Douluo: Ma Hongjun The Ancestor Phoenix!

Soto Grand Fighting Arena — Front Desk

"What do you mean there are no available fights? That makes no sense!"

Flander leaned heavily on the counter, practically pushing his head through the narrow service window. His eyes bulged, and he was nearly spitting with frustration.

"This is a major fighting arena! Since when does a major arena not have matches available?!"

The receptionist, visibly flustered, looked at Flander with a helpless expression as she flipped through the forms in her hand one by one.

"Sir, it's not that our Grand Spirit Arena isn't good enough. But please understand—we don't have a single Gold Spirit Fighting Team under level 30."

"What nonsense is that? Gold Fighting Spirit?"

Flander snatched the documents, ready to scold her, but suddenly froze. He stared at the staff in confusion.

"Are you sure you're not mistaken? My students are, at most, Silver-level. Realistically, there should be plenty of Iron and Bronze-level teams out there. At most, Silver. Right?"

He turned to glance at the boys and girls waiting nearby, a look of satisfaction flickering in his eyes.

In just twenty days, the group—Dai Mubai with the highest spirit power, Zhu Zhuqing with the lowest, and even Ning Rongrong—had undergone noticeable changes.

Their youthful immaturity had completely faded, replaced by calm confidence and growing composure.

Everyone except Gu Yuena.

The stunning silver-haired girl remained a mystery to him. She hadn't changed at all in twenty days—not her expression, not even her posture.

Normally, Flander would never allow someone so mysterious to enter the academy… but seeing the way she occasionally glanced at her disciple, he couldn't help but smile smugly.

"So, it must be a mistake. Check again, carefully."

He turned back to the receptionist with a calmer tone.

The staff member sighed in relief as Flander backed off. Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he began flipping through the paperwork again, this time with a half-apologetic smile.

"Honestly, sir… when's the last time you watched your students fight?"

Flander coughed awkwardly. "Ahem... What does that have to do with matchmaking?"

He had visited a few times, but usually just to place bets or adjust odds. He rarely paid attention to the actual battles.

"It has everything to do with it. You really don't know? Your seven students have become incredibly famous here!"

The receptionist's voice rose in excitement.

"No exaggeration—they're this year's strongest newcomers!"

"What?!"

Flander's eyes widened. "That's a bit much, isn't it?"

He had always known the kids were talented—especially after Gu Yuena took over their training. But strongest newcomers!

"Not exaggerating at all!!"

The receptionist suddenly stood up, pulled a stack of files from a drawer, and slammed them down in front of Flander with a dramatic thud, making him jump.

"Just look!"

He pointed to the files one by one.

"Evil-Eyed White Tiger, 41 matches, 32 wins. Silver Fighting Spirit Badge."

"Soft-Boned Demon Rabbit, 27 matches, 22 wins. Silver Fighting Spirit Badge!"

"Netherworld Spirit Cat, 27 matches, 21 wins. Silver Fighting Spirit Badge!"

"Sausage Specialist—only in duo fights, 17 matches, 15 wins. Silver Fighting Spirit Badge!"

"And Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—only participated in 17 duo matches, won 16. Silver Fighting Spirit Badge!"

The receptionist spread out the reports excitedly and then held up the last two sheets with shining eyes.

"But these two—these two are the real monsters!"

"Divine Phoenix, 29 matches, 29 wins. Gold Fighting Spirit Badge!"

"Silver Dragon, 29 matches, 29 wins. Gold Fighting Spirit Badge!"

His voice trembled with emotion.

"From the start, they've never lost a single match—solo or duo. They earned Gold Badges in just twenty days. I've never seen anything like it in my entire life!"

And it wasn't just hype. The revenue those two brought in over twenty days nearly exceeded half a year's profits for the entire arena.

As the coordinator in charge of Divine Phoenix, the receptionist himself had received a big raise and extra benefits.

Crowds flooded the arena just to witness their fights.

Eventually, even the top brass took notice. A special directive was issued: Whenever those two appear, they must fight on the main stage—and they'll receive an additional 20 gold spirit coins per appearance!

Even though a certain young lady's influence played a part, their personal value was undeniable.

"Holy crap..."

Flanders was stunned and couldn't help but swear.

He stared at the group in disbelief—especially the red-haired boy and silver-haired girl who were sitting quietly with their eyes closed.

No way. Twenty-nine consecutive wins?

"So you see," the receptionist finally sat down, letting out a long sigh, "it's not that we don't want to arrange matches for you. But there's simply no team out there made up of Spirit Masters with Silver Badges—and two Gold ones on top of that."

"This is..."

Flander clicked his tongue and scratched his head.

Truth be told, he couldn't be more satisfied with how well his students had performed. But he'd just finished bragging. If he took them back now, he'd lose all face as the dean.

Sigh... Sometimes, students being too amazing is its own kind of headache.

On a nearby sofa…

"What's the dean doing? Why isn't he over here yet?"

Dai Mubai leaned lazily against the cushions, glancing at Flander still scratching his head across the room.

"Who knows?" Oscar replied, chewing on free snacks with teary eyes. "All I care about is how much the dean earned this month."

"Hahaha! Serves you right!" Dai Mubai laughed. "You just had to place bets—and not only that, you bet against Fatty! Are you dumb?"

Oscar glared, looking completely defeated.

"No seriously, can you really blame me?"

He flung his snack aside. "The guy was a level 39 Spirit Master, a power-type attacker! Even you weren't confident. So how is it wrong that I bet Fatty would lose? How was I supposed to know he'd turn out to be a total freak?!"

Because of Divine Phoenix's insane popularity, the betting odds were sky-high. Oscar had hoped to get rich quick by betting on an upset.

"My savings! They're gone!!"

He wailed in despair. The thought of losing nearly all his money made him cry even louder.

"You deserve it!" Ning Rongrong laughed, covering her mouth. "That's what you get for not trusting your teammates! Hahah!!"

The others joined in, the area soon filled with cheerful laughter.

Just then, a snide voice cut through the fun:

"Are there really people that stupid?"