Yun Ming looked at the person before him with some confusion; he did not recognize this man. Although the other party was wearing the Thunder Academy uniform, Yun Ming was certain that this person had not appeared once since the Preliminary Round began.
The man who had challenged Yun Ming was a handsome fellow with long, blue-gold hair, deep eyes, and a tall, well-proportioned physique; his appearance was in no way inferior to Yun Ming's. Moreover, the vitality radiating from him was clearly not that of an ordinary person. Could Thunder Academy really have such a character?
Yun Ming spoke up to ask.
"May I ask who you are?"
The handsome man introduced himself.
"I am Tang Yin, a substitute for Thunder Academy. It is a pleasure to meet you, Captain Yun."
Hearing the reply, Yun Ming's expression remained unchanged, but his thoughts raced.
Tang Yin, a suddenly appearing substitute for Thunder Academy, overflowing with vitality? Why do these key traits sound so much like an acquaintance I know from my past and present lives! Is it him?
Thinking this, Yun Ming activated his Spiritual Power, attempting to probe the other's foundation. However, the moment his Spiritual Power touched the surface of this 'Tang Yin', it was blocked by a layer of blue light.
A domain.
Yun Ming made his judgment on what exactly the blue light blocking him was.
Unable to probe further, Yun Ming carefully observed 'Tang Yin's' expression and realized he might have been overthinking things. The other party likely never intended to hide from him, for although 'Tang Yin' wore a gentle, spring-breeze-like smile on his face, his eyes were filled with frost.
So, was the fleeting killing intent Yun Ming sensed a few days ago coming from him? That would certainly make sense.
Yun Ming's lips curled slightly as he responded.
"So it is Brother Tang! It has truly been a long time."
"Seeing you here is quite a surprise!"
Who was 'Tang Yin'? Naturally, it was the alias of the Tang God King, Tang San after awakening his Blue Silver Emperor bloodline.
Tang San was not surprised that the other had recognized him. Having awakened his Blue Silver Emperor bloodline, he had come to understand certain things, such as the inherent secrecy of the Blue Silver Emperor lineage. Since Yun Ming knew his Spirit Origin, it was possible for him to deduce his identity through other information.
The person he intended to deceive with his alias was not Yun Ming, but rather the ignorant Soul Masters who had been misled by Yun Ming, so as to prevent them from interfering with his plans.
Tang San returned to the main topic and continued to ask.
"I wonder, Captain Yun, will you accept my request or not?"
Yun Ming looked at the Tang San before him, his eyes deep and dark.
"Very well! I would also like to see how much Brother Tang has improved this time. I only hope that Brother Tang will not disappoint me again."
Thinking of the torture he had previously endured and his gains this time, Tang San suppressed the killing intent in his heart and replied in a low voice.
"I will not let Captain Yun down."
Yun Ming smiled slightly upon hearing this; he was looking forward to it. He then led the Empire Team to find their seats.
After the Empire team sat in their places, Oscar turned his head to glance at Tang San standing behind them. Tang San responded with a smile, and Oscar nodded back with a smile of his own. He then asked Yun Ming beside him.
"Boss, do you know that guy?"
Yun Ming said casually.
"I know him, and you know him too."
Oscar was a bit confused. He didn't know anyone! If he knew the person behind the face of 'Tang Yin', would he not have recognized him? But before Oscar could ask again, Yun Ming spoke up.
"I'll tell you later. Watch the match! It's starting."
Seeing that Yun Ming didn't want to talk now, Oscar stopped asking.
Tang San withdrew his smile and looked at Yun Ming's back, his eyes as cold as ice. However, remembering what his uncle had said, he composed himself, returned to the very back of the Thunder Academy group, and closed his eyes to wait for the Promotion Tournament to begin. Yu Tianxin glanced at this mysterious new teammate but said nothing.
For today's Promotion Tournament, Yun Ming and his team drew a bad lot. Their Empire Team and Thunder Academy were the seventh match of the final round, so they had to wait for the previous six matches to conclude.
While others watched the matches, Yun Ming closed his eyes to rest, quietly waiting for their own match to begin.
