"In the first match of the first round of the Promotion Competition, Blazing Academy wins! Blazing Academy earns one point, and Huo Wushuang earns one point!"
Tai Long stepped forward to carry the unconscious Dai Mubai back, handing him over to Shao Xin for treatment. Tang San looked at Huo Wushuang with a hint of eagerness, but in the end, he did not take the stage yet.
The next person to represent Shrek Academy was Meng Yiran. As Tang San's girlfriend, he naturally wanted to give her the best opportunities. Although Huo Wushuang still had combat strength left, his soul power consumption was significant. Even if Meng Yiran was not his match, she wouldn't be easily injured. Furthermore, Huo Wushuang's strength would provide the perfect level of tempering and refinement for her. Everything was calculated within Tang San's mind.
Meng Yiran took the stage, her simple school uniform outlining her perfect figure as she held her long, sturdy Serpent Staff. Her soul power was at Rank 41, and her soul ring configuration was the optimal two yellow and two purple. The Serpent Staff was a high-level Martial Soul, making her quite formidable.
Soon, under the referee's announcement, Meng Yiran clashed with Huo Wushuang. While tool soul masters typically lacked the explosive power of beast soul masters, they excelled in endurance. Utilizing the lethal poison of her Serpent Staff and her varied, sharp offensive methods, she actually fought Huo Wushuang to a standstill for a time.
However, Huo Wushuang's Martial Soul was not just a beast martial soul; it also possessed the explosive fire element, which acted as a natural counter to Meng Yiran. Eventually, the two settled for a draw and left the stage, earning one point each. This performance surprised even Tang San. After all, Meng Yiran was two ranks lower than Huo Wushuang and faced elemental suppression; managing a double-dropout was a testament to her strength.
Shrek Academy's next fighter was Tai Long, a Rank 38 Power Attack Type Soul Elder who followed a path of pure strength. Without elemental suppression, Tai Long rarely met his match at the same rank. Unfortunately, Blazing Academy's next participant was a flight-capable soul master named Huo Yu, possessing the high-level Fire Crane Martial Soul at Rank 39.
'I'm being countered,' was Tai Long's first thought. But there was nothing he could do; the order of appearance was set. In the end, Tai Long predictably lost, while Huo Yu's soul power remained largely unspent.
Seeing the gloating Huo Yu, the fatty Ma Hongjun took the field. When the little tubby stepped up, Huo Yu's expression shifted. "How can he still fight? Wasn't he heavily injured by Skywater Academy?"
Indeed, Huo Yu was quite afraid of Ma Hongjun. Firstly, Ma Hongjun's Martial Soul was the Evil Fire Phoenix. Even if it wasn't a pureblood phoenix, its grade was still far above his Fire Crane. Moreover, Ma Hongjun was a Soul Ancestor. Even though he was only Rank 41—just two ranks higher—the gap of an entire thousand-year soul ring wasn't something two ranks could bridge. Ma Hongjun's phoenix fire was terrifying; even fire-attribute soul masters found it difficult to defend against. That evil fire was truly troublesome. Most importantly, this kid tended to go berserk; one wrong move and Huo Yu might lose his life.
The referee, however, cared for none of that. He had already warned Ma Hongjun not to intentionally maim opponents, or he would be expelled, and Shrek Academy would be disqualified. At the referee's command, Ma Hongjun moved. His first three rings lit up, his arms transformed into wings, and he soared into the sky, a thick line of phoenix fire surging from his mouth toward Huo Yu.
Huo Yu refused to back down and possessed his Martial soul, unleashing several soul skills in succession to tangle with Ma Hongjun. Both were flight-type soul masters of the fire attribute, and their clash provided a visual feast for the other academies. However, Ma Hongjun ultimately possessed one more soul ring. In the end, Ma Hongjun won, and Huo Yu fled the stage after exhausting a large portion of Ma Hongjun's soul power to ensure his own future combat effectiveness. He fled directly rather than conceding because if he had waited a few seconds longer, he might not have had the chance to surrender at all.
