Strangely enough, the members of Shrek Academy didn't enter the Soto Fighting Arena as a group. Instead, they arrived one by one, blending in with the crowd. This wasn't because they were trying to be overly secretive, but because they simply had no other choice. After a month of intense competition, the Shrek Team's impressive results had made them the center of attention.
This was especially true for Huo Feng, the team's captain. Countless spectators were desperate to uncover his true identity, and if that wasn't possible, they'd settle for just tearing off his mask. As long as they could get a piece of the team's fame, they were willing to try anything.
Although the team had not yet fought in the central main arena, the audiences in the outer arenas were already incredibly familiar with them. The name "Shrek" had become a household name among regular spectators. The titles "Shrek One" and "Shrek Eight" were also widely known, one for his absolute power and the other for his absolute weakness.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, the group had adopted a new strategy ten days ago. They would enter the arena wearing their normal clothes, then slip away to a designated spot to change into their battle attire and put on their masks before signing up for any matches. Because of this, guessing which sub-arena the Shrek Team would appear in had become a favorite game for the audience.
Today was no different. Dressed in simple clothing, the young teenagers easily blended into the crowd, their age serving as the perfect disguise. The iconic Shrek masks they wore were surprisingly effective at hiding their identities.
Team battles were always the last event of the night, but they were the first to be registered for. To prevent his students from accidentally facing each other in the one-on-one or two-on-two matches and ruining their winning streaks, Flender had a system. He would first tell them the location for the team battle, then have them scatter to different sub-arenas for their individual fights. He handled the team battle registration himself, in his capacity as the person in charge of the Shrek Team.
Today, Flender chose the eighth sub-arena to register the team. After a month of fighting, the Silver Spirit rank, which had once seemed so difficult to achieve, was now practically guaranteed thanks to everyone's impressive winning streaks. They just had to get through one last night of battles before the points were officially calculated. Flender was wary of his disciples receiving too much attention. If their true ages were discovered, the scrutiny from all sides would become an unbearable nuisance.
He walked up to the team battle registration counter and, just as he had done every other night, handed the Shrek Team's registration badge to the staff member. "Excuse me," he said calmly, "I'd like to sign up for the team battle."
The staff member habitually took the badge, but his expression changed dramatically the moment he read the words engraved on it. "The Shrek Team!" he exclaimed.
Flender frowned. The staff at the Great Spirit Arena were usually professional and composed, rarely showing emotion even when dealing with high-level Spirit Masters. This man's reaction was unprofessional and concerning.
"Excuse me, sir," the staff member asked hesitantly, "are you the leader of the Shrek Team?"
Flender nodded slowly. "Something like that," he replied, a hint of impatience flashing across his face. "Please hurry."
"Sir, please wait just a moment."
Under Flender's puzzled gaze, the staff member quickly left his post, clutching the team's badge as he ran towards a back room. Although Flender was annoyed, he had no choice but to wait. The man had their registration badge, so he couldn't simply go to another sub-arena. What Flender didn't realize was that it wouldn't have mattered. If he had presented that badge at any counter in the Soto Fighting Arena tonight, he would have received the exact same treatment.
He didn't have to wait long. A few moments later, the staff member returned, accompanied by another man. Flender recognized him—it was Manager Ao, the host who had been present during their very first team battle. Flender hadn't paid him much attention at the time and was surprised to see him again.
"I apologize for the wait," the staff member said politely, handing the badge back to Flender.
Manager Ao stepped forward with a polite smile. "Hello, esteemed team leader," he said. "I wonder if I could have a word with you? It won't take up much of your time."
"Are you representing yourself or the Soto Fighting Arena?" Flender asked calmly.
"I represent the Soto Fighting Arena, of course," Manager Ao replied with another smile.
Flender nodded. He had expected something like this to happen eventually. The team's performance over the past month had been too outstanding to go unnoticed. Huo Feng, with his perfect winning record, was certainly the main focus, but even Tang San, with his terrible record, had maintained a strange kind of popularity. Both were likely to attract attention. While Flender hated dealing with the Great Spirit Arena's bureaucracy, he knew better than to offend them. Their power was so immense that even entire nations had to be cautious.
He gave a simple nod and followed Manager Ao to a quiet room behind the registration area.
"Team leader, I'll get straight to the point," Manager Ao said, his tone turning serious. "On behalf of the Soto Fighting Arena, I hope that the Shrek Team's battle tonight can be held in the central main Soul Arena."
"Oh?" Flender wasn't surprised. "That doesn't seem to follow the rules, does it?" he responded coolly. "According to the regulations, only Spirit Masters with a Silver Spirit rank or higher can fight in the main arena. My team only has Iron Spirit badges."
A wry smile appeared on Manager Ao's face. "You don't need to be so modest. With your team's record this month, you're guaranteed to receive Silver Spirit badges after tonight's matches are over. We're just moving the timeline up by one day. However," he continued, "I do have one small request."
That last sentence made Flender's brow furrow. For some reason, he suddenly had a very bad feeling.
"Go on," Flender said calmly, keeping his expression neutral.
Manager Ao nodded, looking slightly awkward as he revealed his true intention. "As I said, we would like to feature your team in the main arena tonight. But our condition is that both 'Shrek One' and 'Shrek Eight' must be in the starting lineup for the team battle!"
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