Chapter 156 Feng Xiaotian's Admiration
"Cough, cough~, well, about that, there's no rush, take it slow, yes, just take it slow!"
Feng Xiaotian was a bit awkward. He certainly wanted to, he thought about it day and night, but the key was that Miss Huo Wu was neither warm nor cold towards him, so what could he do?
After a moment of thought, Ye Chen stepped forward and patted Feng Xiaotian's shoulder.
"Young man, how old are you?"
"Uh, excuse me, sir, who are you?"
Facing this overly familiar, strange middle-aged man, Feng Xiaotian was a bit confused.
"Don't mind who I am. I just heard you say to take it slow when looking for a girlfriend?"
Ye Chen said with a slight smile.
"Ah? Yes, that's what I said."
Feng Xiaotian nodded.
"Young man, you look quite old, don't you? Are you twenty yet?"
"Yes, I am!"
"You're already over twenty and still don't have a girlfriend? It's not that I look down on you, but when I was twelve, I already had three girlfriends!
Young man, listen to my advice: when it's time to make a move, make a move. Otherwise, if the girl you love runs off with someone else, then it's all over!"
Ye Chen shook his head, saying with a sigh.
"Sir, you had three girlfriends when you were twelve?"
Feng Xiaotian's eyes widened. He hadn't expected this seemingly ordinary middle-aged man to be so deeply hidden?
"I'm an honest man, why would I lie to you? Back in the day, I even had the nickname 'Love Saint'! Ruyi, Cuihua, Chunhua, come over and open this young man's eyes!"
Saying that, Ye Chen gestured to Xiao Wu and the other two girls beside him.
Hmm, Xiao Wu was Ruyi, Zhu Zhuqing was Cuihua, and Ning Rongrong was Chunhua.
Xiao Wu: "Go to hell~!"
Zhu Zhuqing: "Pfft~"
Ning Rongrong: "Hmph~!"
Listening to the names Ye Chen made up on the spot, Xiao Wu and the other two had different reactions, but they all rolled their eyes.
Feng Xiaotian looked at the three middle-aged beauties in front of him, then at Ye Chen. How could he not know that he had met a true Love Saint?
Immediately, Feng Xiaotian looked at Ye Chen with admiration.
One must know that even after Xiao Wu and the others disguised themselves, although their apparent age increased significantly, their looks were still striking.
In contrast, Ye Chen's disguised appearance was truly ordinary. While not exactly ugly, he was just an average passerby.
"Sir, please teach me?!"
Feng Xiaotian looked at Ye Chen with fervent eyes, almost kneeling to kowtow and acknowledge him as a master.
"Hmm, a promising student!"
Ye Chen nodded, satisfied with Feng Xiaotian's attitude.
"Young man, tell me how you pursued the girl?"
Immediately, Feng Xiaotian roughly recounted his 'bootlicking history' to Ye Chen.
"Tsk tsk, you can't do it like that. Why be a bootlicker? Don't you know that a bootlicker, in the end, gets nothing?"
Ye Chen shook his head after listening.
"This~, sir, what should I do?"
Feng Xiaotian immediately panicked. He didn't care about being called a bootlicker; what he worried about was ending up with nothing after all his efforts, which he absolutely wouldn't allow!
"Alright, I'll give you an idea!"
"Yes, yes, please tell me quickly!"
"Do you know how I got this wife of mine?"
Ye Chen pointed to Ning Rongrong, disguised as Chunhua.
"Uh, how did Auntie Chunhua come about?"
Feng Xiaotian was a bit confused, not understanding.
"What? You called me Auntie?"
Ning Rongrong was displeased. Even calling her 'Auntie' would be better than 'Auntie Chunhua,' wouldn't it? Doesn't he know to call her 'Big Sister'? No wonder he can't get a girlfriend!
"Ah~, no, I misspoke, Big Sister Chunhua, please don't be angry!"
Fortunately, Feng Xiaotian's mind was still somewhat normal, except when facing Huo Wu, and he immediately realized his mistake.
"Young man, I'll tell you. When your Big Sister Chunhua and I met, we were just twelve-year-old youngsters. At that time, your Big Sister Chunhua was also quite unreasonable and ignored me. Later, I pulled her into a corner, directly 'wall-pinned' her, and then I won her over!"
Without giving Ning Rongrong a chance to interrupt, Ye Chen slowly spoke, putting on an expression of recalling the beautiful times of his youth.
"Really? Is that true?"
Feng Xiaotian said, somewhat incredulously.
"Of course, things weren't that simple. At first, she definitely didn't agree!
But I told her, if you don't agree, you won't be able to breathe today. About an hour later, your Big Sister Chunhua was mine.
