Taking advantage of the ongoing conversation, Ning Rongrong stayed until 4 p.m.
Aside from Zhu Zhuqing, she got along well with Dugu Yan, but realizing it was getting late, she reluctantly decided to take her leave.
However, before leaving, she made an agreement with the others, promising to come back and hang out when she had time.
Compared to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, Ning Rongrong found this place much more pleasant. The atmosphere was harmonious, and the conversations were far more enjoyable than interacting with her teammates.
She didn't have much interaction with Han Li, mainly because she noticed that whenever she tried to steer the conversation toward him, the girls became quite guarded. Moreover, Han Li didn't seem to pay much attention to her. Most of the time, he rested with his eyes closed.
So, she decided to take the ladies' diplomacy route, focusing on building a good relationship with the others first.
As for the information Ning Fengzhi wanted her to gather, she didn't feel the need to rush. Being too eager would make her seem overly calculating. It would be better to wait until they became more familiar and then casually ask later on.
After all, she had already shown her good intentions, and that was enough for now.
Ning Rongrong's visit didn't bring much change to Han Li and the others' lives. After seeing her off, they resumed the discussion they hadn't finished earlier and decided to watch the matches at the arena the next day.
The preliminary rounds had entered the later stages, and the upcoming matches promised to be even more exciting.
The next day, when Han Li accompanied the girls to the spectator area for contestants, they found that many others had already arrived.
Interestingly, in the contestant viewing area, although most participants were still grouped by academy, some of the more outstanding competitors had already started gathering together based on their previous performances.
At that moment, Huo Wu and her brother Huo Wushuang, Feng Xiaotian, Hu Yanli, the captain of Botanic Academy, and others had clustered near the Skywater Academy group.
However, the second team of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy was an exception—they didn't have a good reputation.
When they saw Han Li and the others approaching, the group warmly greeted them.
"Are you all here to cheer for Thunderclap Academy?"
Han Li teased. After getting to know them over the past few days, he wasn't unfamiliar with the group.
"Cheer? I think they're going to lose. I just saw Yu Tianxin earlier, and he still hasn't recovered," Huo Wu said, straightforward as ever, without hiding her thoughts.
The others smiled, clearly agreeing with her assessment.
"So, why are you here?"
Dugu Yan asked curiously, glancing at the Skywater Academy students.
"We're here to gather intelligence—to see if Skywater Academy has any strategies to deal with Canghui Academy in the team battle," Feng Xiaotian replied, though he didn't seem in high spirits. Canghui Academy's sudden rise in the team battle phase posed a certain threat to his own Godwind Academy.
They had already lost to Blazing Academy once, and Skywater Academy, Thunderclap Academy, Elephant Armored Academy, and the second team of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy were all tough opponents.
After the first round, the schedule for the subsequent matches was drawn every three days. Without knowing the next matchups, Feng Xiaotian was worried about being caught off guard like Thunderclap Academy, but at the same time, he didn't want to admit defeat so easily, leaving him feeling troubled.
Hearing their conversation, Han Li was momentarily stunned. Then he smiled and said, "No, I suggest you forfeit."
The group wasn't surprised by his response. Their teachers had given them the same advice. Coming over to Skywater Academy had been more of a gamble. After all, even if Skywater Academy had a plan, as rivals, they wouldn't share it with them at this stage.
"Hah, it's no big deal. I'm just here to join in the fun. Canghui Academy? Watch me in action," Hu Yanli said with a grin, stepping forward. His belly wobbled a bit as he spoke.
He had already received his grandfather's approval, who said that since the Holy Son was present, he was allowed to use that ahead of time. Even though he had a match scheduled right after this one, he had still come along, mostly to make his presence felt.
"You have a plan?" the others asked in surprise, looking at Hu Yanli in amazement.
"Secret. You'll find out when I take the stage," Hu Yanli said, his grin widening, leaving the others intrigued and frustrated.
"Your Highness, I'll go back now to prepare for the match," Hu Yanli said with a smile, addressing Han Li. His team's match was next, and it was time to get ready.
"Mm, go ahead. Good luck, I'm looking forward to your performance," Han Li nodded, encouraging him.
"Yes, sir."
Hu Yanli bowed and left in high spirits. The others weren't surprised by this behavior—unlike them, the Elephant Armored Clan had long aligned itself with Spirit Hall, so in a strict sense, Hu Yanli was one of Han Li's subordinates.
"Holy Son Han, do you know what Hu Yanli's plan is? How about sharing a little before the match starts?"
Huo Wu asked curiously. She had noticed that when Hu Yanli spoke earlier, Han Li had shown a look of realization as if he knew something.
"Even if I told you his plan, you wouldn't be able to copy it, so don't worry about it. Besides, the match is about to start anyway, so I'll keep it to myself," Han Li said with a smile. His subordinate's trump card was about to be revealed, and he had no intention of spoiling the surprise.
