The situation with the uniforms was far worse than anyone had anticipated. It wasn't just the strange color or the cut of the fabric. The most bizarre and humiliating detail was on the back of every single person's outfit. There, embroidered in bright, eye-catching red silk thread, were six massive characters:
As if that wasn't bad enough, there was a line of smaller text stitched right below those large characters, providing instructions for interested parties. It read: "For advertising fees and collaboration, please speak with Mr. Flender, the Dean of Shrek Academy."
When the Shrek Group had first seen these competition uniforms, they had resisted fiercely. There was shouting, complaining, and flat-out refusal to wear such ridiculous clothes. However, their resistance was futile. In the end, they were completely suppressed by Flender's tyrannical authority and stubbornness. He was the Dean, after all, and what he said was law.
After a long and exhausting struggle, the group finally managed to wring a small compromise out of the greedy Dean. Flender reluctantly stated that if there really was any advertising revenue generated from these walking billboards, he would share the wealth. One-third of the total advertising income would be paid directly to the participating members. The remaining amount would be kept by the school and reserved for the academy's future construction funds.
For students from wealthy backgrounds like Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, or even Huo Feng, this money might not have been a big deal. They didn't lack gold coins. But for everyone else on the team, money was incredibly important. Furthermore, Huo Feng and the others had seen exactly how poor Shrek Academy was back in the day. They knew the financial struggles Flender had gone through to keep the school running. Now that there was finally a genuine opportunity to earn some money and support the school, they couldn't really find it in their hearts to refuse Flender, even if the method was embarrassing.
Although this Dean was definitely insidious, cunning, and cheap, it truly hadn't been easy for him to support the academy and protect them all these years. He had sacrificed a lot.
Of course, the Shrek Group hadn't just accepted it without trying to find a loophole. They had sought help from Flender, begging him to reconsider the design. But Flender's reply was as bizarre as the uniforms themselves. He told them with a straight face that although the uniforms were a bit ugly, wearing them was a special form of training. He called it "psychological resilience training."
His logic was simple: if they could remain calm and unfazed while thousands of people jeered and laughed at them, then their psychological mental state would have reached a terrifyingly high level. Nothing in a battle would be able to shake them.
The members of the Shrek Group secretly grumbled to themselves. This wasn't training their minds; it was clearly just training the thickness of their facial skin. They were being trained to be shameless.
What made it even worse was the hypocrisy. Flender, using the convenient excuse of being the academy's representative and Dean, refused to wear the uniform himself. He walked around in his normal clothes, looking perfectly respectable. The only sign of his affiliation was a very inconspicuous, tiny Shrek monster emblem pinned to the left side of his chest.
It was precisely because of this bizarre attire that when Huo Feng and the others first walked into the crowd outside the arena, they immediately attracted extraordinary attention. It was impossible to miss them.
"What kind of academy is that? Did they just crawl out of a latrine?" one bystander shouted, laughing loudly.
"That's hilarious! Look at the green monster emblem on their chests. It's actually kind of cute in an ugly way," a girl giggled, pointing at them.
"Why are their ears shaped like trumpets?" asked a confused spectator.
"Hey, look at their backs! What kind of advertisements are they recruiting? Is that a joke?"
"Are there really such Advanced Spirit Master Academies in our empire? This is embarrassing."
"Can a team looking like that even participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament? They look like clowns."
"It's absolutely ridiculous. I guess it's true what they say—a big forest has all kinds of birds. These are definitely the weirdest birds I've ever seen."
"Shh, keep it down," another whispered. "Regardless of how they look, they are Spirit Masters after all. You don't want to offend them."
"I doubt they are strong. They are probably just here for show or comic relief. Look, there's even a Fatty in there who looks like a round ball!"
If there had been a crack in the ground at that exact moment, the students from Shrek Academy would have scrambled to jump inside and hide. Even though they had done some psychological preparation beforehand, they hadn't expected this level of mockery. The sheer number of people gathering outside the Great Spirit Arena was overwhelming. It felt like they were exhibits in a zoo, and they were definitely serving as a negative example for everyone else.
Huo Feng was the first to react. He quickly took out the green Shrek mask he had used back when he participated in the Soul Arena competitions and covered his face with it. The rest of the Shrek Group quickly followed his lead, pulling out their own masks to hide their blushing faces.
However, the poor "Sparta Brothers"—the substitute members who had joined the team later—did not have this equipment. They stood there exposed. Desperate to hide their shame, they could only cover their faces with their hands, looking as disheveled and miserable as possible.
