...
At the spirit arena, on the platform, a group of big shots watched the lone member of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's Second Team on the competition stage. Some expressed doubt, some held a contemptuous expression, while others were ecstatic, unable to contain their excitement and dancing in jubilation.
Especially the three members of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's board of education sitting in the second row. The uncontainable smile on their faces was so wide that it seemed to reach their ears. It was evident that their excitement was at its peak.
Prince Xue Xing, standing beside Meng Shenji, looked at the unfamiliar face on the stage with a puzzled expression. As the person in charge of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, he was supposed to have knowledge of all the participants in this competition. However, he had no recollection of the person standing on the stage.
"Are you all secretly plotting behind my back?" Prince Xue Xing glanced resentfully at the three members of the board of education beside him, as well as his older brother, Emperor Xue Ye. He knew that his decision to expel Shrek and the others from the academy had been reported by the board of education and his older brother. As a result, he would lose control over the academy and even face the possibility of being replaced.
However, there was nothing he could do about it. Everything was his own doing. As Prince Xue Xing looked at the two teams on the stage, he let out a sigh.
"So, this is His Majesty's trump card? Heh, what an interesting kid. But challenging a team of seven all by himself might be a bit too arrogant." Bishop Salas of the Martial Spirit Hall, leaning on his hand, showed some interest as he smiled lightly.
In his opinion, the person from the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's Second Team might be strong. However, Salas only considered his cultivation level to be that of a Spirit Ancestor. Although there were no Spirit Ancestors among the seven members of the Morphin team, facing a team of seven Spirit Elders, even if one were a Spirit Ancestor, would be an extremely difficult task.
The strength of a team is not simply the sum of its members. The cooperation between teammates, the teamwork, and the combination of various spirit skills can greatly enhance their overall strength. It is true that Spirit Ancestors are generally stronger than Spirit Elder individually. However, one Spirit Ancestor facing seven Spirit Elders, with only four Spirit Rings on his side and twenty-one spirit rings on the other, will be overwhelmed even by just using spirit skills.
On the left, Ning Fengzhi chuckled "Who knows, maybe this person can surprise us? I am looking forward to his performance."
"Oh? Does Lord Ning believe that he can defeat seven opponents all by himself?" Salas looked at Ning Fengzhi in surprise.
Ning Fengzhi turned his head to the side and smiled, "Since he dares to come alone, he must have some confidence. Maybe he can even win?"
"Hahaha~" Salas couldn't help but burst into laughter, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
"That's right, maybe, as he's a Spirit Ancestor! Defeating seven little Spirit Elders shouldn't be that difficult, right?" Salas looked at Ning Fengzhi mockingly.
"Well then, Bishop Salas, would you like to make a bet with me?" Ning Fengzhi, instead of getting upset by Salas' mockery, smiled and asked.
"A bet?"
Ning Fengzhi smiled warmly, "Yes, let's bet on the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's Second Team winning. As for what we bet, money might be a little vulgar, but it is the simplest and most direct wager. How about betting ten thousand gold spirit coins?"
Salas didn't immediately agree. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and stared at Ning Fengzhi's smiling face, trying to see something from his expression.
What is this guy planning? Does he know something about the person on the stage, which gives him the confidence to bet against me so confidently?
Salas began to hesitate. Ten thousand gold spirit coins may not be a large sum, but it was not a small amount either. He didn't care about the money, but this was obviously a trap. Should he go along with it and jump into his trap?
Seeing his hesitation, Ning Fengzhi smiled again, "What's the matter? Don't tell me Bishop Salas no longer trusts his own judgment?"
"Heh, since Lord Ning is so interested, this bishop will take the bet with you." Ning Fengzhi's slightly mocking smile made Salas somewhat annoyed, but he agreed in the end.
Anyway, ten thousand gold spirit coins wasn't much, so he decided to take the bet. Besides, Salas still held on to his belief that a Spirit Ancestor couldn't defeat a team of seven Spirit Elders. If it were a Spirit King, he would believe it, considering the tremendous enhancement in power resulting from a ten-thousand-year spirit ring.
But apart from the three monstrous geniuses from their golden generation at the Martial Spirit Hall, Salas didn't believe there were any geniuses like that in the world.
That was the reason he was confident enough to bet.
"Hahaha, since that's the case, let me be the witness to your wager." Emperor Xue Ye, seated in the center of the main seat, laughed loudly. His dignified gaze stared at the person on stage, and his tightly clenched hands rested on the armrests of his chair, indicating that even Emperor Xue Ye himself felt a bit nervous at this moment.
To invite this person to the stage, he had spent quite a bit of money hoping for some effect, so that his money wouldn't go to waste.
Although most of the people in the audience did not recognize Zeng Yi and did not hold high hopes for this one-person Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's Second Team winning the match, there were still some familiar faces in the audience who recognized him.
At this moment, seeing Zeng Yi represent the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy Team's appearance, seeing that familiar face, waves of shock surged in their hearts.
"What the hell! Why did this guy Zeng Yi end up in the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's 2nd team? Damn it! I bet ten thousand gold spirit coins on the Morphin team!" Flender, sitting in a corner, was dumbfounded when he saw Zeng Yi's face. A few seconds later, he became angry and started cursing aloud. Of course, the reason for his anger was not that Zeng Yi joined the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's Second Team, but rather that as soon as he saw Zeng Yi representing the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's Second Team, he knew that his ten thousand gold spirit coins were going down the drain.
