The Spirit Master Competition Begins

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 "Master Zhu Qing is the key to ruling the world!"

These words, once used by Ning Fengzhi to describe Yu Xiaogang in the original story, now fit Zhu Qing perfectly.

...…

The day after Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe departed, Ye Lingling finally returned, her father Ye Renxin in tow. Much like Ning Fengzhi, Ye Renxin came to thank Ning Tian. But his way of showing gratitude stood out.

With Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong glaring daggers, Zhu Qing beaming with quiet pride and Yu Feng, Osler, and the Shi brothers watching in awe, Ye Renxin cut straight to the point. He agreed to a marriage between Ye Lingling and Ning Tian right then and there.

This sparked a sulky mood in Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. Ning Rongrong, though, couldn't stay away, sneaking over now and then.

...….

By the third day, after Zhu Qing's gentle persuasion and Ning Tian's heartfelt apology, plus Ye Lingling's close bond with Zhu Zhuqing, the tension eased. Zhu Zhuqing reluctantly accepted the situation.

Meanwhile, a new face joined the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy or rather, the Shrek team. Among Ning Rongrong's many cousins, the most gifted, Ning Tao, had just turned twenty-four and already reached Level 40. He was an auxiliary-type Spirit Ancestor.

From him, Ning Tian learned this was Ning Fengzhi's idea. It forced Ning Tian to rethink the man once more. Ning Fengzhi was playing both sides, a clever but risky move. 'The old fox probably doesn't realize betting on two horses often means losing both,' Ning Tian mused.

Over the next few days, Zhu Qing took charge, leading the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's main team through tactical drills. The focus was on the newcomers: the Shi brothers, Yu Feng, and Osler. 

Ning Tian, Zhu Zhuqing, Ye Lingling, and Ning Rongrong had already perfected their teamwork over the past two years. But these four struggled to keep up with their rhythm.

Ning Tian didn't fully count on them, though. He couldn't afford to let them drag the team down. More importantly, Ye Lingling and Ning Rongrong wouldn't compete until the finals. For the preliminaries, Ning Tian would lead Zhu Zhuqing, the four newcomers, and a stand-in from the original Heaven Dou Imperial Academy secondary team.

......….

Time flew by.

In Heaven Dou City, the imperial capital, the grand Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena, the largest of its kind in the empire served as the venue for the Heaven Dou division of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Competition. By early morning, the place was swarming with people.

Centered around the arena, nearly a third of the city buzzed with excitement. Hotels of every rank had been booked solid days in advance. Thankfully, the Heaven Dou royal family arranged lodging for the teams. Ning Tian's main team even scored a luxurious courtyard with every comfort imaginable.

In such a prime spot, a whole courtyard showed just how much the royal family valued them. They even provided custom combat uniforms for each member. Tailored to their exact measurements, the outfits bore "Heaven Dou" stitched on the left chest and seven silver stars; the empire's emblem on the back. They looked sharp, felt comfortable, and stretched easily, so no one had to worry about ripping them when activating their martial souls.

Compared to them, the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy secondary team, the Shrek team looked downright pitiful. It wasn't that the royal family skipped them; Flender had opted for cash instead, commissioning their own uniforms. 

Although "Heaven Dou" still adorned the chest, the color was a sickly green, and their backs were plastered with Shrek's logo plus a mess of tiny ads.

When the two teams stepped into the crowd, all eyes turned their way but for different reasons.

The main team shone in their sleek uniforms. Ning Tian, Ye Lingling, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Yu Feng stood out as the new Heaven Dou team's stars, earning admiring stares the moment they arrived.

The Shrek team, though? A total mess. Dressed in that awful green, some of them were tough to look at. Tang San led the pack, hunched like a bear and easily the least appealing guy in the arena. Dai Mubai followed, his odd, ambiguous look fueling rumors he was a eunuch like Prince Xue Beng. Then there was Ma Hongjun, the chubby one, whose wandering, lecherous eyes turned heads for all the wrong reasons.

Even the new Heaven Dou team couldn't hold back their amusement.

"Did they just climb out of a sewer?" Ning Rongrong laughed, clutching her chest.

"Disgusting," Zhu Zhuqing said, her voice icy.

"Really disgusting," Ye Lingling echoed.

The Shi brothers, Osler, and Yu Feng shot sympathetic glances at Yu Tianheng, who stood with the Shrek team in the same hideous green.

"Must be rough having an uncle like that," Yu Feng said.

Osler and the Shi brothers nodded in agreement.

"Good thing I'm not on the secondary team anymore," the stand-in from the old secondary team added, relief plain on his face as he glanced back at his former teammates.

"Alright, let's head in. Teacher Zhu Qing should be done registering by now," Ning Tian said, unfazed. He knew Flender well. He would never bow to anyone. Joining as the secondary team was just a stepping stone to boost Shrek Academy's name. If they gained enough funds and fame this time, they'd likely split off and rebuild Shrek on their own.

"It's you, Han Li!" an angry voice suddenly cut through the noise.

The new Heaven Dou team barely blinked, but Ye Lingling, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong who knew Ning Tian often used that alias, turned toward the sound. It was a student from Cang hui Academy, someone they'd crossed paths with near the Star Dou Great Forest while hunting Oscar's third Soul Ring.

