"Shui Ling?!"
Hearing this name, Ling's mind conjured the image of the little girl she met in the Jingyang Mountain Range.
"I know her. I met her when I obtained my second spirit ring. We both broke through on the same day."
Xu Tianyi and Xu Wei both looked over, surprised by such a coincidence.
Xu Wei quickly asked, "Sister Ling, do you know what her Spirit is?"
Kong Ling searched her memory for the scene but eventually shook her head, "She didn't reveal her Spirit, so I don't know what it is."
Kong Xuan reminded them at this moment, "Her second spirit ring was obtained from a nearly thousand-year-old Spirit Shadow Spider. I think her Spirit should be a control system."
"A nearly thousand-year second spirit ring, it seems like another formidable opponent!"
Xu Wei's expression became a bit more serious. Kong Ling's thousand-year Spirit Ability had left a deep impression on him.
"Hmph!"
Kong Ling snorted, again recalling how her grandfather compared her to Shui Ling.
"What if it's nearly a thousand years? My second Spirit Ability is a true thousand-year one, and my brother's two Spirit Abilities are both thousand-year ones!"
"Exactly!" Xu Wei was also encouraged by this. "With Brother Xuan and Sister Ling here, I'm not afraid of any spirit ring!"
However, Kong Xuan's next sentence interrupted Xu Wei's hearty laughter.
"Don't get excited too early. If we don't encounter a very tricky opponent, I won't make a move."
"So don't think that everything will be fine just because I'm here. This competition is also a test of your strength."
Xu Wei was stunned for a moment, then his face was again covered with a smile, "Oh, Brother Xuan, don't be so serious. I'm not someone who only knows how to rely on others."
Kong Xuan glanced at him, "It had better be."
While Kong Xuan and his group were studying their opponents' information, teams from other Spirit Master Classes were also studying their information.
It was difficult for Kong Xuan, as the class monitor, not to attract attention.
Among other things, his thousand-year first and second spirit rings were enough to make people lose the courage to fight.
These geniuses from various academies felt a crushing blow for the first time.
However, at the same time, Kong Xuan was naturally regarded as their strongest opponent and was given special attention.
The next day, the faint morning mist had not yet dispersed, but the plaza of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was already bustling with activity.
Twenty-seven participating teams from all over the country gathered here, and various academy flags fluttered in the wind.
Under the guidance of the academy teachers, the teams from each academy entered the Great Spirit Arena in the center of the Soul Engineer district, where the subsequent matches would also take place.
The teams from each academy sat in the spectator stands according to their designated areas. With only a little over six hundred people, the spectator stands still seemed somewhat empty.
Kong Xuan sat among his class's team, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
On the high platform floating in mid-air, Dean Mirror Red Dust stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in a dark red robe.
To be honest, Kong Xuan hadn't expected Mirror Red Dust to appear at such a competition among junior Spirit Masters.
After an impassioned speech, Mirror Red Dust's gaze swept across the entire venue, and his spirit power-infused voice echoed into every corner: "The National Spirit Master Class Competition officially begins!"
Mirror Red Dust merely made a brief appearance, announcing the start of the competition before leaving.
Taking over from Mirror Red Dust was the Director of Education, Lin Jiayi, who would preside over all subsequent matches.
This competition adopted a 3V3 format, but instead of competing as class-based teams, it was a free-for-all mode.
In short, even teams from the same class might directly face each other!
Xu Wei, who had gone to draw lots, had now returned to the team. Several people immediately gathered around, wanting to see how his "luck" was.
With a mischievous smile on his face, Xu Wei extended his right hand to display the small ball he had drawn in front of them.
It was a crystal-like sphere that Xu Wei's small hand could perfectly grasp. In the transparent center of the sphere, there were two numbers: "23."
"Not bad, the number is quite early!"
Kong Ling casually offered this comment. After all, they didn't know who their opponent was yet, so they couldn't tell if the number was good or bad.
However, even if Kong Xuan didn't act, their team was definitely a strong contender for the championship, so they weren't worried about facing anyone.
A moment later, Lin Jiayi's voice came over the broadcast.
"Please, all participating teams, proceed to your corresponding Soul Dueling Arenas according to your sequence number!"
The group looked at the number 23 ball in Xu Wei's hand, and skillfully left the Great Spirit Arena. Soul Dueling Arena number 23 was right next to it, not far away.
There were a total of two hundred and thirty participating teams. Now, every two teams would occupy one Soul Dueling Arena, which meant a total of one hundred and fifteen.
Although there were many Soul Dueling Arenas in the Soul Fighting district, this competition alone occupied half of them.
At the same time, it naturally required one hundred and fifteen teachers to serve as referees. Since the academy teachers were limited, the leading teachers from each academy also became referees, which was considered support for this event.
When Kong Xuan and his three companions entered Soul Dueling Arena number 23, they didn't see their opponents, only a middle-aged man standing in the spectator stands, who appeared to be the referee for their match.
The referee teacher looked at the four of them and said, "Regardless of how many people are in a team, only three will ultimately participate in the match, you know that, right?"
Because the number of members in the Spirit Master Classes of various academies varied, it was impossible to accurately divide them all into groups of three.
Therefore, it was not surprising to see groups of four or even five like theirs.
"We know, teacher!"
Kong Xuan responded, and then the group quietly waited for their opponents to arrive.
After a while, three figures appeared at the entrance of the Soul Dueling Arena and then walked in.
All three opponents were boys, and their gazes were somewhat evasive, clearly lacking much confidence in their own strength. Golden light flashed in Kong Xuan's eyes, and with a glance, he got a general idea of the three opponents' situation.
He said in a low voice, "They all have spirit rings, but their strength is very weak. You guys go."
The referee teacher not far away couldn't help but glance in their direction, his eyes showing a hint of surprise, apparently having heard Kong Xuan's words.
The referee then looked at the three on the other side and shouted, "If both sides are ready, you can enter the arena."
The three who had just entered immediately looked for the entrance and walked down the stairs towards the Soul Dueling Arena below.
However, on Kong Xuan's side, the group did not act immediately.
Xu Wei's eyes lit up, and he confidently said, "You two don't need to act. I can deal with them quickly by myself!"
During daily training with the team, although Xu Wei couldn't say he was always being abused, it was almost impossible for him to have a truly satisfying victory.
But now Xu Wei saw a possibility. Since Kong Xuan had judged their strength to be very weak, wasn't the opportunity he had been waiting for finally here?
Which eight- or nine-year-old boy doesn't want to show off in front of others?
Xu Wei could already imagine himself going all out, taking down all three of them in an instant, and then witnessing the shocked expressions of the three opponents and the referee teacher.
However, just as Xu Wei's smile was about to burst forth as he fantasized about the future, Kong Xuan's words pulled him back to reality.
"I don't recommend you act!"