...
Sitting in the spectator seats, Zeng Yi watched as the victorious Team Shrek left the arena and stood up from his seat. He stretched lazily, arching his body backwards.
"There won't be any exciting matches next. I won't continue watching. Besides, I can go meet my cute little friends who will be my future opponents." Zeng Yi turned his head and smiled at Xue Qinghe.
The next few matches didn't showcase much strength from the teams. They consisted of a group of Spirit Elder level contestants instead of Spirit Ancestor level spirit masters. Zeng Yi didn't need to study such team compositions. It wasn't that Zeng Yi was being arrogant; it was just that as a Spirit Ancestor level spirit master, regardless of their spirit techniques, he was confident in instantly defeating them and not giving them a chance to release their spirit skills.
No matter how unique or powerful their spirit techniques were, Zeng Yi wouldn't pay them much attention. They were all meaningless in front of absolute strength. After all, they wouldn't even get a chance to make a move.
Xue Qinghe looked puzzled and thought of something. He asked Zeng Yi, "Is it because you joined the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy Second Team? Do you plan on explaining it to them?"
Looking at Xue Qinghe's teasing smile, Zeng Yi couldn't help but shake his head lightly and said calmly, "What's there to explain about? I did it, and I won't defend myself. This time, I just want to teach them a lesson and inspire them a bit."
Zeng Yi's words piqued Xue Qinghe's interest. "Why don't I go with you? I'm curious to see how you guided this group of geniuses."
After hearing that, Zeng Yi laughed. "They're talented in their own right. I just guided them in their cultivation direction." He paused and looked at Xue Qinghe. "You can come along if you want. After all, you are the Prince of the Empire. Who wouldn't welcome you?"
Xue Qinghe thought for a moment and replied, "I'd better not. After all, the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's Second Team represents my royal family. It would be awkward for me to go. Let's forget it."
Zeng Yi understood Xue Qinghe's intention and didn't insist. "Since that's the case, I'll go first."
After bidding farewell to Xue Qinghe, Zeng Yi quickly found the exclusive lounge for the Shrek Academy in the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.
The door to the Shrek Lounge was not locked. Zeng Yi was familiar with it, so he turned the doorknob and entered the room. The members of the Team Shrek, along with their team leader Yu Xiaogang and that guy, Flender, were present.
"Hahaha! Congratulations on winning a match." Zeng Yi entered the room and congratulated them with a smile.
"Zeng Yi!"
The members of the Shrek team had just recovered from their joy of defeating the Team Elephant Armored. When they heard the familiar voice and turned their heads, they were pleasantly surprised to see Zeng Yi. Their faces lit up with excitement.
"Hey, where did you disappear for so many days? We thought you returned to your sect!" Dai Mubai laughed heartily and walked to Zeng Yi's side, clenching his fist and lightly pounding Zeng Yi's chest with a friendly gesture.
The others quickly gathered around Zeng Yi.
"Big Brother Yi, did you watch our match just now?" Oscar asked Zeng Yi excitedly.
Zeng Yi smiled slightly and nodded. "Of course, I didn't miss your match. I was cheering for you from the spectator seats! I was pleasantly surprised by your performance. Even against the powerful Team Elephant Armored, you defeated them easily. You guys are truly impressive."
Tang San stepped forward and mediated, "It's a victory for all of us. We can't do it without every single person."
"Big Brother Yi, how do you think I did today?" Oscar struck a pose, staring at Zeng Yi with raised eyebrows, awaiting his evaluation.
Zeng Yi pondered for a moment before commenting, "Well, I must say, I only saw you making sausages behind the scenes. In terms of making sausages, you truly are professional."
"Hahaha~"
Upon hearing Zeng Yi's evaluation, everyone burst into laughter. Oscar felt a bit helpless. While he was striving to develop as a combat spirit master, improving his physique and fighting skills, he could only spar with ordinary Spirit Elder. He was still lacking the ability to fight against the Battle Spirit Masters participating in the tournament.
But there was nothing he could do about it. He could only hope that his subsequent spirit skills would allow him to develop as a combat spirit master and become more powerful.
Zeng Yi also joined in the laughter for a while but then stopped and focused his gaze on Zhu Zhuqing.
