"Haha, don't be so anxious," Flender said with a calming wave of his hand.
He explained that he had made this sudden decision because he had already learned about Shrek's opponent for tonight's team battle. Given the strength of the opposing team, they simply weren't a match for Shrek. That's why he chose to have Huo Feng observe first. Otherwise, with Huo Feng's strength, the battle would be over in an instant, and the other students wouldn't gain any experience. They would just be freeloading on points. While getting free points was nice, it wouldn't increase their practical combat experience, which would defeat the entire purpose of training at the Great Spirit Arena.
"Huo Feng isn't forbidden from acting; you just need to step in at the appropriate time," Flender clarified. "But for the first five minutes, it's best if you don't. Let the others feel a sense of crisis and get some proper training."
As soon as he said this, everyone instantly understood. The dean felt that Huo Feng was simply too strong and was afraid that if he joined the fight, it would end immediately. Ma Hongjun and Oscar, who had been looking forward to an easy win, felt their hopes sink. Damn it, they thought, why make things difficult instead of just letting us get points easily? But they couldn't disobey the dean's orders. It was truly frustrating.
"Understood, Dean. I know what you mean," Huo Feng nodded. To be honest, these spirit duels did little to improve his own combat experience. Flender's arrangement actually allowed him to relax. If the others couldn't hold on, he would step in. It was a simple arrangement for him.
"Understood, Dean," the others also nodded, though their expressions showed some reluctance.
After giving his instructions, Flender left.
Soon, the second spirit duel began. In all the subsequent one-on-one battles, the Shrek Academy students emerged victorious. The audience in the Thirteenth Sub-Arena was completely bewildered. It turned out that, except for the useless "Shrek Eight," everyone else from their group was incredibly fierce. However, what puzzled them was that even by the final match, "Shrek Six" and "Shrek Seven" still hadn't appeared. These two were, of course, Oscar and Ning Rongrong. As support-type Spirit Masters, they naturally wouldn't participate in one-on-one duels.
After the solo battles concluded, the students split up to participate in two-on-two duels in other sub-arenas. The results this time were more varied. Huo Feng and Xiao Wu's combination won effortlessly, stepping off the stage in less than a minute and causing the audience to erupt in excitement. Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong also secured a victory, though it was a much more difficult battle.
Ma Hongjun and Oscar, on the other hand, suffered Shrek's first defeat of the night. Ma Hongjun had been too eager to show off. As a result, one opponent managed to tie him down while the other moved in and took out Oscar, the support. With his partner gone, Ma Hongjun couldn't resist their combined assault and helplessly lost the match. After the fight, he received a severe reprimand from Flender. As Ma Hongjun was his personal disciple, Flender was not happy that Shrek's first loss was his fault.
After a period of rest and recovery, the seven members of Shrek regrouped and headed to another sub-arena to prepare for the team battle. The arena for team battles was significantly larger, and the contestant lounge was particularly lively, with at least thirty other Spirit Masters waiting there.
The Soto Great Spirit Arena was one of only two such venues in the entire Barak Kingdom. It attracted Spirit Masters from all over, creating a bustling hub of competition. While the total number of registered Spirit Masters on the continent was less than one hundred thousand, with only about two thousand permanently residing in the Barak Kingdom, a significant portion of them were gathered here. Even high-level experts like Flender and Zhao Wuji could earn a considerable income from competing, though their personal circumstances kept them from doing so.
According to the schedule, the Shrek team was set to appear second to last. Since most of them had already fought twice, they found a quiet corner to sit down and focus on condensing their spirit power. Huo Feng was fine, having barely used any energy, and Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were recovering quickly with the help of Oscar's sausages. The girls, however, were still reluctant to eat them, so their recovery was slower.
If only one person wore a mask, it might not be too conspicuous. But when seven people wearing identical masks walked into the lounge together, they couldn't help but attract attention. Most of the other Spirit Masters cast wary glances their way. Their team composition of four men and three women was also unusual, as female Spirit Masters were much rarer.
"Hey, it's those 'Shrek' fighters from the one-on-one battles earlier!" someone whispered in a corner. He had been in the Thirteenth Sub-Arena and had a vivid memory of their matches. He kept his voice low, only speaking to his companion. Regulars at the arena knew not to invite trouble. This group was clearly trying to hide their identities, and calling them out would be asking for a beating, especially considering how terrifyingly strong they were. That "Shrek One" had nearly made his jaw drop.
Just then, a burly man, over two meters tall and extremely muscular, suddenly walked towards them. He was in his thirties and shirtless, revealing an exaggeratedly muscular physique. He was clearly a power-type Spirit Master. He stopped in front of their group, his eyes landing on Zhu Zhuqing's fiery figure.
"Hey, little girl," he growled, openly licking his lips. "You've got a nice body. Why hide your face? Let your big brother have a look."
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