Having two support-type Spirit Masters like Oscar and Ning Rongrong was a huge advantage, but it also meant the Shrek Seven Devils only had five members who could actively fight. Now, with Huo Feng relegated to the back as an observer, their effective combat strength was reduced to just four people, at least until he decided to join the fray. Facing a team where every single member was above level thirty-five, the pressure was suffocating.
Dai Mubai's face was pale. Despite his high spirit power, he was standing completely alone at the front, expected to take on several powerful, burly men from the opposing team. How could anyone withstand that kind of assault? All he could do now was pray that Huo Feng wouldn't just sit back and watch them get slaughtered. He had to make a move, and soon.
Just then, the host, Manager Ao, called out, asking if both sides were ready.
From the back of his team's formation, Huo Feng gave a calm nod. Across the arena, Kuang Xi did the same. The sight of this drew another round of laughter from the audience. Kuang Xi, the Berserker Team's captain, stood proudly at the front of his formation, as expected. But the captain of this strange Shrek team was hiding at the very back. Was he a support-type Spirit Master? That would make no sense.
"Countdown to five seconds: Five… Four… Three… Two… One!" Manager Ao's voice boomed. "Team Battle, Fourth Match, Begin!"
This countdown was a feature unique to team battles, designed to give the Spirit Masters on both sides a moment to release their martial souls simultaneously. It prevented any single person from being caught off guard by a slow release, and for the Great Spirit Arena, it added a layer of dramatic flair that the spectators loved.
"Everyone, release your spirits," Huo Feng's casual voice drifted from the back line.
The other six members of Shrek hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding in unison. But what Huo Feng did next left every single person in the arena completely speechless. Under the gaze of thousands of eyes, he calmly sat down on the stage and crossed his legs.
What the hell! This was a team battle! Did he think this was his living room?
"Good heavens, what in the world is that Shrek captain doing?"
The audience had never witnessed anything like it. They had seen people surrender the moment they stepped on stage, but they had never seen a captain sit down and make himself at home as if he were having a picnic.
"That kid is way too arrogant!"
"Holy crap, I've really seen it all today!"
"Tsk, tsk, knowing Kuang Xi's temper, that Shrek team is about to get a painful lesson in humility!"
The spectators murmured amongst themselves, most of them expressing utter disbelief at Huo Feng's behavior. Even Manager Ao, the host, couldn't help but shake his head, a mocking smile playing on his lips. This kid might have some strength, but an act like this was beyond presumptuous. It was a blatant provocation that would undoubtedly enrage not just Kuang Xi, but the entire Berserker Team.
His prediction was correct. The Shrek team themselves were equally dumbfounded. They knew Huo Feng was supposed to observe at first, but nobody said anything about him sitting down to do it. They could already see the faces of the Berserker Team twisting with rage. Huo Feng was putting an insane amount of pressure on them!
Just then, Dai Mubai let out a furious roar, his aura exploding outwards. He couldn't worry about Huo Feng anymore. The enemy was about to charge, and all he could do was brace himself for impact. His muscles bulged instantly as he stretched his arms out to his sides, releasing his martial soul: the White Tiger.
At the same moment, everyone on the stage released their spirits. The bodies of the Beast Spirit Masters began to transform while the Tool Spirit Masters summoned their weapons. In an instant, the entire stage was bathed in a dazzling, chaotic light.
Watching the brilliant display from his seated position, Huo Feng began to understand why team battles were so popular. The sheer spectacle of the opening moment was something no one-on-one duel could ever match. Fourteen Spirit Masters releasing their spirits at once, their spirit rings igniting in a symphony of color—the scene was truly exhilarating.
On the Shrek team's side, the spirit ring configurations were remarkably uniform. Dai Mubai and Oscar, both Spirit Elders, each possessed two yellow hundred-year rings and one purple thousand-year ring. The other four active members—Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Ma Hongjun, and Ning Rongrong—all had two yellow rings. As for Huo Feng, he hadn't released his spirit rings at all, remaining perfectly at ease on the ground.
In stark contrast, the Berserker Team's spirit rings were a chaotic mix. Their captain, Kuang Xi, had one white, one yellow, and one purple—a standard but unimpressive combination. The two gloomy men beside him were even weaker, each with one white and two yellow rings. The only member with a top-tier configuration was the enchanting woman, who, like Shrek's Spirit Elders, possessed two yellow and one purple ring. Of the remaining three members, only the ordinary-looking older man at the back had a thousand-year ring, matching Kuang Xi's configuration. The other two had the same subpar one white, two yellow combination.
The pristine, uniform colors on Shrek's side created a jarring contrast with the uneven display of their opponents.
Although Kuang Xi had mentally prepared himself for the Shrek team's strength, he was still secretly shocked to see that two of them already possessed optimal spirit ring configurations as Spirit Elders. Fortunately, four of them were still at the Spirit Grandmaster level; otherwise, he might have been tempted to surrender on the spot. But his eyes were drawn to the figure at the very back—the one who had knocked him down earlier—who was sitting on the ground without a single spirit ring visible. Though he was enraged, Kuang Xi wasn't naive enough to believe Huo Feng would simply sit out the entire match.
The stark difference in their spirit rings highlighted a crucial reality: high-level rings were exceedingly rare. Soul beasts that produced them were incredibly powerful, and obtaining one safely often required the help of a much stronger benefactor.
The once-boisterous audience had fallen quiet. The visual impact of Shrek's spirit rings was undeniable. The complete absence of a single white ten-year ring was proof enough that this team had powerful backing. And yet, their captain was sitting on the stage as if he were on vacation. What was this guy even doing here?
Manager Ao was also startled by the quality of the Shrek team's rings, but he quickly composed himself. With a final shout of "Begin!" he flew backward, moving with incredible speed that revealed he, too, was a powerful Spirit Master.
Up in the spectator stands, Flender stared at Huo Feng's leisurely posture with a strange expression, scratching his head. Well, he thought to himself, that's certainly a unique way to observe a battle.
Zao Wou-Ki, sitting beside him, was even more shocked.
"That kid," he breathed, his eyes wide with disbelief. "He really has the guts!"
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