Bai Chenxiang gave a soft nod. "As long as you dare come, what's stopping me?" As she spoke, she pressed her body right up against the fat one's.
Under normal circumstances, Ma Hongjun would have been absolutely thrilled. But the moment Bai Chenxiang pressed against him, he immediately sensed something was wrong. He tried to retreat, only to find that Bai Chenxiang's body stuck to him like a shadow. In terms of raw strength, she was obviously no match for him, but in terms of speed, very few among those present could surpass her.
Ma Hongjun's body had gone completely rigid. He could clearly feel an extremely sharp dagger that had slipped through his clothing and now rested against the inner side of his thigh. The cold blade made his upper thigh spasm involuntarily. He didn't dare move a muscle.
Bai Chenxiang looked up at the fat one with a smile on her face. Her actions could only be felt by Ma Hongjun—she had used her body to shield her hand, so none of the other Shrek Seven Devils could see what she was doing. Lowering her voice, she pinched hard at his waist with her left hand. "Pull any more of that lecherous crap and I'll castrate you right here."
Ma Hongjun never could have imagined that Bai Chenxiang had this violent side to her. With his legs already going numb, what else could he possibly say?
If she were an enemy, he'd have plenty of ways to escape—though he'd have to use his Phoenix Flames. But Bai Chenxiang wasn't an enemy. If he used his Phoenix Flames, he'd directly hurt her. And he certainly couldn't guarantee that the blade between his legs wouldn't take something with it on the way out.
"Xiangxiang, I'm sorry! I won't dare do it again!" Ma Hongjun was on the verge of tears. What a mess this was! Here he'd been trying to steal a little intimate moment with her, and instead he'd gotten himself flat-out threatened.
The cold feeling disappeared. Bai Chenxiang knew when to quit. She stopped pressing against Ma Hongjun's body, raised her hand, and gave his protruding belly two gentle pats. "Fat one, you can't bear to hit me, right? And you definitely can't bear to burn me with your Phoenix Flames?"
Ma Hongjun nodded instinctively.
Bai Chenxiang maintained her sweet, gentle smile. "Then, with my speed, it shouldn't be too hard for me to carve you a little. If you think you're faster than me, by all means, come to my room." She kept her voice so low that only the fat one could hear. After finishing, Bai Chenxiang finally turned around, waved goodbye to everyone, and headed back to her room.
Watching her retreating figure, Ma Hongjun's face flickered between red and white. He gritted his teeth in frustration, but there was absolutely nothing he could do about the girl.
"Heaven's will! This is heaven's will!" The fat one looked to the sky and let out a long sigh.
Oscar grinned slyly. "Why didn't you chase after her?"
Ma Hongjun's legs were still a little wobbly. "Chase my ass! I'm not looking to become a leftover old man."
The final result was yet another room booked for the night. After resting for a while in the afternoon, Tang San called Oscar and the two of them headed out. They didn't return until evening.
After dinner, everyone gathered together.
Dai Mubai scratched his head with some embarrassment. "I, uh… overslept a little at noon."
Oscar looked at Zhu Zhuqing, whose cheeks still held a faint blush, and snickered. "You two held out for days. We're all men here—we get it, we get it."
Zhu Zhuqing shot him a withering look. "You're dead, Xiao Ao. Keep that filthy mouth of yours running and just you wait—when you and Rongrong get married, I'll drag her out for a whole night of girl talk. Let's see how you handle that."
Oscar leered happily. "No problem at all! As long as Boss Dai doesn't object, I'd welcome that."
Four pink fists flew at him at once. Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing spoke almost in perfect unison: "Welcome a fist in your face!"
Bai Chenxiang leaned over to the fat one and whispered, "I still don't get it. What does 'in your face' actually mean?"
After the events of the afternoon, Ma Hongjun had developed a healthy dose of fear toward Bai Chenxiang. He answered meekly, "It's basically the same as punching you in the face. Either way, it's not exactly a compliment."
Oscar fended off the two women's attacks while still managing to explain to Bai Chenxiang. "Now you just don't understand! We're all members of the In-Your-Face Sect. It's a mandatory catchphrase."
