Huo Yuhao, your hand is truly rotten!

Seeing this ranking, Huo Yuhao felt a pang of guilt and quietly began to edge backward.

But the next moment, the friendly figures of Jiang Yuheng and Wang Dong appeared almost simultaneously in front of him.

"Is this what you call 'good luck'?" Wang Dong narrowed her eyes, arms crossed over her chest, making it impossible to read her current mood.

"Huo Yuhao, you little rascal, you're something else! There are only three teams in the entire bracket, and you managed to draw two of them right off the bat. What, are you trying to play a matching game?!" Jiang Yuheng patted him on the shoulder, asking with a beaming smile.

"Th-th-this, you two, listen to my sophistry—no, wait, listen to my explanation first!"

"Think about it from another perspective. There are only three teams total, and I drew two in one go. That's a kind of luck too, right?"

As he said this, Huo Yuhao's expression became increasingly aggrieved, and he looked as if he were about to cry.

This result really wasn't what he wanted; he had no idea how it had even happened!

In the spectator stands, upon seeing the entry order and the participating teams for Area 8, Zhou Yi's relaxed brow immediately furrowed again.

She hadn't expected the luck of her class's seed team to be so poor. Not only were they facing a team of Soul Elders, but they had drawn two teams at once.

She didn't know whether to praise them for being lucky or for being too lucky.

"Teacher Zhou, are you looking for your class's seed team? I just took a look at the draw, and what a coincidence. The seed team you selected just happened to run into our class's seed team."

"Care to guess which side will win?"

A female teacher who looked to be in her thirties walked up to Zhou Yi and said with a low chuckle.

Zhou Yi adjusted her glasses. "Mu Jin, do you think your students have already won?"

Mu Jin was no longer young, but she was still a beautiful and attractive woman. She shook her head with a smile and said, "Not necessarily. Nothing is absolute, after all. However, I heard that there isn't a single student in your class above level thirty. What a pity."

Zhou Yi's expression remained indifferent. "Are you here to provoke me?"

Mu Jin kept her smile, but her tone turned icy. "And what if I am? Isn't your class supposed to be the best? I'd like to see how many of the students you've taught can make it into the top eight!"

"Oh, I forgot to mention, when the draw ended just now, I noticed our seed team happened to run into yours. I hope Teacher Zhou's team doesn't get eliminated too early; that would be so boring~"

The animosity between the two had been going on for more than a day or two. Ever since Zhou Yi had mercilessly expelled Mu Jin's younger brother, their already poor relationship had completely collapsed.

From that moment on, the two had been at each other's throats, with Mu Jin never missing a chance to provoke her.

Zhou Yi usually couldn't be bothered to pay her any mind, as it was a waste of time.

But this time, a rare, bright spark flashed in Zhou Yi's eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled up almost imperceptibly. "Want to make a bet?"

Mu Jin's goal had been to anger and humiliate Zhou Yi, so without a second thought, she immediately agreed. "I'll bet. What are you putting up?"

Zhou Yi spoke slowly, "A Soul Bone. Do you dare?"

"What, a Spirit Bone?!" Upon hearing these two words, Mu Jin's pupils contracted sharply.

Spirit Bones were a hundred times more precious than Spirit Rings, and only a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was guaranteed to produce one.

The greatest function of a Spirit Bone was to grant a Spirit Master an additional spirit skill, while also maximizing the enhancement of the Spirit Master's physical constitution and various attributes.

It was no exaggeration to say that any Spirit Bone would inevitably trigger a scramble among Spirit Masters.

Was Zhou Yi really going to stake everything she had just to go all out against her? Where on earth did she get such confidence!

Seeing this, a look of disdain rippled across the corners of Zhou Yi's mouth. "If you're scared, then stay away from me."

A fierce light flashed in Mu Jin's eyes. "Fine, let's bet! If I lose, I'll give you a Spirit Bone. If you lose, you must have Fan Yu craft a close-body Soul Tool for me."

"What does this have to do with Fan Yu?"

Before Mu Jin could speak, a deep, resonant voice rang out. A tall figure had appeared beside Zhou Yi at some point.

"Fine, I accept on her behalf."

Seeing Fan Yu appear, the arrogant aura Mu Jin had previously projected completely dissipated, and her voice became somewhat aggrieved. "You're teaming up with her to bully me."

Fan Yu's expression remained calm, though his brows furrowed slightly. "You were the one being unreasonable first. If you want to bet, then bet; if not, stop provoking Zhou Yi. As for the relationship between you and me, we are merely colleagues, nothing more."

"Bet, why wouldn't I bet? Just because I lost to her doesn't mean my students will lose to hers!" Mu Jin turned around abruptly, her hands gripping the railing beside the high platform tightly, her eyes already misting over.

Her gaze shifted toward the competition field in the Assessment Area.

"Why did you suddenly come over?" Zhou Yi switched back to her original voice and asked in a low tone.

"I came to take a look at the future Core Disciples of our Soul Engineering Department," Fan Yu replied with a smile.

"Core Disciples? Who are they?" Zhou Yi asked, puzzled.

Fan Yu shook his head. "Orders came from above; it must be kept confidential. I am not allowed to disclose it."

Zhou Yi fell into deep thought. If it weren't for a strict order, Fan Yu would never keep anything from her.

In the competition area, apart from Jiang Yuheng, the emotions of Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were tense to the extreme. This was their first time facing a Three-Ring Soul Elder, and the pressure was immense.

In contrast, the three pretty young girls on the opposite side were also wearing the freshman uniforms, but their gazes were filled with extreme disdain. They didn't even spare the Jiang Yuheng team a glance, showing absolutely no professional respect between opponents.

At Shrek Academy, this was perfectly normal. With higher spirit power and greater strength, they certainly had the capital to look down on everything.

"Hey, Jiang Yuheng, stop spacing out. Give us a strategy! We can't just charge in like this!" Wang Dong leaned in close and whispered.

"The strategy is the same as before; there's no need to change it," Jiang Yuheng said.

"What do you mean the strategy is the same? Have you gone senile? The opposing team is a group of Soul Elders! If we don't change our strategy, we're the ones who are going to lose," Wang Dong said urgently.

He truly couldn't understand what kind of mental fortitude this Dummy possessed to be so calm and natural.

Wang Dong didn't know that the reason Jiang Yuheng was so calm was entirely because the Soul Elder opposite them was a support-type, not a Battle Spirit Master.

As long as their tactical coordination was appropriate, knocking her off the stage wouldn't be a problem.

To put Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao at ease, Jiang Yuheng shared this important information with them and explained the tactics for the match.

After hearing this, Huo Yuhao nodded thoughtfully, beginning to consider how to maximize his Soul Skills to restrain the opponent.

Wang Dong looked skeptical. "Is that for real? You've been with me these past few days, when would you have had the time to gather intelligence?"

Jiang Yuheng smiled indulgently. "Wang Dong, you're going to be the death of me with your stupidity. When have you ever seen someone have to do the legwork themselves to gather information? Can't I just pay someone to do it?"

Wang Dong pursed her lips and quietly took a few steps back. Then, without a moment's hesitation, she kicked Jiang Yuheng right in the backside.

"You're the dummy! Your whole family is full of dummies!"