Word Count: 2,895 Words
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Xu Jiujiu spat out a mouthful of blood, and in that instant her aura sharply declined. The spirit power within her body ran wild in all directions, and her Starglory Spell was forcibly dispelled, rendering it no longer able to weaken the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
"The Seven Treasures have names. The first is: Strength! The second is: Speed! The third is: Attack!"
Ning Tian chanted the incantation, and three dazzling, seven-colored rays shot into Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Bei Bei.
A resonant phoenix cry accompanied Ma Xiaotao as she unleashed Phoenix Wing Ascension, unfurling a pair of flaming wings behind her and charging toward the Netherworld Crazed Lion Spirit King.
All her previous frustration transformed into fury. She urgently needed to vent, her entire being seemingly becoming a Fire Phoenix. The scorching Phoenix flames intensified from fiery red to incandescent white. The sudden surge in temperature forced Dai Yueheng and Bei Bei on either side to quickly distance themselves from her.
The Netherworld Crazed Lion's strength lay in the word 'Netherworld,' allowing it to avoid most damage by shifting between reality and illusion. Yet, under the soaring Phoenix flames, the Netherworld Crazed Lion Spirit King was horrified to find he had nowhere to hide; he could only grit his teeth and face her head-on.
The members of Shrek Academy possessed exceedingly rich combat experience. Dai Yueheng immediately followed Ma Xiaotao's eruption, unleashing the White Tiger lineage's three classic amplification skills all at once: White Tiger Shield Body Barrier, White Tiger Vajra Transformation, and White Tiger Devilgod Transformation.
His physique, fortified by these triple boosts, became the toughest on the battlefield. He withstood a Dark Blast from the Darkdemon Tiger head-on with his chest. Planting his sharp white tiger claws onto the Darkdemon Tiger's shoulders, Dai Yueheng revealed a ferocious grin. His sixth spirit ring flared, and his twin claws simultaneously slashed downward across the opponent's chest, carving out a massive, intersecting black and white X symbol.
White Tiger Annihilation Slash!
Bei Bei's situation on the other side was also improving. Wang Yan had sent him into battle instead of Xu Sanshi for two reasons: first, Xu Sanshi's Xuanwu Outburst was unstable and required Jiang Nannan to be present, whereas Bei Bei could independently control the awakening of his Light Holy Dragon bloodline; second, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon possessed the lightning attribute, allowing him to resist the attacks of the opponent's Lightning Warfalcon Spirit King.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had been weakened by the Star Crown earlier. Due to the twenty-rank spirit power difference between Ning Tian and Xu Jiujiu, the effects of the Starglory Spell and the weakened Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda were roughly equivalent. It was precisely due to the robust physique granted by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon that Bei Bei had managed to hold on.
The Starglory Spell was now dispelled, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda once again displayed its power. The Lightning Warfalcon Spirit King broke into a cold sweat facing the increasingly formidable Bei Bei. In the end, Bei Bei seized an opportunity and unleashed his trump card, the Tyrannical Emperor's Thunderous Domain, settling the battle in one blow. The Lightning Warfalcon Spirit King experienced the shocking sensation of true lightning for the first time in his life and collapsed to the ground, convulsing.
The Gigant Eagle Spirit King was the most miserable member of Star Luo Imperial Academy's team. Ling Luochen released her fifth spirit skill, Ultimate Ice Sky Fury, with icy eyes, which resonated with Ling Bai's Empress' Sword: Unparalleled Chill in the distance. The temperature in the sky plummeted to a degree that seemed to freeze space itself. Snow and ice transformed into sharp blades that sliced toward the opponent.
The Gigant Eagle Spirit King's wings were blood-soaked, as though he had undergone a cruel execution by a thousand cuts. He plummeted headfirst toward the ground like a bird with broken wings. The referee, Heavenfiend Douluo Huang Jinxu, stepped in to save him at the critical moment.
