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"What?!" The seven members of the Spirit Hall Academy were incomparably shocked.
Hu Liena suddenly realized, "No wonder Young Master Qian Renxue is also at Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
Bibi Dong said, "The core of Heaven Dou Royal Academy isn't actually Little Xue, but the Blue Silver Grass Spirit Master you all paid little attention to, Ye Lan."
"He is also the well-deserved number one theorist on the Douluo Continent today, countless times stronger than that trash Yu Xiaogang." Speaking of Yu Xiaogang, a wave of anger rose in Bibi Dong's heart.
Fortunately, knowing that the scumbag Yu Xiaogang had been castrated by Yu Luomian, she felt much more satisfied.
If Yu Xiaogang had died directly, it would have been letting him off far too easily.
Now, Yu Xiaogang's reputation was in ruins, cursed by the entire continent, living in such shame he could barely show his face—this was precisely what she wanted to see.
"Ye Lan?! Could he possibly defeat our 'Charm'?" Hu Liena asked in shock. She had only paid attention to Ye Lan's appearance and wasn't very clear on his actual strength.
Hearing Hu Liena's words, Bibi Dong collected her thoughts and continued, "That's right. He can likely ignore your 'Charm of the Fog' directly.
As for his close-combat capabilities, they haven't been fully revealed yet. However, some time ago, he single-handedly defeated a Spirit Ancestor with twin spirits, Blue Silver and Clear Sky Hammer, who also possessed an external spirit bone."
"What's most commendable isn't just his strength, but the theoretical knowledge and tactical systems in his head. In the qualifiers of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament alone, he showcased more than ten different tactical systems." As Bibi Dong spoke of Ye Lan, a look of admiration appeared in her eyes.
Bibi Dong had an inexplicable weakness for intelligent people; the half-baked 'Grandmaster' Yu Xiaogang had managed to deceive her in her youth.
Now, having recognized a true theorist in Ye Lan, she valued him even more.
"In this Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament, if anyone can defeat the Beast Academy, it must be the Heaven Dou Royal Academy led by Ye Lan," Bibi Dong stated.
"Ye Lan is also the future Holy Son of our Spirit Hall. You are all similar in age to the Holy Son, so you should try to get closer to him," Bibi Dong said earnestly.
The seven from Spirit Hall Academy were extremely surprised. They never expected that Ye Lan, at only level 39, had already been internally designated as the future Holy Son of Spirit Hall.
Inside the Heaven Dou Royal Academy lounge.
Everyone gathered around Ye Lan. Tomorrow was their final, decisive battle against the Beast Academy.
The overall strength of the Beast Academy was simply too outrageous. Whether they could defeat them or not depended entirely on Ye Lan's upcoming strategies and arrangements.
Ye Lan held the data on the Beast Academy, constantly pondering. He had activated his 'Eight-Sided Exquisite Heart' and 'Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart,' his sixty-three-core brain operating at full capacity, frantically deducing the battle for tomorrow.
After a long time, Ye Lan opened his eyes and said, "Tomorrow, for the match against the Beast Academy, the lineup will be: myself, Qian Renxue, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Ye Lengling, and Shi Guang and Shi Mo."
The Shi Guang and Shi Mo brothers beat their chests and guaranteed, "Captain Ye, even if we're beaten to death tomorrow, we will definitely withstand their attacks!"
Ye Lan quickly waved his hand, "No matter what, your lives are the top priority. If the opponent's explosive attack is too strong, I will sever the Life Share link and throw you off the ring. Otherwise, we might very well be completely annihilated."
Dugu Yan noticed that the other four girls were all participating, while she was the only one left out, and she suddenly felt a little anxious.
Dugu Yan pulled Ye Lan's arm, acting spoiled, "Idol, why aren't you sending me in? Let me play, please~"
Dugu Yan's coquettish plea almost made Ye Lan's bones melt.
