A Duel at the Imperial Fighting

Mimi seemed to understand Ye Qiong's words; her ears drooped, her little head bowed, and she let out a low "Mimi."

Ye Qiong hurriedly rubbed her head. "It's alright, no rush."

Mimi lifted her head and rubbed her cheek against his palm.

Looking at the fluffy little ball in his palm, Ye Qiong's brow remained tightly furrowed.

The Iron Curtain had awakened.

He did indeed still have time, but not much of it.

According to what the Water and Fire Dragon Kings said before they dissipated, that rift barrier could not hold for long.

Presumably, when the time came, the Iron Curtain would certainly invade the Douluo World through that rift.

Not only that, but with his arrival, those ancient beasts might also descend upon this place.

The two might even join forces, with the Iron Curtain corrupting all those ancient beasts into terrifying Black Tide Constructs.

Faced with such a crisis, if he did not prepare, he would truly be unable to cope when the time came.

Therefore, he had to make Amphoreus Academy strong as quickly as possible.

"It is time to change the academy's stage; Suotuo City is, after all, just a small city."

As he thought this, a system notification suddenly popped up.

[New mission released.]

Ye Qiong immediately tapped to view it, and saw the mission clearly stated:

[First Battle Against the Imperial: One month from now, issue a team soul battle challenge to the Imperial Fighting Team in the name of the academy team. Victory reward: 3000 Stellar Jades. District-level qualification promotion.]

Ye Qiong looked at the mission, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

The Imperial Fighting Team, was it? They would serve perfectly as the first whetstone for Amphoreus Academy.

One month later, Suotuo Great Soul Arena.

Tonight, the spectator stands were packed to capacity.

The host stood on the high platform, his voice more resonant than ever.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The first team battle of the night has concluded! Shrek Academy team versus the Imperial Fighting Team; the Imperial Fighting Team is victorious!"

A burst of cheers erupted from the audience.

In the Shrek rest area, Flender's face was ashen.

He looked toward the group, only to see them hanging their heads in silence.

Helplessly, he sighed. "Let's go. We'll talk when we get back."

In the Imperial Fighting Team's rest area, Yu Tianheng plopped down into his seat.

"Shrek was a bit more troublesome than I imagined, but that's all. We still won easily, didn't we?"

Dugu Yan leaned into his embrace and laughed. "Indeed. To think they dared to come out and make a fool of themselves with that level of skill."

"The boss is just awesome, making them run for their lives."

"Exactly, exactly. And that Tang San—although his realgar wine was indeed powerful and broke Sister Yan's Poison Mist, he himself was just a glass cannon. That Blue Silver Grass Bind really cracked me up."

Qin Ming stood at the doorway, his brows knitting slightly as he heard these words.

He raised a hand to stop their chatter. "That's enough. This is my alma mater, after all; show a little respect."

Dugu Yan pursed her lips and said nothing more.

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Qin Ming sighed inwardly.

To be honest, seeing Shrek's strength today had indeed left him somewhat disappointed.

However, just as he was about to call for everyone to head back and rest, someone walked in.

It was Ye Qiong.

"Teacher Qin Ming. We at Amphoreus Academy would like to challenge you, the Imperial Fighting Team, to a team match."

Qin Ming was stunned for a moment.

Amphoreus Academy?

It was a bit unfamiliar, but he seemed to have heard the city folk mention it; it appeared to be a newly opened academy that had been quite prominent lately.

"Are you sure?"

Ye Qiong smiled.

"What, afraid we'll lose?"

Dugu Yan's gaze landed on Ye Qiong's face.

Hearing the name Amphoreus Academy, she was reminded of the person her grandfather had mentioned.

Grey hair...

Dugu Yan bit her lip, a flash of malice crossing her eyes.

It was this person. Her grandfather's injury was all thanks to him!

But Dugu Yan did not speak, merely staring coldly at Ye Qiong.

Yu Tianheng, standing beside Dugu Yan, let out a direct scoff.

"Amphoreus? Never heard of it. Where did this backwater academy crawl out from?"

The brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo chimed in as well.

"Exactly. Won a few Soul Fighting matches and suddenly think you're something special?"

Qin Ming raised a hand to interrupt them.

"Do not underestimate the enemy. Anyone who comes knocking to challenge us must have at least some confidence."

He turned toward Ye Qiong, remaining silent for a moment before speaking.

"It is possible. If you want to fight, the Imperial Fighting Team is not afraid to accept."

Ye Qiong smiled and set down a letter of challenge.

"Very well. I will give you half an hour to rest. We shall meet at the Soul Fighting Arena in half an hour."

After Ye Qiong finished speaking, he swept a glance at Dugu Yan and then slowly walked away.

Dugu Yan, who had been staring at Ye Qiong the entire time, naturally noticed his gaze, and her heart gave a start.

Why look at me?

What exactly is he trying to do?

Half an hour later, the host shouted once more:

"Ladies and gentlemen! The second team battle of the night is about to begin!"

"The two sides facing off are the seven members of the Imperial Fighting Team and the Amphoreus Academy team! Consisting of one person!"

The crowd below erupted instantly.

"One person? Did I hear that right?"

"Amphoreus is only sending one person to fight seven? Are they insane?"

"Wait, isn't that Cerydra? The support-type who blew up the chessboard last time?"

"A support-type fighting seven people alone? What kind of joke is this!"

The sound of discussion surged like a tidal wave.

Standing on the Soul Fighting Arena, Dugu Yan saw only one person walk out from the opposite side, and her expression turned cold in an instant.

Yu Tianheng also furrowed his brows tightly, cursing under his breath:

"Just one person? Who do they think they're looking down on?"

Qin Ming stood at the edge of the arena, his expression equally unpleasant.

He had originally assumed the opponent would at least field a full team; he hadn't expected them to send only one.

He looked toward Ye Qiong in the Amphoreus team's rest area not far away, a hint of hostility flashing in his eyes.

Could this person be trying to humiliate the Imperial Fighting Team?

Regardless of the outcome, the Imperial Fighting Team would have no face left.

But he could not stop it; he could only clench his fists and look toward the ring.

At this moment, Cerydra walked unhurriedly to the center of the Soul Fighting Arena, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

As soon as she sat, she swept a faint glance over the seven people opposite her and spoke indifferently:

"To deal with you, I alone am enough."

"Utterly arrogant!"

Yu Tianheng could not take it anymore.

The opposition clearly didn't hold them in any regard.

He swore that he would use his Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon to teach this ignorant, arrogant child a harsh lesson!

Seeing the situation, the referee immediately blew his whistle:

"The soul duel begins!"

The moment the whistle sounded, the seven members of the Imperial Fighting team instantly scattered, assuming their standard formation.

Yu Tianheng stood at the very front, while Dugu Yan was protected in the center, with the Shi Brothers flanking her on either side.

Yu Feng took to the air to provide support, Osler stood on the wing, ready to strike at any moment, and Ye Lingling remained at the very back, prepared to heal the team at any time.

Yet, facing them, Cerydra merely raised her right hand.

The next second, the Scales of Justice manifested in the air, only to shatter into thousands of blue specks of light.

As the light fell, a massive chessboard instantly spread out across the ground.