At this moment, Xie Yue from the Spirit Hall team stepped onto the battlefield.
"Moon Blades!"
With a low shout, two blood-colored crescent blades materialized in Xie Yue's hands, and around him, five soul rings shone: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black.
"Tang San, maybe you're strong, but I believe that in the end, the last one standing will definitely be our Spirit Hall team!"
Pointing his Moon Blades diagonally at Tang San, Xie Yue's face was full of determination.
Xie Yue knew that facing Tang San, he probably had little chance of winning.
In terms of soul power, they were the same — both were at rank 52, Soul Kings.When it came to martial spirits, Tang San's "mutated Blue Silver Grass" was probably no weaker than his own Moon Blades.
As for soul rings, he was at a disadvantage. Tang San's configuration was yellow, yellow, purple, black, black — which meant he had one more ten-thousand-year soul ring than Xie Yue. Judging by the color of Tang San's fifth soul ring, Xie Yue could tell it was far beyond a mere ten thousand years — it might even be over twenty thousand.
Of course, that wasn't the key point. The real problem was that Tang San had three soul bones, one of which was a head soul bone.
In terms of spiritual power alone, Xie Yue didn't think he was much stronger than their teammate Yan, who was the same rank. Yan had been instantly defeated by Xiao Wu's spiritual control soul skill, while Xiao Wu was then instantly taken down by Tang San's spiritual control soul bone skill. In other words, once Tang San used that soul bone skill, Xie Yue knew he wouldn't be able to resist it.
Still, even if he lost, it wouldn't hurt the big picture — Spirit Hall still had his sister, Hu Liena, their strongest member. And besides, before his sister went on stage, Tang San would first have to fight Chu Chengzhou.
When two tigers fight, one will be hurt. No matter who won that match, the winner wouldn't be at full strength. Their Spirit Hall team would definitely be the last ones standing.
"Heh — I heard you, Yan, and Hu Liena are known as Spirit Hall's Golden Generation — the best three among Spirit Hall's younger soul masters.
But if I'm not mistaken, wasn't one of your so-called best three, Yan, just taken down by a single hundred-year soul skill?"
With a light laugh, Tang San said disdainfully.
The implication was obvious: if you get one-shotted by a soul master at the same level with just a basic soul skill, then so-called "Golden Generation" means nothing.
Of course, Tang San knew that Xiao Wu's combat power exceeded her soul power by a lot, and Yan was actually an outstanding soul master for his rank. He only lost so badly because he was unlucky to face Xiao Wu. But as far as Tang San was concerned, it didn't matter — all he saw was that someone hyped up by Spirit Hall was one-shotted.
"You—!"
Hearing this, Xie Yue was so angry he could barely speak.
"If you're the same as that Yan from before, then I'm really disappointed."
Seeing that Xie Yue was so angry he was speechless, Tang San twisted the knife with another taunt.
'Damn it!'
Seeing Tang San's look of "you're such a disappointment," Xie Yue gripped his Moon Blades tighter.
"Begin the match!"
At this moment, the referee gave the order to start.
"Swish—!"
The moment the match began, Xie Yue charged straight at Tang San.
Tang San was a control-type soul master. If Xie Yue wanted any hope of winning — or at least causing him trouble — he had to close the distance. Otherwise, if Tang San didn't instantly beat him with his soul bone skill, he'd just be tangled up endlessly in a sea of vines.
Watching Xie Yue rush in, Tang San's expression turned cold. A greenish light flared from his forehead as waves of spiritual power pulsed out. Dense, strange purple eyes appeared behind him in midair.
Soul Bone Skill: Purple Demon Eye — unleashed again!
Tang San had no intention of trading blows with Xie Yue in a proper duel. This was a personal elimination match, and after Xie Yue, there were still two opponents waiting — including the especially tricky Chu Chengzhou. If he burned too much soul power, it'd be hard to win later.
So to save soul power, Tang San planned to one-shot Xie Yue.
But that wasn't the only reason. Spirit Hall's previous pope had forced his mother to her death — Spirit Hall was his enemy. He didn't yet have the power to take revenge, but Xie Yue was Spirit Hall's team captain and a leader among their young generation. If Tang San could instantly defeat him in front of the Pope's Palace, it would crush Spirit Hall's arrogance and show the world that they weren't invincible.
Tang San believed that if he could deal Spirit Hall a heavy blow now, when stormy times came, more forces dissatisfied with Spirit Hall's tyranny would step forward and join the fight against them.
Powerful spiritual energy instantly flooded into Xie Yue's mind. In an instant, it was as if time froze. Xie Yue, mid-charge, was completely immobilized by the spiritual force.
