"Ladies and gentlemen, coming up next is a seven-on-seven team Soul Fighting match! First, let's give a warm round of applause to our newcomer team, the Shrek Seven Devils!"
The host's impassioned voice rang out above the Soul Fighting Arena. Basic information about the Shrek members appeared on the illuminated giant screen. With their four-character aliases and mysterious masks, the Shrek Seven Devils' entrance did stir some interest among the spectators. The bloodthirsty audience cheered, but the malice in those cheers...
"What bullshit Shrek Seven Devils? Tear them apart!"
"Hiding your heads and concealing your tails! People like you die the most in the Great Soul Arena!"
"Kill them all! Kill them all!"
The spectators around the arena had bloodshot eyes. Every one of them was eager to see rivers of blood! The Suotuo City Great Soul Arena was now a completely different place. Thanks to Young Master Bai's spectacular performances, the audience watching the Soul Fighting matches had gradually changed as well. They craved more blood, and to make more money, the Great Soul Arena had loosened its match regulations. As long as no one died, the referees almost never intervened to stop a match.
The Suotuo City Great Soul Arena's reputation had spread. Every day, quite a few people came from all across the Balak Kingdom just to witness the slaughter.
Taking part in team Soul Fighting for the first time put pressure on Dai Mubai, Tang San, and the others. Shangguan Hong stood alongside Tang San, just behind Dai Mubai, and could clearly sense his companions' tension and unease. In fact, they had to thank their extermination of Blue Sunshine Academy back in the Star Dou Great Forest for helping their mentalities mature. Otherwise, the bloodthirsty atmosphere might well have crushed them.
"It seems our audience is already fired up and can't wait to watch the match! Then let's give a warm round of applause to the Shrek Seven Devils' opponents, a team renowned for its ferocity and one of the Suotuo City Great Soul Arena's ace teams-the Mad Battle Team!"
The cheers nearly blew the roof off the Soul Fighting Arena! Just as the host had said, the Mad Battle Team was very famous in the Suotuo City Great Soul Arena. Their berserk state in particular was enough to slay any god or Buddha that stood in their way! Who knew how many people had been left permanently disabled at their hands? What excited these spectators most was that the Mad Battle Team had deaths on its record! Yet the final ruling had merely determined that they had lost their reason in their berserk state and struck too hard. They paid a fine, and that was the end of it.
The Mad Battle Team's reputation now stank to high heaven, but that was precisely what those spectators liked! Every member was a Soul Elder, and most were beast Soul Elders, making their matches exceptionally entertaining.
A bead of cold sweat slid across the forehead of Dai Mubai, who stood at the very front of the Shrek Seven Devils. He had already sensed the pressure emanating from Mad Rhino, the Mad Battle Team's captain. This fellow was absolutely no weaker than him, and judging by that enormous build, his strength was definitely greater! Today would probably be a tough fight!
"Little tiger, the Great Soul Arena is no place for unweaned brats like you! Why not behave yourselves and surrender now? Otherwise, when I smash your jaw in, you won't even be able to say you surrender!"
Mad Rhino laughed provocatively, and most of the other Mad Battle Team members wore the same expressions. As their taunts continued, they gradually devolved into filthy abuse. They were trying to use this cheap trick to provoke the Shrek members' anger and make them lose their reason in the coming fight.
How could Dai Mubai swallow that insult? He immediately fired back, but at their age, having never experienced the treacherous side of society, what sort of filthy abuse could they possibly come up with?
The host did not stop them. He did not even speak. The referee also watched quietly from the side, while deafening jeers erupted from the spectators in the stands. This was the style of the Suotuo City Great Soul Arena.
All seven members of the Mad Battle Team were main fighters, whereas on the Shrek Seven Devils' side, only Dai Mubai, Ning Rongrong, and Xiao Wu had much fighting strength left. Both sides hurled insults, but as the exchange continued, the Shrek Seven Devils fell behind.
"Those bastards! I swear I'll snap that big idiot's front teeth off later!"
Dai Mubai ground his teeth, and Tang San's face had also flushed with anger. Just then, however, Shangguan Hong grinned. He patted both of them on the shoulder and walked to the front of the team.
"Mubai, Little San, calm down. Why waste your breath on these fellows? They're crude people, but we Shrek Seven Devils aren't! When speaking with others, one should always show magnanimity! Watch as I demonstrate for you!"
Shangguan Hong wore a smile. The Shrek members looked surprised at his words, but upon reflection, he did have a point! How could they let someone else's abuse damage their own moral character? Tang San's eyes shone even brighter. It seemed Brother Shangguan was about to display his unparalleled charm. He would surely use the most elegant language and the most profound reasoning to bring the Mad Battle Team before them to its senses, making them recognize their own mistakes and feel ashamed.
Yes, that had to be it!
Meanwhile, the Mad Battle Team's pupils contracted the instant they saw Shangguan Hong! Their opening trash talk was a tactic. Their primary goal was to provoke Shangguan Hong into losing his reason; everyone else was merely incidental.
They had no choice. Shangguan Hong posed far too great a threat to them. But now it seemed their trash talk had done no damage at all. This fellow before them looked so polite!
However...
Shangguan Hong cleared his throat, and then came a burst of birdsong and fragrant blossoms, as though all creation were awakening anew!
What did he say?
Nothing beyond the secrets of their ancestral graves, their parents' whereabouts, the origins of orphans, and the true meaning of family trees! With heartfelt sincerity, Shangguan Hong declared that he would retrace the road by which every member of the Mad Battle Team had come into the world and bombard their production bases.
His language was elegant, his wording magnificent, and he went a full ten minutes without repeating himself! The glasses on the host's face had gone crooked, the Mad Battle Team's faces had turned purple, the spectators in the stands were utterly silent, and the Shrek members' mouths hung open. Everyone bowed before this earth-shaking speech. So this was what "when speaking with others, one should always show magnanimity" meant...
"Shangguan really is a wonderful fellow!"
Dai Mubai spoke blankly, and everyone nodded instinctively. Calling him a wonderful fellow no longer did him justice. He was eating Wonderful Crispy Corners in the Wonderful Clubhouse-wonderful right at home.
The spectators were stunned. No one felt those ten minutes had been a waste of time. They only felt that their entire worldview had been rearranged! Once Shangguan Hong's voice faded, countless cries of admiration followed!
"Terrifying! Look at the Mad Battle Team's faces! That's hilarious!"
"This is an old man toying with naughty children!"
"How can you put it like that? You make it sound like the Mad Battle Team's finished taking a dump!"
"Finish the Mad Battle Team! Finish them! Finish them!"
"That doesn't roll off the tongue! How about..."
Who knew how things had developed to this point?
In short, the spectators below were ecstatic. They simply thought Shangguan Hong was so brave!
They cheered in unison!
"Done screwing! Done screwing..."