Xu Jiujiu shook her head, finally recovering from the intense pain. She was then shocked to see that the fates of her four Spirit King teammates—the Netherworld Crazed Lion, Darkdemon Tiger, Lightning Warfalcon, and Gigant Eagle—were each more tragic than the last. The Wind and Fire Dual Control Spirit Masters also had the Empress' Sword: Unparalleled Chill and the Angel Sword at their throats. They were so frightened that they did not dare to move a muscle, afraid that a twitch of Ling Bai's hand would leave them with some unforgettable 'gift.'
The overall situation was decided. Xu Jiujiu was powerless to turn the tide. She slowly stepped forward and said to Ling Bai in a serious tone, "We didn't lose to Shrek Academy. We only lost to you. You hid your strength much deeper than we imagined."
In Xu Jiujiu's view, Shrek Academy was able to turn defeat into victory entirely due to Ling Bai's efforts. By breaking through the Star Barrier and then shattering the Class 7 Absolute Defense Barrier, he unraveled Star Luo Imperial Academy's tactics, completely altering the battlefield.
Ling Bai replied with a faint smile, "After truly witnessing the attribute isolation of the Star Barrier, I realize the Star Crown is indeed worthy of its illustrious reputation."
"Thank you."
Xu Jiujiu politely thanked him and turned to walk off the competition stage. As she turned, her beautiful eyes seemed to shimmer with unshed tears. The victory that had been within reach was suddenly overturned, and her proud heart found it hard to bear.
The match did not last long, but its intensity was absolutely the fiercest among all the team battles since the tournament began.
The situation abruptly reversed from the moment Star Luo Imperial Academy completely controlled the match's rhythm at the start to the instance when the Empress' Sword: Unparalleled Chill broke through two layers in succession. Shrek Academy erupted collectively to seize victory. The entire process was tense, thrilling, and extremely brilliant. Especially for the members of Shrek Academy who had been in the thick of it, even after the match ended they still felt lingering trepidation.
"You were hiding a left arm spirit bone all along?"
Ma Xiaotao came over, her pink, beautiful eyes filled with curiosity. She said in a low voice, "It felt like Ultimate Ice. It must be a 100,000-year spirit bone to break open that Class 7 Spirit Guidance Device, right? The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan is really generous!"
"Mm."
Ling Bai nodded slightly. The Angelic Domain had concealed it at the Starlight Auction House that day, so only Ling Luochen and the Skydream Iceworm knew about the existence of the Snow Empress's spirit bone. Today marked its first official appearance.
No one doubted the origin of the Snow Empress's spirit bone. This was the benefit of having a deep background; even if he used an extremely powerful spirit bone skill, they would assume that the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had taken out an ancestral spirit bone they had been saving. Even the young clan head Ning Tian secretly wondered if her mother had given Ling Bai special treatment without telling her.
"The first team battle of the semifinals: Shrek Academy defeats Star Luo Imperial Academy."
Heavenfiend Douluo's cold, lifeless voice announced the match result. The team battle between the Sun Moon Imperial Academy and the Heavenly Soul Empire's Imperial Mystical Academy would be in the afternoon.
All members of Shrek Academy attended to watch the match that afternoon. Although this battle was not as thrilling as the one between Shrek Academy and Star Luo Imperial Academy, the Sun Moon Imperial Academy displayed terrifying overall strength.
There were no dazzling clashes of spirit skills. The densely packed spirit rays covering the entire field easily blasted away Imperial Mystical Academy's super-strong lineup of one Spirit Emperor and six Spirit Kings.
According to Wang Yan, this year's Sun Moon Imperial Academy team was the strongest in history. Even if Shrek Academy's three main players—Gongyang Mo, Yao Haoxuan, and Xi Xi—had not been injured, Shrek Academy would still have faced grave danger this year.
A piece of good news arrived in the evening. Star Luo Imperial Academy knew that they were no match for Shrek Academy in the individual elimination matches, so Xu Jiujiu, representing Star Luo, conceded the individual matches. Shrek Academy advanced first to the finals, giving them a full four days to rest, recuperate, and formulate tactics against the Sun Moon Imperial Academy.
