On the arena stage, even though Tang San had successfully broken free from the Heavenly Net of Thunder, the entire Shrek Academy team found themselves forced into a defensive position.
The difference in spirit power ranks between the two teams was substantial and undeniable. Dai Mubai, their only Spirit Ancestor, had already used both his third and fourth Spirit Abilities in rapid succession. His White Tiger Meteor Shower, deployed to rescue Tang San, had consumed enormous amounts of spirit power but served only as a distraction without delivering any substantial offensive impact.
The remaining team members had been forced to use multiple Spirit Abilities continuously in order to contend with their opponents, resulting in significant spirit power depletion. At least sixty percent of their spirit power reserves had been consumed in the fierce exchanges.
The lightning-attribute elements wielded by Thunder Academy proved particularly devastating. Both Tang San's Blue Silver Grass and other martial souls found themselves severely suppressed by the overwhelming electrical attacks.
However, the Shrek Academy team could not afford another defeat. Having already suffered three consecutive losses, another loss would likely eliminate any hope of advancing to the promotion rounds. The pressure was immense, and failure was not an option.
Tang San's face filled with fierce determination, his gaze becoming even more intense and focused. He refused to allow himself to admit defeat so easily, not when so much was at stake.
Yang Xiong swiftly repositioned himself in front of Yu Tianxin once again. Whether from a strength perspective or tactical considerations, only Yang Xiong possessed the capability to contend with Yu Tianxin effectively. If Thunder Academy succeeded in defeating their two support Spirit Masters, the situation would become completely hopeless.
Tang San suddenly rushed toward Lei Dong with explosive speed. This Thunder Academy member was the control-type Spirit Master who had been restricting Tang San throughout the entire match, consistently suppressing Tang San's control capabilities and limiting his tactical options.
Lei Dong's reaction proved equally swift and decisive. His massive Thunder Spider continuously spat out adhesive spider silk in Tang San's direction. Tang San moved like a phantom, utilizing his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track technique to achieve extreme speed while skillfully dodging Lei Dong's relentless attacks.
At that critical moment, an enormous quantity of Blue Silver Grass suddenly appeared across the entire arena stage. All seven Thunder Academy Spirit Masters found themselves more or less enveloped by the binding vegetation. No matter how powerful the lightning coursing through their bodies, their attacks were momentarily delayed and disrupted.
Tang San suddenly retracted all the Blue Silver Grass, revealing a small black hammer grasped firmly in his hand. With tremendous force and determination, he smashed it directly toward Lei Dong with all his accumulated strength.
Lei Dong, as a beast-type control system Spirit Master, desperately attempted to use spider silk to trap Tang San once again. However, Tang San's movements were phantom-like, refusing to provide any opportunity for entrapment. Finally, one devastating hammer strike connected with the giant Thunder Spider. Despite the Thunder Spider's desperate resistance with its multiple legs, the effort proved futile. Lei Dong's entire body was directly smashed away from his position.
This marked the first time Thunder Academy had found themselves in a relatively passive and disadvantageous situation. Throughout the match until this point, they had maintained overwhelming superiority and control.
Everyone in the arena, including the distinguished guests in the VIP section, erupted in shocked exclamations. Salas, the Platinum Bishop of Spirit Hall, stared intently at the black hammer in Tang San's hand with obvious recognition and concern.
These guests, all accomplished and top-tier Spirit Masters, were filled with astonishment: "Clear Sky Hammer! I cannot believe it's actually the legendary Clear Sky Hammer! Has the Clear Sky Sect truly reappeared in the world?"
The Clear Sky Sect, renowned as the leader of the Upper Three Sects, had dominated the continent for countless generations. The Clear Sky Hammer was universally recognized as the most powerful Tool Spirit in existence, possessing tremendous deterrent force among both common people and Spirit Masters alike.
Even Emperor Xue Ye exclaimed with obvious excitement, "I cannot believe it's the Clear Sky Hammer! Crown Prince, you have done exceptionally well in persuading Tang San and his team to join Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe displayed a modest smile on his face: "Father Emperor, I merely acted according to your wisdom and Teacher's guidance. I would not dare claim credit for such an achievement."
Emperor Xue Ye was clearly extremely satisfied with Xue Qinghe's humble response: "Crown Prince, you must focus on cultivating Tang San and the Shrek Academy members. You may fulfill any reasonable needs they have. It is exceptionally rare for our Heaven Dou Empire to produce such remarkable geniuses."