However, he held back and explained, "The Beast Academy's spirits are just too much of a counter to your 'Jade Phosphor Dragon Emperor'."
"I previously developed two team-fight systems based on the 'Jade Phosphor Dragon Emperor': 'Shield-Poison-Heal' and the fusion domain skill 'Water-Binding Infinite Prison'."
"But neither of these two systems will be very effective against the Beast Academy."
"The 'Shield-Poison-Heal' system's greatest fear is fire-attribute spirit skills, and the Beast Academy's Gu Yuena is proficient in all elements. Therefore, the poison fog will be almost useless against them."
"Furthermore, even if you could poison them, they have the 'Emerald Swan'. Its recovery ability is not much weaker than Lengling's, and its other support aspects are even more comprehensive than Lengling's 'Nine-Heart Sacred Begonia'."
"As for the fusion domain skill 'Water-Binding Infinite Prison', they also have a counter: the Ultimate Ice 'Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion' working in coordination with Gu Yuena."
"When that happens, the effect of our domain skill 'Water-Binding Infinite Prison' will definitely be poor. Although our domain is also at the 'Ultimate Water' level, not inferior to Ultimate Ice, we would be forced into a battle of spirit power attrition, and in terms of spirit power, we are at a disadvantage."
"Little Xue's Angelic Holy Sword possesses Ultimate Holiness and Ultimate Fire. It has a strong restraining effect against both Wan Yao's 'Demonic Eye Demon Tree' and Bing'er's 'Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion'."
"Moreover, Little Xue has the highest spirit power; she is the only Spirit King on our team. We must rely on her to withstand Gu Yuena's fierce attacks head-on."
"Zhu Zhuqing is the fastest agility-attack type Spirit Master on our team. The opponent has the healing and support spirit, the 'Emerald Swan'. Critically, they do not have 'Life Share'. Therefore, we have a chance to eliminate Bi Ji, and this will depend on Zhuqing's performance."
"Ning Rongrong is the key to boosting our team's overall strength. The opponent's lowest-ranked members, Wang Chi and Zi Ji, have spirit power levels higher than even Little Xue's."
"Therefore, we must rely on Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to raise our overall comprehensive strength. Without her, the gap between our team and the Beast Academy is simply too vast."
"Ye Lengling is the key to coordinating with 'Life Share'. Even without my 'Life Share' spirit skill, Lengling is still a necessary component for us to defeat the Beast Academy."
"If any one of us gets injured, without the healing from the 'Nine-Heart Sacred Begonia', our combat effectiveness will plummet."
"With Lengling here, we just need to trade injuries. Once the opponent is injured and cannot be treated, their combat effectiveness will get lower and lower."
"Shi Guang and Shi Mo are the only two defense-type Spirit Masters in our Heaven Dou Royal Academy. To withstand the opponent's attacks, relying solely on myself and Little Xue is unrealistic."
"Furthermore, Shi Guang and Shi Mo also have the Spirit Fusion Skill 'Xuanwu'. Paired with my Blue Silver Grass, it should be able to greatly restrict the opponent's spirit skills."
"The combat power of Beast Academy's Zi Ji, the 'Hell Demon Dragon King', and Xiong Jun, the 'DarkGold Terrorclaw Bear', cannot be underestimated. By my estimation, both of them can unleash attacks at the Spirit Saint level."
"Without the 'Xuanwu's' defensive boost, relying only on 'Life Share' and Lengling's 'Nine-Heart Begonia' would put us under far too much pressure."
After listening to Ye Lan's explanation, everyone nodded.
They hadn't expected that against such a terrifying Beast Academy, Ye Lan had managed to forcibly find a path to victory.
"I understand, Idol! Go for it! Bring the championship back to the Heaven Dou Empire!!" After Dugu Yan understood Ye Lan's arrangement, her slight dissatisfaction instantly vanished.
"Teacher, I will definitely complete the mission!!" Zhu Zhuqing-renzhen nodded seriously.
