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After a day of rest, the preliminaries continued.
In this round, the Royal Fighting Team's opponent was Tianshui Academy. Like Blazing Academy, this team's ice and snow abilities still had a strong suppressive effect on Dugu Yan's poison mist control.
Under both high and low temperature conditions, Dugu Yan's threat would be greatly reduced, and this was an unavoidable issue of elemental counter.
"Based on observations from previous matches, Tianshui Academy's strength is very high, on par with Blazing Academy. However, we're not sure if they've used their full power, as the teams they've faced so far haven't been too strong, mostly consisting of Spirit Masters who are all Spirit Ancestors."
Xue Qinghe, as the team leader, was introducing the relevant intelligence to everyone.
"The Tianshui Academy team has three Spirit Ancestors or higher. The captain, Shui Bing'er, is a control system Spirit Master. Her Spirit is a bit special, different from what she reported."
"Different?" Dugu Yan was startled.
"Then what is her Spirit?"
"If there are no surprises, it should be a top-tier ice-attribute Beast Spirit, the Ice Phoenix, not inferior to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit," Xue Qinghe said.
"After all, the dean of Tianshui Academy has this Spirit."
"As the five most powerful advanced Spirit Master academies under the Tiandou Empire, the deans of the Five Great Elemental Academies are at least high-level Spirit Saints. However, they are all figures from decades ago, and few in the Spirit Master's world know their names anymore."
"These five academies either have connections with the Seven Great Sects, or they are great nobles of the Tiandou Empire, or they have close ties with the Seven Great Families. Among them, the dean of Tianshui Academy is also the Lord of Tiandou City, an old Marquis of the Tiandou Empire."
"Then why would she hide her Spirit?" Xiao Wu asked, puzzled.
"I don't know. Perhaps to hide her strength, or perhaps there's some issue with her family. After all, that old Marquis of Tiandou City…" Xue Qinghe shook his head helplessly.
"He's quite the womanizer."
"Hmm?" Dugu Yan and the others' expressions subtly changed, their gossip-loving hearts immediately piqued.
"Crown Prince, could you elaborate?"
Xue Qinghe's eye twitched slightly, "We are discussing the competition now."
"It's fine. Anyway, I'm countered, so Xuan Ming will definitely carry us," Dugu Yan said righteously.
Xue Qinghe was speechless for a moment, "Alright, don't spread rumors outside. Shui Hantian is, after all, an old Marquis of the Tiandou Empire."
"Yes, yes, yes! Our lips are sealed!" Everyone nodded repeatedly, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Xue Qinghe paused, then slowly began, "Among the Five Great Elemental Academies, Tianshui Academy has the most stringent enrollment requirements and is the only one among the Five Great Elemental Academies open to commoners. Besides a water-attribute Spirit, they have two additional requirements: first, they only accept female students, and second, they don't accept anyone who isn't a beauty."
"Connect that with this philandering dean, and… do you understand?"
Dugu Yan's eye twitched slightly, "Playing it so wild?"
Xue Qinghe shrugged slightly, "While it's not as exaggerated as you might imagine, these special requirements of the academy were indeed what this dean initially wanted. Who can blame him? He's an old Marquis of the Tiandou Empire, after all."
"However, later, this old Marquis married several wives, all of whom were graduates of Tianshui Academy. His wives weren't very good-tempered, and coupled with the old Marquis's advancing age, he reined in his behavior quite a bit."
Although these matters sound somewhat unsavory, Shui Hantian is first and foremost a Spirit Douluo powerhouse, holding a high position in the Spirit Master's world. Moreover, he is also the Lord of Tiandou City and an old Marquis of the Tiandou Empire. Let alone commoners, even female Spirit Masters from noble backgrounds, there were many who wished to get involved with him.
Such situations are not uncommon in the Spirit Master's world, but someone like Shui Hantian, who so brazenly established an academy to cause trouble, is a unique case.
"So, the reason Shui Bing'er is hiding her Spirit is very likely because of this dean of Tianshui Academy?" Ning Rongrong asked strangely.
Xue Qinghe nodded slightly, "There's that possibility. This dean doesn't have a good reputation. Some of his descendants also caused some scandals in the past. It's normal for a girl like Shui Bing'er to hide her Spirit, not wanting to be associated with him."
"However, Shui Hantian's reputation has rarely been mentioned in recent years, so even if she didn't hide it, not many people would actually think of it."
"Alright, enough with the gossip. Let's talk about the competition."
"The competition?" Dugu Yan and her companions all turned their gazes to Xuan Ming, who had been lying on the side pretending to sleep since the beginning.
"Captain, it's up to you!"
"That's right! The opponents are all girls, and you're best at bullying women!"
Xuan Ming's previously closed eyes slowly opened. He glared at everyone in annoyance, "What do you mean I'm best at bullying women?"
"Didn't you bully us last night?" Ning Rongrong looked unconvinced.
"Bully?" Xue Qinghe's expression subtly changed.
"What did you all do last night?"
Hu Liena had originally planned to sneak to Xuan Ming's bed in the middle of the night, but she was caught outside the hotel!
Damn it! Guarding against external threats day and night, but it's hard to guard against internal ones!
How could she have forgotten about these little hussies in the hotel!
"We were clearly worried something might have happened to him, which is why we accidentally disturbed him! And what happened? He gave us huge bumps on our heads!" Ning Rongrong said, annoyed.
Xue Qinghe was startled, "Huge bumps on your heads?"
"That's right, they only disappeared this morning," Xiao Wu also glared at Xuan Ming.
After so many years, she had forgotten!
This black-hearted scoundrel really did strike!
One flick to the forehead equaled one bump!
