Huo Feng stood on the dueling platform, the corners of his lips curling slightly into a meaningful, enigmatic smile. His plan had worked perfectly. Oscar, the food system Spirit Master, and Ma Hongjun, the owner of the Evil Fire Phoenix Spirit, had finally been successfully "sacrificed" by his hands. It would be truly difficult to find such a perfect opportunity to target them again in the future.
At this moment, the situation on the Spirit Arena field had completely lost its balance. Huo Feng had just unleashed a barrage of overwhelming attacks, and the results were devastating for the opposing side. His sudden offensive had directly resulted in two of the opponent's seven members losing their combat capabilities entirely. Two others had sustained injuries that, while not immediately critical, would severely hamper their performance.
Coupled with the fact that Tang San had already fled the stage in a panic earlier, the opposing team was in shambles. The second team in this team battle, which had originally held a significant numerical advantage, now found themselves in a dire situation. On Huo Feng's side, they still had the Black Panther Spirit Master, Oberon, the Bird Spirit Master, Yu Feng, and the Nine Heart Begonia Support System Spirit Master, Ye Lingling. They were all fully intact combatants, ready to continue the fight.
On the other hand, although the Black Tortoise Spirit Master, Shi Mo, had been forced to leave Huo Feng's team, Huo Feng alone had managed to beat the opposition into a sorry state. What was even more terrifying was that the remaining members of Huo Feng's team had basically not even made a serious move yet. They were fresh, rested, and waiting for orders.
Inside the Great Spirit Arena, the atmosphere was heavy with disbelief. Whether it was the audience and students cheering in the spectator stands or the members of both teams standing on the dueling platform, everyone was filled with shock. The participants on the stage were especially shaken. They all knew Huo Feng was strong; his reputation preceded him. However, they had not expected him to be this ridiculously strong. The gap in power was not just a small stream; it was a vast ocean.
At this moment, the White Tiger Spirit Master, Dai Mubai, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit Master, Yu Tianheng, stood at the very front of their formation again. They exchanged a glance, their expressions grim. They had both realized something important. Huo Feng's target just now didn't seem to be the two of them. When Huo Feng attacked, he had merely repelled them with enough force to keep them away, and then he went straight for the backline to crush Oscar and Ma Hongjun.
Yu Tianheng was relatively fine, physically and mentally, but Dai Mubai's mind had already begun to wildly speculate. He looked at the calm figure of Huo Feng and frowned. Was it because they had never truly fought Huo Feng before? Was it possible that Huo Feng wanted to use this specific opportunity to let the Shrek Team members experience the massive difference in strength between them? Was this a calculated move to motivate them to cultivate even harder in the future?
It wasn't just Dai Mubai who was thinking this way. High up in the stands, the dean of Shrek Academy, Flender, and the vice-dean, Zhao Wuji, shared the same thoughts.
The two veteran Spirit Masters sat side by side, observing the match with keen eyes. They had noticed this problem within the team long ago. Because of Huo Feng's powerful existence, the Shrek Team had never lost a single team battle in the Soto Spirit Arena. While victory was good, it had a downside. Although Flender knew that the team members logically understood Huo Feng was the most important person, the continuous string of easy victories had inevitably bred arrogance in their hearts. They were becoming complacent.
The reason Flender had instructed Huo Feng not to make a move in the previous team battle was specifically to train the other members of the Shrek Team, to force them to rely on themselves. Now, according to Flender's conjecture, Huo Feng had been assigned to the opposing team against Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun for a reason. As the captain of the Shrek Team, he naturally wanted to suppress his somewhat frivolous teammates. He wanted to make them understand, through pain and defeat, the real gap between their own strength and his. He was using this match to motivate the rest of the Shrek Team to cultivate diligently and not rest on their laurels.
Just then, Huo Feng, who was originally standing in the center of the dueling platform like an insurmountable mountain, flashed. His figure blurred, and he retreated directly behind everyone else on his team. He moved all the way back, even standing behind Ning Rongrong.
Seeing this scene, Flender immediately smiled knowingly, adjusting his glasses. It was exactly as he had expected. Having watched many Shrek Team battles over the years, he knew Huo Feng's habits very well. When Huo Feng made a move like this, retreating to the back line, it meant he no longer intended to attack. He had done his part. He was giving the opportunity to fight to the remaining people on his team.
Sure enough, in the next second, the dueling platform once again erupted into a heated battle.
Although Dai Mubai's side still had two Spirit Ancestors, they were currently at a severe disadvantage. Even though Huo Feng had stopped fighting, the damage was done. Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng had both been injured by Huo Feng, and the strength they could exert was limited. On the other side, the Snake Spirit Master, Dugu Yan, was still at full strength.
Coupled with the super boost from Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, which was undoubtedly the top-tier Support System Spirit in the continent, Dugu Yan's combat power was surging. Fighting one against two was not a problem for her at all in this state.
