"Eighth soul skill…"
Tang San murmured for a moment, then his pupils suddenly contracted:"You really are the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?!!"
"Impossible!"
He exclaimed, his expression filled with shock.
In his estimation, this girl was just stubborn about titles and face—nothing more than a prideful performance. After all, from what he had observed, in the past ten thousand years, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had made countless attempts to find immortal herbs, but always failed. The poisonous mists of the Sunset Forest barred them at every turn.
But now…
Counting the layers of the pagoda—there were really nine layers!
Wait!
He slapped his thigh in anger! No wonder his main body had been puzzled last time—why the Sunset Forest's poisonous mist had vanished, and why the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had disappeared too. He hadn't paid it much attention back then, but now thinking back… Could it have been taken by the Sun Moon Empire?
More specifically, that bastard Xu Cheng?!
And now the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was pledging allegiance to the Sun Moon Empire, even so utterly loyal—wasn't it all because of his immortal herbs?!!
Xu Cheng, you bastard! Taking the Divine King's things and using them to win favor!
Tang San's face darkened with rage.
BOOM!
But he had no time to think further. Wang Dong'er had already charged at him full force. The sharp Signal Axe in her hand cleaved the air, creating rippling shockwaves. Each move carried a deadly killing intent.
It was a battle nearing the Super Douluo level—causing the entire arena to tremble.
The shockwaves forced even Jing Hongchen to appear midair and take over the referee's duties, maintaining the energy barrier for fear that the aftershocks would hit the hundreds of thousands of spectators.
Inside the arena:
Tang San was forced to raise his weapon to block.
But he was beginning to struggle.
He had once experienced the radiance of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, so he knew just how insane the amplification was. And now, this Nine Treasure Pagoda, which had broken the traditional seven-layer limit and reached the eighth-layer Soul Douluo realm, was on another level entirely.
The continent's strongest single-target support—and arguably the strongest group amplifier too.
"Kill her first!" Tang San seized an opening to retreat, then turned abruptly, heading toward the radiant projection of the pagoda in the center of the arena—that was Ning Tian's martial soul avatar.
His speed was terrifying—he was aiming to end her in a single blow.
Even Wang Dong'er froze for a second.
"No way!"
Wang Qiu'er, golden spear in hand, felt a burning battle spirit surge uncontrollably from her chest. The advanced Golden Dragon Spear strapped to her back shimmered. She lightly tapped her toe and darted past the unguarded Ning Tian with closed eyes, directly intercepting the charging Tang San.
"Golden Dragon Body!""Golden Dragon Burst!"
Her spear met his Sea God Trident head-on—neither side giving ground.
As two black soul rings lit up, Wang Qiu'er's light blue wavy hair fluttered in the air, and a massive Golden Dragon avatar formed behind her. The tip of her spear became the dragon's head, forcing back Tang San's assault with sheer power.
"Holy sh*t!"
"Another Titled Douluo?!!"
Tang San's pupils shook.
His hand tingled with numbness from the impact—he stared at Wang Qiu'er in horror.
This wasn't just any Titled Douluo.She was at least at the peak of Rank 94, possibly even Super Douluo level!
"Martial Soul Avatar!"
Wang Qiu'er didn't hesitate.
Nine soul rings lit up beneath her feet:
Black, black, black, black, red, red, red, red, gold!
Exactly the same as Wang Dong'er!
As the seventh ring glowed with a blood-drenched luster, the massive Golden Dragon behind her began to solidify into a physical form!
"Die!"
Her eyes were cold as she shouted.
The terrifying dragon pressure surged outward.
Even Tang San was momentarily suppressed!
Her spear pointed at Tang San, the tip glinting coldly under sunlight, emitting an icy aura.
She didn't know why—but the hatred she felt for Tang San seemed carved into her very bones. Even though it was their first meeting, an unexplainable fury boiled in her chest.
"Pffft!"
Tang San raised his trident to block—but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.
"AAAHHH—!!"
Gasps erupted across the arena.
Tang San clutched his arm, still holding the Sea God Trident in one hand—but the other arm now hung limply, its sleeve torn and empty.
His arm was gone.
"I SURRENDER!!!"
Tang San howled through gritted teeth, eyes filled with terror as he saw Wang Dong'er rushing at him again with the Signal Axe aimed at his head.
