Tie Tiao's Soul Ring shone brightly. His soul ring visibly made him smaller than before, the double daggers of sharpness and ice feeling surprisingly big in his arms. Yet even with these he could still float in the air.
Even when he shrank at the opportune moment, he could still see a Bo Staff and a claw change directions accordingly and swing at him.
He put his two now much heavier daggers in front of him and let the claws and the Bo Staff hit each of them. In the very first hit, he used the power from the two to change directions into the opposite direction and run away wildly.
Unfortunately the cat caught up. Hundreds of claws swiped at him, but he managed to dodge in another direction. It was at that moment that a drumstick hit him in the back and sent a bunch of vibrations through his body.
He could barely control himself, so he intentionally fell from the sky and started running. The constant numbness on his body left him unable to fly, but he was still fast on the ground.
He saw the same red haired cat in his peripheral vision and turned 90 degrees into another direction. She had trouble adjusting to this sudden change easily. His body did this effortlessly due to his size.
But she still managed to follow Tie Tiao closely enough. He looked very much like a Little Swellow right now. He might be agile, but his speed wasn't comparable to hers. She had a soul skill which purely multiplied her speed. He had a shrinking skill that made him faster due to the smaller size.
As soon as she closed in on him again, he decided to change directions for a second time, only this time, there was another player in the midst. He noticed multiple golden shadows of Siduo. It was overwhelming. For just a second, he slowed down.
This was enough for both Karni and Siduo to strike. Karni was eagerly waiting and hit him on his chest with 10 Stacks built up. If he went higher, it might've become dangerous.
Tie Tiao was thrown back without any control of his body. The vibrations were even more intense now. Before he even had time to think, he was slammed into the ground from above. Siduo also found the perfect moment.
"Good job Tiao. You survived for 10 minutes with us not holding back, you've become quite the slippery bird." Siduo smiled and helped him up from the ground.
"You've figured out how to deal with my predictions as well. You surprised me there a couple of times." Karni added to Siduo's praise.
"You think I can beat him?"
Karni and Siduo looked at eachother. Tie Tiao's abilities were a real deal at the moment, but the factors at play when it came to Ma Fai's characteristics were quite different compared to them.
Firstly, Ma Fai has become a Soul Grandmaster. No one has found out what his second soul skill actually is yet, as he refused to show it during practice.
The second problem was that Ma Fai's martial soul suppressed Tie Tiao. Now that he became a Soul Grandmaster, the suppression should be greater as well.
They offered to reinforce his weapons with thousand-refined metal, but Tie Tiao refused. He wanted to beat Ma Fai with his own powers. Upgrading the weapons too much would defeat that purpose.
If it were any other Soul Grandmaster, Karni and Siduo had a degree of confidence in Tie Tiao. While he might not win, he would definitely give a Soul Grandmaster a run for their money.
They turned towards Hu Fuya, who was patiently waiting by the tree, watching Tie Tiao's practice. Siduo waved at her. "Let's have a round for you as well. You might not be at your strongest during the day, but you can still show them your abilities.
Hu Fuya nodded and went into position, she only faced Siduo. During the days she trained with her alone, in the evening, her practice was much like Tie Tiao's after four months of constant training with this group.
She nodded at Tie Tiao, but they didn't exchange many words. The two didn't hang out much outside of training, even though they were from the same academy. Tie Tiao was busy with training by himself, while she hung out with Siduo a bit more. If anything, she was closer to Karni than Tie Tiao.
She dashed towards Siduo, and Siduo used both of her abilities openly, while Hu Fuya used her single white soul ring as her eyes cleared up, her vision sharpening.
Siduo's hundred claws attacked in tandem, and the girl expertly manoeuvred between them and striked a few here and there to dodge out of a tricky situation. Then she aimed at a spot on Siduos side with her own claws enveloped with soul power.
Siduo reacted with ease, devoting some of the claw strikes to counter the counter attack.
Even with her moves countered, Hu Fuya kept up the pressure. Everytime she attacked, it was a peculiar spot on the body, her claws always enveloped in soul power. She kept on forcing Siduo to react to her attacks, an admirable achievement.
Siduo backed off for a quick second, before nodding. "So you can handle close combat speed of mine. What about when I move all around?"
Hu Fuya's eyes sharpened. This was where the real test began. Until now, the speed boost Siduo had was used on her attacks, now it will be used to its full potential. She watched as Siduo disappeared from her enhanced sight, but her reactions were quick.
She intercepted Siduo at a perfect moment from the side, using the force of her attacks to push herself back and make space between them. It didn't help much though. Siduo immediately closed the distance with another charge.