The first match was the main event: Tianshui Academy versus Blazing Fire Academy.
Both academies fought until only their last member remained. Because Shui Binger had fought against Huo Wu, she had consumed a massive amount of Soul Power even though she won. In the end, she faced the final member of Blazing Fire, Ma Hongjun. The Ice and Fire Twin Phoenix Duel came down to a single misstep, and she was defeated. Ultimately, Blazing Fire emerged as the victor of this ice and fire battle.
Shenfeng Team had a bye today. In the following five matches, the other academies were just pecking at each other; while the fights were lively, the level of skill was not high.
It took nearly three hours to finish the last six matches. Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, and the others in the VIP seats were interested to see the final match between the Empire and Thunder Academy.
Today was the seventh day of the Promotion Tournament, and Xue Ye and the others had long since grasped the general capabilities of each academy. If not for this final battle today, they might not have even come.
The referee announced.
"The seventh match of the seventh round of the Promotion Tournament, Empire Academy versus Thunder Academy, officially begins! Will the first member of both sides please take the stage."
Hearing the referee's announcement, Yu Tianxin and Feng Xiaotian exchanged a look, stood up, and entered the arena.
As the two stepped onto the stage, Yu Tianxin looked at Feng Xiaotian opposite him and said loudly.
"Feng Xiaotian, watch closely! The power of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!"
Feng Xiaotian understood the kind of person Yu Tianxin was. To still be able to talk tough after seeing his battles meant he likely had some trump cards, so he responded earnestly.
"I am looking forward to it."
Following this, the two moved like reflections, simultaneously pushing off the ground and charging toward each other with tacit understanding.
"Martial Soul Avatar!"
As they charged toward each other, both men silently recited a mantra, completing their Martial Soul Avatar simultaneously.
Feng Xiaotian's bones crackled and popped as his muscles rapidly expanded, transforming him into a massive yet agile werewolf.
Yu Tianxin's sleeves tore apart as his arms transformed into ferocious dragon claws covered in thick, blue-purple dragon scales. Most peculiarly, unlike others whose Spirit Rings hovered around their bodies, Yu Tianxin's four Spirit Rings were distributed evenly, two on each arm.
That wasn't all; once their Martial Soul Avatars were active, both immediately utilized their amplitude soul skills. As old rivals, they were well-acquainted with each other's abilities and saw no need to waste time on redundant probing.
Feng Xiaotian activated his second soul skill, Dual Wolf Avatar, boosting his attack, defense, and agility by fifty percent.
Yu Tianxin activated his third soul skill, Thunder God's Wrath, increasing his lightning power by one hundred percent and his soul power by one hundred percent.
The two transformed into meteors of different colors, colliding head-on on the left side of the arena, closer to Yu Tianxin's starting position.
"Boom!"
The arena beneath their feet shattered upon impact, and the violent wind generated by the collision surged outward from the center, carrying debris with it. Of course, because the arena was so vast, the only victim of the gale was the referee.
As the dust settled, the crowd saw the state of the battlefield: Yu Tianxin and Feng Xiaotian were locked in a stalemate, claw against claw.
The dragon claws had torn through the wolf claws, leaving deep gouges and tufts of fur, while the wolf claws had fractured the blue-purple dragon scales, leaving the dragon claws bleeding profusely.
"Your strength?"
Yu Tianxin was shocked by the immense force coming from Feng Xiaotian's wolf claws. The last time they fought, Feng Xiaotian had to contend with other opponents, so he had relied more on his speed advantage. Now, in a direct collision, he felt that Feng Xiaotian's strength had increased significantly! He was actually able to go toe-to-toe with him.
Feng Xiaotian grinned hideously.
"The training I've undergone over this past year has improved my capabilities in every aspect."
The physical training Yun Ming had arranged for him over the last year certainly hadn't been in vain.
When a beast spirit is activated, it amplifies physical abilities to varying degrees based on the type and strength of the spirit, and this amplification acts as a multiplier on the user's base physical stats.
In terms of raw power amplification from the spirit alone, the Gale Two-Headed Wolf naturally couldn't compare to the multiplier of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. However, Feng Xiaotian had spent the last year training his base physical condition to be stronger than Yu Tianxin's. With his higher base stats combined with the spirit boost, the current situation was the result.
