Chapter 176 Ning Rongrong Wants to Play
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the qualifiers had reached the twelfth round.
These past few days, Ye Chen had been keeping a close eye on the daily matches.
So far, besides Elephant Armor Academy, Canghui Academy had also faced Tianshui Academy and Shenfeng Academy from the Elemental Academy.
However, as Ye Chen expected, whenever Canghui Academy went up against those minor academies, every match was a quick kill. Once their Spirit Fusion Skill was unleashed, the arena would be filled with colorful light, followed by Canghui's victory.
But when facing Tianshui Academy, the exposed Canghui Academy had four of its members instantly frozen by Shui Binger's first Spirit Ability at the start. Needless to say, Canghui Academy lost decisively.
And when facing Shenfeng Academy, Feng Xiaotian also didn't give Canghui Team a chance to use their Spirit Fusion Skill, taking them out in one swift move.
It could be said that Canghui Academy's flaws and weaknesses were very obvious. All seven of them had gem-type Spirits. As long as they weren't given a chance to unleash their Spirit Fusion Skill, even those minor academies could potentially defeat Canghui Academy.
The two Elemental Academies had too obvious an advantage and too low odds. Ye Chen found the small-time betting uninteresting, so he didn't place any bets.
As for Shrek Academy, they hadn't faced any Elemental Academies these days. Their opponents were all weak, and not only were the stakes small, but the odds were also very low, so Ye Chen didn't have much opportunity to get rich.
However, Thunderclap Academy faced Tianshui Academy three days ago.
Perhaps because Thunderclap Team's advantage was too obvious, coupled with the fact that only the top five would qualify for the preliminaries, Shui Binger of Tianshui Team did not use her Spirit Fusion Skill. As a result, the rough men of Thunderclap Academy thoroughly trounced the delicate 'Tianshui Girl Group'.
This match between Thunderclap Academy and Tianshui Academy allowed Ye Chen to make a small fortune.
Adding to his original 230 million gold coins, plus the over 1.7 million gold coins his 'filial son' contributed daily, Ye Chen now had a total of three small targets in his gold coin cards and the System Shop.
Overall, Ye Chen hadn't made a huge fortune these past few days.
However, today, the opportunity to get rich arrived.
Because in the twelfth round of the qualifiers, Shrek Academy was pitted against Blazing Fire Academy.
Although Shrek Academy currently maintained a twelve-game winning streak, looking at Shrek's opponents, besides Canghui Academy and Elephant Armor Academy, the rest were weak. Furthermore, in the match against Canghui Academy, Canghui Academy hadn't even had time to use its Spirit Fusion Skill.
Blazing Fire Academy, on the other hand, had also defeated Elephant Armor Academy, and Blazing Fire Academy had a famous reputation, while Shrek Academy had little. Therefore, many more people favored Blazing Fire Academy over Shrek Academy.
And this was exactly what Ye Chen wanted.
After all, the fewer people who favored Shrek, the more he could earn, right?
As soon as they arrived at the Great Spirit Arena, Ye Chen immediately had Ning Yu place a 100 million gold coin bet on Shrek Academy.
After dropping one small target, when Ye Chen left the betting counter, Shrek's odds had already fallen to 1 to 1.3.
Fortunately, the match was placed in the third group, and it was still early before the betting closed. Ye Chen estimated that Shrek's odds should still rise considerably by then.
Of course, making a small target daily was out of the question.
After all, Shrek now had the reputation of defeating Elephant Armor Academy, so even if they faced other Elemental Academies, the odds would definitely not be too high.
In fact, after Shrek defeated Blazing Fire Academy again, the odds for subsequent matches would be even lower.
While not every rich person is brilliant, it's safe to assume that most rich people are quite smart and shouldn't be treated as fools.
Ye Chen had already arranged the lineup for today's match against Blazing Fire Academy yesterday, after Flender drew the lots.
Just like in the previous match against Elephant Armor Academy, Shrek's lineup was still Tai Long, Jiang Zhu, Jing Ling, Huang Yuan, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing.
Without Zhu Zhuqing, the six of them—Ma Hongjun and the others—would clearly have stumbled against Blazing Fire Academy, but with Zhu Zhuqing as a safety net, they would absolutely not lose.
Although Huo Wu's strength was not weak, she was still more than a match for Zhu Zhuqing. Moreover, Zhu Zhuqing also had the unbeatable ability of Netherworld Domain's Dark Shadow Evasion.
"Brother Chen, do I get to go on stage too?" Ning Rongrong, watching her spirited companions from the stands, hugged Ye Chen's arm and began to playfully whine.
