Conceding, and Shrek's Fury
"Really?"
Long Aotian smirked mischievously.
Seeing the referee call him to draw lots, he went with great enthusiasm.
Upon returning, he laughed and said, "Since we were drawn into a team competition, we might as well just admit defeat."
"Okay," Lu Cheng said with a smile.
"Next match, Body Sect versus... Earth Dragon Sect!" Referee Sun Moon stood in the center of the arena, his voice carrying throughout the entire arena through the transmitter, and countless spectators cheered with joy.
Although the Body Sect had almost no impression of them before, this competition has made them famous.
"Hehe, when the snipe and the clam fight, we benefit."
With her arms crossed, Bei Bei looked at the Body Sect and the Earth Dragon Sect with a mocking expression.
The outcome was obvious. While the Earth Dragon Sect possessed some strength, it was insignificant in his eyes, and would naturally be crushed by the Body Sect. Thus, Shrek no longer needed to worry about those four points...
The worst-case scenario is that they encounter the Body Sect, while the Earth Dragon Sect remains unscathed; in that case, their points might be overtaken.
Behind him, Zhou Sichen, Xie Huanyue, and the others nodded slightly.
Only a pair of twin sisters with long blue hair and identical appearances occasionally glanced at the Body Sect, their eyes filled with a hint of hesitation.
"Walk!"
With an arrogant expression, Nan Qiuqiu led the remaining six members of the Earth Dragon Sect team, charging aggressively onto the stage. The girl, dressed in pink, roared like a young dragon, which amused Lu Cheng.
The young woman, with an arrogant air, declared, "Lu Cheng of the Body Sect, I specifically request that you come down and face me. Do you dare?!"
"..."
On the Body Sect's side, everyone was trying hard to suppress their laughter, but they were also afraid of being beaten up by Lu Cheng, so they kept holding it in.
"If you don't dare, you should surrender now."
Nan Qiuqiu was secretly delighted. As expected of her clever little brain, she had come up with such a provocation. Since she was already going to lose anyway, she might as well drag this guy down with her and make him fight her.
Close "contact".
It was worth participating in this competition.
"You even noticed that..."
Lu Cheng smiled and said, then looked at the referee. "Not bad, the Body Sect concedes defeat."
"..."
The entire room fell silent.
Nan Qiuqiu, her little brain still not quite processing what was happening, put her hands on her hips and said with a haughty expression, "I knew it was you... Huh?!!"
"Boss, it seems they've really given up."
The eyes of many disciples of the Earth Dragon Sect fell on Nan Qiuqiu, their faces filled with astonishment.
Nan Qiuqiu's arrogant expression froze on her face.
no...
You really admit defeat?!
I was just kidding!
"Big Sister, you didn't really give it to him, did you?" a female disciple asked cautiously as she approached.
Nan Qiuqiu: "..."
Seeing the increasingly suspicious looks from the disciples around her, Nan Qiuqiu felt like crying but couldn't, as if she really couldn't explain herself.
Nan Shuishui, standing on the stands, was also taken aback, but then instantly understood the key point. She glanced at Lu Cheng with a complicated expression. This was deliberately targeting Shrek Academy.
She didn't think her Earth Dragon Sect was any great deal of prestige, worthy of the Body Sect's help, but that person's feud with Shrek had been going on for a long time. Now that the gods were fighting, the little devil... actually benefited.
However, after this, he might completely offend Shrek.
Oh well, it doesn't really matter.
Anyway, her Earth Dragon Sect didn't have any cooperation with Shrek, and was actually closer to the Body Sect. Going to curry favor with Shrek now would only be asking for trouble, so she might as well go all the way down this path.
As the leader of a force, one naturally possesses such courage and vision; otherwise, the Earth Dragon Sect would not have been able to survive to this day.
The smiles on the faces of the Shrek Academy students froze, replaced by rage. Bei Bei, her face darkening, glared angrily at Lu Cheng: "What on earth is this guy trying to do?"
"Does he want Shrek Academy to die?!"
"You guessed right." Xuan Zi said coldly, his face grim. "I knew this little beast had no good intentions, but I didn't expect him to actually do it."
"He wants Shrek Academy to be eliminated in the group stage!"
On the field.
The referee from the Sun Moon Empire was also bewildered. After hesitating for a long time, he frowned slightly and asked, "The Body Sect... are you sure you're admitting defeat? If so, there's no going back."
"Confirmed!" Lu Cheng nodded with a smile.
"Shrek Academy disagrees!" Before the words were even finished, Bei Bei's furious roar rang out. He stepped forward and addressed the referee, "The Body Sect didn't lose at all! They conceded without even fighting! Isn't this match-fixing?!"
"That's right, Shrek Academy disagrees!"
Then, a bizarre scene unfolded.
The Body Sect wanted to concede defeat actually caused the most uproar at the Shrek Academy.
If someone unaware of the inside story saw this, they might mistakenly believe the two were sworn brothers...
"Shrek Academy, this is a competition between the Body Sect and the Earth Dragon Sect, it has nothing to do with you." After a moment of contemplation, the referee retorted to Bei Bei.
He had just received the Regent's order to agree to the surrender of the Body Sect.
True, they do have a blood feud with the Body Sect, but are they being so kind to the Shrek Academy?
They're all the same.
Xu Tianran actually hoped that the more fiercely these forces from the original continent fought amongst themselves, the more his Sun Moon Empire and Holy Spirit Cult would benefit.