Yu Tianxin said, "I see! Since our strength is equal, let's compare other things!"
As Yu Tianxin finished speaking, both men let go, adjusted their stances, and charged at each other once more.
Yu Tianxin thrust a claw out, swiping toward Feng Xiaotian's chest.
Facing the dragon claw, Feng Xiaotian swung his wolf claw to parry, while his other hand went for a heart-seeking strike.
Yu Tianxin hurriedly used his other dragon claw to block, but he didn't expect Feng Xiaotian to change moves so quickly. Seeing that the claw strike wouldn't land, Feng Xiaotian shifted from a strike to a grab, pinning Yu Tianxin's claws, pulling him in, and delivering a headbutt.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon spirit had many advantages, but it also had a flaw that wasn't quite a flaw: its physical reinforcement was applied to specific body parts based on the user's cultivation level.
The reinforced parts, like Yu Tianxin's dragon claws, were naturally very strong—much stronger than Feng Xiaotian's wolf claws—but Yu Tianxin's current cultivation didn't reinforce his head. When it came to hardness, Yu Tianxin's human skull couldn't compare to Feng Xiaotian's wolf head.
Wolves are known for their copper heads and iron bones; naturally, his head was incredibly hard.
The result was that Feng Xiaotian's forceful headbutt left Yu Tianxin dazed, with a large bump rising on his forehead, as if he were trying to grow dragon horns ahead of schedule.
Within just a few rounds, Yu Tianxin had fallen into a disadvantage.
Taking advantage of Yu Tianxin's dizziness, Feng Xiaotian gripped his dragon claws to prevent him from escaping, pulled him in close, and delivered a heavy knee strike to Yu Tianxin's abdomen.
"Bang!"
Struck hard in the gut, Yu Tianxin spat out a mixture of bile and blood, his vision blacking out as he nearly lost consciousness.
Feng Xiaotian didn't stop, releasing Yu Tianxin and unleashing a storm of punches, palms, claws, and kicks upon him.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang."
Dazed, Yu Tianxin felt the attacks and instinctively covered his head to defend, blocking some but failing to stop others. In just a few dozen seconds of rapid-fire assault, Yu Tianxin had been hit by every type of strike, his indigo school uniform shredded to pieces.
Finally, Feng Xiaotian seized the opportunity, delivered a kick, and sent Yu Tianxin flying five or six meters, crashing into the ground.
Feng Xiaotian's main task over the past year had been studying how to kill in combat, combined with the special training Yun Ming had put him through the previous month. Although he had been beaten to the point of collapse every day, with Ye Lingling there to heal him after every session—a process that could only be described as top-tier torture—the results were excellent.
His combat instincts were now incredibly sharp. That sudden headbutt was a flash of brilliance born from battle; he could have used a kick, but it might have been blocked, and it wouldn't have been as effective as the headbutt in maximizing the damage.
If Feng Xiaotian hadn't thought of that move, the fight might still be ongoing.
In terms of technique, Yu Tianxin had been completely defeated.
The spectators outside the arena watched as Yu Tianxin, one of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Twins, was beaten black and blue by Feng Xiaotian the moment he stepped onto the stage, their jaws dropping in shock.
"Th-this... he's this strong?!"
Yu Tianxin had a strong will and didn't pass out. Coupled with the recovery abilities of a top-tier beast spirit, he managed to stand up shakily after taking a dozen heavy blows.
Looking at Feng Xiaotian, who stood a few meters away with only a few bloodstains on his hands, Yu Tianxin's heart was in turmoil. He was too strong; he couldn't believe Feng Xiaotian's close-quarters combat ability was so far superior to his own.
Yu Tianxin's close-combat level was on par with Feng Xiaotian before he had undergone Yun Ming's special training. Compared to the current Feng Xiaotian, he was a whole tier weaker, and with Feng Xiaotian performing at his peak today, it was only natural that he would be soundly beaten.
Yu Tianxin couldn't accept this result. Lightning surged around his body as he roared hoarsely.
"Feng Xiaotian!!"
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader