Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye. During this month, Lan Si didn't participate in team soul fights. Instead, after completing duo and solo soul fights with Ye Lingling each day, he took her and the Zhuqing to a small forest outside Suotuo City for training. With Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia healing, Zhu Zhuqing trained to the point of pushing her limits.
Even with Shrek's team soul fights in the evenings, Zhu Zhuqing never took a break.
This made Lan Si feel somewhat inadequate.
After a month of intense training, the trio's soul power hadn't significantly increased, but their foundational strength had improved considerably. Particularly for Zhu Zhuqing, after learning the Butterfly Step and Eagle Claw Technique, her abilities had undergone a qualitative change, and she experienced almost no defeats in subsequent solo and duo soul fights.
"Wow, Zhuqing! I've noticed you've become so much stronger recently! The great soul masters in the arena hardly stand a chance against you," Ning Rongrong exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Zhu Zhuqing after they had just won a duo fight.
"Really? Maybe it's just that I've been fighting more often, so I'm getting better," Zhu Zhuqing replied casually, tilting her head.
"Is that so?" Ning Rongrong raised an eyebrow skeptically. Zhu Zhuqing's sudden improvement seemed abrupt; the only possible explanation she could find was that it had something to do with Lan Si. Over the past month, Zhu Zhuqing had been absent every morning, sometimes not returning at night, only to be seen during the evening soul fights.
She suspected that Zhu Zhuqing's enhancement was undeniably linked to Lan Si.
"Alright, let's go in. Dai Mubai and the others must be getting anxious," Zhu Zhuqing said, quickly changing the subject as they headed toward Shrek's private box.
Zhu Zhuqing knew how attractive the Butterfly Step and Eagle Claw Technique would be to ordinary soul masters; there were no martial soul requirements, and anyone with soul power could practice them. Even a support-type soul master could gain a certain level of offensive capability.
If word got out, it would surely stir up the soul master community, and Zhu Zhuqing didn't want Lan Si to become the target of everyone's ire. Therefore, without Lan Si's permission, she wouldn't reveal a word, even to her friend Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong simply followed along, pretending to be calm, but internally, she was growing more suspicious. It wasn't that she doubted Lan Si was teaching Zhu Zhuqing self-created soul skills; that exceeded her current understanding.
Rather, she suspected that Zhu Zhuqing had undergone special training with Lan Si, given how strong he already was and that his methods must be exceptional.
"What's going on with everyone?" As soon as they entered the box, the two noticed an unusual atmosphere. Everyone, including Dai Mubai, who had a strained relationship with Zhu Zhuqing, looked incredibly serious. Ning Rongrong instinctively asked.
Yu Xiaogang didn't respond directly but knocked on the package on the table, his expression grave. "Zhuqing, Rongrong, you're here. Please take a seat."
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing nodded and sat down on the edge of a long sofa in the corner of the room, with Zhu Zhuqing on the outside and Ning Rongrong on the inside, while Oscar sat next to Ning Rongrong.
"How was the soul fight, Rongrong?" Oscar asked with a smile.
"What else is there to say? With Zhuqing and me on the field, of course, we won!" Ning Rongrong replied proudly.
As in the original story, Oscar was still pursuing Ning Rongrong. However, due to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's rules that forbade direct descendants from being partners with support-type soul masters, she had been careful about maintaining distance.
"Now that everyone is here, let's see who your opponents are today," Yu Xiaogang said, scanning the Shrek Seven Monsters with a piercing gaze. He opened the package on the table, revealing a stack of documents, and everyone took a breath when they saw what was inside, including the self-important Tang San.
The details were as follows:
Royal Fighting Team: Eight members, seven with silver soul badges, one with a gold soul badge.
Captain: Yu Tianheng, Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, level thirty-nine power-type soul master. Soul Rings: Two yellow, one purple.
Vice-Captain: Dugu Yan, Martial Soul: Green Phosphor Snake, level thirty-eight control-type soul master. Soul Rings: Two yellow, one purple.
Member: Shi Mo, Martial Soul: Black Turtle, level thirty-eight defense-type soul master. Soul Rings: Two yellow, one purple.
Member: Shi Mo, Martial Soul: Black Turtle, level thirty-seven defense-type soul master. Soul Rings: Two yellow, one purple.
Member: Yufeng, Martial Soul: Wind Chime Bird, level thirty-six agility attack-type soul master. Soul Rings: Two yellow, one purple.
Member: Osler , Martial Soul: Black Leopard, level thirty-six agility attack-type soul master. Soul Rings: Two yellow, one purple.
Member: Ye Lingling, Martial Soul: Nine Heart Begonia, level thirty-five support-type soul master. Soul Rings: Two yellow, one purple.
"Take a look," Yu Xiaogang said as he distributed the documents to the Shrek Seven Monsters.
After reviewing the information, they exchanged solemn glances, recognizing the gravity of the situation. Only Zhu Zhuqing remained unaffected. Upon seeing Ye Lingling's name, she had already lost hope for this fight, knowing how much Lan Si despised Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and Dai Mubai. If there was a chance to retaliate, he wouldn't miss it.
When the documents reached Ning Rongrong, she asked in surprise, "Master, it says there are eight members, but why are there only seven profiles?"
Yu Xiaogang's eyes sparkled with excitement and fighting spirit. "There's one more that you might be particularly interested in."
As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang handed over another document.
Member: I Love Eating Rabbit Meat, Martial Soul: Not detailed due to lack of use in soul fights. Soul Rings: Not detailed. Soul Power: Level thirty-three.
"It's him." As soon as they saw the name "I Love Eating Rabbit Meat," Ning Rongrong, Tang San, and Xiao Wu exclaimed simultaneously.
"What? Rongrong, do you know him?" Yu Xiaogang asked, surprised.
Upon hearing this, Ning Rongrong glanced at Zhu Zhuqing and noticed her cold gaze. After a moment of thought, she swallowed hard. "No, I don't know him. I just saw him defeat Xiao Wu a month ago, so I was curious."
When Ning Rongrong mentioned that I Love Eating Rabbit Meat had defeated Xiao Wu, both Tang San and Xiao Wu's faces turned angry, especially Tang San, who felt a murderous impulse. Over the past month, I Love Eating Rabbit Meat had haunted his thoughts, keeping him awake at night, eager for a chance to confront him in the arena and avenge Xiao Wu.
And now, that opportunity has finally come.
Yu Xiaogang nodded, not paying it too much attention, and said in a serious tone, "According to the rules of team soul fights, each team can have a maximum of ten members and a minimum of seven. During a soul fight, the number of participants is determined by the side with fewer members. Since you only have seven, your opponents will be formed from seven of these eight members."
As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang turned his gaze to Tang San. "Tang San, this 'I Love Eating Rabbit Meat' has a very unique martial soul. Although he hasn't participated in many team soul fights and hardly ever engaged, I believe his threat level is comparable to that of Royal Fighting Team's captain, Yu Tianheng. If he enters the arena, you will need to deal with him personally."
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