Bai Chenxiang blinked her big eyes. "So should I say to you right now… 'catchphrase in your face'?"
"Uh—" Oscar froze mid-sentence, and in that instant he failed to block, getting knocked stumbling back by Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. He gave a bitter smile. "It's over. It's over. Xiangxiang's gone bad too."
Ning Rongrong scolded good-naturedly. "That's your lot's fault for teaching her. Xiangxiang was only defending herself."
Tang San smiled. "All right, all right. Enough fooling around. Let's talk business."
Everyone quieted down. Tang San spoke. "Xiao Ao and I went out for a stroll. Picked up some essentials for the sea voyage. We also rented a boat. We've already told the owner to prepare for departure. He says he needs a day to get ready. We set out the day after tomorrow, first thing in the morning. I have a question for everyone—who here can swim?"
The question caught everyone off guard. They all exchanged blank looks, and nobody could say a word.
Tang San stared, then smiled helplessly. "None of you?"
Dai Mubai coughed. "I'm afraid none of us can. We're all land ducks. But with Xiao Ao's Flying Mushroom Sausages, it shouldn't be much of a problem, right?"
Tang San shook his head. "No—it's a serious problem. Xiao Ao's Flying Mushroom Sausages can only get us airborne for short distances. The ocean is vast and boundless; you can't just fly across it. Besides, the Great Master told us that Sea Soul Beasts exist in the ocean too. Even if we can fly, without anywhere to land, what do we do if we run into an attack from sea creatures? It looks like before we can even reach Sea God Island, we'll have to tackle the swimming problem first."
Ning Rongrong said, "Even learning now wouldn't be enough—it takes months to train!"
Tang San thought for a moment. "I think we should buy a Soul Guide suited for ocean use—something that can convert into a boat, for instance. Combined with Xiao Ao's Flying Mushroom Sausages, that should be enough to keep us safe."
Dai Mubai nodded. "It's the only real option. This Ocean City is no small place—there ought to be an auction house or something similar. Let's check it out after this."
Tang San said, "Let's go, then. Better prepared early than late."
True to their word, the group set out together. After asking around at the inn, sure enough, Ocean City had an auction house. And there was also a place the Shrek Seven Devils were very familiar with—a Grand Spirit Arena. Upon hearing this, they discussed it briefly and made some changes to their evening plans.
The Great Master had once said that the fighting style of Sea Soul Masters differed greatly from that of ordinary Soul Masters. If they could get some practice against Sea Soul Masters at Ocean City's Grand Spirit Arena before heading to Sea God Island, the benefits would be enormous. So they decided to head to the Ocean Grand Spirit Arena first.
Of course, they couldn't all participate—that would draw far too much attention and risk alerting Spirit Hall. After all, Tang San's Soul Ring configuration was essentially unique among today's Soul Masters. Even competing in the arena, they would need to disguise themselves somewhat. Besides, the auction house and the arena were connected—after scouting the Sea Soul Masters, they could conveniently pick up whatever Soul Guides they needed.
The Ocean Grand Spirit Arena was only middling in scale compared to what the Shrek Seven Devils had seen, but its liveliness was second to none. Competition hadn't even begun yet, and the spectators were already flooding in, filling every seat. Tang San had to pay a premium for a VIP box just to squeeze inside.
Once everyone had settled into the box, their attention was immediately captured by the scene inside the arena.
"Truly something different!" Tang San exclaimed, peering through the one-way glass of the VIP room at the arena below with a touch of surprise.
They had chosen a VIP room overlooking the two-on-two arena. They'd picked this venue for a practical reason—it was the only match that still had tickets available when they bought them. But this arena wasn't like the ones they'd seen before, with a single giant stage. Instead, it was a massive pool.
The pool was a hundred meters in diameter. The clear blue water sat perfectly still, like an enormous sapphire without a single ripple. The stands were packed with spectators. Even though the VIP box was well soundproofed, just watching the crowd's movements made it easy to feel the electric atmosphere.
Zhu Zhuqing picked up a placard inside the VIP room and read aloud: "The Spirit Battle Pool is circular, one hundred and eight meters in diameter, ten meters deep. Any combatant who leaves the vertical perimeter of the pool is declared defeated. Surrender or loss of combat ability also results in defeat."
