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Tang Chen waved his hand lightly after hearing the words of the old man. He did not give a direct answer to Dugu Bo's playful teasing. Instead, he looked through the window of the ready room. It was as if he could already see his opponents walking onto the Douhun Stage. His voice was very calm, but it had a deep and mysterious feeling as he spoke.
"You will find out once the fight starts. I have met the students from Tianshui Academy before."
After he finished speaking, he did not wait for Dugu Bo to ask any more questions. He stood up straight, fixed his clothes to make sure they were neat, and pushed open the door. He began walking down the long hallway that led to the Douhun Stage.
Dugu Yan watched him go. A small smile appeared on her red lips, and she looked very interested in what was happening.
"Oh? It looks like our captain is finally tired of just sitting around and watching. He is actually going to fight today because we are facing Tianshui Academy. This is going to be very interesting! I definitely have to go and see what happens!"
She stood up quickly and followed after him. Ning Rongrong blinked her big, beautiful eyes. She looked very curious about the whole situation.
"Brother Chen actually wanted to go on stage himself? And he is doing it against Tianshui Academy? I bet there is a secret story behind this! I can't miss out on the fun!"
She ran a little bit to catch up with Dugu Yan. The two brothers, Shi Mo and Shi Mo, looked at each other for a second and then followed the rest of the group.
Almost everyone from the original Royal Fight Team had joined Tianxing Academy now, except for Yu Tianheng. Their new team had ten members in total. There were seven main fighters and three people who could take their place if needed. The team members were Tang Chen, Xiao Ruier, Qian Renxue, Ye Lingling, Dugu Yan, Ning Rongrong, the Shi brothers, Yu Feng, and Oslo.
When Tang Chen finally stepped onto the Douhun Stage, the entire Great Spirit Arena became quiet. Thousands of people were watching, but for a moment, nobody said a word. The bright Spirit guiding lights all moved at once to shine on him. The light showed off his tall and straight body. He stood as still and strong as a pine tree.
Tang Chen had long hair the color of deep blue water. It hung down loosely and seemed to glow softly under the bright lights of the arena. His eyes looked like the stars in the deep sea. He just stood there quietly, but he had a very cool and noble feeling about him. He looked like he belonged in a palace rather than a loud fighting arena. Everyone in the crowd could not stop looking at him.
On the other side of the stage stood the Tianshui Academy team. This team was special because every single member was a beautiful girl. They had been waiting for their opponents, but when they saw Tang Chen, they were shocked.
"Oh my goodness!"
Shui Binger was the captain of the team. She was usually very calm and hard to surprise, but now she had to cover her mouth with her hand. Her ice-blue eyes were wide with shock, and she took a quick breath.
Xue Wu stood next to her and could not stop staring either. She whispered quietly to herself.
"This is crazy. How can someone be that handsome? I used to think Dai Mubai was the best-looking guy around, but compared to this person, he is nothing at all."
Yu Hairou was usually very loud and full of energy, but now her face was turning very red. She put her hand over her heart and spoke with a shaking voice.
"I can't do this. My heart is beating way too fast. How are we supposed to fight a guy like that? Just looking at his face makes me forget how to use my Spirit Ability!"
Another girl on the team sighed very loudly. She was half-joking but also felt a little overwhelmed.
"You are right! Captain, this match is unfair! Having an opponent who looks like that is basically cheating. I can't even focus on the fight because I just want to keep looking at him!"
For a few minutes, the Tianshui Academy side was full of girls talking and acting surprised. The serious feeling of a big match was replaced by a very different mood. The girls were shy and amazed. They didn't feel like fighting as much as they did a moment ago.
However, Shui Yueer was standing on the side of the team with a confused look on her face. She kept staring at Tang Chen and frowned slightly. She whispered to herself so the others wouldn't hear.
"That is so strange. I feel like I know him. It is like I have seen him somewhere a long time ago."
She felt a strange feeling in her heart, but no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't remember. It felt like there was a thick fog over her memories. She knew she recognized him, but she didn't know why. This made her watch him even more closely than the other girls.
Shui Binger finally took a deep breath. She was the leader and the oldest, so she knew she had to stay strong. She pushed down the strange feelings in her own heart and clapped her hands loudly to get everyone's attention. Her voice was clear and firm.
"Alright, everyone! Focus! Stop acting like little kids who are in love!"
She looked at Yu Hairou and Xue Wu. She saw that they were still daydreaming and looking at Tang Chen. Her voice became much more serious.
"The match is going to start any second now! You all need to wake up and get ready! Don't forget who we are fighting. Our opponent is Tianxing Academy!"