Don't disbelieve me, just do as I say, and at least you won't lose, right? The girl's first kiss is yours, and with a first time, there will be a second. Then deepen the impression, and I believe you'll win her over very quickly!
Young man, keep up the good work! I have high hopes for you!"
After speaking, Ye Chen patted Feng Xiaotian's shoulder and made an 'Oli G' gesture.
"Yes! Thank you, sir!"
Immediately, Feng Xiaotian nodded excitedly.
Seeing this, Ye Chen was very satisfied.
Hmm, hopefully, Feng Xiaotian, this big bootlicker, won't be beaten to death by Miss Huo Wu.
The line for cashing out wasn't very long, and it was soon Ye Chen's turn.
Placing the tickets on the counter, Ye Chen and the three others received a large stack of gold coin cards, each with a face value of one hundred thousand, under Feng Xiaotian's shocked gaze.
'Good heavens~, so many gold coin cards, it must be over ten million, right? Is this man not only good at charming girls but also so good at making money?'
Feng Xiaotian secretly smacked his lips.
Subsequently, under his envious gaze, Ye Chen and the three others left the betting area.
Of course, with money in their pockets, how could they bear to leave? Changing their appearances again, Ye Chen and the three others returned to the betting area.
"Brother, who are we betting on this time?"
Looking at the many open betting markets for the matches, Xiao Wu asked Ye Chen.
"Today's matches, besides ourselves, there's nothing good to bet on."
After glancing at the day's entire schedule, Ye Chen was a bit disappointed.
Among the powerful Spirit Master Academies within Heaven Dou territory, there was only the Five Element Academy. As long as the Five Element Academy didn't face each other, they were basically guaranteed to win, with few instances of upsets.
But unfortunately, besides the Elephant Armor Academy facing the Blazing Fire Academy just now, the other four Elemental Academies were all bullying cannon fodder teams.
What is a cannon fodder team? It's a team that doesn't even have a four-ring Spirit Ancestor and no trump cards; that's a cannon fodder team.
The strength gap was too obvious; unless one was a brainless fan, everyone knew how to bet.
Plus, the Great Spirit Arena took a five percent commission, so Ye Chen decided not to place any bets. After all, even if he didn't lose money, he wouldn't earn much.
As for cannon fodder fighting each other, Ye Chen wouldn't bet on it, because unless there was a significant difference in major ranks, among Spirit Elders, Ye Chen couldn't really determine who would win between a lower-ranked and a higher-ranked one.
So, the only match worth betting on today was Shrek Academy versus Canghui Academy.
However, Shrek and Canghui's reputations weren't as great as the Five Element Academy's, so the total amount in the betting pool probably wouldn't be too large. He just didn't know if it could accommodate Ye Chen's tens of millions of gold coins?
Chapter 157: Admission (Part 1)
After changing positions a few times and placing all the gold coins and cards from his pocket as bets, Ye Chen and Xiao Wu returned to the stands.
Because the Tiandou Great Spirit Arena had five Soul Battle Stages, five matches could be held simultaneously, and with a total of only twenty-eight participating teams, the daily schedule was divided into three groups, all held in the morning.
By the time Ye Chen returned to the viewing stands, the five matches of the first group had all concluded, and Shrek's battle against Canghui was scheduled for the third group, closer to noon.
In this round, one of the teams appearing was the strongest from previous years, Thunderclap Academy.
Ye Chen had to admit that the Thunderclap Academy Team's strength was indeed formidable.
Leaving aside the cannon fodder academies, other Elemental Academies had team members with three Spirit Ancestors and four Spirit Elders, but Thunderclap Academy had four Spirit Ancestors and three Spirit Elders.
Coupled with Yu Tianxin, the captain of the Thunderclap Academy Team, whose Spirit was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, known as the number one Beast Spirit in the world, even without using his family's unique 'Dragon Transformation' secret technique, Yu Tianxin still effortlessly defeated his cannon fodder opponent.
Of course, ever since Xiao Wu's Soft Bones Rabbit Spirit evolved into the Moon Rabbit Spirit, and Zhu Zhuqing's Hell Civet Spirit evolved into the Nether Cat Spirit, the title of 'number one Beast Spirit in the world' for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon could no longer be maintained.
To be honest, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon being called the number one Beast Spirit in the world was actually quite exaggerated; there were many Spirits on the Douluo Continent with similar quality to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, it was just that other families' Spirits didn't have a matching inherited secret technique.