"Don't worry, you'll definitely have a chance to go on stage in the future," Ye Chen comforted Ning Rongrong.
Although in the previous eleven matches, due to Shrek Team's considerable strength, Jiang Zhu had been a complete bystander, with no opportunity to heal her teammates, Ye Chen still didn't let Ning Rongrong replace Jiang Zhu.
After all, in the subsequent promotion rounds, they would be one-on-one arena battles, and Jiang Zhu, as a healing-type Spirit Master, would definitely not be able to participate.
And as the competition entered the finals stage, Jiang Zhu's strength was indeed quite lacking, so she basically wouldn't have a chance to appear either. Therefore, Ye Chen would not replace Jiang Zhu in the qualifiers.
Not only Jiang Zhu, but Jing Ling and Huang Yuan were also in the same situation.
After all, since they came to participate in the Soul Master Competition, they had to be given a chance to perform.
Hmm, and also to hide their true strength, to make it easier for Ye Chen to earn money.
If, from the beginning, others knew that Shrek had six members with spirit power levels above forty, how could Ye Chen make money?
"Then how long will that be? Zhuqing has already been on stage so many times," Ning Rongrong said, a little aggrieved.
"Uh, Rongrong, I let Zhuqing go on stage to be a safety net for our Shrek Team. You see, aren't Xiao Wu and I just like you?" Ye Chen said, a little helpless.
Ye Chen would definitely not replace Zhu Zhuqing with Ning Rongrong.
Although with Ning Rongrong's assistance, even the strongest individual, Feng Xiaotian, might not be able to defeat Ma Hongjun, such a team composition was not very secure. No matter how strong, could they be stronger than Tianshui Team's Spirit Fusion Skill: Ice and Snow Decendance?
But even with a Spirit Fusion Skill, Tianshui Academy's specific ranking in the original qualifiers was not first, but fifth.
This shows that there is a very clear difference between solo combat and team combat. If the quality doesn't reach a certain upper limit, quantity is still very important.
A seven-person team with a healer, a food-type Spirit Master, and a support-type Spirit Master is clearly not a very reasonable configuration. If the remaining four were all four-ring Spirit Ancestors, that would be fine, but unfortunately, among the remaining four, only Ma Hongjun had reached the Spirit Ancestor level.
A team with tacit cooperation will definitely perform much better than a team with poor cooperation.
And the ten members of Shrek Team, due to the vast differences in their spirit power levels, had not specifically trained for team cooperation, so their Tacit Understanding (tacit understanding) was much lower than other academies. Therefore, Ye Chen needed Zhu Zhuqing as a safety net.
Chapter 177 Ma Hongjun's Way of Attracting Hatred
If Zhu Zhuqing didn't have the Netherworld Domain and the Dark Shadow Evasion ability, having her as a fallback wouldn't be 100% guaranteed.
But with Dark Shadow Evasion, it's a different story; high burst damage, high reaction speed, and unlimited Teleportation. Zhu Zhuqing could definitely take out an opponent in one move, and at that point, no matter how well coordinated the opponents were, it would be useless.
Of course, Zhu Zhuqing wouldn't reveal her trump cards if she could win without exposing them.
However, logically speaking, isn't a Spirit Fusion Skill very powerful? Why did Tianshui Team only rank fifth in the original work? Did they throw the match? Or was the Tianshui Team really weak, and their Spirit Fusion Skill: Ice and Snow Decendance, was rather underwhelming?
After much persuasion, Ye Chen finally managed to calm down the battle-eager Ning Rongrong.
He couldn't understand where this weak food system support Spirit Master, Ning Rongrong, got such confidence to be so warlike. He couldn't figure it out.
...
"Arena No. 1, Preliminary Round 12, Group 3, Shrek Academy versus Blazing Academy! Please welcome both teams to the stage!"
Due to the Shrek Team's continuous winning streak, the organizers of the Soul Master Competition were quite accommodating, placing today's match on the central arena.
Hmm, maybe Ye Chen was mistaken; this wasn't giving face to Shrek Academy, but rather to Blazing Academy?
"Zhuqing, you're representing me on stage, so cheer up!"
Before Zhu Zhuqing went on stage, Ning Rongrong said this to her.
Zhu Zhuqing: "..."
Representing her? What the hell is that?! Was she being forcibly represented?
Accompanied by the flashing Spirit 導 lights, the Shrek Team and the Chi Huo Battle Team ascended to Douluo Arena No. 1.
The match hadn't even started, but Ma Hongjun's gaze was immediately drawn to the provocatively dressed Miss Huo Wu.
