Chapter 73: Battle against Tianshui.
As in the original novel, the so-called investigation team consisted of Ning Fengzhi, the leader of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, and Saras, the Platinum Bishop of the Heaven Dou Holy Temple.
Asking a father to investigate his daughter's academy—what else could that be? Saras, before he could even get a word in, was silenced by Yu Xiaogang's papal decree.
The two tacitly resorted to the explanation of spirit ability backlash to evade the Canghui Academy team leader. With the mighty leader of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the Spirit Hall's representative in Heaven Dou saying so, what impact could the tiny Canghui Academy have? Naturally, the matter was dropped.
Within a few days, as the preliminaries progressed, the Four Elements Academy understood Shrek's strategy: Shi Yi would almost always lead the team against strong teams. With everyone clinching a top-five spot, Shenfeng and Lei Ting withdrew from Shrek, concealing their strength.
Shrek currently maintained an impressive undefeated record in the preliminaries.
The preliminaries had reached their final round, with Shrek facing Tianshui. Shi Yi was somewhat surprised that Tianshui, having already secured a top-five spot, still chose to challenge Shrek. However, Shi Yi sensed that Tianshui's desire to win wasn't as strong as Lei Ting and Shenfeng's. Perhaps, given this was the final showdown, external forces were preventing them from forfeiting.
Tickets to watch the Tianshui vs. Shrek competition had been priced several times higher than usual. Despite this, tickets were still hard to come by. Given the potential revenue, Tiandou was likely unwilling to let Tianshui forfeit.
When both Tianshui and Shrek entered the arena, the entire Tiandou Soul Arena erupted in excitement, demonstrating Tianshui's continued popularity.
The most eye-catching figure was undoubtedly Shui Bing'er, who walked at the front. Standing approximately 1.65 meters tall, Shui Bing'er had a well-proportioned figure, neither overly plump nor thin. Her long, aqua-blue hair flowed down her back, her fair face adorned with delicate features. At first glance, she didn't seem particularly stunning, but a closer look revealed a beauty that was elusive.
"Tianshui! Tianshui! Tianshui! Tianshui! Tianshui!" The enthusiastic cheers from the male audience were a testament to the Tianshui girls' exceptional beauty.
As the host's ramblings ended and the spotlight dimmed, the Tianshui girls began to dance, sending the crowd into a frenzy of cheers.
This was a revelry for the LSPS, and Shi Yi was no exception. Watching closely from a distance, the Tianshui girls were incredibly respectful of a handsome man like Shi Yi, winking at him from time to time as they danced.
Oscar and Ma Hongjun, in the stands, watched Shi Yi lead the team onto the stage, their eyes filled with envy. In such an occasion, who wouldn't want to show off in front of a beautiful woman? Even talking about conquering the opponent in a battle with a beautiful woman, Yu Xiaogang, despite having Shi Yi on stage, refused to allow any of them to enter.
The song and dance ended, the lights dimmed, and Shi Yi led his team slowly onto the stage. The referee signaled for the two teams to salute each other.
The two teams formed a line, Shi Yi and Shui Bing'er facing each other. Their eyes met, and Shi Yi's eyes flickered with emotion. He had seen many beauties, but in Shui Bing'er's aquamarine eyes, he saw something he had never seen before: rationality, wisdom, and a gentle feminine quality. Don't let the previous dance fool you into thinking they were just weak women.
"Acting Captain of Shrek, Shi Yi, a Level 43 Power Attack Spirit Master,"
Shi Yi said softly, much more politely than usual when facing other teams. He stated his name and rank, showing respect.
Shui Bing'er smiled and said, "Captain of the Tianshui Academy team, Shui Bing'er, a Level 43 Control-type Spirit Master."
"Shui Yue'er, a Level 36 Agility-type Spirit Master." The short-haired girl standing beside Shui Bing'er, who bore a resemblance to her and had previously shown interest in Dai Mubai, volunteered her name. She and Shui Bing'er had different fathers and mothers, and although their hair colors were different, they were sisters.
Shi Yi was slightly taken aback, then smiled and nodded. Turning his gaze back to Shui Bing'er, he smiled, "Your sister is very energetic."
A blush crept across Shui Bing'er's cool face. She glared at her sister and nodded awkwardly at Shi Yi.
Zhu Zhuqing, standing nearby, glanced at Shi Yi in surprise; she rarely saw him so serious in front of a woman.
