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Tang San took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on Xuan Ming, a decision already made in his heart.
He once again used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to approach Xuan Ming, a black light surging in his right palm, and a seemingly unadorned black hammer quietly appeared.
The moment he entered attack range, his steps abruptly halted, a loud bang erupting from beneath his feet, and the arena floor cracked inch by inch, centered on his legs!
His body half-turned, Tang San gripped the hammer with both hands, pushing off with his calves, and with the full force of his body, he swung the Clear Sky Hammer upwards, striking directly at Xuan Ming!
"Boom--!"
A deafening roar echoed through the entire venue as the Clear Sky Hammer and Blood Spear collided violently, unleashing a terrifying shockwave.
Tang San felt a massive force transmit from the hammer, numbing his arms, and his body sank further, his calves now more than halfway embedded in the arena. He gritted his teeth, forcibly stabilized himself, his spirit power circulating madly, and turned to swing the hammer again—this strike was even more powerful than the last!
Xuan Ming also swung his spear to meet the attack, the Blood Spear dancing impenetrably as it engaged in a fierce exchange with the Clear Sky Hammer.
Each collision unleashed a thunderous roar, and the entire arena trembled ceaselessly from their intense battle.
"Is that...the Clear Sky Hammer?"
"How could the Clear Sky Sect's inherited Spirit appear here?"
"Is this Tang San related to the Clear Sky Sect?"
In the VIP and spectator stands, many older Spirit Masters' eyes widened, their faces filled with disbelief.
That small black hammer was precisely the top-tier Tool Spirit that had forged countless glories in the Spirit Master's world, representing the honor of a Sect and symbolizing the strongest and most formidable power and attack—
The Clear Sky Hammer!
"School Master Ning, is this what you meant by...special?" Emperor Xue Ye's expression was complex, but more than that, it was regret.
Shrek Academy had once sought to join Tiandou Royal Academy but was rejected by Prince Xue Xing.
And now, they actually possessed an inheritor of the Clear Sky Hammer!
Unlike Xue Ye's regret and Xue Xing's apprehension, the atmosphere on Spirit Hall's side suddenly became subtle.
The Spirit Masters from Tiandou City's Spirit Hall all turned their gazes towards Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong at the front.
Although the friction between Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect had ended with the latter's sealing of its mountain, if they truly wanted to act, an excuse was never hard to find.
"Supreme Pontiff, should we capture him?" Yue Guan transmitted his question.
"Tang Hao must be in the shadows. Using this child as bait to draw out Tang Hao, with our current lineup, capturing him would not be difficult."
Back then, they were defeated by Tang Hao largely due to the special magnetic field created by the Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast's demise, coupled with Tang Hao's overbearing Slaughter God Domain, which even suppressed Qian Xunji's Angelic Domain.
But now, Bibi Dong also possessed the Slaughter God Domain!
Moreover, Tang Hao had suffered severe injuries from forcibly using the Great Sumeru Hammer back then, and years of evading pursuit meant his old wounds were likely still unhealed!
"No need, the time is not right." Bibi Dong raised her hand in a calming gesture, and the Spirit Masters of Spirit Hall quieted down.
Tang Hao was also an important part of the grand drama in Spirit City.
Acting now would be too soon.
On the arena, the Blood Spear and Clear Sky Hammer continued their high-speed collision.
Under the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Method, even without spirit rings attached to the Clear Sky Hammer, its power remained terrifyingly absolute.
For the first twenty strikes, Xuan Ming easily parried with the spear held in one hand. But after twenty strikes, even he had to grip the spear with both hands.
He could clearly feel that as Tang San's number of hammer swings increased, the force was continuously stacking, as if endlessly!
Even more troublesome was that the Clear Sky Hammer itself emitted a special force field, firmly drawing his Blood Spear.
As the hammer's power grew, this adhesive force also continuously increased.
If it were a Spirit Master of the same rank, unless they had a special Spirit Ability, they would be utterly unable to break free and would be forced to clash head-on with the Clear Sky Hammer!
"How many strikes can you deliver now?" Xuan Ming suddenly asked.
"Forty-eight." Tang San did not hide it. He could feel that Xuan Ming was going easy on him.
The Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Method was the ultimate control over one's own strength, using rebound force to stack power, allowing for a maximum of eighty-one continuous strikes.
His Clear Sky Hammer had no spirit ring enhancements, and while its power was formidable, it was far from enough to contend with the Blood Spear, which had at least five rings, let alone Xuan Ming's own terrifying strength.
If Xuan Ming had fought seriously, Tang San would have had no time to use Disorder Splitting Wind—at least before the first twenty strikes, Xuan Ming could have easily defeated him.
He had now delivered twenty-eight strikes. From the twenty-fourth strike onwards, he could no longer fully control the Clear Sky Hammer's wild power.
He could unleash the power, but he could no longer retract it.
In other words, he could not stop.
The thirtieth strike landed, and the ground beneath Xuan Ming's feet cracked extensively, his feet sinking deep into the arena.