There was no helping it; among the many female participants in this Soul Master Competition, Miss Huo Wu was undoubtedly the one whose attire seemed the most… revealing.
Hmm, perhaps it was because Miss Huo Wu's Spirit had fire attributes, so she felt a bit hot?
"You Fat-ass, where are you looking?!"
Huo Wu naturally noticed Ma Hongjun's unbridled gaze and immediately said, annoyed.
If Ma Hongjun's physique and looks were better, Miss Huo Wu wouldn't be so disgusted, but who could blame her when Ma Hongjun at this moment was a perverted Fatty?
Seeing that the Miss on the opposite side was about to explode, Ma Hongjun, who had come back to his senses, reluctantly shifted his gaze from Miss Huo Wu's cleavage.
Ma Hongjun had, after all, been with Ye Chen for many years. Under his influence, he hadn't learned much else, but he had quickly picked up Ye Chen's thick skin, not feeling the slightest bit embarrassed.
"Hmph~, you Fat-ass, you'll get yours later!"
Huo Wu glared fiercely at Ma Hongjun.
"Hey~, I say, you little wench, Grandmaster Ma is being lenient with you and not bothering to argue, but now you're getting cocky?"
With one "Fat-ass" after another, Ma Hongjun was also getting a bit annoyed.
He wasn't a simp like Feng Xiaotian; even if Miss Huo Wu was beautiful, he wouldn't indulge her.
"Little wench? Who are you calling Grandmaster? Damn you, you Fat-ass, just you wait!"
Huo Wu, who had never lacked admirers since childhood, was offended like this for the first time and immediately gritted her teeth in anger.
"Wait then, just wait. If you have the guts, let's have a one-on-one fight!"
Ma Hongjun retorted impolitely.
"Hmph~"
With a cold snort, Huo Wu didn't continue bickering with Ma Hongjun. Instead of continuing to play around, it would be better to teach him a lesson directly after the match started.
Zhu Zhuqing, on the side, gave him an unexpected glance, thinking to herself that this Fatty was quite clever.
In the Shrek Team's original battle plan, Huo Wu, the Blazing Fire Academy's strongest burst damage dealer, was to be contained by Ma Hongjun.
And Zhu Zhuqing, using her advantage in strength and speed, would deal with Fire Wushuang and Huo Yun, who were Spirit Ancestors of the four-ring level from Blazing Fire Academy.
As for the remaining four Spirit Elders on the opposing side, they would be left to Tai Long, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan.
"Preliminary Round, Twelfth Round, Group Three, Shrek Academy versus Blazing Fire Academy. The match will officially begin in one minute."
Soon, the referee's voice rang out.
Instantly, on the Douluo Arena, dense yellow and purple spirit rings bloomed, shining brightly.
One minute passed, and the match officially began.
"You Fat-ass, go to hell! Second Spirit Ability, Flame Tornado!"
At the start of the match, Miss Huo Wu shouted, her second spirit ring flashing slightly, and a small flame tornado swept towards Ma Hongjun.
"Holy crap~!"
Ma Hongjun hadn't reacted much, but Oscar, who was behind Ma Hongjun, immediately started jumping around and dodged.
He was a weak food system Spirit Master; if he got caught in that flame tornado, he would definitely be in for a bad time.
"Second Spirit Ability, Phoenix in Flames."
"Third Spirit Ability, Phoenix Wing Skyfall."
Facing Miss Huo Wu's combined control and attack Spirit Ability, Ma Hongjun dared not be negligent and immediately activated his second and third Spirit Abilities.
"First Spirit Ability, Phoenix Fire Wire."
A phoenix flame burst from Ma Hongjun's mouth, spraying towards the incoming flame tornado.
After being buffed by two amplification-type Spirit Abilities, Ma Hongjun's First Spirit Ability, Phoenix Fire Wire, was comparable to a thousand-year Spirit Ability, its power even surpassing Huo Wu's Second Spirit Ability, Flame Tornado.
The Phoenix Fire Wire clashed with the Flame Tornado, and almost instantly, the incoming flame tornado was shattered into countless sparks, falling onto the Douluo Arena floor. However, Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fire Wire had also almost completely dissipated, gradually extinguishing in the air.
"First Spirit Ability, Blazing Fireball."
When one move failed, Huo Wu threw another blazing hot fireball at Ma Hongjun.
It could be said that Ma Hongjun had completely drawn Miss Huo Wu's hatred.
And this also achieved the original goal of containment.
On the other side, Zhu Zhuqing, at the very beginning of the match, quietly activated her Soul Bone Skill: Netherworld Assault, and Soul Bone Skill: Netherworld Piercing, striding with her long legs in high-heeled leather boots, charging towards the Blazing Fire Academy's formation.
