The Master struggled to his feet, limping back to Shrek Academy's team. The match was over, and the three teams each returned to their camps. As they passed each other, Tang San suddenly noticed the golden crocodile girl casting a glance at him.
She raised her hand and made a throat-slitting gesture, then left with her team.
"I really didn't expect Spirit Hall to voluntarily give up their qualification for advancing to the finals and instead choose to enter the afternoon's semifinals," Liu Erlong said.
"In terms of overall strength, the Spirit Hall team is stronger than Spark's main lineup, yet they chose to stay behind and intercept us in the afternoon. Truly unexpected." Flender looked at Shrek's team and said, "Little monsters, this afternoon we may face the strongest team in the history of the spirit master world. You must give it your all—don't hold back. But no matter the result, you've already made it into the top three. As your teacher, I'm proud of you."
"Yes, Teacher," Tang San said.
"Don't worry, Teacher—we have an ultimate finishing move," Yu Tianheng said.
"Alright, I look forward to your brilliant performance. Just rest well and prepare for this afternoon's match," Flender said, then left with Liu Erlong.
"Ultimate finishing move???" Tang San was a little puzzled. Did their team really have such a thing?
In his previous life, Shrek's trump card in the losers' bracket had been the Seven-in-One Fusion Skill, but that fusion technique required complete unity of mind.
Although today's Shrek team was stronger than their past selves, they were far from united. Yu Tianheng and Er Ming formed one faction; Xiao Wu, Tang San himself, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar another. Dai Mubai had originally been on Tang San's side, but Tang San no longer acknowledged his position. With the team split like this, pulling off the Seven-in-One Fusion was impossible.
Just as Tang San was doubting, Yu Tianheng suddenly walked up to him with a serious expression. "Ah San!"
"What do you want to say?" Tang San looked at him with disgust.
"I know we've had many conflicts, but now the competition has reached a critical point. We share a common goal: to win the championship and obtain the spirit bones. Am I wrong?" Yu Tianheng said.
"Of course not," Tang San replied.
"Shrek will be facing an opponent stronger even than Spark. Against such a team, there's no room for infighting. Before we win the championship, we should set aside our grudges and go all out. Once we have the title, we can settle everything else. What do you say?" Yu Tianheng asked.
Tang San could hear his true meaning—Yu Tianheng wanted to be included in the lineup.
Frankly, Tang San didn't want to let Yu Tianheng and Er Ming onstage to steal his thunder. But Spirit Hall's team was terrifyingly strong, and he wasn't confident in facing them alone.
He began weighing the odds: without Yu Tianheng and Er Ming, did they really have a chance to win?
Oscar leaned close and whispered in Tang San's ear: "Ah San, even though we've had grudges with them, Yu Tianheng is right. We have to give it our all this afternoon. Otherwise, we might miss out on the championship. And don't forget—your mother's spirit bone, and Xiao Wu's mother's spirit bone. If we lose, they'll fall into someone else's hands."
In the end, Tang San compromised. He said, "This afternoon, our lineup will be me, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, plus you, Yu Tianheng, and Er Ming. No matter our differences, you're right—against such a powerful foe, we must set them aside."
Thus, for the first time in this tournament, the internally divided Shrek team prepared to go on stage in full force.
Spirit Hall Team's Camp
"I don't get it. We could have fought Spark in the semifinals and secured a place in the finals. Why did we have to throw the match and go into the losers' bracket?" Tian Yue complained unhappily.
Qing Ming answered, "Instructor Tianchen said our real target in this tournament is Shrek Academy. If we advanced straight to the finals, we might not get the chance to fight them."
Guang Ning added, "But most likely, Shrek will be eliminated by Spark!"
"Exactly. That's why the academy ordered us to give up our chance at direct advancement, just to make sure we face Shrek," Qing Ming explained.
"I really don't see what's so special about them, that we have to give up a chance like this just to fight them," Tian Yue muttered, flicking her wrist. A dark-golden short whip appeared in her hand, only a foot long, seemingly formed from vertebrae. Jagged bone spurs jutted from its surface, with scaled patterns resembling a predator in motion.
