"At that time, I will also have some other matters to discuss with everyone."
Qin Ming's voice was calm, but his words sparked immediate curiosity among the group. Everyone nodded in agreement, though their eyes lingered on him, expecting more.
Just then, Flender walked over, a broad smile plastered across his face. He looked at the younger teacher with a hint of impatience.
"Qin Ming, just say whatever you need to say! Do you really have to wait until tonight to spill it?"
Hearing Flender's direct question, Qin Ming smiled helplessly, shaking his head slightly.
"It isn't that I want to be mysterious, Dean Flender. This matter hasn't been officially finalized yet, which is why I'm speaking vaguely right now. If it's confirmed by this evening, I will naturally announce it to everyone then."
At this moment, Zhao Wuji stepped forward. He reached out and patted Qin Ming heavily on the shoulder, laughing with his usual rough demeanor.
"Oh, you sly dog, keeping things so mysterious. Don't worry, we'll all be there tonight. I just hope the food and drinks you prepare are good enough to satisfy us."
Hearing Zhao Wuji's teasing, Qin Ming's expression relaxed. "Vice-Dean Zhao Wuji, you can rest assured! I will ensure the hospitality is up to standard."
Everyone chatted for a few more sentences, exchanging pleasantries, before Qin Ming excused himself to make preparations.
Most of the day passed quickly. As the sun began to set, signaling the time for the banquet, the Shrek Group gathered together. Led by Flender, they walked towards the location agreed upon with Qin Ming.
However, the group was not complete. Everyone was present except for two people: Tang San and Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang was still lying paralyzed in his bed. Since his injury and the subsequent humiliating return, he had fallen into a state of utter despair. He wore a look of lifeless misery, as if he wished to die rather than continue living in his current state. Naturally, a celebratory banquet was the last place he could be.
As for Tang San, his absence was a matter of duty. Although he was not immobile like Yu Xiaogang, he felt that as a disciple, he could not go out and celebrate while his teacher suffered. If his teacher couldn't go, he wouldn't go either.
Furthermore, Tang San's social circle was incredibly small. Although it had been quite a while since he joined Shrek Academy and subsequently transferred to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, he remained isolated. Aside from his interactions with Yu Xiaogang, he had barely exchanged ten sentences with anyone else in the group.
He did not feel familiar with the others, nor did he feel a part of their camaraderie. Leaving the broken Yu Xiaogang alone to go feast and drink was something Tang San simply couldn't bring himself to do. Instead, he merely asked Flender to bring back some food for him and his teacher upon their return.
Flender naturally nodded in agreement. Packing up some leftovers was a simple matter of convenience, and he wouldn't deny his student food.
As he walked away from their room, Flender's mind lingered on his old friend. Yu Xiaogang was indeed pathetic right now. Flender couldn't help but feel a hint of sympathy for such a pitiful fellow who, in many ways, was no longer considered a complete man.
But that sympathy had its limits. It was purely born out of their past friendship and seeing a man brought so low. If Yu Xiaogang touched upon any bottom-line issues, Flender knew where he stood. He would unhesitatingly stand on the opposite side of moral corruption.
For example, if Flender knew the truth about the recent news in the city—that Yu Xiaogang was actually the one-armed suspect on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's wanted list—his reaction would be swift. The moment he confirmed such a betrayal of trust and law, he would report Yu Xiaogang without a second thought.
Tonight's banquet was essentially a private gathering hosted by Qin Ming specifically for them. The only attendees were the members of the Shrek Group.
Although the venue Qin Ming chose was not a massive hall, it was well-equipped and cozy. All the facilities were complete, and the table was laden with an abundant spread of high-quality food and drinks. Compared to the stiff atmosphere of large commercial banquets, everyone preferred to enjoy this kind of intimate, relaxed environment.
The atmosphere warmed up quickly. After three rounds of drinks, the tension of the journey faded, and everyone opened their hearts, chatting and laughing freely.
Just then, seeing that the mood was right, Qin Ming finally cleared his throat to speak about business.
"Dean Flender," Qin Ming began, his tone turning respectful and serious. "The Education Committee has entrusted me to discuss something with you. They would like to seek your opinion on a proposal."
Hearing this, Flender waved his hand casually, his face flushed slightly from the wine. "Just tell me what it is. We are all friends here."
When Qin Ming had mentioned a "matter" during the day, Flender had already guessed it involved the higher-ups. Since they were at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, any official business would naturally come from the Education Committee. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any talk of it being "confirmed" or "unconfirmed," nor would Qin Ming be the messenger.
"Exactly, Qin Ming," Zhao Wuji chimed in, leaning back in his chair with an indifferent expression. "Just say what you have to say. Let me hear what's going on with those old fellows."
Hearing both deans agree to hear him out, Qin Ming finally spoke with relief.