Immediately, Blue Silver Grass vines surged out — Tang San was about to heavily injure Xie Yue to collect some "interest" for his mother.
But after a moment's thought, Tang San gave up on that. Instead, he simply used the vines to toss the frozen Xie Yue out of the ring.
After all, the Blue Tyrant Academy and Heaven Dou Royal Academy both represented the Heaven Dou Empire, but they weren't the same school. If he maimed Xie Yue so badly that he couldn't recover by tomorrow, wouldn't that just help the Blue Tyrant team?
In Tang San's eyes, with three high-year soul bones and a hundred-thousand-year soul bone, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy team would definitely win the individual matches that morning. The afternoon team battle would then be Spirit Hall vs. Blue Tyrant.
The Blue Tyrant team was already strong — if he crippled Xie Yue now, wouldn't that make it easier for them to win and stay strong for the championship match?
Tang San trusted his strength — or rather, he trusted his soul bone skills — but just to be safe, he decided to let Xie Yue stay in the fight and be a problem for the Blue Tyrant team.
"Victory to Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Tang San! Blue Tyrant Academy, send out your fourth contestant!"
The match decided, the referee announced the result.
"Brother, good luck — go beat that Tang San!"
In the Blue Tyrant team's rest area, Xiao Wu waved her fist at Chu Chengzhou.
It was clear that the little bunny still held a grudge about losing to Tang San's soul bone trick.
"Big jerk, don't let us down~!"
Ning Rongrong added playfully.
"You got this!"
Zhu Zhuqing made a little "fighting!" hand sign.
"Just shouting encouragement isn't enough — how about giving me some real power?"
Chu Chengzhou tapped his cheek suggestively.
Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing: "…"
Having received a triple boost of "love power," Chu Chengzhou strode proudly onto the field.
Facing Chu Chengzhou, Tang San's expression was even more serious than it had been against Xiao Wu and Xie Yue.
A few days ago, when Blue Tyrant fought the Star Luo Royal Academy, Chu Chengzhou's archery alone proved that his strength could rival a rank-60 Soul Emperor.
After all, Davis and Zhu Zhuyun were both rank-40 Soul Sects, one at 49 and the other at 47. When they used their Martial Soul Fusion skill, Hell White Tiger, their combined strength was at least that of a high-rank Soul King or even a Soul Emperor.
Plus, although Chu Chengzhou hadn't fought in the knockout rounds, Tang San had heard about his terrifying spiritual power. Any opponent fell with just a look.
Clearly, this Chu Chengzhou probably had a head soul bone too — otherwise, how could a non-spiritual soul master use illusions so easily to control opponents?
Most importantly, since the start of the tournament, Chu Chengzhou had never once used his fourth soul skill.
His powerful spiritual illusions and Emperor-level archery were already exposed, yet his fourth summoned beast was hidden. By deduction, Tang San figured this must be Chu Chengzhou's biggest trump card.
The only question was — what kind of beast was it?
'Hopefully it's not some species that's completely overpowered…'
Tang San narrowed his eyes, thinking.
His first three summoned beasts — the healing Sky Azure Tree, the support Light Lion, and the attack Fire Phoenix — had soul rings of four hundred, seven hundred, and fifteen hundred years. Yet their strength was equal to wild spirit beasts of ten thousand years.
If the first three were that strong, the fourth was sure to be stronger — at least equivalent to a ten-thousand-year beast of its kind.
After all, it made no sense for a higher-year soul ring to summon a weaker beast.
Ordinary soul beasts at ten thousand years might equal a Soul King, and strong-bloodline beasts like the Fire Phoenix might equal a Soul Emperor.
But if Chu Chengzhou's fourth soul ring came from one of the extremely rare, high-bloodline beasts, its power might not just rival a Soul Emperor — it could be as strong as a Soul Sage or even a Soul Douluo!
"Chu Chengzhou, your strength is impressive. Will you show me your fourth summoned beast?"
Tang San asked.
"If your strength is good enough — you'll see it!"
Chu Chengzhou raised an eyebrow.
He knew Tang San had plenty of trump cards. Honestly, given the tournament rules, aside from unleashing "Big Bear," he wasn't sure he could absolutely guarantee a win over Tang San.
Aside from the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone, Tang San's left arm and head soul bones were at least fifty thousand years each.
There was no way Tang San could have gotten such precious soul bones on his own — they were almost certainly gifts from Tang Hao.
As one of the continent's top powerhouses, Tang Hao would never cheap out on his prodigy son with some subpar soul bones.