For example, Ma Hongjun's Fire Phoenix, Shui Binger's Ice Phoenix, and Gold Crocodile Douluo's Golden Crocodile King, the Second worshipHall of Offerings of the Spirit Hall, would not be inferior in quality to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
Additionally, in the current era of the Douluo Continent, Spirits were only roughly categorized into Beast Spirits and Tool Spirits, so the Seraphim Spirit was also considered a type of Beast Spirit.
As for why the title of 'number one Beast Spirit in the world' fell to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Ye Chen guessed it was probably because the Angel Family didn't want to compare their Seraphim to birds and beasts?
...
Time gradually passed, and soon it was time for Shrek Academy to enter.
"You little rascals, it's almost your turn to go on stage. Try to eliminate the Canghui Team in one minute!"
Before the match, Flender encouraged everyone.
Flender and Shi Nian already had some animosity, and after being provoked by Shi Nian in the lounge earlier, Flender wanted his Shrek Team to severely deflate Canghui Academy's arrogance.
On the other side, Shi Nian, as the leader of this year's Canghui Academy Team, was also giving instructions to his team members.
"It's almost your turn to go on stage. I demand that you give it your all!"
As he spoke, a fierce glint flashed in Shi Nian's eyes.
"Teacher Shi Nian, you said to give it our all? The Seven Asura Illusion Realm is our trump card against the Five Element Academy. It's only the first day; do we really need to expose our trump card now?"
Shen Xinshui, the captain of the Canghui Team, asked with a frown.
A trump card is called a trump card precisely because it shouldn't be easily known, otherwise its effect won't be as good.
In previous years, Canghui Academy was only considered a cannon fodder academy in the Soul Master Competition.
But this year was different; with the Seven-in-One Soul Skill Fusion Technique: Seven Asura Illusion Realm as their trump card, if not exposed in advance, defeating an Elemental Academy would not be a problem.
Shen Xinshui didn't even consider the participating teams from ordinary academies. As long as they defeated one Elemental Academy, they could secure a top-five spot in the preliminaries, qualify for the promotion rounds, and even represent the Heaven Dou Empire in the Soul Master Competition Finals.
Participating in the Finals was an unprecedented event in Canghui Academy's history; at that time, his team would definitely be recorded in Canghui Academy's annals.
Therefore, it was best not to expose the 'Seven Asura Illusion Realm' trump card before facing the first Elemental Academy.
Activating the 'Seven Asura Illusion Realm' required a certain amount of time and a specific formation. If it were known in advance, it wouldn't be so easy.
After all, if they failed to successfully activate the 'Seven Asura Illusion Realm,' their Canghui Academy would definitely not be a match for the five Elemental Academies.
Aside from himself being a four-ring Spirit Ancestor, all other members of the Canghui Team were merely three-ring Spirit Elders.
That's right, Shen Xinshui, as the captain, was also a four-ring Spirit Ancestor. Ye Chen hadn't noticed before because Shen Xinshui had an engagement at the time and didn't participate in the opening ceremony, and Canghui Academy intentionally concealed student information.
"Shrek Academy has two four-ring Spirit Ancestor-level students. If you don't use the Seven Asura Illusion Realm, your chances of winning are not great. It's better to use it directly at the start, get an immediate victory, and build a reputation for our Canghui Team.
Furthermore, you'd best cripple the Shrek Team for me."
Shi Nian said with a sinister expression.
The two Spirit Ancestors Shi Nian referred to were naturally Ma Hongjun and Oscar. With Shi Nian's strength as a Soul Sage (7 Rings) and his impressive mental force, it was easy for him to discern their spirit power levels. As for Ye Chen and the other three, they all used their disguise necklaces to appear as 39th-level Spirit Elders.
"Teacher Shi Nian, wouldn't being too heavy-handed during the match have a bad impact?"
Hesitating, Shen Xinshui said with some trepidation.
"Don't worry, as long as no one dies, it's fine."
Shi Nian waved his hand indifferently. With Platinum Bishop Salas, a great lord of the Spirit Hall, as his backing, as long as no one died in the arena, there would definitely be no problem.
"I understand."
Shen Xinshui nodded, agreeing to the matter.
Don't let Shi Nian's villainous nature fool you; in the eyes of the Canghui Team, Shi Nian was a good teacher, and they all respected him greatly.
The Shrek Team had no animosity towards him, but since Teacher Shi Nian had given the order, they would simply follow it.
...
"Preliminary Round One, Group Three, Canghui Academy versus Shrek Academy! Please, both teams, proceed to Soul Battle Stage Number Three!"
In the VIP section, the passionate voice of the announcer, amplified by a spirit tool, resounded throughout the Great Spirit Arena.
"Let's go, it's starting!"
