Mimi seemed to understand Ye Qiong's words,
Her ears drooped and her little head lowered. She let out a soft "Mimi."
Ye Qiong hurriedly rubbed her head.
"It's okay. No rush."
Mimi lifted her head and rubbed her cheek against his palm.
Looking at the fluffy little ball in his palm, Ye Qiong still couldn't smooth the furrow from his brow.
Iron Curtain had awakened.
He did still have time, but not much.
From what the Water and Fire Dragon Kings had said before they disappeared, that rift barrier wouldn't hold for long.
When the time came, Iron Curtain would surely invade the Douluo World through the rift.
And that wasn't all.
With his arrival, those ancient beasts might also descend upon this world.
Worse still, the two might join forces, with Iron Curtain corrupting all those ancient beasts into terrifying Black Tide Creations.
Faced with such a crisis, if he didn't prepare, he truly wouldn't be able to handle it when the time came.
So he had to make Omphalos Academy stronger as soon as possible.
"It's time to find the academy a bigger stage. Suotuo City is just a small city, after all."
As he thought this, a system notification suddenly appeared.
[New mission released.]
Ye Qiong immediately opened it to take a look. The mission read:
[First Battle Against the Imperial Fighting Team: In one month, challenge the Imperial Fighting Team to a team Soul Fighting match in the name of your academy team. Victory reward: 3,000 Star Jade. District-level qualification upgrade.]
Looking at the mission, Ye Qiong's lips curled slightly.
The Imperial Fighting Team? They'd make the perfect first whetstone for Omphalos Academy.
One month later, at the Soto Great Soul Arena.
The stands were packed that night.
The host stood on the high platform, his voice louder than ever.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight's first team match has ended! Shrek Academy Team faced off against the Imperial Fighting Team, and the Imperial Fighting Team won!"
A wave of cheers erupted from the audience.
In Shrek's rest area, Flender's face was ashen.
He looked at the others, only to see them with their heads lowered, not saying a word.
He sighed helplessly.
"Let's go. We'll talk when we get back."
In the Imperial Fighting Team's rest area,
Yu Tianheng plopped down in a chair.
"Shrek put up a bit more of a fight than I expected, but that's all. We still won easily."
Dugu Yan leaned against him and laughed.
"Exactly. They have no business showing their faces with skills like that."
"Our captain's amazing. He made them run with their tails between their legs."
"Right, right! And that Tang San—his realgar wine was pretty impressive, breaking Sister Yan's poisonous fog and all, but he's a glass cannon himself. That Blue Silver Grass Entanglement was an absolute joke."
Qin Ming stood at the door. Hearing these words, he frowned slightly.
He raised a hand to stop them from going on.
"That's enough. This is my alma mater, after all. Show a little respect."
Dugu Yan pursed her lips but said nothing more.
When the others fell silent, Qin Ming sighed inwardly.
To be honest, the strength Shrek had shown today had disappointed him.
But just as he was about to call everyone back to rest, someone walked in.
It was Ye Qiong.
"Teacher Qin Ming, our Omphalos Academy would like to challenge your Imperial Fighting Team to a team match."
Qin Ming was taken aback.
Omphalos Academy?
The name sounded unfamiliar, though he seemed to have heard people in the city mention it. It was apparently a newly opened academy that had been making quite a splash lately.
"Are you sure?"
Ye Qiong smiled.
"What, are you afraid we'll lose?"
Dugu Yan's gaze settled on Ye Qiong's face.
Hearing the name Omphalos Academy,
she remembered the person her grandfather had mentioned.
Gray hair...
Dugu Yan bit her lip, a trace of malice flashing in her eyes.
It was him.
He was the one who had injured her grandfather!
But Dugu Yan didn't speak. She only stared coldly at Ye Qiong.
Yu Tianheng, standing beside Dugu Yan, scoffed outright.
"Omphalos? Never heard of it. What kind of backwater academy is that?"
The Shi Brothers chimed in.
"Right. You win a few Soul Fighting matches and think you're something?"
Qin Ming raised a hand to cut them off.
"Don't underestimate them. Anyone who comes to challenge us must have some confidence."
He turned to Ye Qiong and fell silent for a moment before replying.
"We can do that. If you want a match, the Imperial Fighting Team isn't afraid to accept."
Ye Qiong smiled and set down a challenge letter.
"Good. I'll give you half an hour to rest. We'll meet at the Soul Fighting Arena in half an hour."
After speaking, Ye Qiong glanced at Dugu Yan, then slowly left.
Dugu Yan, who had been watching Ye Qiong the whole time, noticed his gaze and felt a jolt of unease.
Why did he look at me?
What was he trying to do?
Half an hour later, the host called out again.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight's second team match is about to begin!"
"On one side, the seven members of the Imperial Fighting Team, and on the other, one member of the Omphalos Academy Team!"
The crowd erupted.
"One person? Did I hear that right?"
"Omphalos is sending one person to fight all seven of them? Have they gone mad?"
"Wait, isn't that Caesar? The support-type who blew up the chessboard last time?"
"One support-type against seven? What a joke!"
The murmurs surged like a tide.
Standing on the Soul Fighting platform, Dugu Yan saw only one person walk out from the other side. Her expression instantly turned cold.
Yu Tianheng frowned as well and muttered a curse.
"Only one person? Who do they think they are?"
Qin Ming stood at the edge of the arena, his expression darkening too.
He'd assumed the other side would at least field a full team. He hadn't expected them to send just one person.
He looked toward Ye Qiong in the Omphalos team's rest area nearby, a trace of displeasure flashing in his eyes.
Was this person trying to humiliate the Imperial Fighting Team?
Win or lose, the Imperial Fighting Team would lose face.
But there was nothing he could do to stop it. He could only clench his fists and watch the platform.
At that moment, Keleradra unhurriedly walked to the center of the Soul Fighting platform, brought out a chair, and sat down.
As soon as she sat, her gaze swept lightly over the seven people opposite her. She spoke calmly.
"To deal with you, I alone am enough."
"Utter arrogance!"
Yu Tianheng couldn't stand it.
The person across from him clearly didn't take them seriously at all.
He swore he'd use his Great Might Heavenly Dragon
to teach this ignorant brat a harsh lesson!
Seeing this, the referee immediately blew the whistle.
"Let the Soul Fighting match begin!"
The instant the whistle sounded,
the seven members of the Imperial Fighting Team sprang apart and formed a standard formation.
Yu Tianheng stood at the front, with Dugu Yan protected in the middle and the Shi Brothers flanking her.
Yu Feng flew into the air to provide support. Osler stood on the flank, ready to dart in and attack, while Ye Lingling held the rear, ready to heal them at any moment.
But facing them, Keleradra merely raised her right hand.
The next moment, the Scales of Justice appeared in the air, then shattered into countless blue points of light.
The lights fell, and a gigantic chessboard spread out in an instant.
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