"Teacher Wu, please allow me to take this match," Xu Yucheng stepped forward, his voice steady.
Wu Changkong's cold gaze fell upon him, and he nodded slightly.
"Alright."
There were no extra words; a single-word affirmation was enough.
Xu Yucheng said no more, his figure flickered, and he landed on the sparring platform, facing Mo Jue from a distance.
Seeing both sides in position, Cai Yue'er wasted no more time and announced loudly, "The third match begins!"
The third one-on-one match instantly erupted.
Xu Yucheng's figure was gaunt, his complexion a pale white from prolonged lack of sunlight, and his gray eyes were hollow and cold.
In his hand, he held a massive scythe, its handle three meters long, and its blade over one and a half meters, inscribed with countless ominous dark-purple patterns.
Just a glance at it felt as if even one's Soul would be pulled in and devoured.
The light around Mo Jue's body noticeably dimmed. She slowly stepped forward, and with each step, the degree of dimness around her deepened.
Five purple spirit rings slowly rose from beneath her feet, emitting a chilling glow.
Black feathers appeared among her long hair, spreading along her hair to her front, and the Aura around her became increasingly viscous.
Black Swan, this was Mo Jue's Spirit.
Swans have always been very noble creatures among Spirit Beasts. Most swan-type Spirit Beasts are skilled in healing abilities.
Among the Ten Great Vicious Beasts, there was one known as the Jade Swan, and her cultivation was among the best of the Ten Great Vicious Beasts.
However, Mo Jue's Black Swan Spirit was not skilled in healing, but rather in various curses and long-range attack system battle Spirit Masters.
At this moment, the dark Aura swirling around her was continuously spreading, enveloping the entire arena in her curse.
The massive scythe in Xu Yucheng's hand trembled slightly, and the dark-purple patterns glowed faintly, forming a standoff with Mo Jue's cursed Aura.
Mo Jue raised her right hand, and her first spirit ring flashed. She pointed her right hand towards Xu Yucheng in the Void Realm.
Immediately, a strange scene appeared: a massive black skull materialized in the Void Realm, flying straight towards Xu Yucheng.
At this moment, Xu Yucheng moved.
His figure flashed, and the scythe drew an arc in the air, splitting the black skull.
The dark-purple blade light fiercely collided with the cursed energy.
After a thrilling confrontation, Xu Yucheng ultimately won the one-on-one match against Mo Jue with a slight advantage.
With three consecutive victories, the combined Aura of the Grade One and Grade Two team immediately soared to its peak.
Cheers and applause surged like a tide from the area where the combined team was located.
On the Grade Three side, with Mo Jue's defeat, the morale that had just been raised instantly collapsed.
It even became more subdued than before, and the students' faces were filled with disappointment and disbelief.
Teacher Song's expression had become extremely grim. In contrast, Wu Changkong still maintained his calm and composed demeanor.
"Teacher Song, should we... continue fighting?" Wu Rui suddenly spoke.
Teacher Song frowned upon hearing this.
According to the competition system, there would be a two-on-two match and the final team battle.
However, in their current state, could they really defeat this powerful combined team of Grade One and Grade Two?
"Qiankun, what do you think?" Teacher Song turned to Li Qiankun, the class monitor of Grade Three and usually the most composed student.
Li Qiankun pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Teacher Song, I suggest... we concede."
"Why?" Teacher Song pressed.
"Their strength is already not inferior to ours. If we can't even win individual duels, a team battle will likely be even harder to win."
Li Qiankun analyzed, "And look at those twin sisters on the other side; it's highly possible they possess a Soul Fusion Skill."
Ye Wu couldn't help but interject, a look of unwillingness on his face: "Class monitor, can't we just give it our all? There might still be a chance in the team battle!"
"Can you block a Soul Fusion Skill?" Li Qiankun retorted.
"This..."
Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.
They were all too aware of the power of a Soul Fusion Skill. If the opponents truly had this trump card, the outcome of the team battle was predictable.
"The rest of you, do you have any other thoughts?" Teacher Song looked at the other participating students from Grade Three, her gaze sweeping over their young faces, each filled with disappointment.
"No."
Everyone responded in low voices, their faces full of helplessness.
"Alright."
Teacher Song took a deep breath, then looked up at the main platform, "Holy Spirit Douluo Ya Li, our Grade Three concedes and withdraws from the subsequent matches."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue erupted in an uproar.
No one had expected that this highly anticipated inter-grade challenge would end prematurely with Grade Three's voluntary concession.
On the main platform, Holy Spirit Douluo Ya Li, Red Dragon Douluo Zhuo Shi, Scarlet Dragon Douluo Feng Wuyu, and several other Sea God Pavilion elders who taught in the Outer Court all showed surprise.
They truly hadn't expected Grade Three to concede directly.
"Old Cai."
Holy Spirit Douluo Ya Li spoke softly, signaling.
Cai Yue'er nodded slightly upon hearing this.
She stepped forward and announced loudly, her voice echoing throughout the entire venue: "Grade Three concedes. I declare that in this inter-grade challenge, the combined team of Grade One and Grade Two is victorious!"
"We won! We won!"
The area where the combined team of Grade One and Grade Two was located instantly erupted in deafening cheers. Many students jumped up in excitement, high-fiving each other in celebration.
After the cheers subsided slightly, Cai Yue'er spoke again, her calm voice carrying an undeniable authority: "Silence."
The entire venue instantly fell silent, and all the students' gazes focused on the dean of Shrek Academy's Outer Court.
"Taking this opportunity, I have an announcement to make."
Cai Yue'er was expressionless, her gaze sweeping over the young faces below: "In view of the outstanding performance of Grade One and Grade Two in this challenge."
"The academy has decided to select a group of excellent students from both grades to participate in an exchange and study program to Star Luo Continent in six months."
"I hope you will redouble your efforts, continuously improve yourselves, and strive for a spot to go to Star Luo Continent. This exchange program will last for one year."
"Star Luo Continent?"
Most of the students showed expressions of curiosity and surprise.
As students who could enter Shrek Academy, few did not know of the existence of Star Luo Continent, which was why they were all very surprised.
However, Fang Yang and others appeared very calm; they had already secured their spots.
After Cai Yue'er finished her announcement, she and the other high-ranking academy officials left the venue.
The students who remained also began to disperse one after another.
Most of the Grade One and Grade Two students had excited and hopeful expressions, while the Grade Three students seemed somewhat dejected.
In the days that followed, the learning atmosphere throughout the Outer Court, especially among the students of Grade One Class One, was better than in any other grade.
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