Today, the Seven Treasure Academy received a bye, meaning they had no matches. The remaining fourteen teams were paired up, totaling seven matches for the day.
Perhaps because this timeline differed from the original, the Shrek Academy was pitted against the Blazing Academy in the very first round. However, their clash was scheduled as the final match of the day.
The first six matches were exciting, but Gu Xuan, sitting in the Seven Treasure Academy's rest area, was looking forward to Tang San's appearance. After a month of separation, Tang San's soul power felt more condensed, and his demeanor had become noticeably more confident—bordering on arrogant.
This was a clear sign that he had successfully attached soul rings to his second Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer. What Gu Xuan didn't know yet was whether any of those four rings had reached the ten-thousand-year level.
The Promotion Competition had no elimination system; it was a test of individual endurance and strength, with final rankings determined by total wins.
After the morning sessions concluded, Gu Xuan visited the Shrek Academy camp. The Shrek students were already quite familiar with him and welcomed him warmly. This was especially true after they learned of the ten-thousand-year torso bone and the Soul-Restoring Pill Gu Xuan had "sponsored" for Tang San. The others were green with envy. Even Flender, Zhao Wuji, and Liu Erlong—experts approaching the Soul Douluo rank—did not possess a single soul bone themselves.
Meng Shu, acting as Shrek's honorary consultant, was present alongside his wife, the Serpent Woman Chao Tianxiang, primarily to support their granddaughter, Meng Yiran.
"Junior Gu Xuan greets Senior Dragon Duke, Senior Serpent Woman, and Dean Flender..." Gu Xuan bowed slightly to the Shrek leadership.
Meng Shu was extremely satisfied with Gu Xuan. Since Tang San was his grandson-in-law, helping Tang San was equivalent to helping him. Although it was a trade, in their eyes, Gu Xuan must have invested a fortune out of genuine friendship.
"Young friend Gu Xuan, no need for such formalities," Meng Shu said with a hearty laugh. "You are Xiao San's friend, so I'll take the liberty of calling you Xiao Xuan."
"It is my honor, Senior."
After the pleasantries, Gu Xuan entered Shrek's main tent. Tang San personally brewed a cup of tea for him.
"Big Brother Gu, thank you for the soul bone and the pill. Otherwise, I really might have exploded trying to absorb that final ten-thousand-year ring," Tang San said sincerely.
Gu Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Xiao San, you're saying you actually absorbed a ten-thousand-year ring?"
Tang San nodded with a smile. He saw no reason to hide it from Gu Xuan, especially since it would be exposed in the arena soon anyway. "Yes. My Clear Sky Hammer now has four rings: three thousand-year rings and one ten-thousand-year ring. My soul power has jumped from Rank 42 to Rank 49 because of it."
Gu Xuan was inwardly startled. Four rings resulting in a seven-rank jump—Tang San's luck was indeed formidable. However, he noticed that Tang San's foundation was slightly unstable due to the rapid ascent. He hadn't had enough time to consolidate such a massive burst of power.
Still, a Rank 49 cultivator with a four-ring Clear Sky Hammer (including a ten-thousand-year ring) was a force to be reckoned with. Even against an average Soul King, Tang San now had a fighting chance. Only a genius like Feng Xiaotian could truly challenge him now.
"Congratulations, Xiao San. It won't be long before you hit the Rank 50 bottleneck," Gu Xuan said with a warm, sincere smile.
Tang San smiled back. He might not be Gu Xuan's match yet, but he felt an absolute surge of confidence regarding Feng Xiaotian. They were both Rank 49, but his hammer's lowest ring was 5,000 years old. What did Feng Xiaotian have to fight him with? In a one-on-one duel, Tang San was confident he could take first place in this competition.
Gu Xuan's smile faded slightly as he cautioned him. "But Xiao San, remember not to aim too high too fast. Your power rose too quickly; you need time to stabilize. If you neglect your foundation, you could suffer ruptured meridians or even a total body collapse later on."
Tang San felt a warmth in his heart. 'He truly cares,' he thought. "I understand, Big Brother Gu."
The afternoon came quickly. Shrek's first fighter was not Tang San, but Dai Mubai. Since they had already revealed their Soul Ancestor status in the qualifiers, Flender decided to use these matches as training for the students.
Yu Xiaogang had already departed for Spirit City earlier than in the original timeline to seek answers about twin marital souls. Before leaving, he had set a general strategy, but the specific order of appearance was left to Tang San as part of his training.
Blazing Academy's first fighter was their captain, Huo Wushuang—Huo Wu's brother. He was a Rank 43 Power Attack Type Soul Ancestor with the One-Horned Fire Dragon Martial Soul.
Dai Mubai and Huo Wushuang took the stage and released their souls.
"Dai Mubai, Martial Soul: White Tiger. Rank 42 Power Attack Type Soul Ancestor."
"Huo Wushuang, Martial Soul: One-Horned Fire Dragon. Rank 43 Power Attack Type Soul Ancestor."
"Match start!" the referee shouted.
The two collided instantly. It was a brutal, close-quarters slugfest—the hallmark of the Power Attack Type. Without the boost from immortal herbs in this timeline, Dai Mubai found himself struggling. Despite his passion and ambition, he was being steadily suppressed by Huo Wushuang.
Hatred and frustration boiled within Dai Mubai. 'Why?' he thought bitterly. 'Why am I inferior to Huo Wushuang? He's only one rank higher. Why don't I have twin marital souls? Tang San had trash grass, yet now he has the world's number one tool martial soul, and he's already Rank 49. I'm the captain, yet he takes all the glory.'
'I'm a Prince of Star Luo, yet Gu Xuan treats me like I'm invisible, brushing me off with polite smiles. And why does he keep looking at Zhu Zhuqing like that?'
Fuelled by agitation, Dai Mubai began consuming his soul power recklessly.
"Dai Mubai, let's end this!" Huo Wushuang shouted. His purple fourth ring lit up, and his arms transformed into burning dragon heads. "Fourth Soul Skill: Fire Dragon Fist!"
"Fourth Soul Skill: White Tiger Meteor Shower!" Dai Mubai roared in response.
The two skills collided. While Dai Mubai's attack had a wider range, it lacked the concentrated piercing power of Wushuang's strike. In the end, Huo Wushuang stood victorious. Dai Mubai collapsed into a coma from total soul power exhaustion and significant injuries. He would likely be unable to fight for several days.
Tang San frowned. Dai Mubai's impulsive behavior had disrupted his tactical plan. Shrek was now down one of its key Soul Ancestor combatants.
'It doesn't matter,' Tang San thought, his hand tightening. 'I will settle this myself.'
(End of Chapter)
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