Another Kind of Genius

"What?!" Liu Erlong roared.

Even Flender sputtered, "Even in the last Advanced Spirit Master Grand Competition, only the three of the Golden Generation were Spirit Kings. You're saying all seven are?!"

Tang San nodded gravely. "What's more is that they all have mutant spirits. I fear Shrek will have an even harder fight this time around."

Yu Xiaogang said, "Then it's a good thing Xingyun just got his fifth ring. None of the others are close enough. Xu Tian could, but she won't be competing in the finals. The Shrek Seven Tyrants will be."

Tang San tapped his Twenty Four Moonlit Bridges belt and pulled out the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse that Dugu Bo had given him long ago. He held the purse out to his teacher.

"Laoshi, in here are seven rare Immortal Herbs that I took from Old Freak back then. I've been saving them for the right spirit masters. After having seen this new generation of monsters fight, I think they will suit them very well. Perhaps, they may give Shrek a better chance at standing up to Spirit Empire."

Flender, Liu Erlong, and Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened. "SAY WHAT?!"

Xiao Wu added, "Ge was very careful in choosing which Herb to give to who. They helped us back then, so you can see if they help our juniors."

Yu Xiaogang warned, "Whichever herb you chose for Xiao Shen, it may not work. She's already a level sixty five Spirit Emperor. After going to Sunset Forest to help Xingyun get his ring, she advanced a rank. The higher the rank, the less benefits the herbs will give."

"San Ge mulled over it for a long time," Ma Hongjun said. "He decided to give that monstrous little god Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew. It helped his eyesight, so he figured it would work best for her."

Liu Erlong tugged at her lover's arm. "It can't hurt to try, right?"

Finally, Yu Xiaogang gave in. "Alright, we'll keep the Immortal Herbs for now. We'll give them to the seven once the ranking rounds are over. Depending on their spirit ranks afterwards, we'll see who needs to hunt a spirit beast."

Flender took the purse from Tang San. "Xiao San, thank you."

"We are still students of Shrek," Oscar said. "How can we not help our juniors?"

<><><>

Meanwhile, back in the girls' tent, all ten team members were gathered.

"Xiao Shen, what should we do against the Botanic Academy Team?"

"They're all Spirit Ancestors, so we won't have that much of an advantage in spirit rank. I want Shanxin to go first. You're the fastest Agility Attack spirit master. You can avoid them. Your Air Strike is sharp and focused. You can also lockdown on your opponent. If you can, Shanxin, get through two or three spirit masters."

"I'll try, Xiao Shen."

"Jiaxiang, I want you to go next. If you get trapped, your claws can cut through the vines, grass, whatever. Your speed is almost on par with Shanxin's also. Give those Botanic Academy girls a run for their money. See if you can eliminate two or three spirit masters."

"I'll listen to you, Xiao Shen."

"Next, I want Han Niansui to go. Don't use your Dark Cover right away. Your doppelganger skill and Dark Quill can help you fend off the opponent. See how many spirit masters you can beat."

He nodded. "Okay."

"If we need a fourth person, I want it to be Suyin. You can prick the opponents' vines and roots and grass and poison them. Your full body armor can also protect you from any hidden skills like Tang San's Parasite. Finish off Botanic Academy."

Suyin smiled. "Xiao Shen, your devilish mind works wonders sometimes. You've planned everything out after having just seen them fight once."

"We didn't meet them in the Preliminaries since they fought in Suotuo City. We needed to keep an eye on them. Since they're a full Control System Battle Team, we need to avoid and break their control."

<><><>

A couple days later, Shrek Academy met with Botanic Academy on stage.

Zhou Wuting flew down and called out, "Today, we see Botanic Academy challenge the undefeated Shrek Academy. Can Shrek keep their winning streak, or will this full Control System Battle Team finally break them?"

First up, Bai Shanxin jumped onto the stage, facing off against a forty third ranked Spirit Ancestor.

"Release your spirits!"

Bai Shanxin's wings spread on her back, and she stayed on the ground. Two yellow and two purple spirit rings descended around her. Her opponent released her Ghost Vine spirit with two yellow and two purple rings as well.

"Begin!"

