Chapter 22: Combination
Soon, the match between Zhu Zhuqing and Tang San began. Everything went just as Shi Yi had predicted. Tang San didn't even need to initiate an attack. He easily locked onto Zhu Zhuqing's position with his Purple Demonic Eyes, and once she launched an attack, he could easily counter it. Tang San's fists and kicks were not bad.
As Zhu Zhuqing's attacks unfolded, Tang San easily countered each move. Zhu Zhuqing felt the gap between them. She was possessed by a beast spirit, her speed and strength enhanced by her spirit, but Tang San's spirit was Blue Silver Grass, which provided no physical benefits.
"Don't give in to me! Let me see the difference between us," Zhu Zhuqing said coldly, charging towards Tang San once again.
Tang San also chose to respect her. As the two exchanged blows, the Blue Silver Grass's leaves fluttered, easily slicing through Zhu Zhuqing's sleeve.
Zhu Zhuqing glanced at her torn sleeve before charging at Tang San again. Her first spirit ring instantly lit up.
"First Spirit Skill: Netherworld Thrust!"
Shi Yi observed the scene, remarking, "Smart! She knew Xiao San had her eyes locked on her, so she used the Thrust as a speed burst. However, the range wasn't enough."
As the Thrust ended, Zhu Zhuqing instantly appeared before Tang San, who reacted in a split second.
Swoosh... sizzle...
Silver Grass blades flew, instantly slicing across another sleeve. The Blue Silver Grass, emitting a powerful, sharp aura, stopped at Zhu Zhuqing's neck, deterring her from advancing.
"I lose! Your Blue Silver Grass isn't just for random shots," Zhu Zhuqing said calmly.
"Thank you! Short-range control is still possible," Tang San chuckled.
Shi Yi, watching from the stands, chuckled, "Xiao San's technique is incredibly precise. It only scratches clothes, not hurts anyone. Pretty good... hehe."
Ma Hongjun, watching from the field, also understood Shi Yi's point and couldn't help but chuckle along.
Xiao Wu blushed and glared at Shi Yi, "You bastard! Xiao San wouldn't be as filthy as you!"
"I'm afraid someone will have to experience this privately later," Shi Yi said sarcastically.
"You bastard, I'll rip your mouth off!" Xiao Wu shouted at Shi Yi.
"Alright, this is the Grand Soul Arena. Behave!" Flender's words instantly quenched Xiao Wu's rage.
Flender, looking at Shi Yi, also showed a look of helplessness. If it weren't for Shi Yi's martial spirit and extensive knowledge, Flender would have seriously doubted whether Shi Yi was Yu Xiaogang's disciple. How could such a reserved and reserved person have raised such a temperamental student?
Dai Mubai breathed a sigh of relief, thankful he'd given Tang San a heads-up. Otherwise, with Zhu Zhuqing's tight, sleek outfit, she might have scratched some vital area, which would have been disastrous.
Soon, Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing returned to the stands.
"Next, we invite Soft Bone Charm Rabbit to face Plunder Wolf!"
Xiao Wu, upon hearing the host's voice, glared at Shi Yi and headed towards the contestant aisle. Shi Yi knew Xiao Wu's next opponent might be in trouble. Tang San looked at everyone in confusion.
"Brother, what's wrong with Xiao Wu? She doesn't seem happy," Tang San asked, somewhat puzzled. "Junior Brother, women have these days every month. Maybe she'll be fine tomorrow," Shi Yi smiled.
Xiao Wu's anger soon found a way out on the court. Her Charm skill, combined with her jujutsu, knocked her opponent unconscious, a satisfying blow.
Dai Mubai finished his fight.
It was Ma Hongjun's turn.
Flanders, who was watching the match, suddenly spoke up, "Xiao Yi, what do you think of Hongjun?"
Everyone on Shrek instantly turned their attention to Shi Yi. Shi Yi looked at Ma Hongjun on the field, smiled faintly, and said, "If my guess is correct, this is the mutation you were talking about."
"Yes, he's my disciple," Flanders said softly, looking like an old father.
"Let me explain first. In my eyes, martial soul mutations are neither good nor bad. Benign and malignant are always relative. Do you think this little fat boy's mutation is good or bad?" Shi Yi asked Flanders softly.
"Hmm..."
Flanders looked at Ma Hongjun on the field. While the martial soul mutation had indeed brought some negative effects to Ma Hongjun, it was undeniable that it had directly enhanced his martial soul's power.
