Chapter 332: Each at Their Own Pace

Nine battles, nine victories. In the initial rounds, they relied on their skills, overcoming targeted strategies to defeat their opponents one after the other. In the later rounds, the secret assistance of the Aetherhorn Deer Demon King helped them.

The Aetherhorn Deer Demon King had already made it clear to them that in the tenth match, they would face an opponent against whom they were not supposed to be able to win, and even the arena master himself could not show any favoritism.

The appearance of a human team striving for ten consecutive victories alarmed the Great Beast Fighting Arena Headquarters, which was based in the Ancestral Court. Let alone for humans, even when a demon team was due for the tenth match, it had to be reported to the headquarters, and personnel from the headquarters would supervise the match to ensure no favoritism or fraud occurred.

Therefore, the tenth match would be an absolutely fair fight. The only thing they could reveal was the identity of their opponent for the tenth match.

Undoubtedly, this would not be an easy opponent for the Shrek Squad to defeat. The Aetherhorn Deer Demon King even secretly advised them not to participate in this match because their chances of winning were too low.

If they wanted to go to the Ancestral Court, the Aetherhorn Deer Demon King could think of other ways, such as having the Shrek Squad disguise themselves as demons. He could also prepare the necessary identification and whatever else was necessary for them to travel unimpeded.

But this proposal was rejected by the Shrek Squad.

Disguising themselves might allow them to enter the Ancestral Court, but could they participate in the auction? This plan involved too many inconveniences. Moreover, if they were discovered, they would all die, simple as that.

What kind of place was the Ancestral Court? Not to mention other major figures, actual Demon Emperors lived there! If a top expert of that level so much as took a glance at them, not even the best disguise could save them.

Tang San and his team were not going there for sightseeing but to acquire resources. They needed a perfectly legitimate identity and status to get what they wanted. Therefore, they had to win the tenth match no matter what.

With that said, the Shrek Squad did not set a specific time for it. They needed more preparation.

***

Golden Valley.

The Golden Tree emitted an increasingly rich aura of life. It grew more and more every day; the dry branches planted by Tang San had turned into a beautiful tree over five meters tall now, with a lush canopy that brimmed with life energy. This was due to the Spirit Summoning Array, but it also had much to do with the tree itself.

The stronger the Golden Tree's life energy, the more spiritual energy of heaven and earth it could absorb. The array allowed it to gather spiritual energy faster, but it had nothing to do with the rate of absorption; this was entirely dependent on the tree itself.

Although this valley in the Kali Mountain Range was not the most fertile place, it depended on what it was compared to. The life energy within these mountains was comparable to the Star Dou Forest, the most life-rich area in Tang San's previous life on the Douluo Continent. Moreover, there weren't many powerful demonic beasts in the Kali Mountain Range to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Thus, the vast mountain range had an almost endless supply of this rich spiritual energy, which was fundamental to the Golden Tree's evolution.

Its growth was now just a matter of time, and it was going rather well.

Under the Golden Tree, the five members of the Shrek Squad and the Crimson Fox girls were all cultivating. As they were immersed in the rich life aura, their overall lifeforce continuously improved, which allowed their bloodlines to be constantly purified and their bloodline power to grow.

Although the Shrek Squad could not achieve another qualitative leap in a short time, they could still feel their progress with each day of cultivation.

Du Bai, who had reached the sixth order and now had the three-tailed Celestial Fox manifestation, was quite content and wanted for nothing else. Before Tang San arrived, even the fourth order of the Celestial Fox Transformation seemed unattainable to him. But now, he was already at the sixth order, and he was still young! He wasn't even sixteen yet. To have a three-tailed Celestial Fox form at such a young age was something that even geniuses in the Celestial Fox Clan would find remarkable.

Du Bai didn't have extravagant hopes of advancing to a higher order, and back in the day, he would’ve been more than pleased with his cultivation right now. The sixth order of the Celestial Fox Transformation undoubtedly made him a highly valued member of the Redemption Society.

However, right now, he believed in his Little Tang! His dependence on Tang San only grew stronger by the day, and a major factor of this was precisely his higher cultivation—thanks to the Celestial Fox Vision, he was increasingly aware that having Tang San around was crucial to boosting his own fortune. As long as he followed Tang San, he would have no problem cultivating, as proven by the three breakthroughs he had already experienced. Therefore, among the Shrek Squad, he had the greatest confidence in Tang San.

After Wu Bingji re-cultivated back to the eighth order, he trained even more diligently. Several life-and-death struggles had given him new insights into both combat and his cultivation. The Ice Nymph bloodline within him had reached a new level of purity, and his understanding of the ice element was becoming increasingly profound. He had indeed begun to grasp the essence of ice.

The eldest brother now had genuine confidence in reaching godhood, unlike before, when he didn't even dare to think about it.

Cheng Zicheng had also made significant progress. Due to the setbacks she had been facing, she had realized her main issue. Even though she had a second-tier golden bloodline, her human body had a critical weakness: it was simply not tough enough, preventing her from fully utilizing her bloodline power.

Therefore, her training now focused on tempering her body. She didn't strive to break through to the eighth order prematurely but instead aimed to stabilize her cultivation at the seventh order while improving her own physique.

The life energy provided by the Golden Tree and the natural treasures within Golden Valley were the perfect resources for her training. Tang San formulated a complete regimen for her, detailing which treasure plants to use when she soaked in medicinal baths, what to eat, how to temper her body, and so forth. Tang San had ample experience in these areas.

Although Cheng Zicheng hadn't advanced much in her cultivation level recently, she could feel her body becoming much tougher than before. This allowed her bloodline power to integrate better with her physique, and she genuinely started to master the Golden Roc Transformation.

In contrast to her, Gu Li's recent training focused more on the spiritual aspect, and he made sure to consume natural treasures that enhanced spiritual power.

Having broken through to the seventh order, his control over time became more precise, and his abilities improved in terms of both range and effect. Naturally, the foundation for this improvement was his increased spiritual power. Tang San also clearly told him that if he wanted to continue advancing, his spiritual power needed to reach the peak of the ninth order as soon as possible. This would effectively stimulate his bloodline power, speeding up the progression of the Chrono Croc Transformation. He also needed to start genuinely comprehending the essence of time, and this was also reliant on his spiritual power.

Through continuous combat and Tang San's guidance, the Shrek Squad improved by leaps and bounds.

Training in Golden Valley was different from training at the Redemption Academy. There were other teachers and students at the academy, so Tang San couldn't guide them too closely without exposing his own abilities. Here, it was different. Zhang Haoxuan was busy comprehending the mysteries of the Teleportation Array every day. Even if he came to Golden Valley, he was focused on that and didn't interfere with Tang San.

Moreover, the resources here were abundant. Under the guidance of Tang San, who knew how to choose, how to combine, and when to consume each particular herb and fruit, the effects of these natural treasures were displayed to the fullest.

Barely two months had passed since they started the team battles, yet the individual strength of the Shrek Squad members had experienced a huge leap, and so had their teamwork.