FE—Chapter 136: Xuan Zi: I Can't Lose at All
Xuan Zi gestured to the seven regular players wearing the inner school uniforms, looked at the seven reserve players from the outer academy with excited faces, and said slowly:
"The Shrek Seven Devils are the highest honor that all the disciples of the academy aspire to."
"And the seven inner court disciples standing in front of you are all outstanding, with extraordinary talents, and are the real pride of our Shrek Academy."
"We will defend the ten thousand years of glory of Shrek in this Soul Master Competition."
When Elder Xuan said these words under the golden tree, his head seemed to emit a strange Buddha light, which made the disciples feel honored and proud.
Beibei, Xu Sanshi, Dai Huabin, and other reserve players looked at Elder Xuan and the seven inner court regulars with different eyes—some with admiration, others with respect.
Xuan Zi was very satisfied with the performance of the reserve players, and he continued:
"Although you are not the main force in this Soul Master Competition, you may play against some teams from other academies with weaker overall strength. This is not only to accumulate competition experience but also to represent the glory of Shrek. Only victory is allowed—no failure!"
In Xuan Zi's view, the main purpose of sending reserve players to the game was to showcase Shrek's teaching level.
When they heard that they had the opportunity to play, Beibei and the other seven were extremely surprised, their faces flushing with excitement.
Xuan Zi's personality was well known; he was used to making his disciples feel a sense of crisis at all times.
Seeing that Beibei and the others were happy, Xuan Zi felt it was time to make them feel a little bit of pressure.
Of course, seeing their strong sense of identity and belonging to Shrek's ten-thousand-years of glory, Xuan Zi was naturally very happy.
In a cheerful mood, he took another sip of wine from the gourd and said with a chuckle: "Reserve players, it's a good thing that you can play in the game and show yourselves."
"But if I see anyone dragging their feet and causing the game to fail—hehe—several disciples who are 'enjoying the treatment of reserve players' are always ready to take your place."
"Finally, I want to tell you: you must have the correct mentality. As reserve players, you can only be vassals of the regular players. All actions must be carried out according to orders. Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
Beibei and the other seven responded seriously to Elder Xuan's words, their faces brimming with excitement.
Xuan Zi continued to drink with satisfaction, then asked the regular players and reserve players to introduce themselves and get better acquainted.
...
After the fourteen contestants introduced themselves neatly, the mixed-team battle officially began.
Xuan Zi finished sucking on a chicken leg and smiled contentedly: "Okay, you've all briefly introduced yourselves. Next, we will have a friendly match. During the battle, you can use your abilities. I will handle everything else."
His gaze fell on Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yuheng, two of the regular players. Xuan Zi shook his head and pondered for a moment:
"Ma Xiaotao, you have the highest cultivation. So, you can only bring two regular players here; Dai Yuheng, you can bring three."
The voice of Elder Xuan fell.
A red-haired lady with a proud figure stepped forward. Her crimson eyeshadow and fiery red lips showed a hint of tenderness, but her aura at this moment was cold and striking.
She surveyed the participating disciples.
The first regular player chosen by Ma Xiaotao was a cold woman with clear eyes and an aloof demeanor, reminiscent of plum blossoms. Her skin was as white as snow, and she radiated a temperament that kept strangers at bay.
It was Ling Luochen.
Unexpectedly, although Ling Luochen remained silent and appeared cold, she walked calmly to Ma Xiaotao with long, confident strides.
In the original novel, Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen seemed to be born incompatible; due to their martial soul attributes, their personalities repelled each other, making their relationship quite strained.
Ling Luochen was very reluctant to suppress her evil fire for Ma Xiaotao, while Ma Xiaotao believed it was right for her teammate to do so. Consequently, they did not get along well.
This time, it was likely that someone from the Sea God Pavilion had personally intervened to persuade Ling Luochen to suppress the evil fire of Ma Xiaotao, so their current relationship was better.
Half an hour later, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yuheng had chosen their teammates, and Elder Xuan raised the wine gourd to announce the start of the friendly match.
...
In the spectator seats of the mixed team battlefield, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Jiang Nannan, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and the Lan sisters munched on snacks and drank beverages, watching the game with great interest.
As disciples enjoying the privileges of reserve players, although they would not participate in this match, they could go to Star Luo City under the guidance of other teachers to watch this year's Soul Master Competition and see the seniors demonstrate their prowess.
