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At Shrek Academy, within the quiet halls of the Inner Court, a lively scene was unfolding. Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong were huddled together, eyes glued to a livestream that displayed a battle involving a truly unique ability. They were struggling to keep their composure, their faces red as they tried to hold back bursts of laughter.
The ability being showcased was called the Heaven-Defying Spirit Ability, and it was lived up to its name in the most ridiculous way possible. It was a devilish power that turned the tide of battle into a comedy show. Watching Number Nine's opponent get handled in such a bizarre fashion was enough to make anyone lose their mind with laughter.
Just then, a familiar voice called out to them. "Senior Sister Tang Ya?" Xiao Xiao asked, looking up.
Tang Ya gave them a bright, mischievous smile. "Hey there. Sister Xiao Tao and the others are already inside. Why don't you two come in with me? We can discuss your business in a little while. Right now, I can't take it anymore. I need to sit down and laugh for a bit first! Hahaha!"
The group entered the room to find Ma Xiaotao and Zhang Lexuan already seated. However, the atmosphere inside was a bit heavy. Both of them had very strange, strained expressions on their faces. It was a sharp contrast to the bubbly energy Tang Ya brought into the room.
Xiao Xiao leaned in, whispering curiously, "Are you Sister Xiao Tao and Senior Sister Lexuan?"
Ma Xiaotao gave a small, slow nod. "Yeah," she muttered softly, before falling back into a moody silence.
Tang Ya leaned over and nudged Xiao Xiao gently, whispering into her ear so the others wouldn't hear. "Don't mind her too much. Sister Xiao Tao's Old Ancestor is currently getting his butt kicked on the screen, so she's feeling pretty depressed about it."
Xiao Xiao's eyes widened as she looked back at the screen. "Oh! I get it now." It made perfect sense why Ma Xiaotao wasn't her usual enthusiastic self. Seeing a legendary figure from your family line being treated like a punching bag would make anyone feel unhappy. But as Xiao Xiao looked around, she noticed something else. Why did Zhang Lexuan look so dazed? The Senior Sister seemed to be lost in her own world, staring at the screen with a blank look that was hard to read.
Meanwhile, Wang Dong stood off to the side, staying as quiet as a mouse. He felt a sudden prickle of anxiety in his chest. A sense of danger washed over him as he wondered if his secret was about to be found out. He was actually a girl disguised as a boy, and he knew that if his disguise was ruined now, things would get very complicated very quickly. He decided his best bet was to act like he didn't understand what was going on and keep his mouth shut.
On the livestream screen, the comments were flying by at lightning speed.
Ma Xiaotao posted: "Old Ancestor Rongrong, Old Ancestor Xiao Wu, please! That's enough! Have mercy and stop using your Divine Ability!"
She followed it up quickly with another message: "My Old Ancestor has been beaten so hard his face looks like a pig's head again. If this keeps up, how is he ever going to find a girlfriend?"
Zhang Lexuan joined in the chat, her tone more clinical: "I'm curious... can this Spirit Ability of Number Nine's actually be countered by anything?"
A user named Red Dust Dream Dream Dream asked: "I want to know if this kind of Spirit Ability works on spirit tools too?"
Su Yan replied to the thread: "I'm not entirely sure yet, but there is a high probability it has the same effect. If it can convert Spirit power and Spirit Abilities into healing energy, it can likely do the same for the energy inside spirit tools!"
Back at the scene of the actual fight, Flender was currently drowning in a sea of regret. He watched the battle with a pained expression. The healing power of the Nine Heart Begonia Spirit was truly heaven-defying. It seemed like whichever side had her was destined to be invincible. He looked over at his old friend and sighed deeply. "Xiaogang, oh Xiaogang," he thought to himself. "For your sake, I gave up the chance to become famous and leave my name in the history books of the continent!"
Zhao Wuji was standing nearby, experiencing a strange mix of emotions. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had originally thought that Su Yan and the one they called Little Monkey were the peak of power, but these girlfriends were proving to be even more fierce.
"Oh my goodness," Zhao Wuji muttered, shaking his head. "No wonder the Nine Heart Begonia is known as the number one healing spirit on the continent. This healing is insane. It doesn't just patch you up; it cures the root cause of the injury immediately. It's like the damage never happened."
He turned his head toward the students. "Tang San! You brat, don't just stand there with your mouth open! Hurry up and take advantage of the situation. While Mubai and Fatty still have some strength left, run over there and get some of that healing. If we do this right, we can save all the money we usually spend on hiring professional Healing Spirit Masters later!"
Tang San could only stare back with a look of pure confusion. He didn't even know how to respond to such a blatant attempt to save money during a beatdown.
Su Yan, hearing the exchange, was momentarily stunned. He looked over at the Shrek teachers and thought, "You guys are something else. You really are a bunch of geniuses in the worst way possible."
Suddenly, Zhao Wuji's expression changed. His face tightened as a realization hit him. "Wait, something is wrong here," he whispered. This match was already a lost cause. Once Dai Mubai and the others were finished being used as training dummies, the next big problem would arrive: the bet. They had put 100,000 gold coins on the line.
He knew Flender well enough to know that the old owl definitely didn't have that kind of money lying around. Zhao Wuji decided he needed to slip away before the bill came due. If he didn't leave now, he wouldn't have a single copper left for drinks for the rest of his life. But just as he turned to make his escape, a hand clamped down firmly on his shoulder. It was Flender.
"You... what are you doing?" Zhao Wuji asked, feeling a cold sweat break out.
