Three days after the Spirit Master Tournament began.
Inside a private room at a restaurant in Heaven Dou City.
Prince Xue Xing sat at the head of the table. Several influential nobles of the city were seated on either side of him.
Standing before them was a well-built young man.
"Wang Teng, originally from Wang Village in Huaibei City. Third son of the Wang family," one of the nobles read from the file in his hand before looking at the young man. "Is that correct?"
The young man, Wang Teng, nodded nervously.
He had originally been cultivating at his inn when one of Prince Xue Xing's attendants summoned him.
He had assumed that his performance in the tournament had caught the prince's attention, so he had gladly accepted the invitation.
As a commoner Spirit Master, he understood how precious opportunities like this were.
What he hadn't expected was to find so many nobles gathered in the room.
A sense of foreboding immediately rose in his heart.
Another noble placed a purple Gold Soul Card on the tea table.
"We've investigated your background."
"Your father broke both his legs while gathering firewood in the mountains years ago and has been bedridden ever since. Your mother has shouldered the burden of supporting the entire family."
"Unfortunately, years of overwork ruined her health. She's now bedridden as well."
"Your two older brothers possess no Spirit Master talent and make a living farming."
"As for the one hundred Gold Soul Coins you receive each month from the Spirit Hall as a Spirit Master subsidy, most of it goes toward treating your parents and paying for your younger sister's education."
"Am I right?"
For commoner Spirit Masters, the monthly subsidy from the Spirit Hall was their lifeline.
But for Wang Teng, it was still far from enough.
His mother's internal injuries were difficult to heal, and his father's legs could never simply grow back.
Hiring a healing-type Spirit Master alone would cost far more than one hundred Gold Soul Coins.
Wang Teng had always dreamed of earning the favor of a powerful noble.
But seeing today's gathering, he had already guessed that these nobles wanted him to sell his life.
Seeing that the groundwork had been laid, an elderly noble slowly rose to his feet.
"I am Katelan, a hereditary Earl of the Heaven Dou Empire."
Wang Teng respectfully bowed.
"My respects, Lord Earl."
Katelan waved his hand.
"I dislike beating around the bush, so I'll speak plainly."
"I have only two sons and no daughters."
"If you complete this task for me, not only will your parents receive proper treatment, but your two brothers will also be appointed as officials in the local City Lord's Office."
"As for your younger sister, I've heard she possesses excellent talent. I intend to adopt her as my goddaughter."
Wang Teng's eyes lit up.
A noble of such status had no reason to toy with him.
If his sister became the Earl's goddaughter, their family would finally have a powerful patron.
There might even be hope for his father's crippled legs.
As a commoner Spirit Master, he knew how difficult cultivation resources were to obtain.
If his sister became the goddaughter of an Earl, her future achievements would be limitless.
Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees.
"Thank you for your recognition, Lord Earl. Thank you, my lords, for giving me this opportunity."
"I, Wang Teng, am willing to give my life in your service."
Prince Xue Xing laughed heartily.
"In that case, congratulations, Earl Katelan. From now on, your family will only continue to prosper."
His smile faded as he looked toward Wang Teng.
"Boy, you've impressed me."
"What a pity. If this matter hadn't happened so suddenly, I truly would have liked to make good use of your talents."
At those words, Wang Teng understood his fate.
"Unfortunately, someone chose to oppose the royal family. And I cannot retaliate openly."
"So the only option is for you to sacrifice yourself. That will give me the leverage I need to deal with them, while your family's wealth and prosperity will be within easy reach."
"My men have already gone to Huaibei City."
"As long as you agree to carry out this task, I can fulfill every promise immediately."
With unwavering resolve, Wang Teng asked,
"Please give your orders, Your Highness."
Prince Xue Xing finally spoke without further pretense.
"During the tournament, deliberately die at the hands of the Shrek Team."
"Trade your life so your family can skip a hundred years of hardship. Tell me isn't that a worthwhile bargain?"
By this point, Wang Teng had no way to back out.
He already knew Prince Xue Xing's plan.
If he refused now, they would kill him on the spot to prevent the plan from being exposed.
His family would likely suffer the same fate.
As for why Shrek Academy had been chosen as the target.
Everything that had happened during the tournament's opening ceremony was reason enough.
Wang Teng knelt deeply before them and declared solemnly,
"I will not fail Your Highness or the honored nobles."
Everyone present nodded in satisfaction.
After giving him a final warning, Prince Xue Xing continued.
"You can return home over the next few days. See for yourself as your family begins enjoying a life of wealth and comfort."
"Here are fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins. Spend them as you wish. Before you leave enjoy yourself."
Over the past few days of the tournament, Shrek Academy had begun to reap the consequences of its actions.
Every opponent they faced fought as though their lives depended on it.
However, each time their opponents managed to gain even a slight advantage, they would immediately surrender just as Shrek was about to launch a counterattack.
The same thing happened match after match.
The Shrek Seven Devils grew increasingly frustrated, forcing Grandmaster to adjust their tactics.
Yet today's opponent surrendered before the match even began, leaving them feeling as though they had punched empty air.
With no outlet for their pent-up frustration, everyone in Shrek Academy was furious.
If not for the sake of the academy, given their personalities, they might have stormed into their opponents' waiting room and challenged them to a private fight.
Today's opponent for the Seven Treasure Team was the Canghui Academy Team.
Seeing this, Grandmaster comforted everyone.
"Calm yourselves. Canghui Academy is fairly strong. They might be able to force the Seven Treasure Team to reveal some of their hidden abilities. Let's head to the arena and watch the match carefully."
The Shrek Seven Devils had been suppressing their frustration for days.
If they could learn every Spirit Skill used by the Seven Treasure Team, they would have a much better chance of restoring their pride in a future match.
Inside the Seven Treasure Team's waiting room.
With knowledge of future events, Wu Qi already knew about Canghui Academy's Spirit Fusion Skill.
Fortunately, his hundred-thousand-year spirit bone could easily counter it, so he had planned to participate in today's match.
Just as he was assigning the lineup, Sun Buyu hurried into the room.
"Everyone, take it easy. Canghui Academy has already forfeited. We win this match."
Feng Xiaotian wasn't surprised.
"It seems they've decided to avoid facing us head-on."
Wu Qi stretched lazily before picking up the tournament schedule.
"Our opponent tomorrow is the Elephant Armor Team. Everyone, get some good rest."
With no match to fight today, everyone could finally relax for a day.
Seven Treasure Academy had already assigned numerous teachers to observe the other teams' matches from the spectator stands.
They carefully recorded each team's performance before sending the reports back to the academy, where their strategists would analyze the information.
As a result, Wu Qi and the others didn't need to spend their free time gathering intelligence themselves.
"They surrendered again? Those Canghui Academy fools!"
Grandmaster cursed angrily.
So far, every opponent the Seven Treasure Team had faced had been relatively weak.
None of them had managed to force the team to reveal any Spirit Skills beyond their second Spirit Ring.
At last, they had hoped that a stronger team like Canghui Academy would expose some of the Seven Treasure Team's true strength.
Instead, they had chosen to forfeit without fighting.
"Do you think they're working together?"
Recalling the events of the past few days, Dai Mubai spoke resentfully.
After being repeatedly frustrated by every team they encountered, the Shrek Seven Devils were in an extremely foul mood, yet there was nothing they could do about it.
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