"Alright, why are you lecturing like your teacher at this moment? Just tell me the solution," Flanders said with a sullen face.
"That's the problem. Since this mutation is neither good nor bad, theoretically, there's nothing wrong with the little fat boy," Shi Yi said softly.
"Then his..." Flender hadn't finished speaking when he paused, sensing the gazes of the Shrek group.
"Dean, we all know everything, what are you embarrassed to say?" Shi Yi winked at Flender.
Tang San and Xiao Wu, standing by, blushed.
Flender coughed a bit embarrassedly and said, "Since you know, I won't say much."
"Dean, powerful strength also comes at a price. The Fire Phoenix, do you understand what kind of existence it is? Actually, the little fat man's situation is a bit similar to the teacher's, but the little fat man is luckier. He has a higher talent than the teacher, and the power of his talent allows him to awaken the Phoenix bloodline. However, this bloodline is not pure after all due to mutation. To solve the little fat man's problem, he needs to continue to work hard at cultivation. And the spirit ring you add to him should preferably be a bird-like spirit beast with fire attributes. The Phoenix is the king of all birds, and only the one that survives the fire is a true Phoenix, don't you know?"
"Of course, there are ways to suppress it. When he's thinking about those things, find an Ice-attributed Spirit Master to cool him down. The Fire Phoenix Spirit won't freeze him to death, so it's guaranteed to keep him from burning with lust. If we continue as we are now, letting him release himself freely, his body won't be able to withstand it before he can fully cultivate his spirit. According to my estimation, he won't live past forty. His height has already been affected. You must have given him a lot of supplements, but they've all turned into fat. How to control him is up to you, as his teacher."
Upon hearing this, Flender said seriously, "I understand."
Besides Tang San and Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing all looked surprised, and Shi Yi's erudition was clearly revealed at this moment.
"Don't tell the fat guy this was my idea. I'm afraid he won't be able to spend the gold soul coins he won tonight," Shi Yi chuckled.
"Excessive concern leads to confusion. Alas... It seems that as a teacher, I don't understand Hong Jun as well as you do," Flender sighed.
"You are doing this out of love. Seeing your disciple suffer, you naturally feel soft-hearted." Shi Yi agreed very politely.
By this time, Ma Hongjun's battle was over. Under the suppression of his martial soul bloodline and the Phoenix Evil Fire, Ma Hongjun had defeated his opponent.
When Ma Hongjun returned to the stands, before he could even show off, he felt the strange looks from the crowd. Dai Mubai even stepped forward and patted Ma Hongjun on the shoulder, as if to say, "May the best be for you."
"What's wrong?" Ma Hongjun asked, somewhat puzzled.
Flanders's light cough interrupted Ma Hongjun's confusion and said, "Now, the six of you will form teams of two and two and participate in the two-two combined spirit battle."
Everyone nodded, and Tang San and Xiao Wu naturally stood together. When Dai Mubai approached Zhu Zhuqing, she moved to Shi Yi's side.
This made Dai Mubai's face darken. Ma Hongjun, oblivious to the situation, stood beside Dai Mubai and sighed, "Boss Dai, you're going to get me into trouble again."
Shi Yi looked at Zhu Zhuqing beside him and said with surprise, "This isn't appropriate."
"It's not inappropriate, it's just a fight," Zhu Zhuqing said calmly, her expression unchanged.
"I don't mind, but don't you need to practice your spirit fusion skills?" Shi Yi said casually.
Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, simply walking towards the registration area. Seeing this, Shi Yi spread his hands towards Dai Mubai and said, "I'm doing my best. Stop staring at me."
With that, Shi Yi followed.
"Spirit fusion skills?" Tang San stared at Shi Yi and the others with some surprise.
They arrived at the registration area for the Double Spirit Fighting Competition.
The receptionist spoke rapidly, his voice wafting over before either of them could even begin. "Please choose a name for your group."
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent. Shi Yi, who had always struggled with naming, casually said, "Ant-Cat Group."
"Okay, Yimao Group," the receptionist quickly replied, as if fearing Shi Yi's objections.
Immediately, four characters were engraved on Shi Yi and Zhu Zhuqing's Iron Fighting Spirit badges: Yimao Group.
Shi Yi nodded in satisfaction, "You're even better at naming than I am."
Zhu Zhuqing, perplexed, took her badge and gazed at the inscription. A smile crossed her cool face. Indeed, compared to the Ant-Cat Group, the receptionist's name was far superior to Shi Yi's.
