Oscar's spirit perked up as soon as the words left his mouth. He immediately used "Deep Gaze" on Dai Mubai. "Brother Dai, we're both Soul Grandmasters of level thirty-something now. Do you still remember that promise we made back at the Shrek Academy?"
Dai Mubai: "..."
Goosebumps erupted on his arms as he shivered and rubbed them. "Alright, alright, I get it. I haven't forgotten about teaming up with you like I said before."
"Brother Dai, from today onwards, I am your exclusive support!" Oscar spread his arms towards Dai Mubai, intending to embrace him— ah, never mind. His thigh was resting on the ground, making it a bit cramped for a hug. A big hug would be fine.
"Ew! Xiao'ao, be normal!"
Oscar's attempted hug was unsuccessful because Dai Mubai held him off with his outstretched hands.
Two-on-two soul duels had no level restrictions; instead, matches were made based on the combat soul badge's point tiers. Therefore, it was possible to match with opponents of higher levels, with a maximum difference of ten levels. If the difference in soul power between teammates exceeded ten levels, the team would automatically be matched according to the higher soul power level.
"Sui Sui, how about we team up for a two-on-two soul duel?" Seeing that one support had found a partner, Xiao Wu immediately turned to Tang Sui, who was sitting beside her.
Tang Sui's eyes curved into crescents. "Then Sister Xiao Wu will have to protect me!"
Xiao Wu instantly felt a sense of responsibility fall upon her shoulders. She tilted her chin slightly upwards towards Tang San and declared heartily, "Of course!"
See? The most reliable one is still me, your big sister!
Tang San, who had also intended to team up with Tang Sui, was a step too late. Seeing Xiao Wu's smug expression now, the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Rong Rong, how about you team up with me?"
The second support had also been snatched away. Ma Hongjun immediately looked at Ning Rongrong with a nervous expression, his eyes pleadingly fixed on her, filled with longing. "I promise I absolutely won't let any enemies get within half a step of you!"
Ning Rongrong blinked her eyes, then shifted her position to be closer to Zhu Zhuqing, who was beside her. She intimately linked her arm with Zhu Zhuqing's, a sly smile gracing her fair and delicate face. "Sister Ba, let's team up, you and me~"
"Alright," Zhu Zhuqing nodded calmly.
Having gone through the sparring session sorted by age earlier under the Master's instruction, they had jokingly called each other "Second," "Third," and "Fourth" according to their combat order at first. As time passed, the relationship between the eight of them had grown much closer, and they were willing to address each other as siblings according to their age ranking.
Rejected, Ma Hongjun's spirit deflated. He drooped his head and ambled over to Tang San, patting him on the shoulder first as a gesture of comfort. "Don't be sad, Xiao San. We're both left behind, so your brother will definitely stick with you and not leave."
Tang San: "..."
Laughter erupted. The initially somewhat tense atmosphere in the room was lightened by Ma Hongjun's antics, making the mood even more harmonious.
The Master watched these children with a slightly stiff smile on his lips. After they had all chuckled, he cleared his throat and took out eight silver masks with special effects from his soul guiding artifact bracelet. "Each of you gets one of these masks to wear during the soul duels. At the same time, try to speak as little as possible on stage so your opponents don't find out your ages."
The silver masks held in the Master's hand were a design they were all familiar with— the Shrek's Monster insignia.
All eight masks were identical, with no difference in appearance or attractiveness.
After everyone had received a mask, the Master continued, "Besides that, I've also come up with a nickname for each of you. From now on, you will announce your nicknames when you fight and absolutely do not reveal your real names."
"Nicknames?" Oscar's ears perked up. Tang Sui also stopped fiddling with the mask in her hand and stared curiously.
The Master nodded. "Dai Mubai's nickname will be his original spirit, Evil-Eyed White Tiger. Yours will remain Sausage Vendor. As for Xiao San, I think Thousand-Hand Silver Grass would be a good choice."
As soon as Tang San's nickname was announced, Xiao Wu was the first to raise an objection. "Master, that name is too tacky! Can we change it?"
The Master choked slightly and looked at Xiao Wu. "Then you tell me, what name do you think is suitable?"
He knew he had no talent for naming and decided to pass the ball back to the protagonists.
Upon hearing this, Oscar glanced at Tang Sui, who was sitting obediently beside Xiao Wu, and then at Tang San, who looked indulgent. An idea flashed in his mind. "How about we call him Thousand-Hand Asura!"
As soon as the name was uttered, Dai Mubai nodded without hesitation. "I approve. Xiao San usually seems calm and collected, but if you push him past his limit, he's like... a different person."
As he said the last few words, Dai Mubai's expression turned somewhat strange.
"This name is good, I have no objections!"
The others also heartily agreed with Dai Mubai's assessment.
Tang Sui, who had been subtly glanced at: 0v0
The Master also felt that Dai Mubai's reasoning was sound.
"Then it's Thousand-Hand Asura."
Tang San's nickname was settled. Next up was Tang Sui.
"As for Sui Sui..."
"Jade-Faced Hundred Faces."
---
Author's Note
Heh, Mo Li saw yesterday's comments too. Wow, one cute little friend's analysis was exactly what Mo Li was thinking! And Jade-Faced Hundred Faces' skin is really cool. Woohoo!
P.S.: The detailed rules of the Grand Soul Arena weren't mentioned, so I've elaborated on them here. Don't overanalyze, any discrepancies are personal settings!