Flender looked at him with a very serious, deep expression. "Wuji, we're good brothers, right? We've been through a lot together."
"Yes... I mean, no!" Zhao Wuji shook his head quickly. "I'm not your brother right now! Look, we can talk about our feelings and our friendship all day, but as soon as you start talking about money, you're ruining the mood!"
Flender didn't let go. His face was grave. "Don't joke around with me. I need you to help me scrape some money together. If we don't pay up, we're going to lose face in front of everyone today. Shrek's reputation is on the line."
Zhao Wuji sighed, feeling completely exasperated. "I knew it! You old ghost, I was worried about this. Even if we both emptied our pockets, we wouldn't have enough to cover a fraction of that bet. You know our financial situation is a mess."
Flender's face stiffened awkwardly. He knew Zhao Wuji was right. "If we can't get enough together and we have to lose face anyway, then our only choice is to owe them the money and pay it back later."
Zhao Wuji let out a dry, nervous laugh and leaned in closer to Flender's ear. "Hehe. Flender, I think you've miscalculated this time. Take a look at that short-haired woman with the long legs standing behind Su Yan. Do you feel that? She's a Titled Douluo."
Flender's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "No way! You're kidding, right? You bastard, why didn't you tell me that earlier? How could they have a Titled Douluo just standing around with them?"
Flender felt a wave of true desperation. If there was a Titled Douluo on Su Yan's side, there was no way they could wiggle out of the debt. You don't just "owe" money to someone who has reached the peak of Spirit Master power unless you want to lose your life.
Zhao Wuji replied, sounding just as stressed, "I haven't had a chance to speak! Who could have guessed? That Titled Douluo has been traveling with them ever since they walked out of the Star Dou Great Forest!"
Flender paced back and forth, his mind racing. "A female Titled Douluo... I've been around a long time, but I've never heard of any of the major Sects having someone like that. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School doesn't have one, and I don't think the Star Luo Empire does either."
Zhao Wuji pondered for a moment. "I have a feeling she might be from Spirit Hall. After all, it seems like Spirit Hall is the only place on the continent that actually has female Titled Douluos in their ranks."
Standing nearby, Yu Xiaogang was feeling a different kind of pain. He was incredibly annoyed. They had lost the exchange, and for someone who valued his reputation as a grand researcher of spirits, this loss was unacceptable. He couldn't wrap his head around how the women around Su Yan were so powerful.
"Could it be a second Awakening?" Yu Xiaogang wondered. "Is it possible they all found a way to trigger a second Awakening of their Spirits? If that method exists and is available to everyone, it would change everything. My level 30 bottleneck... maybe there's a way."
"Xiaogang!" Flender's voice broke through his thoughts. "Do you have any money on you?"
Yu Xiaogang, who had been busy hating Su Yan in his mind, snapped back to reality and looked at Flender blankly. "This... Flender, you know my situation. I don't have anything." He had spent his life drifting from place to place, focusing only on his research. He didn't have a single penny to his name.
Flender was completely dumbfounded. He felt like he was backed into a corner with no way out.
Out on the field, the situation was getting even worse for the Shrek students. Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were in absolute misery. They were being beaten continuously, and the worst part was they didn't even dare to use their Spirit Abilities to protect or heal themselves. They had realized that the more they tried to fight back or recover, the harder the girls hit them. It was a vicious cycle of pain.
They looked toward the sidelines with pleading eyes. "Dean Flender! Why aren't you saying anything? Please make them stop!" they thought, wanting to cry.
Finally, they couldn't take it anymore. "Dean, we admit defeat! We give up!" they yelled out.
Flender, however, had been secretly hoping they could hold out for just a few more minutes. He needed that time to figure out how to handle the 100,000 gold coin debt. But seeing his students in such a state, he knew he couldn't wait any longer.
"Fine. Our Shrek Academy admits defeat," Flender announced loudly.
As soon as Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu heard the official surrender, they finally stopped their assault and let the two boys go. Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun collapsed, gasping for air.
"Eh?" Xiao Wu's eyes suddenly landed on Oscar. He had been standing off to the side the whole time, trying his best to look invisible. He hadn't made a single sound during the entire fight. "Oscar! You there! Come over here right now!" Xiao Wu shouted.
Oscar's heart skipped a beat. He had been silently chanting "you can't see me" in his head, hoping they would forget he existed. He forced a very awkward, shaky smile onto his face and walked over. "Sister Xiao Wu... is there something you need? Is there something wrong?"
Without saying a word, Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong both raised their fists. Each of them landed a perfectly aimed punch right on Oscar's eyes, giving him two matching black eyes.
"Nothing is wrong now," Xiao Wu said, dusting off her hands.
"You three are a team," Ning Rongrong added with a nod. "If we beat up your teammates but leave you looking perfectly fine, they might start to resent you. We're doing this for the sake of your team's unity. Do you understand?"
Oscar stood there, feeling the throbbing pain in his face, completely numb to the absurdity of the situation. "Ah... yes, yes, I understand. Thank you for thinking of me."
The two girls nodded with satisfaction. "Good. You're very polite."
Su Yan had been watching from a distance. With his enhanced senses, he had heard every single word Flender and Zhao Wuji had whispered to each other. He knew exactly what they were worried about. Now that the fighting was officially over, he decided it was time to turn up the pressure. He walked toward the Shrek faculty with a confident stride.
"Dean Flender," Su Yan called out, his voice ringing across the field. "The exchange between our two academies has officially come to an end. Since the results are clear, shall we move on to fulfilling the bet?"