As the announcer declared the result, Huo Feng officially won the spirit duel. At the same time, his points successfully increased by one. It was at this moment that the audience erupted in cheers once again. Fierce applause and generous praise rained down on him endlessly.
Huo Feng had truly given them a surprising performance. Although the spirit duel was exceptionally short, his display of dominant, crushing power had allowed these ordinary people to feast their eyes and broaden their horizons. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Huo Feng discreetly walked off the stage and returned to where the other Shrek Academy students were waiting.
Seeing him return, all six of them looked at him in unison. This was especially true for Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing. Even through their masks, Huo Feng could feel their intense stares. Their gazes were so direct they were almost glowing, and perhaps because the masks hid their faces, their reactions were completely uninhibited.
"What are you all doing?" Huo Feng was momentarily taken aback by their stares. There are so many people here, he thought, can't they be a bit more restrained?
"You were so cool, Huo Feng!" Ning Rongrong boldly walked up and patted his shoulder. His fluid movements on the stage had completely captivated her, charming her to her very core.
"Exactly! You were incredibly cool!" Seeing Ning Rongrong make a move, Xiao Wu couldn't sit still. With a light leap, she landed on Huo Feng's other side and gently patted his other shoulder, not wanting to fall behind.
"Indeed, very cool," Zhu Zhuqing, who stood a short distance away, also gave Huo Feng a thumbs-up. She simply couldn't bring herself to be as forward as the other two; this was already her limit.
"Hey, hey, stop it. This is a public place, mind your image," Huo Feng said helplessly.
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu's faces immediately flushed red, and they sheepishly returned to their original positions. Huo Feng also found a seat, as the other Shrek students still had their own duels coming up.
The audience might not have understood it yet, but aside from the comedic relief provided by 'Shrek Eight' and the endless shock brought by 'Shrek One', the remaining members—from 'Shrek Two' to 'Shrek Seven'—were all about to bring their own considerable surprises.
"Tsk, impressive is impressive, but do they have to act like that?" behind Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun pouted and muttered, his expression sour.
Among the Shrek students, he was the one who was most interested in women, even more so than the playboy Dai Mubai. But now, the only three girls in the academy were all captivated by Huo Feng. It would be strange if he were happy about it. What annoyed him most was that Huo Feng never seemed to take the initiative; he did nothing, and the girls still vied to cling to him.
"Keep it down. We're in public, so stop complaining," Dai Mubai turned his head and glared at Ma Hongjun. The three boys had deliberately sat a short distance from Huo Feng and the girls, but they were still only four or five meters apart. A slightly louder voice could easily be overheard.
In the upcoming team battles, they would have to rely on Huo Feng. Dai Mubai's foresight was naturally beyond what Ma Hongjun, with his head full of lewd thoughts, could comprehend.
"Exactly, Fatty. Save your complaints for when we're in private," Oscar added, chiming in just as Ma Hongjun was about to retort.
Ma Hongjun immediately shut his mouth and turned away, muttering something under his breath.
Dai Mubai looked back. Huo Feng was still chatting and laughing with the three girls and hadn't heard Ma Hongjun's complaints. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It would be a huge loss if such a small matter affected their performance in the team battles. It was just women, after all. He knew plenty of ways to find company; only Ma Hongjun would get jealous over something like this. Huo Feng's current strength had completely exceeded his expectations. In the team battles, as long as Huo Feng performed at his normal level, Dai Mubai might even get to experience what it felt like to coast to an easy victory.
"Huo Feng, your performance just now was excellent," Flender's voice interrupted them as he walked over, his face beaming with admiration. Realizing the other students were watching, he restrained himself slightly and adopted a more serious tone.
"The next spirit duel is about to begin, so I'll say a few words," he announced. "First, I hope the first match didn't affect everyone's mentality."
As soon as Flender said this, the students couldn't help but stir. He was, of course, referring to Tang San's disastrous performance. They had to admit, their morale had taken a small hit after that first duel. After all, Tang San was a Shrek student, and he shared their codename. However, after watching Huo Feng's dominant victory, that slight influence had already vanished.
Seeing that everyone was in good spirits, Flender continued, "You can completely disregard that first duel. I will not be recording it in Shrek Academy's official battle records."
With Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang not present, Flender felt completely unrestrained. He could say whatever he wanted, speaking his mind freely.
"Huo Feng has set a good example for everyone. I hope your upcoming duels will also be victorious! One more thing, after the one-on-one and two-on-two duels, you will participate in a crucial team battle. Given Huo Feng's performance, I've made a temporary decision—"
At this point, Flender paused, thought for a moment, and then continued, "When you go on stage for the team battle, Huo Feng, you are not to make a move at first. Dai Mubai will lead. Huo Feng will observe. You will attempt a six-on-seven spirit duel!"
As soon as Flender said this, all seven students, including Huo Feng, were stunned. They wondered if they had misheard.
Huo Feng observes? A six-on-seven duel? Does that mean Huo Feng will go on stage but just stand on the side and watch? What kind of new strategy is this?
"What?"
"This..."
"Dean, isn't that a bit disrespectful to our opponents?"
"Yes, Dean," Huo Feng spoke up, "isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Even he felt this was going too far. A battle that could have ended easily would now be much harder. He didn't mind—it would make things easier for him—but the other members of Shrek would probably have to suffer for it.
------------------------
For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse