the explosive impact he had envisioned. Although Yang Xiong performed well, it was merely as expected. The other Battle Spirit Masters, when facing encirclement by Spirit Masters five or more levels higher, were defeated quite decisively.
Even the referee sighed, stating he had never witnessed a team field three auxiliary Spirit Masters in all the matches he had officiated.
Yu Xiaogang's face turned even paler upon hearing this remark, and he stormed off directly. After all, the tactical arrangements for this battle were his responsibility. He couldn't possibly scold all the substitutes or blame the auxiliary Spirit Master team members for being too weak.
Next, they were immediately matched against a mid-tier team. This time, Flender simply announced their forfeit. The Heaven Dou Royal Academy second team's match would attract many academy higher-ups to observe, and even Emperor Xue Ye would be watching. Rather than losing face in such a manner, it was better to claim that multiple main players were injured and concede early, at least preserving some dignity.
However, after continuous losses, the Shrek Team's record had deteriorated to ten wins and three losses, having suffered three consecutive defeats.
After two days of rest, Tang San and the other three had essentially fully recovered, and the entire team returned to its previous formation.
Unfortunately, as soon as Tang San and the other three returned, they drew Thunder Academy in the lottery—quite possibly the worst possible matchup.
Thunder Academy was renowned as one of the Five Elemental Academies. In terms of pure strength, they were absolutely outstanding, having achieved thirteen consecutive victories so far, tied for first place among all teams—truly a formidable opponent.
Thunder Academy boasted a total of four Spirit Ancestors. In terms of Spirit Ancestor numbers alone, they even surpassed Blazing Academy and Elephant Armored Academy. All their members possessed lightning-attribute martial souls, granting them extremely potent destructive capabilities.
After Tang San and the other three returned to the team, Yang Xiong resumed his position as a defense-type Spirit Master according to standard arrangements. The team maintained their 3-1-2-1 formation, with Dai Mubai at the very front, followed by Xiao Wu and Tai Long acting as dual wings, then Tang San positioned centrally for control, and finally Yang Xiong protecting the two auxiliary Spirit Masters at the rear.
However, as soon as they stepped onto the arena, every member of the Shrek Team felt immense pressure. The entire arena was permeated with a terrifying lightning aura, making the air feel charged with explosive energy.
Thunder Academy fielded four Spirit Ancestors: Captain Yu Tianxin, a level forty-three assault-type Battle Spirit Master with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul; Vice-Captain Lei Dong, a level forty-two control-type Battle Spirit Master with the Thunder Spider martial soul; team member Lei Tian, a level forty-two assault-type Battle Spirit Master with the Thunder Hawk martial soul; and team member Lei Mie, a level forty-one agility-attack Spirit Ancestor with the Thunder Blade martial soul.
Surprisingly, their team included no auxiliary Spirit Masters and only one control-type Spirit Master. All the rest were assault-type and agility-attack specialists.
As soon as the match commenced, all members of Thunder Academy charged forward, clearly brimming with energy and moving with extraordinary speed, truly living up to their reputation as lightning-attribute Spirit Masters.
Tang San's eyes flashed with determination, and countless strands of Blue Silver Grass instantly appeared across the arena, all coiling toward the seven members of Thunder Academy, clearly intending to slow their advance and reduce their offensive momentum.
However, an opposing Spirit Elder directly activated a large-area spirit ability called Thunder Domain. Immediately, countless lightning bolts appeared across the entire arena. All the lightning struck the Blue Silver Grass, and vast areas of it were instantly charred black, quickly crumbling into fragments.
Tang San was genuinely startled. His Blue Silver Grass was being countered once again, and the lightning attribute's suppressive effect was surprisingly no weaker than that of Blazing Academy. Under the lightning bombardment, the Blue Silver Grass became extremely fragile, and even his entire martial soul felt somewhat numbed by the electrical influence.
Seeing that both sides were about to collide, Ning Rongrong raised her magnificent Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and chanted, "Seven treasures turn to glaze, first treasure: Power!"
