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After taking several deep breaths, the Team Leader Teacher finally managed to calm his racing heart. His chest felt heavy as the weight of the situation settled on his shoulders. With a voice that sounded hoarse and tired, he confirmed the harsh reality to his team.
"The individual competition is over, and we lost. There is no point in looking back now. Next is the '2-2-3' battle strategy showdown. We must go all out and give everything we have left!" He looked around at the faces of the students left in the lounge, his eyes filled with a mix of worry and hope.
His gaze swept across the team members present, taking a mental tally of who could still stand. Among the main team members, Wu Ming and the Spirit King with the Azure Wind Falcon Spirit were in no condition to help. Their spirit power had been completely Sealed, leaving them without any combat effectiveness at all. They sat there, looking frustrated and helpless. Han Ruoruo's Spirit was also affected by the previous clash, but she was strong. She could still fight and would count as a Spirit Emperor level combatant for the upcoming rounds.
Besides her, the team was running thin. There was Zhang Lexuan, who remained their strongest hope, along with three other main team members and seven Spirit Ancestors from the reserve team. On any other day, such a lineup would be considered very strong. However, compared to their current opponents, it felt lacking. The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had brought a lineup that was truly luxurious and terrifying to face.
The Sun Moon main team still had two Spirit Emperors and five Spirit Kings ready for action. Most frightening of all was that unfathomable young man, Kong Mingan. He had yet to reveal even a single spirit ring or his true Spirit. He had been winning his matches using incomprehensible methods that left everyone confused. This was a clear disadvantage for Shrek. The teacher wondered how they could even fight against such a mysterious power.
The Team Leader Teacher closed his eyes for a moment, taking another deep breath to steady his nerves. He had already made a difficult decision. Since the gap in raw power was so large and the opponent had strange abilities that they could not break, they only had one choice left. They had to gamble.
They had to play a high-stakes game of strategy and hope for a miracle. After a brief intermission for the teams to prepare, the second round of the Spirit Master finals and the first match of the '2-2-3' battle strategy finally began.
As both teams stepped out and entered the arena, the entire audience immediately burst into a loud uproar. People were shouting and pointing at the stage in disbelief. Shrek Academy had sent out two reserve team members who were only at the Spirit Ancestor level. It seemed like a weak opening move. However, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy did the opposite. They sent out two genuine Spirit Emperor level main team members right at the start.
"Is Shrek giving up already?" one spectator shouted. "Using two Spirit Ancestors to take down two of the opponent's Spirit Emperors? That's not a loss if they can actually pull it off!" Various discussions erupted in the stands as people tried to make sense of the match. Some loyal Shrek supporters even convinced themselves that this was a clever tactic to tire out the enemy's best fighters.
But back in the Shrek lounge area, the Team Leader Teacher's expression was stiff. He did not look like a man who had just made a brilliant move. There was no joy on his face, only a deep sense of solemnity. It was true that trading two Spirit Ancestors for two Spirit Emperors was a good trade on paper, but he had hoped for more. He really wanted to trade those reserve members for that incomprehensible young man instead.
Moreover, the fact that the opponent sent out two Spirit Emperors right from the start was a bad sign. It showed that the Sun Moon team wanted to win this specific round with 100% certainty. They weren't taking any risks. Since they were willing to use their strong members so early, it proved they had total confidence in winning one of the other two upcoming matches as well.
The teacher thought about how the young man had performed in all the previous matches. He took a deep breath, and his eyes became heavy with realization. The opponent likely didn't care how Shrek arranged their team. They probably didn't even intend to let the match drag on to the third round. They simply didn't want to give Shrek even a small chance at victory. Instead, they wanted to cruelly crush Shrek's glory in the easiest and fastest way possible.
As if to confirm his dark guess, the first match of the '2-2-3' format ended very quickly. Shrek was declared defeated without much of a fight. Immediately after, the Soul Guide projection screen above the arena flashed to announce the roster for the second match. Shrek Academy sent out their ace, Zhang Lexuan, along with a support system Spirit King. On the other side, Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy sent out Kong Mingan and their own support system Spirit King.
The Team Leader Teacher's heart instantly leaped into his throat. He felt like he couldn't breathe as his eyes fixed on the competition stage. He knew that win or lose, it all depended on this single match. If they lost here, the glory of Shrek would fall.
