Entering the arena, Yan's expression turned grave as he stared at Xiao Wu.
"Release your martial souls. The match is about to begin."
The referee gave Yan an encouraging look and announced loudly.
"Flame Lord, possess!"
With a thunderous roar, flames erupted, and a towering molten shadow flashed briefly. Five soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black—shone brightly around his body. In an instant, the red-haired youth Yan transformed into a lava monster with molten rock coursing over his body.
Sensing the formidable aura emanating from her opponent, Xiao Wu furrowed her delicate brows, her expression growing serious.
The match began.
"Second soul skill, Charm!"
True to her usual tactics, the moment the match started, Xiao Wu's second soul ring lit up. A flash of pink light burst from her eyes, and just like that, Yan—a Soul King with a soul power level not far below hers—was immediately immobilized.
Without hesitation, Xiao Wu darted forward, closing the distance of several dozen meters in the blink of an eye. Channeling her soul power into her right leg, she delivered a powerful kick that sent Yan flying out of the arena.
"What?!"
Bibi Dong, seated at the main seat in front of the Pope's Hall, couldn't help but narrow her pupils in shock.
It was one thing for Xiao Wu to instantly defeat two Ancestors earlier with her second soul skill—a mental control ability—but Bibi Dong had never expected that even Yan, a Level 52 Soul King, would fall so easily to this attack.
After all, Xiao Wu wasn't a spirit-type soul master but rather a close-combat power-type soul master. Her spiritual power shouldn't have been significantly stronger than others at her level.
"Could it be that this little girl possesses a head-type soul bone?"
Bibi Dong thought to herself.
The most plausible explanation for a power-type soul master having such overwhelming spiritual power was that they had fused a rare head-type soul bone.
Of course, as the Pope of the Spirit Hall, a mere head-type soul bone didn't hold much value for Bibi Dong. She harbored no thoughts of killing Xiao Wu to claim it—she was merely surprised.
"Lan Ba Academy's Xiao Wu wins! Please send Tian Dou Imperial Academy's sixth participant onto the field."
The referee, a red-robed bishop of the Spirit Hall, grimaced as one of the "Golden Generation" geniuses of the Spirit Hall team was brutally defeated in seconds.
"Go, Tang San! You can do it!"
In the resting area of the Tian Dou Imperial Academy, the members of Tian Dou Imperial Academy cheered on Tang San, who was set to appear last.
Though Lan Ba Academy also represented the Tian Dou Empire in the tournament, if possible, Tian Dou Imperial Academy didn't want to lose to them. After all, the official academy of the empire—and supposedly the strongest academy—had its pride to uphold.
"Mm, leave it to me."
Tang San nodded calmly.
He could see that Xiao Wu, who had just defeated a Soul King from the Spirit Hall team, was the strongest opponent he had ever faced.
However, if Xiao Wu relied solely on her mental control soul skill, then her performance would end here.
Because his almighty father had given him three soul bones of extraordinary age, and the most valuable among them was none other than a rare head-type soul bone!
Thanks to these three high-grade soul bones, Tang San had reached the Soul King level at just 14 years old.
With the assistance of the head-type soul bone, combined with the Purple Extreme Demon Eye he had cultivated since childhood, Tang San was confident that his spiritual power wouldn't fall short against Xiao Wu from Lan Ba Academy.
"The match begins!"
At the referee's command, the match commenced.
This time, Xiao Wu didn't follow her usual routine. Instead, she lightly tapped her toes and darted forward at incredible speed.
Before entering the arena, Chu Chengzhou had warned her: there were two opponents against whom she shouldn't use her mental-type soul skills.
One was the seductive woman from the Spirit Hall team, and the other was Tang San from Tian Dou Imperial Academy.
Mental-type soul skills were effective when her spiritual power surpassed her opponent's, allowing her to dominate without question.
But if her opponent's spiritual power exceeded hers, using mental techniques would be useless—and if the gap was too large, it could backfire painfully.
Hu Liena was a spirit-type soul master with naturally strong spiritual power. Coupled with what appeared to be a 60,000-year-old spirit-concentrating wisdom skull bone, Chu Chengzhou estimated her spiritual power rivaled that of an ordinary Level 70 soul master.
As for Tang San, you could doubt his character, but you couldn't doubt his spiritual power—it far surpassed others at his level.
Aside from the eternal cheat code he used, known as Eternal Thought, the only well-known method for cultivating spiritual power on the continent was the Purple Extreme Demon Eye Tang San brought from another world.
Chu Chengzhou, who hadn't practiced it, couldn't say exactly how advanced the Purple Extreme Demon Eye was. But based on his system's classification of cultivation techniques, it was at least Black-Tier, and most likely Red-Tier.
