"How was it, darling? How did I do today? Was it exactly what you wanted?" Dugu Yan said to Qi Ling with a smug expression from the viewing platform.
The match on the stage had reached its final round. Although everyone was still paying attention to Qi Ling, more attention had shifted to the competition itself, since Qi Ling wasn't their only opponent.
Qi Ling sighed helplessly and said, "What do you mean 'good'? Now that you mention it, it sounds like I've become the final boss! Everyone's ultimate goal is to defeat me. How can that feel good?"
"Really? But darling, why do I get the feeling you seem to be really enjoying it?" Dugu Yan said with a smile.
Qi Ling smiled slightly, "Well, a little bit, I guess. After all, the thought that so many people are plotting how to defeat me is indeed an unforgettable feeling."
"And you, Dugu Yan, since you've already made such boastful claims, you'd better be prepared. If you lose this match, I won't let you off easily!"
"Don't worry, darling, I will prove to you that I am also your proudest creation!" Dugu Yan said with a charming smile.
After all the matches were over, the referee came to the center of the ring and began announcing the matchups for tomorrow.
"... Round 7 of the third round of the qualifiers, Qilin Team vs..." The referee's expression turned strange when he saw the opponent, " Elephant Armor Team!"
Upon hearing about the matchup, everyone was abuzz. This was clearly a fateful showdown! Would the Qilin Team continue their undefeated streak, or would Elephant Armor Academy successfully exact revenge? The outcome would only be known tomorrow.
After the match, Qi Ling got up and went to find the Shrek team. They had all done very well today and deserved encouragement.
As they were walking through the passage, a group that Qi Ling recognized very well suddenly appeared in front of them. It was the Canghui Academy that they had met in the Star Dou Great Forest. Led by their teacher Shi Nian, they were walking towards the outside of the arena.
Upon seeing these people, Qi Ling had an idea. She found a secluded spot, put on Divine Head and Ghost Face and disguised herself as an ordinary person, then quietly followed them.
With Qi Ling's current hearing, he could easily overhear their whispers if he listened carefully. The reason he did this was because, in his mind, this Shi Nian seemed to be going against Xiao San and the others.
To reiterate, even knowing that Xiao San would most likely be safe and sound, and might even gain something, Qi Ling wouldn't overlook any potential dangers and watch them fall into peril.
Because the current situation is very different, and no one knows when an accident might occur, it's best to put out these dangerous sparks yourself. You will give the Xiao San and the others the best.
"You don't need to think too much, just focus on the competition. Tang San won't be a problem for you; I'll take care of him!" Shi Nian said to his students.
Upon hearing what Shi Nian said, the students of the Canghui Academy were greatly encouraged, as they all knew their teacher's character very well, and their smiles became strange for a moment.
Meanwhile, Qi Ling, who was hiding to the side, thought to herself, "Just as I thought, this guy was indeed plotting to do something indecent to Xiao San and the others."
"Teacher Shi Nian, there's one more thing. That Qi Ling from back then, he was also an enemy of our academy, because he was once a member of the Shrek Academy!" a student from the Canghui Academy said at this moment, "He also caused Teacher Ye Zhiqiu to be seriously injured, making him even more despicable than Tang San."
Upon hearing Qi Ling's name, Shi Nian's face grew even colder. He sneered and said, "Hmph! I've disliked that kid for a long time. He's just a Soul Ancestor, yet he dares to be so arrogant. Does he really think he's invincible?"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of this kid too. They won't be around for long, not even a few days! Hehehe..."
Upon hearing this, the students of the Canghui Academy immediately began to flatter them, since eliminating Qi Ling and Tang San would mean losing two powerful opponents, making future competitions much smoother.
Upon hearing this, Qi Ling was immediately enraged. "Good heavens, so you even plotted against me, you scoundrel? If I hadn't been careful, I might have actually fallen for your scheme."
By the second day, most of the previous matches were unoriginal, with strong teams dominating weaker ones, and the audience was almost falling asleep.
But by the seventh match, everyone's enthusiasm had been ignited, and even the players who were competing couldn't help but steal a few glances in their direction.
The team members of the Elephant Armor Academy were still the same seven people. After a night of rest, and since Zhu Zhuqing hadn't gone too far yesterday, they had all recovered.
As soon as all seven members of the Elephant Armor Team arrived on the arena, everyone's attention turned to the Qilin Team. They all wanted to know what lineup the Elephant Armor Team would field against them.
Next up was Qilin Team, whose lineup consisted of Dugu Yan, Tuoliya, and five substitutes.
Indeed, facing Elephant Armor Academy, one of the five single-attribute academies, the Qilin Team went even further than the Shrek Team, sending only two of their main players.
As Tuoliya entered the arena, he sighed helplessly and said, "Why do I have to compete with you? My first appearance in a major tournament is going to be with you. This is just awful."
"Oh, don't worry about it so much, Tuoliya. Just consider it doing me a favor," Dugu Yan said with a smile. "After all, only you can cooperate with my tactics today, and it's a tactic that only we can pull off."
Tuoliya glanced at Dugu Yan and said, "Alright, to avoid disappointing Lord Qi Ling, I'll help you this once."
"Please, our most reliable Tuoliya!" Dugu Yan said with a smile.
After both teams' players took to the field, although Huyan Li was unsure of the opposing team's strength, he could easily tell that their main players were undoubtedly Tuoliya and Dugu Yan.
As challengers, Huyan Li was naturally not going to be careless again. So at the start of the match, everyone released their Martial Soul, and the seven of them lined up again and approached the Qilin Team.
They simply didn't believe that someone from the Qilin Team could fly into the sky and take everyone with them. If that were the case, they might as well just admit defeat and not even bother competing.
The Qilin Team couldn't fly into the sky to evade their attacks, but Dugu Yan had a way to deter the Elephant Armor Team from attacking.