Hu Fuya answered in kind, looking for a tiny hole between Siduo's series of attacks. And she saw one, striking true with her claws. Until she was tripped and fell face first into the ground.
Siduo helped her up. "You've studied up well on where to hit, thanks to your ability during night time, but you're too focused on what's in front that I got a chance to attack you in other places."
Hu Fuya looked at her friend. "That hole was on purpose huh."
Siduo nodded. "That mind of yours will especially be helpful to you. Learn to use your strength to trick your opponents too."
Hu Fuya nodded and sighed. "If only I could have the vision of the soul power circulation, I could see the attacks coming beforehand."
"That's true, but you won't always have battles during darkness, you have to learn to compensate." Siduo comforted her friend. "Don't worry, you'll do great in the competition."
… … …
The next week a tournament was announced for the whole Intermediate Academy. Something that the Green Tiger Academy students were already aware of beforehand. They were the main reason for this competition. The students from the Green Tiger Town could see just what power level they were truly at compared to the students from Star Luo City Academy.
The years were all separated in their own little tournaments. Tie Tiao would be in the second year tournament with Ma Fai. If Karni and Siduo were competing, they would be too, but they were forbidden by the academy, as it wouldn't be fair to whoever came up against them.
The academy did however give those in the second year a chance to fight Karni and Siduo in a two vs two for those who win. Karni and Siduo were, after all, comparable to some sixth year students right now. They were basically Soul Elders without a third Soul Ring.
The best student in the Intermediate Academy right now was a rank 36 Soul Elder. That is incredibly impressive for a 15 year old. It could be seen that the Star Luo City Academy was the best of its region.
In other intermediate academies, teens who managed to reach Soul Elder rank by age 15 were dime a dozen. All who did usually came to the Star Luo City Advanced Academy. Those talents actually had qualifications to attempt the Shrek Academy entrance exams! The Shrek Academy only needed rank 25 Soul Grandmasters to be allowed an attempt.
The reason why they couldn't was that each region had limited slots for entry exams. Most of those slots were taken by the Star Luo City Academy and occasional other intermediate academies in the city.
It could be said that Star Luo City Academy actually had a monopoly over the slots. When other academies had great talents, they would usually negotiate with Star Luo City Academy to get their students the entry exams.
The reason it could stay on top for so long was also connected to Shrek. Whenever they sent students to Shrek Academy, they had to sign an agreement to become temporary teachers in Star Luo City Academy once they graduated from the outer court of Shrek Academy. If they wished to stay, the academy would happily take them in, but it wouldn't give them the slots, should they refuse to sign the agreement.
Originally, they actually wanted to keep Karni and Siduo here, but they realised that was impossible. Instead, the academy gave full support for the project of the special class and took a look at other students as well. Karni and Siduo would never stay in this academy. They'd rather switch academies than to be chained down here. It was thanks to Mo Qing's influence that they didn't have to worry about such things.
In such a way, Star Luo City Academy was actually praised to reach the heights of other great academies. Though of course, none could actually compare with Shrek Academy.
Most of the students from Green Tiger Academy that came for the exchange, which were the top five of each of their class, ranked somewhere in the middle on Star Luo City Academy after the exchange. It was quite impressive considering they ranked at the bottom during the start.
The only exception to this was Ma Fai. He was a rank 21 Soul Grandmaster and he would be considered a top student of this year even inside Star Luo City Academy. That was who Tie Tiao had to beat.
… … …
The day of the competition began. The whole intermediate academy gathered together. The classes came together in groups, while the Green Tiger Academy came together as one. Karni and Siduo didn't show up in the competition area. They were in the stands instead.
Looking at the groups, the Green Tiger Academy was additionally, visibly divided by classes as well, just like when they arrived here.
Outside of the students from the Green Tiger Town, Karni and Siduo were only familiar with the students they spent three years with in the elementary academy: The second year students of the Star Luo City Intermediate Academy.
Leading the front were actually a few familiar faces. They were decently acquainted with them when they were just starting out in the elementary academy. The two leading figures were the Sword and the Shield of the Star Luo City. Li Tai the Cloud Sword and Yu Tian the Dragon Shield.
Besides Karni and Siduo, the two have become the most talented among the second year students. Both of them were already at rank 25. They were known to always fight together, study together and even cultivate together.
As soon as they stepped onto the competition area, the two looked for something. Noticing Karni and Siduo at the stands, they pointed at them together.
"Hey, hey. Are they issuing us a challenge?" Siduo's eyes went ablaze.
"In such a dramatic fashion as well." Karni chuckled on the side.