Though Tang San's current Eternal Thought was also a Red-Tier spiritual technique, he had been practicing it since childhood. Meanwhile, Xiao Wu had only started practicing it a year ago, previously relying on lower-tier and less effective methods.
In terms of spiritual power, even without a head-type soul bone, Tang San, a Level 52 Soul King, surpassed Xiao Wu.
"First soul skill, Bind!"
Facing Xiao Wu's charge, Tang San remained calm. His first soul ring lit up, and dense Blue Silver vines surged forward like agile snakes, sweeping toward Xiao Wu.
Tang San's signature move: Motherly Bind!
Xiao Wu lightly tapped her feet, employing her supreme movement art. Like a forest sprite, she gracefully weaved through gaps, evading the dense "Blue Silver Snakes."
Seeing Xiao Wu's remarkable agility and realizing she was closing in, Tang San's pupils contracted. His third soul ring lit up as he activated his third soul skill.
However, this soul skill wasn't aimed at Xiao Wu—it was aimed at himself.
In an instant, dense Blue Silver vines shot skyward, intertwining to form a vine cage that shielded Tang San inside.
During the preliminaries and advancement rounds, Xiao Wu had appeared frequently, and Tang San, as Tian Dou Imperial Academy's vice-captain, had familiarized himself with her abilities.
From the available intelligence, Xiao Wu was a close-combat power-type soul master with excellent fighting skills but lacked other effective means of attack. With the protection of his third soul skill, Blue Silver Prison, Tang San was confident that as long as the cage held, Xiao Wu couldn't harm him.
Indeed, Xiao Wu was unable to break through the resilient Blue Silver cage.
The tough Blue Silver vines were vulnerable to fire and sharp blades. However, Xiao Wu, who specialized in hand-to-hand combat and possessed some mental techniques, found herself at a loss.
Her waist-bow technique? Useless.
Charm? Chu Chengzhou had warned her that Tang San's spiritual power was stronger than hers—she dared not use it.
Invincible Golden Body? That was a defensive skill.
Flexible Bone Lock? A control-type soul skill, but ineffective against the vine cage's defenses.
However… though she couldn't break the resilient Blue Silver cage, who said defeating Tang San required breaking it?
Her third soul ring lit up, activating her teleportation skill. A faint spatial ripple spread, and Xiao Wu's figure vanished from her original position.
The moment Xiao Wu disappeared, Tang San, without hesitation, immediately commanded the surrounding Blue Silver vines to protect his sides.
Unfortunately, he was still too late.
By the time Xiao Wu's figure vanished from sight, she had already teleported to her desired position.
Tang San felt a massive force slam into his lower back, sending him flying into the air.
Teleporting behind Tang San, Xiao Wu delivered a knee strike that sent him airborne. A smile appeared on her face.
With her opponent in the air, it was time for Xiao Wu to showcase her signature move.
Well, considering they were both competitors representing the Tian Dou Empire, she decided against using her ultimate sixteen-step throw combo. An ordinary eight-step throw would suffice.
Lightly tapping her toes, Xiao Wu leapt into the air, chasing after the airborne Tang San.
But just as she prepared to execute her technique, countless Blue Silver vines pierced toward her like dense wooden spears.
Though caught off guard by the knee strike, Tang San wasn't stunned. His soul power circulation remained unaffected. Though unsure of Xiao Wu's next move, one thing was certain—he couldn't let her succeed.
The dense Blue Silver vines lashed out, forcing Xiao Wu to abandon her attack and switch to defense. After all, even with a soul master's physical body and protective soul power, they couldn't withstand the piercing force of the royal Blue Silver vines.
"Fourth soul skill, Invincible Golden Body!"
As the dense vines approached, Xiao Wu's expression remained unchanged. Her fourth soul ring lit up, and a brilliant golden glow enveloped her, making her resemble a war goddess descended from the heavens.
Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Wu closed in on Tang San and delivered a powerful elbow strike to his abdomen.
Bang—
A collision sound echoed as a tremendous force struck Tang San. Veins bulged on his forehead, his eyes bulged, and he crashed to the ground faster than he had flown, creating a loud impact.
Ding-ding-ding
At the same time, the dense Blue Silver vines struck Xiao Wu's body, producing a series of metallic clinks.
However, even if a Titled Douluo were present, they couldn't kill Xiao Wu while she was under the effects of Invincible Golden Body. Naturally, mere Blue Silver vines couldn't pierce through her defenses.
Moreover, after the barrage of piercing attacks, Tang San, who had been jolted by Xiao Wu's elbow strike and then slammed into a daze, temporarily lost control of the Blue Silver vines. He was left momentarily defenseless, and even the original Blue Silver cage collapsed into limp vines on the ground.
Taking advantage of this, Xiao Wu charged forward. Twisting her body mid-air, she hooked Tang San's neck with her ankles and activated her waist-bow soul skill.
