After returning to the hotel, the teacher requested a meeting for everyone in Tang San's room. Even Flender and Zhao Wuji attended.
The teacher sat on a chair and looked at the smiling members of the Shrek Monsters and said, "Tell me, what are your impressions of today's battle?"
Dai Mobai replied, "Everything went well in the battles today. We would have faced a problem in the team battle, but thanks to the fifth brother and his plan, we managed to win against opponents stronger than us."
Tang San added, "Indeed, he took everyone's strengths into account and devised a way to win."
Zhang Yong looked at his companions and couldn't help but smile, 'I'm just a fool; all I did was use what I have.'
The others wanted to say something too, but the teacher stopped them. Then a smile appeared on the teacher's face, leaving everyone except Tang San surprised and incredulous. It was indeed strange for such a strict person who seldom smiled to suddenly break into a smile. Everyone thought they were hallucinating.
"You've done well; I'm very satisfied. For a Spirit Master to use his mind during battles, today's victory against a team ranked above thirty with seven consecutive wins was due to Xiao Yong's plan. Each of you played a part in it. The best warriors are excellent strategists and soldiers who act without hesitation when following orders. You've made me proud."
After listening, Flender, sitting next to the teacher, couldn't help but laugh and said, "Grandmaster, aren't you being too complimentary?"
The Grandmaster replied with a smile, "Of course not. I want to tell them they're good but not perfect. Xiao Yong's use of the fog ability is a good strategy, but you shouldn't rely on it. For the upcoming matches, you will stop using it."
Everyone nodded at once and had some understanding. Like in the case of Zhu Zhuqing earlier, if this ability was used, it wouldn't help them gain combat experience.
Then the Grandmaster turned to Zhang Yong and asked, "Xiao Yong, do you want to be the team's strategist?"
Upon hearing that, Zhang Yong's expression wasn't good. "I refuse, Teacher; it's better for Tang San to take that role."
"Zhang Yong, although we trust Xiao San, what makes you refuse?" Dai Mobai asked.
Zhang Yong shook his head. "I don't do well under pressure. That position is more suited for Tang San than for me. If needed, I will provide whatever advice I can."
Upon hearing Zhang Yong's comment, the teacher's face remained expressionless. "Since Xiao Yong has made his decision, there's no need to force him. You can take tomorrow as a rest day, but besides resting, I want you to think about your battles. The day after tomorrow, tell me what you've learned. We need to go now, and remember not to cause trouble; there's a chance you might encounter a Spirit Master from a powerful family."
Flender added, "The teacher is right; don't cause any problems, but if you do face someone, don't lose face for our academy."
After saying this, the teachers left the room. Once they were gone, the group looked at each other and all headed to a nearby restaurant. Dai Mobai didn't forget his earlier words and ordered a full table of food along with two barrels of wheat beer, inviting everyone to eat.
Dai Mobai raised his cup of rice beer towards Zhang Yong: "Xiao Yong, thanks to you for our victory!"
Zhang Yong laughed and said, "you're welcome, but I won't drink."
Oscar approached Zhang Yong and threw his arm around his neck: "Come on, drink up! You're the hero of this party!"
Reflecting on his past life, Zhang Yong had never consumed alcohol; he was only sixteen back then. Nevertheless, he didn't want to break his habit. "I don't want to; I might say something embarrassing if I get drunk."
Oscar put his cup down on the table and said, "Oh, do you have any secrets you don't want to share?"
Zhang Yong picked up the beer cup and started drinking without finishing his sentence. He downed the shot completely and exhaled once, his face slightly flushed.
Oscar continued, "Calm down don't overdo it. Speaking of which, Tang San, why don't you drink too? Even though you're stronger than me, I'm sure you're not good at drinking."
Xiao Wu stood up and snatched the cup from Tang San, drinking a cup of beer in one go: "Since you want to drink, I'll drink with you."
Ning Rongrong then stood up, holding a beer cup in her hand with red eyes and said, "Since I came here, I've caused trouble for everyone. What Third Brother and Oscar said is true; if I continued as I was, I wouldn't have understood what friendship means. But after fighting together and going through life and death experiences with all of you, I'm grateful. I'll drink this for all of you and say what I couldn't say before I'm sorry."
After saying this, Ning Rongrong downed her cup in one go, tears flowing from her eyes.
Zhang Yong looked at her and couldn't help but hold her gaze and said, "Alright, I won't say I'm innocent; maybe we overdid it that day. Anyway, what's done is done."
As Ning Rongrong lowered her cup, her face was red; perhaps she had overindulged.
Oscar looked at Ning Rongrong with a calm smile and said, "We already accepted you when we were in the Star Dou Forest. We're comrades and more than that brothers"
With such an outpouring of emotions all at once, Zhang Yong turned to Yuan Ling, who was still staring at her empty cup. He asked her, "What's wrong? You don't have to force yourself to drink."
Yuan Ling shook her head. "No, it's not like that. I just feel weaker for not being able to help with anything."
Zhang Yong smiled and patted her head. "No need to feel that way; it's just a matter of time. After all, you have more talent than I do."