Flender, on the other hand, walked far ahead of the group. He looked up at the sky, acting as if he didn't know the strange green people walking behind him. He strode confidently into the crowd, creating distance between himself and his students. Zhao Wuji, who was following behind the Dean, walked equally fast, clearly wanting to avoid being associated with the spectacle.
The Shrek Group finally understood what it meant to be on the verge of tears. At this moment, if they were given a choice between facing a powerful Level 50 Spirit Master team or walking through this crowd, they would have chosen the battle without hesitation. No one wanted to be displayed here like this.
Fortunately for them, there were many teams arriving to participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament today. Representatives from nearly thirty different academies were pouring into the venue. The interest of the public was eventually drawn away by the other teams, allowing the Shrek group to slip by.
Most of the teams that came to participate were dressed splendidly. They wore beautiful uniforms in gold, silver, red, and white. Their clothes were adorned with intricate decorations, stunning patterns, and proud academy emblems. The young Spirit Masters from these schools walked into the Great Spirit Arena like heroes, with their heads held high and their chests out. They looked majestic, full of confidence, looking down on the world as if they were already champions.
Although Shrek Academy also had uniforms, comparing them to these other schools was like comparing mud to diamonds. None were as bizarre or as ugly as Shrek's.
After finally squeezing through the crowd and entering the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena, the Shrek Academy group let out a collective sigh of relief. The worst part was over. Huo Feng and Xiao Wu exchanged glances, their eyes full of helplessness and exhaustion.
Just then, Ma Hongjun ripped the mask off his face and complained loudly, "I don't care what the Dean says. For the next match, I absolutely will not wear this again! It greatly damages my heroic image. How am I supposed to find a girlfriend looking like a pickle?"
Face coverings were not technically allowed during the actual competition matches, and now that they were inside, everyone truly felt the urge to rip off these green clothes and leave immediately. Competing in these clothes was simply too embarrassing.
Luckily, today was only the opening ceremony. It was the first day of the entire Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. Besides the opening ceremony, there was only one exhibition match scheduled. It was going to be a team battle in the Soul Arena with some performance elements designed to hype up the crowd. Just a boring opening ceremony would not satisfy the audience's hunger for action.
This tournament was not just about glory; it was also about wealth. The prize money was very direct and generous. For every single victory in the preliminary matches, the team would receive a reward of five hundred gold coins. If they managed to enter the promotion rounds, they would get an additional reward of three thousand gold coins.
And the rewards didn't stop there. If they could enter the finals, the Heaven Dou Empire promised to bestow the title of Baron upon them. On top of the noble title, they would reward each participating member—whether they were an official team member or a substitute—with one thousand gold coins. As for the prize money for the final championship, the amount was even higher.
Since Flender had already agreed to give up the prize money in exchange for the advertisement revenue on their backs, all the winnings from the tournament would belong to the students themselves. This was the only silver lining.
Seeing the depressed mood of the team, Huo Feng spoke up to comfort everyone. "Don't worry too much. Anyway, our chances of appearing in the match today are not high. After we go back to the hotel, we'll discuss it with Dean Flender again. Tomorrow, no matter what happens, we won't wear these clothes. Or at the very least, we will force him to remove those stupid words from our backs."
By this time, the group had arrived at their designated spot. The area where the Shrek Academy group was located was a special resting zone within the main arena, set aside specifically for the participating academies. They were not the first to enter, but they weren't the last to arrive either.
The spacious resting area was huge, containing over a thousand seats divided into various sections. It was designed to provide a comfortable space for the various Spirit Master Academies to rest and wait for their turn.
Just as the Shrek group was settling in, the Lanba Battle Team also walked into the resting area. However, they were seated quite far away from the Shrek Team. Because of the distance and the crowd, neither side had discovered the other yet.
Yu Xiaogang, the famous Grandmaster, was the leader of the Lanba Battle Team. He walked proudly at the very front of his group, his chin raised high. Behind him was Tang San, the captain of the Lanba Battle Team. Tang San naturally mirrored his teacher's attitude, wearing an arrogant look on his face.
The members of the Lanba Battle Team were all dressed in sharp, sea-blue team uniforms. These weren't just random clothes; they were personally designed and custom-made by Yu Xiaogang himself to ensure his team looked perfect.
After finding an empty area for his team, Yu Xiaogang motioned for everyone to sit down. He didn't sit immediately. instead, he stood at the very front of the group, smiling confidently. He looked at his students from a commanding position and spoke with immense pride.
"I believe everyone here knows that Tang San is my direct disciple," Yu Xiaogang announced, his voice filled with self-importance. "Under the leadership of Captain Tang San, Lanba Academy will surely create new glory in this year's Spirit Master competition! We will show everyone what true genius looks like."
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