This was the external spirit bone she had obtained upon absorbing her sixth spirit ring, the ten-thousand-year Heavenly Crocodile Emperor—the Crocodile Emperor Whip. Channeling spirit power into it, the whip extended to three meters. She lashed it against the ground, carving a deep scar with its bone spurs.
Pulling it taut, Tian Yue said coldly, "But since it's decided, fine. Just don't knock out Shrek's students too quickly this afternoon. Think of it as warming up, preparing for tomorrow's match."
That afternoon, under the blazing sun, the cool freshness of morning was gone. On the Soul Arena stage, the Golden Team and Shrek Academy faced each other.
Compared to the calm Golden Team, Shrek's atmosphere was much heavier.
Tang San turned to Dai Mubai and the others. "Xiao Wu, just follow my plan later."
Xiao Wu smiled. "Ah San gege, no need to make it so complicated. Shrek has an ultimate finishing move, after all."
The words "ultimate finishing move" struck Tang San again, leaving him even more confused.
Could she mean a fusion skill? Tang San looked at Xiao Wu, Yu Tianheng, and Er Ming—they could indeed form a three-person spirit fusion technique.
Three Spirit Kings combining could rival a Spirit Emperor. Yet deep down, Tang San instinctively resisted the thought of Xiao Wu fusing spirits with other men.
The two captains stepped forward to confer.
Tian Yue looked at the boy before her—shorter than her, spindly arms and legs, dark skin, looking utterly unimpressive. Casting a sidelong glance at the six behind him—Yu Tianheng, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and the burly Er Ming—all seemed at least presentable compared to this strange, scrawny figure. She immediately felt insulted.
"Shrek Academy sent you to insult us?" Tian Yue said furiously.
"I am the captain of the Shrek Team." Tang San said with a darkened face.
"You Shrek Academy people are really strange. Out of so many human-looking choices, you just had to pick a freak like you." Tian Yue sneered.
"Are you insulting me? You will pay the price for this." Tang San said angrily.
"Price? I'd like to see what price you can make me pay!" Tian Yue said dismissively.
After the two captains finished their exchange, they each returned to their teams.
When the referee announced the match would begin in one minute, the arena instantly filled with a dazzling display of martial spirits.
On the Spirit Hall's side appeared: Golden Crocodile King, Azure Luan, Radiant Feather Divine Bow, Ghost Leopard, Mist Elf, and the Blessing Staff.
On Shrek's side appeared: Phoenix, White Tiger, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Sausage, Soft Bone Rabbit, Titan Ape, and the Clear Sky Hammer martial spirit.
The two sides faced each other with clear boundaries drawn, Shrek clearly at a disadvantage.
Spectators were already used to Tang San's bizarre spirit ring configuration.
But in the crowd, Tang Hao was completely stunned. This was the first time he had seen Tang San fight—and he saw such a terrifying scene.
Why was this life so different from the last? In the previous life, Tang San was his pride, pushing the Blue Silver Emperor to its limits before training the Clear Sky Hammer. His first Clear Sky Hammer ring had even started with a hundred-thousand-year Titan Ape! Tang San had developed both martial spirits to their extreme.
But now? Not only did Tang San attach spirit rings to the Clear Sky Hammer, his configuration was purple, purple, purple, yellow. What the hell was this?
The world had changed so much that Tang Hao could hardly believe that this awkward, clumsy Tang San on the stage was his son.
"Shrek, those useless trash! I entrusted Xiao San to them, and this is how they taught him?" Tang Hao gritted his teeth, seething with hatred and fury.
More than that, Tang Hao looked toward the Spirit Hall team, his eyes filled with deep dread—
a twelve-year-old Spirit Emperor with the Golden Crocodile King, a twelve-year-old Spirit King with the Radiant Feather Divine Bow, a twelve-year-old Spirit King with the Azure Luan, and even a Ghost Leopard Spirit King.
A cold fear flashed in Tang Hao's eyes. If not for being inside Spirit Hall, he would already have struck them down.
Spirit Hall must not be allowed to produce people more outstanding than Tang San.