Ye Chen waved his hand, leading Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Tai Long, Jiang Zhu, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan, under the gaze of Flender, Zhao Wuji, Liu Erlong, Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar, towards the Soul Battle Stage.
Passing through the entrance tunnel, accompanied by the Spirit-guided lights, the Shrek members ascended Soul Battle Stage Number Three.
On the other side, the seven members of the Canghui Team also made their appearance.
Seeing that there was a member in the Canghui Team whose spirit power level had reached the four-ring Spirit Ancestor stage, Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, feeling a little surprised.
Chapter 158: Admission (Part 2)
However, that didn't matter. Let alone one Spirit Ancestor, even if all seven were Spirit Ancestors, Ye Chen wouldn't be afraid in the slightest.
While Ye Chen was sizing up the Canghui Team, Shen Xinshui was also observing the Shrek Team.
'Hmm? Shrek's two Spirit Ancestors didn't even play?'
Seeing that among the seven Shrek Team members, the red-haired Fatty (Ma Hongjun) and the silver-haired tall and thin one (Oscar) were absent, Shen Xinshui immediately began to underestimate them.
The Shrek Team members on the field didn't even have a single Spirit Ancestor. His own Canghui Team probably wouldn't even need to use their Spirit Ability Fusion Technique to eliminate Shrek.
Underestimating them, Shen Xinshui was too lazy to speak any more nonsense and simply made a throat-slitting gesture with his hand towards the seven Shrek members.
Ye Chen: "..."
As a Six-Ring Spirit Emperor, being threatened on the arena by a Four-Ring Spirit Ancestor, if it weren't for the future money-making opportunities, Ye Chen felt that this Spirit Ancestor from the Canghui Team was definitely going to be crippled by him.
Spirit-type Spirit Masters, compared to other Spirit Masters who don't cultivate mental force, have a clear advantage: it's easier for them to challenge those of higher ranks.
However, Spirit-type Spirit Masters also have a huge flaw: when facing Spirit Masters whose mental force surpasses their own, they are very susceptible to mental backlash.
Physical injuries, with a good healing-type Spirit Master, as long as the level isn't too high and the injury isn't too severe, can easily be healed.
But mental force injuries are not so easy to heal. If the situation is serious and one becomes an idiot, then they truly can only be an idiot for life.
Ye Chen knew that the Canghui Academy's trump card was a mental-type Seven-in-One Soul Skill Fusion Technique.
With Ye Chen's current mental force level, which was comparable to an Eight-Ring Spirit Douluo or even higher, he could forcefully break the seven people's Spirit Ability Fusion Technique with just a slight resistance, turning them into idiots.
However, this was not in Ye Chen's interest.
Crippling the Canghui Team wouldn't have much impact on Shrek; they would still be able to participate in the competition.
But for Ye Chen, it would be different.
He was still thinking about the day Canghui Academy would use its trump card to overturn a certain Elemental Academy, allowing him to earn a large profit.
Ye Chen estimated that without a mental force of a Five-Ring Spirit King, one would absolutely be unable to break free from the restrictions of the mental-type Seven-in-One Soul Skill Fusion Technique.
This meant that for the Five Great Elemental Academies to face Canghui Academy without being overturned, they would only be able to do so by preventing the seven from activating their Spirit Ability Fusion Technique.
But this trump card of Canghui Academy was currently only known to themselves and Shrek Academy; others were unaware of it.
Under such uninformed circumstances, even the strongest Thunderclap Academy would likely stumble if they faced them.
Therefore, what was most beneficial to Ye Chen was to eliminate the Canghui Team before they could use their Spirit Ability Fusion Technique, and then, without Canghui Academy revealing their Spirit Ability Fusion Technique, when they first faced a certain Elemental Academy, Ye Chen would place heavy bets on the Canghui Team, at which point he would be able to rake in a large sum.
Because the Canghui Team appeared unremarkable on the surface, the probability of an upset against an Elemental Academy was too small, so the odds would definitely be very high, and due to the Elemental Academy's reputation, the total amount of the betting pool would also definitely not be small.
"Both teams, release your Spirits. The match will officially begin in one minute."
The referee said to the two teams.
Instantly, all fourteen members of the two teams released their Spirits, and numerous yellow and purple spirit rings shone on the Spirit Arena.
Hmm, among the Canghui Team, there was also a hint of white, clearly indicating that one participant from the Canghui Academy Team had not achieved the optimal spirit ring configuration.
As for Ye Chen, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong, who possessed black ten-thousand-year spirit rings, they had all disguised them with their disguise necklaces at this time.
In the VIP section.
"Fengzhi, what's going on? How did Rongrong and that boy become Level 39 Spirit Elders?"