Xue Qinghe smiled respectfully and replied, "Your son obeys completely. This second team indeed possesses quite a number of exceptional talents."
However, although Xue Qinghe maintained a pleasant smile on his face, a hint of calculated ruthlessness flickered deep within his eyes.
Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo, conversely, appeared relatively unsurprised by the revelation, as if they had already possessed knowledge that Tang San wielded a second martial soul.
Amidst the continued exclamations and discussions from the crowd, the battle on the arena stage continued with even greater intensity than before.
Tang San had effectively transformed from a control-type Spirit Master into an attack-type Spirit Master. The advantage was obvious—his combat power increased dramatically. However, the disadvantage was equally apparent—his control capabilities weakened significantly, creating much greater difficulties for their two support Spirit Masters.
The Shrek Academy team began suffering casualties first. Tai Long became the initial elimination. Although Tai Long possessed considerable strength and his Mighty Gorilla martial soul provided excellent endurance, he faced an unfortunate tactical disadvantage. With four Spirit Ancestors on the opposing team, Tai Long found himself besieged by multiple Spirit Elders. His body lacked sufficient agility for such circumstances. Furthermore, Tai Long had not undergone the cruel tempering and rigorous training that the original eight Shrek Academy members had experienced, resulting in somewhat lacking overall combat experience.
As Tai Long was eliminated from the competition, Thunder Academy also began gradually losing team members. Yang Xiong had been fighting two opponents simultaneously throughout the match, focusing not on defeating his enemies but maintaining stable defensive positions. However, the other two Thunder Academy Spirit Elders proved less fortunate and were quickly eliminated. One was directly smashed off the stage by Tang San's devastating Clear Sky Hammer during a brief opening created when Lei Dong was sent flying.
As time progressed, Shrek Academy's two support Spirit Masters, Oscar and Ning Rongrong, found their situation becoming increasingly desperate. Without Tang San's protective Blue Silver Grass and lacking Yang Xiong's constant guardianship, they had been continuously using Spirit Abilities to support the entire team's combat effectiveness. Without their presence and assistance, the other five Shrek Academy members would never have been able to maintain their positions for such an extended period.
When their spirit power reserves became completely exhausted, they simply withdrew from the stage voluntarily. Remaining would only burden the team, and Thunder Academy members occasionally launched long-range Spirit Abilities targeting these support Spirit Masters, which could easily restrict and eliminate them.
The confrontation quickly transformed into a four-against-four situation. On Shrek Academy's side, only Yang Xiong, Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Xiao Wu remained active, while Thunder Academy retained four Spirit Ancestors. However, examining the current battlefield conditions, the most problematic situations involved Lei Dong and Xiao Wu.
Lei Dong had originally controlled the entire battlefield dynamics, but Tang San now utilized the Clear Sky Hammer combined with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and various self-created soul skills with devastating effect. Having just endured a direct hammer strike from Tang San, a trace of blood flowed from the corner of Lei Dong's mouth, indicating significant damage.
Xiao Wu, as a Spirit Elder, faced tremendous disadvantages fighting against a Spirit Ancestor opponent, particularly an agility-attack type Spirit Ancestor with superior speed and offensive capabilities.
Yu Tianxin recognized the dangerous situation developing on the arena stage. If circumstances continued deteriorating, this could become Thunder Academy's first defeat of the tournament. He became even more aggressive and fierce, especially when facing Yang Xiong, who had restricted his performance throughout the entire match.
Yu Tianxin's fourth spirit ring flashed with brilliant energy, and his body immediately flickered with intense lightning. His right arm expanded dramatically once again, and all clothing on his right hand was torn apart by the transformation. His speed increased substantially as he swiftly grabbed toward Yang Xiong with lightning-fast movements. This was his fourth Spirit Ability: Blue Lightning Divine Dragon Rush.
The fourth Spirit Ability of Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan geniuses was typically the Blue Lightning Divine Dragon Rush. This technique represented not only their inherited legacy but also served as a method for cultivating Dragon Transformation. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan considered this their most suitable and effective Spirit Ability.
Witnessing the immense power of Yu Tianxin's Spirit Ability, Yang Xiong's five fingers formed into claw shapes, and a brilliant blue sphere immediately appeared on his silver hand as he charged forward with maximum force and determination.