"First Spirit Ability, Blazing Fireball."
Facing the incoming Zhu Zhuqing, Fire Wushuang's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected Zhu Zhuqing's speed to far exceed that of ordinary Min-attack Soul Masters of the same rank, and immediately threw a Blazing Fireball at Zhu Zhuqing.
"First Spirit Ability, Netherworld Stab."
As a Min-attack Soul Master, Zhu Zhuqing specialized in speed, not defense. Even though she had cultivated the Creation Body Tempering Art and her physical defense was not weak, she still didn't want to directly withstand an opponent's Spirit Ability.
After activating her First Spirit Ability, which boosted her speed by another 150%, she changed her footwork and dodged Fire Wushuang's Blazing Fireball.
"Third Spirit Ability, Tyrannical Dragon's Rage."
"Fourth Spirit Ability, Tyrannical Dragon's Blazing Flame Kill."
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing about to charge forward, Fire Wushuang, as the captain of the Chi Huo Battle Team, couldn't hold back and directly activated his ultimate moves.
Chapter 178 This Soul Master is Too Powerful
Good heavens, are Min-attack Soul Masters these days all so headstrong?
Although an attack system Soul Master doesn't have much of an advantage against an agility-attack system Soul Master, this is under the premise that their spirit power levels are similar.
Fire Wushuang was a Level 42 attack system Spirit Ancestor, while this agility-attack system Soul Master with the 'Nether Cat Spirit' was only a Level 39 Spirit Elder. Without the help of other teammates, she dared to rush forward and offer herself up?
That's right, in Fire Wushuang's eyes, Zhu Zhuqing had specifically run over to offer herself up.
At this moment, Fire Wushuang hadn't realized that Zhu Zhuqing was also planning to deal with him and Huo Yun!
Facing the rapidly approaching tyrannosaurus-shaped flames, Zhu Zhuqing didn't dare to take it head-on. After all, this was the fourth Spirit Ability of a four-ring Spirit Ancestor. Without defensive Spirit Abilities, taking a hit would definitely result in heavy losses.
Immediately, Zhu Zhuqing changed her strategy. With a turn of her feet, she no longer focused on Fire Wushuang but instead attacked Huo Lie, the attack system Spirit Elder of the Chi Huo Battle Team.
It wasn't that Zhu Zhuqing didn't want to make Huo Yun, the Spirit Ancestor, her second target, but rather that she was powerless to do so.
Because among the Chi Huo Battle Team, there were two flying agility-attack system Soul Masters, Huo Yun and Huo Yu.
Huo Yun and Huo Yu were brothers, one a Spirit Ancestor and the other a Spirit Elder. Both of their Spirits were Fire Cranes, and at the start of the match, they had already flapped their wings and ascended into the air.
Zhu Zhuqing, lacking long-range attack Spirit Abilities, couldn't do anything about Huo Yun, who was flying in the sky, unless she had Oscar's Flying Mushroom Sausage to gain the ability to fly.
"Poof—"
The sharp claws of the Nether Cat Spirit tore through Huo Lie's protective spirit power. Amidst the blossoming blood, Zhu Zhuqing decisively eliminated one of Blazing Academy's combatants.
Even a defensive Spirit Ancestor using defensive Spirit Abilities couldn't withstand Zhu Zhuqing's attack, so there was even less to say for Huo Lie, who lacked defensive Spirit Abilities.
"Huo Lie!"
Seeing his teammate severely injured in one move, Fire Wushuang was furious and attacked Zhu Zhuqing.
Huo Yun, who was flying in the air, also noticed this and immediately prepared to work with Fire Wushuang to deal with this seemingly unremarkable but unusually 'vicious' agility-attack system Soul Master.
That's right, vicious, because Zhu Zhuqing could defeat a Soul Master of the same rank in one move. If that's not considered vicious, then what is?
"Fourth Spirit Ability, Fire Crane Scorching Plains!"
Huo Yun, in mid-air, unleashed his fourth Spirit Ability with a considerable area of effect against Zhu Zhuqing.
However, Zhu Zhuqing's speed was very fast, and her mental force was powerful. Her reaction speed was far superior to Soul Masters of the same rank. Additionally, AOE-type Spirit Abilities require a certain amount of time to form, so Huo Yun's Fire Crane Scorching Plains was naturally wasted.
"So fast? Is this really a Spirit Elder?"
Seeing his ultimate move miss, Huo Yun cursed under his breath. He had never seen an agility-attack system Spirit Elder with such strong attacks and speed. Could this be a high-level agility-attack system Spirit Ancestor in disguise?
