An Zhen felt a bit parched.
Some popsicles don't quench thirst.
An Zhen was researching the differences between popsicles.
"Pervert." The Ice Empress's arrogant voice, full of "disgust," rang out.
Inside the Ice Empress's bedroom, the girl with forest-green twin pigtails held a manga book in both hands, while the Ice Empress sat on her throne, her snow-white, delicate calves raised. A pair of hands held her ankles, meticulously caressing every inch of her popsicle-like skin.
By the bed, the Snow Empress rested her chin on her pale hand, holding a manga book in the other, just like the Ice Empress, appearing engrossed in human entertainment culture. However, her attention had long shifted from the manga to other places, her sky-blue eyes occasionally stealing glances at the intimately interacting Ice Empress and An Zhen.
The Snow Empress was very curious why humans would enjoy such humiliating behavior, and they seemed to revel in it. Even a hint of joyful blush appeared on Bing'er's cheeks.
The Snow Empress's gaze shifted to her own jade-like feet beneath her plain white dress—flawless works of art, which she gently caressed.
What kind of feeling was that, exactly?
The Snow Empress couldn't help but recall Bing'er's loud cry that day.
...
During the day, when the girls found An Zhen had returned, they were naturally curious where Xu Jiawei had taken him yesterday.
"I went to make irreplaceable contributions to the peace of the Original Douluo Continent," An Zhen said, looking righteous and full of noble integrity.
"He went to roll around in bed with that Xu Jiujiu," Wang Donger mercilessly exposed An Zhen's pretense.
"That was a political marriage," An Zhen tried to struggle a bit.
The girls rolled their eyes.
They might not understand An Zhen in other aspects, but when it came to his lecherous nature, they understood him very well, and had ample personal experience.
Meet, sleep, give Immortal Herb.
Under the gaze of the girls, An Zhen "honestly" recounted what had happened yesterday.
"As expected of Shishu!" Ma Xiaotao patted An Zhen's shoulder. "He directly took down the Star Luo Empire's princess."
"Rather, An Zhen was taken down by her," Ling Luochen said, crossing her arms. In such a short time, she directly gave herself away. Any person with normal intelligence could see that the other party had ulterior motives. A bad woman coveting a junior.
The girls had different opinions about Xu Jiujiu. But they accepted what had already happened. Not to mention An Zhen indeed had feelings for her, and more importantly, the nature of this was a political marriage. Although they were somewhat reluctant to have another sister, this marriage was quite necessary from a broader perspective.
The matter with Xu Jiujiu was just a small interlude for the girls today. After all, they would return to Shrek Academy after the competition. Even if they wanted to see this princess again, they would probably have to wait until the holidays. Thinking this way, the jealous Wang Donger had few complaints. She was merely a political marriage partner, while she was An Zhen's first girlfriend, the one who could be by his side at all times.
There was another relatively important matter today. The competition between Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and Tianhun Empire's Diao Academy began on time. Although they bore the somewhat humiliating title of "perennial runner-up," it also indirectly showed the strength of Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. While they had been inferior to Shrek Academy in previous years, they were still far more powerful than other advanced academies.
However, Diao Academy's strength was not weak either. They were one of only three teams in this competition to have a Spirit Emperor.
Diao Academy, from the Tianhun Empire, which strongly rejected spirit tools.
Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, from the Sun Moon Empire, which advocated spirit tools.
Traditional Spirit Masters, Soul Guides.
The team competition ended in the roar of cannon fire.
Ma Rulong, as the captain, directly controlled two Level 7 spirit tool cannons. The other six teammates also used similar cannon tactics. The torrent of cannon fire directly suppressed Diao Academy's team, preventing them from advancing. Even their captain, Jiang Peng, a Six-Ring Spirit Emperor, had to temporarily avoid the terrifying cannon fire. However, their other teammates, who were at most Spirit Kings, could not withstand such a hail of bullets and were quickly eliminated. To preserve enough spirit power for the upcoming individual competition to turn the tide, Jiang Peng, who hadn't even displayed a bit of his strength, could only surrender.
Individual competition.
Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy adopted a very stable approach. They sent a Spirit King team member who was excellent in all aspects, with no outstanding strengths but also no weaknesses. His defeat allowed Ma Rulong, as the captain, to collect good data on Jiang Peng.
The second individual competition, captain versus captain.