Looking at his precious granddaughter and Ye Chen on the stage, Gu Rong asked Ning Fengzhi, who was beside him, through a sound transmission, puzzled.
"Uncle Gu, I'm also puzzled! It seems that kid has a secret!"
Ning Fengzhi replied with a smile.
spirit tools that can conceal spirit power levels are not unheard of on the continent; Ning Fengzhi had seen them. But after using such spirit tools, other Spirit Masters would perceive the user as an ordinary person without spirit power, unlike Ye Chen and Ning Rongrong, who changed their spirit power level.
Clearly, the spirit tool on them that concealed their spirit power level was extraordinary.
However, in Ning Fengzhi's opinion, hiding one's true strength was also a good thing, as it could prevent other forces from making insidious moves.
"School Master Ning, is that Rongrong?"
Emperor Xue Ye looked at Ning Rongrong on the field, a little surprised.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was an ally of the Heaven Dou Empire, and Ning Rongrong was Ning Fengzhi's biological daughter, so Emperor Xue Ye had naturally met her and knew she was a problematic girl.
"Indeed, it is my daughter!"
Ning Fengzhi nodded.
"School Master Ning, I remember Rongrong is only 14, right? To have already cultivated to a Level 39 Spirit Elder? Remarkable! I imagine Rongrong will soon become a Spirit Ancestor."
Emperor Xue Ye praised.
Although old man Xue Ye's strength wasn't very high, he still had this much discernment and could tell at a glance that Ning Rongrong was currently a Level 39 Spirit Elder.
"Hehe~, Your Majesty flatters her."
Ning Fengzhi smiled outwardly, but inwardly he was thinking, 'My little cotton jacket has long since been a Spirit Ancestor.'
"School Master Ning, your daughter's Spirit doesn't seem to be the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, does it?"
Suddenly, Salas, who was one seat away, narrowed his eyes and said to Ning Fengzhi.
Salas was naturally familiar with the seven-layered, seven-colored Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit, but he didn't recognize the nine-layered, nine-colored Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit in Ning Rongrong's hand, which also emitted the light of the sun, moon, and stars.
However, he could be certain that this nine-layered, nine-colored small pagoda Spirit was definitely stronger than the ordinary Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit.
Perhaps this Ning Rongrong could become a support system Spirit Douluo, or even a Titled Douluo, in the future?
"Hehe~, Bishop Salas is right. Rongrong's Spirit is indeed not the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, but the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."
Ning Fengzhi said with a beaming smile.
In fact, Ning Fengzhi was also a bit surprised at this moment; it seemed his little cotton jacket's Spirit had changed again since he last saw it?
He remembered that the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit was merely the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit with two additional pagoda layers and two more colors on top of its seven-layered, seven-colored base, right? When did the light of the sun, moon, and stars appear?
However, Ning Fengzhi would not tell outsiders about this matter. He would just ask for a clear explanation later.
"Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda? Then congratulations, School Master Ning."
Although Salas was somewhat surprised that Ning Rongrong could break the Spirit's limitations, he didn't pay much attention to it.
Even if Ning Rongrong could become a Titled Douluo in the future, she would only be a support system Titled Douluo, a weakling, posing basically no threat to Spirit Hall.
The only Spirit Masters who could pose a threat to Spirit Hall were those with both talent and strength like Tang Hao. A mere weak support was still a tiny bit short.
Chapter 159: First Victory in the Soul Master Competition
One minute passed quickly, and with the referee's command, the match officially began.
"Third Spirit Ability, Banning God."
Right from the start, Ye Chen activated his third Spirit Ability.
His third spirit ring flashed slightly, and a phantom Bamboo Staff, radiating a white jade luster, swiftly flew out from Ye Chen, instantly appearing above the head of Canghui Team Captain Shen Xinshui, then slammed down fiercely.
"Dong—"
A dull sound echoed. Ye Chen's strike stunned Shen Xinshui, who was about to activate his Spirit Ability, leaving a visibly large bump on his forehead.
On the surface, Ye Chen was only a Level 39 Spirit Elder, but in reality, he was a six-ring Spirit Emperor. Furthermore, his third Spirit Ability, Banning God, was a ten-thousand-year Spirit Ability. Even if the physical attack power of this strike wasn't strong, with its primary effect being control, this was only relative.
Qian Renxue, in the VIP section, saw this familiar scene and couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth. It seemed that when she fought this little thief in the Star Dou Great Forest, she was also hit on the head like this?
Low in damage, but extremely humiliating!
On the stage, after unleashing his third Spirit Ability, Ye Chen prepared to just coast.
