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Since the merger of the two teams, Tian Dou Imperial Academy's Shrek Team had been riding high, achieving a long streak of consecutive victories. The team was practically unstoppable, obliterating opponents with ease.
However, due to their earlier three consecutive losses, their overall record remained in fifth place in the Tian Dou region, behind God Wind Academy, Thunder Academy, Sky Water Academy, and Blazing Fire Academy.
Their performance was slightly better than Elephant Armor Academy, though the two teams' results were quite similar.
During this period, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San were brimming with confidence, having regained their spirits after overcoming the initial setbacks.
Of course, while the organizing committee members like Salas acknowledged the legitimacy of the roster changes, they also issued a stern warning against further arbitrary adjustments.
Especially Salas, who now regarded Shrek Team as a key target under close observation. From an age perspective, Shrek's Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Yang Xiong were all on track to break the record for the youngest Soul Ancestors in history—especially Tang San, who was already very close to becoming a Soul Ancestor. Moreover, he was considered a major threat by the Spirit Hall.
Additionally, the backgrounds of Shrek Team's members were incredibly formidable. Even Salas dared not act rashly against them.
There was one minor twist: In the original storyline, Shi Nian and Canghui Academy had targeted Shrek and Tang San, but that hadn't happened this time around. Given the circumstances, few individuals in Shrek would dare provoke Shi Nian, especially since Tang San had already revealed his Hao Tian Hammer.
Canghui Academy also hadn't used their seven person martial soul fusion technique, leaving Yu Xiaogang unable to replicate the strategy from the original storyline.
After more than ten rounds of matches, Shrek Team finally faced another formidable opponent: Sky Water Academy.
Though ranked third among all teams, Sky Water Academy's performance surpassed that of Blazing Fire Academy, trailing only Thunder Academy and God Wind Academy.
Yang Xiong had taken leave for this match, having been absent for several days. As a result, Xiao Wu took on the role of agility-type soul master. Her martial soul, the Soul Boned Rabbit, was exceptionally fast, and she had recently broken through to Level 39.
On the surface, Shrek still boasted five Soul Ancestors, making it their best lineup aside from Yang Xiong. This demonstrated the team's respect for Sky Water Academy.
However, despite their superior soul power levels, the actual battle unfolded very differently.
Shui Bing'er, a Level 43 control-type battle soul master with the Ice Phoenix martial soul, was hailed as the top control-type soul master in the Tian Dou region. Her mastery of ice elements was both swift and devastating.
As soon as the match began, Shui Bing'er unleashed her first soul skill: Ice Bind.
This rare instant-cast ice-element control skill left even Tang San, with his quick reflexes, quickly frozen solid.
The only one who fared slightly better was Yu Tianheng. His Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul's powerful lightning attribute allowed him to break free from the ice faster than others.
However, compared to him, Tang San and Dugu Yan, the two control-type soul masters, were heavily suppressed.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was extremely fragile under the freezing conditions, rendering even his second soul skill, Parasite, unusable.
It seemed that plant-type martial souls were inherently vulnerable to ice suppression. Blue Silver Grass, being relatively weak, was even more easily countered than other plant-based martial souls.
Meanwhile, the toxic mist emitted by Dugu Yan's Jade Phosphorous Serpent was completely frozen, turning into wisps of snowflakes that drifted onto the arena floor.
Yu Tianheng and Dai Mubai reacted quickly, using their second soul skills almost immediately. Dai Mubai unleashed his White Tiger Fierce Light Wave, the golden light piercing through the ice-encased bodies and breaking free from the icy grip.
Similarly, Yu Tianheng moved with incredible speed, his body crackling with thunder, shattering the ice around him in moments.
Even so, Shrek Team's formation had already been disrupted, and Sky Water Academy seized the initiative. Shui Bing'er's Ice Bind was merely her first soul skill, consuming minimal soul power.
After using her first soul skill, Shui Bing'er immediately activated her second: Ice Armor. All members of Sky Water Academy were enveloped in armor-like ice, significantly boosting their defense. Even Yu Tianheng and Dai Mubai, both Soul Ancestors, held no advantage over Sky Water Academy's two Soul Ancestors.
By the time Tang San and the others broke free from the ice, Shrek Team's formation had been completely shattered. Though Sky Water Academy had fewer Soul Ancestors, Shui Bing'er's control abilities were undeniably formidable. The battle raged back and forth.
The match turned into a grueling tug-of-war. Shrek Team gradually clawed back their disadvantage, thanks to the presence of two additional Soul Ancestors, especially Tang San and Dugu Yan, who still retained some combat effectiveness.
Unfortunately, both Tang San and Dugu Yan were thoroughly countered by Shui Bing'er, losing their usual dominance as dual controllers of the battlefield.
The team had initially planned to surround Shui Bing'er, with Xiao Wu even using her teleportation ability. However, just as they approached her, Shui Bing'er suddenly activated her third soul skill: Repulsive Ice Ring.
This skill functioned similarly to Huo Wu's Repulsive Fire Ring, serving as an exceptional defensive soul skill. Shui Bing'er applied it cleverly, directly repelling Xiao Wu and Tang San, along with others preparing to encircle her.
As for the Shi brothers, Shi Mo and Shi Mo, though their defenses were robust, their sluggish speed and weaker attack capabilities left them struggling against Sky Water Academy's ice-armored Soul Elders.
Seizing this rare opportunity, Shui Bing'er unleashed her first soul skill, Ice Bind, once again. The remaining five members of Sky Water Academy engaged Shrek's seven members, holding them off.