Suppressing his complex emotions, Tang Hao reminded himself—inside this tiger's den, he only had one chance to act, and it must be at the most critical moment. The Tang family could one day cultivate a god, dominate the continent for millennia; there was no need to clash prematurely with Spirit Hall over something small.
Ding—ding—ding.
The match bell rang.
As Tang San was about to move, a long whip lashed out and wrapped around his waist, yanking him out of Shrek's formation.
On the other side, with the cry of an Azure Luan, a barrier of storm winds descended, enclosing Xiao Wu—the core of Shrek's team—and pulling her to the center of the stage.
Trapped inside, Xiao Wu tried to teleport out, but discovered that within this wind barrier, her spirit power was useless.
"Useless." Qing Ming rose into the air and said, "Inside my domain, your spirit skills are nullified."
Tian Yue said to Qing Ming: "Well done, keep her locked down—now we don't have to worry about you stabbing us in the back!"
Qing Ming replied, "Why would I betray you?"
"Because you're a man," Guang Ning remarked flatly.
The Spirit Hall team had studied Shrek's previous matches. Most of their tactics could be understood—but Xiao Wu remained a mystery.
Her martial spirit fusion seemed limitless, able to merge with countless others—even with the strongest members of the opposing team.
They didn't fully understand why, but they noticed that Xiao Wu only fused with male spirit masters. And after being fused with, those men became infatuated with her.
Female spirit masters sighed in relief—they didn't have to worry about betraying their own teammates. But they did have to worry about being betrayed by them.
For the male spirit masters, however, this was no laughing matter.
To prevent themselves or their teammates from being forcibly fused with Xiao Wu, they designed their strategy: from the very start, Xiao Wu must be restrained. Once she was controlled, the rest of Shrek was nothing to fear.
With Xiao Wu trapped, Shrek immediately fell into a passive position.
Before the match, Shrek had two strategies: Tang San's Plan A, and Xiao Wu's Plan B. Tang San didn't even know Plan B existed—he thought everyone would follow his Plan A. But the others only believed Xiao Wu's plan could win.
But at the start of the match, Xiao Wu was trapped—Plan B collapsed.
Now Shrek could only throw everything into rescuing her. As for Tang San? No one cared.
"Xiao Wu—!" Dai Mubai roared with his White Tiger martial spirit, charging toward the barrier. Suddenly, a ghostly shadow appeared in front of him.
Gui Xuan, with his Ghost Leopard martial spirit, blocked his path. "Your opponent is me!"
"Phoenix Flame Line!" Ma Hongjun unleashed blazing flames toward the barrier, hoping to burn through and free Xiao Wu. Meanwhile, Er Ming pounded his chest with a savage roar and charged toward the center where she was trapped.
Suddenly, two icy arrows shot across the field. One extinguished Ma Hongjun's flames and pierced his Phoenix's wing. The other struck through Er Ming's Titan Ape martial spirit.
Guang Ning held her bow, looking coldly at Ma Hongjun and Er Ming. "If you want to save that rabbit, you'll have to pass me first." She drew three more arrows and aimed them at the two.
Elsewhere, Yu Tianheng transformed into a Blue Lightning Dragon and charged toward Xiao Wu—but blades of wind slashed at him, forcing him to dodge. Looking closely, he saw the culprit—it was Qing Ming, the one who trapped Xiao Wu.
As Shrek's five fought desperately against Spirit Hall's six over Xiao Wu, two people remained outside the chaos.
From the beginning, Tang San had been pulled aside by Tian Yue's Crocodile Emperor Whip.
He struggled hard to break free, but it was useless.
Tian Yue watched the central battlefield without interfering—she believed her teammates could easily deal with Shrek's so-called "monsters."
Instead, her gaze fell on Tang San, bound by her whip. For some reason, staring at his coal-black skin, an uncontrollable urge welled up inside her—
The urge to lash him a hundred times. Then a hundred more. To whip him until he danced!
"Let me go, damn it, let me go!" Tang San struggled while shouting.
