The match between the Skywater Academy and Shrek Academy took place on the final day of the qualifying rounds.
By this time, Shrek had played ten matches, with eight wins and two losses, losing to the Godwind Academy and Blazing Fire Academy.
Skywater Academy also completed ten matches, winning nine and losing one, only losing to the Godwind Academy.
Therefore, whoever wins this match will be second in the standings and secure the last spot in the finals.
Before the game started, the door to Shrek's rest area was opened.
The person who entered was Ning Fengzhi, followed by a slender old man with a long sword with a gleaming scabbard hanging at his waist. He was Sword Douluo Chen Xin.
The atmosphere in the lounge changed instantly. Yu Xiaogang stood up as if to say something, Ning Fengzhi nodded to him and then walked straight towards Ning Rongrong.
"Dad." Ning Rongrong stood up, her tone tinged with surprise, but mostly with relief.
"I've heard about the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda." Ning Fengzhi's voice was calm and measured, but every word carried weight. "You did a great job."
Today's match at Shrek is a ring battle, so Support System aren't needed. You'll be safer staying by my side from now on."
He then turned to look at Oscar, who was standing next to Ning Rongrong. Oscar felt a chill run down his spine from that gaze and instinctively straightened up.
"You're Oscar, right?" Ning Fengzhi glanced at him. " Rongrong told me about the Soul-Fortifying Pill."
Oscar opened his mouth, unsure what to say. Ning Fengzhi didn't say much, only nodded slightly. "You should come along too."
Oscar froze. Sword Douluo coughed lightly beside him, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather. "Kid, come on, what are you standing there for?"
Ning Rongrong quickly pulled Oscar's sleeve and led him outside.
As Ning Fengzhi passed by Yu Xiaogang, he stopped and said to Yu Xiaogang, "Thank you for your hard work these days." His tone was polite, but everyone could tell that there was little warmth in it.
Then he led Ning Rongrong and Oscar away from Shrek's rest area. Sword Douluo walked last, glancing towards the VIP seats as he went out. He didn't say anything, but that look was enough to make some people think twice.
Ning Rongrong didn't look back as she walked out of the rest area. Oscar followed behind her, his steps a little hurried, but his direction was firm.
In this arena match, Support System and Food System characters weren't supposed to participate. Ning Fengzhi's decision to take them away before the match started was both reasonable and avoided the embarrassment of leaving in front of everyone afterward. None of the remaining people in Shrek's rest area tried to stop them.
Shui Bing'er stood at the front of the Skywater Academy's team, her expression calm. Her gaze passed over the arena, landing on Tang San, who was adjusting his wristbands in the Shrek's rest area opposite, before shifting away.
Feng Xiaotian was sitting in the Godwind Academy rest area closest to the Skywater Academy today. Shui Bing'er walked up to the arena and glanced at him. Feng Xiaotian nodded slightly. Shui Bing'er looked away and stepped onto the arena.
Skywater Academy's strategy was simple: trade numbers for numbers, allowing Shui Bing'er to conserve her Soul Power to fight Tang San. Therefore, Skywater Academy's first player to go on stage was Xue Wu.
Xue Wu's Martial Soul is the Slender Dancing Snow Satin, Control System. After stepping onto the stage, she did not launch an attack, but instead used the Snow Satin Dance to turn the entire arena into a smooth ice surface.
Wu Jing, the first Shrek Wu Jing to step onto the ice, almost slipped as soon as he did, his speed advantage completely rendered useless on the ice. Xue Wu calmly and methodically Entanglement, pulled, and wore down Wu Jing was eventually eliminated due to exhaustion.
Tai Long was the second to go on the ice. The Great Strength Gorilla's weight became a disadvantage on the ice, and he had to be careful with every step he took.
Xue Wu used her snow ribbons to constantly disrupt his balance. Although Tai Long wasn't eliminated, his Soul Power was greatly depleted. Eventually, Xue Wu ran out of Soul Power and left the stage. Tai Long remained on the stage, but his breathing was already disordered.
The two sides traded blows, Skywater Academy, at the cost of six people, eliminated all five members of Shrek — Wu Jing, Tai Long, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu.
Dai Mubai single-handedly took down two members of the Skywater Academy, while Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing each fought off one. When all six members of the Skywater Academy were wiped out, only Ma Hongjun and Tang San remained from Shrek.
Then Shui Bing'er stepped onto the arena.
This is her first time stepping into the ring today, and she is Skywater Academy's last hope.
The chill of Ultimate Ice spread from beneath her feet, and the remaining Xue Wu ice on the arena re-froze under the enhancement of her Soul Power, causing the temperature to plummet. The spectators in the stands wrapped their coats tighter, and their breath turned into white mist.
Ma Hongjun stood opposite her. Possessed by the Evil Fire Phoenix Possession, red flames burned around him, but he knew in his heart—
The Evil Fire is not the Ultimate Fire, and it has no advantage against the Ultimate Ice. Therefore, it has only one task: to deplete Shui Bing'er's Soul Power as much as possible before Tang San enters the fray.
At the start, Ma Hongjun swiftly unleashed his Phoenix Fire Line. Shui Bing'er raised her hand, and an ice wall appeared out of thin air; the fire line struck it, leaving only a shallow scorch mark.
