Chapter 185: Battle Against the Xingluo Royal Academy
The first round of the grand finals concluded peacefully. The thirty teams that competed all showcased the strength worthy of so-called elite spirit masters.
Soon it was time for the second round, where Shrek Academy's opponent turned out to be a team from the Xingluo Empire—a team that wasn't particularly strong.
The highlight of the match came when Tang San revealed his new power as a Soul King, displaying his fifth spirit ring—a ten-thousand-year ring on his Blue Silver Grass.
The skill was a control-type ability, again following Yu Xiaogang's advice: his previous fourth skill, Blue Silver Prison, had now become his fifth.
With the release of his fifth skill, Tang San immobilized all seven opponents at once, turning them into helpless targets.
He showed no mercy—his attacks were mercilessly heavy, leaving all seven members of the opposing team gravely injured and drawing strong disapproval from several academies.
But Tang San ignored them, fighting with clear disregard. During the match, he even turned his gaze toward Luo Ling, as if issuing a challenge.
What happened next surprised everyone: the Heaven Dou Royal Academy and the Xingluo Royal Academy—both of the empire's seeded teams—were matched against each other in the second round.
A duel of the highest level between the two imperial academies!
This meant one of the seeded teams would be eliminated in this very round, a result that would bring shame to whichever empire suffered it.
Both sides took the matchup very seriously.
On the Xingluo Empire's side, the mood turned grim when they reviewed the opponent's information.
Davis's gaze locked onto a single name—Luo Ling, Soul King, Martial Soul: Scythe.
Beneath it was an image of Luo Ling—a silver-haired, red-eyed man of flawless appearance, more striking than Davis himself.
He couldn't help recalling their previous encounter two years ago at Shrek Academy in Soto City—a fight that had ended in his own humiliating defeat.
At that time, Luo Ling had only been a Soul Ancestor. Now he was already a Soul King.
"Davis…" Zhu Zhuyun reached for his hand, sensing his unease.
She, too, had been present for that battle back in Soto City. She knew how powerful Luo Ling was.
"Even if he's a Soul King, we can still win. Don't forget—we have our Martial Soul Fusion Technique," Zhu Zhuyun said, encouragingly.
Her words lit a spark of courage in Davis's heart.
If even his woman wasn't afraid, what reason did he have to be?
So what if Luo Ling was a Soul King?
After all, this was only a competition—at worst, he'd be scolded for losing.
Besides, Dai Mubai was dead, and Zhu Zhuqing had joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
That left the imperial throne of Xingluo his for the taking.
With that thought, the shadow clouding his mind lifted.
"Zhuyun, let that arrogant boy witness our true power!" Davis gripped her hand firmly.
Together, they stepped onto the tournament stage.
Across from them, the seven members of Heaven Dou Royal Academy walked up to the opposite side.
When Davis's eyes met Luo Ling's, a cold gleam flashed in them.
The clash of two empire-seeded teams instantly captured the full attention of everyone present.
"Long time no see," Luo Ling greeted casually as he stepped forward.
Dugu Yan and the others exchanged surprised glances—none had expected Luo Ling and Davis to know each other.
"The last time we met was in Soto City, two years ago," Luo Ling said with a faint smile. "You couldn't withstand a single strike from me. I wonder—have you improved since then?"
His calm voice carried clearly across the arena, plunging the entire stadium into silence.
"Two years ago, you couldn't withstand one strike…"
The crowd went wide-eyed, the air thick with anticipation. Clearly there was a hidden history between the two team captains.
Davis froze, his face paling. Several seconds later, his cheeks flushed crimson with rage.
"Sharp-tongued brat! Two years ago, I only lost because I underestimated you! Don't get cocky!" he roared, releasing his Evil-Eyed White Tiger spirit. His body morphed into a beastlike form, savage and powerful.
"Is that so? Good. It would be boring if I defeated you with a single strike again," Luo Ling replied calmly, his smile never fading.
That smile ignited Davis's fury. He wanted nothing more than to tear Luo Ling apart.
Seeing the tension explode, the referee hurriedly shouted, "Match begin!"—and then immediately leapt off the stage to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
The instant the command was given, every participant activated their spirit.
On the Xingluo side, six members bore two yellow and two purple spirit rings each—Soul Sects, among the strongest of the tournament.
Their lineup was impressive, but the moment Luo Ling's fifth black spirit ring appeared, it dwarfed all others.
A Soul King—the first to appear in the entire finals.
The crowd erupted into noise.
The gap between Soul King and Soul Sect, between ten-thousand-year and thousand-year rings, was like heaven and earth.
As Luo Ling's five rings glowed, the Death Scythe materialized in his hand.
A surge of sinister energy swept across the platform, and everyone watching felt a chill run through them.
"Come—show me how much you've improved," Luo Ling said softly, his black scythe resting lightly at his side.
Davis gritted his teeth and leapt forward.
With a roar, the White Tiger lunged—its claws gleaming with cold light as it slashed furiously.
Davis's spirit rings lit up one after another. When his third ring shone, his body bulked up even more, enveloped in blinding light.
The White Tiger opened its jaws, gathering a glaring orb of power in its mouth before blasting it toward Luo Ling as a blazing wave.
Luo Ling merely glanced at it, swinging his scythe casually.
Dark energy surged like a tide, colliding head-on with the white beam.
Before the stunned eyes of every spectator, the powerful attack was cleaved cleanly in two, then devoured entirely by the wave of darkness, vanishing without a trace—only leaving behind faint sparks of light.
Davis's pupils contracted sharply. That had been his strongest technique short of his fourth skill, yet Luo Ling had effortlessly destroyed it—without even activating a single spirit ring.
Indeed, Luo Ling hadn't used any skill. Although his rings were ethereal, he had merely used the third ability of his Ghost Scythe—and not even at full strength.
Given his now nearly fused martial spirits, Davis's attacks were far too weak to matter.
Luo Ling's spirit power reached the level of a Soul Emperor, his energy fluctuations nearing those of a Contra, and his spiritual force rivaled a Titled Douluo's.
To Luo Ling, Davis was little more than a child swinging his fists.
"If that's all you've got, there's no need to continue," Luo Ling said calmly, glancing at him. "Now then—didn't your Xingluo Empire's royal heirs have a Martial Soul Fusion? Show me how strong it really is."
(END CHAPTER)
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