Chapter 124: The Right Choice
At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing had already joined the Spirit Hall. Yu Xiaogang and his group’s search for her was destined to be in vain.
The next day, when Su Mo arrived at the competition arena, he noticed Yu Xiaogang and his group in the audience, their expressions far from pleasant.
“She’s really gone. I wonder if she simply left or joined the Spirit Hall,” Su Mo mused. Judging by their sour faces and the absence of Zhu Zhuqing in the stands, he immediately deduced that she had left Shrek Academy.
This realization secretly delighted Su Mo. He thoroughly enjoyed seeing Yu Xiaogang’s unhappy demeanor.
“Welcome, everyone, to today’s competition!”
“Now, let’s invite the top three teams of this tournament onto the stage!”
As the host’s voice rang out, Su Mo ignored Yu Xiaogang’s group and followed his team to the stage.
“Next, we’ll have representatives from the three teams draw lots to determine the order for the individual matches!”
Once the teams were on stage, the host continued.
“Excuse me, host!”
Just as the host finished speaking, Huo Wu, captain of the Bzing Team, raised her hand, signaling she had something to say.
“Yes, Captain of the Bzing Team, what’s the matter?”
The host quickly turned to Huo Wu, inviting her to speak.
“Our team, the Bzing Team, chooses to forfeit the individual matches!” Huo Wu decred.
“What?”
“Are you certain?”
The host was visibly taken aback.
“Yes, we are forfeiting the individual matches,” Huo Wu confirmed with a firm nod.
“They’re giving up the individual matches...”
“What’s the Bzing Team trying to do?”
“That’s so unambitious!”
“…”
The audience was stunned, unable to comprehend why a team that had made it to the top three would suddenly forfeit the individual competition.
“It seems the Bzing Team is putting all their hopes for the finals on the team matches. They must know they have no chance of defeating the Spirit Hall team in the individual rounds, so they’ve chosen to conserve their strength for the team matches instead.”
“A smart choice!”
“This puts the Heaven Dou Imperial Team in a tough spot. Their best option now is to forfeit the individual matches as well. If they don’t, they’ll exhaust themselves fighting the Spirit Hall team and won’t be in peak condition for the team match this afternoon. They might end up losing to the Bzing Team!”
Yu Xiaogang’s eyes lit up as he praised the Bzing Team’s decision.
“Yes, Xiaogang is right. Neither the Heaven Dou Imperial Team nor the Bzing Team can defeat the Spirit Hall team in the individual matches. The Bzing Team’s choice is clearly advantageous,” Liu Erlong agreed, her eyes sparkling as she complimented Yu Xiaogang’s analysis.
“That’s true!”
“The Bzing Team is smarter than I thought!”
Flender and the others also came to understand, voicing their admiration.
“But will the Heaven Dou Imperial Team realize this? If they proceed with the individual matches against the Spirit Hall team, they’ll only give the Bzing Team an advantage,” Jiang Zhu said, her concern evident.
Although she had been eliminated by the Heaven Dou Imperial Team, she noticed how close Su Mo, Ning Rongrong, and others seemed to the team. Additionally, the captain, Yu Tianheng, was Yu Xiaogang’s nephew, so she naturally leaned toward supporting them.
“If it’s Su Mo, he’ll figure it out. It depends on whether he’s willing to fight the Spirit Hall team head-on,” Ma Hongjun said confidently.
“Host, our Heaven Dou Imperial Team also forfeits the individual matches!”
As expected, Yu Tianheng raised his hand and made the announcement, mirroring the Bzing Team’s decision.
Su Mo had quickly realized the implications of the Bzing Team’s forfeit and discussed it with Yu Tianheng, suggesting they do the same. Unless they were confident in defeating the Spirit Hall team outright in the individual matches, it was better to conserve their strength.
Su Mo, confident in his own abilities, believed he could defeat any member of the Spirit Hall’s Golden Generation in a one-on-one fight. However, facing three Soul Kings consecutively was another matter entirely.
Trusting Su Mo’s judgment, Yu Tianheng immediately decred their forfeit after hearing the analysis.
