As he entered the arena, Yan looked at Xiao Wu with a heavy expression.
"Release your spirits! The match is about to begin."
The referee shot Yan an encouraging look and called out loudly.
"Flame Lord, Possession!"
With a roar, flames erupted as the massive shadow of a lava beast flashed behind him. Around him, five spirit rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black—burst into light. In an instant, the fiery red-headed Yan transformed into a magma monster with molten lava flowing all over his body.
Sensing how formidable her opponent's aura was, Xiao Wu's pretty brows furrowed slightly, and her face turned serious.
The match began.
"Second Spirit Skill, Charm!"
Same old routine—at the very start, Xiao Wu's second spirit ring lit up. A pink glow flickered in her eyes, and Yan, who was also a Spirit King with five rings and not much lower in level, immediately froze in place.
Xiao Wu's figure darted forward, crossing dozens of meters in the blink of an eye. Channeling her spirit power to her right leg, she kicked Yan straight out of the arena.
What?!
Sitting on the main seat at the front of the Pope's Palace, Bibi Dong's pupils shrank slightly.
Those two four-ring Spirit Ancestors being instantly taken out by Xiao Wu's single Charm skill was one thing—after all, it was a mental control skill, so a Spirit King's mental strength would naturally be much stronger than a Spirit Ancestor's, making it reasonable that they'd be beaten easily.
It was like her own disciple Hu Liena—she too could take out opponents with weaker mental strength in one move with her mental control spirit skills.
But Bibi Dong had never imagined that even Yan, a level 52 Spirit King, couldn't withstand this move.
One had to know—Xiao Wu wasn't even a mental-type spirit master, but an assault type. Her mental strength shouldn't exceed that of her peers by much.
Could this little girl also have a head spirit bone?
Bibi Dong wondered to herself.
An assault-type spirit master with unusually strong mental strength was most likely explained by possessing a rare head spirit bone.
Of course, as the Pope of Spirit Hall, a mere head spirit bone wasn't worth much in Bibi Dong's eyes, so she had no thoughts of killing her for it—she was just surprised, nothing more.
"Lanba Battle Team's Xiao Wu wins! Heaven Dou Imperial Battle Team's sixth fighter, please come up."
Seeing one of Spirit Hall's so-called 'Golden Generation' geniuses get one-shot, the referee—a red-robed cardinal of Spirit Hall—looked utterly grim as he announced in a frosty voice.
"Tang San, you got this!"
In the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's rest area, the Emperor Battle Team was giving their final encouragement to Tang San, their anchor.
Even though Lanba Academy technically also represented the Heaven Dou Empire, if possible, the Emperor Battle Team didn't want to lose to them—otherwise, the face of the Empire's official top academy would be utterly lost.
"Mm. Leave it to me."
Tang San nodded calmly.
He could tell that Xiao Wu, who'd just one-shot Spirit Hall's Spirit King, was the strongest opponent he'd ever faced.
But if Xiao Wu was only relying on a single mental control skill, then she would go no further.
Because his all-powerful father had given him three spirit bones of exceptional age, including a rare head spirit bone!
It was precisely with the help of these high-aged spirit bones that he'd managed to reach the Spirit King realm at just fourteen years old.
With the support of the head spirit bone and his lifelong training in the Purple Demon Eye technique, Tang San didn't believe he'd lose to Xiao Wu in mental power.
"Begin!"
At the referee's signal, the match began.
At the moment the match started, Xiao Wu didn't stick to her usual plan. Instead, she tapped her toes lightly, and her figure shot forward like lightning.
Before stepping up, Chu Chengzhou had already told her there were two opponents against whom she must not use mental-type spirit skills—one was Spirit Hall's little fox Hu Liena, and the other was Tang San of the Emperor Battle Team.
Mental-type spirit skills were extremely effective: if your mental power was stronger than your opponent's, you could easily crush them.
But if your opponent's mental strength surpassed your own, then using mental tricks was completely useless—worse, if the gap was too large, it could even backfire and cause mental rebound.
Hu Liena was a mental-type spirit master, so her mental power was naturally strong, plus she supposedly had a 60,000-year Wisdom Skull Bone for extra mental power. In Chu Chengzhou's view, her mental power was probably already equal to that of an average level 70 spirit master.
And Tang San? You could question his character, but never his mental strength, which far surpassed other spirit masters at the same level.
Aside from his own 'cheat code' that gave him Eternal One Thought, the only other well-known high-level mental cultivation technique on the continent was the Purple Demon Eye that Tang San brought from another world.
Chu Chengzhou couldn't say for certain what grade the Purple Demon Eye technique was—he hadn't cultivated it himself—but judging by his cheat system's classification of supreme techniques, it was at least black-grade, likely even red.
