Yu Xiaogang's Self-Inflicted Embarrassment
Yu Xiaogang scoffed, his tone laced with condescension.
"He was originally a speed-type, but halfway through, he switched to an assault-type. Who knows how much talent he wasted? Maybe he could have been even stronger."
After saying this, Yu Xiaogang felt rather pleased with himself.
Using hypotheticals as an argument—
Even Tang Lan couldn't refute something that had never happened.
Because there was no way to prove it.
Tang Lan cast a glance at Yu Xiaogang.
—I was going to ignore you, but you just had to keep running your mouth, huh?
—Alright then, don't blame me for ripping you apart.
"Master," Tang Lan drawled lazily,
"Since you're so good at talking, tell me—what kind of talents have you actually trained with your so-called 'brilliant theories'?"
Yu Xiaogang immediately froze.
Train talents?
His only disciple, Tang San, had already grown distant from him.
They hadn't contacted each other in ages.
What kind of real-life example could he even bring up to counter this?
Meanwhile—
Tang Lan's first team at Tang Sect Academy was personally trained by him.
Even before Yu Xiaogang left the Tang Sect, their strength had already far surpassed their peers.
And now?
Yu Xiaogang snorted coldly and refused to answer.
—Continuing this conversation would only bring more humiliation upon himself.
At the same time, he made up his mind—
For the rest of today, he would NOT speak voluntarily and give Tang Lan another opportunity to slap him in the face.
Absolutely not!
Down in the arena—
Jing Ling was currently facing Huo Wushuang, the captain of Blazing Academy and Huo Wu's older brother.
Huo Wushuang was Rank 42, and his Unicorn Fire Tyrant Dragon was of decent quality.
Having witnessed Huo Wu's utter defeat, he chose a guerilla strategy, trying to pinpoint Jing Ling's weaknesses.
But he forgot—
Jing Ling used to be a speed-type!
His massive form did not hinder him in the slightest.
On the contrary, his movements were incredibly fast.
The assault-type Huo Wushuang ended up being the one getting chased down.
Forced into a desperate fight, he went all out—
Only to find that his strongest attacks couldn't even break through Jing Ling's Titan Bone Armor.
—Jing Ling's third and fourth soul rings had exceeded 10,000 years in quality due to his life-bound soul spirit.
Huo Wushuang's fourth soul skill was barely 4,000 years old.
How the hell was he supposed to break through a 10,000-year soul skill?!
With no other choice, he had to forfeit.
—After all, today was only a ranking match, and no teams would be eliminated.
There was no reason to waste energy out of sheer stubbornness.
With Blazing Academy's two strongest members defeated, the remaining four team members knew they had no chance.
So, they switched to a stalling tactic—
—Jing Ling's massive soul skills must consume a lot of energy.
—If they couldn't win, at least they could drain him down to prevent a one-against-seven victory.
Too bad—
Even their strongest remaining member, Rank 41 Huo Yun, couldn't make him break a sweat.
Jing Ling didn't even use soul skills anymore.
After Martial Soul Possession, he activated Lingbo Weibu (Ripple Steps), his movements becoming ghost-like and unpredictable.
He switched back into speed-mode—
None of their soul skills could even land on him!
And the best part?
Lingbo Weibu was a cultivation technique.
Jing Ling was literally training while running circles around them.
Instead of exhausting himself, he was actually increasing his inner strength.
Easily securing a one-versus-seven victory.
Xue Ye the Great was ecstatic.
"Your name is Jing Ling, correct?"
"As expected from someone personally trained by Sect Master Tang—truly a man of great composure and talent."
"Blazing Academy also fought well—you are all outstanding warriors of my empire."
"Go back and rest. Let's move on to the next match."
The tournament continued.
Compared to Jing Ling's effortless one-against-seven victory, the following matches were far more intense, with close calls and narrow victories.
Very entertaining for the audience.
But for Tang Lan?
He was bored.
If not for the big reveal later today that required his presence, he would have left already.
Finally—
The real fight began.
Heaven Dou Imperial Academy vs. Tang Sect Academy!
This time, Yu Tianheng, who hadn't fought at all in previous matches, stepped into the arena with confidence.