Suddenly, he sensed a gaze. Following it, he locked eyes with Tian Yue. That look made Tang San tremble involuntarily.
This woman wore a cowboy hat, held a bone whip in her hand. Her skin was fair with a rosy glow, golden wavy hair cascading down. In Tang San's memory, her beauty was not inferior to Qian Renxue's.
But she didn't awaken in him any yearning for beautiful things—instead, she made him recall memories from the God Realm farm.
The same cowboy hat, the same denim clothes.
That blurry figure under the blazing sun, holding a small whip, lashing at him while shouting for him to work faster, to pick more cotton—gradually overlapped with the woman before him.
"You know, in your current state, all I have to do is toss you off the Stage, and you'll be out!" Tian Yue said.
Tang San: "…"
"But rather than that, I'd rather see you dance!" Tian Yue flicked her wrist, and the Crocodile Emperor Whip binding Tang San suddenly loosened. He fell down.
"Dance?" Tang San stood up doubtfully and asked.
"Yes, dance for me—" Tian Yue swung her whip toward Tang San.
Unable to dodge in time, his dark body was lashed, leaving a whip mark.
"Ugh—ahhhh!"
Before Tang San could react, another whip lashed down.
"What are you standing there for? Dance for me!"
Tang San raised the Clear Sky Hammer to block the bone whip.
His eyes reddened, breath ragged like an ox, he said: "You have no right to order me—ugh, ahhhh!" Before he could finish, his face was struck by another lash.
"Damn it, Clear Sky Hammer's first soul skill—Snot Strike!" Tang San swung the heavy hammer to the ground. The hammer flattened, squeezing out sticky mucus that splattered toward Tian Yue.
A look of disgust flashed across Tian Yue's face. She raised her other hand, her second soul skill glowing. A golden barrier condensed around her, blocking the mucus midair.
"Disgusting. Looks like I can't give you a chance to catch your breath. Dance!" Her whip danced faster, forming a graceful whip-dance that lashed toward Tang San.
In the stands, seeing his son bound, whipped like a clumsy black ape in a circus, Tang Hao almost lost control. When he saw Tang San use the so-called first skill of the Clear Sky Hammer, his worldview was utterly shattered.
Xiao San, stop! That's not how you use the Clear Sky Hammer!
On the Stage, Tian Yue resembled a qualified dance instructor, patiently using her whip to train Tang San in the art of dance.
Every time Tang San's movements were off, Teacher Tian Yue would correct them with her Crocodile Emperor Whip.
The whip shadows moved too fast to see, striking from all directions. Tang San's mighty Clear Sky Hammer was nearly powerless to defend, forcing him to dodge with Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step in rhythm with the whip lashes. From within the whip shadows came his constant screams: "Ugh, ahhhh!"
To the audience, the scene looked like a black ape performing a ridiculous dance on stage—captivating and absurd.
Soon, part of the audience stopped watching Xiao Wu's battle and turned their gaze here instead.
The sight of a beautiful woman whipping a beast deeply stimulated them. Dopamine rushed, igniting their joy.
They clenched their fists and shouted—
"Whip him! His moves aren't standard—correct him!"
"Beat that black ape to death!"
"Dance! Dance, you clumsy gorilla!"
Finally, one last lash struck Tang San's stomach. With a scream, he was sent flying, landing powerless beside Xiao Wu's wind barrier.
By now, his school uniform had been torn into strips, hanging loosely on him. His dark skin was covered with terrifying whip marks.
Tang San tried to stand, but the pain in his body refused to let him.
Elsewhere, Ma Hongjun had been struck by ice arrows, collapsing beside the already-frozen Er Ming.
The Azure Luan Bird trampled the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon into defeat, sending Yu Tianheng crashing to the ground.
Dai Mubai was overwhelmed by Gui Xuan's speed and power, covered in horrific wounds, unable to fight further.
Oscar too had been defeated, lying unconscious on the stage.
"We've won," Gui Xuan said, surveying the battlefield.
On the entire Douhun Stage, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, Tang San, Er Ming, and Yu Tianheng had all been defeated, stripped of combat power. The only one left standing was Xiao Wu, who from the start had been trapped and unable to act.