These seven members of the Canghui Team, all with gem-type Spirits, should be the seven members from the original story who could activate their Spirit Fusion Ability.
The Canghui Team's Spirit Ancestor-level captain, who followed a mental control system path, was now afflicted by Ye Chen's third Spirit Ability, Banning God, which sealed his mental force. For the duration of the Spirit Ability's effect, he could only be a normal attack warrior, effectively useless.
With one person missing from the seven-person Spirit Fusion Ability, it definitely couldn't be activated. And without being able to activate their Spirit Fusion Ability, the Canghui Team could certainly be easily dealt with by Zhu Zhuqing and Tai Long's strength.
While Ye Chen made his move, the other six members of Shrek who were on the stage were not idle either.
"Nine Treasure turns into Star Glazed, first: Strength, second: Speed."
Ning Rongrong, as the best support on the field, immediately buffed Zhu Zhuqing, Tai Long, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan. As for Ye Chen and Jiang Zhu, they didn't need it.
One was a control system Spirit Master, and the other was a healing system Spirit Master. With their side having a huge advantage, they didn't need agility and strength attributes. Moreover, because the battle wouldn't last too long, they also didn't need to boost spirit power attributes.
If it were an ordinary three-ring Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit Master providing buffs, then only 40% of the three attributes could be boosted.
But Ning Rongrong was different. On the surface, she was a three-ring Spirit Elder, but in reality, she was a four-ring Spirit Ancestor. Coupled with her transformed Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit, which was much stronger than the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit, the current increase in various attributes had reached as much as 75%.
Feeling his strength and speed surge by more than 70%, Tai Long couldn't help but excitedly mimic a gorilla, beating his chest continuously to display his might.
"Third Spirit Ability, Demonic Ape Golden Body!"
Tai Long was already a muscular giant. After his Great Strength Gorilla Spirit possessed him, his muscles swelled by a circle. Now, activating an enhancement-type Spirit Ability, his muscles visibly expanded again. Not only did he grow taller, but his aura also became much more violent.
"First Spirit Ability, Rock Defense."
"Second Spirit Ability, Explosive Strength."
Subsequently, Tai Long charged into the ranks of the Canghui Team like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.
Of course, calling it a tiger entering a flock of sheep was a bit exaggerated. As fellow three-ring Spirit Elders, even with Ning Rongrong's buffs, Tai Long's strength wasn't overwhelmingly strong. Two members of the Canghui Team managed to barely hold Tai Long back, but they certainly couldn't last much longer.
Jing Ling and Huang Yuan's strength was significantly weaker than Tai Long's. Each of them found an opponent, and thanks to Ning Rongrong's attribute buffs, they were both able to suppress their opponents, looking like they would resolve their fights quickly.
At this point, among the seven members of the Canghui Team, the Spirit Ancestor-level captain was temporarily incapacitated by Ye Chen. Two members were holding back Tai Long, one was holding back Jing Ling, and one was holding back Huang Yuan. The remaining two were simply no match for Zhu Zhuqing.
Two Spirit Elders might be able to tie down a Tai Long with greatly increased attributes for a short time, but in front of Zhu Zhuqing, they were clearly not enough.
A divine-grade Spirit, an ultimate spirit ring configuration, plus a huge gap in levels—if she still couldn't instantly kill them, then Zhu Zhuqing wouldn't need to be a Spirit Master.
"First Spirit Ability, Dark Thrust."
The moment she activated her first Spirit Ability, Zhu Zhuqing, who was already incredibly fast, saw her speed surge again, transforming into a phantom and vanishing from her original spot.
In just a blink, Zhu Zhuqing's figure appeared before a member of the Canghui Team.
This wasn't Zhu Zhuqing using Teleportation without activating her Domain; rather, her speed was simply too fast for ordinary people's eyes to follow.
Then, facing the slow-reacting Canghui Team member, Zhu Zhuqing aimed her claws, filled with a dark aura, at his neck.
Of course, Zhu Zhuqing controlled herself very well. Her claws did not tear his throat; they merely brushed across his neck, leaving a thin trail of blood.
"!!!"
Feeling the anomaly on his neck, Zhang Jingyang reached out and touched it. Seeing a trace of blood on his fingertip, his pupils immediately constricted.
He knew that this was the agile-attack system Spirit Master in front of him, whose speed was incredibly fast, holding back.
Although the competition had rules against causing death, crippling opponents still happened occasionally. After all, in a Spirit Douluo, it was understandable to lose control.
With a difficult expression, Zhang Jingyang's face changed for a moment, then he stepped off the Douhun Stage.
This scene left the audience watching Douhun Stage Number Three a bit confused. Why would he just step down and concede?