He shouted toward the sky and the referee.
"Buzz—"
The blade of Wang Dong'er's axe stopped right at his neck, even drawing a thin line of blood. She pouted and regretfully pulled it back.
"What a pity…"
She cheerfully skipped back to the others.
Leaving Tang San gasping for air like a drowning man, his eyes filled with both terror and humiliation.
He knew clearly:At least for now, there was no recovering from this match.
The reversal plan he and his main body had crafted for the tournament… was now nearly impossible.
"Victory: Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy!"
Jing Hongchen's voice echoed.
In the silent arena, it sounded almost mocking.
Just a while ago, many factions of the original continent had been planning to side with Haotian Sect and Shrek Academy, celebrating what they thought would be the Sun Moon Empire's humiliation.
But now…
It was like a giant invisible slap across their faces.
Why?
Because even with just five fighters…
There were at least two Titled Douluo, and not fake ones boosted unnaturally—they were powerful enough to go head-to-head with Tang San, who wielded a divine artifact.
The reappearance of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda after ten thousand years…The powerful Golden Dragon martial soul…Wang Dong'er who severed Tang San's arm…
All of it showed:This match was not won because the other side underperformed.
The Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy had a lineup so strong—it was disturbingly terrifying.
This was the most gold-standard tournament in the continent's history.
BANG!
"How is this possible?!!"
Seeing the defeated Haotian Sect retreat, a disciple carrying the severed arm, two others supporting the pale Tang San…
Beibei could no longer contain his fury—he slammed the table hard.
But no one in the Shrek Academy team responded.
They were all in shock.
If Tang San could be defeated and lose an arm in his strongest state… then facing Beibei, what chance was there?
As for the other Haotian disciples not making a move—what was the point?
Even if they fought, they would've just died faster.
And the worst part?
Two people from the enemy team hadn't even acted yet.
If all of them were Titled Douluo—Even Ning Tian, a support-type Nine Treasure Pagoda soul master, had more impact than most Titled Douluo.
What were they even fighting for?
The once-arrogant Dai Huabin stood stiff, gripping Zhu Lu's hand tightly, his gaze locked on the casually celebrating Sun Moon Empire team.
His proud Soul Douluo-level power probably meant nothing to them…Less than a stray dog on the roadside.
"Huabin, don't seek revenge anymore… please."
Zhu Lu's eyes were misty. Both hands clutched his tightly as she gently spoke.
"I…"
Dai Huabin opened his mouth, turned his head away, face full of bitterness.
Revenge? With what?
"Beibei! Calm down!" Xu Sanshi grabbed Beibei's shoulders to comfort him.
"Calm down? How?! That's Haotian Sect! They've gone through divine trials and STILL LOST—lost this badly!"
"You think we…"
"We survive the third round of elimination. Once we enter the group stages, we can breathe easier. Winning is good, losing doesn't matter," Xu Sanshi said quickly.
"This is the glory of our academy over the past ten thousand years…"
"So were we first place last tournament?"
Beibei stared at Xu Sanshi. His tense body slowly relaxed, and he slumped into a chair.
"No."
"Exactly. Since we weren't first before, you can't be blamed. If anything, it's Teacher Wang Yan and Sister Xiao Tao who should be blamed. If you've done your best this time, then it's fine. This tournament wasn't the academy's master plan. You know that…"
Xu Sanshi looked around and winked at Beibei.
Then leaned in and whispered:
"Our true purpose here was never to win. It's to show everyone—who stands behind us."
"Shrek Academy's fall is temporary. With HIM supporting us, we'll endure anything!"
"So what if the Sun Moon Empire wins this match?"
"Can they win forever?!!"
By the end, Xu Sanshi was almost shouting.
"Haaah…"
Beibei exhaled deeply. "Thanks."
"Brother stuff~ I'm off—Tian Tian's still waiting." Xu Sanshi smiled, waved, and walked out of the lounge—Only for his face to instantly darken.
Fooling his friends was one thing—but he couldn't fool himself.
Shrek and Haotian were this strong only because they had divine support.But the Sun Moon Empire… how had they reached this level?
So far, they had three Titled Douluo, one Soul Douluo, and even a Nine Treasure Pagoda.
Only two possible explanations existed:
The Sun Moon Empire had developed soul tools to such a terrifying extent that they could rival gods.