A small smile appeared on Yuan Ling's face as she picked up her cup and drank it in one go.
Everyone had indeed gotten drunk, each person doing something some dancing, others singing.
Internally sighing, he thought unexpectedly as Zhang Yong first fell onto the table, then everyone followed suit in succession. Ma Hongjun fell next, followed by Oscar and Xiao Wu. After them was Yuan Ling, and then the oldest among them, Dai Mobai. Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing fell at the same time, leaving only Ning Rongrong awake.
This drinking party lasted a full four hours, and in the end, Ning Rongrong emerged victorious.
The next day, everyone woke up with headaches; fortunately, it was a rest day.
------------------------
The spiritual battles continued for the following month, and all their matches were promising. The Beast Partner Team participated in twenty-seven battles, all of which ended in victory.
Chang Yong's team, known as the Hell Claw, achieved victories in all their matches.
Tang San and Xiao Wu's team, called Sanwu, achieved complete victories in all their battles.
Dai Mobai and Oscar's team, known as the Winged Tiger, secured sixteen wins and eleven losses. Ning Rongrong and Yuan Ling's Snake Tower team achieved a record of seventeen wins and ten losses. As for the individual matches, there was no need to discuss them since the number of victories far exceeded the losses.
During this month, the battles helped Zhang Yong break through to rank 45. His progress wasn't rapid because those he fought were merely spirit GrandMaster rank opponents, who didn't grant more than five thousand experience points or less. The worthy opponents were Spirit Masters in team battles, but the emotional points gained from the audience were satisfactory, which he spent on new skills he created. Besides this, Chang Yong's pocket was happy with the gold coins earned. The battles not only helped Chang Yong but also assisted Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dai Mobai in breaking through their ranks.
As night fell in the heart of Soto City, the Spirit Arena was bright. It was the last day of the month and also the weekend, causing the spectator area to be crowded. Including the teachers, everyone dispersed in the Spirit Arena. Due to their battles this month, the name of the Beast Partner became famous in the arena, making it difficult for them to move around. Thus, they started coming in casual clothes and changing before their fights, making it hard for the audience to know where they would battle, turning guessing where they would fight into a habit.
After these months, Tang San and Ma Hongjun had already turned thirteen years old, and after a month or two, it would also be Zhang Yong's birthday. After this month of fighting, it was confirmed that obtaining the silver badge would be difficult. The teacher didn't want to attract more attention to his students; fighting for another month might expose their identities or ages.
———————
Shrek monsters Team was called into a room by the staff, not just them but also Zhao Wuji and Flender. Then the teacher explained the situation briefly: The Spirit Arena organized a match for the Partner Team against a team called the Imperial Team in the main arena. If they won, they would receive five hundred gold coins and an additional ten thousand gold coins without needing to participate in individual or dual matches.
The teacher presented a sheet detailing their enemies' spirits:
- **Captain:** Yu Tianheng, Spirit: tyrant blue Lightning Dragon, Rank 39 Spirit Master (Attack system), Spirit Rings: Two Yellow, One Purple.
- **Vice-Captain:** Dougu Yan, Spirit: Phosphorescent Jade Snake, Rank 38 Spirit Master (Control system), Spirit Rings: Two Yellow, One Purple.
- **Member:** Shi Mi, Spirit: Black Turtle, Rank 38 Spirit Master (Defense system), Spirit Rings: Two Yellow, One Purple.
- **Member:** Shi Mo, Spirit: Black Turtle, Rank 37 Spirit Master (Defense system), Spirit Rings: Two Yellow, One Purple.
- **Member:** Yo Feng, Spirit: Hummingbird, Rank 36 Spirit Master (Agility system), Spirit Rings: Two Yellow, One Purple.
- **Member:** Osler, Spirit: Phantom Leopard, Rank 36 Spirit Master (Agility Attack system), Spirit Rings: Two Yellow, One Purple.
- **Member:** Shi Lingling, Spirit: Nine Flower Apples, Rank 35 Spirit Master (Support System), Spirit Rings: Two Yellow, One Purple.
Everyone raised their heads and looked at each other. The enemy's strength was higher than they expected; even the weakest among them was stronger than they were.
No one could say anything after seeing this. The silence was immediately broken by Dean Flender, who said with an exhausted expression: "Xiao Gang, don't you think you rushed a bit when you agreed?"
The teacher replied: "Without a little pressure, how will you become strong? Moreover, an additional person will be added to the formation, which may raise our winning chances to at least 40%."
By adding a person to the formation means they would fight with eight people, which is a good advantage.
Tang San looked at Zhang Yong and whispered, "What do you think, Zhang Yong?"
Zhang Yong glanced at the paper and sighed deeply: "I can't say much since I don't know much about their spirits."
The teacher looked at the students and said, "This team has an ideal mix; you must be cautious of the captain's spirit, the tyrant blue Lightning Dragon, and the vice-captain's spirit, the Phosphorescent Jade Snake. The tyrant blue Lightning Dragon has high offensive power and is exceptional among beast spirits. As for the Phosphorescent Jade Snake, since it belongs to the control branch, it reminds me of someone. Flender, do you remember?"