Spiral Ball versus Blue Lightning Divine Dragon Rush.
Yu Tianxin's right hand, resembling a fearsome dragon claw, collided directly with the Spiral Ball, instantly producing terrifying explosive force. Yang Xiong was forced backward several meters by the tremendous impact.
However, Yu Tianxin clearly suffered worse consequences from the exchange. His entire right hand became covered in blood, and his whole hand trembled uncontrollably. He directly spat out a mouthful of blood, clearly indicating that Yang Xiong's Spiral Ball had severely injured him.
If the competition rules did not strictly prohibit killing and permanently maiming opponents, Yang Xiong's Spiral Ball would have been significantly more devastating. One must remember that this was merely a standard Spiral Ball technique without enhancement.
The audience erupted in shocked exclamations once again. They could not believe that Yu Tianxin, publicly recognized as possessing tremendous combat power throughout the Heaven Dou region, had been directly injured by Yang Xiong. Exactly how powerful could Yang Xiong's combat capabilities be?
Seeing Yu Tianxin injured by Yang Xiong's attack, the other Thunder Academy members seemed desperate to provide immediate assistance. Vice-Captain Lei Dong even activated the Heavenly Net of Thunder again with maximum effort, attempting to slow down Yang Xiong's continued offensive.
However, another person's reaction proved equally swift—Lei Mie, who had been engaged in combat with Xiao Wu throughout the match. His attacks became even more ferocious and relentless, taking advantage of everyone's momentary distraction to successfully knock Xiao Wu off the arena stage.
Tang San's exceptional strategic vision became apparent at this crucial moment. Rather than assisting Yang Xiong directly, attacking Lei Dong proved the superior tactical choice. The massive Clear Sky Hammer smashed directly into Lei Dong, who had endured continuous attacks and whose spirit power was nearly completely exhausted. Lei Dong was eliminated with a single devastating hammer strike.
The confrontation truly became three against three, with Yu Tianxin seriously injured and significantly weakened.
After an incredibly fierce and brutal battle, Yu Tianxin unwillingly collapsed on the arena stage. Both Tang San and Dai Mubai were breathing heavily, and various injuries were visible across their bodies.
When the referee officially announced that the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Shrek Academy team had achieved victory, Tang San and Dai Mubai were nearly collapsing from exhaustion. This had been a direct, head-to-head confrontation and an extremely brutal war of attrition. Essentially everyone on both teams had sustained injuries, and except for Yang Xiong, virtually everyone's spirit power had been completely depleted.
The Shrek Academy team finally ended their devastating three-game losing streak, while Thunder Academy suffered their first defeat of the tournament.
However, in order to secure victory, Tang San had been forced to expose his Clear Sky Hammer martial soul. Whether this revelation would prove beneficial or detrimental remained uncertain.
Yang Xiong maintained his characteristic indifference toward winning or losing. He had simply intended to use the entire match as practical training experience. However, fighting against lightning-attribute Spirit Masters appeared to provide genuine benefits for his physical conditioning. Although the process proved relatively painful, occasional stimulation by electrical attacks seemed quite advantageous for his development.
Before Yang Xiong could leave the arena stage, Yu Tianxin shakily managed to stand upright: "Yang Xiong, what kind of monster are you? Why can't I defeat you even when using all my strength? You're merely a Spirit Elder."
Yang Xiong responded with casual indifference: "Yu Tianxin, if you want to understand how strong I truly am, you should ask your brother Yu Tianheng. I've fought him quite a few times previously."
Yang Xiong and the other team members offered no additional comments, departing amidst thunderous cheers from the audience.
The Shrek Academy teachers and students were clearly overjoyed by the outcome. Although this battle had been exceptionally brutal and demanding, they had ultimately achieved victory, particularly against the previously undefeated Thunder Academy. This success significantly boosted everyone's morale and confidence.
Yu Xiaogang and Flender appeared especially happy, as if they had won the entire championship rather than a single match.
In the eyes of the spectators, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Shrek Academy team seemed capable of overturning historical precedents. In recent years, the teams advancing from the Heaven Dou region were typically the Five Element Academies. These five institutions were considered veteran powerhouse teams with established reputations. The Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team, previously regarded as mediocre at best, had emerged as a genuine dark horse, successfully defeating two Element Academy teams. Perhaps they could truly become the greatest surprise and most impressive dark horse of this Soul Master Elite Competition.
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