"Both sides, prepare! You may release your martial spirits," the referee's words interrupted the awkward moment.
At that moment, as both teams simultaneously released their spirit rings, the strength of Tianshui Academy was immediately on display.
While their spirit rings differed in color, the seven Tianshui Academy members' spirits shared the same aquamarine hue.
Shui Bing'er's entire body was enveloped in a hazy blue glow, the phantom of the Ice Phoenix behind her shimmering with a dazzling blue light.
"Match begin," the referee announced immediately after both teams had released their spirits.
The moment the words fell, Shi Yi felt a chill run down his spine, his entire body frozen in a block of ice. Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing were also frozen in place.
Shui Bing'er's lips curled slightly at the sight. Even at her speed, her instant freeze wasn't something she could escape on its own.
But before the Tianshui team could launch their attack, an invisible force emanated from Shi Yi's body, instantly turning the ice on him to powder.
The Tianshui team's faces were filled with frustration. Although they hadn't expected to successfully control Shi Yi with just a single freeze, Shi Yi's release was far faster than they had imagined. The hold wasn't long enough for their agility-attack spirit masters to even reach the Shrek troops.
"Sister Xuewu." Shui Bing'er remained calm, slowly taking Xuewu's hand.
Shui Bing'er knew that with Shi Yi's speed, there was no way Xuewu could create the right environment before unleashing her spirit fusion technique. So Shui Bing'er could only gamble: Shi Yi would, as usual, defeat the weaker opponent first.
If she could unleash her own spirit fusion technique, then she still had a chance of victory against Shi Yi.
The next second, Shi Yi appeared behind a Tianshui team member and, with a deft flicker of force, flung him off the stage.
"Wrong bet," Shui Bing'er thought to herself.
Blue hair and black hair instantly merged into one, transforming into a dazzling blue-white beam that shot into the air. Shui Bing'er and Xuewu's bodies vanished simultaneously. Their spirit fusion technique finally unleashed.
In mid-air, blue dots of light condensed and gradually took shape. A massive, seven-meter-long blue phoenix appeared out of thin air.
The ice phoenix was remarkably clear, as if it were a physical entity. Its bright eyes and slender tail feathers made it a breathtaking sight.
A dazzling blue phoenix descended from the sky, without a trace of fireworks, transforming into an icy blue glare and drifting down.
The moisture in the air was affected by the icy phoenix and gradually condensed into ice flowers.
"Captain Shi Yi, if you admit defeat now, there's still a chance. Everyone from Tianshui, please step down and wait." Shui Bing'er's voice slowly emanated from the giant ice phoenix.
Shi Yi didn't respond to Shui Bing'er's words, but instead said to Zhu Zhuqing, "You should step down first. I might not be able to take care of you."
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Shi Yi and nodded slightly, then slowly stepped off the stage with the others.
Shi Yi then looked at the Ice Phoenix in mid-air and chuckled, "No need, Captain Bing'er. Come on."
The enormous Ice Phoenix made no sound, seemingly trying its best to control its descent.
"Captain Bing'er, it seems you don't have a good grasp of this level of martial soul fusion techniques," Shi Yi chuckled as he looked at the giant Ice Phoenix.
Shui Bing'er didn't respond. As the Ice Phoenix slowly descended, the extreme icy power instantly enveloped the entire arena, freezing it completely and instantly bathing it in a layer of blue light.
The cold current surged, completely locking onto Shi Yi's body. The martial soul fusion technique, Ice and Snow Drifting, was extremely powerful, instantly locking onto its opponent once unleashed.
Shi Yi seemed unaffected by the freezing cold. With a push of his feet, he charged towards the giant Ice Phoenix like a cannonball, his first, third, and fourth soul rings instantly illuminating.
"First soul skill, Thousand-pound strength; third soul skill, Thousand-pound control; fourth soul skill, Thousand-pound force breaking."
Although Shi Yi possessed four soul skills, given the Thousand-pound Ant's limited attack, the effects of all of his soul skills revolved around the single attribute of strength.
The effects of these three soul skills were also very simple: amplifying strength, converting a certain percentage of strength into defense, and unleashing an energy attack at 200% of the original strength.
The two powerful forces collided, unleashing a violent impact.
The next moment, with a resounding boom, the entire arena collapsed completely, forcing Flanders and Yu Xiaogang, sitting in the stands, to their feet.