Or…The Sun Moon Empire also had divine backing!
And that divine being might not be any weaker than that so-called Divine King!
Even the strongest beings have rivals.That person on Sea God Island once said:There are five top gods in the Divine Realm—capable of setting and changing rules.
If Tang San was just one of them…
Then one of the remaining four could very well be standing behind the Sun Moon Empire!
"Huff… Huff…"
Xu Sanshi's breath quickened.
Xu Sanshi's face turned a little pale.
If things really were as he suspected, then the old forces of the original continent had no chance at all!
"Xu Sanshi!"
A crisp voice rang in his ears.
A pretty girl kicked him lightly on the leg, hands on her hips, puffing with annoyance.
"Oh, oh—it's Tiantian…" Xu Sanshi scratched his head awkwardly.
"What were you just thinking about? Don't tell me you were thinking about Jiang Nannan again?" Tiantian bit her lip lightly, looking angry and sulky.
"Of course not." Xu Sanshi put away his grin, gently took her hand, and looked at her seriously:"You're my wife. She was just someone from the past. So what if she has long legs and a pretty face? I'm a man she can never have anyway."
"...XU SANSHI!!"
Tiantian shouted furiously.
"Aiyaya! Don't kick me again! How about I take you out for something to eat? I heard the grilled fish in Mingdu is great!" Xu Sanshi laughed as he dodged.
"Grilled fish? Yay!"
Seeing Tiantian's sudden mood swing, Xu Sanshi took a deep breath.
Although he was flirtatious, he was also loyal.
This girl was someone he initially refused to accept—back when all he wanted was Jiang Nannan. Whenever he met a classmate from Shrek Academy who even slightly resembled her, he'd start chasing them madly. That obsession had even become a key to his martial soul evolution.
But…
Now that he had Tiantian, he was ready to let Jiang Nannan stay in the past.
What he said just now wasn't a lie.
As for his suspicions… he'd go home and talk to his father.If they really wanted to tie the Xuanming Sect and Douling Empire to the Shrek Academy's "ship," then they'd be committed to the bitter end.
There was no room left to sit on the fence.
They had to choose one side!
As for betraying Beibei… well, it was just giving a bro one last life lesson.After all, when you're facing the lives of over ten thousand people in the Xuanming Sect, and the fate of the Douling Empire, as long as he didn't stab them in the back completely, he'd have done all he could as a brother.
"Hurry up!"
"Coming~!"
Seeing the cheerful girl in front of him, Xu Sanshi felt some of his heavy mood ease.He quickened his pace to catch up.
"Boring."
Xiao Hongchen looked down at the arena, face blank and spiritless.
The Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy had won. Wang Dong'er and Wang Qiu'er, working together, had severed Tang San's arm.
"Honestly didn't expect that guy to be this weak. Holding a divine weapon, and still…"
"Because he only had one divine weapon—the Sea God's Trident. That means Tang San could only use the Sea God's power. His stronger combat power comes from the Shura God, which he hasn't used at all." Xu Cheng replied calmly.
"Then why did he only use the Sea God's weapon? What about the Shura God's? Why didn't he bring that one down for his clone?" Xiao Hongchen asked, confused.
"Heh…" Xu Cheng just smiled without answering.
It would be too complicated to explain—definitely not something that could be cleared up in a sentence or two.
After all, the scabbard of the Shura Sword was Xiao Wu.You think he'd dare let Xiao Wu know everything going on in the mortal realm?
No way.
And since that was the case…
Well, the answer was obvious.
Though Tang San surely never expected that even before Xu Cheng became a god, he'd already gained the full trust and support of the God of Destruction.
Because for most others, even if they were qualified to take divine trials, they'd never be able to get top-tier rewards for every one.
Just the god-granted top-quality soul rings were enough for her (his teammates) to leap multiple ranks and fight even Super Douluo head-on.Don't forget—every rank above Titled Douluo is an enormous leap.
"So that means... I won't even need to go up myself?"
Ye Guyi, resting in Xu Cheng's arms, spoke with a ghost of a smile.
"Thud~"
Xiao Hongchen fell off his chair, his mouth twitching.
You?! If you go up, what's the point of the competition anymore?!
Have you ever heard of a god participating in a 'youth' soul master academy tournament?!
(End of Chapter)