Ye Lan rubbed Zhu Zhuqing's head, comforting her, "Don't feel so much pressure. We will help create an opportunity for you when the time comes."
"Okay!!" Staying by Ye Lan's side to fight, Zhu Zhuqing felt completely at ease.
"Ye Lan, don't worry. I absolutely will not waste a single shred of spirit power and will hold on until the very end of the battle!" Ning Rongrong said seriously.
"Go, Rongrong! Whether we can withstand the Beast Academy's attacks is all up to you!" Ye Lan encouraged.
"It looks like my task is very heavy, huh? You stinky Ye Lan, what kind of strategy did you set up!" Qian Renxue said with a smile.
Ye Lan pinched Little Xue's cheek and said, "Relax, you still have me. It's been a long time since I fought with all my strength. I'll get to enjoy the battle tomorrow."
"Okay!! Ye Lan, you just focus on fighting! The task of healing everyone rests on me!!" Ye Lengling said.
Ao Siluo and Yu Feng looked at Zhu Zhuqing and said, "Zhuqing, the glory of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's agility-attack system is in your hands!!"
Hearing Ao Siluo and Yu Feng entrust the glory of the agility-attack system to her, Zhu Zhuqing felt a new change in her heart, aside from not wanting to fail Ye Lan's teachings.
It turned out she, too, could be someone everyone relied on.
Yu Tianheng patted Ye Lan's shoulder and said, "Captain, the most correct decision I've made in my entire life was to give the captaincy of the Heaven Dou First Team to you. Only you can lead the Heaven Dou First Team to go further. Tomorrow, bring the championship back to the Heaven Dou First Team!!"
"I will!!" Ye Lan nodded solemnly.
The twelve people formed a circle, each extending their right hand, stacking them on top of each other, and shouted in unison:
"Heaven Dou will win!!"
The next day, the sun had not yet risen.
Circles upon circles of people had already gathered outside the Papal Palace.
This was, after all, the highly anticipated finals of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament—the crucial battle that would decide the owners of the three spirit bones and the champion of the entire continent.
It was also a battle between the two strongest academy teams in the tournament's history.
On one side was the Beast Academy, the most terrifying team in history, with six Spirit Kings and a Spirit Emperor, all of whom had spirit rings of ten-thousand-year-level or higher.
On the other side was the team possessing the continent's most sensational prodigy, the 'Azure Emperor', 'The Scholar' Ye Lan.
With only the cultivation of a Spirit Grandmaster, he could suppress countless geniuses; he was a hero in the eyes of countless commoners.
As the audience gathered, they roughly split into two factions: one was the Star Luo cheering squad, mainly composed of Star Luo people, and the other was the Heaven Dou cheering squad, supporting Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
This was also the first time in the history of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament that Spirit Hall was not participating in the finals; instead, it was a grand occasion with the two great empires' academies vying for the championship.
It was the Hour of Si (9-11 AM), not yet noon.
At this time, the sun was bright. The previously damaged granite arena had not only been repaired by 'Earth-type' Spirit Masters but had also been significantly reinforced.
The granite ring had now been replaced with a black stone ring, its hardness several times greater than granite.
The Beast Academy and Heaven Dou Royal Academy teams were now standing on the left and right sides of the ring, waiting for the staff to announce the start of the match.
The battle had not yet begun, but the air already seemed to be filled with the smoke of gunpowder.
Ye Lan and Gu Yuena's eyes met. The moment their gazes locked, various thoughts ran through their minds.
Ye Lan was constantly contemplating the butterfly effect caused by the "Silver Dragon King" Gu Yuena's appearance.
The Silver Dragon King, on the other hand, had become interested in the golden-haired youth. She was somewhat curious as to where his limits truly lay.
How had he managed to come this far relying solely on Blue Silver Grass?
Qian Renxue curiously sized up Gu Yuena. Gu Yuena's appearance made her feel quite concerned.
