On Yu Xiaogang's face was a display of undisguised confidence and arrogance. He felt he had every right to be so brazen, as the advantage held by the Lanba Academy team—now fighting under the name of the Blue Tyrant Academy—was obvious to everyone in the stands. Even from a great distance, Yu Xiaogang could see the characteristic twitch in Tang San's lips that signaled his confidence.
Feeling a surge of pride, Yu Xiaogang increased the pressure of his hand where it rested on Liu Erlong. Because he only had his left arm remaining, Liu Erlong sat closely by his left side so they could maintain physical contact.
"Tang San, with his precise control, has completely taken command of the situation on the field," Yu Xiaogang remarked with an air of authority. "Although he has not joined the physical attack himself, he has perfectly fulfilled the responsibility of a Control System Spirit Master. He is controlling the battlefield and the opponents, allowing the other team members to display their full strength."
Liu Erlong nodded in strong agreement. As a powerful Spirit Master herself, she could clearly see that their team held the upper hand. Even though Yu Xiaogang was only a Spirit Grandmaster—a rank far below her own—she pretended not to have noticed the tactical details herself out of respect for his feelings. She was simply satisfied to be with him again.
However, a small part of her remained dissatisfied. Though they had been reunited for half a year, Xiaogang refused to live with her. He claimed he could not give her a proper title yet and insisted that such "sacred" matters must wait until their wedding day. What Liu Erlong did not know was that this was a cruel deception. Yu Xiaogang had long since become a eunuch. If she ever discovered the truth, she would likely break down completely. To Xiaogang, she was merely a means to access the resources he needed for his and Tang San's goals.
Down on the field, the battle continued with Lanba Academy holding an overwhelming advantage. While Tang San being a Level 40 Spirit Ancestor was their primary edge, the gap wasn't originally so massive that the match should have ended instantly. However, Tang San's strategy of having everyone unleash their strongest Spirit Abilities at once had overwhelmed the Zuan Team before they could react.
Tang San's lips curled into a smile. "Stop! Fall back!" he commanded.
The five front-line members were puzzled by the order, but as Tang San was their captain and commander, they obeyed and retreated. Tang San stepped forward, his face full of disdain as he looked at the battered Zuan Academy team.
"What? Is that all you've got?" Tang San taunted arrogantly. "Weren't you quite boastful just now?" He extended his hand and gave them a blunt thumbs-down gesture.
The Zuan Team members felt their blood pressure soar; they turned red with rage at the insult. They had only been careless for a moment, and they hadn't lost the match yet. In the stands and on the field, everyone was stunned—this was not part of the plan. Both the Dean and Yu Xiaogang had instructed them to finish the battle quickly and never underestimate the enemy. Tang San was doing the exact opposite, giving the enemy a chance to breathe.
"Captain, shouldn't we end the battle immediately?" Tai Long asked tentatively.
Tang San's brows furrowed in anger. "Are you the captain, or am I? I know what I'm doing!". Tai Long closed his mouth, though he was unconvinced, and the others remained silent.
In that moment of distraction, the seven members of the Zuan Team acted as if they had gone insane. They simultaneously released every Spirit Ability they had. The light from twenty-one spirit rings nearly blinded Tang San. Before he could react, the combined explosion of energy sent him flying backward.
The rest of the Lanba team turned pale. They didn't even have time to check if Tang San was okay before rushing forward to intercept the Zuan Team's final desperate charge. The Zuan Team had used up everything just to vent their anger on Tang San, and they were quickly beaten to a pulp by Tai Long and the others.
"Stop! We surrender!" the Zuan Academy teacher screamed, throwing in a white towel and running onto the stage to protect his students. The scene was tragic; the Zuan students were covered in blood with broken bones.
"Referee, I want to complain!" the teacher roared. "They aren't competing; they are trying to kill people! This is a violation of the rules!".
The referee looked sternly at the Lanba team, but Tai Long stepped forward. "Referee, I only have one question: Are they dead?". The referee checked and confirmed that while the injuries were severe, the seven students were still breathing.
Jiang Zhu spoke up calmly from the back. "My Spirit is for healing. I activated my ability at the start of the match to cover the entire stage. That healing wasn't for us; it was for them. If we wanted to kill them, why would we bother healing them?".
After a low-voiced discussion with two other officials, the referee announced loudly, "Preliminary round, first match: Lanba Academy wins!".
The audience erupted into a buzz of mixed reactions. While the team's strength was undeniable, many people were left wondering if something was seriously wrong with their Control System Spirit Master's brain.
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