Within One Minute, Understand Shrek!

After a brief interlude, the atmosphere in the arena returned to a fever pitch. The host cleared his throat, and his voice resonated throughout the venue once more:

"Now, we invite our noble Emperor Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire, Platinum Bishop Salas of Spirit Hall, and Sect Master Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to deliver their opening remarks for this tournament!"

Emperor Xue Ye was the first to rise. The ruler of the Heaven Dou Empire wore golden dragon robes, his expression majestic and his voice steady and powerful:

"The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament is a grand event that showcases the brilliance of our Heaven Dou spirit masters. I hope all participating teams will uphold the spirit of fair competition and demonstrate both their skill and their style."

"Win glory for Heaven Dou."

Next was Salas.

His narrow, long eyes swept across the arena, lingering for a moment on the teams with more female students before he spoke slowly:

"Spirit Hall has always valued the cultivation of young spirit masters. For this tournament, Spirit Hall will provide three precious spirit bones as rewards. Furthermore, outstanding spirit masters will have the opportunity to join Spirit Hall directly and gain access to the best cultivation resources."

These words made the eyes of many teams light up. Spirit bones! They were the treasures every spirit master dreamed of!

Finally, it was Ning Fengzhi's turn.

The Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect rose with grace and elegance, and a slight smile was enough to quiet the entire arena.

Although he was only a Spirit Saint, his composed demeanor was in no way inferior to any Titled Douluo.

"The path of a spirit master lies in tempering oneself. This tournament is not just a contest of strength, but a test of character. I hope you all grow through battle and gain enlightenment through your clashes."

Ning Fengzhi's words were brief yet profound. Seeing this, the host quickly stepped forward and asked:

"Sect Master Ning, as the continent's number one support-type spirit master, your insight is extraordinary. I wonder if there is any team you are keeping an eye on for this tournament?"

This question made everyone prick up their ears; Ning Fengzhi's judgment was notoriously sharp.

Ning Fengzhi smiled faintly.

His gaze first turned toward the Tianshui Academy side, lingering on Yang Teng for a moment with an expression of inquiry and deep thought.

Then, he shifted his focus to Shrek Academy, looked at Tang San, and finally withdrew his gaze.

"This Seat does indeed have a team I am watching."

Ning Fengzhi's voice was gentle.

"However, I will keep you in suspense for now. When the time is right, you will naturally know."

This answer left the host feeling regretful, but it also stirred the crowd into an even greater frenzy.

In the VIP box, Salas narrowed his eyes and glanced at Ning Fengzhi thoughtfully, while Emperor Xue Ye remained calm, as if he had expected this all along.

"Alright!"

The host regained control of the scene.

"Next, we begin the first round of the tournament draw! We invite Bishop Salas to draw the matchups for the first round for us!"

An attendant brought over an exquisite drawing box. As Salas stepped forward slowly, his aged hand reached toward the box, but it brushed against the attendant's fair hand in the process.

The movement was light and fast; almost no one noticed.

But Yang Teng did.

In the Tianshui Academy waiting area, Yang Teng's eyes narrowed slightly. He watched Salas's hand, a flash of disgust in his eyes.

"I really want to beat this guy up!"

Gu Yena stood by his side and glanced at him upon hearing this: "Do you know him?"

"No."

Yang Teng said coldly, "But I know what kind of trash he is."

When he read the original work in his past life, he had been deeply impressed by Salas being a dirty old man. Now that he saw it in person, that feeling of disgust was even stronger.

Salas stirred the contents of the box for a moment before slowly pulling out the first slip. He unfolded it, took a look, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

"First round, first match."

Salas dragged out his words, "Tianshui Academy versus Shrek Academy!"

The entire arena erupted!

The result of the draw was too dramatic! Tianshui Academy, which had just entered in such a shocking manner, was pitted against Shrek Academy, who wore bizarre uniforms and were widely mocked!

Yang Teng looked at Salas's smiling face and sneered inwardly. Just as he had expected, the old man had rigged it.

Yang Teng looked toward the VIP box. Salas was whispering to Ning Fengzhi, his eyes darting toward their side from time to time.

"Trying to probe my background?"

Yang Teng understood clearly.