His battle intent burned bright as he gestured provocatively toward the Tang Sect team.
"I've been waiting for this day for an entire year!"
He then sneered—
"That guy Jing Ling better not come. He must've drained a lot of energy just now, right?"
"Let your captain come down instead!"
"Today is the day Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team reclaims its honor!"
His lines were beyond cringeworthy.
Up in the VIP section—
Tang Lan slowly turned to look at Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang Foresees the Disaster
Yu Xiaogang, knowing the true strength of Tang Sect Academy's second team, couldn't help but avert his gaze.
—This kid (Yu Tianheng) is about to get absolutely destroyed.
Since Yu Xiaogang wisely kept his mouth shut, Tang Lan, who actually had some appreciation for Yu Tianheng, decided not to crush his spirit too badly.
So he spoke up—
"After all, we still have to go to Spirit Hall for the final championship."
"Let's not ruin the camaraderie."
Then, he casually called out—
"Bing'er, have the second team show their levels."
The Reveal: The Second Team's True Strength
Hearing the sect master's order, Tai Long and the others stepped forward and unleashed their full soul power.
—Rank 40!
Tai Long, Jiang Zhu, Huang Yuan, Meng Yiran, Bai Chenxiang—
All of them had reached Rank 40!
And once they absorbed their soul rings, they'd all be at least Rank 41.
And this—
Was only the second team.
Yu Tianheng clenched his fists, but he managed to keep his composure.
—Their Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team was also full of four-ring Soul Ancestors.
No big deal.
Even when Jing Ling displayed his Purple-Yellow-Black-Black Rank 49 level, Yu Tianheng still felt confident.
—After all, he had a top-tier martial soul—Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!
—Jing Ling's Skeleton Martial Soul might be strong, but he could handle it.
But then—
Shui Yue'er took a step forward and spoke playfully—
"Shui Yue'er, Rank 49 Agility-Type Battle Soul Ancestor."
Then, her four soul rings lit up—
Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Red!
Yu Tianheng froze on the spot.
—Another Rank 49?!
—And what the hell is that fourth soul ring?!
A blood-red 100,000-year soul ring?!
Everyone present, without exception, gaped in disbelief!
A 100,000-year soul ring appearing as someone's fourth ring could mean only one thing—
A voluntary sacrifice!
How the hell did Shui Yue'er have such ridiculous luck?!
Before they could even process this—
Shui Bing'er stepped forward, her eyes carrying a hint of pity.
—She had intentionally held back in previous matches, using only her first three rings.
—But now that Tang Lan had given the order—
"Shui Bing'er, Rank 55 Control-Type Battle Soul King, Martial Soul: Ice Phoenix."
Then—
Her soul rings appeared—
Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Red, Red!
Boom!
The entire audience was shaken!
—Rank 55?!
—Shui Bing'er was actually already Rank 55?!
And even worse—
—Her fourth and fifth rings were BOTH 100,000-year soul rings?!
And that wasn't all—
Something was off about her martial soul, too.
The Ice Phoenix's aura actually made Yu Tianheng feel suppressed!
—Was the Ice Phoenix's martial soul actually superior to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon?!
Yu Tianheng Loses All Will to Fight
His level was crushed.
His soul rings were crushed.
Even his strongest pride—his martial soul—was crushed.
Yu Tianheng's fighting spirit completely collapsed.
With a blank expression, he turned and left the arena.
And nobody blamed him.
—With Tang Sect Academy's second team being this ridiculously overpowered, what's even the point of fighting?!
Might as well conserve energy for the Spirit Hall finals and perform better there.
But then—
Wait a damn second!
—This is only Tang Sect Academy's SECOND TEAM?!
A lot of people turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing and the others.
If the second team was already this insane—
Then how terrifying was the first team?!
—Were they all Soul Kings?!
Impossible!
The first-team members were too young!
The oldest, Dai Mubai, was only 17.
The youngest, Zhu Zhuqing, was just 14!
Could they all be Soul Kings at that age?!
Absolutely impossible!
...
...Right?
Hmm.
If only they knew that Zhu Zhuqing's level was actually HIGHER than Dai Mubai's...
How would they react?
(End of Chapter)