In the hearts of almost all spectators, if it were a one-on-one fight, a Soul Guide would definitely be inferior to Diao Academy's elite Spirit Master. This was indeed true, but only without spirit tools. Ma Rulong's Spirit was the Big-Headed Spirit Ape, a support system Beast Spirit. In terms of combat power alone, it was far inferior to Jiang Peng's Heaven-Shaking Axe, which could even rival the Clear Sky Hammer in terms of offensive destructive power.
However, combat is not just about pure numerical suppression; it also involves tactical arrangements, which is one of the important responsibilities of the leading teachers of every academy team. In the age group under twenty, except for the top-tier monsters, the cultivation levels of others do not differ much. But no one is perfect. Basically, everyone's Spirit has certain flaws, or imperfections. Targeting these flaws is the key to defeating the strong with the weak.
But it is difficult to ensure that one's team just happens to have a Spirit capable of countering the opponent's Spirit Ability.
This is where various spirit tools display their might. In Ma Rulong's hands, a plan specifically targeting Jiang Peng was formed. Some weak but specially functional spirit tools played an important role. Like a battlefield commander, Ma Rulong controlled the rhythm of the battle and successfully defeated Jiang Peng. With their only Spirit Emperor defeated, Diao Academy completely lost hope of turning the tables.
After the victory, Ma Rulong returned to Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's resting area with a heavy expression.
"Captain, why aren't you happy?"
"Do you think my control of the battle rhythm just now was perfect?" Ma Rulong suddenly retorted.
"Of course," the Spirit King team member said without hesitation.
Using spirit tools to target the opponent's weaknesses, probing step by step, attacking—the entire rhythm was perfectly controlled. A wise being led a ferocious monster into his own trap.
"But if it were him, wouldn't he be able to do it even more perfectly, perhaps even be perfect himself?" The serious-looking Ma Rulong said something that puzzled his teammates.
Someone who can make everything even more perfect, who is that? What great ability.
"An Zhen, who can replicate others' Spirit and Spirit Abilities?" Laughing Hongchen suddenly spoke up.
"Exactly," Ma Rulong nodded with a serious expression.
Before this, they had only noticed the destructive power An Zhen displayed in battle, which exceeded his current stage, and focused on that aspect. It was like a group of self-proclaimed smart people trying to figure out how to defeat a powerful, mindless monster. But Ma Rulong, who had just used this method to toy with Jiang Peng, couldn't help but think of An Zhen.
spirit tools have many functions.
But basically, all spirit tool inspirations come from Spirits, Spirit Abilities, and even Spirit Beasts. For example, the Invincible Barrier's inspiration came from the Paragon Golden Body Spirit Ability. However, in individual combat, the abilities that Paragon Golden Body can display are more useful than the Invincible Barrier. Imitation, but ultimately unable to surpass. Cold machinery can continuously improve in certain aspects, but it is ultimately not as flexible as the Spirit Abilities used by Spirit Masters. Ma Rulong, who had just been proud of his flexible use of spirit tools to defeat his opponent, suddenly realized. He remembered that Shrek Academy seemed to have a pervert who could use different Spirits and different Spirit Abilities.
Hearing Laughing Hongchen's words, everyone couldn't help but recall what they knew about An Zhen.
An Zhen, who was already a numerical monster, used various Spirit Abilities that targeted their spirit tools.
"Damn it!" A Spirit King team member's somewhat frustrated voice rang out. "Is he really that unfair? Does this guy have no weaknesses?!"
Approaching the battle, they suddenly realized they were the clowns.
They couldn't be blamed. On the first day, he directly shattered a defensive spirit tool formation composed of 108 Spirit Masters. As Soul Guide geniuses, they naturally knew how strong his combat power was.
"Is it that hard to admit someone is perfect?" Meng Hongchen retorted in an unfriendly tone. Her Xiao Zhen Gege was so perfectly flawless.
"Meng Hongchen is right." Ma Rulong regained his Spirits. What if the pressure was immense? What didn't break him would ultimately become a stepping stone for his growth. "We cannot have a Luck mentality (lucky mentality); we must re-formulate the plan according to the highest specifications."
As for whether the opponent would use such a tactical approach...
With such talent, and studying at the continent's number one Spirit Master academy, how could he not know?
"Don't forget there's also the quasi-Spirit Saint Pole Ice and the Spirit King Extreme Fire," someone suddenly spoke up.
"..."
Damn, what kind of hellish lineup is this?!
