The First Match, Tang San's Shock

The wait was not long; the children were escorted to the preparation room to ready themselves, enjoying the highest level of service the arena had to offer.

Finding nothing else to do, they began to cultivate of their own accord, shedding the stiffness they had felt earlier.

Time passed quickly, and aside from Ning Fengzhi feeling a bit frustrated and grumbling to himself, there were no surprises. The disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were simply not this diligent, nor would they cultivate so self-consciously.

"Dean, it is almost time."

Meng Shu's voice roused Chen An from his closed-eyed state. He checked the time; indeed, it was nearly time. The spectator stands outside were already packed, and Ning Fengzhi was nowhere to be seen in the room.

He must have slipped off to the VIP box while I was sleeping. Given the situation, the arena must have spent a great deal of effort on promotion.

The atmosphere was far more intense than usual, reminiscent of the top-tier, derby-style matches from his past life.

"Children, time to wake up."

Chen An called out, and the students in the preparation room woke up one after another; those few who remained asleep were also roused by Chen An.

"Today, your opponents are..."

Today's schedule featured 2v2 duels for the direct disciples, while the remaining three members of the elite team would participate in singles and 2v2 matches. As for the other team, the Phantom Star High-Rank Team, they only had one 7v7 group battle.

The schedule was not easy for them, as the contestants Chen An arranged were no pushovers—these were neither fish-frying sessions nor bullying matches. He had also instructed that fellow Di Ao to arrange future schedules according to this standard.

At the time, Di Ao had almost let a slip of the tongue escape, thinking, Is this really a dean? From his perspective, the people arranged were far beyond the students' level; usually, only if the arena wanted to target someone would they make such arrangements.

"Master, we are heading out."

Chen An gathered the seven members of the elite team in the preparation area. Now that things were standardized, the arena had preparation rooms for seed teams and a preparation area for those about to take the stage.

The Cat-Snake Duo was up first. Since Tang San was already at level 30, he could be scheduled in. It was just strange that he was already at level 36; it felt as if something was pushing his progress forward.

"Be careful. You know that Thousand-Hand Asura, Meng; you know how difficult he is to deal with. That Soft-Bone Charm Rabbit is level 29 and accustomed to close-quarters combat."

Chen An gave a few brief instructions. He didn't need to guide them in detail for 2v2s and singles; it wasn't a group battle. Besides, if he guided them through everything, what would be the point? It wouldn't have the effect of tempering them.

However, he was prepared to intervene. Believing his disciples could win was one thing, but being ready to protect them was another.

"Understood, Master. Watch our performance."

Zhu Zhuqing and Meng Yiran smiled at each other, and after that heroic, spirited remark, they took the lead toward the arena.

Compared to their side, the Shrek side was far less calm.

"San, be careful."

Dai Mubai offered a reminder with a complex expression, seemingly feeling guilty about seeing Zhu Zhuqing again.

Tang San understood. After the enrollment that day, he had asked Dai Mubai and learned of his relationship with Zhu Zhuqing. After this period of training, he felt quite inflated.

Having soared through so many levels recently, he believed he would not be weaker than Zhu Zhuqing. Moreover, he knew before the match that the soul power levels of the opponents were lower than theirs, both in terms of peak level and average level.

"Don't worry, Boss Dai. I'll go easy on them."

After saying this, Tang San led Xiao Wu toward the arena.

At this moment, the commentator's passionate voice could be heard.

"Let us welcome the team that recently secured a 5-game winning streak... the Three-Five Duo!!!"

When the name of the Three-Five Duo was announced, the audience erupted in cheers, most of them being their supporters.

"Next, walking toward us are the rising challengers, the Cat-Snake Duo!!!"

When Zhu Zhuqing and Meng Yiran appeared, the cheers weakened slightly, and upon seeing that they were two beauties, the reaction became even more indifferent.

According to the rules, after entering the arena, there was a round of trash talk, followed by the revealing of soul rings.

"Don't worry, I promised someone I wouldn't go too hard," Tang San chuckled.

"No need." Zhu Zhuqing replied with only two words.

Her tone was nonchalant, tinged with disdain, as if to say, The object of your promise is trash, and you are much the same. Tang San frowned instantly, but his calculating heart remained steady, and he said nothing more.

"Both sides, please reveal your soul rings!"

Whoosh!

The moment the soul rings lit up, Tang San was stunned, the audience was stunned, and the host was stunned. He hurriedly wanted to call for a stop to the match, but remembering the instructions from before the game, he persisted.

"No cheating detected. The match continues."

The stands immediately exploded into chaos, with everyone whispering and debating.

"A ten-thousand-year third soul ring? Isn't this cheating?"

"Exactly, this is cheating! Damn it, give us our money back!"

Even Ning Fengzhi and Meng Shu, who had seen it before, still found it hard to accept, though their reactions were not as intense as the audience's.

"How can this be? My theory cannot be wrong!"

Seeing that pitch-black soul ring, Yu Xiaogang felt his mind blur; he did not want to, nor would he admit, that his theory was wrong.

Tang San also looked toward Yu Xiaogang with a complex expression.

"I request an investigation!"

Flender stood up at this moment, his aura fully unleashed, intending to negotiate. But upon seeing Chen An and Ning Fengzhi in the distance, he immediately wilted, and his tone softened significantly.

There was really no helping it; a ten-thousand-year third soul ring was simply too terrifying. No, wait—they had already seen Chen An's entire set of red soul rings. Flender recalled the scene from that day, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead; he hadn't expected that he could actually make his disciples achieve the same.

"Verification complete. The match continues." Di Ao had been right there under the stage, and he quickly took control of the scene, stabilizing the situation.

"Please."

The ten-thousand-year soul ring still exerted immense pressure on Tang San. Originally intending to hold back, he suddenly dared not do so and hurriedly unleashed his full strength. Three soul rings lit up, and he spat out his two major control skills: Blue Silver Entanglement and Spider Web Restraint.

But how could Tang San, without using his hidden weapons, possibly restrain the current Zhu Zhuqing?

True, her speed was not as extreme as in the original work, but her mechanics had become stronger. The Shadow Flow Profound Truth contained the skill set of that man named Zed from Runeterra.

Using a Shadow Substitute was a piece of cake for her. And so, after breaking free from those things, she remembered what Meng Yiran had said before the match and went off to play with Xiao Wu.

Truly playing; how could toying with her opponent not count as playing?

"Damn it."

Tang San was restricted by his teacher from using his hidden weapons, so at this moment, he felt powerless even if he wanted to help.

They were entangled together; if he dared to use his soul skills, it would be difficult not to accidentally injure Xiao Wu.

Moreover, there was still Meng Yiran on the other side. It was just that for some reason, he felt Meng Yiran had changed. It didn't feel like the same person he had met earlier in the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Use your hidden weapons. Your soul skills alone cannot deal with me now."

Tang San was stunned, wondering how this girl had suddenly become so bold, and who had given her the courage. If he were a modern person, he would have added, was it Fish Leong?

But Meng Yiran's next sentence made his eyes and expression change completely.

Only to hear Meng Yiran shout: "Meng Yiran of the Southern Tang Shu Tang Sect, please offer your guidance."