At this point, the victory of the Spirit Hall team could practically be announced.
The referee was just about to step onstage to declare the result, when suddenly, Qingming's expression changed.
"Not good, Xiao Wu is breaking free!"
Within the wind barrier, a surge of pink soul power burst outward, shattering its restraints.
Xiao Wu leapt out.
"Didn't expect you'd still manage to break free." Tian Yue, Guang Ning, and the other Spirit Hall team members immediately grew wary, watching the space around Qingming and Gui Xuan.
But the freed Xiao Wu did not immediately use teleportation to forcibly fuse with the male soul masters. Instead, she stood her ground.
"Only you're left now, rabbit. Surrender," Qingming said, raising a soul power barrier around himself—after all, he didn't want to end up like Yu Tianheng, Feng Xiaotian, or Davis, mysteriously fused.
"Surrender? Impossible. Xiao Wu hasn't even used her ultimate finishing move yet," she replied.
Ultimate finishing move? This was the third time Tang San had heard that term. His small blackened face was full of confusion—Our Shrek team has that kind of thing?
Xiao Wu's body rose into the air, pink light swirling around her.
Seeing this, a sense of unease welled in Tang San's heart. Could it be—
Xiao Wu declared: "Comrades of Shrek, lend your strength to Xiao Wu!"
"How do I lend my strength to Xiao Wu?" Tang San looked down at his own hands, puzzled.
Suddenly, he noticed changes around him. Dai Mubai, Yu Tianheng, the frozen Ma Hongjun, and Er Ming—all lying on the ground—were glowing in unison.
Tang San looked here, looked there, then looked at himself, his face full of disbelief.
"Xiao Wu, this is everything I have left. I'll give it all to you, every last bit." Dai Mubai said, as his body floated upward, enveloped by the phantom of the White Tiger. The White Tiger leapt and rose to the same height as Xiao Wu.
"Xiao Wu, freely use the power of my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon." From Yu Tianheng came the resonant roar of the dragon, as his body lifted alongside the dragon and rose to the same height as Xiao Wu.
The ice sculptures of Ma Hongjun and Er Ming suddenly shattered apart. A phoenix soared into the sky. Within the phoenix, determination flashed in Ma Hongjun's eyes:
"Xiao Wu, take my Evil Fire—!"
On the ground, Er Ming began to run. As he ran, his body transformed into the Titan Giant Ape. Beating his chest with thunderous force, he shouted:
"Sister Xiao Wu, I'm coming!"
With a tremendous leap, he too rose to Xiao Wu's height.
"Xiao Wu, these are my last sausages—take them, take them all!" Oscar bellowed. His body transformed into a massive sausage, soaring upward to join the others at Xiao Wu's height.
Thus, in the sky above the Dou Soul Arena, Xiao Wu's figure stood at the center. Surrounding her were the White Tiger, the Phoenix, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the Titan Giant Ape, and the giant Sausage—encircling her like stars worshiping the moon.
"This… this is a Martial Spirit Fusion Technique???"
The cruel reality before Tang San told him the truth: his brothers Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun, his sworn enemy Yu Tianheng, Er Ming, and his beloved Xiao Wu—all were performing a multi-person Martial Spirit Fusion Technique, right before his eyes.
At that moment, Tang San's mind split apart. He was utterly powerless.
In the stands, Tai Long, Feng Xiaotian, Davis, Xue Beng, and even Bu Le hidden among the crowd all felt their hearts stir restlessly at the sight.
"What a pity, Xiao Wu. I wish I could lend you my strength too. The more power you draw, the better." Bu Le said regretfully.
Yes, it was a pity. After all, this was still a match, with only seven participants allowed on stage. A Martial Spirit Fusion Technique could only involve those seven. If everyone who could fuse joined in, wouldn't that break the rules?
Of course, even this six-in-one Martial Spirit Fusion was enough to shake the heavens.
Bibi Dong, Ning Fengzhi, and other worldly figures were deeply moved, but Bibi Dong glanced at Huo Qiqiang seated nearby and immediately understood.