As the Ghost Vines shot towards her, Bai Shanxin took to the air and began to evade. She launched her second spirit skill, Swift Flight, and sped up further while also increasing her maneuverability and stamina.

Making eye contact with her opponent, she called, "Third spirit skill, Swift Charm!"

After momentarily stunning the Botanic Academy student, Bai Shanxin added, "Fourth spirit skill, Swift Dance!"

Her wings began to beat faster and faster. Eyes sharpening, she called, "Air Strike!"

She shot a sharp gust of wind down, blowing her opponent off of the stage. Bai Shanxin returned to the stage, waiting for her next opponent. She eliminated the Holy Roots spirit master just as quickly, cutting through the roots with her sharp wings and blowing her off the stage.

When the third spirit master climbed the stage, Bai Shanxin barely gave any time for her to use any spirit skills. She flew up, launched her first spirit skill, and used her elongated nails like a bird's talons and swiped at her opponent's weak defense. She broke through the Demon Moss spirit sent the spirit master back to her peers and teachers.

"Amazing!" Zhou Wuting cried. "Bai Shanxin of Shrek Academy has defeated three of Botanic Academy's team members! Let's see what happens next!"

But Bai Shanxin had exhausted her spirit power. She withdrew, and Shu Jiaxiang took her place.

Over the next two spirit masters, Shu Jiaxiang used her poison to wither the Devil Weeds spirit master's every strand. She got close using her first spirit skill, Shadow Cheetah Silence, and launched her second spirit skill, Shadow Cheetah Claw. After defeating the first one, she quickly took care of the second by launching her ethereal ability to get close and released her poisonous fog that targeted the the nervous system.

After the spirit master collapsed, Shu Jiaxiang was announced as the victor. Her spirit power had drained a lot, so she admitted defeat and let Han Niansui replace her.

"Five of Botanic Academy's spirit masters have already been defeated while Shrek has two withdrawals. The next competitor on Shrek's side is Han Niansui. Let see what his Dark Cloak can do against Botanic Academy's Withering Willow spirit.

The tree spirit master sent branches towards Han Niansui, but he multiplied himself using his Dark Clone spirit skill. Afterwards, he launched two in a row.

"Third spirit skill, Dark Wraith! Fourth spirit skill, Dark Quill!"

He boosted all of his attributes by five percent and summoned the two quill-like blades to his hands. Han Niansui threw them out, cut the branches in half, keeping far away from his opponent's reach. Finally, Dark Cover spread out over the stage.

The Withering Willow spirit master began to panic. She backed up and grew branches all around her to protect herself. But she forgot that his quill-like-blades could cut through any material. Within seconds, he had broken the branches and used his aura to force her backwards until she tumbled off of the stage.

"Six spirit masters from Botanic Academy have been defeated! Can Han Niansui win another victory for Shrek Academy?!"

People in the stands murmured amongst each other.

"These children are too overbearing!"

"They haven't lost a single battle!"

"And there's still that white-haired girl who we haven't seen compete yet. I heard she became a Spirit Ancestor."

"Yes, Shrek is really too much this time!"

"There's ten team members on Shrek's side. We've only seen nine."

"We have no idea who the tenth member is."

"We've never seen him before."

While they were talking, Han Niansui had already defeated the last member of Botanic Academy Battle Team.

"Shrek has won again!" Zhou Wuting announced.

"EH? WHAT?" cries echoed all around the stage.

The Golden Iron Triangle smiled, very pleased with their students. Han Niansui returned, and they swiftly left the arena and headed back to their tent. Inside the main tent, Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat.

"You did well today. Now, there's just the second seeded team from Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Tomorrow, we don't compete, so I want you all to use that day to cultivate. Work on increasing your spirit power as much as you can so that when the Finals Round begins, we will be stronger."

Ten heads bobbed up and down. "Yes, Grandmaster."

Liu Erlong stepped forward. "Xu Tian, Gong Xi, Han Niansui, you may go. We need to talk with the others about the finals."

"We'll leave first then, Vice Dean Liu."

The three had known from the beginning they were just substitutes, but they didn't mind. They had gotten to compete in the Advanced Spirit Master Grand Competition and come across many other spirit masters. For them, it was already enough. The Shrek Seven Tyrants were all younger than they were, but either just as powerful or more powerful. How could they complain then?