Without giving them too much time to "reminisce," the referee stepped between the two teams and announced loudly, "Prepare for the match. You may release your Martial Souls. Shrek Academy vs. Star Luo Imperial Academy. Get ready."
As the referee's voice fell, both sides released their martial souls.
Two yellow and two purple soul rings rose around Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun, respectively. The soul power fluctuations radiating from Dai Weisi were already approaching the Soul King level; his rank was at 49, identical to Tang San's. While Zhu Zhuyun was slightly weaker, her rank was a terrifying 47. Behind them, their five teammates also released their martial souls, revealing a uniform optimal configuration of two yellow and two purple rings. The Star Luo Imperial Academy was a powerful force, composed entirely of Soul Ancestors.
However, Tang San wasn't overly concerned. Even knowing from Dai Mubai that the opponents likely possessed a Spirit Fusion Skill, he felt no fear, given his own strength.
The Clear Sky Hammer suddenly appeared in Tang San's left hand as three purple and one black soul ring slowly rose around him. This shocking configuration instantly stunned Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun. They hadn't been present for the first round and were completely unaware of Tang San's twin martial souls, let alone his unheard-of ring ratio.
Dai Weisi's expression turned grave. 'Is this a soul ring configuration a Soul Ancestor should even have?' he thought.
The shock didn't end there, as Shrek Academy boasted five other Soul Ancestors alongside Tang San. Zhu Zhuyun looked at Zhu Zhuqing in disbelief. "No, this is impossible. You were only in the Rank 20s when you left home. How could you have broken through Rank 40 in just two years?"
Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun had noticed Shrek before, but subconsciously, they had never viewed their younger siblings as threats. Given the age gap and similar talent, how could the younger pair ever catch up? Even knowing Shrek was the second seed from the Heaven Dou division hadn't changed their minds. As a seeded team, they believed their only real opponent was the Spirit Hall Academy.
But now that Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing had truly displayed strength above Rank 40, shock was replaced by murderous intent. With such a massive age difference, the gap in strength was closing far too fast. If given more time, the outcome of their future struggle would be uncertain.
Dai Mubai met Dai Weisi's gaze coldly, clearly reading the intent within. In terms of raw talent, Dai Mubai was slightly stronger—his natural heterochromia had marked him as a target for attention since childhood, which was why he was a rival to Dai Weisi in the first place.
At this moment, even before the fight began, Dai Mubai felt incredibly refreshed. Growing up, every time Dai Weisi looked at him, his eyes were filled with disdain and contempt. But now, he saw gravity and a flicker of fear. He had earned this with his "own" strength.
"Match start!" With the referee's command, the battle finally began.
Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer and his terrifying ring configuration made him Dai Weisi's primary focus. Though both were Rank 49, the gap in soul rings was too vast. Unlike the original records, Dai Weisi didn't waste time trying to toy with Dai Mubai; he went all out from the start.
The figures of Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun suddenly blurred and merged. A terrifying surge of soul power erupted as four yellow and four purple rings rose into the sky, settling around their combined form. As the light faded, a Hell White Tiger, five meters long and three meters high, appeared. Its aura had reached the level of a high-tier Soul King.
This was their Spirit Fusion Skill. Facing the Clear Sky Hammer and Tang San's frightening rings, they held nothing back, determined to eliminate any possibility of failure.
As the Hell White Tiger launched its assault, Dai Mubai instinctively looked toward Zhu Zhuqing. However, she wasn't looking at him. Her gaze was locked onto an opponent from Star Luo as she blurred into a black shadow and dashed out. Dai Mubai steeled his heart and charged toward a Soul Ancestor with an Expanded Water Buffalo martial soul.
The tiger was left to Tang San.
"Little San, Stimulating Pink Sausage!" Oscar used his fourth skill and threw a sausage to Tang San. It boosted all attributes by 10%. After consuming it, Tang San swung his hammer, two of his four rings lighting up instantly as he clashed head-on with the Hell White Tiger. Ma Hongjun, Tai Long, and Meng Yiran also locked onto their respective targets.
The tiger quickly realized Tang San's terror. Even with their full power, they couldn't immediately overwhelm him. Relying on the strength of the Clear Sky Hammer and his rings, Tang San held the tiger at a stalemate alone.
Realizing this, the Hell White Tiger let out a peculiar roar and spat out a beam of light to repel Tang San before charging again. Tang San sneered, beginning to accumulate momentum for the Disorderly Splitting Wind Hammer Technique.
However, just as the tiger was about to reach him, a Mirror Portal abruptly appeared between them. The tiger plunged right in. Tang San, paused in his hammer technique, shouted, "Everyone, watch out!"
Before his voice even died down, Tai Long was sent flying. Tang San looked over and saw the Hell White Tiger vanishing back into a Mirror Portal behind Tai Long.
