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As Zhu Zhuqing approached, Dai Mubai let out a cold laugh, his eyes filled with disdain and contempt.
His spirit power had already broken through to the thirty-eighth rank, while Zhu Zhuqing, when she first joined the academy, had only been at the twenty-seventh rank.
Even though she had taken the Titled Douluo Lan Minghua as her teacher, he didn't believe that Zhu Zhuqing could surpass him in such a short time.
"Zhu Zhuqing, do you think just because you've found a master you can turn the heavens upside down? Today, I'll show you what a true gap in strength means!"
Dai Mubai's mocking voice carried the certainty of victory, as if he could already see Zhu Zhuqing crushed beneath his power.
But Zhu Zhuqing gave no reply. She only stared coldly at him, her eyes utterly devoid of fear.
Seeing her unwavering gaze, Dai Mubai's anger burned hotter.
He decided to end the fight in the most direct and brutal way possible—by crushing her with a single punch, without even using spirit skills.
He acted immediately. Spirit power surged violently around his body as he launched his fist forward.
Although he hadn't used a skill, relying on the strength of his thirty-eighth rank spirit power, even a Spirit Grandmaster who had just advanced would struggle to withstand the blow.
The force of the punch tore through the air, producing a faint booming sound, as though even space itself had been ripped apart.
Yet Zhu Zhuqing did not dodge.
A flash of icy determination flickered in her eyes as she too threw out her fist.
The two fists collided midair with a deep, resounding thud.
Boom!
In an instant, a shockwave rippled outward from their clash, sweeping across the surroundings.
Neither of their bodies retreated in the slightest—they were evenly matched.
Dai Mubai felt the tremendous force pressing back through his fist, and his expression drastically changed.
He had thought this punch would be enough to send Zhu Zhuqing flying, but her strength was not only equal to his—it actually surpassed his.
His arm trembled slightly, a clear sign that he was being overpowered in raw strength.
"How… how is this possible?!" Dai Mubai's eyes widened, disbelief flooding his face as he stared at Zhu Zhuqing.
A wave of unease rose in his chest. He had the ominous feeling that something terrible was about to happen.
Zhu Zhuqing sneered, her tone sharp and mocking: "Dai Mubai, you're still the same degenerate as always. You think you're strong? In my eyes, you're nothing more than trash."
Before her words even faded, a surge of powerful spirit power erupted from her body, its fluctuations clearly at the Spirit Ancestor level.
In an instant, that overwhelming aura spread across the battlefield, making Dai Mubai's expression sink.
"Spirit Ancestor?! How can this be possible?!"
Sensing the spirit power, Dai Mubai exclaimed in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Watching from the side, Ma Hongjun's eyes bulged wide as he stammered, "Zhu Zhuqing… she's already a Spirit Ancestor? But it's only been such a short time!"
His face was written with utter incredulity, as though his understanding of reality had been overturned.
Oscar and Meng Yiran, however, were not surprised—they had already gone through their shock earlier.
Zhu Zhuqing ignored their reactions, her voice cold and cutting: "Dai Mubai, you're too weak."
With a sudden burst of force, she struck again, her punch sending Dai Mubai staggering backward.
His vision spun as his body was thrown uncontrollably back, his feet scraping deep furrows into the ground as he slid.
"No… this is impossible! She can't be a Spirit Ancestor! It has to be fake, it must be fake!"
Refusing to accept the truth, he immediately released his spirit rings. Yellow, yellow, purple—the three rings glowed beneath him.
Clenching his teeth, Dai Mubai roared, "So what if you're a Spirit Ancestor? I am an assault-type battle spirit master! I won't necessarily lose to you!"
There was a hint of madness in his voice, as though he was trying to bolster his own courage.
Zhu Zhuqing cast him a dismissive glance, her tone flat and disdainful: "Then come and try."
In that moment, four spirit rings appeared beneath her feet once more—yellow, yellow, purple, and black.
The entire area fell silent.
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun both froze, their eyes widening in utter disbelief.
"A… a ten-thousand-year spirit ring?!" Ma Hongjun's voice trembled, as if he had just witnessed the impossible.
Her fourth spirit ring was a ten-thousand-year spirit ring—something that shattered everything they thought they knew about the best spirit ring configurations.