"Senior Nannan, Yuhao's situation in Sun Moon Empire is roughly like this: he is very favored by Miss Meng of Illustrious Virtue Hall."
"There's also a girl with golden-red eyes and a golden spear named Di Rachel. She's even more annoying than Miss Meng."
Jiang Nannan listened carefully as Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao talked about their holiday trip to Sun Moon Empire, meeting Huo Yuhao, and having a meal at Huo Ran Cheerful BBQ Restaurant. Unfortunately, they were eventually kicked out and forbidden from entering Mingdu City for five years.
Wang Dong angrily mentioned Di Rachel. Because Wang Dong had referenced her multiple times, she remembered her appearance very clearly.
After hearing Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao's stories, Jiang Nannan reached out, gathering her orange-gold hair behind her ears. Her eyes, like a clear pool of water, flickered slightly: "Is that so... That's good. I was worried that Yuhao might be wronged in Sun Moon Empire."
Wang Dong waved her little hand and smiled: "Don't worry, Sister Nannan. Huo Yuhao can't stand any grievances there. When my uncle recovers from his illness, Xiao Xiao and I can take you to see him."
Xiao Xiao took a sip of her drink and nodded: "Yes, now we know the exact location of Huo Yuhao's barbecue restaurant."
Jiang Nannan showed a gentle smile: "Then thank you, everyone."
But..." Xiao Xiao blinked her light green eyes shyly. "Compared to eating Huo Yuhao's barbecue, I still want to make friends with him."
Wang Dong stared at Xiao Xiao for a few seconds, feeling that Xiao Xiao was genuinely interested in Huo Yuhao.
Eh? That's not right. Xiao Xiao's feelings for her aren't that deep anymore. When she changes back into women's clothes, Xiao Xiao probably won't be too sad.
Xiao Xiao noticed Wang Dong's gaze and thought she was jealous.
Her face turned slightly red, and she quickly reassured Wang Dong: "I just saw that Huo Yuhao's grilled fish and skewers look very delicious. I just want to be friends with him so I can eat them often."
"I understand you, Xiao Xiao. That's not a bad idea."
Wang Dong showed a mysterious smile, thinking it was more important for Xiao Xiao to like her less and for her to return to wearing women's clothes. Xiao Xiao's situation was a good thing.
Ning Tian's eyes flicked to Wang Dong from time to time.
She noticed that Wang Dong was eating snacks leisurely and seemed unbothered by not being selected as a reserve team member.
Ning Tian leaned forward and asked curiously: "Wang Dong, your talent isn't worse than Dai Huabin's. Aren't you sad about not being selected?"
"What are you sad about?" Wang Dong replied subconsciously. "Becoming one of the Shrek Seven Devils is just a title. The academy's resources are limited; honestly, they're just a drop in the bucket for me. I don't benefit much from them."
"My family isn't short of resources anyway. I have plenty of elixirs, and I don't need the academy to help me hunt soul rings. My family is much wealthier than the teachers here."
Ning Tian considered this and felt Wang Dong's words made sense. As a young lady of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, she came to Shrek Academy to learn from the best on the continent, but mostly to expand her network.
Wang Dong was strong and handsome—ideal qualities for a mate for the young female clan leader of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Tian naturally developed a good impression of Wang Dong. She thought for a moment and asked: "Wang Dong, does your family inquire about the reserve team members?"
Wang Dong took a sip of her drink and said with a smile: "Of course. I told them the competition this year was fierce. I was a bit unlucky—no one in the academy could find a true genius."
At first, she was a little disappointed about not being selected as a reserve member and even wanted to reveal her strength with the Clear Sky Hammer to surprise everyone.
But she seriously reconsidered and thought it wasn't necessary.
She was the young master of the Clear Sky Sect and didn't care about the legendary title of "Shrek Seven Devils" nor about defending Shrek's glory for thousands of years.
Wang Dong said happily: "My parents said it doesn't matter if I wasn't selected in the reserve team. I just need to eat well and enjoy in the academy."
"Yeah, my parents said the same."
Ning Tian nodded: "The auxiliary abilities of our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's martial soul are well known across the continent. There's no need to prove it by the title of 'Shrek Seven Devils'."
Among the first generation of the Shrek Seven Devils was Ning Rongrong, a soul master who owned the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, and who ultimately ascended to the God Realm.
