Flender nodded gravely at Ma Hongjun's question. "That old fellow is Shi Nian," he explained, his voice low so only his students could hear. "His Spirit is very special; it's a unique Spirit that has form but no substance. It can create various illusions, causing people to get lost within them. With his current strength, he can make opponents lost in his illusions self-harm until they die. We call his Spirit the 'Lingering Dream'."
He paused, ensuring the students understood the gravity of the situation. "This old fellow is extremely sinister. Don't be fooled by his calm exterior; he's actually vindictive and cruel. All of you, be careful. When I first knew him years ago, his spirit power was already over rank sixty. Now, it's probably above rank seventy."
Illusions? There's a Spirit like that?
The Shrek Group couldn't help but be startled at the same time. Their minds immediately began pondering how to counter such a strange ability, but most of them just looked bewildered. Fighting an enemy you couldn't touch or see clearly seemed impossible.
A rare hint of apprehension appeared on Flender's face. "His Spirit is very troublesome; even Spirit Masters stronger than him generally don't want to fight him because it's so mentally exhausting. Alright, enough about him for now. The opening ceremony is about to begin, prepare to enter."
Flender then looked at Huo Feng. "Huo Feng, you can lead everyone in. I'll go ahead and watch your valiant figures from the stands."
He didn't give anyone a chance to object or complain about him abandoning them. Flender had already slipped away, disappearing into the crowd in the blink of an eye.
Indeed, the competition staff soon entered the resting area. They began to organize the assembled students for entry into the main arena. What angered the Shrek Group somewhat was that those staff members seemed to completely ignore their existence. They organized other academies one by one for entry, calling their names and guiding them out, but somehow forgot Shrek entirely.
It wasn't until they were the only team left standing in the empty resting area that a staff member finally came over, leading them into the entrance passage with an impatient wave of his hand. If not for Huo Feng and Dai Mubai holding them back, the group, brimming with suppressed anger, would have already shown signs of erupting and causing a scene.
Although they were the last to enter the venue, the moment they stepped out of the dark tunnel and into the light, they were still awestruck by everything before them.
Surrounding the enormous and vast plaza were countless shouting and cheering spectators. The noise was deafening. Directly in front of the central arena was a massive rostrum with a gold-red background, designed for the most important VIPs. Behind the rostrum was the renovated VIP viewing area. The spacious venue itself had a diameter exceeding one hundred and fifty meters, providing ample space for combat.
The academies that had entered earlier were already arranged in neat formations in the center of the venue, their colorful uniforms creating a vibrant mosaic. As each academy entered, there was a dedicated master of ceremonies on the rostrum to introduce them to the crowd.
"The last to enter is the Shrek Team," the Master of Ceremonies announced, his voice amplified by magic. "Look how distinctive their peculiar attire is; a total of nine students are participating. Their registration slogan is, 'Champions Without Rivals.' That's a very imaginative slogan; we hope they can deliver an outstanding performance."
Listening to the master of ceremonies on stage, the audience in the stands burst into laughter. Jeers and mocking whistles rose and fell like a tide.
"Damn it, I can't hold back anymore," Dai Mubai growled, clenching his fists as he walked forward.
Oscar, walking behind him, could clearly feel that Dai Mubai's muscles were taut, ready to explode at any moment. "Boss Dai, just bear with it a little longer. During the competition, we'll use our strength to shut them up. Fighting now only disqualifies us."
Oscar patted Dai Mubai's shoulder reassuringly. Dai Mubai turned to look at Oscar, then took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. If it were just him, he probably would have erupted long ago and challenged the loudest hecklers. But as a member of the Shrek Team, he obviously couldn't damage the team's interests due to his own impulsiveness.
At the same time, the name of the "Shrek Team" successfully caught the attention of Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, who were standing with the Lanba team.
When they heard the team name, the expressions on their faces clearly changed. Tang San clenched his fists tightly. He was now full of confidence in his own strength. After half a year of intense training under the Grandmaster, he was no longer the same weak boy as before. Tang San firmly believed that when he was in the Shrek Team previously, his strength had improved slowly entirely because the academy's resources were all allocated to others like Dai Mubai or Huo Feng. By the time it was his turn, there was nothing left for him.
Yu Xiaogang's eyes were equally profound and dark. He now harbored a biting hatred for Flender for kicking them out. He fantasized crazily that only by defeating the Shrek Team could he swallow his resentment and prove his theories were superior.
Yu Xiaogang, of course, didn't know that this was merely his own wishful thinking. The current Shrek Team was completely beyond what he and Tang San could hope to challenge. If he were told that Huo Feng's spirit power had already exceeded rank fifty, it would probably scare Yu Xiaogang and Tang San to death.
Meanwhile, all participating academies had completed their entry. The Shrek Academy group stood at the very back of all the teams, isolated by their strange appearance. They ignored the laughter around them, instead carefully observing their surroundings.
This Great Spirit Arena was undoubtedly the largest venue Huo Feng had ever seen. The stands, capable of accommodating eighty thousand spectators, were all decorated with a silver-toned background that glittered under the sun. Although it was morning, specialized magic-guided lighting was hung all around, giving a sense not just of luxury, but also of grandeur and magnificence.
When Huo Feng's gaze fell on the VIP stand, he immediately saw several familiar faces. One of them was Prince Xue Xing, whom he had met during the conflict at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. There were also the three Education Commissioners of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. They were all seated in the second row of the VIP seats, indicating their high but not supreme status.
The first row of the VIP seats had only three people.
The central figure wore a gold-red robe, a golden diamond crown on his head, and had a face like an ancient moon—dignified and calm. He looked slightly older than Prince Xue Xing, and there were some similarities in their brows. The difference was that this person's demeanor was far beyond what Prince Xue Xing could compare to. Although he appeared somewhat aged, sitting there, he gave a sense of being a focal point, as if everything around revolved around him.
Without asking, Huo Feng also guessed this person's identity. Even Prince Xue Xing had to sit in the second row. Then, the identity of the central person in the first row was already obvious. Besides His Majesty the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, Emperor Xue Ye, no one else could sit in this position.
To this person's left sat an elder even older than him. He was completely covered in a large red robe, wearing a five-pointed platinum crown on his head. His eyes were slightly closed, as if he were asleep or meditating. His shoulders were narrow, and his slender body was stiff and straight like a javelin.
Huo Feng had also seen the person to the Emperor's right. It was Ning Rongrong's father, Sect Master Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Previously, Ning Rongrong had taken the Shrek Group to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and at that time, Ning Fengzhi had specifically praised Huo Feng's talent.
Ning Fengzhi wore a pristine white robe today, with a Seven Treasure Purple-Gold Crown on his head symbolizing his status. As one of the Sect Masters of the Upper Three Sects among the Seven Great Sects, he was fully qualified to sit in this position of honor.
As for the red-robed person on the other side, Huo Feng could tell from the five-pointed platinum crown on his head that this person was a Platinum Bishop of Spirit Hall. The highest ruler of Spirit Hall was undoubtedly the Supreme Pontiff. Below the Supreme Pontiff were four Archbishops, and their status was symbolized by exactly this kind of five-pointed platinum crown.
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