T/N: Didn't skip a chapter, had a nothing chapter.
When Tang San revealed his right arm soul bone again, Ghost Douluo, seated on the gilded throne before the Pope's Hall, couldn't help but look grim as he realized something crucial.
Ghost Douluo secretly sent a voice transmission to Bibi Dong:
"Your Holiness, this Tang San keeps revealing four high-quality soul bones, one after another. Maybe the culprit behind the mass slaughter of high-level soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest six months ago — and the death of the Sixteenth Elder — has finally been found."
As a Title Douluo, Ghost Douluo had sharp eyes and could see that every soul bone Tang San possessed was incredibly high-year. If they weren't, they wouldn't have such powerful effects.
He hadn't forgotten that Tang Hao once secretly fathered a child with a shapeshifted Blue Silver Emperor, and even smashed their former boss Qian Xunji to death. And Tang San's surname was Tang — he was already a five-ring Soul King at such a young age, with an extraordinary Blue Silver Grass martial soul. There was no doubt he was Tang Hao and the Blue Silver Emperor's son.
Tang Hao had long been expelled from the Clear Sky Clan. Tang San hadn't done anything for the clan to earn their favor either. So where could so many high-level soul bones have come from? Combined with the slaughter in the Star Dou Forest and the Elder's death, the answer was obvious.
Receiving Ghost Douluo's transmission, Bibi Dong was momentarily stunned. Then her gaze toward Tang San turned icy with killing intent.
Originally, she hadn't planned to touch Tang San — after all, without Tang Hao, she might never have had the chance to kill Qian Xunji with her own hands. But that was then. Now, with Tang Hao having slaughtered high-level soul beasts — undermining the entire foundation of high-level soul masters — and even daring to kill a subordinate Elder and multiple Annihilation Squads, this was something Bibi Dong could never tolerate.
'Pass down my order: do not let Tang San leave Spirit City. Summon all the Elders. Once the tournament ends tomorrow, we'll use Tang San to lure Tang Hao out. Tang Hao must not leave Spirit City alive.'
Without hesitation, Bibi Dong gave Ghost Douluo the order.
Meanwhile on the battlefield, Tang San's every move fell into Chu Chengzhou's eyes. After all, the Purple Demon Eye immobilized only his body, not his mind. Of course, he also saw Little White's heroic sacrifice just moments ago.
He never expected Tang San to have yet another right arm soul bone — and unlike the left arm soul bone, this one was clearly an offensive type. With Tang San's attribute-boosting soul skill active and this attack coming from a soul bone of at least 50,000 years, the power of this blow was way beyond what Chu Chengzhou's defensive shield could withstand.
"Clang—!"
At the crucial moment, loyal Little Red dove down, using her body to block the Vajra Shatter Strike.
"Boom—!"
The golden fist slammed into Little Red. With a deafening bang, her summoned body shattered inch by inch, dissolving into countless points of soul power. The greatly weakened golden punch then hit Chu Chengzhou's defensive barrier.
"Bang—!" A web of cracks spread across the barrier, but after being weakened by smashing Little Red, the residual force wasn't enough to break through completely. And in that moment, Chu Chengzhou finally broke free of the Purple Demon Eye's restraint and regained movement.
The instant he was free, Chu Chengzhou's fourth soul ring lit up. A massive dark-gold shadow formed beside him as his soul power drained rapidly.
"ROAR—!"
An earth-shaking bear roar boomed, heralding the arrival of the strongest bear-type soul beast.
"Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear?!"
On her golden throne, Bibi Dong's pupils shrank when she saw the massive bear appear. For such a powerful beast to be summoned — she immediately gave up hope for Spirit Hall's team to win the championship.
Chu Chengzhou's summoned beasts, drawn from mere century-old soul rings, already matched ten-thousand-year wild beasts of their kind. So a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear at this level was surely just as strong. A ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's ferocity was something even ordinary Title Douluo wouldn't dare face head-on.
Of course, that didn't mean they'd lose in a real fight. But humans, apart from defense-type soul masters, were basically fragile. Even a seven-ring Soul Sage couldn't just take a full-force claw attack unprotected.
Du Gu Bo, watching from the sidelines, raised an eyebrow in surprise. He'd led the team that hunted for Chu Chengzhou's fourth soul ring — but the bear he'd seen then looked noticeably smaller than this one.
"Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear?!"
Seeing the towering bear, over six meters tall with claws two meters long and eyes cold and bloodthirsty, Tang San shuddered and cried out.This was the strongest bear-type soul beast — bar none. If that massive claw hit him, he'd probably be torn in half instantly.
"Big Bear! Go, get him!"Chu Chengzhou commanded.
"ROAR—!"
With a furious roar that shook the sky, Big Bear bared its huge fangs and charged at Tang San like a rampaging tank.
"Soul Bone Skill: Earth's Guard!"
Seeing the beast barreling toward him, Tang San didn't dare hesitate. He immediately activated his Earth Left Arm Bone's defensive skill. A heavy, earthen-yellow shield appeared, but Tang San's expression remained tense.Even though Earth's Guard was a 90,000-year defensive skill, Tang San's soul power was too low — only just a five-ring Soul King. He couldn't fully unleash the soul bone's power.
What's worse, even though Big Bear wasn't technically an agility-type summon, its high age and potent bloodline made it faster than many ten-thousand-year agility beasts. In raw speed, it wasn't slower than Tang San — maybe even faster. It was just a bit less nimble.
Big Bear: "I'm not just a chubby tank!"
Before it even reached him, its dark-gold claws gleamed ominously. The bear's massive legs bent, and its whole body came crashing down like a mountain.
'Crap!'
Tang San's pupils shrank. He activated Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, his body blurring like a phantom just in time to dodge the crushing blow.
"Soul Bone Skill: Flight!"
Knowing he was no match for Big Bear on the ground, Tang San's right leg glowed blue. His body rose into the air with the soul bone skill Flight — one of two skills from his hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone.Why did a plant-type Blue Silver Emperor soul bone grant a flying skill? Well, that was one of Douluo's many unsolved mysteries.
Hovering high up, Tang San confirmed the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear couldn't reach him at this height. He turned his gaze back to Chu Chengzhou."I have a soul bone skill that lets me fly — your bear can't fly. So what if it's strong? What can it do to me from down there? Try and make it fly, I dare you!"
But at that moment, Tang San didn't realize that showing a second skill from the same soul bone only drew more greedy stares. Anyone who understood soul bones knew they typically had only one skill each. Only the continent's greatest treasure — the legendary hundred-thousand-year soul bones — could bestow two.If they hadn't been standing before the Pope's Hall, where any soul bone fight would see Spirit Hall claim them first, every covetous pair of eyes would've pounced immediately.
'Fengzhi — this Tang San has at least four high-year soul bones, and one is a hundred-thousand-year right leg bone. Should we…?'Chen Xin sent a voice transmission to Ning Fengzhi.
Even a Title Douluo like Chen Xin couldn't help being tempted. Only those at the very peak of the continent could look at such a prize without desire.
Ning Fengzhi merely shook his head.He was no fool — Spirit City was Spirit Hall's stronghold, packed with experts. If anyone got Tang San's soul bones, it'd be Spirit Hall, no one else. Unless Chen Xin could one-shot Tang San and flee immediately — but Chen Xin hadn't come alone. If he fled, what would happen to Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong?And there was one more thing — where did Tang San get all those soul bones? Each hundred-thousand-year soul bone meant a hundred-thousand-year soul beast had died. Tang San was a Tang. His father must also be a Tang. And with that unique Blue Silver Grass martial soul… who else could his father be? Tang Hao, who smashed the former Pope Qian Xunji to death all those years ago! That Tang Hao was probably lurking nearby, waiting in the shadows.
'Looks like the continent's about to get exciting…' Ning Fengzhi thought.
On the battlefield, Tang San's third soul ring lit up.
"Third Soul Skill: Blue Silver Thrust Array!"
From the air, countless Blue Silver Vines shot down at Chu Chengzhou — but at that instant, Tang San sensed a terrifying, unstoppable sharpness rising from below behind him.
A deadly sense of crisis struck him. Tang San's pupils shrank — he shot sideways in midair.
"Squelch—!"