Zhang Lexuan slowly stepped onto the competition stage. Her figure was tall and graceful, and her dark battle suit fit her perfectly, accentuating her beautiful curves. Usually, her eyes were cool and clear, like a calm lake, but now they were filled with an unyielding determination. She looked like a warrior prepared for the end. Her gaze swept across the wide arena before landing on the conspicuous figure standing opposite her.
Her mood was a little complex as she looked at him. She really hadn't expected things to develop to this point. When she first met him, she had merely thought of the opponent as a handsome younger brother. She hadn't seen him as a threat.
However, just a few months later, that same young man had used a few incredible victories to force Shrek into a desperate situation. He had led them to a point where there was almost no one left to fight.
After a long moment of silence, she felt the need to speak. She couldn't help but ask the young man in front of her a question that had been weighing on her mind. "Can Wu Ming and the others recover from what you did to them?"
"Don't worry, Sister Lexuan," Kong Mingan replied with a kind smile. His expression was calm and unchanged, as if they were just having a friendly chat in a park. "I only temporarily Sealed their spirit power so they wouldn't get hurt further. After the competition is over, I will release the seal myself. There will be no long-term after-effects on their cultivation or their bodies."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Lexuan felt a weight lift from her heart. She subtly let out a sigh of relief. For some reason, the young man's words felt very credible to her. She found herself believing him without a second thought, despite them being enemies on the battlefield.
After a brief moment of calm, she slowly closed her eyes to center herself. When she opened them again, all the confusion and distracting thoughts were gone. Her eyes were sharp and focused, leaving only pure and firm Battle Intent. No matter what Shrek's current situation was, she was a student of Shrek.
Her stance was on Shrek's side, and that could not be changed by personal feelings. In her position, she had a duty to fulfill. Achieving victory in this battle was her ultimate obligation, and she knew she could not be half-hearted.
"Buzz!"
The air around her began to vibrate with intense energy. Two yellow, two purple, and two black spirit rings rose from beneath her feet, glowing brightly. The immense spirit power fluctuations and the oppressive feeling she gave off were incredible.
Her power was far stronger and more condensed than Han Ruoruo's had been. It was clear to everyone watching that her cultivation level was just one step away from entering the Spirit Saint realm. She was at the very peak of what a Spirit Emperor could be.
Facing Zhang Lexuan, who was clearly going all out, Kong Mingan's smile remained steady. He didn't look worried at all. Beneath his feet, a single, deep black spirit ring emerged. It was a ten-thousand-year ring that looked so dark it seemed to swallow the light around it. It circled him slowly and lonely, yet it carried an aura of absolute power.
Facing his nominal "clan sister," Kong Mingan had no intention of underestimating her. He knew she was strong. She possessed the top-tier "Moon" Spirit and a Peak Spirit Emperor cultivation at level sixty-nine.
She also had a lot of practical combat experience from all the missions she had completed for the academy. Undoubtedly, even if a "Body Cultivator" had a special advantage against traditional Spirit Masters, using only those methods against her would be difficult.
But he had a secret. He wasn't just a "Body Cultivator" who relied on physical strength. He was also a "Spell Cultivator" who understood the deeper laws of energy. They wouldn't really think he only knew how to crush people with high stats, would they?
The raw power of a "Body Cultivator" combined with the complex mechanics of a "Spell Cultivator" was his true strength. This was the ultimate way to win any fight. To him, the Dual Cultivation of Body and Spell would never go out of style.
The ten-thousand-year spirit ring appeared and instantly caught the attention of everyone in the stadium. This was the first time Kong Mingan had revealed a spirit ring in the entire competition. People gasped as they saw the black color. Usually, a first spirit ring is yellow or white, but his was black.
Zhang Lexuan's pupils constricted slightly as she stared at that black spirit ring. Her vigilance rose to its highest level, and she quickly analyzed the situation in her heart. If his first ring was a ten-thousand-year ring, it proved he might possess twin spirits. Not only that, but for his body to bear such a ring so early, his physical quality and mental force must already be at the Spirit King level or higher.
She realized she was in for the fight of her life. There were at least five unknown Spirit Abilities she had to watch out for, plus that strange method he used to Seal spirit power. The solemn expression on Zhang Lexuan's face became as hard as stone.
Her "clan brother" was much more than just a little bit of trouble. The referee stood in mid-air, looking between the two fighters. He confirmed both sides were ready, took a deep breath, and shouted for the whole world to hear.
"'2-2-3' Battle Strategy, Second MatchâBegin!"