After some effort, Ma Hongjun finally managed to register his identity and received the most basic Iron Fighting Spirit Badge.
The rules of the Great Spirit Arena were simple and transparent. Starting from the Iron Badge, a participant gained one point for each victory and lost one point for each defeat. Upon reaching 100 points, they would advance to the next badge.
The progression of ranks was: Iron, Copper, Silver, Gold, Purple Gold, Sapphire, Ruby, and Diamond.
At Shrek Academy, one of the graduation requirements was to possess at least a Silver Fighting Spirit Badge—something Ma Hongjun had known for a long time.
Under Dai Mubai's lead, the group made their way to the gaming section of the arena.
Compared to the regular spirit battles, the gaming matches drew fewer spectators and were held only in side venues. Only those with more than five consecutive wins or exceptionally strong spirit power could qualify for the main arena.
What caught Ma Hongjun's attention was that even Iron-level matches rewarded the winner with ten Gold Soul Coins.
A perfect chance to build up his savings.
He had no intention of asking Flander for money. He knew his teacher too well—it was easier to climb to the heavens than to get a coin from him.
Soon, everyone was assigned their matches. As expected, they were all placed in the same area. However, since only Dai Mubai had reached the Soul Elder level, the difficulty of their battles varied.
Ma Hongjun and the others arrived at the lounge. Because of their outstanding appearances and youthful faces, they attracted quite a bit of attention—but no one approached them.
After all, this was a fighting arena, and everyone was focused on their own matches.
"Hey, Fatty, want to team up and score some points?"
Ma Hongjun had just sat down and was about to open his system panel to see how best to use the 300 evolution points he had earned from Meng Yiran when Oscar approached him quietly.
"With my recovery sausages, you'll last longer in battle. We can rack up points together."
As he spoke, he took out a large, steaming sausage and waved it in front of Ma Hongjun's face.
But the moment the words left his mouth, Oscar felt three pairs of eyes land on him all at once.
Although he was nervous, he stood his ground—only his legs trembled slightly.
He had no choice. If he hesitated, Ning Rongrong might invite Fatty to team up.
The dean had told him and Ning Rongrong to just spectate tonight, but Oscar knew full well the young lady wouldn't follow the rules.
"Alright, not impossible," Ma Hongjun replied after a moment's thought, nodding.
Oscar's martial soul and soul incantation might be a little shameless, but they were undeniably useful. And in terms of offensive power, Ma Hongjun was more than capable on his own.
Besides, you could only participate in one match per day in the gaming area, and team matches paid more.
"Just wait. I'll make sure you're well-fed."
Oscar let out a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off his forehead—but his legs trembled even more.
He could feel that the three glares behind him had turned razor sharp the moment Ma Hongjun agreed.
Am I going to get chopped up as soon as I leave this room?!
Oscar gulped in fear and forced himself not to think about it. He clenched his fists tightly.
As long as I can keep Fatty away from them... it's worth it!
"That jerk!"
Ning Rongrong stomped her foot angrily, huffed, and grabbed Zhu Zhuqing's hand. "Qingqing, let's form a team!"
"Okay."
The cold beauty nodded.
Dai Mubai, who was about to approach and greet them, paused, then turned away quietly.
Forget it. No one wants to team up with me anyway.
He consoled himself.
At least they didn't team up with Fatty.
Good job, Oscar!
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu looked away from the scene and turned to Tang San, who was staring at her with anticipation. She sighed softly.
"Third Brother, we…"
Tang San nodded rapidly like a pecking chicken.
"Yeah! I already thought of a team name—'Three Dances'!"
"Let's not team up."
Boom!
It felt like a bolt of lightning struck Tang San. He stood frozen, staring at Xiao Wu in disbelief.
Xiao Wu had rejected him!!
"Third Brother, you've been acting really strange lately. Let's team up again after you've calmed down."
Her scorpion-braided hair swayed as she looked at him with helpless eyes.
She didn't even need to guess what would happen if they teamed up—he'd pull her aside and start saying more weird things again, like how he didn't mind that Brother Hongjun had "tainted" her.
Every time she heard that, she grew more disappointed.
Since arriving here, Tang San had changed. In just a few days, he had begun targeting Brother Hongjun in everything.
But the truth was, Tang San had been the one to start it all—picking fights and hurling insults without any justification.
"Just calm down, okay? Brother Hongjun really isn't a bad person."
Hearing that, Tang San's face turned purple with anger.
A good person?
Bah!
You don't even know how brutally he beat me!!
But looking into Xiao Wu's sincere and pleading eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say anything cruel.
After a long pause, he finally muttered:
"…Okay."
"That's great!"
A bright smile lit up Xiao Wu's face. Her lovely expression stunned Tang San momentarily.
If making her this happy meant swallowing some pride—it was worth it.
"Alright! I'll schedule dinner soon. We'll all eat together, and if you apologize sincerely, I'm sure Brother Hongjun will forgive you."
Clapping her hands joyfully, Xiao Wu turned to find her best friends, excited to share the good news.
Only Tang San stood there, frozen, as her final words echoed in his ears.
"You want me to treat him to dinner… and apologize?!"
Tang San snapped out of it, shaking with rage and feeling faint.
Damn it!!
"If not for Xiao Wu… if not for Xiao Wu…"
He kept muttering under his breath, fists clenched tightly. A deep sadness flashed in his eyes.
Xiao Wu… do you even know how much I've sacrificed for you?
At that moment, Tang San truly felt like crying.
The tears he shed—he believed—were tears of deep affection.
"What's the name of your team?"
It was the same staff member from before. He looked at Ma Hongjun and Oscar with a complicated expression.
This guy… seriously? Three top-tier beauties wanted to team up with him, and he chose a guy?
Does this kid not like women?
"Call us 'Spirit Emperor'" Ma Hongjun said after a moment's thought.
He noticed the strange look from the staff but didn't think much of it.
"The registration fee is ten Gold Soul Coins."
The staff engraved the name "Spirit Emperor" on their badges, handed them back, and looked at them expressionlessly.
"Staring at me like that? Alright."
Ma Hongjun glanced at Oscar. Oscar, momentarily stunned, then reluctantly pulled out ten Gold Soul Coins.
"We have to win."
He looked at Ma Hongjun with teary eyes. "Otherwise, this money's gone for good."
Do you know how many sausages I'd have to sell to make that back?!