"You… all got hit?" Xue Qinghe's eye twitched slightly.
"Otherwise?" Dugu Yan couldn't help but touch her smooth forehead.
Xuan Ming always treated everyone equally!
If he was going to hit, he hit everyone!
Never favoring one over another!
"No, Gu Yuena was the one who kicked the door open, so she got hit twice," Dugu Yan added.
If it had been before, she would have been the one to get hit twice!
Yesterday, when they kicked the door, she was a step slow, so Gu Yuena ended up getting hit!
Xue Qinghe's mouth twitched slightly, and he looked at Xuan Ming with a strange expression, "You really are…"
"Who told them to kick the door?" Xuan Ming sat up.
"They don't learn good things, only these. They're even less civilized than me."
Xiao Wu pouted, "You're civilized…"
Xuan Ming glanced at Xiao Wu, "Hmm?"
Xiao Wu's expression froze, "I was wrong!"
Xuan Ming sighed, "When you enter my room, remember to knock. Don't sneak around, and don't kick the door like that. It's very dangerous."
If the Dark Demonic Evil Lightning he had condensed at the time hadn't been weak, and if he hadn't forcibly retracted most of its energy, the scattered Dark Demonic Evil Lightning wouldn't have just made the room a mess!
He was fine with Evil God Protection, but others couldn't withstand that… "Nana, what's wrong?"
The competition was about to begin, and Bibi Dong also led the Spirit Hall contingent to the VIP seats. Seeing the sullen Hu Liena, Bibi Dong was a bit puzzled.
Didn't this girl go to find Xuan Ming last night?
She hadn't returned all night, so she probably slept in his arms. She shouldn't be unhappy, right?
"Teacher, I'm fine." Hu Liena grew even more depressed.
Last night, as soon as she approached the Tiandou Royal Hotel, she ran into Xue Qinghe. Xuan Ming had previously revealed Xue Qinghe's identity to her, that she was Qian Renxue, whom she had seen before.
As a result, she was invited to Xue Qinghe's room and sat there all night!
She wasn't allowed to leave, wasn't allowed to sleep, wasn't even allowed to cultivate. Xue Qinghe watched her like a hawk!
She was stared at intently for the entire night!
Walking up to the VIP seats, Bibi Dong and Yue Guan's group headed for the first row. Hu Liena still sat in the second row, next to Xue Qinghe.
Seeing Xue Qinghe walking towards the VIP seats, Hu Liena felt a little flustered, "Teacher, can I change…"
Bibi Dong turned her head, "What's wrong?"
Before Hu Liena could say anything, Xue Qinghe suddenly walked up to her side and transmitted a message, "You probably don't want to stay up all night with me again, do you?"
Hu Liena's expression froze, "No, nothing."
Bibi Dong frowned slightly. Looking at the smiling Xue Qinghe and then at the depressed Hu Liena, she roughly guessed what had happened last night.
However, in the current setting, she couldn't say much.
In the first row of the VIP seats, looking at Hu Liena, whom Bibi Dong had brought along again, Gu Rong couldn't help but transmit a message to Ning Fengzhi, "Fengzhi, that little girl must be the Supreme Pontiff's disciple, right?"
Ning Fengzhi nodded, transmitting back, "It should be. In the last Soul Master Competition, the Supreme Pontiff also brought her to Tiandou City."
"This little girl is somewhat dangerous," Gu Rong said seriously.
"I can't even discern her depth."
If even his eyesight couldn't discern her depth, it meant that this little girl not only had a special Spirit but also possessed extremely high control over her own power, capable of internalizing her aura.
For a Spirit Master of this age, achieving this step was not a simple matter. At least so far, among the teams that had appeared in this Soul Master Competition, he hadn't seen anyone else achieve this.
"Her disciple, naturally, is not simple," Ning Fengzhi, however, seemed calm.
Bibi Dong was a rare genius of Spirit Hall, a prodigy seen only once in a thousand years, belonging to his generation. In the Soul Master Competition of that year, Bibi Dong was also around the same age as Xuan Ming. In an era where even Spirit Ancestors were extremely rare, Bibi Dong competed with the cultivation of a high-level Spirit King, winning the championship for Spirit Hall with an absolutely crushing advantage.
Less than a year after the competition, Bibi Dong broke through to Spirit Emperor cultivation and was made the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall. If the Clear Sky Sect's Tang Chen hadn't been around back then, and if there hadn't been the Clear Sky Twins, the Spirit Master's world would have almost become a solo show for Spirit Hall.
"First things first, you better not get all giddy later."
As they were about to step onto the central fighting arena, Shui Bing'er, the captain of the Tianshui Academy team, reminded them with some apprehension.
When the Royal Fighting Team faced Blazing Academy before, she had personally seen her teammates cheering for Xuan Ming!
Especially her younger sister! It felt like if Xuan Ming beckoned, this girl would defect in a minute!
"Got it, big sister, I'm not someone who can't tell the situation apart," Shui Yue'er said with a guilty conscience.
"You can tell? If I hadn't stopped you, you probably would have gone upstairs to find him in the hotel, wouldn't you?" Shui Bing'er said, exasperated.
"Exactly, I saw you sneaking off several times."
"I saw it too…"
Shui Bing'er glanced at everyone, "Don't laugh at her, you're all pretty much the same, just that you weren't caught by me."
Every other day, they would go to the Royal Fighting Team's exclusive lounge on the top floor.
Going was one thing, but they even got caught!
The crucial thing was that they were caught red-handed, yet they insisted they were going to scout military intelligence!
Even more, some could even say with a straight face that they accidentally took a wrong turn!
Facing Dugu Yan's look of seeing an idiot, she wished she could find a hole to crawl into!
You better not get all giddy.