Chapter 286: The Clear Sky Hammer Appears A Stalemate
"I acknowledge your close combat skills."
After widening the distance, Feng Xiaotian looked at Tang San with newfound respect. For a control type soul master to fight him head on to this extent was enough to make many assault type soul masters feel ashamed.
But Tang San's expression wasn't as pleasant.
If this had been before, he could have solidified his advantage using that last exchange just one follow up attack and a strike with the Clear Sky Hammer would have brought his plan to fruition.
Now, however, there were too many uncertainties. Feng Xiaotian was unlikely to engage in another direct clash, and once Tang San's two Flying Mushroom Sausages wore off, his odds of victory would drop below forty percent.
He glanced at his hands, still wrapped in Blue Silver Grass, and a flicker of hatred flashed in his eyes.
It was all Zhu Zhuqing's fault. His Mysterious Jade Hand had been destroyed before it had fully matured, and it still hadn't recovered. In fact, to ensure proper healing, he didn't even dare use it.
Otherwise, with his previous training progress, those five small wind blades earlier wouldn't have been a problem he could have blocked them outright.
"Come on, let's continue."
Annoying, but I have to keep smiling. That was Tang San's current mindset.
His original plan had already lost effectiveness when his first ambush failed. Now, all he could do was rely on the information he had gathered about Feng Xiaotian to engage in psychological warfare.
If that didn't work either, he would have to wait for the individual battles in the finals to make his move.
Feng Xiaotian gave him a deep look before glancing toward his teammates. After receiving their encouraging nods, he turned back to Tang San and smiled.
"Tang San, you're stronger than I expected a worthy opponent deserving of my full strength. Originally, I intended to save this move for the finals, but since I've encountered someone as formidable as you, now is as good a time as any."
"Next, I'll be attacking you with my self created soul skill. Let everyone know that self created soul skills aren't exclusive to you."
"I call this move Gale Demon Wolf Thirty Six Consecutive Slashes. You'd better be careful."
Another self created soul skill?
The audience, still caught up in discussing Tang San's exceptional melee combat skills, erupted into even greater excitement.
This year's Spirit Master Tournament was truly filled with fierce clashes though oddly enough, soul masters with dragon or tiger martial souls weren't living up to expectations.
He also has a self created soul skill?
Tang San was both surprised and pleased.
Surprised because this was the first time he had encountered a peer who also possessed a self created soul skill.
Pleased because, by announcing it aloud, Feng Xiaotian had effectively confirmed he would engage Tang San in a direct battle. That meant there was still an opportunity for him.
Gale Demon Wolf Thirty Six Consecutive Slashes just from the name, Tang San could tell it was different from Huo Wu's Flame Dance Radiant Sun.
He refused to believe that any self created soul skill from his peers could surpass the absolute techniques of the Tang Sect.
"Come then."
Tang San exhaled deeply, his gaze fixed on Feng Xiaotian.
Feng Xiaotian's lips moved slightly, but he didn't speak further. This guy is so rude I'm giving him such a grand introduction, and he doesn't even return the gesture? Fine, I'll let my attacks do the talking.
His second soul ring briefly flickered as the phantom of the Twin Headed Gale Wolf merged into his body.
Double Wolf Possession. His state was now at its peak.
A long howl erupted from Feng Xiaotian's throat, his aura surging as the cyan light surrounding him intensified. By then, he had already ascended high into the air.
Howl!
Another resonant cry echoed as Feng Xiaotian's body abruptly began descending.
Strangely, despite his massive wingspan, his fall was completely silent. The cyan glow around him became subdued, internalized rather than outwardly radiating.
At this moment, his body and wings formed a perfect aerodynamic angle, completely negating wind resistance. Only a wind attribute soul master like him could understand how to navigate the air so flawlessly.
Tang San's brows furrowed slightly, a faint violet light flickering in his eyes.
Through his Purple Demon Eyes, he could see the razor sharp edges of Feng Xiaotian's wings glinting ominously in the sunlight.
Clearly, Gale Demon Wolf Thirty Six Consecutive Slashes relied on those wings.
His third soul ring lit up faintly Spider Web Restraint.
Before direct contact, he had to test the waters.
Feng Xiaotian, still mid air, noticed Tang San's move but didn't dodge. Instead, he tilted his body slightly. Just before the Blue Silver Grass webbing could reach him, his wings met the strands first.
Light flickered across his wings, and the Blue Silver Grass shattered.
Without even the slightest pause, Tang San's third soul skill was instantly sliced apart and left behind in the air.
Tang San's pupils contracted.
Absolutely no resistance.
He immediately abandoned his previous plan.
His left hand subtly moved behind his back.
"First Slash."
Feng Xiaotian had already positioned himself directly above Tang San. The moment he spoke, his wings merged into his arms, transforming into two massive blades that gleamed with a cyan glow as they slashed downward with full force, seemingly aiming to split Tang San in two.