Boom—
Tang San, hooked by the neck like a giant pendulum, flew upward from the ground before crashing down again with tremendous force, causing the entire square in front of the Pope's Hall to tremble.
Boom-boom-boom!
Eight consecutive thunderous impacts echoed as Xiao Wu finally released Tang San, whose bones felt as though they were about to scatter.
It must be said—the Spirit Hall's financial resources were indeed substantial. The tiles of the square in front of the Pope's Hall were incredibly durable, showing no signs of damage, remaining smooth and clean without kicking up clouds of dust.
Precisely because of this, this violent scene was clearly visible to all the spectators.
Good grief, was this rabbit-eared girl really this brutal?
Three seconds later, seeing that Tang San, who had been slammed into a daze, hadn't risen, the referee raised his voice to announce: "Lan Ba Academy's Xiao Wu—"
"Wait! I haven't lost yet!"
At this moment, Tang San, lying on the ground with a bruised and battered face, raised his arm and slowly stood up.
"—the match continues!"
Glancing at Tang San, whose legs were trembling, the referee shrugged and announced the continuation of the match.
"Hey, Tang San, are you sure you want to keep fighting?"
After a brief hesitation, Xiao Wu called out to Tang San.
"I was careless earlier and didn't dodge. From now on, I'll get serious!"
Tang San, bruised and battered, spoke with a solemn expression.
A dazzling blue light, brimming with life energy, suddenly flared from his right leg. In an instant, all the injuries inflicted by Xiao Wu's eight-step throw healed, and his previously bruised and swollen face quickly returned to its handsome state.
One of the two soul bone skills of the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone: Wildfire Cannot Destroy the Grass, It Grows Again With the Spring Wind.
"A healing-type soul bone skill?"
Xiao Wu raised her eyebrows, somewhat astonished.
Healing-type soul masters were rare among soul masters, and so were healing-type soul beasts. Combined with the low drop rate of soul bones, very few soul masters on the continent possessed healing soul bones. It was unexpected that Tang San had one.
"Soul Bone Skill, Earth's Protection!"
As Xiao Wu was still marveling, a yellowish soul power glow flared from Tang San's left arm. As soul power surged, a transparent, spherical earth-yellow shield rapidly formed around him.
Soul Bone Skill: Earth's Protection, granted by the Earth Guardian Left Arm Bone. This soul bone came from a mighty 90,000-year-old Earth Bear, whose strength rivaled that of an ordinary Titled Douluo. It was one of the spoils Tang Hao obtained during his massacre in the Star Forest.
"Another soul bone?"
Instantly, Xiao Wu's eyes widened in disbelief.
One soul bone was understandable, but how could he have another? Was his family in the business of selling soul bones?
Not only Xiao Wu was astonished, but many spectators were equally shocked.
However, after the initial surprise, greed flickered in the eyes of several onlookers.
These were precious soul bones! And Tang San had already revealed two—his left arm bone and right leg bone. Who knew if he had more hidden away?
If they could ambush him and seize those soul bones, perhaps they could achieve greater heights on their path as soul masters?
Blue Silver Grass was considered a trash martial soul. There were no prominent soul master families on the continent associated with Blue Silver Grass. This meant Tang San had no illustrious family background.
His martial soul was inherited from his parents—one of their martial souls was undoubtedly Blue Silver Grass, and the other wasn't superior to it. Otherwise, Tang San's martial soul wouldn't be Blue Silver Grass either.
Given the quality of his parents' martial souls, it ruled out the possibility of influential blood relatives.
Although his Blue Silver Grass seemed special and comparable to top-tier plant-type martial souls, spirit mutations were common. For instance, Chu Chengzhou from Lan Ba Academy had an extraordinary martial soul effect, and his martial soul was also a mutation.
Lacking a prestigious family background yet possessing at least two soul bones—this was practically asking for trouble.
This youth was courting death!
As for the Tian Dou Imperial Academy or the backing of the Tian Dou Empire? If they acted swiftly enough, ambushing him and seizing his soul bones before fleeing—who could stop them?
Of course, ambushing him for his soul bones couldn't happen in front of the Pope's Hall, or even within Spirit City. Otherwise, the Spirit Hall, as the host of the finals, wouldn't stand idly by.
Uh, perhaps even the wealthy and influential Spirit Hall was eyeing Tang San's soul bones?
Shaking off their greedy thoughts for now, many covetous onlookers suppressed their urges, planning to make their move after the tournament ended.
It must be said that greed made people stupid.
They didn't stop to think—if a soul master truly had no background, how could he obtain such precious soul bones?
One soul bone could be attributed to luck, acquired during a successful hunt. But for a young soul master to possess at least two soul bones? The probability of having no background was virtually zero.
Moreover, Tang San dared to expose them openly, which meant something—he simply wasn't afraid of being targeted!