"Didn't expect to run into an old friend here. Quite the surprise. But I'm not Han Li!" Ning Tian grinned, his tone dripping with mockery.

He had no reason to fear Shi Nian anymore. His bodyguard, Jiansheng, had arrived last night. Even without that, Ning Tian's current strength could handle Shi Nian alone.

"I'm Li Feiyu!"

Today marked the opening ceremony of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Competition. With nothing else to do, Ning Tian decided to toy with the Cang hui Academy team.

The guy from before didn't catch on and snapped, "So, Li Feiyu, you used a fake name back then and made up some nonsense about Tian Nan Academy. We searched everywhere for you!"

A snort escaped Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong behind Ning Tian. Even Tang San and the others nearby, stuck in their awful green outfits, cracked smiles.

From the guy's words, it sounded like they'd actually hunted for them, a thought that sent chills through some of the group.

The original Heaven Dou team and the secondary team members looked puzzled. After a quick explanation about the incident near the Star Dou Great Forest, they burst out laughing, eyeing the Cang hui students like they were a bunch of fools.

Realizing they'd been duped again, the Cang hui group's faces flushed red, their anger boiling over. Outmatched by Ning Tian's group and their status as the Heaven Dou main team, they turned their sights on Shrek instead.

"What's this got to do with you dung heaps? Look at yourselves, dressed like worms."

"Worse than worms, I'd say. No wonder you're from the same academy, yet Li Feiyu's on the main team while you lot, yeah, you three: the playboy, the sour face, and the black bear are stuck on the secondary team. Did they kick you out?"

The taunts hit Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Tang San hard.

"What did you say?" Ma Hongjun bellowed.

Tang San's eyes glinted with cold fury. He hated being called a black bear, especially in front of Xiao Wu. To him, these Cang hui clowns were begging for trouble.

Just then, a man in his sixties approached. "What's going on here?"

Dressed in a moon-white Spirit Master robe with gold embroidery, it could only be Shi Nian. He didn't say much, just glanced at Ma Hongjun before leading the Cang hui group into the arena.

Ma Hongjun figured they were scared and opened his mouth to jeer, but Ning Tian's voice cut in: "Gotta admit, you've got guts insulting Shi Nian to his face. Hope you're still that bold when he catches you alone."

Shi Nian?

Ma Hongjun's eyes widened, and he clammed up fast. Tang San, Oscar, and the others paled. They didn't know Shi Nian personally, but Ning Tian had warned them about him, a Spirit Saint with a taste for hunting standout students in the competition.

Flender, fresh from registering the Shrek team, overheard and grasped the danger. He turned to his group. "For your own safety, stick together during the competition."

The Shrek team nodded gravely, not daring to gamble with their lives.

Ning Tian wasn't being kind. That Illusion Space Skull Bone still sat on Shi Nian's forehead, and he needed it back.

After that, he guided the Shrek team inside. Soon, Zhu Qing and Meng Na returned from registering, and the new Heaven Dou team followed them into the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.

The renovated arena now formed a massive, enclosed square, packed with spectators. At the front stood a platinum podium, behind it the VIP section. Only imperial bigwigs or major faction reps could sit there. Even Prince Xue Xing and the three education committee members were relegated to the second row.

The first row held just three: Emperor Xue Ye of Heaven Dou, Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Platinum Bishop Salas of Spirit Hall's Heaven Dou Temple. Xue Ye sat center, Ning Fengzhi to his right, Salas to his left. The competition's emcee stood nearby, just past Ning Fengzhi.

After a short wait in the rest area, the teams filed in under staff guidance. As the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's main team and the empire's pride, the new Heaven Dou team entered first.

"Leading the way is our Heaven Dou Empire's own Heaven Dou Imperial Academy main team!" the emcee boomed. "For fairness and imperial glory, they gave up their seeded spot. Under the name of the new Heaven Dou team, they'll fight through the preliminaries to prove their strength."

"Look, at the front is Master Zhu Qing, the team's leader and the Heaven Dou Empire's Spirit Master Legion chief instructor, personally appointed by our great Emperor Xue Ye."

"Beside her is her disciple and team captain, Ning Tian. A Level 48 assault-type Battle Spirit Ancestor, he holds the highest soul power record in our Heaven Dou division since the competition began and he's the youngest Spirit Ancestor in Spirit Master history!"

The crowd murmured at Zhu Qing's introduction, unsure why Xue Ye picked her for such a role when she'd been unknown before. But when Ning Tian's name dropped, the arena exploded.

The youngest Spirit Ancestor ever? That was huge. If Zhu Qing could train someone like that, she'd earned her title and position.

The Shrek team's reactions varied.

"Good thing Xiaogang's not here," Flender muttered with a wry smile. He was glad Yu Xiaogang wasn't around to see Zhu Qing claim the glory he'd always chased.

Then came the sting of regret. If Tang Hao hadn't driven Ning Tian from Shrek back then, this honor would've been theirs too. They could've bragged that the youngest Spirit Ancestor in history came from Shrek.

Tang San, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Dai Mubai just stood there, stunned.

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