After all, Huo Yun himself was an agility-attack system Spirit Ancestor, but he found that his speed couldn't keep up with Zhu Zhuqing's. This was outrageous!
"Third Spirit Ability, Nether Slash!"
Ignoring Huo Yun's curses in the air, Zhu Zhuqing quickly rushed to Fire Wushuang's front. Her hands clasped above her head, the claw blades on her ten fingers rapidly merged, forming a foot-long, dark-aura-filled claw-shaped blade. Then, with lightning speed, she slashed down towards Fire Wushuang.
"Second Spirit Ability, Tyrannosaurus Guard!"
Sensing the threat of the Nether Slash, Fire Wushuang immediately released his only defensive Spirit Ability.
Instantly, dense, flame-infused tyrannosaurus scales, appearing exceptionally thick, emerged on Fire Wushuang's body.
"Bang—"
The tyrannosaurus scales and protective spirit power that appeared on Fire Wushuang's body were almost like foam under Zhu Zhuqing's sharp claw blade, which was filled with a dark aura, breaking with a single poke.
"Pfft—"
The sound of the claw blade entering flesh rang out, and crimson blood bloomed on his chest. Fire Wushuang was severely wounded.
After Fire Wushuang was severely wounded, the Shrek Team had basically secured victory.
Because among the seven members of the Chi Huo Battle Team, Huo Lie and Fire Wushuang had already lost their combat ability, while Huo Wu was currently fighting Ma Hongjun back and forth, and the outcome would not be decided in a short time.
As one of the only three Spirit Ancestors in the Chi Huo Battle Team, Huo Yun, despite having the advantage of flight, still couldn't do anything about Zhu Zhuqing.
And Huo Yu, Huo Chui, and Huo Jun were currently being suppressed by Tai Long, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan, because Huo Chui and Huo Jun were support system Soul Masters.
If Huo Yun hadn't used his third Spirit Ability, Fire Crane Clone, to protect the two weak support, Huo Chui and Huo Jun would have been eliminated long ago.
"Boss, how are you?"
Seeing Fire Wushuang lying on the ground, severely wounded, Huo Yun immediately asked.
"Cough cough~, I won't die, she's very strong, be careful."
Fire Wushuang said with a hint of unwillingness.
He had originally thought Zhu Zhuqing was coming to offer herself up, but he never expected her strength to be so great. With just one move, he was severely wounded.
Although he had been somewhat careless, Fire Wushuang knew that even if he hadn't been careless, the outcome would still have been the same.
However, what he couldn't understand was, when could a mere Level 39 agility-attack system Spirit Elder instantly kill a four-ring attack system Spirit Ancestor?
On the other side, after Zhu Zhuqing dealt with Fire Wushuang, she immediately ran over to Oscar.
After all, without Oscar's Flying Mushroom Sausage, Zhu Zhuqing really couldn't take down the winged Huo Yun and Huo Yu.
Oscar saw Zhu Zhuqing return and immediately threw over the Flying Mushroom Sausage he had already prepared.
When Zhu Zhuqing faced Huo Yun again, she already had wings on her back.
Huo Yun was already at a significant disadvantage against Zhu Zhuqing. Now that Zhu Zhuqing had compensated for her inability to fly, dealing with Huo Yun, the flying Spirit Ancestor, was naturally easy and pleasant.
Moreover, Oscar's Flying Mushroom Sausage had the same flying speed as a four-thousand-year-old Phoenix-tailed Cockscomb Snake. Soul Masters with flying Spirits were not true flying Spirit Beasts after all, and their speed was significantly slower.
The Soul Dueling Arena wasn't large. Although Huo Yun tried his best to dodge, he still couldn't last more than half a minute before being KO'd by Zhu Zhuqing's second Spirit Ability, Nether Claws.
After dealing with Huo Yun, Zhu Zhuqing didn't stop, helping Tai Long and the other two to eliminate Huo Yu, Huo Chui, and Huo Jun.
Huo Yu and the other two were already at a disadvantage against Tai Long and the other two's offensive. With Zhu Zhuqing's addition, they immediately collapsed.
Following Huo Lie, Fire Wushuang, and Huo Yun, Huo Yu, Huo Chui, and Huo Jun were tragically eliminated. At this point, on the entire Soul Dueling Arena, only Huo Wu remained with combat capability for the Chi Huo Battle Team.
Chapter 179 A Chance to Be a Humble Dog
"You little brat, now your Chi Huo Battle Team only has you left. Why don't you just surrender?" Ma Hongjun said to Miss Huo Wu with a playful expression.
