Chapter 42: First Encounter with the Shrek Seven Devils

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The opening ceremony was held at the grand Tian Dou Great Spirit Arena within Heaven Dou City.

This was a major event, attracting a large crowd of spectators.

Twenty-eight academies had come to participate in the Spirit Master Tournament. Each team wore matching uniforms, each bearing the unique emblem of their academy.

In the preliminary rounds, the winning team of each match would receive a monetary reward in gold soul coins.

Of course, Feng Xiaotian wasn't interested in the money; he only cared about defeating every opponent and winning the championship.

Today was the opening ceremony and the first day of the tournament, with only one match scheduled.

The deputy team of Tian Dou Royal Academy would draw an opponent to compete in the first round of the round-robin tournament.

Feng Xiaotian knew, based on the unfolding of events, that the opponent they would draw would be none other than Shrek Academy.

Led by Feng Lieyang, Feng Xiaotian and his teammates entered the Tian Dou Great Spirit Arena.

It wasn't long before they spotted a few familiar figures.

A young man and four young women were approaching them. They were none other than Huo Wushuang, Huo Wu, Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, and Xue Wu.

"Hello, Grandpa Feng!" they greeted in unison.

"Hello to all of you! I suppose you came to find Xiaotian? I'll take the others inside first; you can chat here," Feng Lieyang responded warmly before leading the Godwind Academy team inside.

Feng Xiaotian and Xiao Luo stayed behind.

Today, everyone was dressed in their academy uniforms.

The uniforms of Blazing Academy were predominantly fiery red, while those of Tianshui Academy were a deep sea blue, each with a distinctive style.

Having not seen each other for half a year, there was a slight sense of unfamiliarity between them.

Xiao Luo broke the ice, saying, "You all arrived pretty early."

"You're the ones who are late," Huo Wu teased.

"We're not late at all; there's still plenty of time before the opening ceremony," Shui Yue'er added with a smile.

Feng Xiaotian couldn't help but wonder how much they had improved during the past six months and what their current strengths were.

"Have you all mastered the Yi Jin Jing that I taught you?" Feng Xiaotian asked.

"Don't worry, Brother Tian, we've all perfected it," Huo Wu replied confidently.

"I feel like my stamina is much better than before, like I'm overflowing with energy every day," Shui Bing'er added with a satisfied nod.

Feng Xiaotian smiled, pleased with their progress. "Alright, so what's your current spirit power level? Let's hear it."

Huo Wushuang was the first to speak up. "I'm at level 44."

Huo Wu followed, "I'm at level 45."

Xue Wu chimed in, "I'm at level 44."

Shui Yue'er shyly added, "I'm at level 39."

Finally, Shui Bing'er stated, "I'm at level 45."

Xiao Luo's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, Shui Yue'er, you've really improved! You've gained three levels in just six months, and you're catching up to me! I'm only at level 39 myself."

"It's all thanks to Brother Tian's teachings. Without that internal cultivation technique, there's no way we could have progressed this quickly," Shui Yue'er said gratefully.

"That's true!" Xiao Luo agreed with a nod.

Shui Yue'er, being the youngest and the lowest in spirit power among them, was determined not to be the one holding the team back. She had been pushing herself relentlessly.

Among these five, aside from Shui Yue'er, only Huo Wu had managed to increase her spirit power by three levels within the last six months. The others had gained two levels each.

Huo Wu was naturally talented, but the effort she put in was far beyond that of an ordinary person.

She had a fierce competitive streak and refused to accept defeat.

Originally, Shui Bing'er had been one level higher in spirit power than her, but now Huo Wu had caught up.

Feng Xiaotian remarked, "You've all done exceptionally well, even better than I expected."

Huo Wushuang then asked, "Brother Tian, what level are you at now?"

Before Feng Xiaotian could answer, Xiao Luo quickly interjected, "Brace yourselves, because this might shock you. Our leader is now a 53rd-level Spirit King!"

The five of them were stunned by the revelation.

"What?! Level 53?"

"Is that true? Last time we parted ways, Brother Tian was only at level 46."

"Advancing seven levels in just six months? That's incredibly fast!"

Everyone found it hard to believe.

Xiao Luo chuckled. "Well, what can I say? That's just how awesome our Brother Tian is!"

"You're right! When it comes to Brother Tian, nothing is surprising," Shui Bing'er agreed.

Curious, she asked, "Brother Tian, your fifth spirit ring must be a ten-thousand-year spirit ring. What is your fifth spirit ability?"

As Shui Bing'er finished her question, the others stared at Feng Xiaotian, eagerly awaiting his response.

"My fifth spirit ring came from a thirty-thousand-year-old spirit beast. I gained a group control skill from it, which I named 'Entangling Wind'."

"A thirty-thousand-year-old spirit beast!"

The group was once again left in awe.

Xiao Luo laughed and added, "You might find this hard to believe, but this all happened just a few days ago. Our leader and Grandpa Feng went to the Star Dou Great Forest, and Brother Tian single-handedly took down that Crimson Fire Fox."

"What? He soloed a thirty-thousand-year-old spirit beast?!"

"That's amazing!"

Feng Xiaotian interrupted, "Alright, don't believe everything Xiao Luo says. Without Grandpa's help, I wouldn't have been able to take down that Crimson Flying Fox by myself."

Huo Wushuang teased, "Brother Tian, your fifth spirit ability must be incredibly powerful, right?"

"It's decent. You'll see it in action soon enough. There's also another unexpected reward I got."

"What reward?" they all asked eagerly.

"For now, that's a secret," Feng Xiaotian replied with a mysterious smile.

In the preliminary rounds, the goal was simply to advance, so many Spirit Masters chose to keep their true strength hidden.

Feng Xiaotian had no intention of revealing his full capabilities too early.

As they were chatting, a group of people wearing odd uniforms approached.

Feng Xiaotian immediately recognized them—they were from Shrek Academy.

It was finally time to meet Tang San and the rest of the Shrek Seven Devils.