บท 183: [DD]: 183
"Xiao Li, you came back earlier than us."
As soon as the door opened, Dugu Yan ran over to Han Li, her face still bright with a smile.
Though she hadn't participated in the event today and had merely tagged along to soak up the atmosphere, her reputation had spread across the academies. Plus, she had helped Zhu Zhuqing release some pent-up frustration earlier, so she was naturally in high spirits.
"Well done," Han Li praised her with a smile. Though the favorable outcome was largely coincidental, he wouldn't dampen Dugu Yan's enthusiasm.
After speaking, he turned his attention to Zhu Zhuqing.
"Zhuqing, most of your troubles have been resolved. Now, only the Star Luo Empire remains, but I suspect they'll choose to pretend they don't know anything. For now, you can relax. You're just one step away from true freedom."
"Thank you."
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Han Li, bit her lip, and softly uttered the two words.
"I'll say it! I'll say it!"
Before Han Li could respond, Dugu Yan mischievously raised her hand.
Under everyone's gaze, she imitated Han Li's habitual gestures and tone, placing her hand under her chin and glancing at Zhu Zhuqing.
"No need for thanks. But Zhuqing, your outfit is quite nice. I wonder what material it's made of. Mind if I take a closer look?"
After that, she laughed and darted off, with Zhu Zhuqing blushing as Shui Bing'er and Xue'er pulled her along, all three chasing after Dugu Yan.
Han Li shook his head, amused as he watched them playfully chase each other.
In the days that followed, they continued attending the competition as usual.
Han Li remained a guest, while the girls blended into the Skywater team, offering advice and even taking on the roles of leader and teacher.
Skywater Academy participated in several matches, though the four girls didn't take the field. They were just there to enjoy the event and soak in the atmosphere without competing for a spot on the team.
Of course, they had already reserved a spot for the match against the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
As Dugu Yan put it, both Dai Mubai and Tang San harbored murderous intent toward Zhuqing. While they couldn't deal with them directly, at least within the rules of the competition, they could give them a solid beating.
She had even borrowed a phrase Han Li had used earlier: "Those two are already on the path to their doom."
It's worth mentioning that, perhaps due to the weakness of their opponents, during the past few days of matches, even though the substitutes from Emperor Battle Team 2 were present, it was always the same few members who played as on the first day.
Against some particularly weak teams, even Oscar didn't make an appearance. The five core members easily overwhelmed their opponents, which slightly improved public perception of Emperor Battle Team 2.
However, within the academy, the other students viewed them with less favor. After all, being outnumbered in matches made the other teams feel disrespected.
There's a saying: "Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news spreads like wildfire."
In just a few days, the incident that Dugu Yan had publicly exposed had spread throughout Heaven Dou Imperial City, and even across the continent at an alarming rate.
Fortunately, with a plan in place, Heaven Dou Imperial Academy reacted quickly. By the second day of the incident's escalation, they had issued a series of public statements in Emperor Xue Ye's name.
As for the former Shrek Academy teachers, they were all expelled.
Upon further investigation, it was found that, aside from their connection with Zhao Wuji, they didn't have any criminal records. After joining Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, they had dutifully performed their jobs.
However, due to their negligence toward their students back when they co-founded Shrek Academy with Flender, the three board members, following Emperor Xue Ye's orders, dismissed them all.
At least in the public's eyes, they were no longer fit to hold the title of teacher.
On Salas's side, uncertain of Han Li's intentions, he chose to have people openly monitor the situation, putting significant pressure on Flender and Zhao Wuji.
But the two didn't dare flee, unsure whether Heaven Dou Empire would take action against them.
As a result, they holed up in their rented house, refusing to come out.
Meanwhile, teachers Li Yusong and Shao Xin, after receiving an apology from Flender, simply shook their heads without saying much and left Heaven Dou City. Their whereabouts remained unknown afterward.
Compared to Li Yusong, Shao Xin—a food-type Soul Sage—was considered highly desirable.
Even the three board members expressed that, while Shao Xin could no longer serve as a teacher, they could offer him a position as a guest elder, allowing him to choose from various roles in the academy, military, or other departments.
After much consideration, Shao Xin still declined. He said he wished to travel the continent again, and so he left with Li Yusong.
As for Dai Mubai, he had managed to keep his breakthrough to the Soul Ancestor level a secret.
Perhaps Tang San still found him useful and had promised him something, as Dai Mubai was secretly inquiring about the whereabouts of an 8,000-year-old Vajra Tiger Soul Beast, still harboring hopes of a comeback.
As for Tang San, his transformation was the most drastic of anyone.
It had only been twenty days since his bone replacement, but his once dark, proportionate physique had rapidly swelled, showing signs of developing into a form similar to Tai Long's martial soul-possessed body.
However, Xiao Wu seemed to find him more and more endearing.
On Tang Hao's side, he was aware that the bone replacement procedure had some side effects, but in his opinion, a more muscular physique and increased strength were both good things for Tang San.
Although Tang San's appearance was becoming more rugged and rough, lacking both his father's heroic looks and his mother Ah Yin's beauty, that didn't matter. For a man, strength was what truly mattered.
As for the other teammates, they were mostly focused on parting ways after the competition, so they wouldn't go out of their way to point out the changes to him.
