The Emperor Team won easily today, but it also exposed an intriguing truth: Dugu Yan's method of controlling others with poison. It turns out her first two auxiliary spirit skills have such versatile uses—truly eye-opening. She is indeed worthy of being Poison Douluo's granddaughter.
While the matches were in full swing outside, inside the Pope's Palace, Ju Douluo, Ghost Douluo, and four other Titled Douluo knelt before Bibi Dong, reporting the reasons behind the failed ambush. Not only had their plan failed, but they had also lost several Soul Saints in the process. Their voices trembled slightly as they reported.
"I didn't expect Tang San to be so fortunate that even four Titled Douluo couldn't kill him." To their surprise, Bibi Dong wasn't angry. After all, even she hadn't expected Yu Yuanzhen's sudden appearance.
"Your Holiness, if Yu Yuanzhen hadn't arrived by coincidence, our plan would have succeeded. Tang San's luck really is incredible" Yue Guan said, unable to hide his frustration.
"Coincidence? Luck?" Bibi Dong's gaze swept over Yue Guan and the others in disappointment. She found it exhausting to have such subordinates "If you call this a coincidence, it's far too convenient. Yu Yuanzhen rarely leaves his clan and yet appeared precisely when we carried out our mission. He could have come to the Spirit Hall at any other time but chose that day, and of all possible routes, he happened to pass through that very canyon. Rather than coincidence, this feels more like deliberate manipulation."
"You mean... someone leaked our plan?" Gui Mei asked cautiously, only to immediately shake his head "Impossible. The only ones who knew were us, the Titled Douluo elders, and your disciple, Hu Liena. Others, like Lord Diala, were merely executors."
"Precisely because there couldn't be a traitor among those people, I'm even more concerned" Bibi Dong said in a deep voice "That means someone deduced our entire plan—preparations, execution, timing, location, and manpower—without a single leak. They played us in the palm of their hand."
She thought back to someone from her past. Even he, backed by family resources and known for martial spirit theory research, didn't possess such foresight. He was not particularly wise.
Worse yet, the attempt on Tang San's life had backfired spectacularly. Instead of eliminating him, they had provoked the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect—both of whom stepped in to rescue this Clear Sky Clan disciple.
Tang San was the son of Tang Hao. Although Tang Hao had been expelled from the Clear Sky Clan, his title of Haotian Douluo had not been revoked. Clearly, the clan hadn't completely turned its back on him. Their ten years of reclusion now seemed less like retreat and more like hidden strength.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan had grown rapidly in recent years, nearly doubling in strength. Now, even the reclusive Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had stepped out to sabotage Spirit Hall's plan. The clans were no longer acting alone.
It was as if an invisible thread had tied these three clans together. The old phrase—"we are of the same blood and share the same roots"—was no longer just polite rhetoric.
In Spirit City, in a large and luxurious room, Ning Fengzhi stood on a balcony, looking at the blue sky with a satisfied smile.
Yu Yuanzhen had already emerged. Now, the next step was Tang Hao. Ning Fengzhi needed to lure him out—then, hopefully, the Clear Sky Clan.
However, his perception of the three clans being "of the same blood" differed. His connection with the Blue Lightning Clan was marked by a green thread—true cooperation. They would share 70% of the burdens and 70% of the spoils. After all, the current strength of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan far exceeded that of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
But the thread that connected to the Clear Sky Clan was red. Ning Fengzhi's intention wasn't unity, but utility. He merely wanted to use the Clear Sky Clan as a shield. After all, they had once abandoned their loyal single-attribute allies. How could he fully trust them again?
"Teacher, today's competition is over."
While Bibi Dong and Ning Fengzhi were plotting against each other, Hu Liena stepped into the Pope's Hall to report the results.
Bibi Dong nodded "There shouldn't be any surprises, right? Did Jun Tianlin and Tang San both participate?"
"No surprises at all. They both took action. Shrek and the Emperor Team won easily. Though Tang San has twin spirits, he still relies on the team's coordination. As for Jun Tianlin, I don't think anyone can stop him—except perhaps our Spirit Hall Academy" Hu Liena said seriously.
Then she asked "Teacher, starting from the next match, can my brother, Yan, and I join the team? If we're to face Jun Tianlin, we must improve our coordination."
"Oh? You three are finally thinking about cooperation? In the past, each of you could dispatch opponents alone with ease" Bibi Dong remarked calmly.
"The opponent this time is different. As much as I hate to admit it, any one of us would lose in a one-on-one with Jun Tianlin. The strength he's displayed so far already surpasses mine. Even with the Wisdom Skull Spirit Bone you gave me, I'm not confident I can win" Hu Liena confessed. It was the first time she looked uncertain.
Instead of disappointment, Bibi Dong showed satisfaction "It's good to recognize your weaknesses. Consider this Sword Master a milestone on your path. Crush him, and you will rise."
"Don't worry about anything else. No matter what happens in the competition—even if you kill Jun Tianlin—I will protect you. Go all out." Bibi Dong's voice carried the full weight of her dominance. This was Spirit City. Here, she ruled all.
"Yes, thank you, Teacher! I'll take my leave!" Hu Liena promptly went to find her brother and Yan to deliver Bibi Dong's instructions.
The two were thrilled. Finally, they could fight without reservation—and settle the score with Jun Tianlin for the humiliation he had dealt them.
The Spirit Hall Academy erupted in celebration when they learned that the Golden Generation would join early. They were eager to watch Spirit Hall crush all competition. Even a strong team like the Emperor Team seemed beatable now.
Unfortunately, both teams had earned a bye for the second round—Emperor for placing first in the promotion round and Spirit Hall as the seeded team. They wouldn't face each other until the third round.
In the third round of the finals, only ten of the original thirty-three academies remained. These were the elite of the elite. Under the cheers of Spirit City's citizens, the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall Academy finally debuted!
However, their opponent wasn't the Emperor Team, but Tianshui Academy.
The Emperor Team, on the other hand, faced a rebranded Divine Wind Team—part of a secret arrangement. This likely explained why Huo Wu and others had been allowed to transfer mid-season. It was just like how Spirit Hall had schemed against Shrek in the original story.
But such a petty trick couldn't trouble Shrek—let alone Jun Tianlin and his team.