After Ma Hongjun's victory, Blazing Academy's third fighter was Huo Yun. Huo Yun and Huo Yu were twins; both possessed the Fire Crane soul and were at Rank 39. While Ma Hongjun had the extra ring and high explosive power, his stamina was lacking. Finally, Ma Hongjun and Huo Yun ended in a draw, the second of the match.
To this point, both sides had fielded four soul masters, and their points were equal.
The match continued. Shrek Academy's next fighter was Tang San, while Blazing Academy sent up a Rank 38 Soul Elder with a Fire Leopard Martial Soul.
Tang San looked at the Fire Leopard Soul Elder with indifference. If he were still Rank 42, he might have been wary of the fire element counter, but now his soul power was at Rank 49. The elemental disadvantage had been rendered irrelevant by the massive gap in soul power. Even without using the Clear Sky Hammer, Tang San was confident he could handle this Soul Elder.
Sure enough, after the referee announced the start, Tang San released his Martial Soul. "Tang San, Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass, Rank 49 Control Type Soul Ancestor!"
Hearing this introduction, everyone from the various academies and the VIP stands was dumbstruck! Rank 49? You were only Rank 42 during the qualifiers! Only a month has passed, and you're already Rank 49?
At this moment, even Emperor Xue Ye looked on in disbelief. Platinum Bishop Salas of Spirit Hall was equally puzzled; it seemed this young man, whom he hadn't noticed, was quite extraordinary. Only Ning Fengzhi wore a smile, as Gu Xuan had explained the situation when he came to get the soul bone. Ning Fengzhi now knew Tang San's true identity.
Seeing the confusion of the Emperor and the Bishop, Ning Fengzhi spoke plainly, "I wonder if Your Majesty has heard of Twin Martial Souls?"
Upon hearing this, the eyes of both Xue Ye and Salas snapped toward Tang San in shock. Xue Ye asked, "Clan Master Ning, are you saying Tang San has Twin Martial Souls?"
Ning Fengzhi nodded. "His second Martial Soul is the Clear Sky Hammer."
Hearing this, Salas's gaze became piercing, as if trying to see through Tang San in a single glance. Noticing the Bishop's reaction, Ning Fengzhi smiled. "Tang San's father is the man who once shook the world, the Clear Sky Douluo—and the youngest Titled Douluo—Tang Hao."
These words caused a massive tremor in Salas's heart. He quickly suppressed his reaction to hide the anomaly, but his mind was already racing, thinking about how to report this to Pope Bibi Dong.
While everyone was in shock, Tang San didn't slow down. He quickly dealt with the Fire Leopard Soul Elder. Although fire countered his grass, the soul power gap was too large. Tang San's consumption was minimal. After his victory, he stared intensely at Huo Wu; she was the real opponent he wanted to challenge.
In the qualifiers, Huo Wu's strength had been displayed vividly. Tang San wanted to see if he could defeat her without using the Clear Sky Hammer, given he was now three ranks higher than her.
As if responding to his gaze—or perhaps because Blazing Academy had already planned their order—the next person to step up was indeed Huo Wu. Tang San and Huo Wu faced off naturally. On the stage, Huo Wu swayed, and a faint orange-red shadow gradually appeared behind her, identical to her own figure. The blurred Fire Shadow felt illusory; this was her Martial Soul. It was a fire-attribute shadow, a very special martial soul that could maximize the power of the fire element.
"Huo Wu, Martial Soul: Fire Shadow, Rank 46 Control Type Soul Ancestor." Huo Wu's voice rang out. Even knowing Tang San was Rank 49, she showed no sign of wavering.
Tang San was slightly surprised. 'She broke through another rank?' Still, he was three ranks higher. He released his Blue Silver Grass, four rings—two yellow and two purple—spiraling around him as the dark purple grass swayed.
With both martial souls released, the referee's voice boomed, "Match start!"
(End of Chapter)
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