As long as this martial soul is displayed, no one would say it's unworthy—they'd recognize it subconsciously. Not being part of the reserve team is just an academy matter.
Ning Tian pondered: "Wang Dong if you hunt higher-tier soul beasts in the future, will you ask your family for help? Don't you need to rely on the academy's teachers?"
Most middle-tier families lack Titled Douluo, making it difficult to hunt 100,000-year-old soul beasts.
For a rare genius like Wang Dong, who might cultivate to Quasi-Title Douluo level and obtain a 100,000-year red soul ring, this would be the best scenario.
"My family will help me hunt it," Wang Dong said with a smile.
"Even if I reach higher cultivation levels and need a 100,000-year soul ring, I won't rely on academy teachers. I even dislike the teachers for being unreliable."
She gestured to the golden tree below, picked up a potato chip, and bit into it, the crisp sound loud in the quiet.
"And look at that teacher lying under the golden tree—the sloppy chicken leg teacher who only knows how to drink all day... He doesn't seem responsible at all. If he takes students to hunt soul rings, they might become prey."
Ning Tian sipped her drink through a straw at the corner of her lips and glanced at the person Wang Dong mentioned—Xuan Zi.
Although there was some truth in Wang Dong's words, and Elder Xuan did seem unreliable, she was still somewhat surprised.
"I see that Teacher Wang Yan respects him, so he must be quite strong. He wouldn't let his students become prey, right?"
Wang Dong's pink-blue eyes flickered slightly: "Ning Tian, don't think too much. That's just my casual feeling."
Ning Tian smiled: "Actually, Wang Dong, you're right. That teacher who loves to eat chicken legs isn't very reassuring."
"If I hunt higher-tier soul beasts in the future, I won't rely on academy teachers. Wang Dong, you should see that I come from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. My family is very wealthy and resource-rich. I don't need the academy's support."
Wang Dong nodded slightly. To practice the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Method during the holidays, she read many books about the original Shrek Seven Devils.
The origins of the original team were detailed in those books, so she was familiar with the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and knew some background.
The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, like the Clear Sky Sect, was renowned a thousand years ago.
Its most notable feature was being the wealthiest sect on the continent.
Wang Dong thought so, holding her straw and continuing to drink. Suddenly, her drink bottle made a sizzling sound—she looked and saw it was empty.
She reached for the potato chips next to her but found none; the snacks were gone.
Seeing this, Ning Tian generously took out a variety of snacks and several bottles of drinks from her storage soul guidance device, handing some to everyone.
"Here, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, take these and eat. Senior Nannan, Lan Susu, and Lan Luo Luo, these snacks are for you."
Wang Dong accepted the snacks without hesitation: "Yes, thank you."
The sisters Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo's eyes lit up—they felt this was the true meaning of "enjoying the treatment of reserve players." Not only did they skip classes, but they also got to eat snacks provided by Ning Tian, a rich lady, while watching the game.
They smiled happily, thanking Ning Tian and happily munching on her snacks.
Wu Feng watched Ning Tian and Wang Dong chatting and laughing, feeling a twinge of envy.
She pursed her lips, held Ning Tian's slender arm with her pitiful hands, and said with a look of grievance: "Ning Tian, I am a genius with the Fire Dragon Martial Soul, but I wasn't selected as a reserve player."
"Why don't you ask if it's hard for me..." Wu Feng's jealousy was obvious. The beautiful Ning Tian she protected couldn't be taken away by Wang Dong.
Ning Tian felt a headache at her words.
She couldn't accept this feeling, but Wu Feng's obsession and insistence on liking her left her helpless.
"Wu Feng, stop. You're not trying to protect me... I haven't even become a reserve player. What are you planning to do?"
Wu Feng considered her words and felt they made sense. She hugged Ning Tian's arm and smiled: "Yeah, that's right—I don't care about being a reserve."
They continued chatting happily while the battle below raged fiercely.
Xuan Zi lay under the golden tree, watching the match, happily drinking chicken wine.
"Yeah, this is good—the fight is great!"
Seeing Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yuheng perform splendidly, Xuan Zi felt a deep sense of happiness.
Level 67 and 64, two powerful attacking soul emperors, plus five soul kings, and all the regular players' martial souls—top-tier.
Xuan Zi couldn't imagine losing with such a strong lineup; he was confident he wouldn't.
(End of this chapter)