In his plan, to reach Spirit City and seize the three Spirit Bones, Ignaz needed not only his own strength but also the dual protection of Dugu Bo and Yang Wudi—both were indispensable.
Beyond that, he required a crucial opportunity: Shrek Academy reaching the finals. The advancement slots from the preliminaries in the Skywater division essentially represented the Empire's spot in the final. Teams from the kingdoms and duchies under the Empire were no match; for them to displace Shrek would be extremely difficult.
With Shrek's chance to reach the finals secured, Ignaz's biggest worry emerged: how could he ensure that Shrek Academy would reliably advance to the championship round? That was the greatest challenge.
Suddenly, a faint, self-satisfied smile appeared on his lips. He thought to himself,
"Of course—how could I forget my Spiritual Power?"
After consuming the Longing Through the Ages Elixir, his Spiritual Power had grown tremendously. Though not yet at the Titled Douluo level, it reached at least Spirit Sage, possibly Spirit Douluo. To ensure Shrek Academy met the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy team in the finals, the pre-match drawing was the perfect lever. For someone with vast Spiritual Power like Ignaz, it was a piece of cake.
Tang San, watching the cunning little villain, felt particularly annoyed—but with his Spiritual Power completely drained, he could only glare helplessly.
"Let us congratulate Heaven Dou Imperial Academy for scoring one point. The next Shrek Academy player to enter is—"
"Host, we forfeit this match," came Yu Xiaogang's calm announcement.
The audience reacted with sighs. Everyone expected Shrek Academy to make a splash on the Dou Soul Arena, at least fielding all seven players. Yet, like Thunder Academy before them, they forfeited after a single student lost.
Still, sighs aside, Tang San's strength remained undeniable.
From then on, the advancement matches held no suspense. Heaven Dou Imperial Academy secured a finals slot in first place. The remaining slots went, just as Ignaz had anticipated, to Thunder, God Wind, Skywater, Shrek, and Blazing Fire Academies.
Above the Dou Soul Arena, Emperor Xue Ye watched the six successful teams, satisfied.
"Congratulations. You will represent Heaven Dou Imperial Academy in Spirit City for this year's Spirit Master Tournament finals. Prince Xue Qinghe will serve as the Empire's envoy for this event, accompanying you to Spirit City. Additionally, 500 Royal Knight soldiers have been dispatched for your protection. May you bring honor to the Empire."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
…
Two days later, six Royal Knight carriages waited outside the six advancing academies. Xue Qinghe emerged from Heaven Dou Imperial Academy alongside Ignaz and the others.
"Brother Ignaz, we're counting on you to defeat the Martial Soul Hall's representatives," the prince said.
"Prince, rest assured. This year's Spirit Master Tournament champion will belong to the Heaven Dou Empire," Ignaz replied confidently.
Dugu Bo and Yang Wudi, standing nearby, couldn't help but feel uneasy. They worried that Martial Soul Hall might attack gifted competitors along the way.
Still, the Spirit Master Tournament was a continent-wide elite event. With Royal Knight protection, any attack would face deterrence. Moreover, with Prince Xue Qinghe as the team leader, Martial Soul Hall couldn't strike lightly without effectively declaring war on the Heaven Dou Empire.
As the six advancing teams departed, they gradually converged at a single point. Entering a narrow canyon, Ignaz used Spiritual Power to scan the terrain and overhead. To his shock, he detected three to four hundred black-robed Spirit Masters above. There was no doubt—they were Martial Soul Hall's forces.
Yang Wudi, sensing danger from the carriage, immediately warned,
"Ignaz, there's an ambush above. We must be careful."
Before he could finish, massive boulders plummeted from the cliffs. Yang Wudi leapt onto the carriage roof, shattering the falling rocks with his Soul-Splitting Spear to protect Ignaz and four male students. Dugu Bo positioned himself atop the rear carriage, shielding Dugu Yan and three female students.
Thankfully, the boulders were limited. Though the sudden attack caused panic, with Dugu Bo, Yang Wudi, and some Royal Knights present, the situation quickly stabilized. The falling rocks also severed communication among the six teams.
Over 200 masked black-robed Spirit Masters dived toward Shrek Academy. Three Spirit Sages quickly distracted the team's instructors—Flandre, Liu Erlong, and others—while the rest, led by a Spirit Sage, surrounded all Shrek students.
Soon, a soft male voice echoed,
"Tang San, today you will die here. Prepare yourself."
"Sixth Spirit Technique: Golden Blossom Flowing Mist!"
"Have you asked this old man about Tang San's life?"
At that moment, just as the attack was about to strike, a hunched old man and a snake-staffed elderly woman appeared.
"The Dragon-Snake couple," someone muttered.
The Chrysanthemum Douluo had thought it might be someone else, but it was indeed the Spirit Emperor couple.
"The tiny Spirit Emperor couple dares to stop a Titled Douluo's advance? Truly audacious," Chrysanthemum Douluo said.
He had no time for theatrics. Dozens of golden petals from the Strange Fungus Transcending Chrysanthemum shot toward Tang San.
At the critical moment, Dragon Duke acted. A smaller pale-green venomous dragon shielded Tang San from the deadly strike. The snake lady moved in sync, swinging her staff. Together, they shouted,
"Dragon-Snake Combined Strike!"
In an instant, the two fused into a ten-meter-long dragon, charging at Chrysanthemum Douluo.
"A mere Spirit Emperor's fused technique? How could it possibly—"
Before he could finish, a curling dragon tail smashed down from above, striking him with such speed that he couldn't react.
"Bang—"
Chrysanthemum Douluo was slammed against a cliff. However, being a Titled Douluo, the attack inflicted no real damage.