But it was too late. A dark-golden claw shot up, shattering his soul power shield in an instant. The Earth's Guard crumbled like paper. The claw scraped across his side — Tang San felt his waist go numb. He looked down to see a bloody line almost a third of the way across his waist, fresh blood spraying out.Pain stabbed straight into his brain. His eyes rolled back — he lost consciousness and fell from the sky.
Just as the unconscious Tang San was about to slam into the ground, a figure darted in and caught him. A soft fragrance drifted through the air as white petals fell onto Tang San's body. Instantly, life energy surged — Ye Lingling's healing had begun.Sensing Tang San was no longer in mortal danger, Qin Ming breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at Chu Chengzhou and the terrifyingly massive Big Bear. Turning to the referee, he said:
"Our Heaven Dou Royal Team concedes this match!"
Today's young people really are unbelievable!
Qin Ming had thought that with Tang San, the championship was in the bag. But he'd underestimated the world — there's always someone stronger. Despite being only a four-ring Soul Sect, Chu Chengzhou was actually stronger than Tang San!The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear alone could flatten not just him as a six-ring Soul Emperor, but probably even seven-ring Soul Sages. There was no way the young soul masters of this tournament could stand against it.
Not wasting time, Qin Ming hurried off with Tang San so Ye Lingling could treat him properly — no way they'd let him die from excessive injuries.
"I declare — Blue Tyrant Team's Chu Chengzhou wins! Spirit Hall Team, send up your seventh contestant!"
The referee announced the result.Proving once again: even having a powerful dad can't beat having a cheat.
"Nana, if your spiritual soul skills won't work on that Chu Chengzhou, just surrender immediately. Save your strength for the team battle this afternoon — we'll deal with him tomorrow with our spirit fusion skill."
In the Spirit Hall rest area, Xie Yue said gravely to Hu Liena. It was obvious to anyone: now that Chu Chengzhou had summoned Big Bear, he was basically unbeatable on this field.
"Mm."
Hu Liena nodded. She'd known his fourth summon was the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, but she hadn't expected it to be this terrifying. Tang San's powerful defensive soul bone skill had been torn apart like paper. If he hadn't dodged, he'd have been cut clean in half.
Soon, Hu Liena stepped onto the stage, standing tens of meters opposite Chu Chengzhou.
"Bow, release your martial souls — the match begins!"
The final duel of the morning's individual elimination round had begun.
Even though the Heaven Dou Royal Team and Blue Tyrant Team still had contestants left — with Blue Tyrant Academy even having three — all the core members who could really make an impact in the individual battles had already gone up. The remaining members either had soul power levels that were too low or were support-types without much combat power. Even if they went on stage, they'd just be giving away free wins.
In other words, whoever won this match would directly secure their team's place in tomorrow's final championship battle.
The moment the match began, Chu Chengzhou's lips curled into a slight smile. His spiritual power surged out, and his illusion art activated.
In the next instant, both fighters' consciousnesses were pulled into a carefully woven illusion realm.
"Nana, come here!"
On a boundless green meadow, Chu Chengzhou pulled Hu Liena into his arms.Teasing Bibi Dong's treasured disciple right under her nose — what fun!
"Be serious! We're still in a match!"Hu Liena said crossly.
"Then let's compete at kissing. Whoever can't hold out and pushes the other away first loses. How about that?"Chu Chengzhou said, wearing a mischievous grin.
Hu Liena: "..."
Without giving her a chance to refuse, Chu Chengzhou kissed her straight away.
"Mmph mmph~"
A kissing contest? At first, Hu Liena was shy and pretended to resist — but soon enough, she started responding more eagerly.
In terms of combat, she couldn't beat Chu Chengzhou — but in a kissing battle, Hu Liena wasn't afraid at all.
Minutes ticked by. After three minutes, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help starting to get handsy.
Just like Hu Liena had said earlier, they were still in a match — they couldn't stay in the illusion too long. Otherwise, his three girls outside would definitely guess what he'd been doing in here.
Feeling his hands roaming all over her and her "big treasures" constantly changing shape, Hu Liena finally couldn't take it anymore. She hurriedly shoved Chu Chengzhou away.
Kissing and hugging was one thing — but going all the way? She wasn't ready for that, even in an illusion.
"You bad man — all you know is how to bully me!"Hu Liena scolded with a teasing look, her eyes brimming with allure.
