In the center of the Tianhai Stadium, on a wide arena bathed in countless spotlights, two teams had already taken their positions. They stood on opposite sides, facing each other from dozens of meters away. At this moment, the protective energy shield surrounding the arena had not yet fully risen. Deafening waves of sound surged from the spectator seats in all directions, almost threatening to overturn the entire venue.
"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!!"
Amidst the mountain-shaking and tsunami-like cheers, almost everyone was shouting the name of Shrek Academy. Clearly playing an away match, the Shrek Team seemed like the true masters here, enjoying such fanatical support.
In the area where the teachers and students of Donghai Academy gathered, Mu Xi and other students from Donghai Academy were also shouting with all their might. However, their voices couldn't compete with the fanatical shouts of tens of thousands of people around them. They were instantly submerged and swallowed by the surging waves of Shrek sounds, failing to stir even a single ripple.
Subsequently, a transparent soul tool energy protective shield, like an inverted giant bowl, slowly rose from the edge of the arena and finally closed overhead. It completely isolated the entire arena area from the outside world. The earth-shaking clamor vanished instantly, no longer able to cause any interference to the two sides on the arena.
Xie Xie scanned the five team members sent by Shrek Academy opposite them and couldn't help but curl his lip. His tone carried a hint of displeasure.
"Heh, what's the meaning of this? Looking down on us? Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi, these two Spirit Masters with only two rings, are actually on the field?"
The Shrek Team had seven members in total and could have easily fielded a lineup entirely composed of Spirit Elders and above. Yet now, they chose to let Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi take the stage. It was as if they felt they didn't need to use their full main force to easily handle them.
Tang Wulin instead grinned, a more intense Battle Intent igniting in his eyes.
"This is fine too! All the grudges, it's just right to... settle them all cleanly in this one battle!"
He clenched his fists, and his bones let out subtle crisp cracks.
"Match... Start!"
As the referee's sonorous voice rang out, this Exhibition Match officially began! The moment the words fell, the five members of the Shrek Academy side almost simultaneously completed their Spirit possession and spirit ring release. Various colored lights suddenly lit up beneath their feet as spirit rings ascended. Almost everyone had seen that Exhibition Match during the opening ceremony, so they naturally knew the spirit ring configurations of these people.
On the other side, the five members of Donghai Academy's Class Zero also released their Spirits and spirit rings. The spirit rings of Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie were no secret, but many people in the audience who hadn't followed their previous matches were seeing them for the first time. Gu Yue and Xie Xie's two rings and Xu Xiaoyan's one ring were nothing special. Tang Wulin's purple first ring of a thousand years did cause a round of discussion and some surprise, but overall, it didn't cause too much of a stir.
However... when countless gazes followed the formation of the Class Zero team and finally landed on the tall, calm-looking blue-haired youth standing at the very back of the team, time seemed to be forcibly paused at this moment!
Whether it was the boiling audience in the stands, the five Shrek Academy members who had just completed their Spirit possession and were about to launch an attack, or even the experienced referee in mid-air, everyone's movements and expressions were frozen as if a paralysis technique had been cast on them. The noisy waves of sound weirdly lowered, turning into a chorus of hissing sounds as people sucked in cold air.
Because where their gazes focused, beneath Huo Yuhao's feet, what was slowly rising... were three deep, ink-like black spirit rings! Ten thousand years! Three of them, all ten thousand years spirit rings!
Inside VIP Box Number Three, Shen Yi, who just a second ago had confidently asserted that Class Zero was "not good enough," saw the composure and confidence on her face instantly collapse. Her cold eyes widened until they were perfectly round, and she suddenly turned her head to look at Wu Changkong beside her.
"This... this is impossible?!"
Her voice became somewhat dry and even cracked, filled with disbelief. Wu Changkong's expression remained calm as usual, as if everything happening before his eyes was within his expectations.
"Nothing is impossible. Not all Geniuses... will be at Shrek Academy."