A thin layer of frost coated the vast expanse of the Tiandou Great Soul Fighting Arena.
The chill sent shivers down the audience's faces.
Under the horrified gaze of the crowd, Shi Yi resembled a meteorite falling from the sky, carrying a powerful golden light. The enormous ice-blue phoenix, beneath this intense golden light, seemed to be gradually melting, or rather, gradually fading away.
"How is that possible?" Huo Wu muttered as she watched from the stands.
Due to the mutual restraint between their spirits, Chihuo had never defeated Tianshui in internal exchanges or competitions. In official matches, Chihuo would almost always forfeit against Tianshui, let alone defeat Tianshui's incredibly powerful spirit fusion technique.
In the ruins of the arena, Shui Bing'er, supported by Xue Wu, barely stood, her eyes vacant as she watched Shi Yi, who slowly and safely descended.
She couldn't understand why her spirit fusion technique, infused with her own spirit's essence, couldn't defeat Shi Yi. Although Xue Wu hadn't created the most optimal combat conditions, her spirit's immense power was so potent that even high-level Soul Kings couldn't escape the icy grip of her spirit fusion technique in a short period of time.
It was precisely this immense power that made the spirit fusion technique so difficult to control, as it belonged solely to her, and the technique could only be controlled by her alone.
The chill of falling ice and snow was enough to slow anyone's movements. In that instant, the temperature on the ring had dropped to a terrifying level. She absolutely didn't believe a spirit master below level 60 could break free from the lock and escape the attack range.
Yet Shi Yi had accomplished all of this, and with such apparent ease that he showed no sign of injury from the icy cold.
The two girls' faces were pale, their spirit power drained, making it difficult for them to even stand.
Now, only the three of them remained within the ring. But the outcome was already decided.
"Can you tell me why?" Shui Bing'er said with some difficulty.
"Captain Bing'er's spirit fusion technique is powerful. I've never felt that kind of extreme power in another ice-attributed spirit master, but this extreme ice attribute isn't so easy to control. Your lack of control over your spirit fusion technique is one factor, and I possess ice immunity, which is probably the most effective counter to Tian Shui," Shi Yi chuckled.
Two pairs of beautiful eyes simultaneously fixed on him, a hint of bitterness playing at the corners of Shui Bing'er's mouth. Ice immunity combined with immense strength was indeed the most powerful ability to counter Tian Shui.
"We lost. Thank you for your answer," Shui Bing'er forced a smile towards Shi Yi.
In the stands, Tang San's pupils shrank sharply upon hearing Shi Yi's answer. Ice immunity—that wasn't something that could be achieved through training.
Thinking of this, Tang San couldn't help but feel that Shi Yi was becoming increasingly difficult. After all these years, he had a good understanding of Shi Yi. Anything Shi Yi revealed wouldn't be his last card; he might even have more cards in hand.
In a situation like this, if ice immunity was a crucial card, Shi Yi wouldn't play it for the elusive first place in the qualifying round. Tang San even believed that if Shi Yi had to play all his cards to win the match, he would concede without hesitation.
In Shi Yi's heart, the individual always outweighed the team.
Shi Yi, standing on the stage, smiled and nodded at Shui Bing'er. Just as he was about to leave, he saw Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu collapse, exhausted.
"Sister!" "Xue Wu!" the Tianshui crowd, not far away, exclaimed in alarm.
Seeing this, Shi Yi quickly moved in front of the two and helped them steady. The arena was now covered in a layer of ice created by Shui Bing'er's Ice Phoenix. This layer of extreme ice, even with their soul power and physical strength depleted, could be life-threatening. The moisture in the air wasn't evenly distributed, and the ground was covered in uneven, even icy ridges. Even a simple fall could be fatal.
Shi Yi supported the two, and the Tianshui crowd rushed onto the stage.
"Let them rest. They have no soul power to protect them now, and the ice is very strong. They'll catch a cold if they stay there for too long," Shi Yi said softly to the Tianshui crowd.
Everyone looked at Shi Yi gratefully, nodded, and quickly carried the two back to the stage.
At this moment, the referee also flashed onto the stage and announced: "Shrek wins!"
"Shrek! Shrek! Shrek! Shrek! Shrek! Shrek! Shrek!"
The audience cheered throughout the venue. They had originally thought that Shi Yi would still be able to defeat them one by one, but they did not expect Shi Yi to give them a wonderful match.
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(End of this chapter)