If Ye Lengling was the ultimate of soft, pitiable beauty, then Gu Yuena was a fairy descended to the mortal world—and a fairy with a better figure than her own!!
Seeing Ye Lan and Gu Yuena exchanging glances again, Qian Renxue pouted and delivered another heavy blow to Ye Lan's waist.
The soft flesh was pinched, causing veins to bulge on Ye Lan's forehead from the pain.
Ye Lan quickly wrapped his arm around Qian Renxue, and only then did she settle down.
Ning Rongrong saw Ye Lan hugging Little Xue, and she quickly grabbed onto Ye Lan's other arm.
For a moment, the battlefield, which should have been filled with gunpowder, turned into a scene reeking of sappy romance.
The corners of Bibi Dong's mouth lifted slightly. Ye Lan was quite the romantic. Only he could manage Little Xue and make her so obedient.
For some reason, Hu Liena felt a pang of jealousy in her heart.
Hu Liena wasn't the only one feeling this way; Shui Bing'er, Huo Wu, and countless members of Ye Lan's cheering squad all felt a bit jealous.
Gu Yuena looked at Ye Lan, who had a girl on each arm, with great interest. In her view, this was actually a sign of Ye Lan's strength.
Among the dragon clan, only the strong possessed the right to mate.
As for the weak, they were considered capable if they could even find one mate.
Of course, she was an exception.
In terms of mental age, she was still just a young girl.
It was only after obtaining fragmented memories that she had matured considerably.
After she fled from the God Realm, she had spent almost all her time hibernating and healing, so she hadn't experienced much.
After enduring this wave of public display of affection, the staff member finally stepped onto the stage and loudly announced:
"The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament, Beast Academy versus Heaven Dou Royal Academy, begins now!!"
"You have one minute to use your Spirit Avatar and summon your spirits. The battle will begin in one minute!!" After speaking, the staff member immediately leaped off the ring.
In an instant, fourteen nine-colored lights of spirit power flared up from the ring.
The Beast Academy adopted a 4-1-2 formation. In the front were Bing'er (Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion), Zi Ji (Hell Demon Dragon King), Xiong Jun (DarkGold Terrorclaw Bear), and Wang Chi (Three-Headed Red Devil), serving as the front line and assault. In the middle was the Beast Academy's sole support-type Spirit Master, Bi Ji (Emerald Swan).
In the back row were the control-type Spirit Master, Wan Yao (Demonic Eye Demon Tree), and Gu Yuena (Silver Dragon Spear).
The Heaven Dou Royal Academy side used a 2-3-2 formation.
At the very front were the level 48 Shi Guang and level 47 Shi Mo. The middle line, from left to right, consisted of Zhu Zhuqing, Little Xue, and Ye Lan.
In the rearmost position were Ning Rongrong and Ye Lengling. The three most agile members in the center were positioned to conveniently support all parts of the battlefield.
The four in the lead for Beast Academy all completed their Spirit Avatars, with Xiong Jun and Wang Chi showing the most dramatic changes.
The sound of their bones cracking echoed as they both transformed into towering figures over three meters tall.
Xiong Jun was covered in dark gold fur, his head transformed into a massive bear skull. The length of his arms was astonishing, and the bulging muscles on his shoulders indicated his immense arm strength.
His right arm was the incomparably sharp, dark-gold 'DarkGold Terrorclaw'. The sharpness-emanating from its tips seemed as if it could tear space itself. Wang Chi, meanwhile, transformed into a three-headed demon; his head became a red beast's, and two enormous "heads" sprouted from his shoulders.
He was covered in red fur, the lines of his muscles becoming extremely distinct, resembling a humanoid mountain of flesh.
Bing'er, Zi Ji, and Bi Ji's transformations were relatively minor.
After Bing'er's Spirit Avatar, aside from her pupils becoming somewhat more sinister, the rest of her body was covered in ice armor.