"What surprised me the most was your performance, Zhuqing. You truly astonished me with that sword technique. You have become a master of swordsmanship!" Zeng Yi extended his thumb towards Zhu Zhuqing, his face showing contentment and a happy smile.
"That move, it really opened my eyes! You have become quite the expert in swordsmanship."
Looking at Zeng Yi's affirmation, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but feel a little dazed. Then she responded with a faint smile on her cool face. Her eyes shimmered like autumn water, and her lips slightly opened as she uttered two words.
"Thank you."
Zhu Zhuqing wasn't good with words, but Zeng Yi's affirmation of her swordsmanship made her feel extremely delighted and excited.
Everyone fell silent at that moment. Their curious gazes shifted back and forth between Zeng Yi and Zhu Zhuqing, with a hint of anticipation in their eyes.
This made the atmosphere a bit awkward.
On the side, Ning Rongrong pouted and felt slightly unhappy. If it wasn't for the Grandmaster not letting me participate, if I was there, with me assisting, our team members would have defeated the opponents even faster. Then, the title of the best overall performer would have been mine!
Ning Rongrong kicked Zeng Yi lightly on his leg, sounding a little unhappy as she questioned, "Hey! Shouldn't you explain to us about joining the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy Second Team?"
As soon as Ning Rongrong brought up the question, everyone's thoughts returned.
"Zeng Yi, you damn guy. Do you know how much money you made me lose?" Speaking of that, Flender's mood turned sour. He quickly rushed towards Zeng Yi and grabbed both his shoulders tightly, shaking him excitedly while questioning him.
Watching Flender acting like this, Zeng Yi couldn't help but twitch his mouth. "How much money did you lose?"
While talking about that, Flender's excitement increased. "That's a whole ten thousand gold spirit coins! You brat joined the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy Second Team without telling me in advance. As a result, I lost so much money!"
On hearing this, Zeng Yi couldn't help but be impressed by Flender's complaint. He quickly pushed away Flender's hands and twisted his slightly painful shoulder. Then, he looked at Flender with a gloating expression. "That's comfortable! Gamblers must die. I don't need to explain it further, right?"
"Gah! I'm your Dean. Don't you know how to respect elders?" Zeng Yi shrugged and said, "Sorry, I don't respect people who don't show respect to others."
"Alright, you two, stop messing around. Zeng Yi, can you tell me why? If you wanted to participate in this tournament, wouldn't it have been better to join our Team Shrek in the first place?" At this point, the Master, Yu Xiaogang, walked over with a serious expression and looked at Zeng Yi.
To be honest, after interacting with Zeng Yi, Yu Xiaogang was well aware of his terrifying strength. If he were on their side, it would be the best. However, if he were their opponent, it would be a nightmare-level difficulty.
Now that Zeng Yi had joined another team, it meant that in order for the Shrek Academy to win the championship, they had to overcome this formidable mountain. The difficulty of such a task was self-evident.
After all, the Seven Monsters from Shrek Academy had been trained and guided by Zeng Yi himself!
"That's right, if you don't give us a straightforward explanation today, we won't let you off!" The male members of the Shrek team glared at Zeng Yi with a fierce look, surrounding him, seeming as if they were about to swarm him.
Feeling a bit helpless under the encirclement of a group of strong men, Zeng Yi shrugged and spread his hands, saying, "There's no way around it. The situation arose too suddenly, and even I was a little confused."
Upon hearing this, the crowd couldn't help but feel confused. "What happened?"
Zeng Yi sat down on the sofa, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and continued, "As you know, I am a disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Initially, I didn't want to join the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy Second Team. However, it seems that the sect master has reached a secret agreement with the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire. That kind-hearted Mr. Ning sold me out. As you know, we can't go against the orders of the sect, so I had no choice but to join the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy Second Team."
"What did you say? It was Dad who wanted you to join the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy Second Team?" Hearing this, Ning Rongrong couldn't believe it. Then, anger appeared on her pretty face. "How could Dad do this? No, I'm going to confront him."
Seeing Ning Rongrong about to storm out of the room, Zeng Yi quickly pulled her back. What if Ning Fengzhi accidentally revealed the bribery incident? Then his image in their eyes would completely collapse.