"Damn it~" Huo Wu had a very strong personality. For her to just surrender? That was impossible. Even if she lost, she would fight until the very last moment.
"Third Spirit Ability, Resisting Fire Ring." A dazzling ring of flames instantly erupted from Huo Wu, and the powerful repulsion directly sent Ma Hongjun, who was flying in mid-air, tumbling.
"spirit ring fusion! Fourth Spirit Ability, Fire Dance Blazing Sun!" Seeing the fat pig in front of her stumble, Huo Wu immediately prepared to unleash her ultimate move to deal with Ma Hongjun.
Although Blazing Fire Academy was going to lose this match, they absolutely could not be completely defeated! Otherwise, Blazing Fire Academy would lose too much face.
At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing, who was originally on the side preparing to watch the show and let the foul-mouthed Ma Hongjun fight Huo Wu alone, immediately made her move.
Zhu Zhuqing knew that Huo Wu's ultimate move was powerful. Even Hu Yeli, with his extremely strong defense, couldn't withstand it, let alone Ma Hongjun, who lacked defensive Spirit Abilities.
With a shake of the flying light wings formed by the Flying Mushroom Sausage on her back, Zhu Zhuqing flashed in front of Huo Wu, extending sharp claws and placing them on Miss Huo Wu's fair neck.
"Stop!" Zhu Zhuqing was able to succeed so easily because Huo Wu's ultimate move had a relatively long wind-up time, which allowed her to seize an opening.
"..." Feeling the sharpness at her neck, Huo Wu fell into Silence.
"I surrender!" After saying these three words, Huo Wu felt a complete lack of strength, experiencing this sense of defeat for the first time in her life.
"Damn it~, Grandpa Ma almost fell for it!" At this moment, Ma Hongjun stood up, cursing.
Undeniably, Huo Wu's third Spirit Ability, Resisting Fire Ring, was indeed a powerful control-type Spirit Ability, but the reason he almost 'capsized in a ditch' just now was also partly due to Ma Hongjun's overconfidence, seeing victory within reach.
Ma Hongjun's 'Grandpa' again drew an angry glare from Miss Huo Wu.
"Round twelve, Shrek Academy versus Blazing Fire Academy, Shrek Academy wins!" After Huo Wu surrendered, the Chi Huo Battle Team was completely defeated, and the referee immediately announced the match results.
"Shrek!" "Shrek!" "Shrek!" The audience was in an uproar.
So far, twelve rounds of competition had taken place, and Shrek Academy had maintained a winning streak, even defeating Elephant Armor Academy and Blazing Fire Academy from the Elemental Academy, gaining considerable popularity.
If Canghui Academy was likened to the dark horse of this Soul Master Competition's Tian Dou Competition Zone, then Shrek Academy was a big dark horse.
After all, Canghui Academy had already been defeated by Shrek Academy.
Even if Shrek Academy wasn't a match for Tianshui Academy, Thunderclap Academy, or Shenfeng Academy later on, they could still secure one of the five qualifying spots in the preliminaries.
As for those unremarkable supporting academies that couldn't even beat Elephant Armor Academy and Blazing Fire Academy, they certainly wouldn't be able to beat Shrek Academy.
After the match ended, Ye Chen, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong immediately headed to the exit channel of the Douhun Stage to welcome their teammates.
However, at the exit of the Douhun Stage, Ye Chen noticed that the big simp Feng Xiaotian was also there.
Soon, the victorious Shrek Team, as well as the defeated Chi Huo Battle Team, emerged.
"Zhuqing, Zhuqing, well done!" As soon as Zhu Zhuqing came out, Ning Rongrong immediately went to greet her, completely oblivious to the fact that Huo Wu's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot when she praised Zhu Zhuqing.
"Huo Wu, don't be unhappy. Victory and defeat are common in war!" Feng Xiaotian noticed Huo Wu's extremely displeased expression and immediately transformed into a doting simp, comforting his goddess.
"Hmph~" Huo Wu snorted coldly, ignoring her number one simp.
A few days ago, Feng Xiaotian, for some unknown reason, had called her to a secluded place and, caught off guard, forcibly kissed her. She had immediately beaten him up, so Huo Wu hadn't given him a good look recently.
"Brother, Huo Lie, are your injuries serious?" Huo Wu turned her head, worriedly asking Fire Wushuang and Huo Lie, who were being supported by their teammates.
"Cough cough~, I'm alright, I won't die." Fire Wushuang said with a look of Weakness, but as he spoke, he aggravated his injuries, and blood seeped from the wound on his chest again.
"Damn it, why did you Shrek people strike so heavily?!" Huo Wu glared at Zhu Zhuqing with an angry expression.