Flender's expression changed slightly: "It can't be him."
"I'm saying it is him."
Dai Mobai immediately intervened: "Dean, teacher, stop speaking in riddles."
The teacher replied sternly: "The Phosphorescent Jade Snake spirit is rare; historically, there has only been one famous user of it, who is considered an extraordinary master of the control branch. To be precise, he is the Phosphorescent Douluo. You must have heard of him before."
Zhang Yong narrowed his eyes when he heard the name "Douluo." The rank that occupies the pinnacle of the continent means that if there is indeed a connection between the girl and that Douluo, it could pose a problem if she were harmed.
Dai Mobai spoke directly: "The Phosphorescent Douluo, known as the Poison King, is that possible?"
The teacher took a breath and nodded. "Aside from him, there is no other Douluo with the Phosphorescent Jade Snake spirit. Since both are from the control branch, I'm confident they are closely related. What no one knows is that the title of Phosphorescent Douluo belongs to Dougu."
Putting together what the teacher said made Chang Yong sure of what he was thinking.
Ning Rongrong suddenly spoke up: "The Nine Flower Apples!?"
Everyone immediately turned to Ning Rongrong.
She continued to explain, "Teacher, we need to eliminate this spirit master from the start."
The teacher looked at her with an understanding gaze. "Why?"
"According to my father, this spirit is a miracle among all support spirits; even if you're on the brink of death, it will bring you back to life."
Chang Yong looked at his fist and began to think. His mind was already racing; Ning Rongrong's father is the head of the best support spirit clan on the continent, so acknowledging such a spirit is indeed something significant.
Zhang Yong crossed his arms and his expression grew very serious: "The captain has the strongest attack in the continent. They have defensive spirit masters with the strongest defensive spirit in the continent, a control system spirit master with a dangerous spirit that may be related to a Douluo, in addition to a healing spirit master who could potentially bring you back to life. Not to mention a speed-type spirit master. This is truly a perfect integration. What a headache."
The teacher said: "Therefore, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mobai, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Ziqing, Chang Yong, Ning Rongrong, and Oscar will participate."
Xiao Wu hurriedly said: "Wait, Yuan Ling won't participate?"
The teacher looked at Yuan Ling and simply said: "Yuan Ling may become a hindrance in battle."
Zhang Yong looked at the teacher and could tell what he was thinking. Yuan Ling could only nod her head in understanding.
Zhang Yong said firmly: "Then we must prepare."
With that, everyone turned to Zhang Yong as if waiting for something.
Zhang yong asked in surprise: "What is it?"
Tang San answered calmly: "I have a way to deal with Dougu Yan's poison. So what do you think we should do?"
After all these battles in the past month, Zhang Yong had been suggesting suitable plans and hitting the mark each time. What they didn't know was that Chang Yong's mind had been a blank slate several times; it was somewhat of luck.
Zhang Yong closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again: "With the information I have now, it won't be a complicated plan. There are many variables, but according to what Ning Rongrong said, we should eliminate the support first. However, they will likely be protected by the Black Turtle spirit masters. So Xiao Wu and Zhuo Ziqin, I ask you to take care of this."
Both nodded as they listened to Chang Yong's words. Then Zhang Yong turned his head towards Ma Hongjun: "Fatty, you handle the speed-type spirit master. Since you have the Phoenix spirit, you can restrain one while dealing with the other."
Ma Hongjun gave a thumbs up to Zhang Yong with a big smile: "Count on me!"
Then Chang Yong continued: "This leaves us with the captain and vice-captain. Mobai, you are the only one among us who can handle the captain, so I'll leave him to you."
Dai Mobai replied: "You got it."
"Tang San, I want you to monitor the enemy's movements. You have high observational skills. Since they appointed an eighth member, you need to pay extra attention to him while also dealing with Dugu Yan's poison."
Tang San nodded: "As you wish."
"Ning Rongrong, as soon as the battle begins, support Xiao Wu and Zhu Ziqing immediately. Oscar, do you think you can handle the poison from the Phosphorescent Snake spirit master?"
Oscar replied without hesitation: "No problem."
The teacher immediately interjected with a calm expression: "Oscar's antidote sausages might help, but they will only suppress the poison for a short time and may not be enough."
Zhang Yong thought for a moment 'I believe I can handle him myself'then he said"Oscar, make some spirit recovery sausages"
Ning Rongrong spoke up, "Can't we just use the same plan we used against the Mad Battle Team?"
Oscar replied with a confident smile, "Rongrong, that won't work. Using the same move repeatedly will make it easy for them to predict it."
With the plan in mind, Tang San spoke up loudly, "We will definitely win. We will be able to prove that we are stronger than them. Even if we lose, loss is the mother of success. We've already won more than twenty-seven consecutive battles, so why not add another victory?"
Xiao Wu cheered, laughing"Indeed, we've won many matches, so why should we be afraid?"
Everyone stood together and began to chant, "We will win!"