While Xiao Wu's current Eternal One Thought was also red-grade, she'd only been practicing it for about a year, and before that, she'd used much lower-grade methods.
So, comparing their mental strength, even without a head spirit bone, Tang San at level 52 was still stronger than Xiao Wu.
"First Spirit Skill, Bind!"
Facing Xiao Wu's charge, Tang San's expression didn't change. His first spirit ring lit up, and dense Blue Silver Vines shot out like spirit snakes, sweeping toward Xiao Wu.
The Great Tang God-King's signature move: Mom's Bind!
Xiao Wu tapped her toes, using her supreme movement skill. Twisting her figure like an elf in the forest, she weaved through the gaps, dodging the waves of Blue Silver Spirit Snakes.
Seeing Xiao Wu's extraordinary footwork drawing closer, Tang San's pupils shrank. His third spirit ring lit up—he activated his third spirit skill.
But this time, he didn't cast it at Xiao Wu but on himself.
In an instant, dense Blue Silver Vines shot skyward, interweaving into a vine cage that enclosed Tang San inside.
From the preliminary rounds to the promotion matches, Xiao Wu had fought plenty of times, so as the Emperor Battle Team's vice-captain, Tang San had a good idea of what she could do.
From what he knew, Xiao Wu was a close-combat assault-type spirit master with great martial skill but lacked other effective attack methods. With the third spirit skill Blue Silver Prison Cage to protect him, as long as the cage held, Xiao Wu couldn't hurt him at all.
And sure enough, Xiao Wu found herself helpless against the sturdy Blue Silver Cage.
The tough Blue Silver Vines' weaknesses were fire and blades. Faced with this cage, all Xiao Wu's punches and kicks—and her little bit of mental power—were useless.
Waist Bow? No use.Charm? Little Chu told her Tang San's mental strength was higher than hers—she didn't dare risk it.Invincible Golden Body? That was just defense.Soft Bone Lock? That was a control skill—no use against a vine cage.
But… who said she had to break the Blue Silver Cage to defeat Tang San?
Her third spirit ring shone—Teleportation skill, activated! A faint spatial ripple appeared, and Xiao Wu's figure vanished on the spot.
At the instant she vanished, Tang San didn't hesitate—he immediately controlled the surrounding Blue Silver Vines to guard his flanks.
Unfortunately for him, he was still a moment too late.
When Xiao Wu's form disappeared from view, she'd already teleported to where she wanted to be.
Tang San felt a huge force slam into his lower back. Pain flared, and his whole body lifted into the air.
Teleporting behind Tang San, Xiao Wu slammed her knee into his back, sending him flying. A smile spread across her face.
With her opponent airborne, it was time for Sister Xiao Wu to show off her signature move.
Hmm, since they were all Heaven Dou Empire teammates, she wouldn't treat him to her ultimate Sixteen-Stage Drop—an ordinary Eight-Stage Drop would do just fine.
She tapped her toes, leaped up, and caught up to the airborne Tang San.
But just as she was about to start her performance, massive clusters of Blue Silver Vines shot at her like a swarm of blue spears.
Tang San may have been caught off guard by the sneak attack, but that knee strike hadn't left him stunned. His soul power was still flowing freely. He didn't know exactly what Xiao Wu was about to do, but he knew one thing for sure—he couldn't let her succeed.
The barrage of Blue Silver Vines would force Xiao Wu to abandon her combo and defend instead. A spirit master's flesh and protective soul power alone could never withstand the piercing of these imperial Blue Silver Vines.
"Fourth Spirit Skill, Invincible Golden Body!"
As the vines stabbed toward her, Xiao Wu's face remained calm. Her fourth spirit ring lit up, and her body glowed with a brilliant golden light, like a goddess of war descending to earth.
She lunged forward, caught up with Tang San in midair, and slammed her elbow into his stomach.
Bang—!
A heavy impact rang out. A massive force hit Tang San, veins bulging on his forehead and his eyes bulging. He crashed into the plaza floor with even greater force than before, producing a thunderous boom.
Ding ding ding ding—
At the same time, dense clusters of Blue Silver Grass vines lashed at Xiao Wu's body, producing a barrage of sharp impact sounds.
But right now, even a Titled Douluo wouldn't be able to insta-kill Xiao Wu while she was in her Invincible Golden Body state — let alone mere Blue Silver Vines pierce through her defense.
After that wave of piercing strikes, Tang San — who'd been elbowed so hard his body convulsed and then slammed into the ground until his head spun — had temporarily lost control over his Blue Silver Grass. For a brief moment, he was completely powerless to resist, and even his Blue Silver Cage fell apart into limp vines scattered across the floor.
Seizing the chance, Xiao Wu shot downward like a flash of lightning. Twisting in midair, she hooked both ankles around Tang San's neck — Waist Bow skill, activated!
Boom!
Tang San, neck locked by her ankles like a giant pendulum, was yanked upside down and smashed headfirst into the ground, then slammed down again, the impact so heavy that the entire plaza before the Pope's Palace trembled.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A thunderous crashing sounded eight times in a row before Xiao Wu finally let go of Tang San, whose whole skeleton now felt like it was about to come apart.
It had to be said — Spirit Hall really did have deep pockets. Despite all that violence, the flagstones in front of the Pope's Palace didn't even show a single crack, staying shiny and flawless without a speck of dust kicked up.
But exactly because of that, the entire brutal scene was perfectly visible to everyone watching.
Damn — was this bunny-eared girl always this vicious?
Three seconds later, seeing that Tang San still hadn't gotten up, the referee shouted loudly, "Lanba Battle Team's Xiao Wu—"
"Wait! I haven't lost yet!"
Right then, Tang San — lying on the ground, his face bruised and swollen — raised his arm and slowly stood back up.
"… The match continues!"
Glancing at Tang San's trembling legs, the referee just shrugged and signaled to go on.
"Hey~ Tang San, you sure you still want to fight?"
Xiao Wu hesitated for a moment and called out to him.
"I was careless before and didn't dodge in time. But this time, I'll take it seriously!"
Tang San said sternly, his face battered and bruised.
A dazzling blue light, rich with the aura of life, suddenly glowed around his right leg. In the blink of an eye, all the injuries from Xiao Wu's brutal Eight-Stage Drop vanished, and even his bruised, swollen face returned to its handsome original form.
Ten-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone soul bone skill: Wildfire Can't Burn It Out, Spring Wind Blows It Back to Life.
"Healing-type soul bone skill?"
Xiao Wu raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Healing-type spirit masters were rare enough, and spirit beasts with healing properties even more so — add the fact that soul bones dropped at extremely low rates, and any spirit master with a healing soul bone was practically a unicorn. Yet this Tang San actually had one?
"Soul bone skill: Earth's Guardian!"
Before Xiao Wu could react, a deep yellow glow lit up around Tang San's left arm. As soul power surged, a spherical, transparent earthen-yellow barrier quickly formed around him.
Soul Bone Skill: Earth's Guardian — an ability granted by the Earth Guardian Left Arm Bone, which came from a 90,000-year-old Earth Bear whose power rivaled that of an ordinary Titled Douluo — one of Tang Hao's spoils from his bloody rampage through Star Dou Forest.
"Another soul bone?!"
Xiao Wu's eyes widened in disbelief.
One soul bone was already insane, but you've got another one? What is your family, a soul bone wholesaler?!
It wasn't just Xiao Wu — many spectators around the arena were equally shocked.
But after the shock, quite a few eyes turned greedy.
Soul bones were priceless treasures. And Tang San hadn't just revealed an arm and leg bone — he probably had others too.
If someone took him out and snatched his soul bones, maybe they could reach new heights on their spirit master path!
Blue Silver Grass was a "trash spirit." There wasn't some big noble family known for it on the continent, which meant this Tang San probably didn't have any powerful clan backing him.
Spirit powers are inherited — if his spirit was Blue Silver Grass, then either one parent had it, or the other's spirit quality wasn't any higher, or else Tang San's martial spirit wouldn't be Blue Silver Grass.
With both parents having mediocre spirits, there was no chance he had powerful direct relatives to back him.
Sure, this Blue Silver Grass seemed a bit unusual — probably a rare variant — but martial spirit mutations weren't unheard of. Look at Lanba Battle Team's Chu Chengzhou: his spirit was mutated too, and his soul skills were equally mind-boggling.
No powerful clan, at least two soul bones… If Heaven gifts you something and you don't take it, it's your own fault when you lose it!
This boy was asking for trouble!
As for the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy or the empire behind them? As long as you struck fast enough and snatched the soul bones, what could the empire really do?Of course, no one would be stupid enough to try this right in front of the Pope's Palace — or even inside Spirit City itself — because Spirit Hall was no paper tiger.
Then again… maybe Spirit Hall itself was eyeing these soul bones too?
Suppressing their itching greed, many would-be opportunists forced themselves to calm down — but were already planning to make a move once the tournament was over.
It just goes to show: once greed takes hold, people's brains stop working.
They didn't even consider: how could a spirit master with no background possibly acquire so many soul bones?
One soul bone might be luck. But a young spirit master with at least two? The odds of having no powerful backer were basically zero.
What's more, the fact that Tang San dared to reveal them so openly meant he wasn't afraid of being targeted — which should have been a huge red flag.