Ma Hongjun didn't stop, continuously firing his fire while charging forward, attempting to envelop Shui Bing'er in flames at close range. Shui Bing'er took a step back, her toes touching the ground, and suddenly countless ice spikes rose up from the ice surface, forcing Ma Hongjun to halt.
With that one pull, Shui Bing'er unleashed her Third Soul Skill — Ring of Ice Seal. A ring of Ice Ring exploded from her body, freezing Ma Hongjun in place.
Ma Hongjun struggled for two seconds but couldn't break free. The referee raised his hand, eliminating Ma Hongjun.
Shui Bing'er showed no expression. She withdrew her Ice Ring and looked at the last person in the Shrek rest area.
Tang San stood up.
Tang San chose to use the Clear Sky Hammer to counter the Ultimate Ice. The ice on the arena began to crack under the black light of the Clear Sky Hammer, while the ice beneath Shui Bing'er's feet grew thicker and thicker. Without exchanging words, the two attacked simultaneously.
When the Clear Sky Hammer struck for the first time, Shui Bing'er's ice wall shattered. However, the shattered ice fragments reformed into countless ice blades in mid-air, piercing towards Tang San from all directions.
Tang San dodged most of the ice blades by sidestepping, but one of them still grazed his arm. He didn't stop and followed up with a second hammer blow. Shui Bing'er didn't dodge; she used her Ultimate Ice to condense seven layers of Ice Shield in front of her.
The Clear Sky Hammer smashed through the first, second, and third layers—when it hit the fourth layer, the black light on the hammer body noticeably weakened for a moment.
Shui Bing'er caught this moment. She quickly released her fourth Soul Skill - Extreme Ice Ray, a very thin blue beam shot out from her fingertips, piercing straight into Tang San's chest.
Tang San withdrew his hammer and returned to defense, holding the Clear Sky Hammer in front of him. The Extreme Ice Ray struck the hammer, and Tang San was knocked back three steps. His breathing finally became erratic.
The chilling aura of Ultimate Ice was seeping into his Soul Power circulation, and the swinging speed of the Clear Sky Hammer noticeably slowed down.
But Shui Bing'er's condition wasn't much better. Although Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire hadn't broken through her ice defenses, each Phoenix Fire Line was consuming her Soul Power. At this moment, she could no longer maintain seven layers of Ice Shield.
Tang San took a deep breath and raised the Clear Sky Hammer again. This time, he didn't smash the Ice Shield; instead, he smashed the ice surface beneath Shui Bing'er's feet.
The ice shattered, and Shui Bing'er lost her balance. The fourth strike of the Clear Sky Hammer followed closely, striking Shui Bing'er's defense head-on. The Ice Shield broke. Shui Bing'er was blasted away by the shockwave and landed on the edge of the arena.
In the Godwind Academy rest area, Feng Xiaotian's hands had become tightly gripped the armrests, his knuckles white. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on the fallen figure on the arena, as if he were ready to rush out at any moment.
Then Shui Bing'er pushed herself up from the ground and stood up.
Feng Xiaotian slowly loosened his grip. The moment Shui Bing'er looked up at the Godwind Academy rest area, Feng Xiaotian had already let go of all his tension and simply nodded slightly to Shui Bing'er.
Shui Bing'er stood at the edge of the arena, her lips twitching slightly. She had seen it; before Feng Xiaotian nodded, the anxiety in his eyes hadn't yet been completely concealed.
The referee announced, " Shrek Academy wins!"
Shui Bing'er didn't immediately step down. The chilling aura of Ultimate Ice slowly dissipated around her. Her breathing hadn't completely calmed, but her expression remained serene. She took one last look at Tang San, who was being supported by Dai Mubai, before turning and walking off the stage.
Feng Xiaotian watched Shui Bing'er walk back to the Skywater Academy rest area before leaning back in his chair. His palms were sweaty without him even realizing it.
Skywater Academy lost the round this time, missing out on a spot in the finals, but this "solo dance on ice" was incredibly exciting, sparking much discussion among the audience.
With this, the qualifying rounds have concluded. Godwind Academy advanced to the finals with an undefeated record of eleven wins. Shrek Academy followed closely behind with nine wins and two losses, securing the second qualifying spot.
Blazing Fire Academy and Skywater Academy both finished with eight wins. Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Ice displayed the spirit of the Four Elements Academy in this qualifying round— Blazing Fire Academy avenged Shrek, and Skywater Academy Water nearly defeated Tang San. Although they did not advance, no one dared to underestimate them. Thunder Academy and Star Luo Royal Academy ranked fifth and sixth respectively, each with their own achievements.
As is customary, the top ten teams from the qualifying rounds will travel to Spirit City to watch the grand finals.
This means that Blazing Fire Academy, Skywater Academy, Thunder Academy, and Star Luo Royal Academy will all accompany them. Although only Godwind Academy and Shrek are qualified to compete for the championship with the Spirit Hall's guaranteed team, being able to watch the competition in Spirit City is an honor in itself.
On the final stage, Godwind Academy and Shrek Academy will meet again. And this time, a team from the Spirit Hall, who have been directly admitted to the finals, will also be waiting for them.