At this moment, the deep-rooted belief in Shen Yi's heart regarding the myth of Shrek's invincibility wavered for the first time. An absurd yet incredibly real thought surfaced uncontrollably. This young elite team from Shrek Academy might really... lose?!
On the arena, Ye Xinglan's originally exquisite face was now drained of blood, turning pale. Her gaze was deathly locked onto Huo Yuhao in the distance. Those three slowly rotating black spirit rings seemed to have turned into three bottomless black holes, swallowing all her pride and confidence. As a young Genius of the Shrek Inner Court, she knew better than anyone how shocking it was to possess three ten-thousand-year spirit rings at the age of ten! This had already far exceeded the scope of extraordinary talent and subverted all her past cognitions!
Not just Ye Xinglan, the expressions on the faces of her other teammates were also frozen in extreme shock and disbelief. The casual ease from before had now vanished without a trace. In its place was a heavy gravity as if facing a formidable enemy and an unprecedented pressure!
"What are you panicking for!"
As the captain, Yu Tianlong was the first to forcibly break free from this sudden shock. He took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently, and suddenly shouted.
"So what if he has three ten-thousand-year spirit rings?! He is ultimately just a Spirit Elder! Don't forget, we have even defeated opponents at the Spirit King level before!"
These words were clearly meant to boost his own and his teammates' morale, but it had to be admitted that they did have a certain effect. The quality of Shrek's elites manifested at this moment. Despite the stormy waves in their hearts, their combat instincts allowed them to quickly enter the state!
Almost as a reflex, Xu Lizhi quickly transformed steaming meat buns one by one, accurately throwing them into the hands of each teammate beside him. The team members didn't hesitate, taking the buns and stuffing them directly into their mouths, swallowing them quickly. At the same time, standing at the back of the team, the brilliant Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in Ning Xin's hand was already shining brightly.
"Seven Treasures turn to Glazed Tile! First says Strength! Second says Soul! Third says Defense!"
Following her crisp chant, three brilliant lights of different colors shot out from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, landing accurately on Yu Tianlong, who stood at the very front of the team!
"Roar!!!"
A low and majestic dragon roar erupted from Yu Tianlong's throat. Under the powerful boost of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, his Aura exploded once more, already approaching that of a Spirit King. Yu Tianlong's body suddenly expanded as if being inflated, his muscles bulging. Especially his arms, their surfaces were instantly covered in a layer of fine blue dragon scales. His five fingers transformed into sharp, curved dragon claws wrapped in crackling blue lightning!
On the other side, the five from Class Zero weren't idle either. Huo Yuhao was the first to activate Mental Detection sharing, and a three-dimensional image of the entire arena was clearly presented in everyone's minds. Immediately after, a faint light flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes, and four invisible and intangible Soul Lashes quietly whipped toward his four teammates. This caused them all to enter a Berserk state while maintaining their sanity.
Tang Wulin and the other three all felt that their spirit power, strength, and mental force were boiling, their strength increasing by at least thirty percent. And that wasn't all! Huo Yuhao's Spirit Ability derived from the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, Mental Resonance, was then activated. In an instant, the teammates' mental force surged once again. They only felt that their perception, thinking speed, and even the precision of their control over Spirit Abilities had suddenly jumped up a major level!
It was no exaggeration to say that with just these few Spirit Abilities, Huo Yuhao was already sufficient to rank among the top support system Spirit Masters on the continent. At this moment, the Shrek Team's assault had already been launched! Under the triple boost of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Yu Tianlong had already turned into a bolt of blue lightning tearing through the air. He carried an ear-piercing thunderous roar and a violent momentum, boldly crashing toward the center of Class Zero's formation.
Huo Yuhao still stood steadily at the very back of the team, shouting calmly.
"Proceed as planned!"
"Heh!"
Standing at the very front of the team, Tang Wulin's lips involuntarily curled into a grin. Looking at the impressively imposing Yu Tianlong, he actually laughed!
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