Clang! A metallic clash echoed across the arena.
Tang San's right leg shifted backward as his body bent low. In his left hand, a black hammer emerged, rising from below to meet Feng Xiaotian's attack head on.
Feng Xiaotian was sent flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His gaze fell upon the black hammer now firmly grasped in Tang San's left hand.
Tang San wasn't unscathed either. His body skidded far across the arena floor, and a thin trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.
The impact he had suffered was actually greater than Feng Xiaotian's, but by sliding back, he had managed to dissipate much of the force. More importantly, he remembered what Tang Hao had told him he was watching. Tang Hao wouldn't allow him to appear weak. Gritting his teeth, Tang San forcibly swallowed the blood threatening to spill from his lips.
"Good… very good! Tang San, I never expected you to be hiding a second martial soul. This just makes defeating you even more exciting!"
Feng Xiaotian's arms trembled slightly, his wings reappearing behind him as he let out a hearty laugh.
He had instantly recognized that the black hammer in Tang San's left hand was his martial soul, confirming him as a twin martial soul wielder. However, he failed to recognize it as the Clear Sky Hammer it simply looked vaguely familiar to him.
That wasn't entirely his fault. The Clear Sky Hammer wasn't particularly striking in appearance, and after so many years of obscurity, it was no surprise that he didn't immediately recognize it.
But just because he didn't recognize it didn't mean others didn't.
While most of the audience was still in shock over Tang San revealing a second martial soul, a select few were no longer able to remain seated.
"Twin martial souls? The Clear Sky Hammer?"
The most visibly shaken was Emperor Xue Ye. The moment the camera feed zoomed in on Tang San's hammer, he immediately turned to the three education committee members behind him.
Seeing their equally stunned expressions, his gaze slowly shifted to the side.
Similarly, Salas, seated beside the three education committee members, dared not speak. Instead, his eyes locked onto Han Li.
No, more accurately, everyone in the stands had their eyes fixed on Han Li, eager to see how he would react.
The appearance of the Clear Sky Hammer meant that the Clear Sky Sect once forced into seclusion by Spirit Hall had once again stepped into the public eye.
Yet Han Li remained as composed as ever, a faint smile on his lips. His gaze swept across their faces before he calmly spoke.
"Hmm, the Clear Sky Hammer. Let's just continue watching the match."
The reaction was unexpected.
The stands fell into a bizarre silence, forming a stark contrast with the roaring excitement of the arena.
Salas took a step forward but was forced back into his seat with just a glance from Han Li. Emperor Xue Ye parted his lips as if to speak, but in the end, he said nothing, redirecting his gaze toward the arena instead.
Ning Fengzhi ignored Yu Yuanzhen's attempts to exchange glances and lowered his head slightly. However, beneath his composed exterior, his eyes gleamed sharply.
He hadn't expected Tang Hao to allow Tang San to reveal the Clear Sky Hammer at this moment. Even stranger was Han Li's reaction his indifference was unusual. Salas' response, on the other hand, was completely within expectations.
For the self proclaimed wise and calculating Ning Fengzhi, the situation was becoming harder to read.
Meanwhile, on the arena floor, Feng Xiaotian wasted no time after his exclamation, immediately launching another attack.
The strength of his opponent only fueled his excitement further defeating such an opponent would make his own strength undeniable.
Although this time he lacked the high altitude momentum from his first strike, that initial attack had already injured Tang San. In this situation, hesitating for the sake of a perfect execution would only give his opponent time to recover, which went against his attack philosophy.
So, he increased his speed.
Abandoning his previous wing slashes, Feng Xiaotian dove down in a direct assault. Once again, he was sent flying by Tang San's hammer, but unlike before, he didn't stop his assault. Instead, he twisted mid air, using the force of the hammer's impact to reposition himself before swiftly slashing down with his left wing.
Tang San was also struggling.
He wanted to swallow the last Flying Mushroom Sausage Oscar had prepared for him, but under Feng Xiaotian's relentless storm of attacks, he found no opportunity to do so.
He attempted to evade using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, but unlike the wind blades from earlier, Feng Xiaotian's wings were direct extensions of his arms. They were far more flexible than mere projectiles, and Feng Xiaotian himself was faster than Tang San.
Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was powerful, but at its core, it was a footwork technique for dodging and weaving it wasn't teleportation.
He didn't dare take the risk of being struck to see if his body could withstand the impact.
Thus, Tang San had no choice but to brace himself.
Using his Purple Demon Eyes to track Feng Xiaotian's movements, he countered with the Clear Sky Hammer, aiming his strikes at the same location repeatedly. His goal was to force Feng Xiaotian to abandon his continuous slashes to make him reach his limit before Tang San did.
The battle entered a brief stalemate.
(End of Chapter)
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