In addition to the ice armor, a unique, crystal scorpion tail extended from her lower back.
Zi Ji, on the other hand, grew a pair of golden dragon horns on her head. Her hands and legs were covered in black-red scales, and she possessed a pair of 'Hell Demon Dragon' claws.
A thick dragon tail also extended from her lower back.
Bi Ji had the smallest change; aside from sprouting a small pair of pale green-white wings, there was almost no other alteration.
After everyone completed their Spirit Avatars, they waited for the one-minute mark to arrive.
As soon as the time was up, Xiong Jun and Wang Chi moved impatiently.
Xiong Jun's target was Ye Lan. He wanted to see for himself what was so special about a level 39 Blue Silver Grass Spirit Grandmaster!
Under the DarkGold Terrorclaw, everyone was just a piece of tofu!
Dong, dong, dong!!
As their massive bodies ran, the ring trembled and shook.
However, the two had not even charged a few meters.
Ye Lan gave a look to Shi Guang and Shi Mo. The two understood tacitly, bumping their left and right fists together.
A black light of spirit power instantly illuminated the entire arena.
The wary Wang Chi and Xiong Jun quickly halted their steps, observing the situation ahead.
After the black light dissipated, an eight-meter-tall, fifteen-meter-long Xuanwu (Black Tortoise) appeared in the very center of the ring.
The moment the Black Tortoise appeared, a black spirit-light domain once again covered the entire field.
A 'Heavy Water Domain' with a thirty-meter diameter instantly materialized in the center of the ring.
The 'Heavy Water Domain', standing three meters tall, just managed to submerge Xiong Jun and Wang Chi.
The two immediately felt their bodies sink. Their arms felt as if they were weighed down, making them extremely difficult to swing.
Within the 'Heavy Water Domain', the gravity on enemies was increased by fifty percent, and all attacks were weakened by twenty percent!
Gu Yuena's silver eyebrows furrowed. She hadn't expected that besides the golden-haired girl, Heaven Dou Royal Academy also possessed an Ultimate Water domain.
This domain... it wouldn't be easy to break.
Gu Yuena quickly said, "Xiong Jun, Wang Chi, come back quickly!"
Hearing their master's command, the bear and the "devil" immediately started to doggy-paddle, swimming toward the outside of the domain.
Although the Heavy Water Domain was thirty meters in diameter, it couldn't cover the entire ring.
As long as the two of them escaped the Heavy Water Domain, she would coordinate with Bing'er to use Ultimate Ice and freeze the entire Heaven Dou Royal Academy team.
But Ye Lan's next move did not go as Gu Yuena wished. He was equally aware of the 'Heavy Water Domain's' weakness. The moment the 'DarkGold Terrorclaw Bear' and the 'Three-Headed Red Devil' escaped the domain's range, they would very likely be frozen by Gu Yuena and Bing'er.
Therefore, his choice was to not give the opponent the chance to freeze them.
"Blue Silver Grass!!"
A golden spirit light erupted from Ye Lan's body, and countless 'Gold-Patterned Blue Star Vines' emerged, growing within the 'Heavy Water Domain'.
Ye Lan's golden spirit power instantly turned a deep blue. Blue Silver Grass transformation!
Although his Ultimate Water didn't have any spirit skills attached, he could use it in coordination with the 'Xuanwu's' domain.
After the 'Xuanwu' was replenished with a large amount of Ultimate Water converted from the Blue Silver Grass, the 'Heavy Water Domain' expanded wildly, instantly covering the entire area of the ring.
At this moment, the 'Heavy Water Domain's' height reached over ten meters.
Under the immense water pressure and gravity, everyone felt an unparalleled pressure.
Gu Yuena was alarmed when she saw the 'Heavy Water Domain' expand again.
She had never imagined that Ye Lan's Blue Silver Grass actually possessed the Ultimate Water attribute.
And to be able to expand the 'Heavy Water Domain' by so much meant that the amount of Ultimate Water he converted was extremely large.