"You seem to think so," Shi Yi's voice echoed.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing immediately regained her usual cool demeanor.
After completing their registration, the two returned to the stands to wait. Dai Mubai's gaze, still threatening to devour Shi Yi, was still glaring at him.
Shi Yi, as if he hadn't noticed, quietly awaited the match. He didn't dwell on it, because he knew, based on his personal experience, that he had never been proactive in relationships. Rather than pursuing a relationship himself, he preferred to have someone suitable waiting for him in the distant future.
The wait for a two-on-two soul duel seemed much longer than a one-on-one. By the time their turn came, both of their spirit powers had already returned to peak condition.
Meanwhile, the host on stage was announcing the spirit master pairs.
"...Two-on-two match number five: Tiger and Wolf versus Yimao."
Shi Yi and Zhu Zhuqing slowly walked onto the stage. Shi Yi chuckled at Zhu Zhuqing, "Looks like I'm not the only one who can't come up with a name."
Shi Yi didn't even bother observing; the opposing team's names were already revealed. Shi Yi and Zhu Zhu were facing two young men, about eighteen or nineteen years old. Both had leopard-like heads and round eyes, and were sturdy builds, truly bearing the demeanor of tigers and wolves.
The other team looked at Shi Yi and Zhu Zhuqing with a slight surprise, but soon regained their composure. Clearly, they had considerable combat experience and didn't underestimate Shi Yi and Zhu Zhuqing because of their age.
In perfect unison, the two roared simultaneously, unleashing their own martial spirits. Four yellow, century-old spirit rings pulsed rhythmically around them.
Two rich shadows, one red and one blue, instantly appeared behind them.
"Let's activate our martial spirits too," Shi Yi chuckled. To the amazement of the audience, he summoned Little Ant. Zhu Zhuqing also completed her martial spirit possession in an instant.
This time, the host had clearly done his homework, introducing the scene: "This is a mutated martial spirit capable of animating beast souls..."
"My name is Zhan Hu!"
"My name is Tan Lang!"
The two shouted in unison, "Be careful."
Shi Yi's lip curled slightly, and he whispered to Zhu Zhuqing, "Just look for an opportunity."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded. Agility-attack spirit masters never engage in head-on confrontation; it's a fundamental quality.
With that, the dark shadow beside Shi Yi suddenly leaped out, leaving six deep craters in the ground around him.
The Shrek crowd stared at the holes Little Ant had left behind, their faces filled with surprise. It was just a single leap.
"Is his martial spirit that powerful? He's already punched several holes with just his feet," Ma Hongjun exclaimed in amazement.
"Senior Brother's two spirit rings are from Thousand-Tier Ants of different vintages. Even I'm far inferior to Senior Brother in strength. As Senior Brother said, Little Ant's greatest strength isn't its strength, but its ability to grow like a living creature. Not only can it grow alongside its spirit master, but Little Ant can also feed like normal spirit beasts. Senior Brother has been disappearing for periods of time during holidays these past few years. If I'm right, Senior Brother must have taken Little Ant to the Spirit Beast Forest to devour spirit beasts."
Tang San explained to the crowd. The Shrek group was also surprised. No wonder Little Ant's strength was nearly on par with a thousand-year-old spirit beast.
The young men on the opposite side instantly felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy. They couldn't even catch sight of Little Ant. Suddenly, their first spirit rings lit up simultaneously, and the shadows of the beast spirits behind them also illuminated. The roars of tigers and howls of wolves instantly filled the air.
"First Soul Skill: Boiling Blood!" "First Soul Skill: Howling Moon!"
"Status-type skills? But Xiao Yi has them too," Shi Yi murmured softly, his first soul ring instantly lighting up. "First Soul Skill: Massive Strength!"
"Boss, just attack his main body!" Tan Lang said to Zhan Hu.
"Naive." As Shi Yi finished speaking, Xiao Yi's figure instantly appeared above the two of them, its six powerful exoskeleton thighs instantly stabbing in front of them.
The two of them felt a strong sound of breaking wind and looked up. A dark figure appeared in their sight.
"Good opportunity." At this time, Zhu Zhuqing mobilized his soul power, and a purple light suddenly appeared. His figure flashed continuously, and the soul claws in his hands instantly fell on the backs of the two.
"First Soul Skill: Netherworld Stab!"
"Let's put an end to them," Shi Yi said lightly.
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(End of this chapter)