The advancement tournament had begun.
Shrek Academy's first opponent was Barak Academy. They won easily — so easily, in fact, that Tang San didn't even have the chance to make a move.
Their next opponent, however, was Blazing Academy.
Having lost to them during the preliminaries, every member of Shrek carried a deep sense of frustration. They had sworn to take revenge and wash away their shame.
So far, the support-type members, Oscar and Ning Rongrong, had not been fielded. According to Yu Xiaogang's strategy, they would continue to be kept in reserve — even in the advancement stage.
But this time, Ma Hongjun, who hadn't had a chance to fight before, was placed on the lineup.
Yu Xiaogang's order of battle was: Tang San, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and Dai Mubai.
Blazing Academy's first representative — was Huo Wu.
In the preliminaries, it was she who had defeated Tang San.
When enemies meet, hatred burns even brighter.
On the stage, Tang San's gaze locked onto Huo Wu, burning with anger. He wanted nothing more than to defeat her — to prove his strength.
Huo Wu looked back at him with disdain.
"What? You look unconvinced, loser? Your plant-type spirit is naturally restrained by our fire element. No matter how hard you struggle, it's useless. You'd better admit defeat early — save yourself the pain."
Her sharp mockery only fanned Tang San's fury.
"This time, I won't lose to you again!"
"Oh? Then show me how much you've grown in a month!"
Just a few days earlier, Huo Wu had broken through to level forty-two. Facing Tang San, her former defeated opponent, she brimmed with confidence.
Both sides released their martial spirits and spirit rings — the match began.
To Huo Wu's surprise, Tang San didn't immediately attack with his Blue Silver Grass.
He kept closing the distance between them, yet showed no intention of using any soul skills.
She quickly noticed that Tang San's speed had improved — he was much faster than before, his movement technique even more elusive.
Facing such an opponent, she was forced to stay cautious.
After two consecutive defeats in previous matches, Tang San had reflected deeply.
Even though hidden weapons were forbidden in the Soul Master Tournament, his Tang Sect techniques themselves were a form of skill — and perfectly usable.
His Purple Demon Eye, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Controlling Crane, Catching Dragon, and Jade Hand — these techniques were simple yet powerful, and when combined with soul skills, could unleash even greater strength.
Tang San knew that his Blue Silver Grass was fragile against the blazing flames of Huo Wu's fire attribute.
As a fire-type soul master, every one of Huo Wu's attacks was accompanied by scorching flames — fierce and devastating.
Yet behind that strength was tremendous energy consumption — just like Ma Hongjun's flame-based skills.
And that was exactly what Tang San intended to exploit.
He cleverly used strategy over strength — choosing a battle of patience and wit.
Instead of clashing head-on, he weaved in and out of her attacks, provoking and goading her to waste her energy.
Utilizing Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, his movements were like those of a phantom — gliding effortlessly through the fiery waves of Huo Wu's attacks.
Each time she unleashed a burst of flames, he would find the smallest flaw and slip through with ease — never missing a chance to taunt her, angering her further and forcing her to burn more spirit power.
After several rounds, Huo Wu began to realize what he was doing.
Fury welled up inside her — she refused to accept being toyed with like this.
" Tang San! You think I'll just keep playing your little game? Don't be naive!"
With a shout, Huo Wu leapt into the air — her entire body ignited in flame. Her four spirit rings merged together in a blinding surge of red light.
The spectators gasped in shock.
"What's that?! Her four spirit rings are merging into one!"
Even Emperor Xue Ye's face showed astonishment as he turned to glance at Ning Fengzhi beside him.
Ning Fengzhi frowned deeply, murmuring to himself:
"She can fuse her rings too? Could this be some unique innate ability of hers...?"
Standing with the others, Ning Rongrong exclaimed in surprise,
"Ring fusion! She's actually using ring fusion!"
Oscar quickly asked,
"Rongrong, what's ring fusion?"
"It's when a soul master merges all their spirit rings into one — focusing every bit of their soul power into a single technique. It's an all-or-nothing move. Once it's used, their soul power will be completely drained."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaogang's face darkened.
"This is bad — Little San's in danger."
Realizing the severity, he immediately shouted toward the arena,
"Little San! Admit defeat, quickly!"
But it was already too late.
At that moment, Huo Wu had already unleashed her third soul skill — Resistance Fire Ring.
A massive ring of fire erupted from her body, expanding rapidly outward. It radiated searing heat and overwhelming force as it crashed toward Tang San.
Tang San's heart trembled — he could feel how terrifying this strike was.
He knew: if he could endure this blow, victory would be his.
Taking a deep breath, Tang San summoned his external spirit bone — the Eight Spider Lances.
With a sharp sound, eight three-meter-long spider legs burst from his back, anchoring themselves into the ground and curling protectively around him.
The crowd erupted in shock.
"What is that?!"
"Spider legs?!"
"An external spirit bone?!"
Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened — his heart sank.
He hadn't expected Tang San, usually so calm and cautious, to reveal his hidden trump card — his external spirit bone — just to defeat Huo Wu.
The energy from the Resistance Fire Ring came crashing down like a storm — violent and relentless.
Tang San's gaze was firm; he poured every ounce of his soul power into resisting the force head-on.
But he had underestimated the power of Huo Wu's ring-fusion technique — or perhaps, overestimated his own strength.
The eight spider legs that anchored him to the ground, meant to stabilize his stance and counterattack, now seemed fragile under that overwhelming impact.
With a deafening crack, they were ripped from the ground — the spider legs snapping like twigs in a tempest, scattering through the air helplessly.
The impact sent Tang San flying.
His body traced a long arc through the air as sharp cracking sounds echoed — the sound of his spider legs shattering.
Each break was like a knife driven into his heart.
"Ahhh—!"
A cry of agony tore from Tang San's lips.
He tumbled several times in the air before crashing heavily onto the ground. A wave of pain surged through him as his muscles and bones screamed in protest.
Another groan escaped him.
Hearing Tang San's screams, the Shrek team's faces went pale — they immediately rushed forward.
Tang San lay sprawled on the ground, his body covered in wounds. Several of his spider legs were broken, pieces scattered beside him.
Seeing him like that, their hearts ached.
"Third Brother! Are you okay?!"
Tang San struggled to lift his head, forcing out a pained smile.
"I… I'm fine…"
Seeing his agony, Oscar didn't hesitate — he instantly produced a recovery sausage and fed it to Tang San.
At this point, there was no reason to hide his abilities any longer.
After eating it, Tang San felt a little better.
He pushed himself up, looking toward Huo Wu on the stage — his heart heavy with frustration.
He had never expected her to possess such a powerful, unique technique.
Even revealing one of his greatest secrets, the Eight Spider Lances, hadn't been enough to bring him victory.
To be defeated once again by that proud, fiery girl — it was a humiliation beyond words.
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