To everyone, there was no doubt who the top two students were going to be in the second year group. That went for Karni and Siduo as well. These two had both combat experience, well developed martial souls, and strong cultivation. Ma Fai and Tie Tiao unfortunately couldn't really compare.
The competition was set up in a way that Green Tiger Academy would have bouts between themselves, and Star Luo Academy would as well. The winner of the bouts between Green Tiger Academy would fight in the semi-finals against someone from Star Luo Academy. That went almost perfectly with the amount of students that were present, though the Green Tiger Town had an obvious advantage.
If they wanted them to fight others of Star Luo City Academy from the start, they would actually have to rig the tournament a bit, if they wanted students from Green Tiger Town to get far. That was simply the difference between the two academies.
The dice would be thrown between Green Tiger Academy students and Star Luo City Academy students. They would be randomised between. But not overall.
The Headmaster began to speak.
"Welcome students from all classes. Welcome students from our neighbouring Green Tiger Town. I hope you have enjoyed your stay at our academy. I believe the past half a year must have been fruitful for everybody."
"In honour of our exchange, the academy has decided to organise a tournament in the middle of the year. As those who have been here for at least three years would know, we usually host tournaments between the third and between the sixth years. Winners of each are allowed to challenge the higher classes, sixth years can even challenge the advanced academy."
"Since this is a different tournament, such rules will not apply. This time, we'll have a friendly competition. Instead, top four of each year are guaranteed entry into the Star Luo City Advanced Academy. That goes for those of the Green Tiger Academy as well."
When the Green Tiger Academy students heard that their eyes went ablaze. Whoever wins in between them, will have a guaranteed entry into the advanced academy.
The Intermediate academy here was already strict. The first years only had 60 students in total. That was the max acceptance rate. The second year usually already lowered the number by at least ten due to the hard exams. The sixth year this time around only had 20 students in it. Not all of them will be able to come to the advanced academy. This was stricter than Shrek, but Shrek was also an academy with nationwide influence. This was a regional one.
The fact this was offered even to the first years was extremely generous by the academy. It was a deal they struck with the headmaster of Green Tiger Academy, who was an alumni that graduated from the Star Luo City Advanced Academy.
"Lastly, the winner and the runner up of the second year competition will join the special class of the second year. If they wish to, they can challenge the students in the special class as well."
The headmaster clearly looked towards Yu Tian and Li Tai. It was clear that they impressed the academy. If they had all the resources Karni and Siduo had, the two might not be too far behind. Close to a breakthrough even.
That is to say, if Karni and Siduo hadn't been ordered to stop advancing and wait for their spirit souls to evolve, they would already be at rank 32 based on their estimations. As soon as they become Soul Elders, they will jump straight to that rank.
The other years were a bit sad. They didn't have a chance to enter any special classes. They were familiar with Karni and Siduo, and knew their strength. They were summoned many times to spar with them as the lower years weren't considered strong enough to be considered sufficient training.
The second year class of the school was considered the most talented in the past few decades. Many of them have reached the ranks of Soul Grandmasters already.
The motivation for that was exactly Karni and Siduo. They were with them for three years in the elementary academy. When they left, the students became surprisingly hardworking.
"Students, please divide yourself by your school years and step towards the boxes on the side. You'll be pulling out numbers that will decide your first match."
Karni and Siduo were just bystanders, but even they felt a bit giddy and excited. It was the first competition that Karni was a part of, he felt especially weird. He's finally seeing the famous tournament arc, except he wasn't in it.
The students were done in about an hour, then the matches were announced. Tie Tiao and Ma Fai would face in the "finals" of the Green Tiger Academy group, if they both made it there.
The same was for the Sword and the Shield of the second year students. They would face each other in the finals. Karni had to wonder if this was done on purpose so that both of them could join the special class.
The one who would win the Green Tiger Competition of the second year would face the Cloud Sword in the semi-finals.
Those were the only four people Karni and Siduo really looked at. Ma Fai, Tie Tiao, Yu Tian and Li Tai. No. There was a third person. Hu Fuya. They had no doubt she would win the Green Tiger Academy part of the competition, but the Semi Finals? Wait. She might actually win!
They noticed who she might face. One of them was a girl with a Dark Mist as her martial soul. She was known as the strongest in the first year of the Star Luo City Academy, an excellent control system that was already a Soul Grandmaster.
Even so, Hu Fuya's martial soul should counter her well. Hu Fuya might really stand a chance.
The competition began.
The matches of Yu Tian and Li Tai were over extremely quickly. The rules had a circular border around them. Should a person step outside of it, they would lose.