Watching from below, Gu Xuan was impressed. The Star Luo soul master's Mirror Portal skill was somewhat similar to his own Spatial Portal, allowing for spatial travel, though its range was far more limited. Still, it was a powerful tactical tool.
"Damn it!" Tang San roared, chasing the tiger with his hammer. Purple light swirled in his eyes as he tried to predict the next target. A portal opened behind Zhu Zhuqing, and Tang San threw his hammer according to his intuition.
But the tiger didn't appear there. Instead, it emerged behind Ma Hongjun in the sky. Two portals had opened simultaneously—one on the ground and one in the air! Due to his line of sight, Tang San had noticed the ground one first, and by the time he looked up, it was too late. Ma Hongjun was busy raining fire on his opponents when the tiger struck from behind, sending him spiraling away. He coughed up blood and fell unconscious before hitting the ground.
A full-power strike from a high-tier Soul King-level fusion skill was not something a low-level Soul Ancestor like Ma Hongjun could withstand.
Tang San's eyes turned red with rage. He stopped chasing the tiger and locked onto the soul master using the portals, Li Jun. Reclaiming his hammer, he charged at the source. If he took out the portal-maker, the tiger would lose its mobility.
"Group up! Defend!" Tang San barked to the others. If they stayed scattered, they would be picked off.
Zhu Zhuqing and Meng Yiran rushed toward Dai Mubai. Oscar used a Flying Mushroom Sausage to hover and evade while frantically producing more sausages. He knew that if Tang San handled the portals, Shrek's ability to take the fight to the air would win them the match.
However, Li Jun didn't even try to dodge. Two female support soul masters behind him poured all their soul power into him and the tiger. Then, just as Tang San arrived, those two support soul masters jumped off the stage themselves. Tang San felt a bad premonition.
He used the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to accelerate. As his hammer fell toward Li Jun, a purple mirror surface suddenly appeared in front of him. Tang San instinctively activated his third skill, assuming the tiger was appearing.
But the tiger didn't come. The hammer shattered the mirror and sent Li Jun flying, but the mirror had absorbed most of the impact. Backed by the previous soul power and defense boosts, Li Jun wasn't seriously hurt. He wore a smile as he flew—the smile of a man whose plan had succeeded.
"Spread out!" Tang San realized too late, shouting at Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Meng Yiran.
A portal opened above the trio, and the Hell White Tiger descended like a mountain. Dai Mubai looked up, startled, and instinctively retreated several steps to escape the impact zone. 'I want to defeat Dai Weisi, but I don't want to die!' he thought.
Zhu Zhuqing, seeing this, felt a final surge of disappointment. No, she felt nothing at all; she had long since given up on him. She erupted with soul power, her four rings lighting up in sequence as she charged toward the tiger. When hope is gone, only desperation remains. She only wanted to rely on herself.
Her figure looked tiny before the falling tiger. She was instantly engulfed. At that moment, a hammer appeared—Tang San had thrown it the second he yelled at them. Even with the hammer's aid, Zhu Zhuqing was sent flying toward the edge of the stage, coughing up blood from the heavy impact.
Dai Mubai, having dodged, roared, "Zhuqing!" He unleashed his fourth skill, White Tiger Meteor Shower, at the tiger. With the hammer and Zhu Zhuqing having slowed the beast, he finally had an opening to strike.
Gu Xuan was enjoying the match; the Star Luo team was truly putting up a fight. Suddenly, Zhu Zhuqing's body was thrown from the stage, hurtling straight toward him.
Before he could react, she landed directly in his arms. Gu Xuan caught her, feeling a bit stunned. 'A gift from nature?' he thought.
Zhu Zhuqing coughed up more blood, staining his chest. Beside him, Ye Lingling looked on in disbelief. 'Is this just more fodder for this lecherous guy? With that terrifying "D-will" of hers, there's no way Gu Xuan will refuse,' she thought. After being with him so long, she knew that while he didn't go looking for trouble, he never turned down a "gift" that landed in his lap.
Zhu Zhuqing blinked her eyes open, realizing she hadn't hit the hard ground but was held against a familiar, firm chest. She saw Gu Xuan's face. It felt like a dream—one she had seen many times before. 'Is this the afterlife? Am I dead? I worked so hard, but I still couldn't escape my fate...'
'If this is a dream before death, I should at least say it. No one will know...'
"Brother Gu... I... like..."
Her voice was tiny, so faint that Gu Xuan could only see her lips moving. He quickly pulled a pill from his soul tool and popped it into her mouth.
"...You... mgh—"
"Lingling, heal her," Gu Xuan said to the girl beside him.
Ye Lingling immediately released her martial soul. The pale pink Nine-Hearted Begonia appeared with five rings—two yellow, two purple, and one black. A surge of holy healing light enveloped Zhu Zhuqing, and her injuries began to knit back together at a visible speed.
(End of Chapter)
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