The next day, the quarterfinals began. Due to good luck, Thunder Academy had always been matched against ordinary Advanced academies, allowing them to reach the top eight.
Inside the Thunder Academy lounge, the Shrek Seven Devils, being outsiders, were squeezed into a single bedroom.
At this moment, Tang San's face was gloomy. He held a silver-white thin needle in his hand, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
"Tang San, can this poisoned needle really paralyze all the Thunder Academy students?"
The One-Eyed Fire Pig curiously examined the silver needle in Tang San's hand with his one remaining eye, his expression curious. How could such a small thing poison Spirit Ancestors and Spirit Elders into paralysis?
"Naturally. Those poisoned will experience weakness and fatigue in their limbs. If not continuously treated, it will leave lingering problems, and they will stumble when walking due to unstable balance."
Tang San's tone was indifferent, but his words were utterly sinister. However, he left out one detail: this poison could harm a person's eight meridians, ensuring that even if the Thunder Academy members had excellent talent, they would never reach the Spirit King realm.
This was the price for humiliating him, a God King. If he hadn't been benevolent, the Thunder Academy students wouldn't even have kept their lives.
"Alright, Feng Xiaotian, go soak this poisoned needle in water, then sprinkle the water directly onto the tableware."
Tang San naturally couldn't do such a dangerous thing himself, as he would be completely disgraced if caught.
It was perfect to send Feng Xiaotian, his lackey, to do it, also serving as a test of Feng Xiaotian's loyalty.
"Me?"
Feng Xiaotian pointed at himself with a bewildered expression, his face somewhat dazed. Finally, he saw everyone else's gazes uniformly fixed on him.
"That's right, Xiaotian. Whether we can compete depends on whether you can bring yourself to do it."
Tang San patted Feng Xiaotian's shoulder with profound meaning. Although it was a persuasion, Tang San's firm attitude was still discernible.
"This… This… Alright."
In his helplessness, Feng Xiaotian looked at the fervent eyes of those around him and had no choice but to brace himself and agree.
Carefully taking the silver needle from Tang San's hand, Feng Xiaotian tiptoed to the dining area. Seeing no one around, he soaked the silver needle.
He then began to act. Feng Xiaotian breathed heavily, his eyes constantly glancing towards the door, his ears carefully listening for any footsteps nearby.
Finally, he evenly sprinkled the water onto the tableware, cleaned up any traces, and quietly returned to the bedroom.
"It's done!"
Feng Xiaotian was already drenched in sweat from his guilty conscience. Then he saw Tang San's approving gaze, and he instantly puffed out his chest.
"Good. Now we just wait for the Thunder Academy members to participate in the match. The poison will just be taking effect, and they'll only be weak for a while. They won't lose the match against a small Dragon Aoi Academy."
"When they finish their match and are completely paralyzed, we can naturally blame it on Dragon Aoi Academy."
Seeing that half of the plan was successful, Tang San also relaxed. He then prepared to wait for Thunder Academy to return for lunch.
As for why he wasn't worried about Thunder Academy eating outside, it was to prevent them from consuming anything they shouldn't, such as dishes made with herbs. Individually, they were fine, but together, they weren't.
Furthermore, the ingredients they prepared themselves could restore injuries and accelerate spirit power recovery, which was highly beneficial for healing.
Therefore, to ensure the students' safety, most academies cooked their own meals, only indulging after the competition concluded.
However, the original Shrek Academy was an exception. They were, after all, a half-baked academy, and Flender was so stingy he couldn't even be bothered to pay for ingredients.
At noon, Thunder Academy also returned from observing the matches, all full of energy. The cook, who had also returned from observing, was ready to prepare meals for the students today.
However, there was no food for the Shrek Seven Devils. As outsiders, they hadn't prepared extra meals in advance.
"Hmph, I don't even like eating it anyway."
The One-Eyed Fire Pig's stomach rumbled uncontrollably upon seeing Thunder Academy members digging in. He couldn't help but feel angry when he saw the cook hadn't prepared any dishes for them, and he muttered under his breath, "Eat, eat, eat. You'll all be poisoned to death later."
As for Tang San, he was also afraid of staying there too long and giving himself away, so he smiled and said, "Xiao Fei, Feng Xiaotian, let's go eat."
As for Dai Mubai and the other two who had already betrayed him, they were not invited. They were merely tools for him to win the championship.
"Alright."
Xiao Fei was also a bit hungry and readily agreed, following Tang San out the door.
Seeing that Tang San hadn't invited the three of them, Dai Mubai's expression was also displeased, but he still forced a smile and said, "Fatty, Little Ao, let's go eat too. My treat."
Tang San, you abandoned Ma Hongjun and Oscar, so don't blame me for winning them over. Why can't I, Dai Mubai, also sit on the Asura God Position?
As everyone left, only Yu Tianheng remained from the original Shrek Seven Devils. Just as he was about to leave alone, an uninspiring voice sounded in his ear.
"If you're only like this, you're not even qualified to be my competitor."
Turning his head, Yu Tianxin looked at Yu Tianheng with a cold expression, his eyes seeming to hold some disdain for the current Yu Tianheng.
Because the current Yu Tianheng truly looked like a discarded dog, and a dog discarded by the Waste Shrek Academy at that.
In Yu Tianxin's view, the current Yu Tianheng was no longer qualified to be his competitor, lacking any semblance of a Genius.
Yu Tianheng became enraged at being spoken to like that. He gnashed his teeth and said, "Yu Tianxin, don't be too arrogant. We don't know who will have the last laugh yet."
Then, as if in a fit of pique, he slammed the door shut with a clang. Afterwards, he heard laughter from inside the room, clearly taking his recent words as a joke.
"Damn it!"
Yu Tianheng couldn't help but mutter through gritted teeth, slamming his fist on the ground, but in the end, his hand hurt from the recoil.
He left in a huff.
In the afternoon, the Thunder team, having eaten, entered the arena.
On the Soul Fighting Stage, all the members of Thunder Academy had strange expressions at this moment. They felt a general lack of strength, but since the match was about to begin, they didn't pay it much mind.
As the referee announced, the two sides clashed. Initially, Thunder Academy gained the upper hand, but soon, the Thunder Academy members were bewildered.
"This isn't good, why do I feel increasingly weak?"
Yu Tianxin's expression was grim. His limbs felt as if they were being pressed down by lead weights, making it impossible to exert strength. He could only urge his teammates.
"Quickly finish them!"
Their original battle plan was forcibly abandoned and changed to a pure head-on confrontation, with both sides almost entirely relying on direct Spirit Ability clashes.
In the end, Thunder Academy, being slightly stronger, secured the victory. However, at this point, all the Thunder Academy students were covered in injuries, and as the medicine took effect, they fainted on the Soul Fighting Stage.
"Heh heh, now it's time for us, the Shrek Seven Devils, to show what we can do."
Tang San sneered, looking at the fallen Thunder Academy students on the Soul Fighting Stage, and slowly walked away.