Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

"The opponent has been identified. It is a young soul master team that has recently gained fame in the local area, called the Shrek Seven Devils."

"The Shrek Seven Devils?" Yu Feng curled his lip.

"The name sounds impressive."

Oslo also looked up, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

Snow White put down her book and came over.

Ning Rongrong followed closely behind her like a little tail, curiously peeking at the documents on the coffee table.

Yu Tianheng was the first to pick up the brief information and start reading, and Dugu Yan also leaned over to take a look.

Chapter 337 Qin Ming's Obsession

The information on the paper was very simple, only the team name, the martial spirits and levels of the seven members.

After reading it, Yu Tianheng didn't even flinch before handing the information to Dugu Yan beside him.

Dugu Yan glanced at it, a hint of indifference flashing in her emerald eyes, and casually placed it on the table.

This level of strength might be enough to dominate Soto City, but in the eyes of their Heavenly Fighting Team... it's really not enough.

Taking advantage of her small size and quick movements, Ning Rongrong snatched the paper from Dugu Yan's hand and began to scan it rapidly.

She only glanced at it, but her pretty little face scrunched up as if she had seen something unbelievable.

"teacher!"

Ning Rongrong looked up, her voice filled with surprise and dissatisfaction, and she waved the paper in her hand.

"Did you get the wrong team information? Or did the Arena make a mistake? How could the Soto City Grand Arena assign us an opponent of this level!"

She pointed to the data on the paper, her voice quick and urgent: "Teacher, look! There are several team members who are only level 30! The highest level is only 39 Soul Master, then there are two level 36, one level 35... This, this gap is too big!"

Ning Rongrong didn't mean to look down on people; she genuinely didn't understand.

At the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, a soul power level of 35 is barely enough to qualify for the first team's training camp, so one can only start as a substitute like her.

But in this Shrek Seven Devils team, level 35 is considered one of the higher-level members?

How can we fight like this? The strength is completely unequal! On the Tian Dou team, apart from her being a level 31 substitute due to special circumstances, the lowest level among the others, Ye Lingling, is level 35. Moreover, Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia is a top-tier healing martial soul with an irreplaceable role, while Rapunzel is a martial soul with comprehensive support, control, and attack capabilities.

Not to mention Yu Tianheng at level 39, Dugu Yan at level 38, the Shimo and Shimo brothers at levels 38 and 37, Yufeng Aosro at level 36, and... the captain Snow White whose strength cannot be simply measured by level.

This was a completely unequal match.

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming's face instantly darkened.

He looked at Ning Rongrong with a stern gaze, clearly showing his displeasure.

"Rongrong!" Qin Ming's voice was a few decibels lower than usual, carrying an undeniable seriousness.

"Never underestimate any opponent, especially this Shrek Seven Devils!"

He walked to the coffee table, picked up the piece of paper, and scanned the names on it. His tone carried an almost obsessive certainty: "Their strength far exceeds the levels shown on this paper! Each and every one of them is a true monster! They are among the most outstanding geniuses I have ever seen of their age!"

The living room fell silent instantly after those words were spoken.

Everyone looked at Qin Ming in surprise.

Normally, although Qin Ming was strict with training, he was calm and composed, and always spoke and acted with great discretion. He had never shown his emotions so openly before, much less praised a team that looked... ordinary.

Ning Rongrong shrank back, startled by his stern tone, and hid behind Snow White, muttering softly, "But... but data is data..."

"Data?" Qin Ming seemed to be provoked by this word. He turned to Ning Rongrong, then looked around at the team members whose faces were more or less puzzled, and his voice suddenly rose.

"What can the data prove? Does it prove that Dai Mubai, as the captain, with his level 39 White Tiger Martial Soul, has a domineering and fierce fighting style, and his ability to launch direct attacks is rarely matched among his peers?"

"Can the data prove that Tang San, whose martial soul is merely the weak Blue Silver Grass, has reached level 36 soul power, possesses unpredictable control skills and combat wisdom, and can even challenge opponents of higher levels?"

"Can the data demonstrate just how fast Zhu Zhuqing's Netherworld Cat Martial Soul is, and how precise her timing for the assassination was?"

"Can the data explain the effects of Oscar's food-type martial soul, and what key role does the unique sausage play in the team?"

"And there's Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix, a top-tier mutated martial soul! Cindy's movements are agile, combining support and control! Lin An's Miracle Veil has an extremely unique ability to control the battlefield!"

Qin Ming became more and more excited as he spoke, and his face even flushed slightly, as if he were showing off his most precious treasure.

"You simply don't understand! What kind of environment did they grow up in! They didn't have the best resources, nor the most comfortable training grounds, but they had the most tenacious will, the purest desire to win, and teachers who knew best how to tap into their potential!"

"They are a group of monsters who have struggled out of the mud! Their combat experience has been accumulated in countless life-and-death battles! Their tacit understanding has been honed in countless failures and sweat! Their level may not be as high as yours, but I dare say that in terms of actual combat ability and resilience in adversity, they are no less than any of you!"

Qin Ming waved his arms, his tone resolute: "This battle will definitely not be an easy one for you! It will be tough, and you may even taste the bitterness of defeat that you haven't experienced in a long time! But it is precisely this kind of opponent that will allow you to truly see your shortcomings and break through that invisible layer of arrogance on your bodies!"

The living room was completely silent.

Everyone was stunned, staring blankly at Qin Ming, who was acting out of character and full of passion.

A faint hint of surprise flashed in Snow White's clear eyes. She glanced at the thin piece of paper in Qin Ming's hand, then at Qin Ming's face, which was flushed with excitement. Her delicate brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan exchanged a glance, both seeing deep confusion and... a hint of absurdity in each other's eyes.