"Isn't it because your own strength isn't good enough? How can you blame our Zhuqing for striking heavily now?" Ning Rongrong's young Miss temper immediately flared up, and she retorted.
In a competition, it was natural not to hold back. As long as no one died or suffered irreversible injuries, getting hurt was a normal phenomenon. This was the first time she had seen someone blame an opponent for striking heavily.
"You~" Huo Wu immediately wanted to retort, but unfortunately, Ning Rongrong was right; if one's strength was insufficient, one couldn't blame others for striking heavily.
"Feng Xiaotian, don't you like me? As long as you can defeat the Shrek Team, I'll agree to be with you!" In her anger, Huo Wu turned to Feng Xiaotian and said.
This wasn't because Huo Wu had lost her mind. On one hand, Feng Xiaotian was quite outstanding among his peers, and Huo Wu didn't feel she was compromising herself. On the other hand, ever since Feng Xiaotian forcibly kissed her last time, Huo Wu felt that Feng Xiaotian also possessed a manly aura, and coupled with his years of dedicated simping, it wasn't impossible to give him a chance.
"Really? That's great! Huo Wu, don't worry, I will definitely avenge you then!" Hearing that his goddess Huo Wu had given him a chance, Feng Xiaotian was immediately overjoyed, patting his chest and promising.
"Wait until you defeat them before you say anything!" Huo Wu left with these words, hurrying away, as Fire Wushuang and Huo Lie's injuries were not light, and her other teammates also had various injuries, urgently needing treatment.
"Tch, just you?" Ning Rongrong pouted. Shenfeng Academy wanted to defeat Shrek Academy? Dream on! Unless it was a fixed match.
"All you Shrek people, listen up! Grandpa Feng will beat you so hard you'll call him daddy!" After Huo Wu left, Feng Xiaotian, who had originally been a humble simp, immediately straightened his back, upgrading to Grandpa Feng.
"Hey~, I say, Feng Xiaotian, are you really that ungrateful?" Ye Chen said to Feng Xiaotian with a dark expression.
In this day and age, even simps want to be daddies? What a joke!
"Hmm? Ungrateful? When did I, Feng Xiaotian, owe you Shrek Academy a favor?" Feng Xiaotian said with a bewildered expression.
"It seems you've forgotten who taught you how to pick up girls at the betting stall a few days ago." Ye Chen gave Feng Xiaotian a meaningful look
Chapter 180 I don't do business with poor people!
"Uh, you're that 'Love Guru' uncle?"
Feng Xiaotian asked with some uncertainty. He clearly remembered that not many people seemed to know about it at the time, and the Shrek Team wasn't present, right?
So, the only explanation was that the uncle at the time was Ye Chen in disguise.
"Indeed!"
Ye Chen nodded with a smile.
"Then who are Auntie Ruhua, Cuihua, and Chunhua?"
"Don't call me auntie!"
Before Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing could speak, Ning Rongrong immediately said, displeased.
"I've been looking for you guys for days and couldn't find you. So, you were in disguise!"
Feng Xiaotian suddenly understood. No wonder he hadn't been able to find Ye Chen and the other three for days.
"Now you know, right? Aren't you going to apologize to us?"
Ning Rongrong straightened her back, full of momentum.
"Apologize? Hehe, apologize for what? You said I could win over Huo Wu, but that wasn't the case at all. I ended up getting a beating from Huo Wu.
I haven't even gotten my revenge on you yet! Do you still have the nerve to appear before me?"
Feng Xiaotian's face darkened as he glared at Ye Chen, who had given him 'bad advice'.
'This big simp got a beating?'
Ye Chen secretly delighted, but on the surface, he remained calm.
Ye Chen was roughly aware of Huo Wu's temper; she was very fiery. Feng Xiaotian acting like a hooligan and getting a beating was considered light. Not getting a comminuted fracture meant Miss Huo Wu was merciful.
"Feng Xiaotian, did you do as I told you?"
"I pulled Huo Wu into a corner and kissed her forcefully, but her reaction was completely different from what you said!"
"Then you definitely didn't strictly follow the method I taught you."
Ye Chen shook his head at Feng Xiaotian.
"What?"
Feng Xiaotian was a bit confused.
"At first, a Miss's reaction is definitely intense. You absolutely have to strike while the iron is hot and keep at it. But what about you? You probably didn't dare to fight back when hit, or talk back when cursed at, right? Being so indecisive, no wonder you couldn't achieve anything great!"
Ye Chen said with a look of disdain.
"This~"
After thinking about it, Feng Xiaotian felt that Ye Chen was right. He had indeed only focused on taking the beating and hadn't taken the next step.
