After Ning Rongrong finished her analysis, a heavy silence fell over the room. Everyone's expression grew serious as they understood just how powerful the Royal Fighting Team was.
Dai Mubai glanced at Flender, wondering if the dean had already figured out that this spirit duel would be incredibly difficult to win. Maybe that was why he had suddenly decided to let Tang San start instead of Ma Hongjun. If they lost, they would have a ready-made excuse. The blame would naturally fall on Tang San, the newcomer who had participated in the losing match.
Before this new "Shrek Eight" was formed, the team had an undefeated streak of twenty-seven wins. But now, with Tang San forced onto the team, he was set to lose the very first match he started in. It was the perfect setup.
Of course, this was just Dai Mubai's own cynical guess. But Ma Hongjun was Flender's personal disciple, after all. If he wasn't on the field for the loss, then no one could connect the failure to him.
Dai Mubai never would have guessed how accurate his assumption was.
Flender hadn't thought of it at first. But as soon as he decided to substitute Tang San for Ma Hongjun, the idea had taken root in his mind. To put it simply, it would be fantastic if they won. But if they lost, Tang San would take the fall. He and his teacher, Yu Xiaogang, could bear the pressure from the audience. They both seemed capable of handling that sort of thing.
Besides, Flender predicted that Tang San wouldn't perform well in this team battle anyway, regardless of the outcome. After this, Yu Xiaogang probably wouldn't get another chance to push for Tang San to be a starter. This thought was precisely why Flender was now in a much better mood. He had a plan for either outcome.
Letting Tang San replace Ma Hongjun wasn't just about avoiding conflict with the other students; it was also a little bit of selfishness on his part. If they won, there was nothing to complain about. But if they lost, it would highlight Tang San's uselessness while simultaneously showing how important Ma Hongjun was to the team's success. It would be perfectly clear whose disciple was stronger.
Now, all they had to do was wait for the team battle to begin.
Meanwhile, inside the Soto Fighting Arena, the members of the Royal Fighting Team were relaxing in VIP Room Three.
The luxurious room was enormous, spanning two hundred square meters. A massive leather sofa, over fifteen meters long, could have comfortably seated more than a dozen people. The entire room was decorated in gold—golden palace lanterns hung from the ceiling, the wallpaper shimmered with golden patterns, and various golden ornaments gave the space an air of splendor.
In front of the sofa sat a crystal coffee table laid out with exquisite snacks and a variety of drinks. Most impressively, one entire wall of the room was a single, transparent crystal pane. From inside, they had a perfect view of the central Main Spirit Arena below, but special treatment on the crystal made it impossible for anyone outside to see in.
At the moment, only seven people occupied the room, each with a distinct presence. They all appeared to be in their early twenties.
Sitting in the very center of the sofa was a slender young man with long, black hair. He wasn't classically handsome, and his face was almost devoid of expression, as if his facial muscles were permanently stiff. He wore simple, close-fitting blue clothes without any decoration, giving him a plain appearance that somehow felt incredibly dangerous. With his eyes closed, he leaned back against the comfortable sofa, resting.
A woman was seated next to him, though she wasn't leaning against the sofa's back. Instead, she was lazily draped over the blue-clothed youth's shoulder. Her dark purple, short hair gave her a heroic look, which contrasted strangely with her green eyes. She wasn't stunningly beautiful, but she possessed a unique, demonic charm. She idly played with her emerald-green nails while leaning against her companion.
"Come on, Yanzi. Can you stop being so lovey-dovey in front of us?" a handsome young man complained. He was of medium height and build, with short golden hair and lively eyes. He leaned casually against the large crystal window, watching them. "We're all single here. You're going to give us ideas, and that wouldn't be good."
The girl on the sofa, Dugu Yan, glanced at him, a charming smile playing in her green eyes. "Then come over here. Want big sister to teach you how to be a man?"
"Uh, I'll pass," the young man said, hurriedly refusing. A look of horror flashed across his face. "Only the boss can handle your Jade Phosphor Poison. I don't think I'd enjoy it."
"Serves you right for teasing her," came a voice from the other side of the window. Another young man with golden hair, whose features were so fine he looked almost as beautiful as a woman, was leaning against the crystal pane. He swirled the drink in his hand, gloating.
The handsome young man glared at him. "Leopard, you got a problem? After the team battle today, how about we go one-on-one? I'll teach you a lesson."
The black-clothed youth snorted. "One-on-one? You've got some nerve. You're a flying-type Spirit Master, and I'm a ground-based one. It's obvious you'd just be bullying me. If you're so tough, why don't you challenge the boss? Forget about winning; if you can last three minutes against him, I'll be impressed."
"You…!" The handsome young man was clearly unconvinced but had to admit that he really couldn't last more than three minutes against their captain.
"Alright, both of you be quiet," the blue-clothed youth on the sofa finally spoke, his voice calm but firm. "Can't you be more like the Shi brothers and conserve your energy?"
He gestured toward two burly men sitting cross-legged on the floor near the wall, meditating. Both had straight noses and square jaws, and their solid frames gave off a feeling of stability and immense strength.
The handsome young man smiled. "Boss, do we really need to conserve our energy? With our team at the Silver Spirit rank before even reaching level forty, I bet you can't find a single worthy opponent in the entire Soto Great Spirit Arena. Forget this place; even in the main Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena in the imperial city, there's no one who can compete with us."
The blue-clothed youth replied indifferently, "Even so, you can't get into the bad habit of being careless. The world of Spirit Masters is full of powerful people. You never know when someone stronger might appear. Lingling, come sit on the sofa for a while. Standing all the time also consumes energy."
Although his words sounded humble, his face was filled with undisguised arrogance.
This was the captain of the Royal Fighting Team, the Shrek Team's next opponent, Yu Tianheng.
And the purple-haired woman sitting beside him was Dugu Bo's granddaughter, the team's vice-captain, Dugu Yan..
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