Originally, Flender wanted to make some easy money by betting on the Morphin team because the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's 2nd team had been badly beaten by their team yesterday and wouldn't stand a chance even if they played today. So, it was a sure profit to bet on the Morphin team. However, he hadn't expected that fate would play such a big joke on him.
"Zeng Yi!!! I'm going to kill you!!!" Not only Flender, but other people as well had a serious expression after seeing Zeng Yi. These people were naturally from the five major Elemental Academies teams.
"It's actually Yi-ge! He's in the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's Second Team. Damn it, he even lied to us, saying he didn't participate in this competition. What a damn liar!" On the side of the Skywater Academy, Shui Yue'er stared at the person on stage, pouting in anger.
On the Thunderclap Academy side, Yu Tianxin looked at Zeng Yi with a solemn expression, gripping her fist tightly, "Zeng Yi, I will definitely get revenge for the shame you gave me in previous battle."
At the Blazing Academy, Huo Wu looked at Zeng Yi on the competition stage and couldn't help but giggle, "This tournament is getting interesting."
On the Godwind Academy side, Feng Xiaotian squinted his eyes, looking at Zeng Yi on the stage with a smile on his face, "This qualifying match is truly unpredictable."
Originally, the four major academies came here to witness a major showdown: the Shrek Academy, one of the five major academies, against the Elephant Armored Academy in this tournament. However, they hadn't expected to discover an even more stunning information.
Perhaps, compared to the Shrek Academy, the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy Team with Zeng Yi now held their attention.
They hadn't had any direct confrontation with the Shrek Academy, so they were not very clear about their strength. However, they had personally witnessed the strength of Zeng Yi during the recent exchange meeting between the five major academies.
The suffocating and terrifying suppression he exerted was still fresh in their memory, giving them an unsettling feeling.
Now, all five major academies were beginning to feel serious. If they were careless, they might lose the qualification that had belonged exclusively to the five major academies in this tournament, and it might be taken away by these two teams.
On the competition stage.
"The battle begins!"
With the referee's command, the seven members of the Morphin team released their martial spirits almost simultaneously. Their overwhelming spirit power surged on the stage, creating waves of spirit force and spreading throughout the entire fighting platform. The colorful spirit power and the shining array of spirit rings intensified the atmosphere, causing the audience in the stadium to start cheering and shouting.
"I advise you to surrender. It's impossible for you to be our opponent alone. If you surrender now, at least you won't suffer any physical pain." said the captain of the Morphin team, a tall and honest-looking male spirit master.
Zeng Yi had a smile on his face as he nodded, "I know, friendship takes precedence over the competition. Don't worry, I'll be gentle, and I won't hurt you guys."
The members of the Morphin team couldn't help but show anger on their faces upon hearing his words. How could someone dare to say something like that? It was as if he didn't put them, the seven man team, in his eyes. His arrogance knew no bounds!
"He thinks his good intentions are being taken for granted. Captain, there's no need to persuade him to surrender. Let's just blast him off the stage!" said one of the team members. "Since you're not planning to surrender, be prepared to be beaten!"
The spirit power of the six Morphin team Spirit Elders burst forth, almost simultaneously, rushing towards Zeng Yi.
The three strong attack oriented Spirit Elders charged straight towards Zeng Yi, while the two agility attack oriented Spirit Elders attacked from the sides. There was also a Spirit Elder who stood in front of the female auxiliary spirit master; his eyes flickered with a jade-green light as he activated his spirit skill.
[Binding Vine Entanglement!]
Green vines began to grow under Zeng Yi's feet, entangling his legs and binding him in place.
Even so, Zeng Yi maintained his posture with the sword still sheathed and didn't make any movements.
The deep, pitch-black gaze couldn't reveal any emotions. It remained calm, like a stagnant pool of water without the slightest ripple. Even faced with the impending attacks, it couldn't create a single ripple on the calm surface.
Zeng Yi seemed to see a white line connecting each member of the Morphin team. At the end of the white line was the girl standing behind the female auxiliary Spirit Elder.
Zeng Yi's pitch-black gaze could clearly capture a fleeting hint of fear deep within her watery eyes.
Feel the breath, listen to everything.
Listen to the sound of the wind.
Draw the sword!
Zeng Yi's right thumb suddenly lifted the sword, and a flash of silver brilliance shimmered.
The depths of the female auxiliary Spirit Elders's eyes caught a fleeting glimpse of silver, as if frozen for eternity.
In an instant, a gust of wind rose, and a silver lightning bolt flashed and disappeared in an instant, dispersing the wind.
The audience had no idea what had happened. Their gaze was unable to capture any trace of movement.
The wind that had just started blowing dissipated.
When their gaze turned to look, they saw that all the members of the Morphin team, except for the female auxiliary Spirit Master, were lying on the ground.
What happened?
On the competition stage, the referee was dumbfounded, with two wide-open eyes filled with shock, looking at Zeng Yi, who appeared behind the female auxiliary Spirit Master. His mouth was wide open, and his jaw dropped as if about to hit the ground.
Referee saw a person holding a long sword in his right hand, the sword shimmering with a cold light. He performed a sword flick, smoothly sheathed the sharp sword, and his bound long hair gently swayed in the wind. Everything seemed so natural, like a beautiful painting.
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