The graphite and stone mill brothers gaped, their honest faces clearly saying, "What is Teacher Qin saying?"

Yu Feng picked at his ear and whispered to Oslow, "Old Oslow, did I hear that right? What's wrong with Teacher Qin?"

Oslo's lips twitched, but he didn't answer. However, the meaning in his eyes was clear: he also felt that Qin Ming was acting strangely today.

Ye Lingling raised her cool eyes, glanced at Qin Ming, then lowered her head again to continue reading her book, as if she hadn't heard anything.

Ning Rongrong peeked half her head out from behind Snow White's back, looking at the excited Qin Ming. The grievances she had felt were long gone, replaced by disbelief and... a little bit of sympathy.

Teacher Qin... could he have encountered some kind of trauma in Soto City? Or is it that one of the Shrek Seven Devils is a long-lost relative of his?

Inside the room, the members of Team Tiandou all had the same thought popping into their minds at that moment:

Why does their usually professional, composed, and reliable teacher, Qin Ming, seem... a little off his mind today?

It's like they're possessed.

Chapter 338 Showing Mercy

The almost frozen silence in the living room lasted for a while before being broken by a soft chuckle.

It is Dugu Yan.

She leaned back on the sofa armrest, her emerald green eyes unmistakably conveying the message, "You've lost your mind," and a mocking smile curled at the corners of her lips.

"Teacher Qin." Her voice was languid, with a serpentine, icy quality.

"I know you want to inspire our fighting spirit and remind us to stay humble and not be complacent. But... fabricating an overly powerful opponent might backfire."

She extended a slender finger and tapped the paper on the coffee table: "No matter how bad the data is, it's still an objective fact. You've been exaggerating their abilities, but the soul power levels on this paper don't lie. Several team members are only at level 30, which means they might not even be able to use three soul skills proficiently. Such a weakness is a fatal weakness in team battles."

Although Yu Tianheng did not speak, his tightly pursed lips and slightly furrowed brows clearly expressed a similar disapproval.

He didn't directly refute the teacher out of respect.

Yu Feng turned to Oslo and muttered, "Oh no, was Teacher Qin drugged in Soto City? Or is Shrek Academy run by one of his relatives?"

Oslo's eye twitched, but he didn't reply, though his disdain was quite obvious.

The graphite and stone mill brothers looked at each other, their honest faces filled with bewilderment.

They felt that Teacher Qin was right and that they shouldn't underestimate their opponents, but they also felt that Dugu Yan was right, given the difference in their skill levels.

Ye Lingling remained silent, as if all the arguments around her had nothing to do with her.

Rapunt had her head down, her long golden hair falling down and obscuring half of her face, making it impossible to see her expression.

Ning Rongrong looked at Qin Ming's face, which was slightly flushed with excitement, and then at the obvious distrust on the faces of the team members around her. Her sympathy turned into a little embarrassment.

She tugged at Snow White's sleeve and whispered, "Sister Snow, Teacher Qin seems... really serious."

Snow White gently patted her hand to comfort her, then raised her clear, icy eyes to look at Qin Ming.

Her voice was calm, yet it possessed a power that could instantly draw everyone's attention: "Teacher Qin, we are not questioning your judgment. It's just that what you've said differs greatly from the facts we're currently observing. Could you tell us why you say this?"

Qin Ming was momentarily stunned.

He didn't really have a deep understanding of the Shrek Seven Devils; he just trusted the academy that had trained him and Dean Flander's abilities.

Therefore, he had complete trust in his younger schoolmates.

Faced with the questioning, dismissive, or disbelieving gazes of Snow White and her friends, Qin Ming opened his mouth, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something.

His impassioned pronouncements about "monsters," "potential," and "combat experience" seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the cold, hard level data on paper.

He couldn't even provide any specific examples to support his point of view, because he hadn't actually witnessed the Shrek Seven Devils fighting. His statement was merely based on speculation about their martial souls and information he'd gathered from others.

Qin Ming's face flushed slightly, a kind of embarrassment at being exposed in public and lacking confidence.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the embarrassment and a hint of annoyance at being misunderstood, and tried to justify himself with a dry voice:

"I just want you to understand that in a battle between Soul Masters, level is not everything. Don't underestimate your opponent just because you have an advantage on paper; that's a major taboo in battle."

These words sound grand and impressive, but they are empty and meaningless.

Snow White nodded, her expression calm, revealing neither belief nor disbelief.

Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan and the others nodded in agreement, but the disapproval in their eyes did not disappear. They simply refrained from further rebuttal due to their teacher-student relationship.

A subtle, somewhat awkward atmosphere filled the living room.

Seeing the seemingly compliant but actually distant reactions of his team members, Qin Ming felt even worse.

He hesitated for a moment, his fingers unconsciously tightening their grip on the match schedule, as if he had made up his mind or was driven by some emotion. He spoke again, his voice lower than before, but with a more obvious, almost pleading tone:

"And... in this battle of spirits, regardless of the outcome, I hope you... can show mercy."

He paused, seemingly feeling it wasn't clear enough, and added:

"Don't use lethal force, don't cripple your opponent. Focus on friendly sparring, understand?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the living room fell into an even more complete silence than before.

Everyone was stunned, turning to look at Qin Ming with disbelief in their eyes.

Even Rapunzel, who had been sitting quietly in the corner as if isolated from the world, looked up, and her amber eyes, which always carried a gentle and distant air, clearly reflected confusion.

Teacher Qin is acting really strange today.

The arena of battle is a place where everyone fights for victory.