Just how ridiculous was Ye Lan's Blue Silver Grass reserve?
Wan Yao shot a wary glance at Ye Lan. At such a close distance, the moment the Blue Silver Grass appeared, his 'Demonic Eye Demon Tree' felt an immense suppression. One had to know, his spirit was the Ultimate Wood, the pinnacle of plant-type spirits!
Bi Ji shrugged her shoulders and asked Gu Yuena, "Young Master, are we going to fight them in this environment?"
Gu Yuena shook her head, "In this environment, you won't be able to display your strength at all."
Zi Ji quickly said, "Young Master, I can deal with this domain!!"
"Use your skill later, just in case the opponent has some hidden trump card. This matter is simple. Wait for me a moment," Gu Yuena said.
Following that, Gu Yuena's fourth spirit ring lit up. A seven-colored silver staff suddenly appeared in her palm. Gu Yuena waved the staff.
Cyan spirit power flashed across her body as she spoke.
"Wind, rise!"
At this time, Gu Yuena's first and second spirit rings lit up again: 'Elemental Tide' and 'Elemental Control'.
Specks of cyan light suddenly appeared within the 'Heavy Water Domain'.
Countless wind-attribute particles manifested.
In the blink of an eye, the cyan specks formed colorless wind.
This colorless wind burst outward from the seven people's bodies, repelling all the black 'heavy water'.
Seven giant air bubbles appeared around their bodies.
Because the density of the air bubbles was so much lower than the 'heavy water', the giant bubbles were instantly compressed by the water pressure and shot rapidly toward the water's surface.
Watching the seven large bubbles ascend quickly, Ye Lan gained a new appreciation for Gu Yuena's elemental control.
Truly worthy of being an all-attribute elementalist; she could create so many miracles.
Fortunately, converting Blue Silver Grass to Ultimate Water consumed almost no spirit power. He immediately converted the Ultimate Water back into Blue Silver Grass.
And the 'Heavy Water Domain' was the Xuanwu's innate domain, which also didn't consume spirit power. Ye Lan didn't mind making more of these no-cost attempts.
Gu Yuena, having just emerged from the 'Heavy Water Domain', discovered that the domain was shrinking at an extremely fast rate.
She inwardly marveled at Ye Lan's maneuver of converting the Ultimate Water back into Blue Silver Grass.
He actually sensed the impending danger so quickly?
But you're too late!
"Bing'er, act!" Gu Yuena commanded. Her first, second, and fifth dark-gold spirit rings lit up.
Her fifth spirit skill, 'Elemental Deprivation', although unable to strip away an Ultimate element, could still weaken it to some degree.
Meanwhile, 'Elemental Tide' and 'Elemental Control' could further amplify the Ultimate Ice attribute of Bing'er's 'Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion'.
After hearing her master's command, a smile instantly appeared on Bing'er's face, revealing two cute canine teeth.
It was finally her, the Ice Empress's, turn to shine!
Her fifth orange-gold spirit ring instantly lit up, and a crisp voice rang out.
"Domain of Eternal Frost!!!"
An ice-blue circular domain instantly covered the 'Heavy Water Domain' below.
Originally, the Domain of Eternal Frost could only cover a portion of the 'Heavy Water Domain', as the Ice Empress's position did not overlap with the 'Xuanwu's'.
But under Gu Yuena's control, the Domain of Eternal Frost was forcefully moved from Bing'er's position to the sky above the Xuanwu's domain, completely covering the 'Heavy Water Domain'.
'Elemental Tide' frantically supplied the 'Domain of Eternal Frost' with ice-elemental particles.
With Gu Yuena's support, the 'Domain of Eternal Frost', which had been evenly matched or even at a disadvantage, instantly overwhelmed the 'Heavy Water Domain'.
The black Heavy Water Domain was instantly frozen into an ice-blue color.
(End of this chapter)