Meanwhile, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Flender, and Yu Xiaogang returned to Shrek Academy, worry written all over their faces.
"Hm? That's Mubai's spirit power… and another at the Spirit Ancestor level. Could someone from another academy have come to stir up trouble?"
Already in a foul mood and eager to vent his anger, Flender immediately rushed toward the source.
Tang San hadn't intended to go, but since he had nothing else to do, he decided to join in on the spectacle.
Besides, both Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had impressive talent. If he could make them submit and serve as his followers, all the better.
After all, Lan Minghua had multiple disciples already.
No matter how great his and Xiao Wu's talent was, they were still just two people.
Recruiting more allies was absolutely necessary.
And since their conflict stemmed from that good-for-nothing Yu Xiaogang, resolving the matter would not be too difficult.
Soon, Tang San and the others arrived at the scene of the spirit power clash.
What they never expected was that the Spirit Ancestor facing Dai Mubai was actually Zhu Zhuqing.
Tang San stared at the four rings glowing on her body, his mind reeling in disbelief: "How long has it even been? How could Zhu Zhuqing already be a Spirit Ancestor?"
When she first entered Shrek Academy, her spirit power had only been at the twenty-seventh rank—the second lowest among their entire cohort.
She had barely been Lan Minghua's disciple for long at all, so how could she have broken through to Spirit Ancestor already?
Not only had she surpassed him, but she had done so by an enormous margin.
It was beyond comprehension.
As the thought struck him, Tang San realized something even more shocking.
His eyes bulged like copper bells as he saw the four rings clearly—yellow, yellow, purple, and black.
Hiss—
The entire crowd drew in a sharp breath at the same time.
"A ten-thousand-year spirit ring… how is this even possible?" Yu Xiaogang muttered to himself, his face pale.
He had always prided himself as the great master of theory, yet he had never even heard of someone absorbing a ten-thousand-year spirit ring as their fourth ring.
Flender's face was equally grim, filled with bitter regret.
He had thought siding with the Heaven Dou Empire was a wise choice, but now it seemed that Lan Minghua and the Tianlong Gang's strength was far beyond his imagination.
Otherwise, they would never have been able to grant Zhu Zhuqing such a spirit ring, breaking the so-called "optimal configuration" with ease.
Tang San's fists clenched tightly, his whole body trembling.
He had believed Zhu Zhuqing had only surpassed him in spirit power, but now she had shattered convention with her spirit rings as well. How was he supposed to catch up?
Remembering Yu Xiaogang's words that the optimal configuration was yellow, yellow, purple, purple, rage burned in Tang San's chest.
"Damn that Yu Xiaogang! Didn't he say some of his theories came from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect? He swore the fourth ring's best choice was a thousand-year ring! Then why does Zhu Zhuqing have a ten-thousand-year ring instead?!"
At that moment, Tang San's killing intent toward Yu Xiaogang grew even stronger.
Flender, seeing the confrontation between Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai escalating, hurried to mediate.
"Zhuqing, Mubai, what are you two doing? You're classmates! Isn't there anything you can't sit down and talk over?"
His tone carried helplessness as he tried to ease the tension.
But Zhu Zhuqing only answered coldly: "There's nothing to talk about with someone like him. Today, I'll settle things once and for all. Dean, don't try to stop me."
Her voice was icy and resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.
Infuriated by her words, Dai Mubai sneered back: "If you can beat me, then so be it—we'll settle it. But if I win, you'll have to listen to me. What's wrong? Don't you dare?"
His words were laced with provocation, a desperate attempt to anger her.
Even though his opponent was already a Spirit Ancestor, Dai Mubai still had confidence in his own strength.
He believed his martial spirit alone could make up for several ranks of spirit power and even the difference of one spirit skill.
But Zhu Zhuqing was not so easily manipulated by such crude taunts.
Still, for the sake of ending things once and for all, she said coldly: "Fine. After today's battle, if I win, you'll walk your road, and I'll walk mine. From then on, we'll have nothing to do with each other."
At her words, everyone realized that Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai's relationship was anything but ordinary.
"Then let's fight! Third Spirit Skill—White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
(End of Chapter)