On the Douhun Stage, the seven limping giants no longer cared about Ma Hongjun and Xiao Wu hovering in the air. Their eyes were locked only on each other, each one desperately trying to squeeze to the front of their chaotic line.
Whenever one of them managed to pull slightly ahead, the person behind him would not hesitate to stick out his good leg and viciously trip the crippled leg of his own teammate.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The sounds of massive bodies hitting the floor echoed one after another.
"Ouch!"
"Hu Yan Zhen, did you just trip me?!"
"Hu Yan Qing, you're blocking the way! Get out of here!"
"You stepped on my foot! I'll trip you for that!"
"Stop tripping me!"
"Why can't you just let me walk in front?!"
A mess of roars, curses, and the dull thuds of falling bodies filled the air. The seven giants staged an absurd and unprecedented farce of "chain tripping" on the stage. You trip me, I get up to trip someone else, only to be tripped again by a third person. They fell into a heap, tearing and cursing at each other in a scene of absolute, comical chaos.
The entire Great Spirit Arena had gone mad with laughter. Spectators clutched their stomachs, with tears of mirth streaming down their faces. Some were laughing so hard they rolled right out of their seats.
"Oh my god… hahahaha… I can't breathe… I'm dying of laughter…"
"Elephant Armor Academy… Have they all gone insane?"
"Trip him! Keep tripping! Hahahaha!"
"That Ye Yin… is he some kind of devil?!"
In the judging area, Hu Yan Zhen shot to his feet, his massive body trembling violently with extreme anger. Watching his proud disciples trip each other like clowns and wrestle on the stage, all while listening to the piercing laughter from the crowd, he felt a surge of blood rush to his head.
Crack!
The solid metal railing in front of him was crushed in his bare hands.
"Ye! Yin!" he roared, his voice shaking with rage. "You brat! I, Hu Yan Zhen, will never rest until you are dead!"
In the Shrek Academy rest area, Flender covered his face, but his shaking shoulders betrayed his laughter. Grandmaster's mouth twitched, his eyes filled with a complex mix of shock and amusement. Zhao Wuji was not even trying to hide it; he grinned widely and slapped his thigh.
"Damn… this kid Ye Yin's methods are just incredible! Hahaha!"
High above the Douhun Stage, the other Shrek members had stopped their attacks. They all hovered in the air, watching the chaotic scene below with strange expressions.
Ma Hongjun smacked his lips. "Tsk tsk, those poor Elephant Armor guys… They could have offended anyone, but they had to offend Yin Ge."
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged a glance. In each other's eyes, they saw a shared sense of speechlessness and perhaps even a hint of sympathy for their opponents.
Ye Yin looked down at the seven mammoths rolling around on the stage, lightly dusted his sleeves, and smiled gently at the referee.
"Mr. Referee," he said calmly. "I think you can announce the results now, can't you?"
The referee glanced at Hu Yan Zhen's blood-red, murderous eyes below the stage, then back at the seven Elephant Armor members who were still stubbornly tripping each other, completely defenseless. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and slowly raised his hand.
"The… members of Elephant Armor Academy have all lost their ability to fight! Shrek Academy wins!"
The absurd and comical match finally came to an end. Shrek Academy, in a way nobody could have predicted, had once again shocked the entire venue, adding another mark of shame to the legacy of Elephant Armor Academy. Ye Yin also gained a massive amount of resentment points from the match.
However, Ye Yin's good mood didn't last long. In the following matches, their opponents began to forfeit, clearly afraid of facing him. They were willing to lose a match, but they were not willing to be publicly humiliated.
[Resentment from Ye Yin +9!]
Days passed, and by the tenth round of the qualifiers, a clear gap had formed between the participating teams. Shrek Academy stood proudly at the top with a perfect record of ten wins. They had already defeated powerful teams from the Five Element Academies, including Shenfeng Academy and Elephant Armor Academy. If they could defeat the remaining three, their spot in the finals would be guaranteed.
Finally, Shrek Academy was set to face their next major opponent: Blazing Academy, a powerful team composed entirely of fire-attribute Spirit Masters. The match between these two top-five teams was the biggest highlight of the round and was scheduled to take place in the central arena.
Long before the match began, the stands were already buzzing with excitement. Some fans hoped Blazing Academy would finally put a stop to Shrek's winning streak, while others couldn't wait to see what new tricks Ye Yin would pull this time.
In the Shrek preparation area, everyone was looking at Ye Yin. He had become the team's unofficial headmaster.
"Yin Ge, you tell us. What's the plan for today?" Tai Long asked, waving his fists. "We'll listen to you!"
Flender, Yu Xiaogang, and Liu Erlong stood silently to the side.
"Headmaster, Grandmaster, Teacher Erlong, why aren't you three saying anything?" Ye Yin asked. "You're the teachers. You should at least give some advice."
[Resentment from Flender +30!]
[Resentment from Yu Xiaogang +50!]
[Resentment from Liu Erlong +10!]
Flender desperately wanted to walk over and slap the boy. We do give advice, he thought, but do you ever listen? In the end, you just tell us our ideas are no good and that we're useless even when given the chance.
Liu Erlong's mouth twitched. "It's nothing," she said, forcing a smile. "We trust you. You decide."
Ye Yin nodded. "Alright. I'll still be the first one on stage. Blazing Academy's attacks are very strong, so we need to be prepared with healing and defense. Rongrong and Jiang Zhu, you're both on healing duty. The rest of the team will be Dai Mubai, Tai Long, Ma Hongjun, and Xiao Wu."
After the simple arrangement, they prepared to enter the arena.
"First round, central arena, Shrek Academy versus Blazing Academy!" the host announced loudly.
Both teams strode confidently into the arena. Instantly, the entire stadium erupted in a tumultuous wave of cheers. Many were cheering for Blazing Academy, but even more were supporting Shrek. Shrek Academy had already beaten one of the Five Element Academies. If they could defeat another, their status as the tournament's biggest dark horse would be undeniable.
Ye Yin walked at the back of the formation with Ning Rongrong and Jiang Zhu beside him. Ma Hongjun was just ahead of them, while the others formed the vanguard.
The seven students from Blazing Academy all looked to be in their early twenties. They entered in a triangular formation. Their captain, Huo Wushuang, led from the front, while his sister, Huo Wu, and two support-type Spirit Masters anchored the rear, a formation very similar to Shrek's own.
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