"What did you just say?" Flender asked, his voice sharp with disbelief. "You want 'Shrek One' and 'Shrek Eight' to start the match at the same time?"
"Yes, you heard me correctly," Manager Ao confirmed with a sincere nod. "That is the condition from the Soto Fighting Arena."
If he was being serious, putting their most dominant fighter and their most infamous loser on the same stage would create a spectacle of unimaginable proportions. The excitement would be off the charts.
"Hiss… this…" Flender frowned, a conflicted expression on his face. He immediately understood the manager's intention. Combining the immense popularity of Huo Feng and Tang San was a brilliant marketing strategy that would undoubtedly ignite the entire arena.
However, participating in a team battle in the Central Spirit Arena meant their opponents would be far from ordinary. If they were matched against a weak team, it wouldn't be a problem. He could just let Tang San go up there and fill a spot; his presence or absence would make little difference. With Huo Feng there to carry the team, the risk would be minimal.
But if they were to face a genuinely strong team, then being down a capable fighter would make a significant difference. It could be the factor that decided the match. Furthermore, he faced another difficult problem. If Tang San was in the starting lineup, one of his other students would have to be benched. Choosing who to leave out was a decision he didn't want to make.
Instead of giving an immediate answer, Flender decided to probe for more information. His expression remained calm, as if he were just having a casual chat. "I'm curious, why does the Soto Fighting Arena want to arrange the match this way? Could you tell me the specific reason?"
For a matter this important, he needed to understand all the details. Otherwise, he risked walking his students into a trap.
Manager Ao let out a sigh, a helpless smile spreading across his face. "Alright, I'll be frank with you. Three days ago, a new Spirit Master team arrived. All of its members are Silver Spirit rank, and it seems they were hired by several prominent nobles in Soto City. For the past two days, those nobles have placed massive bets on them, and the team has won every match without breaking a sweat. In just two days, they've caused our Great Spirit Arena to suffer immense financial losses!"
He continued, his expression growing grim. "As you know, most Spirit Masters who reach the Silver Spirit rank are Spirit Ancestors, level forty or higher. But every member of this team is a Spirit Elder! We can't break the rules and send a team of Spirit Ancestors to fight them. But if this continues, the arena can't keep taking these losses. Those nobles, emboldened by their success, have increased their bets again for tonight. If we lose again, I'm afraid…"
Flender nodded, instantly grasping the situation. His mind began to race as he asked, "A team of Spirit Elders who have all reached the Silver Spirit rank must be quite powerful. What kind of teams have you sent against them so far?"
Manager Ao thought for a moment before replying, "Since our arena doesn't have any resident Silver Spirit teams at the Spirit Elder rank, we had to send our best Bronze Spirit teams against them. One of those teams was the Mad War Team, who you've fought before. But they were utterly defeated, with no chance to even fight back."
Hearing this, Flender's brow furrowed. "The Mad War Team is a respectable team at the Spirit Elder rank. Is this new team simply at a much higher level than them?"
"No, it's not a matter of spirit power level," Manager Ao said, shaking his head. "The main issue is the vast difference in their spirit rings. This Silver Spirit team, much like your own, has an optimal spirit ring configuration for every member."
Flender knew exactly what that meant. It referred to a Spirit Elder whose first spirit ring was from a hundred-year beast, their second from a five-hundred-year beast or higher, and their third from a thousand-year beast. This combination of two yellow and one purple ring, possessed by students like Dai Mubai and Huo Feng, provided an immense advantage through powerful spirit abilities. The Mad War Team simply couldn't compete.
Even with this information, Flender didn't rush to agree. "Even so," he said, "why are you so confident that our Shrek Team can win? After all, we only have three members who are Spirit Elders. The other four are still Spirit Grandmasters."
Manager Ao offered a slight smile. "You are being far too modest. While the Shrek Team's average spirit power might be lower than other teams, you have achieved something incredible: a perfect winning record over twenty-seven team battles! That's unprecedented in the history of the Soto Fighting Arena. As the saying goes, there's always a reason for success. I believe your team has what it takes to challenge them. More importantly, you have a star player like 'Shrek One'. The Soto Fighting Arena is willing to bet on him!"
A thoughtful glint appeared in Flender's eyes. "If I remember correctly," he began slowly, "participating in the Central Spirit Arena comes with additional rewards, doesn't it?"
Seeing that the team leader was finally tempted, Manager Ao's heart leaped with joy. He quickly puffed out his chest and replied, "Of course! For participating in a main arena match, each Spirit Master will receive a direct reward of five hundred gold coins. And since we are personally inviting you, if you win the match, the arena is willing to pay an additional ten thousand gold coins as a bonus!"
He saw Flender considering the offer and quickly added more incentives before he could refuse. "Because your team hasn't officially received their Silver Spirit badges yet, the points will be calculated as usual. But we can make other arrangements. For this special match, we ask that your members do not participate in their individual and duo fights tonight. To compensate, our arena will automatically register all of their matches as victories. We will have their opponents forfeit, ensuring your students preserve their winning streaks and can face their opponents at full strength."
He paused, leaning in to deliver the final, most crucial part of the offer. "And, as we discussed… if 'Shrek One' and 'Shrek Eight' can appear on stage at the same time, the Great Spirit Arena will add an additional twenty percent reward on top of everything else."
Flender chuckled to himself. This Soto Fighting Arena, and the entire audience… did they really enjoy watching Tang San make a fool of himself that much?
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