At this moment, the martial souls of Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu began to fuse, forming a massive Ice Phoenix in the sky. The temperature in the arena plummeted sharply, and endless snowflakes filled the air, as if attempting to engulf the entire stage.
This was the martial soul fusion skill of Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu: Drifting Snow. Clearly, this skill had an immense area of effect, forcing the referee to quickly activate the arena's protective barrier to shield the audience from harm.
As the colossal Ice Phoenix let out a resounding phoenix cry, even Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng, with their top-tier beast martial souls, felt their bodies tremble. While the White Tiger and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon might not be inferior to the Ice Phoenix individually, this was now a fusion of two martial souls.
Xue Wu's martial soul, the Dancing Snow Ribbon, complemented the Ice Phoenix perfectly, intertwining ice and snow to create this terrifying fusion skill, Drifting Snow.
(T/N: The wiki name for Xue Wu's martial soul is 'Slim Dance Snow Decoration'. Who came up with this bruh)
Seeing the formation of Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu's martial soul fusion, the other five members of Sky Water Academy stepped off the stage, leaving Shrek's seven members to face the massive Ice Phoenix alone.
From above, Shui Bing'er called out with concern: "You should surrender quickly. Our Drifting Snow is not something you can withstand."
Watching the enormous Ice Phoenix descend from the sky, it was clear why the five members of Sky Water Academy had exited early—it was likely a wide-area attack with devastating power.
Tang San and the others found themselves trapped in the icy domain, gritting their teeth and refusing to concede. Fusion skills like this consumed vast amounts of soul power and physical strength, and perhaps the enemy was bluffing.
Especially since Tang San and the others unleashed their strongest attack soul skills in an attempt to resist the fusion skill, Drifting Snow.
Seeing Shrek's seven members unmoved, the massive Ice Phoenix descended, causing the arena to erupt in an explosion of icy energy. The protective barrier struggled to contain the frigid blast, sending chills through the audience.
Facing the descending Ice Phoenix, Tang San wielded his Hao Tian Hammer and struck with full force. Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng unleashed their strongest soul skills, transforming into a White Tiger and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon respectively, while the others gave it their all.
Alas, before the colossal Ice Phoenix, many were knocked off the stage. Tang San and the others were frozen once again, this time much more intensely than Shui Bing'er's first soul skill.
After several minutes, the arena gradually returned to calm. The ice sculptures of Tang San, Dai Mubai, and the others had been pushed off the stage, while Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu gasped for breath, clearly drained of soul power.
Nevertheless, the referee announced Sky Water Academy's victory—Shrek Team's seven members had indeed been eliminated.
Tang San and the others trembled from the cold, some still retaining fragments of soul power, but defeat was undeniable.
In contrast to Sky Water Academy's jubilation, Shrek Team appeared utterly disheartened. Despite their superior soul power levels, they had been utterly crushed tactically and were overwhelmingly countered by Shui Bing'er. This was a classic case of the underdog triumphing, while Shrek Team had been the unfortunate victims of a reversal.
As both teams prepared to leave the stage, Shui Bing'er suddenly spoke up.
"Wait a moment, Tang San. Why didn't your team's Yang Xiong participate? I wanted to see the strongest defensive soul master in the Tian Dou region."
Tang San looked at Xiao Wu, trembling from the cold, and shook his head helplessly: "Yang Xiong has taken leave. I don't know where he went."
Shui Bing'er replied: "That's a pity. All of us elemental schools wanted to test whether my ice could truly affect him."
Shrek Team's loss left the faces of Emperor Xue Ye and Yu Xiaogang grim. What had seemed like a sure victory had ended in an unexpected and crushing defeat.
Since the reorganization of Tian Dou's Team One and Team Two, Team Two had been unstoppable, boasting five Soul Ancestors—the strongest lineup among all teams. Especially Yu Xiaogang, who placed great faith in Tang San, believing not only in his exceptional control abilities but also in his outstanding combat prowess, which would make him the most dazzling figure in the Tian Dou region.
Unfortunately, Tang San had been thoroughly suppressed by Shui Bing'er throughout the match, and the entire Shrek Team had been overwhelmed. This outcome was hard to accept, given that Tang San had orchestrated the team's tactics.
Based on the current situation, Tang San's abilities and tactical execution had failed to shine. If they could lose to Sky Water Academy, what hope did they have in the finals against Spirit City's elite teams?
In the context of the Soul Master Competition, defeating weaker teams was meaningless—it was only against stronger opponents that true strength and tactical acumen could be demonstrated. Clearly, Shrek Team wasn't as formidable as anticipated.
One glaring issue was the lack of synergy among the team members. Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had been consistently countered, severely diminishing his control capabilities.
Another problem arose from the fact that Team One's core had been Yu Tianheng, while Team Two's captain was Dai Mubai, with Tang San as the tactical leader and the aloof Dugu Yan. Suddenly, the team had four leaders—though not necessarily vying for power, each wanted to showcase their abilities. Both Yu Tianheng and Dai Mubai faced complex family situations.
When Yang Xiong was present, everyone knew he was the strongest. None of them were confident they could defeat him in a one-on-one fight, but Yang Xiong himself was laid-back, focusing on cultivation and spending time with Ning Rongrong, unconcerned with tactical status.
Now that Yang Xiong had taken leave, various issues emerged, particularly the lack of tacit cooperation among the remaining members.
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