Yu Tian was using both of his soul skills efficiently. The first released a sort of a Dragon Roar that would stun an opponent, the second one summoned multiple Dragon Shields, they were physical, but tinier clones. Each of them could release a lesser version of the first soul skill as well.
He simply stunned the opponent then knocked him out with all of the shields. Blocking any escape paths.
Li Tai was even faster. His sword resembled a thinner straight sword from China on Earth, usually referred to as Jian. It had many cloud patterns on the hilt and the blade. The blade also appeared slightly transparent. His first soul skill simply elongated it. When using it, it felt like it was cutting the very air apart.
The second soul skill was something both Siduo and Karni frowned at when they saw it. The blade disappeared. It passed through an object, as if becoming an actual cloud.
The match was over in the very first bout.
The headmaster had to step in, otherwise, when the sword reappeared, the head would've been cut off of the opponent.
The headmaster didn't use any soul skills. He simply appeared there. It was quite miraculous. Karni and Siduo were sure that he was a Titled Douluo based on what they knew of Mo Qing who was a Soul Douluo.
The next few matches were surprisingly boring. Karni found this 'tournament arc' was going on for too long, but he also didn't want to miss it. The Green Tiger Academy would be the last to actually compete.
Today was also the longest day. All of the students were still competing after all. Tomorrow it should shorten by half at least.
Karni and Siduo actually began chatting in between. They became uninterested in many of the matches. The only ones they watched were the higher ranked ones and ones from Tie Tiao and Hu Fuya. The higher years were quite a joy to watch. Some of the abilities they recognised due to sparring with them before.
Finally, after two hours of waiting, the Green Tiger Academy was up. The first to fight was actually Tie Tiao. He was considered the most talented of the second years outside of Ma Fai, who was considered an anomaly.
The person who stood against him had an interesting Martial Soul. Paper. Her first and only soul ring multiplied it and shot it as many sharp pieces of paper. It was a good area attack. It was considered a control type martial soul during the spars. Karni and Siduo were familiar with her as well, since they faced all the students from Green Tiger Town before.
Tie Tiao stood on the opposite side. As soon as the countdown was over he dashed with great speed.
His opponent panicked. She was aware of Tie Tiao and his prowess. If she wanted to win this, then she had to do it quickly. She immediately activated her first soul skill. Paper Cuts.
Seeing the quick activation, Tie Tiao didn't falter at all. He simply activated his own soul skill. Little Swellow Flies. His body mass immediately shrinked by 60 percent.
He dodged through the barrage of papers like a mad man. Those he couldn't dodge, he cut with the blades. He didn't use the hidden extensions. Those were to wait until the fight against Ma Fai.
He arrived in front of the boy and pointed the knife at his neck. He won, just like that. It was surprisingly easy. Even though he knew he was stronger based on the regular sparring sessions, this was the real deal. It wasn't just falling on the ass that got you the victory anymore.
Karni and Siduo both gave him a big thumbs up. They weren't really surprised, but they were relieved. Their training really paid off. It felt good to teach someone.
"Thank god he won. It feels stressful watching this, knowing that should anything go wrong, we can't really interfere." Siduo sighed. She was the type that liked having control over the situation.
"I sort of like the thrill of it. It feels good seeing the product of our work." Karnit then turned towards another area. The first year's area. "Oh. Hu Fuya's already won as well.
Siduo turned to look and saw Hu Fuya on top of her adversary, her claws stabbed at two spots on the shoulders. The opponent was unable to move their arms. "She's a good student as well."
Next up was a match between another two students of the second year of Green Tiger Academy. Since there were five students from second year, Ma Fai was voted to have a freebie at the start because he had the highest cultivation.
… … …
The next day the tournament resumed. Karni and Siduo were bored out of their minds. Even with all the abilities flying around all the time, seeing a battle, then a battle, then another battle constantly wasn't really fun.
The only fights they truly watched were from the five students they paid attention to.
It was soon Tie Tiao's turn. And surprisingly, his opponent was an agility system soul master as well. Needless to say, the bout didn't last very long. Tie Tiao had to face Siduo all the time, and she had help from Karni as well!
Hu Fuya also didn't have much trouble. In fact, she soon won the Green Tiger Town section. The first year students were weaker and the competition moved on faster. In the semi finals she was going to face the Dark Mist martial soul. The strongest of the first year's in Star Luo City Academy.
But her match will likely have to wait until the next day. Instead they focused on the upcoming match between Ma Fai and another student. This one actually had the Water Element as a Martial Soul.
This might actually prove challenging for Ma Fai. He faced a difficult counter to his martial soul.