"I know about the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul," Ning Rongrong said. "It's different from other Martial Souls — it's passed down through a single bloodline, with only one inheritor per generation. At most, two Nine Heart Begonia Soul Masters can be alive at the same time. Only when one dies can another appear in the next generation. You could say it's the rarest Martial Soul in existence. My father once said that the Nine Heart Begonia is a miracle among Martial Souls."
As for who Ning Rongrong's father was — not only the Great Master, Flandre, and Zhao Wuji, but even the other members of the Shrek Seven Devils all knew. He was the master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, the ultimate authority among support-type Soul Masters. If even he described a Martial Soul in such terms, then one could only imagine how powerful its ability must be.
The Great Master always harbored more curiosity about novel Martial Souls than anyone else, and he immediately pressed further: "So what exactly is the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul's ability? In what area does it provide support?"
Ning Rongrong said in a grave tone, "The Nine Heart Begonia is proficient in only one ability. No matter how many Soul Rings it possesses, it has only a single Soul Skill. That is precisely what makes it so terrifying. Its function is area-of-effect group healing, with the degree of healing controlled at the Soul Master's will. The higher the level and the more Soul Rings, the more Soul Power can be devoted to healing. My father said that as long as a Nine Heart Begonia Soul Master is present, it's nearly impossible to die. So, once the team battle begins, we have to remove her from the battlefield first. Otherwise, as long as her Soul Power hasn't been depleted, we won't be able to inflict any damage on any of our opponents."
Hearing Ning Rongrong's words, the Great Master's expression seemed to stiffen. He stood frozen for a long moment before slowly saying, "This truly is a nearly perfect combination."
"We can win."
Just as morale was plummeting and everyone had fallen into a heavy silence, Tang San suddenly spoke these words aloud, his voice charged with a powerful conviction that drew every gaze to himself.
"I said — we can win. Mubai, Little Ao, Fatty, Xiao Wu, Rongrong, Zhuqing. Have you all forgotten? We've already achieved twenty-seven consecutive victories. Yes, the opponents are strong, but we are no weaker. We have Mubai's top-tier assault-type Martial Soul, Little Ao's sustained combat support, Fatty's top-tier mutated beast Martial Soul, and Xiao Wu's incredible Soft Technique. Rongrong — do you really think your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is inferior to the Nine Heart Begonia? And Zhuqing, your speed is the fastest I've ever seen among agility-type Soul Masters at the same level. So what if they're powerful? Are we weak? No! We will prove that we are stronger than them! Besides, don't forget our age. I'm certain they're all older than us. Even if we do lose today, so what? Failure is the mother of success. Even if we can't beat them today, there will come a day when we will. Victory will belong to us, the Shrek Seven Devils! If we've already lost the confidence to win, then what's the point of even entering this battle?"
Tang San's words were like a fuse igniting their confidence. Every single member of the Shrek Seven Devils was a genius among geniuses, a monster among monsters. How could they ever accept defeat?
No one spoke again, but the look in every person's eyes grew resolute. Dai Mubai was the first to extend his right hand, followed by Oscar. The Shrek Seven Devils — seven people stacked their hands together, and every pair of eyes burned with fire. The confidence they had lost was now restored, and in their hearts blazed an intense fighting spirit.
"Master, let me handle all the tactical arrangements for this battle — will you?" Tang San looked at the Great Master with unwavering resolve. He knew this fight would be the most difficult trial they had ever faced. The reason he had spoken as he did was that he couldn't bear to see his teammates so listless and dejected. Having lived two lives, he understood that if you wanted to achieve something, you had to fight for it with your own effort.
In previous matches, the Great Master would always provide tactical guidance before each battle. But this time, Tang San had proactively requested to take over the Master's role. It may have seemed rather bold, but the Great Master, Flandre, and Zhao Wuji all exchanged quiet, approving nods.
A team needed tactics, needed unity, needed coordination — but it also could not lack one more thing: fighting spirit. A team without fighting spirit could never unlock its deepest potential. And now, as the soul of the team, Tang San had accomplished just that.
In the eyes of Flandre and the other two, winning or losing no longer mattered. These children had grown far beyond what they had ever estimated. All they could do now was watch as the children brought them even more surprises and miracles, and see just how far they could go.
Suotuo Grand Spirit Arena, VIP lounge area. VIP Room Number Three.
The luxurious room spanned over two hundred square meters. An enormous leather sofa stretched more than fifteen meters in length, large enough for over a dozen people to rest comfortably. The entire space was decorated predominantly in gold — golden palace lanterns, golden wallpaper, and all manner of golden ornaments that gave the room a sumptuous, resplendent feel. Before the massive white leather sofa sat a crystal coffee table, stocked with delicate pastries and a variety of refreshments. Most importantly, one wall of the room consisted of a single, continuous slab of transparent crystal. Through special treatment, those inside could see out, but no one outside could see in. Beyond that crystal wall lay the most important venue in the Suotuo Grand Spirit Arena — the central main dueling stage.