“The Heaven Dou Imperial Team is forfeiting too…”
“The Spirit Hall team advances to the finals without even fighting!”
“Now that’s a smart choice!”
“…”
The audience buzzed with renewed surprise. However, those who understood the strategy behind the decisions recognized that this was the wisest course of action for the Heaven Dou Imperial Team.
Their sharp observations quickly turned toward Su Mo, who had visibly advised Yu Tianheng.
“That young man is impressive,” Ning Fengzhi commented with a smile from the stands, clearly satisfied with Su Mo’s performance.
“Su Mo is indeed clever—no wonder Little Sister Rongrong is interested in him!”
Qian Renxue, hearing Ning Fengzhi's praise for Su Mo, couldn't help but add her own compliments.
Her gaze toward Su Mo was full of admiration. After numerous interactions, she had a deep understanding of his abilities—not just his talent and strength, but most importantly, his sharp intellect.
“Since that’s settled, I hereby decre the Spirit Hall team the winners of the individual matches and that they advance to the finals!”
“The Bzing Team and the Heaven Dou Imperial Team will face off in the team match to determine who advances to the finals.”
The host, seeing the decisions unfold, quickly announced the outcome.
“Because the individual matches will not be held, the team match will no longer be deyed until the afternoon!”
“Bzing Team and Heaven Dou Imperial Team, please prepare for your match, which will start after the time it takes for one incense stick to burn. The winner will advance to the finals!”
“Spirit Hall team members, please leave the stage!”
After announcing the Spirit Hall team’s advancement, the host instructed the Heaven Dou and Bzing teams to get ready, skipping the usual break and ensuring the audience wouldn’t have to return ter for the team match.
Although the match would begin soon, the teams were given half an hour to prepare.
“Su Mo, what’s our strategy?”
As the match approached, Yu Tianheng turned to Su Mo for guidance.
The unexpected changes in the schedule had thrown off their initial pns, which had been centered around preparing for individual matches.
“We’ll stick to our usual strategy,” Su Mo said confidently. “We’ll fight as we always do. If the opponents prove too tricky, Ning Rongrong and I can use our Spirit Fusion Skill to deploy a secondary pn.”
“Rex. As long as we perform normally, we’re more than capable of defeating the Bzing Team.”
Su Mo smiled casually, exuding confidence.
Though the restructured Bzing Team was strong, Su Mo didn’t see them as a significant threat. His true target was the Spirit Hall team.
If they had to exhaust themselves to defeat the Bzing Team, there would be no point in even dreaming of fighting the Spirit Hall team.
Seeing Su Mo’s confident demeanor, the team rexed.
They trusted Su Mo completely. While his spirit power wasn’t the highest in the group, everyone in the team knew that Su Mo was the strongest among them.
The allotted time passed quickly.
At the host’s signal, the team match between the Heaven Dou Imperial Team and the Bzing Team began.
The Heaven Dou team maintained their usual formation.
Su Mo and Yu Tianheng spearheaded the attack with Ning Rongrong’s support, Dugu Yan controlled the field, and the Shi brothers defended the rear. If the opponents didn’t target their backline, the Shi brothers could use their turtle shells for ranged attacks, which packed a serious punch.
The battle was intense from the start.
The restructured Bzing Team was strong but not overwhelmingly so. The Heaven Dou team could handle them just fine. Initially, the match seemed evenly matched, with neither side gaining a decisive advantage.
However, as the battle dragged on, the Heaven Dou team’s strengths became evident.
With Ye Lingling’s healing support and Ning Rongrong’s amplification, the Heaven Dou team’s endurance was unmatched. Their ability to sustain the fight tipped the scales in their favor.
“Excellent! It seems the Bzing Team isn’t as formidable as they thought.”
Members of the Tianshui Team, watching from the audience, cheered for the Heaven Dou team.
The Bzing Team’s underhanded tactics during their restructuring had left the Tianshui Team particurly bitter.
If not for the Bzing Team’s treachery, the Tianshui Team believed they could have defeated them and secured a spot in the top three of the Soul Master Tournament.
