On the arena floor, the Shrek Team was locked in a grueling battle against the Mad Team.
Fu Ye sat in the audience stands, leaning back with an air of absolute leisure. In his arms, Xiao Wu rested comfortably, her slender figure molding perfectly against his. They looked more like a young couple on a romantic date than spectators at a life-or-death spirit duel. Below them, the "Two Living Buddhas" of the Tang family were leading their five "deadweight" teammates against the frenzied remaining members of the Mad Team.
Fu Ye watched the chaos with mild interest, his hand absentmindedly stroking Xiao Wu's long, silky hair. Whether he was more interested in the match or the soft beauty in his lap was a question only he could answer.
Up in the luxury VIP box, the rest of the Tianshui girls were not as relaxed.
"Wow, Brother Fu Ye is so biased! He actually left us behind to have a private world with Teacher Xiao Wu," Shui Yue'er pouted, her cheeks puffing out in annoyance.
"Teacher Xiao Wu is beautiful, gentle, and talented... but I've already been molded into Brother Fu Ye's 'shape' too!" Xue Wu added, her voice a mix of pride and unintentional boldness.
Dugu Yan chuckled, a triumphant glint in her eyes. "Hehe, I settled things with Brother Fu Ye years ago. You little girls shouldn't try to compete with your big sister."
Suddenly, the room went quiet. Several pairs of eyes turned toward Xue Wu.
"Xue Wu, I think you need to give us an explanation," Shui Bing'er said, her voice dropping an octave.
"Exactly. We sisters only have one attitude toward traitors who get a head start," Shui Yue'er added, cracking her knuckles.
"Xue Wu, confess everything, or don't blame us for being heartless!" Liu Yu and Hai Rou chimed in.
"Eh? No! I didn't say anything! You all heard wrong!" Xue Wu stammered, her face turning bright red as she tried to back away.
"Yue'er, Liu Yu, Hai Rou—get her! Pin her down! As the captain, I must personally 'inspect' my vice-captain to see if she's telling the truth," Bing'er commanded with a playful, predatory grin.
In the corner, Ning Rongrong, the Zhu sisters, Meng Yiran, and Dugu Yan switched to "spectator mode." They had seen this kind of "girl talk" turn physical many times. Ning Rongrong, usually the queen of dirty jokes, felt a blush creep up her neck. She remembered being the target of such an "inspection" before; it had been embarrassing, but the novelty of it still made her heart skip.
"Let us congratulate the Shrek Team for their victory!"
Down on the sands, the Tang brothers had finally overcome the Mad Team using every ounce of their strength (short of their hidden weapons).
"Oh yeah! We won! We actually won!" Oscar, the scruffy sausage uncle, shouted with excitement.
In contrast, Ma Hongjun stood silently. He was a grotesque sight—missing an arm, his body covered in jagged scars, looking more like a monster from a horror film than a young spirit master. Yet, the flames flickering around him seemed more violent and domineering than before.
Tang San and Tang Chuan exchanged a look. During the fight, Tang Chuan had exposed techniques from the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record. Tang San was now deeply suspicious that his brother had secretly stolen his clan's ultimate arts.
Dai Mubai maintained his "dead father" expression. In three years, his spirit power had only increased by two ranks. Aside from the two newest recruits, everyone else on the team had surpassed him. He was a fallen prince in every sense of the word.
Fu Ye, still cuddling Xiao Wu, felt the gaze of the girls from the VIP box. Xiao Wu, with her 98th Rank Spirit Professional mental strength, didn't care. She didn't mind Fu Ye having many women; he always made sure she was "well-fed" until she couldn't take anymore.
If anything, she thought, I need more reinforcements to help me handle him. Even as a Rank 98 Super Douluo, she found it hard to endure his stamina, especially with his new ability to turn one hour into twenty-four.
"Husband... give me a kiss," Xiao Wu whispered, her eyes full of mischief. She was grateful to her mother, Ah Wu, for arranging her early transformation. If she hadn't transformed when she did, she'd just be another girl in the crowd competing for his attention.
"Mhm. A kiss."
As they leaned in for an intimate moment, the crowd around them looked on with envy. It was then that the members of Shrek noticed them.
"Holy crap! It's that devil!!"
Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai shouted almost simultaneously. They immediately covered their mouths, the trauma of their previous encounter with Fu Ye flooding back. Ma Hongjun's missing arm and ruined face were constant reminders of what happened when you provoked Fu Ye.
Fu Ye ignored them. Why bother with "stray birds" when he could kiss his wife? He did notice, however, that the dark energy in Ma Hongjun's body had been burned away by his black flames, leaving behind a seed that looked like it was evolving toward the Ultimate Fire.
Tsk. His 'junk' is gone, he's disfigured and crippled, yet he's pulling off a 'rebirth from the ashes' routine? Fu Ye mused. But reaching Ultimate Fire wasn't easy. Without an immortal herb or a miracle during the breakthrough to Super Douluo, he was stuck. Given his current state, even reaching the Title Douluo rank was a doubtful prospect.
"Brother Fu Ye, tonight we..." Xiao Wu's voice was playful. She had been conserving her energy for days, preparing to "challenge" his authority once again.
"Mhm. Whatever you want. You never seem to get tired of it."
"Heehee, Xiao Wu gets more addicted every day!"
The Shrek Team heard every word. They cursed him in their hearts as a degenerate, but the envy was eating them alive. To have that power and those women... who wouldn't be jealous?
Especially Tang Chuan, the supposed "God-King." His eyes were bloodshot, his breathing heavy as he glared at Fu Ye. He looked like he wanted to tear Fu Ye apart with his bare hands.
"Brother, what are you doing? We need to go back," Tang San said, confused. He remembered Fu Ye from Notting Academy as just a series of misunderstandings. He no longer respected his "teacher," Yu Xiaogang, who had taught him nothing of value besides deducing his twin spirits.
"Get away from me! I... I!!!"