She walked closer to her teammates to make sure they were listening.
"Tianxing Academy has not lost a single match since the start of this competition. Nobody knows how strong they really are. Even though we have already earned enough points to move on to the next round, today is still very important!"
She looked them in the eyes to show them how much this mattered.
"If we lose today, we might lose our confidence for the next rounds. That would be bad for our ranking. Today is not just about points. It is about our spirit and our pride! You must stop thinking about other things and give this fight everything you have! Do you understand me?"
When they heard Shui Binger's speech, the girls started to snap out of it. They remembered how strong Tianxing Academy was. The red color on their faces started to go away, and they looked serious again. They all nodded at their captain.
"Yes, Captain! We understand!"
"We will do our best, Big Sister!"
The fighting spirit started to return to the Tianshui Academy team. The referee saw that everyone was ready and gave the signal. Both teams walked toward the center of the Douhun Stage.
On the side of Tianxing Academy stood Tang Chen, Dugu Yan, Ning Rongrong, the Shi brothers, Yu Feng, and Oslo. The referee told the two teams to bow to each other as a sign of respect.
The two teams stood in a straight line facing each other. Shui Binger was standing directly across from Tang Chen. When Tang Chen looked at her, he felt a little bit surprised. He had met many pretty girls, but Shui Binger was different. She had a very special feeling about her, like cold ice.
Tang Chen decided to be polite since they were fighting a team of girls. He introduced himself first.
"I am the captain of the Tianxing Academy team, Tang Chen. My Spirit is the Blue Silver Grass. I am a Rank 53 Life-attribute Spirit King. Please teach me well today."
Shui Binger was surprised that he was so polite and that he was already a Spirit King. She quickly introduced herself too.
"I am the captain of Tianshui Academy, Shui Binger. My Spirit is the Ice Phoenix. I am a Rank 43 control system Spirit Master."
After the captains finished, the rest of the Tianshui girls spoke one by one.
"I am the Vice-Captain, Xue Wu. My Spirit is the Fine Dance Snow Satin. I am a Rank 42 support system Spirit Ancestor!"
"I am Yu Hairou. My Spirit is the Coral Barracuda. I am a Rank 41 attack system Spirit Ancestor!"
"I am Shui Yueer. My Spirit is the Luminous Jade Dolphin. I am a Rank 36 agility-attack system Spirit Elder!"
"I am Shen Liuyu. My Spirit is the Enamel Alligator. I am a Rank 37 attack system Spirit Ancestor!"
"I am Gu Qingbo. My Spirit is the Azure Sailfish. I am a Rank 38 agility-attack system Spirit Elder!"
"I amäŒ Ruoshui. My Spirit is the Jade Lotus Perch. I am a Rank 37 attack system Spirit Elder!"
Once they were done, the members of Tianxing Academy gave their own introductions in a quick and strong way.
"I am Dugu Yan. My Spirit is the Jade Phosphor Serpent. I am a Rank 46 control system Spirit Ancestor."
"I am Ning Rongrong. My Spirit is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. I am a Rank 40 support system tool Spirit Ancestor."
"I am Shi Mo. My Spirit is the Xuanwu Turtle. I am a Rank 42 defense system Spirit Ancestor!"
"I am Yu Feng. My Spirit is the Wind Chime Bird. I am a Rank 38 agility-attack system Spirit Elder!"
"I am Oslo. My Spirit is the Ghost Leopard. I am a Rank 37 agility-attack system Spirit Elder!"
When the crowd heard these names and levels, the arena went silent for a second. Almost everyone on the team was a Spirit Ancestor or higher. With Tang Chen being a Spirit King, their power was scary. But then, the crowd started to cheer louder than ever before. Everyone knew they were looking at the team that might win the whole championship.
Shui Binger felt very nervous after hearing their ranks. She knew this was going to be the hardest fight of her life. The referee didn't wait any longer. He raised his hand high and then dropped it quickly.
"Let the match begin!"
As soon as he said those words, a loud sound like an explosion filled the air. All fourteen Spirit Masters moved at the same time. Their spirit power exploded outward as they summoned their Spirits.
Tianshui Academy moved very fast. Shui Binger and Xue Wu stepped back quickly. Their Spirits, the Ice Phoenix and the Fine Dance Snow Satin, began to shine with a bright light.
The air around them turned very cold. They moved in a special pattern to start their most powerful move, the Martial Soul Fusion Skill called Ice and Snow Drifting. They knew that against a team this strong, they had to use their best attack right away.