When it came to spiritual power, Tang San was a five-ring Soul King. Chu Chengzhou was a rank-50 Soul Sect — he was at a disadvantage.
Tang San had the Purple Demon Eye. Chu Chengzhou had his "Eternal One Thought" technique — but he'd only been training it for about a year, and his previous mind arts couldn't match the Purple Demon Eye's grade. So, for now, he was definitely at a disadvantage there.
Tang San had a head soul bone, and he had once consumed the "Piercing Autumn Water Dew." If that head soul bone's age wasn't extremely high, then just judging by the boost to his spiritual power, he should still hold an advantage.
With disadvantages and advantages cancelling out, Chu Chengzhou estimated that Tang San's spiritual power level was probably about the same as his own — meaning his illusion techniques might not work effectively.
As for the Sun-Shooting Divine Arrow, just forming the bow and arrow with soul power alone wouldn't unleash its full power. It might not be enough to break through Tang San's defensive soul bone skill, which was at least over 50,000 years old.
"Begin the match!"
Not giving them much time to exchange words, the referee gave the order to start the fight.
"Third Soul Skill — Summon Spirit: Fire Phoenix!"
The moment the match began, Chu Chengzhou flicked his battle flag. His third soul ring gleamed, and as soul power surged, the Fire Phoenix spirit beast, Little Red, materialized in midair.
Although in the original story Tang San's martial soul evolved into the Blue Silver Emperor instead of the trash Blue Silver Grass, the Blue Silver Emperor didn't have the same fire immunity that the Blue Silver Grass had in the novel. As a pure Fire Phoenix species, Little Red was a natural counter to plant-type control soul masters like Tang San.
"Soul Bone Skill — Purple Demon Eye!"
Yet just as Chu Chengzhou summoned the Fire Phoenix, Tang San wasted no time unleashing his trump card. Dense purple, eerie eyes appeared again, and a formless spiritual power instantly surged into Chu Chengzhou's mind.
The spiritual control soul bone skill struck — Chu Chengzhou's expression changed at once as he focused all his will to resist the invading spiritual force.
'Did I lose?'
That thought flickered through Chu Chengzhou's mind as his body was forcibly immobilized on the spot.
Yet in the next moment, the binding force vanished without a trace.
'Tch… looks like it didn't end too badly.'
He'd been forcibly bound for only half a second by Tang San's Purple Demon Eye. Chu Chengzhou clicked his tongue and secretly nodded to himself.
Right now, Tang San's spiritual power was stronger than his — but judging by how long the skill lasted, it was only slightly stronger. Once he advanced to a five-ring Soul King, he'd definitely surpass Tang San.
"What?!"
Seeing his Purple Demon Eye force Chu Chengzhou to freeze, Tang San had been ready to control his Blue Silver Grass to toss him out of the ring — but now his eyes widened.
This Chu Chengzhou — not only were his soul skills extraordinary, but his spiritual power was this strong too?!
He himself was a five-ring Soul King, trained in the Purple Demon Eye since childhood, and had refined a seventy-thousand-year Demon Eye Tree head soul bone. In terms of spiritual power, he was far beyond a normal rank-70 soul master — nearly reaching rank-80 level.
And yet, such a powerful foundation combined with a seventy-thousand-year soul bone skill had only immobilized Chu Chengzhou for half a second?
"Fifth Soul Skill — Blue Silver Overlord Transformation!"
Tang San's fifth soul ring flared, and a dazzling blue light burst from his body as his aura instantly doubled.
Blue Silver Overlord Transformation — an attribute-boosting soul skill that doubled all attributes, originating from a twenty-thousand-year Blue Silver Grass that had sacrificed itself to its emperor.
'Attribute boost skill?'
Seeing Tang San's aura surge, Chu Chengzhou knew it spelled trouble. His second soul ring glowed as he quickly summoned the Light Lion spirit beast, Little White.
Little White's massive body took shape in an instant, then a beam of white light shot out and merged with Chu Chengzhou.
At the same time, Chu Chengzhou's soul power fluctuated, and a translucent blue soul power shield formed around him.
With his aura strengthened again and a protective shield in place, the dense purple eyes once more reappeared on the battlefield.
Chu Chengzhou had realized at once: this attribute boost probably also enhanced Tang San's spiritual power. Which meant Tang San was planning to use that boost to amplify the Purple Demon Eye's binding effect — a tactic Chu Chengzhou himself had done before.
Tang San's spiritual power was already slightly ahead of his. If it doubled again, the binding wouldn't just last half a second — it'd be long enough for Tang San to throw him out of the ring.