Of course, perhaps they weren't entirely oblivious to this fact, but greed overpowered reason, dominating their minds.
Tang San noticed the numerous greedy gazes but showed no fear. Instead, he inwardly sneered.
You want my soul bones? Ask my almighty father's hammer if it agrees!
Tang San: I declare, you've chosen the path to death!
"First soul skill, Bind!"
Confident in the invincible shield provided by his soul bone skill, Tang San felt secure (Mommy and Daddy don't have to worry about me being ambushed anymore!). Dense Blue Silver vines surged once more, rushing toward Xiao Wu.
Seeing this, Xiao Wu frowned, lightly tapped her toes, and employed her supreme movement art to evade the incoming Blue Silver vines, charging toward Tang San once again.
For a close-combat power-type soul master, control-type soul masters were extremely troublesome—nearly a natural counter.
Unfortunately, due to the short time frame and the difficulty of learning, she hadn't mastered the *Divine Light Step*. If she had Chu Chengzhou's incredible movement art, dealing with a control-type soul master of the same level would have been effortless.
The battle on the arena entered its second round, but this round gradually devolved into a war of attrition.
Tang San was protected by a shield—formed by a 90,000-year-old soul bone skill—that Xiao Wu couldn't possibly break.
Even if she bypassed the dense Blue Silver vines, she couldn't harm Tang San hiding behind his super turtle shell.
Meanwhile, Tang San was feeling increasingly frustrated.
Xiao Wu was fast and agile, and his Blue Silver vines couldn't catch her.
Moreover, Tang San was certain that even if his Blue Silver vines managed to bind her, she would escape using her teleportation skill.
Without restricting her movements, his powerful attacks couldn't land, and he couldn't end the match quickly.
"It seems I'll have to reveal another ace up my sleeve!"
Gritting his teeth, Tang San prepared to unveil another trump card.
Continuing this stalemate was simply wasting soul power. If he used too much, how could he defeat subsequent opponents?
"Soul Bone Skill: Purple God Light!"
The next moment, a greenish glow flared on Tang San's forehead. As spiritual power surged, numerous eerie purple eyes condensed in the air behind him.
As these purple eyes appeared, an intangible spiritual force rapidly spread.
"What?!"
Upon seeing the multitude of eerie purple eyes behind Tang San, Xiao Wu's face filled with shock.
Does your family wholesale soul bones? One right leg bone and one left arm bone weren't enough—you even have a rarer head-type soul bone?
The spiritual force spread and descended upon her consciousness. Xiao Wu's shock froze on her face, and her entire body became immobilized.
Soul Bone Skill: Purple God Light, a fusion of the Tang Sect's Purple Extreme Divine Pupil and the 70,000-year-old Demon Eye Tree Head Bone's skill: Tree Eye Paralysis. Its effect was to forcibly immobilize the opponent's body.
The duration of the immobilization depended on the opponent's spiritual power—stronger spiritual power meant shorter immobilization, and vice versa. If the opponent's spiritual power surpassed his own, the skill wouldn't work.
Unlike ordinary soul bone skills, activating the Purple God Light consumed only spiritual power and minimal soul power.
With the activation of the Purple God Light, Xiao Wu was immediately immobilized. Tang San waved his hand, and a Blue Silver vine wrapped around Xiao Wu's ankle. He then swung the vine, sending Xiao Wu spiraling toward Lan Ba Academy's resting area.
Before she could crash to the ground, Chu Chengzhou, who had been attentively watching the match, swiftly caught Xiao Wu as she was flung out of the arena.
Glancing at Tang San on the battlefield, Chu Chengzhou withdrew his gaze.
"Scumbag, why does Tang San have so many soul bones?"
Ning Rongrong whispered to Chu Chengzhou.
Soul bones were invaluable treasures—even Titled Douluos might not possess them. Yet Tang San, a mere Soul King, had at least three soul bones, one of which was the rare head-type soul bone.
"I don't know," Chu Chengzhou shook his head, but a flicker of anticipation flashed in his eyes.
While he couldn't discern much about Tang San's left arm bone or head bone, the right leg bone with the recovery-type soul bone skill was unmistakable—it was likely the legacy of his mother, the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone.
And if Tang San possessed the hundred-thousand-year healing soul bone skill, did that mean Tang Hao's old injuries had healed?
If Tang Hao's injuries were healed, then this soul master tournament would become even more exciting. No, not might—it was guaranteed!
Tang San's exposure of multiple soul bones couldn't be explained away by his status as a student of the Tian Dou Imperial Academy. At the very least, a Titled Douluo would need to back him up to deter covetous eyes.
Soul bones were invaluable, and Tang San wasn't a fool—he surely realized he was being targeted.
His willingness to expose them so easily indicated he had a trump card. His almighty father must have come to Spirit City as well, though he hadn't revealed himself yet.
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