Zhao Wuji's sudden change in attitude left the students behind him completely puzzled. The old woman was only a level 60 Spirit Emperor; there was still a huge power gap between her and a Spirit Saint like their teacher. Why was he being so polite to her?
Even if she had injured the Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake first, the beast had escaped. That was a failure on her part. The fact that the Shrek group had successfully subdued it meant it was theirs by right. Oscar, in particular, was extremely depressed. The smile had vanished from his face. To have a Spirit Ring snatched away at the very last second was something no one could easily accept.
It was a normal reaction for them to feel this way. Except for Huo Feng, who was familiar with the plot, none of them knew that the proud young girl standing before them had a Spirit Douluo for a grandfather.
At that moment, Chao Tianxiang spoke again, clearly wanting to avoid a prolonged argument with Zhao Wuji. She got straight to the point.
"Since I'm older, I'll take the liberty of calling you Brother Zhao," she began. "Brother Zhao, this thousand-year Phoenix-Tailed Cockscomb Snake is extremely important to my granddaughter. She has just reached level 30 and needs a suitable Spirit. We were the first to discover and injure it, but it escaped due to our carelessness. Could you please do me a favor and return this Spirit Beast to us? I will be sure to remember this kindness and repay you one day."
Zhao Wuji sneered internally. You want to take away a thousand-year Spirit Beast I just caught with a few nice words? That's asking for too much. Even if her background was powerful, it wasn't going to be that easy. Besides, the Dragon Lord wasn't here yet.
Both of them wanted to solve this problem quickly. Chao Tianxiang wanted the snake back before they left, and Zhao Wuji wanted this settled before the Dragon Lord arrived. The moment he showed up, the situation would shift from a one-on-one advantage to a one-on-two disadvantage, and he would lose all control.
"Sister Chao, I'm afraid this is a difficult matter," Zhao Wuji said, putting on a troubled expression.
The girl standing next to Chao Tianxiang couldn't hold back any longer. "What's so difficult about it? We found this snake first! If we hadn't injured it, would you have been able to capture it so easily? Give it back to us now, or we won't be so polite!" As she spoke, she raised the snake-headed cane in her hand, a proud and defiant look on her face.
Chao Tianxiang also frowned, her gaze hardening as she stared at Zhao Wuji. "Brother Zhao, are you saying you refuse to return the snake to us?"
Zhao Wuji simply smiled. "Sister Chao, you're mistaken. In the Star Dou Great Forest, all Spirit Beasts are ownerless until they are captured. Perhaps you did discover and injure it first, but we were the ones who finally caught it. It's not fair to insist that it's yours. While it may be suitable for your granddaughter, it's also a perfect match for one of my students. A relatively mild Spirit Beast like this would be a great help to his Spirit."
Chao Tianxiang was stunned for a moment. "You mean to say, among your students, there's also a Spirit Master who has reached level 30?"
Zhao Wuji nodded, his face surprisingly calm, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
When Chao Tianxiang heard his answer, she was truly shocked. The oldest of the youths in front of her looked no more than fifteen or sixteen, and most seemed to be around twelve or thirteen. If one of them had already reached level 30, didn't that mean their talent was even greater than her own granddaughter's?
An expression of disbelief crossed her face. Her gaze fell on Dai Mubai, the evil-eyed white tiger who looked the oldest and most powerful. In her mind, if Zhao Wuji was telling the truth, it could only be him.
Zhao Wuji smiled faintly. "If you don't believe me, I can have the children show you their Spirits." He turned to his students. "Everyone at Shrek, activate your Spirits! Show your Spirit Rings to Senior Snake Woman."
Following his command, the seven students released their Spirits. Instantly, brilliant rings of light appeared around each of them. Chao Tianxiang's eyes widened. All seven of them had two yellow hundred-year Spirit Rings, and two of them—Huo Feng and Dai Mubai—even had a third, purple thousand-year ring.
"A thousand-year Spirit Ring!" she gasped. "How is this possible?"
This was the first thought that came to her mind. These children, ranging from twelve to fifteen years old, had all reached the rank of Spirit Grandmaster or higher. Furthermore, the quality of their rings was perfect; not a single ten-year ring was among them. It was truly unbelievable.
Zhao Wuji patted Oscar on the shoulder and introduced him with a smile. "It's this kid right here. He just reached level 30. It's a teacher's duty to help his students, so I had no choice but to bring them out here."
Chao Tianxiang stared at Oscar, and her expression grew uglier. She knew how important a good Spirit Ring was for a Spirit Master's advancement. With the snake in Zhao Wuji's hands, getting it back would be difficult. But she wasn't going to give up.
After a moment of thought, a smile returned to her face. "Since neither of us is willing to give up this snake, why don't we let the children decide who it belongs to? We can have them compete. The winner gets the Spirit Ring. What do you think?"
Hearing this, everyone from Shrek had a strange look on their face. Let Oscar, a food-type Spirit Master, compete against someone? That was unheard of.
Zhao Wuji spread his hands, looking helpless. "I'm sorry, Sister Chao, but I'm afraid that won't be possible."
Her expression changed instantly, but before she could protest, Zhao Wuji gave her the reason. "My student is an auxiliary food-type Spirit Master. He can't fight your granddaughter."
"What?" Now Chao Tianxiang was truly shocked. A food-type Spirit Master who had reached level 30 at such a young age was an extraordinary talent. She instantly looked at Oscar with new eyes. But this also created a problem. She didn't know how to proceed.
"Teacher Zhao, how about I fight in Oscar's place?"
At that moment, Huo Feng stepped forward. He looked directly at Chao Tianxiang and Meng Yiran. "I've also just passed level 30. For the sake of fairness, I can fight without using my spirit abilities. What do you two think of that?"
"You arrogant jerk!" Meng Yiran snapped, her pride clearly wounded. "Not using your spirit skills? Are you underestimating me?"
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