After the draw results were announced, the two teams reacted in completely different ways.

On the Tianshui Academy side, Shui Bing'er's expression was calm, Gu Yena remained expressionless, and the other members merely straightened their uniforms slightly.

Yang Teng even let out a yawn, as if the upcoming event was not the first round of a major tournament, but a simple warm-up drill.

But on the Shrek side, chaos had broken out.

"What?! We're facing Tianshui Academy in the first round?!"

Ma Hongjun jumped straight up, his chubby face filled with panic.

"What do we do? Tianshui Academy has a Spirit King over there!"

He pointed toward Gu Yena in the distance.

"That woman is level fifty-three, while our highest is Boss Dai at level forty-four. How are we supposed to fight this?"

Dai Mubai scratched his head, his golden hair becoming a messy tangle.

"Even if all seven of us go up, the chances of winning aren't high, right? They still have four Spirit Ancestors and one Spirit King..."

Tang San, usually composed and calm, was also troubled. He furrowed his brows, his fingers tapping unconsciously against the back of his chair, before finally casting his gaze toward Yu Xiaogang.

"Teacher, what do you think?"

Yu Xiaogang's expression was grave, his voice low:

"Tianshui Academy's lineup is luxurious—one Spirit King and four Spirit Ancestors. Their overall strength far exceeds ours..."

He paused, then spoke words that made everyone's heart sink:

"My advice is... to forfeit directly. Conserve our strength to deal with the subsequent matches. Losing the first round is nothing; as long as we can enter the knockout stage, we still have a chance."

"What?!"

Flender stood up abruptly, his glasses sliding askew.

"Xiaogang, you're saying we should forfeit? Since when has Shrek ever surrendered?"

Yu Xiaogang looked at him calmly.

"Flender, this is the rational choice. Fighting hard will only expose our trump cards and could potentially cause unnecessary casualties."

"But..."

"Flender."

Liu Erlong pulled him back and shook her head. As the Killing Horn of the Golden Iron Triangle, she was more battle-hungry than anyone, but at this moment, she agreed with Yu Xiaogang's judgment.

However, just then, Tang San spoke up.

"Are you all willing to accept this?"

His voice was not loud, yet it made everyone fall silent.

Tang San stood up, his gaze sweeping over every member of the Shrek Seven Devils.

"We haven't even fought yet, so who knows who will win or lose? Are we just going to surrender every time we encounter a strong enemy in the future?"

Dai Mubai was the first to step forward, slamming a fist onto the table.

"San is right! Surrendering before we even fight isn't the Shrek style!"

Xiao Wu hopped to Tang San's side and linked her arm with his: "Brother San, I support you! Let's fight; who's afraid of who?"

Zhu Zhuqing nodded coldly: "Fight."

Ning Rongrong bit her lip: "I can provide everyone with full support."

Oscar and Ma Hongjun exchanged a glance and also stood up.

"Screw them!"

Ma Hongjun roared.

"So what if they have a Spirit King? If we seven work together, we might not be without a chance to fight!"

The atmosphere reversed in an instant.

Yu Xiaogang watched these hot-blooded young people, finally sighed, and revealed a bitter smile.

"Fine... since you have decided, then let us fight."

Flender's face was instantly wreathed in smiles, his true colors as a profiteer reappearing.

"That's more like it! We Shrek are aiming for the championship; how can we be cowards in the first round?"

He clapped his hands: "Come, come, I announce that if we win this match, there will be extra food tonight! Braised pork for everyone!"

"Shrek will win!"

The seven shouted in unison.

This scene made Ning Fengzhi on the VIP platform nod slightly, while Salas revealed a playful smile, seemingly looking forward to this duel even more.

In the Tianshui Academy waiting area, Yang Teng took in the commotion from the Shrek side. He chuckled and shook his head.

"I just love how you lot don't know the immensity of heaven and earth."

He muttered to himself.

"It's a pity, you are no longer the protagonists."

Yang Teng turned around to face the members of Tianshui Academy.

Shui Bing'er, Xue Wu, Shui Yue'er... and Gu Yena standing to the side, everyone was looking at him.

Yang Teng cleared his throat, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable decisiveness:

"Everyone, for this battle, we will finish off Shrek within one minute."