As for the remaining people, the situation was clear. Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling both stood at the very back of the team, protected and safe. Oberon and Yu Feng, however, found themselves in a tough spot. They could not withstand the combined attacks of Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Shi Mo. However, the overall advantage was still firmly with Huo Feng's team.
With Huo Feng not making any further moves, the team still won the match very easily. The outcome had been decided the moment Huo Feng took out the support and control spirits of the enemy.
Looking down at Huo Feng on the dueling platform, who seemed to be surrounded by a dazzling, invisible halo of genius, the Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang, sat in the stands and gritted his teeth. His hands gripped the armrests of his wheelchair tightly. He truly regretted not insisting more back then. He should have done everything in his power to take Huo Feng as his personal disciple. Instead, he had chosen Tang San.
Now, looking at the scene below, the gap between the two of them was simply unimaginable. One was a dominating force who could control the battlefield with a smile, while the other was fleeing in disgrace.
The thought of Tang San infuriated him even more. That kid actually left him, his master, alone in the stands of this dueling platform! He really didn't know if Tang San still considered him his master at all. Yu Xiaogang was seething with anger in his heart.
Just as he was thinking about how he would manage to leave the Spirit Arena in his condition, a person ran quickly towards him from the entrance of the arena. Yu Xiaogang looked closely, squinting his eyes. It was Tang San.
Tang San had already cleaned himself up and changed his clothes, looking slightly more presentable than before. He rushed to stand before Yu Xiaogang. Without saying a single word, he lifted Yu Xiaogang off the stands. Then, practically throwing him into the wheelchair, Tang San began to drive Yu Xiaogang's wheelchair with incredible speed. He sprinted towards the exit, fleeing the Spirit Arena as if a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast were chasing him.
Tang San somehow made a simple wheelchair feel like a racing carriage. The wheels spun so fast they almost smoked. Such a comical scene immediately drew bursts of laughter from the remaining audience members.
"Is this Tang San so impatient?" one spectator laughed, pointing at the speeding duo.
"Exactly," another chimed in, grinning. "Although there's nothing illegal about what they do as master and disciple, they should at least take care of their bodies, right? Why are they rushing like that?"
"That Tang San was just beaten to such a sorry state earlier," a third person added, shaking their head. "Isn't he going to wait for his injuries to heal properly before doing anything else? He looks desperate!"
Such laughter and chatter echoed throughout the stands of the Spirit Arena. Now, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, in everyone's eyes, were nothing more than two clowns putting on a show for everyone's amusement.
And honestly, actually performing a scripted comedy show might not have had such an explosive comedic effect. It had to be a real-life event to be this funny. As the saying goes, art comes from life, but cannot surpass life. All the audience could do was watch and laugh at the absurdity of it.
"Wuji, do you think we should give special training to the other students, besides Huo Feng?"
Just then, Flender, still sitting in the stands and ignoring the commotion caused by Tang San, posed a serious question to Zhao Wuji beside him. He had watched the entire match closely. He found that the strength gap between Huo Feng and the other team members was becoming increasingly obvious. The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Competition was less than half a year away. If the situation remained like this by then, it would not be good news for Shrek Academy.
Hearing Flender's words, Zhao Wuji nodded gently, his expression turning serious. "I think it's very necessary," he agreed in a low voice. "Huo Feng's strength is beyond doubt. Even in the Spirit Master Grand Competition, it would probably be difficult for anyone to contend with him one-on-one. But the competition is about teamwork. Huo Feng alone certainly won't be enough to carry the whole tournament if the others lag too far behind."
Flender revealed a somewhat mischievous, predatory smile. "You're right. Once I have cleared Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, that master and disciple pair, out of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, I will have to give the other students of the Shrek Team some serious extra training. They need to suffer a bit to grow."
He paused, thinking of his own direct disciple. "Especially Ma Hongjun. That fatty's strength clearly does not satisfy me. He needs to work harder."
The morning's team Spirit Arena matches finally ended. Everyone would get a few hours of rest to recover their Spirit Power and heal their injuries. The second round of team battle draws would take place in the afternoon.
When the afternoon arrived, Tang San finally didn't show up. This couldn't help but make everyone breathe a sigh of relief. No matter who it was, no one could stand that guy. His damage output wasn't particularly high, but you simply couldn't stand how disgusting his fighting style and personality were!
Shi Mo, after cleaning himself up and resting, continued to participate in the afternoon's team battle draw. This time, with a total of fourteen people available, it was much easier to arrange the draw.
Although the members of both teams were not quite the same as in the morning session, the final result was exactly what everyone expected. It was still a crushing victory for the team Huo Feng was on. After all, the moment he made a move, it was like a dimensionality reduction strike for everyone else; no one could stand on the same level as him.
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