The control of Pole Ice, capable of instantly killing a Spirit King, and Extreme Fire, which even a Level 7 Absolute Defense Barrier couldn't withstand for a few seconds.
This was clearly their strongest generation ever, the one with the most hope of winning the championship. Why did they encounter such a monstrous lineup? Just one was headache-inducing, and this time three appeared at once.
Shrek Academy Team Suite.
An Zhen sat lazily on the bed.
Another day of hard cultivation.
"Slurp~"
The noble Phoenix Girl was now full of seductive charm, her fiery red hair disheveled. She looked at An Zhen ingratiatingly, gently rubbing her cheek against An Zhen's palm. The Flame Fiend in the eyes of outsiders was now incredibly docile.
A day later, in the morning.
The Soul Fighting Competition finals officially began.
The Shrek Academy team and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team entered, standing on opposite sides of the arena. The referee on the arena was Heavenly Fiend Douluo.
"You all know the rules, so I won't go into detail. First up is the team competition; both teams, please enter." With that, Heavenly Fiend Douluo's figure passed through the defensive spirit tool formation and ascended into the air.
Both academies took their positions. From Shrek Academy, Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, An Zhen, Huo Yutong, Ning Tian, and Xiao Xiao stepped onto the arena.
"Begin!"
"Nine Treasures are Transformed into a Glazed Tile!"
Several streaks of spiritual light flew out, entering An Zhen and the others' bodies. Everyone's aura instantly surged by a large margin.
"Clang! Clang!"
A clear phoenix cry rang out. A fiery red figure drew a scorching trail of fire through the air, like a meteor, directly charging towards the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team.
"Stick to the plan!"
Ma Rulong roared. He tossed a small ball into the sky. In an instant, even though it was daytime, an extremely dazzling light flashed, forcing everyone to close their eyes. The Soul Masters of Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy tacitly took out special glasses. However, the next moment, to their surprise, the students of Shrek Academy all closed their eyes, yet their movements seemed completely unhindered. At the edge of the arena, a ten-year spirit ring, already integrated into the white light, lit up around a blue-haired girl.
At the same time, Ma Xiaotao, in full burst, had already rushed in front of Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. Her sixth black, ink-like ten-thousand-year Spirit Ability, golden-red flames condensed into a giant fire meteor, like an irresistible natural disaster, declaring the demise of living beings.
"This guy..."
The scorching high temperature burned Ma Rulong's skin. The previous calculations through the defensive spirit tool formation were not accurate. Only by experiencing it firsthand did he now realize how powerful this quasi-Spirit Saint level Pole Ice was.
But...
Including Laughing Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, the other six team members showed no signs of panic. They appeared beside Ma Rulong at an extremely fast speed, causing Heavenly Fiend Douluo to stop his original intention to rescue. The spirit power of a Spirit Emperor activated an extremely precious one-time Level 6 spirit tool on Ma Rulong—the Level 6 Invincible Barrier, capable of withstanding the attack of an ordinary Titled Douluo for three seconds. He had gone all out for the victory of this team battle.
The golden barrier made contact with several golden-red fire meteors. To Ma Xiaotao's displeasure, the Phoenix Meteor Shower was completely blocked.
The next moment, five brilliant golden lights lit up—those were five hundred-sided beads. Five Level 7 Absolute Defense Barriers. If one couldn't stop you for too long, then I'll use five at once.
"Pay-to-win, huh?"
An Zhen, who hadn't moved at all at the edge of the arena, sighed.
Each item could be called strategic material. Each flash of golden light represented the dissipation of millions of gold coins.
"An Zhen!"
A hearty shout rang out. The silver-haired youth's face could not hide his joyful and wild smile.
With the Three-Legged Golden Toad Spirit attached, Laughing Hongchen, now with an extra leg, half-crouched. Over a hundred metal spheres were directly thrown out by him. His first and third spirit rings lit up. Over a hundred cannon barrels directly "grew" out of the metal spheres. His second and fourth spirit rings activated, and countless gold elements gathered towards Laughing Hongchen, like a boiling golden ocean. Over a hundred cannon barrels gleamed with metallic cold light. One hundred and twenty-eight spirit tool cannons were assembled, golden spiritual light accumulated and shone, aimed at An Zhen.
My dear brother, this time I win!
However, to Laughing Hongchen's disappointment, his brother's face still held that calm smile.
"Since you're all spending so much, it's not too much for me to use a cheat, is it?" An Zhen's playful smile rang in Laughing Hongchen's ears.