And so, amidst this strange atmosphere, the first match between Skywater Academy and Heaven Dou Imperial Academy finally arrived.
This match was also the first clash between two famous academies in the tournament. Moreover, since both academies were involved in the recent widely circulated incident, the match drew even more attention.
Many academies didn't have matches scheduled today, but due to the previous events and Skywater Academy's strong performance in earlier matches, the arena was packed—half the crowd curious, half eager to watch the drama unfold.
A quick glance around the venue revealed that the crowd was even larger than on the day of the opening ceremony.
On one side of the stage, at the area designated for Skywater Academy's contestants, Dugu Yan and three others were chatting casually.
"Zhuqing, today's your show. We agreed that we're just here to support you. Are you nervous?"
Dugu Yan asked.
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head lightly. Back in Sotou City, competing in the soul arena had been an everyday occurrence. She was long used to it.
Moreover, she had been dueling daily with the others here. Although she had only managed to defeat Ye Lingling once, after undergoing this intense training, facing her former companions now didn't make her feel any pressure at all.
"Xiao Li said, as long as you don't kill them, beat them as hard as you can. Just keep that in mind," Xiu'er chimed in.
It was rare for Xiu'er to speak up. Having been with Han Li the longest, she knew him best.
She hadn't forgotten how, before his Martial Soul Awakening, Xiao Li had specifically gone to observe the freshmen at Nuoding Academy.
At the time, she didn't know what Han Li was looking for, but after learning about Tang San and Xiao Wu, she understood that Xiao Li had probably been searching for them.
"See? Even Xiu'er says so. Zhuqing, we're counting on you to put on a good show," Dugu Yan teased, playfully bumping Zhu Zhuqing's shoulder and winking.
Zhu Zhuqing was about to respond when they heard the announcer in mid-air call for Skywater Academy to enter the stage.
The four of them stopped smiling, straightened their clothes, and walked toward the stage.
On the other side, the Heaven Dou Imperial Team 2 members also stepped onto the stage at the announcer's call.
As both teams made their way to the platform, Tang San and his group's faces darkened.
Looking at their fully assembled lineup, they noticed that the opposing team had only sent four people, a clear sign of disrespect.
They had even gone out of their way to find Xue Qinghe and have Ye Lingling help Tai Long recover in time for today's match.
Though, Ye Lingling had worn a rather strange expression while treating him.
As the scene on the stage appeared on the floating screen overhead, the audience buzzed with excitement.
However, the announcer and referee remained calm. They had already been informed not to worry about any unexpected developments and to proceed with the match as usual.
Once both teams were in position, the announcer quickly stepped aside, and the referee, ignoring the audience's uproar, immediately announced the start of the match and retreated to the edge of the stage.
"Hey, drop the gloomy face. Cheer up," Dugu Yan said with a mischievous smirk.
"I've got some good news. Although only four of us are up here, only Zhuqing will be fighting. The rest of us are just here for support. How does that sound? Excited?"
Taking advantage of the one-minute preparation time, Dugu Yan raised an eyebrow at the opposing team in a playful taunt.
Tang San took a deep breath, ignoring her provocation, and turned to his teammates, his gaze lingering on Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong pouted in dissatisfaction.
"Don't worry, friendship is one thing, the match is another. My buffs will be applied at the right moment, with precision. You should be more concerned about yourselves."
Tang San nodded, unfazed by her tone, and turned back around, shouting:
"Brothers, release your martial souls!"
The atmosphere in the arena heated up as Tang San gave the call.
His shout, followed by the team's martial soul possessions and the appearance of their soul rings, had become the signature move of Emperor Battle Team 2 in this tournament.
After all, Tang San's ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring was still unique in the competition, and this display of power had been a surefire way to intimidate opponents.
Then, he heard Dugu Yan's laughter.
"Ha-ha-ha! They look so ridiculous! I wanted to laugh at them before from the stands, but now that I'm standing across from them, it's even harder to hold back."
She laughed so hard she nearly collapsed onto Shui Bing'er's shoulder, her body shaking with amusement.
Her infectious laughter made the other three girls a bit embarrassed. They turned their heads and covered their mouths, trying to avoid being as rude as her.
Behind Tang San, Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had just appeared when her body involuntarily trembled.
At first, she hadn't thought much of it, but after hearing Dugu Yan's words, she suddenly found their actions a bit foolish too. Even holding her martial soul felt awkward—releasing it didn't feel right, and retracting it didn't either.
"Enough. This is a match. Dugu Yan, don't go too far. I hope your strength is as sharp as your tongue," Tang San said coldly, suppressing his anger as he warned the four girls. He was struggling to control the killing intent rising within him.
Sensing the murderous aura emanating from him, the girls instantly stopped laughing.
Three pairs of eyes, as if carrying physical weight, locked onto Tang San, making him want to retreat, though he forced himself to stay rooted in place.
"You're good. I hope you're strong enough to back it up," Shui Bing'er said calmly, though her words sent chills down Ma Hongjun and the others' spines.
"Alright, Zhuqing. Even though they're a bit silly, it's time for you to make your move," Dugu Yan said as she lightly pushed Zhu Zhuqing toward the center.
Then, under the shocked gazes of everyone present, two yellow, one purple, and two black spirit rings appeared around Zhu Zhuqing.
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