At this moment, only seven people occupied the room — seven individuals each with a distinctive presence. They all appeared to be in their early twenties.
Seated in the center of the sofa was a young man with long black hair and a lean, tall build. His features weren't particularly handsome, and his face bore almost no expression, as if the muscles there had gone rigid. He wore a plain blue combat outfit with no embellishments. Everything about him gave an impression of simplicity — and yet that very simplicity made him seem dangerous. He sat reclined against the plush sofa with his eyes closed, resting.
Also on the sofa was a woman — though her posture was anything but conventional. Rather than leaning against the backrest, she was slumped against the blue-clad young man's shoulder with a languid air. Her short, deep-purple hair gave her a spirited, almost heroic look. Strangely, she had a pair of green eyes that lent her an air of the uncanny. She wasn't what one would call stunningly beautiful, but she possessed a bewitching allure. At this moment, she was idly playing with her green-dyed fingernails while resting against the young man's shoulder.
"Yanzi, come on, can you and the boss stop flaunting your intimacy in front of us? The rest of us are all still virgins, you know. Might trigger some... urges, and that's never a good thing. Heh heh."
The speaker was a handsome young man of average height and moderate build, with short golden hair and lively, restless eyes. He was leaning against the large crystal window with an air of carefree ease.
The young woman on the sofa cast him a glance, a flirtatious smile flickering in her green eyes. "Then come on over — want big sister to teach you how to become a man?"
"Uh, I'll pass. That Green Phosphorus Poison of yours — only the boss can handle that. I don't have the good fortune to deal with it." The young man hurriedly declined, his face a mask of obvious terror. He was clearly somewhat afraid of the green-eyed woman.
"Serves you right. Why'd you go and provoke Yanzi for?" Across from him, on the other side of the crystal window, a young man dressed entirely in black leaned against the frame. He too had golden hair, and his features were refined and delicate enough to rival a woman's. He swirled the drink in his hand as he spoke with undisguised schadenfreude.
The handsome young man bristled. "Leopard, you got a problem with me? After today's team battle is done, you and me — one-on-one. I'll teach you a lesson."
The black-clad young man let out a dismissive snort. "One-on-one with me? You've got some nerve. A flying Soul Master picking a fight with a ground-based Soul Master — that's basically bullying. If you've got the guts, go challenge the boss to a one-on-one. Forget winning — if you can last three minutes, I'll respect you."
"You—" The handsome young man was defiant but had to admit he truly couldn't last three minutes against their captain.
"All right, quiet down. Can't you two be more like the Shi brothers, conserving your energy?" The blue-clad young man, who had remained motionless on the sofa, finally spoke. The Shi brothers he referred to sat on the floor against one wall, legs crossed in meditation. Both were big, robust men with straight noses and strong jaws. Even sitting still, they radiated an aura of weight and stability.
The handsome young man laughed. "Boss, do we really need to conserve energy? We already hit Silver Spirit Rank before even reaching level forty. I dare say there's no team in this Suotuo Grand Spirit Arena that can match us. Forget this place — even at the top-tier Tiandou Imperial Grand Spirit Arena, there's nobody who can compete with us."
The blue-clad youth said calmly, "Even so, you can't afford to develop the bad habit of being careless. The world of Soul Masters constantly produces new powers — no one can guarantee that stronger opponents won't appear before us. Lingling, come sit on the sofa for a while. Standing around all the time drains your stamina too."
His last remark was directed at the other woman in the room. She stood in the darkest corner of the entire space, dressed not only in black from head to toe but also with a black veil covering her face. She had a slender figure and long blue hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Her eyes, the same shade as her hair, betrayed no emotion whatsoever. From her, one could sense only loneliness and desolation.
"That's all right. I'm fine here." Ye Lingling's voice was beautiful, yet utterly hollow — giving one an unsettling sense of unreality.
The seven people in this room were precisely the members of the Imperial Battle Team that Tang San and the others had studied in their briefing materials. The ones sitting on the sofa were the captain, Yu Tianheng, and the vice-captain, Dugu Yan. The handsome young man was the Wind Bell Bird Soul Master, Yu Feng. The black-clad young man who had been bickering with him was the Ghost Leopard Soul Master, Oscar. The two brothers meditating on the floor were, naturally, the twin Dark Tortoise Soul Masters. And standing in the darkest corner was the Imperial Battle Team's sole support Soul Master — the Nine Heart Begonia, Ye Lingling.
(End of chapter)