Actually, there was no choice; whether actively or passively, Zhang Jingyang had to leave the Douhun Stage.
After all, every Douhun Stage had a referee. Spectators far away might not see clearly, but the referee saw everything perfectly.
Besides, the other party had already actively spared him. If he shamelessly continued to stay, he would definitely not have a good outcome. If he was given face and didn't take it, he might just get a severe blow.
Recalling Zhu Zhuqing's ghost-like speed, Zhang Jingyang couldn't help but shrink his neck.
One move, just one move, and he couldn't block a move from a Spirit Master of the same rank. Was this Zhu Zhuqing a three-ring Spirit Elder? Could there be such an outrageous Spirit Elder?
"Second Spirit Ability, Dark Claws."
After dealing with one opponent, Zhu Zhuqing's steps didn't stop, and she began to attack her next opponent.
How could a plain, ordinary three-ring Spirit Elder withstand ghost-like speed and incomparably sharp claws?
So, when Canghui Team Captain Shen Xinshui recovered from Ye Chen's 'blunt strike', what greeted his eyes was his teammate, Zhu Zizhang, being KO'd by a cute girl with a hot figure wearing a sexy leather outfit.
And on the Douhun Stage, his Canghui Team had fallen into an absolute disadvantage.
One teammate was KO'd, one teammate was already off the stage. Besides himself, the remaining four were also in precarious situations.
Indeed, previously, when Canghui Academy learned that their opponent Shrek had two Spirit Ancestors, the members they sent were the seven who could activate the Spirit Fusion Ability: Seven Asura Illusion Realm.
But all seven of them had gem-type Spirits and followed paths of mental control or support. Their flaws were very obvious. Without their Spirit Fusion Ability, they naturally couldn't defeat a normally configured team.
Furthermore, what bothered Shen Xinshui was that he apparently couldn't use his Spirit Abilities anymore? What was going on?
Chapter 160: The Time of Preparing to Make a Difficult Move
This was actually Shen Xinshui's misfortune; all four of his Spirit Abilities were mental force-based Spirit Abilities.
However, Ye Chen's third Spirit Ability, Banning God, precisely sealed off the opponent's mental force.
This led to Shen Xinshui, after being hit, transforming from a mental control system Spirit Master into a plain attack warrior unable to use Spirit Abilities.
Of course, if Ye Chen had used his fifth Spirit Ability, Silence, the effect would have been the same as now.
It's just that some mental force Spirit Masters, through long-term exploration, might even develop self-created mental force Spirit Abilities.
Therefore, when facing such a mental force Spirit Master, the effect of the third Spirit Ability, Banning God, is stronger than the fifth Spirit Ability, Silence.
Because the fifth Spirit Ability, Silence, only restricts spirit ring abilities and Soul Bone Skills; self-created Spirit Abilities are not within its scope of restriction.
Of course, the third Spirit Ability, Banning God, would have no effect on non-mental force Spirit Masters.
Watching Zhu Zhuqing instantly defeat another member of his team in the distance, Shen Xinshui knew that the Canghui Team's defeat was irreversible.
Just as Shen Xinshui, as the captain, was about to concede to the referee outside the arena on behalf of the Canghui Team, Shi Nian, the leader of the Canghui Team, spoke first.
"Referee, I concede on behalf of Canghui Academy."
Shi Nian said to the referee.
With three of their members already eliminated, and Captain Shen Xinshui inexplicably failing throughout the match, Shi Nian truly saw no hope of victory and could only concede on behalf of the Canghui Team.
In an unwinnable situation, continuing the fight was meaningless. After all, during the preliminary rounds, there was one match every day, so cutting losses in time and preserving strength was the best option.
"Stop the match! I announce that in the first round of the preliminaries, Group 3, Shrek Academy versus Canghui Academy, Shrek Academy wins!"
Hearing Shi Nian, the leader of Canghui Academy, concede on behalf of the academy, the referee immediately stopped the match and declared Shrek Academy victorious.
"Yay~!"
As soon as the referee announced the match results, Jiang Zhu, who had been a bystander throughout, was very happy and immediately made a V-sign.
That's right, among the seven participants, Jiang Zhu could be said to have been a complete bystander. Ning Rongrong at least buffed her teammates, and Ye Chen delivered a sneak attack, but Jiang Zhu only activated her Spirit?
The Shrek Team was happy, but the Canghui Team was not. After stepping off the arena, the seven walked up to Shi Nian, all looking dejected.
After a moment of Silence, Captain Shen Xinshui spoke.
"Teacher Shi Nian, I'm sorry, I was careless and failed to use my trump card at the first opportunity."