Of course, maybe they had thought of that — but greed had already overwhelmed their reason.
Tang San wasn't unaware of all those greedy stares. But instead of fear, his heart filled with cold amusement.
Want the soul bones on me, Tang San? First ask if my dad's Heaven-defying Clear Sky Hammer says yes!
Tang San: I declare — you're all asking to die!
"First Soul Skill: Bind!"
A soul power barrier that could protect his entire body formed, making Tang San feel perfectly secure (Mom and Dad won't have to worry about me getting ambushed again!). Dense Blue Silver Vines swept toward Xiao Wu once more.
Seeing this, Xiao Wu frowned, tapped her toes, and used her unique footwork to dodge the incoming vines, rushing at Tang San again.
For close-combat assault-type spirit masters, control-type spirit masters were incredibly annoying — practically their natural counter.
Unfortunately, she hadn't yet mastered the Zongdi Shinguang movement technique because of its short study time and difficulty. If she were as skilled as Little Chu with that footwork, dealing with a control-type spirit master of the same level would be a breeze.
The fight entered round two, but this time it gradually turned into a war of attrition.
Tang San's protective shield — formed by his 90,000-year soul bone — was something Xiao Wu simply couldn't break.
Even if she slipped past the vines, she couldn't crack that super turtle shell.
Meanwhile, Tang San himself was frustrated too.
Xiao Wu was fast and agile, making his Blue Silver Vines unable to catch her at all.
Tang San knew: even if he managed to bind her, she could still escape with her teleportation soul skill.
And if he couldn't restrain her movement, his big attacks would never land — so he couldn't end the fight quickly.
Looks like I'll have to reveal another trump card!
Gritting his teeth, Tang San prepared to pull out one more hidden ace.
If this dragged on, he'd just waste soul power — and then how could he face the next opponent?
"Soul Bone Skill: Purple Demon Eye!"
The next second, a faint green light glowed at Tang San's forehead. His spirit power surged, and countless eerie purple eyes condensed behind him in midair.
As these strange eyes appeared, an invisible spiritual force instantly swept outward.
"What?!"
Xiao Wu stared in shock at the mass of bizarre purple eyes behind Tang San.
Did this guy's family really sell soul bones wholesale?! One right leg bone, a left arm bone, and now an even rarer head bone?!
The mental force spread out, descending into her mind. Xiao Wu's look of shock froze instantly, her entire body locked in place.
Soul Bone Skill: Purple Demon Eye — a Tang Sect secret technique: Purple Demon Eye, merged with the soul bone skill Tree Eye Paralysis from a 70,000-year-old Demon Eye Magic Tree head bone. Its effect: forcibly immobilize an enemy's body.
The exact immobilization time depended on the opponent's spiritual power. The stronger the opponent's mental strength, the shorter the duration — and if their spirit power exceeded Tang San's, it wouldn't work at all.
Unlike ordinary soul bone skills, using Purple Demon Eye only consumed spirit power and minimal soul power.
With the skill unleashed, Xiao Wu was frozen instantly. Tang San raised his hand, a Blue Silver Vine wrapped around her ankle, and with a flick, the helpless Xiao Wu was spun through the air, flung straight at the Lanba Battle Team's rest area.
Before she could hit the ground, Chu Chengzhou — who'd been watching the fight closely — caught Xiao Wu smoothly and pulled her in.
He gave Tang San on the arena floor a casual glance before looking away.
"Hey, scumbag — how come Tang San has so many soul bones?" Ning Rongrong asked Chu Chengzhou in a low voice.
Soul bones were priceless — even a Titled Douluo might not have one. Yet Tang San, just a Soul King, had at least three — including the ultra-rare head bone.
"No idea~" Chu Chengzhou shrugged, but a glint of interest flashed in his eyes.
Of the three soul bones Tang San had shown, he couldn't tell much about the arm and head bones, but that right leg bone with its healing skill? That had to be his mom's legacy — the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone.
If Tang San had a hundred-thousand-year healing soul bone, did that mean Tang Hao's old injuries had fully healed?If so, this Spirit Master Tournament was about to get a whole lot more interesting. No — not "maybe" — definitely!
With so many soul bones revealed, Tang San's background as a Heaven Dou Academy student wasn't enough to deter would-be looters. He'd need at least a Titled Douluo backing him to keep the sharks at bay.
Soul bones were priceless, and Tang San wasn't stupid — he knew he'd attracted attention. If he dared reveal them so easily, it clearly meant he had a trump card to rely on. His heaven-defying old man was definitely already in Spirit City, just hidden in the shadows for now.
T/N: For up to 30 chapters ahead on most of my translations, become a p@tron at p@treon.com/LordHipposApostle