Dai Yueheng and Bei Bei had suffered some minor injuries in the previous battle, but four days were enough for them to recover to their peak condition.
The advancement of the Sun Moon Imperial Academy to the finals was a foregone conclusion. The Continental Elite Spirit Master Academy Tournament had reached its final stages, and the finale often heralded the arrival of the climax.
Countless spectators eagerly anticipated the clash of titans between the continent's number one Spirit Master Academy and the number one Spirit Guidance Master Academy.
…
Three days later, at night in the Star Emperor Hotel.
Ling Bai sat cross-legged on the soft bed in the spacious and luxurious room, meditating and cultivating as usual. Away from the abundant light power of the Ancient Golden Tree, his cultivation speed had slowed somewhat; in one month, his spirit power had only risen from Rank 55 to Rank 56, and that included the half rank gained from killing the Death God Envoy. At this rate, breaking through to a 7-ringed Spirit Saint would probably take three years.
When Xu Jiujiu took out the Bloodsea Heart back then, the Death Abyss Spider Emperor revealed its unfathomable hidden strength. Electrolux then overturned his previous plan to resolve it at seven rings and suggested that Ling Bai hasten to find 100,000-year Heaven and Earth Treasures of Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light as soon as possible.
The brilliant golden glow of spirit power suddenly receded. Ling Bai exited his meditative state, stood up, and walked toward the hotel room door. A knock sounded at the door in the next second.
Ning Tian stood outside in an aqua-blue long dress, her platinum-blonde hair setting off her fair, delicate skin. She said gently, "Bai-ge, Teacher Wang is calling us to the meeting room. It should be to arrange tactics for tomorrow's finals against the Sun Moon Imperial Academy."
"Alright."
The two of them walked together into the meeting room. The others also arrived one after another and took their seats.
Wang Yan clearly had not rested well these past few days preparing for the Sun Moon Imperial Academy. He had two extremely dark circles under his eyes and a half-meter-high stack of handwritten notes in front of him. He coughed and said in a deep voice:
"Today we will arrange our tactics. Let me first introduce the members of the Sun Moon Imperial Academy team. The captain, Ma Rulong, is a Class 6 Spirit Guidance Master. Among the other thirteen main and reserve members, there are eight Class 5 Spirit Guidance Masters, and the rest are all Class 4 Spirit Guidance Masters.
Everyone watched the team battle between the Sun Moon Imperial Academy and Imperial Mystical Academy. They defeated Imperial Mystical Academy in even less time than we took to beat Star Luo Imperial Academy. Imperial Mystical Academy had no chance from beginning to end under the suppressive firepower of their Spirit Guidance Devices.
Ma Rulong displayed his own formidable strength in the individual matches. Imperial Mystical Academy's captain, the Heavenquake Axe Spirit Emperor, could not stir up any waves before being utterly defeated by him. Everyone, do not underestimate Ma Rulong. Considering that the Sun Moon Imperial Academy has high-grade Spirit Guidance Devices from the Illustrious Virtue Hall, I believe he might not be weaker than Ling Bai in one-on-one combat."
The Shrek members fell into silence as they recalled the Class 7 Absolute Defense Spirit Guidance Device that Xu Jiujiu had used against Ling Bai; that thing had nearly changed the outcome of the battle. Ma Rulong would certainly bring out even more terrifying things. At that thought, everyone's hearts suddenly felt heavy.
Wang Yan continued, "The rules for the finals are generally similar to the semifinals: team battle, individual matches, and 2-2-3 matches, a best of three. There is only one difference: the three formats are held consecutively with almost no rest time in between.
In other words, the team members participating in the team battle will find it difficult to recover their spirit power in time for the individual matches, and those in the individual matches will find it hard to maintain peak condition for the 2-2-3 matches. This is where the depth of both teams' reserves is tested, and it is precisely our weakness.
According to the tournament rules, the members dispatched for the team battle and individual matches can be changed. After the team battle ends, we submit the list of names for the individual matches to the referee, and only the members on that list can participate in the subsequent 2-2-3 matches.