While they didn’t dare to dream of winning the championship, achieving second or third pce would have been a significant accomplishment.
“Na Na, who do you think your opponent will be tomorrow?” someone from the Tianshui Team asked Hu Liena, sitting among the Spirit Hall supporters.
On the elevated viewing ptform, Bibi Dong, the Supreme Pontiff of the Spirit Hall, watched the match alongside Hu Liena, who had been summoned to her side.
“Teacher, it will definitely be the Heaven Dou Imperial Team!” Hu Liena confidently answered when Bibi Dong asked about tomorrow’s likely opponent.
Having studied the Heaven Dou team’s strategies and seeing how they fought, she could tell they hadn’t yet unleashed their full power.
She was particurly curious about the Spirit Fusion Skill used by Su Mo and Ning Rongrong. It was rumored to be a combination akin to her and Xie Yue’s fusion, making her eager to see it in action.
“Hmm.”
“No matter their strength, I expect you to secure the championship tomorrow. Understood?”
Bibi Dong spoke calmly but firmly, emphasizing her expectations for victory. She had prepared three high-quality spirit bones as rewards and had no intention of letting the championship fall into someone else’s hands.
“Yes, Teacher!”
“We will win tomorrow!” Hu Liena promised with confidence.
Though she felt a tinge of apprehension toward Su Mo and Ning Rongrong’s Spirit Fusion Skill, it didn’t shake her conviction. She believed in her team’s strength and was confident they could triumph.
Bibi Dong nodded, offering no further comment. Her reminder was simply a precaution to ensure Hu Liena and her team wouldn’t let their guard down.
She remained confident that the Spirit Hall team would defeat the Heaven Dou Imperial Team. Based on team composition and overall power, there was no logical reason for Spirit Hall to lose.
Her gaze shifted to Yu Xiaogang among the Shrek Academy spectators. Seeing his gloomy expression, she knew Zhu Zhuqing’s departure had undoubtedly struck him hard.
While she felt a trace of pity for Yu Xiaogang, Bibi Dong also felt justified in accepting Zhu Zhuqing into the Spirit Hall. Having a member of the Zhu family, one of the Star Luo Empire’s pilrs, join them was an opportunity to undermine the empire’s prestige—a move Bibi Dong was more than willing to make.
In her heart, she silently apologized to Yu Xiaogang.
The match continued.
The Bzing Team, led by Huo Wu, quickly realized they were at a disadvantage and might lose to the Heaven Dou team if things continued as they were.
“Feng Xiaotian!”
Huo Wu shouted to her teammate.
“Understood!”
Feng Xiaotian responded immediately. With a swift movement, he unched himself into the air.
“Fusion Ring!”
After creating some space by activating her Repelling Fire Ring, Huo Wu used her Fusion Ring ability. All her fire-attribute spirit power poured into Feng Xiaotian.
“Second Spirit Ability: Starfire Inferno!”“Third Spirit Ability: Gale Assault!”“…”
The other members of the Bzing Team followed suit, using their spirit abilities and channeling them into Feng Xiaotian. While some abilities were originally offensive, when combined with Feng Xiaotian’s technique, they all became auxiliary enhancements.
This was the result of the Bzing Team’s reorganization—a combination technique developed through mutual understanding and teamwork.
Although it wasn’t as powerful as a true Spirit Fusion Skill, it was still formidable.
“Spirit Bone Skill: Lion-Tiger Golden Shatter Roar!”
“Roar—!”
Su Mo smiled faintly at their attempt. Spirit bone patterns emerged on his arm as he unleashed his own spirit bone skill.
He never allowed opponents the chance to unleash their ultimate moves.
If Feng Xiaotian had succeeded, his self-created spirit technique, Gale Demon Wolf Thirty-Six Ssh, would have been much harder to counter. Su Mo and Ning Rongrong might have been forced to use their Spirit Fusion Skill just to respond.
Thus, Su Mo decisively interrupted Feng Xiaotian before their technique could fully materialize.
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