At this moment, one member of the Bear-Panther Combo lay collapsed on the arena, while the other had been knocked off entirely. The announcer finally declared the Seven Treasures Duo victorious.
Yang Xiong approached Ning Rongrong, who was still catching her breath. "Let's go. We've won the match."
Ning Rongrong, who had been tense throughout the intense battle, was still somewhat shaken but couldn't help laughing. "Little Bear, you did well! You truly live up to being an inner disciple of our sect. From now on, I'll have your back!"
Yang Xiong couldn't help but shake his head. "Rongrong, what do you think of Flender's lesson today? Was making you run justified?"
Ning Rongrong was momentarily speechless but still protested. "If you had let me assist you earlier, you could have defeated them faster. Why did you tell me not to use my auxiliary abilities?"
Yang Xiong smiled. "Not letting you assist had two purposes. First, I wanted to test my actual combat strength—it's a form of training since I've never fought in a two-on-two battle before. Second, I wanted to see how you'd handle yourself. Some lessons are better learned through experience than explained by others."
Ning Rongrong looked a bit annoyed. "It's all your fault for experimenting with me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have looked so pathetic just now."
---
As the two left the arena, Ning Rongrong seemed quite pleased despite not having assisted Yang Xiong at all and contributing nothing to the victory. Still, it marked her first win in an arena battle.
Yang Xiong couldn't help shaking his head. This little girl had been spoiled since childhood—she was indeed too arrogant and childish. However, as the saying goes, teaching through words may not work, but teaching through experience often succeeds immediately.
Ning Rongrong was undeniably talented, and her comprehension was among the best. She would gradually come to understand the role of an auxiliary soul master.
On the spectator stands, Tang San and Dai Mubai were stunned. They hadn't expected Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong to defeat their opponents so easily. Judging by the situation, without Ning Rongrong, Yang Xiong might have fought even more effortlessly.
After all, Yang Xiong was only level twenty-six, while both opponents were level twenty-eight and highly coordinated beast-type battle soul masters.
Dai Mubai asked, "Tang San, if it were you, could you defeat the Bear-Panther Combo alone?"
Dai Mubai and Tang San had already sparred before. In terms of strength, they were evenly matched, though Tang San might have the upper hand if he used hidden weapons.
After a moment of silence, Tang San replied, "I should be able to defeat them, but not as effortlessly as Yang Xiong did. He didn't sustain any injuries throughout the fight—his physical attributes are far stronger than I imagined. Whether speed, strength, or defense, he has virtually no weaknesses."
"Moreover, Yang Xiong appeared extremely composed. It seems he didn't even use his full strength. No one except him knows exactly how much of his power he unleashed. Furthermore, he didn't use any soul skills during the entire fight—not even the techniques he employed against Teacher Zhao."
"I remember during the entrance exam, Yang Xiong used teleportation and a technique where he attacked enemies with a glowing sphere in his hand."
Dai Mubai nodded. "Perhaps Yang Xiong felt these opponents were too weak to warrant using his full abilities."
Tang San's expression grew serious. "There was something strange about that fight. When Yang Xiong faced attacks from both opponents, he somehow used different techniques with each hand simultaneously—it's baffling."
"And his reactions were odd. He always managed to rescue Ning Rongrong at just the right moment, as if he had calculated everything perfectly. There wasn't a single unnecessary movement."
Having lived two lifetimes, Tang San possessed exceptional mental acuity thanks to his cultivation of Purple Extreme Demon Eye. This allowed him to notice subtle details on the arena that others might miss.
In truth, Yang Xiong's performance stemmed from his mastery of multitasking control. Throughout the match, he divided his attention across multiple tasks—observing the battlefield while simultaneously employing different attack techniques with his body. This resembled the left-right mutual combat techniques of martial arts worlds, but at a far higher level.
---
If Tang San's observational skills were considered relatively shallow, Principal Flender on the spectator stand observed with even greater precision.
"This little monster is quite intriguing," Flender mused. "It seems the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has invested heavily in him. No wonder they sent him here alongside Ning Rongrong."
After fighting two matches, Yang Xiong spent the rest of the evening watching the arena battles with Ning Rongrong. All members of Shrek Academy, except Oscar, participated, and their results were commendable.
Unfortunately, only Tang San and Xiao Wu competed in a two-on-two match, forming their usual "three-five combo." The others simply couldn't pair up effectively.
Dai Mubai was a Soul Elder, while everyone else was a Soul Grandmaster. Any pairing would require them to face Soul Elder-level opponents, giving them no chance of victory.
As for Ma Hongjun and Oscar, even if they teamed up, their chances against Soul Grandmaster pairs were still zero.
Zhu Zhuqing clearly detested Ma Hongjun, making it impossible for them to form a team.
However, Oscar approached Yang Xiong. "Xiao Xiong, Brother Xiong, you know I'm a food-system soul master—I have no real combat abilities. Seeing how strong you are, why don't we enter a two-on-two soul battle together? I promise I won't hold you back."
"Besides, according to the academy's rules, I can't graduate without earning a silver soul fighter badge."
Yang Xiong chuckled. "No problem—it's a small matter. Helping classmates is the right thing to do. How about we go register for a match right now?"
Oscar looked puzzled. "Brother Xiong, you've already fought two matches. Do you still have enough soul power for another? Why don't you eat a couple of my sausages first? You know how effective they are for recovery."
Yang Xiong replied, "No need. Let's start the match. If I run low on soul power during the fight, I can eat one of your sausages on the arena."
In reality, Yang Xiong hadn't used any soul skills in the previous two matches—he had only expended some physical energy, which his recovery ability could easily replenish.
Moreover, Yang Xiong found it interesting to fight alongside an auxiliary soul master. It helped hone his combat awareness, making it far more engaging than one-on-one battles.
Compared to others, Yang Xiong held Oscar in high regard. At the very least, Oscar's actions didn't irritate him.
Soon, Yang Xiong and Oscar entered a two-on-two soul battle. Compared to Ning Rongrong, Oscar had far more combat experience and was surprisingly agile, clearly having fought in many arena matches before.
Yang Xiong and Oscar easily defeated their opponents. Though Oscar was pleased, he expressed a concern. "Brother Xiong, I don't know how many more Soul Grandmaster-level two-on-two matches I can participate in. I'll likely break through to level thirty soon."
Yang Xiong smiled. "That's perfect. When you do, we can enter Soul Elder-level two-on-two matches. I'm curious to see how much pressure fighting two Soul Elders will put on me."
Oscar laughed dryly. "Brother Xiong, you're truly a monster. Although we're called 'little monsters', compared to you, you're terrifying."
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