"This really is a misunderstanding."
Bei Bei took a half-step forward, shielding Tang Ya. His brow furrowed slightly, his handsome face carrying a hint of helplessness.
"Junior sister, we are all fellow disciples; there's no need to resort to weapons."
The tip of the star god sword in Ye Xinglan's hand lowered slightly, but she did not withdraw her sharp sword intent.
Her cold eyes swept over Bei Bei and Tang Ya, her tone indifferent.
"Is it you who wants to fight, or her?"
Even though the two people in front of her were clearly older, not a single trace of fear could be seen in Ye Xinglan's eyes. There was only absolute confidence.
"I'll go first!"
Tang Ya had long since reached her limit.
She stepped forward, moving directly past Bei Bei. As the Tang Sect Master, if she did not act after being so blatantly looked down upon, what would remain of the Tang Sect's reputation?
"Xiao Ya..."
Bei Bei tried to reach out to stop her, but it was already too late.
Beneath Tang Ya's feet, two yellow spirit rings quickly rose.
"Tang Ya, Spirit: Blue Silver Grass, Level 30 Spirit Grandmaster!"
As spirit power was infused, crystal-clear blue vines sprouted from the soil beneath her feet. Each leaf had distinct veins and emitted a vibrant aura of life.
Ye Xinglan looked at the vines, her brow twitching slightly as a flash of disappointment crossed her eyes.
"Blue Silver Grass?"
Seeing Ye Xinglan's dismissive gaze, Tang Ya's face flushed red with anger. She swung her hands violently, launching the first attack at Ye Xinglan.
"What's wrong with Blue Silver Grass? Ten thousand years ago, the ancestor of our Tang Sect, Tang San, also had the Blue Silver Grass Spirit! Ancestor Tang San relied on the Blue Silver Grass Spirit to found the Tang Sect and eventually ascend to the God Realm!"
Ye Xinglan's gaze remained cold.
"Tang San? Never heard of him."
Bei Bei was stunned.
As a student of Shrek Academy, how could she have never heard the name of Ancestor Tang San?
He was the soul of the Shrek Seven Devils!
Ye Xinglan moved, taking a step forward and delivering a simple swing of the star god sword.
Hum—
A brilliant trail of starlight sliced through the air.
Before Tang Ya could even control the Blue Silver Grass to initiate Binding, her vision blurred.
Immediately after, an irresistible force struck her.
Bang!
The dancing Blue Silver Grass vines shattered instantly, dissolving into specks of blue light in the air.
Tang Ya was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut.
That strike was too fast.
Tang Ya hadn't been able to react at all.
"Xiao Ya!"
Bei Bei's figure flickered, instantly appearing behind Tang Ya. He reached out and caught her by the waist, neutralizing the impact.
Even so, the two of them slid back several meters before coming to a stop.
Tang Ya's face was pale, her chest heaving violently.
She wasn't injured; Ye Xinglan had withdrawn most of her power at the last moment.
However, this blow was still incredibly difficult for Tang Ya to accept.
"How... how is this possible..."
Tang Ya's eyes widened as she looked at the blonde girl standing a short distance away, who had already sheathed her sword.
The opponent clearly only had two rings and was so much younger than her. But why?
Why couldn't she even withstand a single strike?
Was she... really that weak?
Had the Tang Sect truly declined to the point where they couldn't even defeat an eleven or twelve-year-old child?
Tears welled up in Tang Ya's eyes. Looking at the distraught Tang Ya in his arms, Bei Bei felt a sharp pain in his heart.
He was Tang Ya's boyfriend and had seen exactly how much effort she had put into reviving the Tang Sect. Bei Bei gently patted Tang Ya's shoulder and spoke softly.
"Xiao Ya, are you okay?"
Tang Ya shook her head, biting her lip without saying a word. Bei Bei took a deep breath, shielded Tang Ya behind him, and slowly turned around to face Ye Xinglan.This time, the smile on his face had vanished.
"Are you truly intent on fighting me?"
Bei Bei's voice was low, carrying a hint of suppressed anger.
"I have no wish to bully the young, but I am a three-ring Spirit Elder with the top-tier Beast Spirit, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Are you certain you want to continue?"
Ye Xinglan looked at Bei Bei. She gave the star god sword a flourish, pointing the tip diagonally toward the ground.
"Naturally."
Her reply was as concise as ever, without any hesitation."I will never let anyone who swindles others under the name of Shrek Academy go. I will protect Shrek's glory."
Bei Bei frowned. Looking at the stubborn girl before him, Bei Bei realized that words were useless now.
Only by defeating her and forcing her to yield would she listen to him and resolve this misunderstanding.
"Fine." Bei Bei nodded, faint flashes of lightning beginning to flicker over his body."I won't take advantage of you. Recover your spirit power first."
Though that previous strike had seemed simple, in Bei Bei's eyes, it must have consumed a significant amount of energy.
To his surprise, Ye Xinglan only gave him a faint glance.
"No need."
"That was just a casual move; it didn't consume any spirit power."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao, who was hiding behind a tree, couldn't help but click his tongue."This girl... her tongue really is quite sharp."
She completely disregarded Tang Ya, and those words also offended Bei Bei.