Three rays of light immediately cast strength-enhancing auxiliary effects on Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, and Tai Long, who were positioned at the front.
However, even with Ning Rongrong's enhancement, when both sides collided rapidly, the three of them were directly knocked back several meters.
Dai Mubai's opponent was Yu Tianxin, Thunder Academy's captain. Yu Tianxin's martial soul was also a top-grade beast spirit—the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon—and his spirit power had reached level forty-three. The two quickly engaged in intense combat.
While Xiao Wu and Tai Long received auxiliary support, a Spirit Elder facing a Spirit Ancestor remained an inherently challenging battle.
Tang San reacted with lightning speed, countless Blue Silver Grass strands instantly coiling around Dai Mubai and the other two, directly pulling them out of immediate engagement. At the very least, he couldn't allow them to face multi-person sieges.
Simultaneously, a Blue Silver Grass strand wrapped around Yang Xiong's waist, instantly bringing Yang Xiong from the rear to the very front of their formation.
Now, with seven Battle Spirit Masters on the opposing side—essentially an extreme offensive configuration—their three, or rather four, front-line fighters simply couldn't resist effectively.
In just an instant, Shrek's formation completely transformed. The two auxiliary Spirit Masters were now left unprotected, and their formation became 2-1-2-2, with Yang Xiong and Dai Mubai positioned at the very front.
Clearly, Tang San was acutely aware of Yang Xiong's capabilities. In just an instant, Yu Tianxin appeared before Yang Xiong, while Dai Mubai's opponent became Lei Tian, the level forty-two assault-type Battle Spirit Master with the Thunder Hawk martial soul. Xiao Wu, meanwhile, had to confront Lei Mie, the level forty-one agility-attack Spirit Ancestor.
Both sides immediately engaged in fierce back-and-forth combat, but Tang San's Blue Silver Grass control was clearly far inferior to that of the opposing vice-captain, Lei Dong, who was a Spirit Ancestor after all.
Lei Dong's martial soul was the Thunder Spider, a massive arachnid that was not only covered in crackling lightning but also capable of spitting lightning-infused spider silk for battlefield-wide control.
In terms of flexibility, spider silk was indeed slightly inferior to Blue Silver Grass, but because it was infused with electrical energy, its offensive power and destructive capability were significantly stronger.
Every time Blue Silver Grass and spider silk collided, the Blue Silver Grass was rapidly charred black by electricity, making Tang San feel quite miserable.
Especially with the seven opponents pressing forward aggressively, in the blink of an eye, Yang Xiong and the other three had to face a siege from six opponents.
At this moment, Yang Xiong was fighting Yu Tianxin in single combat. Yu Tianxin, known as one of the Blue Lightning Twin Stars, indeed possessed extremely formidable attack power, with excellent strength and speed. However, against Yang Xiong, he gained absolutely no advantage; in fact, he was directly held in check by Yang Xiong.
On the arena, the captain typically serves as the spearhead. If he cannot break through enemy formations or is even held in check by opponents, then the captain's leadership role disappears entirely.
Yu Tianxin snorted coldly, "Does your Heaven Dou Royal Academy have no one left? You actually want to use a Spirit Elder to stall me? You're simply underestimating me far too much."
Yang Xiong chuckled in response, "Are we underestimating you, or are you simply too weak? A dignified captain like yourself can't even defeat me."
The two exchanged countless strikes, but they remained essentially evenly matched, neither able to gain a decisive upper hand.
Yang Xiong discovered that every time he clashed with Yu Tianxin, the terrifying lightning power emanating from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul made his hands and feet tingle slightly. It truly lived up to its reputation as the lightning attribute with the most destructive power.
At this moment, Yang Xiong also gained a clearer understanding of why the Body Sect's primary rule was to avoid casually using spirit abilities. In direct physical collisions with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul, the body seemed extremely vulnerable to electrical impact. This was the most terrifying aspect of the lightning element.
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