"The Education Committee wants the Shrek Team and the Royal Fight Team to have another sparring match."
"They want to spar?" Zhao Wuji laughed loudly. "That's easy enough!"
He picked up his wine glass and took a large gulp of wine, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "It seems those kids from the Royal Fight Team still haven't been beaten into submission! If they want another beating, we'll give it to them until they learn!"
Flender also nodded in agreement. Sparring was a process of mutual exchange and learning. Presumably, since the Royal Fight Team had proposed this rematch, their strength must have improved, or they had developed new tactics.
The seven students sitting around the table also smiled and nodded in agreement. They weren't worried in the slightest.
In their last encounter, most of the Shrek students were only in the twenty-something level range regarding Spirit Power. Even with a useless Tang San dragging down the formation, they had managed to defeat the elite Royal Fight Team.
The situation was completely different now. This time, they had all broken through the threshold. Everyone was now at level thirty Spirit Power or above. Huo Feng and Dai Mubai had even reached the Spirit Ancestor level.
The Royal Fight Team, no matter how talented, couldn't possibly have risen to level forty in such a short time. In that case, the fight would only be easier than before. There was absolutely no hint of fear in the Shrek students' eyes.
Especially Ma Hongjun. His entire face was beaming with excitement upon hearing Qin Ming's words. He had been a substitute in the last match against the Royal Fight Team and hadn't gotten a chance to shine. If they fought again this time, he was eager to test the Royal Fight Team's strength personally.
Seeing their confidence, Qin Ming shook his head helplessly.
"I didn't explain it clearly just now," he interrupted their thoughts of an easy victory. "This sparring isn't the ordinary kind of sparring you are used to. Moreover, the final result will be included in the Royal Fight Team's mid-term assessment scores. Therefore, it is very important to them."
"Oh?" Flender frowned slightly, looking at Qin Ming with some confusion. "What kind of sparring is it then, if not a team fight?"
Qin Ming took a breath and began to state the specific rules of this unique match.
"This sparring match is proposed by the Education Committee. It will involve eight members from the Shrek Team and seven members from the Royal Fight Team participating. The sparring is divided into two distinct parts: one-on-one duels and a team battle."
He paused to ensure everyone was following before continuing.
"The one-on-one matches will be conducted by drawing lots. However, we will be excluding Support System Spirit Masters from this phase. The remaining six individuals will each draw an opponent from the opposing team blindly. The Spirit Power range of the drawn opponent will also be roughly the same as their own to ensure fairness."
Qin Ming then moved on to the more complex part of the proposal.
"For the team battle portion, it will not be Shrek versus Royal Fight. Instead, all fifteen individuals will be scrambled together. We will randomly divide everyone into two new, mixed teams."
The students exchanged surprised glances.
"These two newly formed teams will then spar against each other," Qin Ming explained. "The one-on-one matches will be drawn twice to avoid repeat matchups. The team battles will also be drawn twice, ensuring that more than fifty percent of the people in the two teams are not repeated from the first round."
After Qin Ming finished speaking, he looked at everyone with a smile, waiting for their reaction.
This time, no one immediately responded. The room fell silent as they processed the rules. The amount of information in Qin Ming's words was quite large, and the implications were interesting.
After a moment of silence, Flender was the first to speak. His eyes twinkled behind his glasses.
"Very good, very good. That is a quite innovative way of sparring."
"Indeed," Zhao Wuji added, looking at Qin Ming with a knowing look. "This method of sparring... you must have thought of it, right? It doesn't sound like the style of those old men on the Committee."
"That's right, Vice-Dean Zhao Wuji, it was indeed my idea," Qin Ming admitted frankly. "This sparring method can break conventions. It forces the students to adapt instantly, allowing them to experience a different fighting style than usual. They have to learn to cooperate with strangers and fight against friends. At the same time, the pressure of the unknown can stimulate their potential."
Flender nodded approvingly. "Their opponents, and even their teammates, will be unknown before going on stage. It is indeed quite interesting."
The seven students also nodded. They had sorted things out in that short amount of time. The general idea was that they would no longer be a solid block of seven. Instead, everyone would be scrambled and re-drawn. They might have to fight alongside members of the Royal Fight Team against their own Shrek brothers and sisters.
They had indeed never seen such a combat method. It was truly quite novel and presented a challenge that pure power couldn't solve.
Seeing that everyone understood and accepted the challenge, the smile on Qin Ming's face grew even wider.
"Since that's the case, then it's settled," Qin Ming announced, raising his glass. "It will be held in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's dueling arena seven days from now."
As the toast was being made, a sudden, mechanical sound rang out, invisible to everyone else.
[Ding!]
[System main quest released!]
[Quest content: Sacrifice Oscar and Ma Hongjun!]
The cold, robotic voice echoed suddenly in Huo Feng's mind, freezing him in place amidst the celebration.
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