Then, he added with a grin, "I still stand by my earlier suggestion—if you face Canghui Academy, I recommend forfeiting. Save your energy for the promotion matches and crush them then."
"Think about it—if you forfeit now, you'll be even more motivated in the next matches, and they'll be more intense and exciting. I want to see the blood flow."
Hearing his words, the group shot him glares. What a scoundrel! Huo Wu was so furious that she bared her little tiger teeth, itching to hit him with a Fire Shadow and flatten him.
After spending some time with him, they all realized that Han Li was quite easy to get along with. He didn't put on airs as the Holy Son. The only problem was... this guy had a mischievous streak and loved teasing them.
"Hmph, if you take part in the competition, I'll make sure you taste my fireballs," Huo Wu huffed, turning her head away, not wanting to deal with him anymore. Feng Xiaotian quickly moved closer to cheer her up.
In the arena, the host's voice rang out, stirring up the audience's excitement as he began calling for the teams to take the stage.
Meanwhile, Han Li and his group activated their mental link and began conspiring in secret, right in front of the others.
"Does Hu Yanli have a plan?"
Shui Bing'er asked. She was genuinely curious about how the Elephant Armored Academy planned to respond.
"Yes, he does. He has a head soul bone. I previously thought it was purely for physical and energy defense, but now it seems the defensive capabilities of his head soul bone are all-encompassing, including protection against mental attacks."
"As long as he can withstand Canghui Academy's first wave of attacks, even if all his other teammates are taken out, he could still push through and defeat the entire opposing team by himself," Han Li's voice echoed in the minds of the girls, explaining the source of Hu Yanli's confidence.
So, it was a soul bone. No wonder. With that revelation, the others no longer had any doubts.
"You all should just stick to your previous strategy. If you manage to pull it off, winning shouldn't be a problem. Even if Skywater Academy loses, they're still guaranteed to advance. If you're worried, one of you could always enter the match," Han Li said nonchalantly. Among the group, only Zhu Zhuqing would be in real danger facing Canghui Academy alone, as her mental strength wasn't strong enough yet. The other three had already condensed their soul cores and had the Purple Demon Eye technique as support, so dealing with the so-called Seven Asura Dreamland wouldn't be too difficult.
"We'll see. Yue'er and the others need the experience," Shui Bing'er replied, not agreeing with his suggestion. She still preferred that their group continue practicing and allow Skywater Academy's members to participate.
"Suit yourself. It's up to you and your progress," Han Li said, offering no further advice but giving them a word of encouragement.
On the stage, the match had already begun.
Yu Tianxin was in poor condition. As the captain and strongest member of his team, he had been the focus of Canghui Academy's attacks yesterday. His mental injuries hadn't fully recovered, and now, at best, he was only at 70% of his strength.
Looking at the three people standing in front of the opposing team and seeing the black fourth soul ring above Tang San's head, Yu Tianxin cursed inwardly. Tang San was indeed powerful, but if he had been at full strength, relying on his dragon transformation and lightning attributes, he could've endured Tang San's attacks and defeated him. But now, he wasn't so sure.
As his confidence wavered, Dai Mubai and Tai Long, who were standing beside Tang San, revealed their soul rings, showing that they, too, had become Soul Ancestors. This made Yu Tianxin's face freeze completely.
Damn, when it rains, it pours. Those two also broke through.
But since he was already on the stage, there was no turning back now. The pride of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon wouldn't allow him to forfeit. So, gritting his teeth, Yu Tianxin charged forward with his teammates.
...
Five minutes later, Yu Tianxin, the last standing member of Thunderclap Academy, was slapped to the ground by Dai Mubai.
Thunderclap Academy was utterly defeated, and the referee announced the victory of the second team of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
"They're unlucky," Feng Xiaotian said, sympathizing with Thunderclap Academy while silently praying that Godwind Academy wouldn't face such a bad matchup.
"What if, in three days, Thunderclap Academy still hasn't recovered and ends up facing you guys?"
Han Li asked casually.
"That would be amazing," Feng Xiaotian blurted out, then quickly corrected himself.
"No, no, I mean, I'd be delighted to see Yu Tianxin's strong fighting spirit. I will face him with all my strength, as he is a worthy and admirable opponent."
He then noticed the others were all looking at him with disdain.
"Xiaotian, to prevent your sneaky plan from succeeding, I think Blazing Academy might have to step in," Huo Wushuang, usually the quiet one, suddenly said something surprising.
The crowd was silent for a moment, then burst into laughter. It seemed even Huo Wushuang had been influenced by the group's antics.
As for Thunderclap Academy's crushing defeat, no one cared anymore. They were all competitors, after all—admiration was one thing, but when it came to battle, no one would hold back.