After Xiao Wu's match ended, Dai Mubai's battle as a Spirit Elder commenced. Meanwhile, on the other side of the bracket, it was time for Li Chang'an's solo match—and it was an internal match within Shrek Academy, because his opponent was none other than Zhu Zhuqing!
Zhu Zhuqing didn't say much. She gave Li Chang'an a single glance before walking into the Spirit Battle passageway. Li Chang'an rubbed his nose and followed after her. As he passed by her, he heard her voice:
"Give it your all. I want to see how your two spirit rings compare to mine."
"Alright. Good luck."
Li Chang'an smiled lightly and headed up to the stage first.
Two unfamiliar faces stepping onto the stage—one of them a stunning girl whose looks rivaled Xiao Wu's. Even before the match began, cheers were already rising from the stands.
The announcer briefly introduced their names and spirit types, then signaled the start of the battle.
Zhu Zhuqing was the first to release her Spirit. Her eyes changed color simultaneously—left eye a dark emerald, right eye a clear blue. Cute cat ears perked up on her head. With a flick of her fingers, razor-sharp claws extended from her hands. She crouched low, her gaze icy and predatory as she locked onto Li Chang'an like a hunter stalking its prey. Two yellow spirit rings appeared around her, emitting a chilling and razor-sharp aura that left the air feeling tense and suffocating.
'Zhu Zhuqing's Spirit Possession... it is incredible. No need for cat-themed cosplay—this was the real deal.'
On the outside, Li Chang'an kept a serious face, but his thoughts had already wandered off the rails.
Still, before releasing his own Spirit, he gave Zhu Zhuqing a warm smile. For some reason, seeing his smile made her recall the moment he had saved her before. She couldn't help but return a small smile of her own.
Li Chang'an casually raised his right hand, and a light blue longsword appeared in his palm.
This simulated spirit was named Taibai Sword, a tribute to his favorite jungler hero from his past life—Li Bai.
But when Li Chang'an's spirit rings appeared, the entire arena erupted in uproar.
Two pitch-black spirit rings emerged behind him—two ten-thousand-year spirit rings!
It wasn't that Li Chang'an wanted to show off—it was just that he needed to farm points.
"Ten-thousand-year rings... both of them?! How is that possible? He's just a Spirit Grandmaster!"
"No way…"
"That's fake… It has to be fake...!"
When the two ten-thousand-year rings appeared, Li Chang'an didn't just become the center of attention in this sub-arena—he became the most eye-catching figure in the entire Spirit Battle Arena. Countless factions turned their attention to him, eager to uncover the secret behind his terrifying spirit rings.
"Please,"
Li Chang'an gestured to Zhu Zhuqing with a courteous wave, ignoring the growing commotion around them.
Zhu Zhuqing gave a small nod, then suddenly sprang forward with a burst of motion that left afterimages in her wake. She lunged toward Li Chang'an with full force. At the same time, her first spirit ring lit up.
Hell Rush Stab activated—her claws extended mid-air, her body twisting and accelerating with explosive speed as she shot toward Li Chang'an at an angle.
Li Chang'an didn't dodge, nor did he activate any spirit skills. He simply raised his sword and—blocked.
Somehow, the blade of his Taibai Sword perfectly intercepted her claws—flawlessly.
"Your speed's impressive. And your strikes have power. But your attack route is too straightforward. Try throwing in some feints and see how that changes things, alright?"
While blocking Zhu Zhuqing's claws, Li Chang'an leaned closer, whispering directly in her ear.
Feeling his breath against her skin, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but blush a little. She nodded obediently and replied softly:
"Okay."
Zhu Zhuqing retreated back to her position. At the same time, Li Chang'an's voice echoed in her mind via spiritual transmission.
"Advance ten meters. Then feint right by three meters—look at me while you move. Activate your spirit skill, then cut left ten meters, then forward again…"
Following his instructions, Zhu Zhuqing launched a second assault. This time, her movements were erratic and unpredictable—even seasoned Spirit Masters couldn't easily follow her new attack pattern.
"Good job on the feints. Now stack your first and second spirit skills together, and attack again…"
Though the match wasn't long, it left many in the audience stunned. In just a short time, Zhu Zhuqing's attack angles and rhythm became far more refined and difficult to counter. It was genuinely impressive.
In truth, Li Chang'an was merely pointing out her flaws and offering advice mid-battle—but even so, Zhu Zhuqing's progress was nothing short of remarkable.
"I concede. Thank you."
Zhu Zhuqing gave Li Chang'an a faint smile before stepping off the stage, leaving Li Chang'an a bit embarrassed. He had actually planned to surrender himself.
To be fair, Zhu Zhuqing wasn't weak at all. As an agility-type Spirit Master, she was meant to strike from the shadows—ambush, assassination, reconnaissance were her strengths. Fighting head-on on a stage like this wasn't exactly fair to her.