Tang San turned to Ma Hongjun beside him. "Fatty, you and Xiangxiang go down and register. Remember to wear your masks and sign up for the two-on-two Soul Master competition."
"Leave it to me!" The fat one was thrilled. He gave Tang San a big thumbs-up, his face beaming with excitement. He certainly wasn't going to pass up a chance to show off in front of Bai Chenxiang.
Bai Chenxiang looked at Tang San with some puzzlement. When she saw him nod, she didn't question it further and followed Ma Hongjun off.
Ning Rongrong couldn't help asking, "Third Brother, why did you send Fatty? That guy looks like he's about to burst with pride already…"
Tang San smiled with quiet confidence. "Let him show off, then. Fatty is level fifty-nine, and Xiangxiang is in the mid-forties. They'll naturally enter the fifty-level bracket for the two-on-two match. In that bracket, Fatty's strength makes him absolutely top-tier. Chenxiang may only be able to serve as a distraction, but Fatty should be able to handle things on his own. More importantly, they can both fly, so the water pool won't be too much of a handicap. After the fight, he can report back on what it's like to face Sea Soul Masters—that'll be the most useful part. At the same time, only one member of the Shrek Seven Devils showing up won't attract much attention. Paired with Xiangxiang, who isn't technically one of our Seven, Spirit Hall won't connect it to us."
Ning Rongrong burst out laughing at his explanation. "Third Brother, you really are as meticulous as ever."
Tang San chuckled. "Rongrong, am I to take that as a compliment?"
Ning Rongrong giggled. "Of course you are. My Third Brother is the best."
Oscar, looking somewhat jealous from the side, grumbled. "Little San, come on now. No flirting with my Rongrong!"
Tang San laughed. "I'll slap you right in the face. How can you not trust Rongrong?"
Oscar clutched his chest in mock anguish. "Curse that wretched In-Your-Face Sect!"
The registration period soon ended, and the drawing of lots commenced. Unless a particularly outstanding competitor was fast-tracked to an immediate match, most participants were paired through the lottery. To their surprise, Ma Hongjun and Bai Chenxiang's team was drawn first.
The announcer's voice piped into the VIP room through the arena's speakers: "Two-on-two Spirit Battle, first match! The Phoenix-Xiang Duo versus the Soul Spirit Brothers! Now, let us briefly introduce both sides. As everyone knows, the Soul Spirit Brothers are on a four-win streak. One more victory, and they'll earn the bonus points for a five-win streak. As Soul King-level powerhouses, they're on the verge of advancing to Gold-tier Spirit Masters. The importance of this streak to them cannot be overstated. I can say with confidence that both brothers, at level fifty-eight, will be going all-out in this match."
"Now let's look at their opponents—the Phoenix-Xiang Duo. The pair consists of one called Feng and one called Xiang. This is their first time competing at our Ocean Grand Spirit Arena. Feng is a level fifty-nine Soul Master, while Xiang is only at level forty-five. To be honest, I don't hold high hopes for this new duo. Against the formidable Soul Spirit Brothers, they'll have to fight tooth and nail for a victory. Well, enough talk. Two-on-two Spirit Battle, first match—let us welcome both teams to the arena!"
Stirred up by the announcer's passionate hype, the crowd's emotions were fully charged. In Spirit Battle competition, one-on-one and group matches both drew more interest than two-on-two bouts. But the arena was packed tonight—most of the crowd had come specifically to watch the Soul Spirit Brothers.
The organizing committee had clearly seeded the Soul Spirit Brothers at the top of the bracket. The Phoenix-Xiang Duo had been drawn by genuine lottery. Of course, there were only these two teams registered in the fifty-level bracket for the two-on-two event. High-level Soul Masters rarely appeared at a Grand Spirit Arena, let alone at one as remote as Ocean City.
On the left side of the VIP room, two figures—one massive, one petite—emerged from the tunnel entrance simultaneously. Both wore the standard-issue masks provided by the Spirit Arena. When the group in the VIP room saw them walk out, they couldn't help but laugh. Just from the silhouettes alone, they could tell it was Ma Hongjun and Bai Chenxiang.