But with Little White's innate skill Blessing boosting all his attributes — including spiritual power — by 50%, Chu Chengzhou at least closed part of the gap.
With his defensive skill's shield and two summoned spirits guarding him, even if the Purple Demon Eye did bind him, Tang San shouldn't be able to eliminate him before he broke free.
Ever since Little Green's age broke through to ten thousand years, its Guardian skill's protective shield rivaled a Soul King's ten-thousand-year defensive skill. Because of that, Chu Chengzhou rarely used his defensive mastery and even considered abandoning it altogether.
Yet in certain situations, he realized, defensive techniques still had their uses.
Little Green's Guardian skill was excellent — but it required summoning Little Green first. Against sudden ambushes or special circumstances, that was a serious flaw.
If you can't stay standing, you can't attack. Chu Chengzhou made a note: it was worth leveling up his defensive mastery after all.
"Soul Bone Skill — Purple Demon Eye!"
Sure enough, Chu Chengzhou's guess was spot on. With his spiritual power doubled, Tang San ignored the damage and strain of using the same soul bone skill repeatedly and activated the Purple Demon Eye again.
Dense, eerie purple eyes reappeared, and an overwhelming spiritual force surged at Chu Chengzhou.
In an instant, he was frozen in place once more.
But this time, it didn't last just half a second.
The next moment, Tang San's third soul ring lit up — a prison of tough Blue Silver Grass shot out to trap Chu Chengzhou.
"Screech—!"
A phoenix's cry echoed out — in the air, Little Red spewed out Phoenix Fire.
Whoosh—
The searing flame surged down, instantly igniting the Blue Silver Prison. In a flash, before it could trap Chu Chengzhou, it was reduced to ash.
The Blue Silver Emperor was a top-tier martial soul, and its vines were famously tough — able to resist blades and weapons from peers. But it had one glaring weakness: fire.
Ordinary flames or common fire-type martial souls might not hurt it, but Little Red was a true Fire Phoenix — the flames naturally overwhelmed Blue Silver Emperor vines.
"Hmph — Fourth Soul Skill, Blue Silver Overlord Spear!"
Foiled once more, Tang San let out a cold snort as his fourth soul ring glowed. A mighty blue-gold spear formed in his grip.
With a sharp sound, he hurled the Blue Silver Overlord Spear — it shot forth like a streak of blue-gold light, aimed right at the still-frozen Chu Chengzhou.
At that instant, Little White's eyes flashed with determination. The massive lion body leaped forward, shielding Chu Chengzhou with its own spirit form.
The next second, the Blue Silver Overlord Spear struck, driving deep into Little White's flank.
"Pfft—!"
The sharp blade pierced through its sturdy fur and stomach, bursting out the other side with two feet of spearhead showing.
"Roar—!"
Little White's spirit form quivered and began to collapse into countless soul power motes, vanishing into the air.
Tang San's throw had instantly killed one of Chu Chengzhou's summons — but there was no hint of joy on his face. He hadn't come to destroy a spirit beast — he needed to eliminate Chu Chengzhou himself.
"Third Soul Skill — Blue Silver Piercing Formation!"
Tang San shouted, his third soul ring lighting up again. Countless Blue Silver Grass vines shot out, like a barrage of spears aimed at the still-immobilized Chu Chengzhou.
This wasn't two different skills — Blue Silver Prison and Blue Silver Piercing Formation were just variations of the same skill.
Whoosh—
But the Fire Phoenix blocked the way yet again. Little Red's Phoenix Fire rained down, burning every vine to ashes.
'Damn it! You're forcing my hand!'
Seeing the fight drag on while Chu Chengzhou was about to break free from the Purple Demon Eye's bind, Tang San knew that his repeated use of the skill had nearly exhausted his spiritual power. His soul power was more than half spent too. He couldn't afford to keep dragging this out.
Otherwise, even if he won now, he wouldn't have enough energy left to fight Spirit Hall's Hu Liena later. And if he lost here, he might not recover in time for the afternoon team battle.
"Soul Bone Skill — Titan Burst Strike!"
Tang San roared. A dazzling golden light shone from his right arm as massive soul power surged forth — a huge phantom of a Titan Giant Ape appeared behind him.
With a blinding flash, the phantom transformed into a massive golden fist, smashing down toward Chu Chengzhou with overwhelming force.
Tang San refused to believe it — with an eighty-thousand-year attack-type soul bone skill unleashed, there was no way this immobilized four-ring soul master could withstand it!
T/N: For up to 30 chapters ahead on most of my translations, become a p@tron at p@treon.com/LordHipposApostle