Such a phenomenon could never arise from a naturally-formed Martial Spirit Fusion. Only gods could manifest such a wonder.
Far away, in a library within the Spirit Hall's Pope's Palace, an elderly, white-haired master of Martial Spirit theory was leafing through old records when he suddenly felt the violent ripple of a fusion. Trembling, he rushed to the window. Seeing the scene unfolding on the Soul Arena, his eyes, once mere slits, widened, and tears flowed uncontrollably.
"A six-in-one Martial Spirit Fusion! Heavens, I've witnessed a miracle! I must record this!" With shaking hands, he pulled out a Memory Stone and began recording.
Meanwhile, at Shrek's side, the former theory master Yu Xiaogang glared resentfully at Xiao Wu and the others on stage. Inwardly, he howled in fury:
"Why? Xiao San is my treasured disciple! In this match, in this Martial Spirit Fusion, why isn't Xiao San the one in the lead? Why has he been excluded? With such a victory, Xiao San will remain nameless, and I, Yu Xiaogang, will never gain renown through him—"
In the shadows, Tang Hao watched with disbelief. Then realization struck him—this was dire!
From his past life's memory, Tang Hao knew: Xiao Wu was the scabbard of the Asura God's Sword. It was because Xiao Wu loved Tang San so deeply that the Asura God, despite Tang San already inheriting the foundation of the Sea God, still passed on the Asura God's mantle to him—allowing Tang San to achieve the unprecedented dual-godhood.
The foundation of inheriting the Asura God's position was Xiao Wu. Lose Xiao Wu, and Tang San lost the Asura God's position.
Without the Asura God's power, how could Tang San, with only a single first-rank Sea God throne, ever defeat Spirit Hall's twin gods? Even if he won, even if he ascended to the God Realm, he would have no authority in the Divine Committee, no power to challenge the God of Destruction, and no way to scheme for Douluo Continent or Douluo's God Realm to become the private property of the Tang family.
Xiao Wu was the core of all the Tang family's interests. Losing her meant losing everything.
Originally, Tang Hao had been optimistic about Tang San and Xiao Wu's love. With past-life knowledge, he believed his son would easily win her heart. That's why he hadn't interfered. But this sight told him: his future daughter-in-law was now performing a Martial Spirit Fusion with five men—before his son's very eyes!
This shook Tang Hao's certainty about claiming the Asura God's position. A Martial Spirit Fusion inevitably forged deep bonds. If Xiao Wu had no Fusion with Tang San, but shared one with five other men, would Tang San really be able to win her heart?
For a moment, Tang Hao wanted to kill Dai Mubai and the others for daring to touch his chosen daughter-in-law, the Asura God's scabbard, Xiao Wu. But he knew it was only a thought.
If one partner in a Martial Spirit Fusion was killed, the other would forever see the killer as an enemy. If Xiao Wu came to view him as her mortal enemy, she would never open her heart to Tang San, and the Asura God's position would be lost to the Tang family forever.
No—he must find a way to secure Xiao Wu and Tang San's relationship quickly. He couldn't let other men seize the initiative. The Asura God's throne belonged to the Tang family—it must belong to the Tang family. Tang Hao thought grimly.
On the stage, Tang San sat dumbfounded on the ground, staring blankly at the sky. He hadn't yet reacted. But Spirit Hall had.
A six-in-one Martial Spirit Fusion. No one knew what monster it would produce—but even the phrase itself sent chills down spines.
Guang Ning immediately condensed an arrow, aimed at the center of the fusion where Xiao Wu stood. Feet braced on the bow, hand pulling the string, he released. The arrow tore through the air, carrying freezing energy as it shot at Xiao Wu.
Yet, before it could reach her, it was dissolved by the violent surge of soul power surrounding the fusion!
Qing Ming prepared to attack, but Guang Ning stopped him.
"Don't waste your strength. I've tried—this fusion formation can't be broken. At least, not by us right now."
"Then save your soul power. Prepare for battle." Tian Yue said gravely. "Let's see what kind of monster this six-in-one Martial Spirit Fusion will create!"