Moreover, the Sun Moon Empire has been trampled underfoot by Shrek Academy for so many years, and now that it finally has a chance to take revenge, it's hard to miss it.
"Damn it!" Bei Bei was full of resentment and anger, but Xian Lin'er suppressed it.
"In this competition, we cannot be too forceful, nor can we stand out as the first to act. The Sun Moon Empire has something big planned."
Even Xuan Zi, who usually liked to act arrogantly due to his age, was unusually quiet at this moment. In the previous competition, when he participated in the Star Luo Empire competition, no one could suppress him, so he was naturally extremely arrogant. But this time, it was in Mingdu...
It's fair to say they openly bully the weak and fear the strong.
"So we're just going to watch them win?!" Bei Bei growled, her face full of resentment.
"..." Xian Lin'er remained expressionless.
"Maybe..."
"There's another match tomorrow. What if we really run into the Body Sect? Then we can finally avenge our defeat."
"If all else fails, then we can appeal."
"..."
Bei Bei gritted her teeth and glared fiercely at Lu Cheng, but that was all she could do.
To this day, he has yet to make an appearance.
The imagined scene of the Shrek Academy gaining fame and countless viewers chanting Bei Bei's name never materialized.
It's so frustrating.
"Oh!!!"
Hearing the cheers of the Earth Dragon Sect disciples around her, Nan Qiuqiu stood there in astonishment, her pretty face filled with disbelief.
They... won?!
"You're so mean," Zhang Lexuan said with a slight smile, covering her red lips.
"Hehe, after this competition, Shrek Academy... will probably suffer another fatal blow." Long Aotian shook his head and sighed.
They came in second in the previous competition, and their reputation has plummeted ever since.
The quality of students is even more complicated.
If they don't even make the top 16 this year, how badly will they fall?
Those disciples who came because of the Shrek Academy's reputation will also leave when Shrek Academy's title as the number one academy on the continent disappears.
This is a double-edged sword.
Throughout his life, Mu En tried to shed the shackles of this reputation, attempting to reduce Shrek Academy's dependence on the title of the continent's best, but...
Clearly, he failed.
And this thing is like Xue Beng, accumulating too much harmful energy. Once it collapses, it's not something one or two people can turn the tide, unless he's like a young Mu En...
"Does that make you feel better?"
Lu Cheng looked at Zhang Lexuan.
The beautiful woman blinked her pale blue eyes and shook her head. "Not enough."
"What I want is for the Shrek Academy to die, to be completely disbanded, and for its leaders, Mu En Xuan Zi, to be wiped out, only then will my great revenge be complete," Zhang Lexuan said calmly.
"..."
Lu Cheng smiled, thinking the girl had forgotten.
It has never been mentioned again in recent years.
It seems the grudge is buried deep in his heart; it's not that it's over, but rather that the time hasn't come yet.
In fact, Mu En had apologized to Zhang Lexuan many times through the Shrek Academy, and his words were quite sincere, hoping that she could let Shrek Academy go.
but...
What Lu Cheng hated most was apologizing afterward.
Why didn't you do this sooner?
"In this competition... Earth Dragon Sect wins!"
The judges of the Sun Moon took a long time to determine the outcome before nodding and announcing the result.
This sparked a buzz of discussion among the audience.
"This Lu Cheng is quite interesting."
In the stands.
The Imperial Advisor spoke in a low, hoarse voice.
"Hehe, the more murky the waters of the original continental forces are, the better. If they can't be of one mind, our Sun Moon Empire's grand plan for ten thousand years will go more smoothly." Xu Tianran chuckled.
"Let's have the Body Sect face off against Shrek Academy in tomorrow's final group match, give them another push."
Whoever wins advances to the knockout stage.
Actually, he had this idea of watching Shrek and the Body Sect compete in the same group, but he didn't expect that Shrek would take the initiative to start it.
That's alright then.
He wants to see rivers of blood!
"Tsk tsk tsk..." Ye Xishui in amazement, "As expected of the Regent, truly..."
Grandmaster stirring up trouble.
Tomorrow, Shrek will face off against the Body Sect; that's going to be quite a spectacle.
Is the Body Sect being exaggerated to the heavens, or is Shrek Academy truly so vulnerable?
Team rest area.
Shrek and the Body Sect are not far apart, so they are evenly matched, with a strong sense of tension, almost to the point of fighting.
Lu Cheng, the one who triggered the whole thing, remained completely relaxed, enjoying being fed food by the beautiful woman beside him and basking in the Sun on a bench, as if nothing had happened to him.
"In the next match, Mingyu Sect will face..."
As the referee finished speaking...
Several figures, shrouded in long, black robes and somewhat resembling those from the Holy Spirit Cult next door, emerged from the waiting area. Their auras were chilling, giving them the appearance of Evil Soul Master, though not as violent.
"Gai Yin..."
Lu Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly.
The Mingyu Sect is a combination of Evil Soul Master and Soul Tool, a complex product born within the Sun Moon Empire. Gai Yin was quite powerful in the original story, but in this competition...
That's not enough.
Generally speaking, advancing to the top 16 shouldn't be too difficult for him, but he just happened to run into someone else.
"Fight against the Tang Sect!"
Lu Cheng shook his head.
Watching Gai Yin leader, lift his black cloak to reveal a bewitching face and slightly pale skin, he clicked his tongue in amazement. The Dark Gold Three-Headed Bat King, with his Soul Emperor cultivation, could briefly unleash the combat power of a Soul Saint.
Unfortunately... they ran into the Tang Sect.