Regardless of whether he was a good person or a bad person, as the captain of the Canghui Team, he naturally had some responsibility. Shen Xinshui immediately took the blame for the match's failure.
"Teacher Shi Nian, don't blame the captain, blame me instead. My strength was too weak; that agility-attack system Spirit Elder with the cat-type Spirit eliminated me in one move."
Seeing Shen Xinshui being so loyal, Zhang Jingyang, who was the first to be eliminated, began to defend him.
With Zhang Jingyang taking the lead, the others also started to defend Shen Xinshui.
"Shen Xinshui, I saw you doing nothing on the arena. What's going on?"
If he, Shi Nian, wasn't the leader of the Canghui Team, he would have suspected that Shen Xinshui was throwing the match.
Hit on the head with a stick, was his brain knocked silly? As a four-ring Spirit Ancestor, could he not even use Spirit Abilities?
"Teacher Shi Nian, I was hit by a control system Spirit Ability earlier."
"control system Spirit Ability? Was it that stick?"
Shi Nian was stunned for a moment, then showed a look of understanding.
That's right, he had seen clearly at the time that Ye Chen, a level 39 Spirit Elder, had activated his third millennium Spirit Ability.
Shen Xinshui had taken a solid hit from a millennium Spirit Ability on his forehead. If this Spirit Ability were an offensive type, how could it have merely caused a bump?
However, if this Spirit Ability was a control type, then it made sense, as most control system Spirit Abilities do not have high damage.
"Yes, it was that stick. When I reacted, I found my mental force was sealed, and all my Spirit Abilities are mental force-based..."
Shen Xinshui was very depressed; the effect of this Spirit Ability was a perfect counter to him.
"Is that so?"
Shi Nian raised his eyebrows. He naturally knew about Shen Xinshui's situation. Being unable to mobilize mental force was equivalent to restricting the use of Spirit Abilities, no wonder it looked like he was throwing the match.
"Alright, one failure is nothing. You still have trump cards. We still have a chance to be in the top five of the preliminaries."
Shi Nian saw the low morale of his Canghui Team and immediately offered comfort.
Although he said that, Shi Nian also knew that this chance was not great.
Canghui Academy lost to Shrek Academy, and with the Spirit Ability fusion skill as a trump card, if it wasn't exposed, it should be able to defeat an Elemental Academy by surprise.
But once the trump card was exposed and others were prepared, there would be almost no chance of winning against an Elemental Academy.
Thus, this meant Canghui Academy would lose five matches, making it highly probable they would miss out on the top five of the preliminaries.
And the Shrek Team, on the surface, had two four-ring Spirit Ancestors. Excluding the five great Elemental Academies, they were basically guaranteed to win, and might even, with good luck, pull down a certain Elemental Academy.
The final ranking of the preliminaries was based on the number of points. Whoever had more points would rank higher.
For the Canghui Team to enter the top five of the preliminaries after losing five matches, the best way was to find a way to make Shrek Academy and a certain Elemental Academy lose more matches.
As for how to make the Shrek Team and a certain Elemental Academy lose more matches, wasn't it simple? Quietly eliminate a few main team members, wouldn't that work?
Of course, given the strong power of the Elemental Academies, each with Spirit Douluo-level experts in charge, they were not someone Canghui Academy could provoke, so Shi Nian dismissed that little thought.
But Shrek Academy, Shi Nian was not afraid at all, as long as he wasn't caught red-handed when making a move.
'It seems that for the honor of the academy being able to participate in the finals, this old man must get moving.'
Shi Nian narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself.
Apparently, Shi Nian at this time had not considered that Flender had already advanced to an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo.
...
On the other side, after winning the match, Ye Chen took Xiao Wu and the other two to the betting counter to cash out.
While waiting in line to cash out, Ye Chen also saw Flender arrive.
Indeed, Flender, that old sly merchant, would naturally not miss an opportunity to make money, probably betting all his family's assets, right?
Although Shrek Academy and Canghui Academy were not as well-known as the five great Elemental Academies and Tian Dou Royal Academy, they were still legitimate advanced Spirit Master academies, not truly unknown, and there were quite a few people betting.
Of course, because the four had disguised themselves, Flender failed to recognize them.
"Brother Chen, what are our odds this time?"
There were many people at the betting counter, and most of them were much taller than Ning Rongrong, which meant Ning Rongrong couldn't see the odds tables for the various matches hanging on the wall.
"Let me see, hmm, not bad, our odds are 1 to 1.7."
"1 to 1.7?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Rongrong's eyes immediately turned into dollar signs. Betting one million, after deducting the commission, she could still earn more than 600,000. These gold coins were too easy to make, weren't they?