"It's not that the method I taught you was ineffective, but that you didn't follow my instructions. Of course, it wouldn't work!
Besides, did you suffer a loss? You just got a beating, right? Men, a little injury is nothing. Anyway, you got the advantage!"
Listening to Ye Chen's 'golden rules,' Feng Xiaotian couldn't help but nod.
That was true. Even after several days, Feng Xiaotian could still recall Miss Huo Wu's fiery red lips, feeling a bit parched.
"Then why aren't you hurrying up? Start acting immediately?"
Ye Chen looked at him as if he was disappointed.
"Hmm, not bad… Wait, are you trying to harm me again?"
Suddenly, Feng Xiaotian looked at Ye Chen with an unfriendly expression.
Feng Xiaotian, as a talented young man with a functioning brain, absolutely couldn't be fooled by Ye Chen again!
'Hmm? He wasn't fooled?'
Ye Chen was a bit surprised. When did this big simp become so smart?
"Hmph~, Huo Wu already said that as long as I defeat you, she'll agree to date me. I don't need your messy methods anymore!"
Feng Xiaotian felt that instead of executing Ye Chen's seemingly unreliable methods, it was better to defeat the Shrek Team honorably. Then, Miss Huo Wu would become his girlfriend, wouldn't she?
"Oh? Are you sure you can defeat us?"
Ye Chen was a bit surprised. It seemed Feng Xiaotian was still young, hadn't been severely beaten, and didn't know the harshness of society!
"Hmph hmph~"
Feng Xiaotian didn't say anything, as he was very confident in his own strength.
"Very good, I appreciate your confidence. We'll have a match then. But I have a way for you to win guaranteed. Are you interested in hearing it?"
"Hmm? A guaranteed way to win? Then tell me~"
Feng Xiaotian was very interested in Ye Chen's guaranteed way to win.
"You're confident in your Shenfeng Team's strength, and I'm also confident in our Shrek Team's strength. If your Shenfeng Team is strong, then consider I said nothing.
But if our Shrek Team can win, as long as you can pay the price of one hundred million gold coins, it's not impossible for our Shrek Team to let you win."
Ye Chen tempted Feng Xiaotian.
If he could earn some extra money, match-fixing wasn't a big deal. Making money wasn't shameful!
Besides, in the preliminaries, as long as they made it into the top five, being first wasn't that important.
Of course, the premise was that the benefits of match-fixing were substantial; otherwise, if the teammates split it, there wouldn't be much left.
!!!
Feng Xiaotian's eyes widened. This was possible?
Didn't this mean that whether he had the strength to defeat the Shrek Team or not, Miss Huo Wu would be his?
However, one hundred million gold coins, even if he sold himself, Feng Xiaotian couldn't come up with it.
Of course, Feng Xiaotian also knew that this was merely Ye Chen making an exorbitant demand, and there was still room for negotiation.
"One hundred million is too much, I can't afford it."
Although Feng Xiaotian was confident in his Shenfeng Team's strength, this didn't prevent him from making this small calculation.
After all, if they won, then this matter wouldn't exist. But if they lost, Miss Huo Wu would be gone.
Which was more important, gold coins or Miss Huo Wu? Did he even need to ask? Miss Huo Wu was definitely more important~!
"Then how many gold coins do you have?"
Ye Chen secretly cursed Feng Xiaotian for being a pauper.
The benefits of match-fixing were immense. Not only could he earn a sum from Feng Xiaotian, but he could also make a profit from the betting odds.
After all, when placing bets, Ye Chen always entrusted the funds to Ning Yu and the others to manage, and there was no restriction against betting on the opponent to win. Ye Chen was thinking of earning double the money.
"Just over eight hundred thousand gold coins."
Feng Xiaotian was straightforward and stated the amount of gold coins in his pocket.
If he hadn't bet on every Blazing Fire Academy match as a simp, which earned him a lot, Feng Xiaotian wouldn't have had that much in his pocket!
"Get out, get out, you pauper, don't talk to me!"
Immediately, Ye Chen abandoned the idea of doing business and directly left with the Shrek Team.
Are you kidding? Although Ye Chen was extremely greedy for money, a mere eight hundred thousand gold coins truly wasn't worth his attention.
—I don't do business with paupers!
"Uh~, am I very poor?"
Looking at Ye Chen's departing back, Feng Xiaotian was a bit puzzled.
He was a rich person with over eight hundred thousand gold coins in his pocket, yet he was despised as a pauper?
He knew that his companions didn't even have as much money as him!
When did the definition of a pauper on the continent become so high? He couldn't figure it out!