My idea is to secure victory in the team battle, exhaust the opponent as much as possible in the individual matches, and then decide the outcome in the 2-2-3 matches. The detailed plan is as follows: In terms of individual strength, Ling Bai and Ma Xiaotao are the strongest; therefore, you two will handle the team battle and the 2-2-3 matches, and rest during the individual matches to recover spirit power.
Ling Luochen is the core of the team battle and must take the stage. She will also participate in the team battle and the 2-2-3 matches. Dai Yueheng will only appear in the individual matches to heavily injure the opponents in one-on-one combat.
Team battle lineup: Ling Bai, Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen, Jiang Nannan, Xu Sanshi, Ning Tian, and Huo Yuhao.
Individual matches and 2-2-3 lineup: Ling Bai, Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, Bei Bei, He Caitou, and Wang Dong."
Wang Yan believed this was the most perfect lineup. The three main members, along with the individually weaker Ning Tian and Huo Yuhao, and with Jiang Nannan by Xu Sanshi's side to stabilize his Xuanwu Outburst, could ensure a steady victory in the team battle.
Ling Bai, Ma Xiaotao, and Ling Luochen would rest during the individual matches in preparation for the 2-2-3 matches. Dai Yueheng, Bei Bei, He Caitou, and Wang Dong would go all out to exhaust the opponents. In the decisive 2-2-3 matches, the three main members would return at full strength. Ling Bai and Ma Xiaotao could each secure a round and handle the Sun Moon Imperial Academy.
Most people had no objections to this plan. However, Dai Yueheng could not help frowning. As one of the main team members, his limelight had been overshadowed too much by Ling Bai, Ling Luochen, and Ma Xiaotao in this tournament.
Ling Bai's Seraphim swept away everything. Ling Luochen teamed up with Huo Yuhao to dominate the field, and Ma Xiaotao had unleashed her full firepower in the round of sixteen and quarterfinals. Among the four main members, he seemed to be the only one without any highlight moments.
This eldest son of the White Tiger Duke appeared nonchalant on the surface, but in reality, he was very proud like most powerful Spirit Masters.
But after some pondering, his brows slowly relaxed, for Wang Yan's arrangement did make sense. Compared to chaotic team battles, the White Tiger was more adept at one-on-one duels. In that case, he would defeat all opponents, allowing Shrek to avoid proceeding to the 2-2-3 matches!
In the following hour, Wang Yan provided detailed information on the powerful Spirit Guidance Devices used by the Sun Moon Imperial Academy's members and their cultivation focuses. Afterward, the meeting adjourned, and everyone returned to their rooms to rest.
Ning Tian followed Ling Bai all the way and showed no intention of leaving even when they reached his door. Ling Bai opened the door, made an inviting gesture, and teased:
"Xiao Tian, do you want to stay in my room tonight?"
Ning Tian's pretty face flushed red as she pulled Ling Bai into the room. She took an ancient book from her Storage Spirit Guidance Device and stuffed it into his hands.
Four large words were written on the cover of the ancient book: Secret Technique: Rings Fusion.
"Hmm?"
Ling Bai looked at Ning Tian in puzzlement. Why was she giving him the Rings Fusion technique out of the blue?
Ning Tian bit her red lips, worry flashing through her sapphire-blue eyes. "Who knows what strange Spirit Guidance Devices the Sun Moon Imperial Academy will bring out tomorrow? The Rings Fusion secret technique is very simple. With your talent, one night is enough to learn it.
Don't refuse! Rings Fusion isn't a clan secret; many major factions have records of it. I will only feel at ease if you learn it!"
She preemptively blocked Ling Bai's response, looking at him with a stubborn expression that seemed to say, 'If you don't accept this, I'm not leaving today.'
"Alright."
Gazing into those sapphire-blue eyes, Ling Bai saw the ripples stirring within them. A line crossed his mind unbidden: The favor of a beauty is hard to refuse, for her tender gaze is the most captivating of all…