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At dusk, Dai Mubai treated everyone to a lavish meal in Soto City.
Afterward, as the sky darkened, everyone waited at the restaurant entrance for Flender's arrival.
"Boss Dai is so generous—this meal was absolutely delicious," Ma Hongjun said, rubbing his belly with a satisfied expression.
As a commoner soul master, he rarely had the chance to enjoy such a sumptuous feast.
"Why don't you just eat yourself to death!" Dai Mubai, feeling irritable, snapped at him.
All day long, he had been trying to talk to Zhu Zhuqing, but she not only ignored him but also gave him cold looks.
How could Dai Mubai, with his male chauvinistic mindset, tolerate this?
Ning Rongrong couldn't help but poke Zhu Zhuqing's arm and curiously asked, "Zhu Zhuqing, what's your relationship with Dai Mubai?"
Xiao Wu blurted out casually, "Isn't it obvious? Lewd Tiger Dai wants to pursue Zhu Zhuqing, but she rejected him."
The conversation reached Dai Mubai's ears, but because he feared Tang San's hidden weapons, he didn't scold Xiao Wu. Instead, he turned his head and sulked in silence.
Tang San frowned and quietly reminded her, "Xiao Wu, Teacher told you before—don't say things that harm group unity."
Making Xiao Wu apologize to Dai Mubai was clearly impossible. Moreover, Tang San wouldn't let his sister suffer any grievances.
In the end, he simply made Xiao Wu stop talking for now.
Thinking back to the task their teacher had assigned before they left, Tang San felt a wave of helplessness.
Yu Xiaogang wanted him to become the leader of the team.
It wasn't just about Dai Mubai and the other two senior students—even among the new students, Ning Tianchen's reputation surpassed his own. Leading the team to willingly follow his commands would be an uphill battle.
Unconsciously, the eight of them split into three groups.
The girls, led by Xiao Wu, kept chatting about Dai Mubai's misdeeds. Dai Mubai stood alone, sulking. Ning Tianchen and the others remained neutral, watching the drama unfold.
This situation didn't last long before Flender arrived.
"Good. The teaching location is still some distance away. We'll walk there—it'll help with digestion," Flender said.
The three senior students were in low spirits, but the new students were full of energy.
Although Dai Mubai and the others had entered the academy earlier, they hadn't learned much in reality.
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were considered geniuses. However, in the Great Spirit Arena, when they faced opponents with lower soul power levels, they could easily win. But against higher-level opponents, they never won a single match.
Even against opponents of the same level, their win rate was less than twenty percent.
In the world of soul masters, what good was it to only dominate weaker opponents?
Because they couldn't win in spirit battles, over time, they grew increasingly reluctant to enter the Great Spirit Arena.
…
In front of a grand building, Flender stopped and looked up at the sign above it.
"Principal, is it really okay to bring everyone here before the official start of classes?" Oscar couldn't help but question.
Ma Hongjun nodded in agreement but didn't dare show too much emotion, fearing Flender might notice him.
Before Oscar could continue, Dai Mubai, filled with anger, sneered, "What's wrong with it? We'll have to come here eventually anyway. What's the harm in coming early?"
At this moment, all he wanted was to vent his frustration, and the opponents in the Great Spirit Arena were the perfect outlet.
"This…" Oscar was momentarily speechless.
In the morning, Dai Mubai had been the one leading the opposition. How had he changed his mind after just half a day?
Flender raised his hand to calm them down and explained his reasoning. "You've already graduated from junior soul master academies. Whether it's Shrek Academy or any other advanced soul master academy, cultivating practical combat skills is the top priority."
"The first lesson I'm giving you is combat training. The building behind me is where you'll be taking your lessons."
"I believe you already know—this is the Great Spirit Arena, a place for soul masters to fight."
At this time, many spectators were entering and leaving the Great Spirit Arena.
Seeing this, Tang San couldn't help but ask, "Are all these people soul masters?"
Flender shook his head. "No, most of them are spectators who come to watch the fights."
Yu Xiaogang had always instilled in Tang San that being a soul master was the most sacred and noble profession in the world.
If that was the case, why were ordinary people allowed to watch soul master battles?
Oscar patted his shoulder and whispered, "The Great Spirit Arena needs to make a profit. Little San, don't worry about these things."
Ning Tianchen added, "Soul masters are inherently a combative group. Without the Great Spirit Arena, their battles might take place within the city, severely affecting public order."
He had to admit that the existence of the Great Spirit Arena significantly reduced violent crimes on the continent.
Suddenly, he shifted the topic. "These are the positive effects. The Great Spirit Arena also has its negative aspects."
"The Great Spirit Arena is essentially a service-oriented institution. As long as you have money, you can enjoy all kinds of privileges here. And the people providing these services may very well have been acquired through various channels."
A place like the Great Spirit Arena inevitably gave rise to human trafficking.
They would train loyal defenders and servers, most of whom were poor souls sold into this life.
Xiao Wu, brimming with righteous indignation, exclaimed, "The people here are terrible. Let's not go in."
Flender shot her a glance and urged, "Enough. These are matters governed by rules—they have nothing to do with us. Our goal is to use the Great Spirit Arena to improve our strength."
…
Upon entering the Great Spirit Arena, Flender led everyone to the service counter.
"In the arena, every participant has their own spirit battle badge. After winning a match, you earn one point; if you lose, one point is deducted."
"When you accumulate enough points, your badge rank will increase accordingly. From lowest to highest, the ranks are iron, copper, silver, gold, platinum, sapphire, ruby, and diamond badges."
At this point, Flender's gaze swept across everyone. "My task for you is to reach at least the silver spirit battle badge level before graduation."
Xiao Wu calculated for a moment and laughed. "The silver spirit battle badge is only the third rank—it shouldn't be too hard, right?"
"Not so fast!" Oscar couldn't help but explain, "The arena only matches opponents of the same rank. If you're a lower-level Soul Elder in the Soul Elder division, you won't have any advantage—in fact, you'll likely lose repeatedly. Conversely, those who are mid-to-high tier in the same rank find it easier to win."
Oscar went on at length, but in short, despite fighting in the arena for a long time, the three senior students still only had iron spirit battle badges and hadn't even reached copper yet.
"Doesn't that mean if someone stays at level twenty-nine, they can keep winning streaks?" Ning Rongrong couldn't help but ask.
Ning Tianchen sighed and gently flicked her forehead. "Rongrong, do you really not want to advance anymore? Besides, after winning streaks in the Great Spirit Arena, the opponents you face will also be on winning streaks. To earn higher points, you need real strength—there's no room for shortcuts."
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