Those with discerning eyes in the VIP section could tell that Xuan Ming was doing it on purpose—he was even cooperating with Tang San to complete the Disorder Splitting Wind, turning it into a pure contest of strength!
The audience in the stands was already dumbfounded.
What they had expected to be a one-sided match had, due to Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer and Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Method, reached such a level!
Feng Xiaotian's eyes were wide, his face full of disbelief, "This...how is this possible? How can he possess such immense power?"
Huo Wu was also shocked. She suddenly realized how foolish her previous disdain for Tang San had been.
If Tang San had used his Clear Sky Hammer Spirit in the previous qualifiers, Blazing Academy might not have been a match for Shrek!
As the fortieth strike landed, Tang San's body was nearing its limit. His legs began to tremble uncontrollably, and each swing of the Clear Sky Hammer felt like a struggle against death.
At this point, the power of his hammer strike was enough to easily defeat any Spirit Ancestor except for purely defensive types. He believed that even Dai Mubai, going all out, would definitely not be able to withstand this strike and would be severely injured, yet facing this power, Xuan Ming still steadily blocked it.
Only now did Tang San truly realize the terrifying power of Xuan Ming.
But what made his heart even more throb was: he felt that Xuan Ming's strength was also gradually increasing, and his method of exerting force...was incredibly similar to his own!
"Uncle Jian, he's..." Ning Fengzhi's voice trembled slightly.
"Learning." Chen Xin's gaze was fixed on Xuan Ming, "He is learning Tang San's Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Method and applying it in a way that suits him."
"Improving in battle, learning by doing...it's simply unbelievable."
He had once said that Xuan Ming's achievements would surely surpass his own, not because of cultivation speed or a special Spirit, but precisely because of this terrifying learning ability.
Observing opponents in fierce combat, compensating for one's own shortcomings, and rapidly improving—this meant that within the same rank, if one couldn't suppress Xuan Ming with absolute power, there would be no chance of victory!
On the arena, Tang San had swung to the forty-fifth strike.
Each strike carried the force of overturning mountains and seas, the black light on the Clear Sky Hammer growing stronger, and he himself was nearing his limit.
The Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Method did not consume much spirit power, but it placed an extremely high burden on the body.
He clearly felt that he was about to lose his grip on this wild giant hammer.
"Ah—!" Tang San roared, his spirit power circulating madly, determined to exert his last ounce of strength and deliver his strongest blow.
The forty-eighth strike landed, and the entire arena trembled violently!
"Boom!!!"
A deafening roar shook the heavens and earth as the Clear Sky Hammer and Blood Spear collided violently once more, unleashing an unprecedented impact!
The arena completely collapsed at that moment, and dust rose into the sky, obscuring all vision.
The audience rose to their feet, trying desperately to see what was happening in the arena, but the dust filled the air, and they saw nothing.
Just as Salas was about to order someone to dispel the dust, Xuan Ming's characteristic white light shone, instantly sweeping away the smoke and dust, enveloping the two of them.
Tang San, having delivered forty-eight hammer strikes, his body was already overloaded, his blood and qi churning incessantly.
But the moment the white light enveloped him, his turbulent blood and qi actually calmed down, a warm energy flowing into his body, slowly suppressing the backlash from overexertion.
Tang San's heart jolted, and he looked at Xuan Ming in astonishment: "You..."
"Your performance is quite satisfactory to me." Xuan Ming calmly retracted his spear. In stark contrast to Tang San's disheveled state, he appeared composed and at ease, "I said this battle would not affect your subsequent matches."
Tang San stared at him blankly, a mix of emotions in his heart.
"Why?" He couldn't help but ask, "You could have easily defeated me, so why give me this chance...and even help me?"
"I respect every opponent who has the courage to stand before me and give their all." Xuan Ming's tone was calm, "At least in this current competition, as of now, you are the only one worthy of my serious treatment."
"The previous Yu Tianxin, counts as half."
Upon hearing this, Tang San couldn't help but feel a surge of respect.
He had originally thought Xuan Ming was just an arrogant and overbearing person relying on his strength, but he hadn't expected him to be such a person.
"Thank you." Tang San said sincerely.
"No need." Xuan Ming withdrew the white light.
Tang San's injuries were already healed; he only needed one night's rest to fully recover.
At this moment, the referee walked forward: "You two..."
"I lost." Tang San admitted frankly.
The referee paused slightly, then loudly announced: "This match, Royal Fighting Team wins!"
Although the result was within everyone's expectations, the process far exceeded everyone's imagination.
Evolved Blue Silver Grass, Clear Sky Hammer, twin spirits...Tang San instantly became the focus of countless points of attention and discussion.
Especially the strength he displayed in this battle—even higher-level Spirit Masters would now hesitate to claim victory over him.
Not to mention that terrifying final hammer strike, even any single strike after the twenty-fourth strike, no participating student present would dare say they could withstand it!