Bei Bei was clearly angered beyond measure by her statement.
"Good, very good!"
"In that case, excuse me!"
Boom—A sudden clap of thunder erupted.
Bei Bei no longer held back, his spirit power surging wildly within him. Two yellow and one purple—three spirit rings pulsed beneath his feet.
His right arm swelled instantly, covered in layers of blue-purple scales. A ferocious dragon claw replaced his hand, surrounded by crackling lightning.
Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Possession!
That violent aura instantly swept across the entire riverbank. Huo Yuhao turned to look at Xu Lizhi beside him.
The little Fatty still had a simple smile on his face. He even had another bun in his hand and was eating with great relish.
"Um... aren't you worried? Big brother Bei Bei is a three-ring Spirit Elder, and that's the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit. It's very strong!"
Huo Yuhao gulped. Xu Lizhi finished the bun in a few bites, wiped his hands, and said with a grin. "There's no need to worry at all. Sister Xinglan is very strong."
"Very strong?"
Huo Yuhao looked at the petite figure in the center of the field. "But the level difference..."
"Level doesn't represent everything."Xu Lizhi interrupted Huo Yuhao."Just watch and you'll see."
As he spoke, like a magic trick, a steaming hot white bun suddenly appeared in his hand, which he held out to Huo Yuhao.
"Want a bun to calm your nerves?"
"Huh?"
Huo Yuhao was stunned for a moment before instinctively taking the bun. The bun was warm in his hand and gave off an enticing meat aroma.
As if possessed, he took a bite. In the next second, Huo Yuhao's eyes widened.
As the bun entered his stomach, a warm current instantly flowed through his entire body. His stamina and spirit power were rapidly recovering!
"This..."
Huo Yuhao looked at Xu Lizhi in shock.
"Recovery Big Meat Bun. I'm a food system Spirit Master."
Xu Lizhi scratched his head sheepishly.
"The taste is okay, right?"
Before Huo Yuhao could answer, the battle in the field had already begun.
"First Spirit Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw!"Bei Bei gave a low shout. Moving like lightning, he swung his right claw, and a massive dragon claw formed entirely of lightning roared forth, heading straight for Ye Xinglan.
Facing this thunderous strike, Ye Xinglan did not retreat; instead, she advanced.
The azure light in her eyes intensified, and the star god sword in her hand seemed to come alive.
"First Spirit Skill, Sword God Star!"
The girl chanted softly.
Clang, clang, clang, clang—
A series of dense metallic clashing sounds rang out.
Huo Yuhao couldn't even clearly see their movements; he could only see blue-purple lightning and golden starlight frantically interweaving.
The more Bei Bei fought, the more alarmed he became.
His Thunder Dragon Claw was immensely powerful, and every strike carried a paralyzing effect.
However, Ye Xinglan's movement technique was incredibly strong. It was somewhat like the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, but much more ingenious! Every time, she could avoid his frontal attacks by a hair's breadth, while her sword always managed to strike at the weak points in his defense.
"It's over."
Just as the two crossed paths, Ye Xinglan's voice suddenly rang in Bei Bei's ear.
Bei Bei's pupils constricted, and he tried to pull back his defense.
But the light of the star god sword suddenly surged.
The starlight filling the sky instantly converged into a single point, striking the joint of the dragon claw on Bei Bei's right arm.
Bang!
An extremely sharp sword qi instantly pierced through him.
Bei Bei felt his right arm go numb, and the entire limb instantly lost all sensation. His internal spirit power fell into disarray, and he stumbled back several steps.
The victory was decided.
Ye Xinglan stood with her sword sheathed, her breathing only slightly hurried.
Opposite her, Bei Bei clutched his right arm, his expression grim.
Although he wasn't seriously injured, as a three-ring Spirit Elder, he had actually lost to a two-ring Spirit Grandmaster in a direct confrontation.
And he had lost so completely.
The opponent hadn't even used her Second Spirit Skill!
Though he hadn't used his either, he had still lost.
Huo Yuhao was stunned.
She really... won? That girl, who looked not much older than himself, had actually defeated a three-ring Spirit Elder with a top-tier Spirit?
Is this the true worth of a Shrek Academy monster? Ye Xinglan looked coldly at Bei Bei.
"Still want to fight?"
Bei Bei shook his head bitterly. The lightning glow on his body slowly dissipated, and his Dragonification deactivated.
A loss was a loss. His skills were inferior; there was no point in saying more.
"Stop swindling people using Shrek's name." Ye Xinglan turned around, showing no interest in even giving them another look.
Bei Bei opened his mouth to retort but could only let out a long sigh in the end. He really was from Shrek! But now, even he began to doubt whether he, this 'Outer Court Twin Star', was actually a fraud. This was far too discouraging.
Ye Xinglan walked straight toward Xu Lizhi and Huo Yuhao.
She didn't spare Huo Yuhao a single glance, merely nodding to Xu Lizhi.
"Let's go."
Xu Lizhi hurriedly stuffed the remaining half of the bun into his mouth, gave a muffled reply, and then looked at the still-shocked Huo Yuhao.
"Even if those two are frauds, if you really want to become strong..."
"Do you want to go and see the real Shrek Academy?"