Suotuo City, Great Spirit Arena.
"Tie Long, Tie Hu, you two came pretty fast today!" Xiao Wu, standing beside Tang San, smiled brightly as she looked at the two strapping young men of eighteen or nineteen waiting at the entrance, nodding in satisfaction.
Tang San gave a small smile at her side but didn't say anything.
Tie Long and Tie Hu were the sons of the owner of a blacksmith shop in Suotuo City. They had once formed the Iron-Blood Duo and fought against Tang San and Xiao Wu's Three-Five Combination in the Great Spirit Arena. Although they lost, their performance had been impressive. Their second soul skill, All-or-Nothing, allowed them to hurl their hammers with a tracking effect, giving Tang San and Xiao Wu a lot of trouble. Tang San had even suffered serious injuries in that battle.
Afterward, Xiao Wu's anger had flared, and she had nearly killed them on the spot with her sleeve arrows, but Tang San stopped her.
Not long after, Tang San visited a blacksmith shop in Suotuo City for business and happened to meet the brothers again. He discovered that their father was Tie Xin, the shop's owner. Upon learning Tang San's age and spirit power level, Tie Xin earnestly requested that his sons be allowed to join Shrek Academy.
But because of the academy's strict admission requirements, Tang San had to refuse. Later, when Yu Xiaogang arrived with the intent of leading the team to compete in the Great Spirit Arena's team matches, they faced another problem: a minimum of seven members was required to register.
So Tang San personally recommended the Tie brothers.
When he explained this to Tie Xin, the man immediately rushed to inform his sons at the academy. Since then, the two had been tagging along.
Though never formally accepted into Shrek Academy by the dean, they had gained a lot of experience by following the team into battles. With the comparison to motivate them, they had trained even harder and made good progress during this time. Because of this, they were always eager to answer the call to join matches.
In a way, they were unofficial members of the team.
"Of course, Sister Xiao Wu," the brothers said, scratching their heads with goofy smiles.
On the other side, Yu Xiaogang arrived as usual at the team registration desk. He took out Shrek's registration badge and handed it to the staff. "Please register us for the team battle."
The staff took the badge routinely, but upon glancing at it, his expression suddenly changed, and he cried out in surprise.
"Shrek Six Devils?"
Yu Xiaogang frowned at the exclamation. Such loudness was unbecoming and lacking in manners.
"My apologies, sir." The staff quickly read the mood and apologized, then asked, "May I confirm, are you the leader of the Shrek Six Devils?"
"You could say that." Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly, then said calmly, "Please arrange it quickly."
"Please wait just a moment, sir." The staff gave a polite bow, then hurried off with the team badge to the back office.
Yu Xiaogang's face darkened with dissatisfaction, but there was nothing he could do except wait.
Soon after, the staff returned with the manager of the Great Spirit Arena.
"Greetings, esteemed leader," the manager said politely. "May I trouble you for a moment of your time? It won't take long."
"Are you speaking for yourself, or on behalf of the Suotuo Great Spirit Arena?" Yu Xiaogang asked coolly.
"Naturally, I represent the arena."
"Then I'll be direct," the manager continued. "On behalf of Suotuo Great Spirit Arena, I sincerely invite your team to hold today's match in the central main arena. To be frank, two days ago a team came to Suotuo Arena consisting of seven Soul Elders and one Soul Grandmaster. We had no choice but to send the Berserk Team, who previously fought you, to face them. The outcome was obvious—they lost badly. The main difference lay in spirit rings. That team's members all possessed the best optimal spirit rings."
Yu Xiaogang's expression shifted at once.
The manager pressed on at the right moment. "In addition, there's another piece of news that I think will greatly interest you. Though that team is still officially a Silver Spirit Team, their vice-captain already holds a personal Purple Gold Badge—and has yet to be defeated."
"What?" Yu Xiaogang's face grew serious. A Purple Gold Badge was no easy feat.
"Sir, if I recall correctly, your team's vice-captain, the Thousand-Hand Shura, is a rank 32 Soul Elder with a Blue Silver Grass spirit, yes? As it happens, that team's vice-captain is also a rank 32 Soul Elder—and his spirit is also Blue Silver Grass," the manager said with emphasis.
"Moreover, he appears even younger than your vice-captain."
One fair and handsome, the other plain and slightly dark. The contrast was too stark.
'Impossible!' Yu Xiaogang's composure broke, his words stuck in his throat.
"But when that team faced the Berserk Team, their vice-captain didn't even play," the manager added, unfazed. "Instead, in the past two days, he has entered personal battles and consecutively challenged four Soul Ancestors above his level—winning every match."
"Though none of his opponents exceeded rank 42, it's enough to show his strength. As for the control displayed by his Blue Silver Grass, forgive my bluntness, but from my perspective, it surpasses your vice-captain's by far."
The manager's voice remained calm. "So tell me, esteemed leader—don't you want your vice-captain to test himself against him? This is a rare chance for tempering. If you miss it, wouldn't that be a pity?"
Indeed, in recent weeks, Shrek Academy's Thousand-Hand Shura had become the most talked-about figure in the arena. His reputation was rising fast.
But this Blue Silver Controller—he was already a Purple Gold Badge holder.
If the two clashed in the central main arena, the audience would be thrilled. And the wagers would pour in.
"How long did it take him to obtain the Purple Gold Badge?" Yu Xiaogang suddenly asked.
"Roughly three months," the manager replied directly. Such information was recorded in the Purple Gold Badge itself.
"Very well. I accept the match," Yu Xiaogang said, his eyes flashing with battle intent.
His disciple, Tang San, had spent just over a month and was already on the verge of the Gold Badge. In two more months, Yu Xiaogang believed Tang San could reach Purple Gold as well.
And against an opponent of the same rank, both with Blue Silver Grass, he was confident his carefully trained disciple would not lose. On the contrary, this was a perfect opportunity for Tang San to prove himself.
Though the manager claimed the other was stronger, Yu Xiaogang believed it was just exaggeration to provoke him into agreeing.
Calming himself, he said flatly, "But I have one condition: that person must play."
"Of course," the manager smiled. "I believe he's just as eager to face your Thousand-Hand Shura."
Yu Xiaogang nodded. "In that case, prepare his information for me. I'll summon my team."
"No need," the manager said quickly. "We'll send staff to call them for you. I already have the opponent's dossier ready. It will be delivered shortly. For now, I'll confirm with their team. If they agree, our staff will escort you to the central main arena for preparation."
He bowed slightly and turned to leave.
Soon after, a staff member rushed over, handing Yu Xiaogang a dossier while leading him toward a prepared lounge.
As Yu Xiaogang walked, he flipped it open.
"Emperor Team, captain: Yu Tianheng."
His eyes flashed sharply.
(End of Chapter)
---
This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on Patreon, There is 2 Chapters Ahead of Release for Free Memebers on my Patreon.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.