In a complex terrain, even a prodigy like Tang San would find it hard to defeat her.
---
After Tang San finished his own solo match, everyone rested briefly before being called for the Duo Battles.
And Li Chang'an's partner? None other than Xiao Wu.
Their opponents? Tang San and Ma Hongjun.
"Can't believe we're having another internal Shrek showdown…"
Xiao Wu stuck out her tongue playfully.
Li Chang'an turned to Tang San and Ma Hongjun.
"Go all out, you two. I'll hold back and use only the power of a level 29 Spirit Grandmaster."
Hearing this, Tang San and Ma Hongjun lit up with smiles. If Li Chang'an didn't go all-out, they might actually have a chance.
"Then we'll be counting on your guidance, Teacher Li."
Tang San respectfully cupped his fists, and Ma Hongjun followed suit.
"No problem. Let's go."
Li Chang'an nodded with a smile—and just then, the system notification rang out:
[Ding! Task Triggered: Bully the Protagonist
Objective: Beat up Tang San
Reward: Universal Spirit Compatibility!]
[Universal Spirit Compatibility: Allows the host's spirit to perfectly synchronize and perform a Spirit Fusion Technique with any other spirit, regardless of quality or level. Cooldown: 1 week.]
A glint flashed in Li Chang'an's eyes. This reward was practically tailor-made for him! With this, he could be "compatible" with every girl he had chemistry with…
Of course, that was just a passing thought. He was a respectable man, after all. No way he'd use a divine ability like this for something so… improper.
---
The two pairs entered the arena through the Spirit Master passage. Li Chang'an took a moment to survey the surroundings.
The duo battle section had a decent turnout—at least half the seats were filled. Clearly, it had more appeal than the solo matches. Great—more points for him to rack up.
On the Spirit Battle platform, a middle-aged man in a tuxedo stood in the center. He cleared his throat and announced loudly:
"Next up, we'll begin our first 2v2 battle of the Fourteen Spirit Arena!"
"Introducing our first team—Xiao Wu, a Battle Spirit Master with a Beast Spirit: Soft Bone Rabbit. And her partner, Li Changsheng, a Battle Spirit Master with a Weapon Spirit: Taibai Sword. Together, they are… the Unreasonable Duo!"
"Their opponents are a pair of rising stars—Tang San, a Battle Spirit Master with a Plant Spirit: Blue Silver Grass, and Ma Hongjun, a Battle Spirit Master with a Beast Spirit: Evil Fire Phoenix. Their team name… the Brown Sugar Duo!"
"Let's see how this clash of new teams plays out!"
Neither team attacked right away. Both pairs first released their Spirits.
Blue-black vines slithered along the floor like serpents, covering over ten meters of space around Tang San. His two yellow spirit rings hovered behind him. The area control was substantial.
Ma Hongjun looked a little goofy as always, but his expression was more focused. Two yellow spirit rings circled behind him as well.
Li Chang'an's side was much simpler. Xiao Wu entered Spirit Possession mode with her rabbit form, two yellow rings glowing behind her. As for Li Chang'an—he casually lifted his hand.
Taibai Sword!
Though the crowd had seen his spirit rings before, seeing them again still left them shaken. After all, how often do you see a Spirit Grandmaster with two black ten-thousand-year rings?
"Alright, Little San. Fatty. Come on!"
Li Chang'an raised the Taibai Sword and signaled Xiao Wu to fall back. He'd told her ahead of time—no need to fight unless necessary. Just patch any gaps.
"Fatty, you take the lead. I'll control him."
Tang San whispered to Ma Hongjun.
Ma Hongjun nodded, his first spirit ring lighting up. He opened his mouth wide and shot out a stream of violet flame—
First Spirit Skill: Phoenix Fire Wire!
At the same time, Tang San's first spirit ring glowed. Hidden beneath the spread of Blue Silver Grass, his spirit ability activated without drawing much attention.
First Spirit Skill: Bind
Dozens of Blue Silver Grass vines shot toward Li Chang'an, swiftly wrapping around his legs, then moving up to bind his arms.
"Little San, you're overestimating the toughness of your Blue Silver Grass."
Li Chang'an smiled calmly and raised his Taibai Sword. With two clean slashes, the vines around his legs were severed.
"No way…!"
Tang San was stunned. After two spirit ring upgrades, his Blue Silver Grass should've been incredibly resilient. How had Li Chang'an cut through them so effortlessly?
The fire was almost upon him—but Li Chang'an reacted faster.
Sword raised—block, lean back!
His fluid movements carried an afterimage effect. Even with Tang San's Purple Demon Eye active, he could barely track it. Most of the flames were blocked, and the rest were easily dodged.
"How… how is he faster than fire?!"
Tang San stared at Li Chang'an in disbelief, bracing himself for a real fight.
__
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