"By the way, Teacher said the champion team's best student can become her personal disciple. Are you planning to become her disciple?"
As she spoke, Hu Liena's face turned serious as she looked at Chu Chengzhou.
"Nana, I can't take your teacher as my master."
After a moment's hesitation, Chu Chengzhou shook his head.
After all, Xiao Wu had a blood feud with Bibi Dong — he couldn't possibly acknowledge Bibi Dong as his teacher. Besides, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan didn't get along with Spirit Hall either. If he really became Bibi Dong's disciple, how could he ever explain that to his father-in-law?
If he was going to get entangled with Spirit Hall, it wouldn't be now — only after his own wings were fully grown.
Hearing this, Hu Liena's face fell, disappointment filling her heart.
In her mind, if Chu Chengzhou became her junior brother under the same master, she wouldn't have to worry about Bibi Dong opposing their relationship. But clearly, Chu Chengzhou never planned to.
"Then what about me? What's your plan for us?"Hu Liena steadied her mood and asked.
"Five years. Give me five years, and then I'll come to Spirit City and talk to your teacher about us."
Holding her soft, delicate hand, Chu Chengzhou spoke seriously.
"And if my teacher disagrees?"
Hu Liena's face reddened slightly.
"Then I'll just take you by force!"
Chu Chengzhou puffed out his chest, answering without hesitation.
Five years from now, Big Bear would surely have become a hundred-thousand-year spirit summon.On the Douluo Continent, most human soul masters couldn't beat soul beasts of the same level.
A million-year soul beast was equal to a level-100 god. By that standard, a hundred-thousand-year soul beast was about equal to a newly ascended rank-90 Title Douluo.
And if that hundred-thousand-year soul beast was a Titan Giant Ape, while the so-called Title Douluo was someone mediocre like She Long, the ape could probably flatten him with one punch.
A hundred-thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear would at least equal a rank-97 Title Douluo of this era — and that's without soul cores, battle armor, or other modern advantages.
By then, even if Bibi Dong tried to break them up, he'd have the strength to say no. And with more spirit summons to come — fifth, sixth, maybe even seventh or eighth — all with high base ages, he'd have more than just Big Bear.
Although Bibi Dong's rank was high, her strength was limited by the Rakshasa God's trial — she probably wouldn't be able to suppress him for long.
"Take me by force?"
Hu Liena's eyes widened.
Right now, Chu Chengzhou was just a four-ring Soul Sect — in five years, maybe a Soul Emperor if he worked hard? Her teacher was a Title Douluo with a hundred-thousand-year ninth soul ring — did he really think he'd be strong enough?
"You'll see when the time comes! Oh right, Nana — keep training hard, don't let me leave you too far behind."
Chu Chengzhou flicked her nose.
"Hmph~ I remember you're 19 this year, right? You only broke through rank 40 last year. I'm 15 and already at rank 40. By 20, I'll be rank 50 — so maybe you'll be the one trying to catch up!"
Hu Liena pouted, unconvinced.
"You'll see! Next time we meet, don't be too shocked."
Chu Chengzhou said with a meaningful smile.
Things were different now. He was no longer that half-ranked trash. With the Nine Breaths Concentration Technique and two immortal herbs to boost his cultivation talent, his speed of progress was like riding a rocket.
Even when his rank got higher and leveling up required more accumulation, the Nine Breaths Technique's quality would increase with him, and his martial soul would evolve too. His growth wouldn't slow down.
Five years from now, at minimum, he'd be a seven-ring Soul Sage — maybe even an eight-ring Soul Douluo — and far stronger than his rank suggested.
When they left the illusion realm, Hu Liena deliberately made her face pale, pretending she'd been outmatched by Chu Chengzhou and lost.
She gave him a slight bow and said, "Thank you for holding back. I concede this match."
"Are you sure?"
Hearing this, the red-cloaked bishop acting as referee frowned in surprise.
He'd once heard from the Elder Hall's Fourteenth Elder that the Pope had personally gifted Hu Liena a precious head soul bone before the tournament.
Hu Liena was already a spiritual-type soul master — with that soul bone, how could a five-ring soul king lose to a four-ring soul sect in a spiritual clash?
Hu Liena didn't explain — she just nodded.
Even if their "fight" in the illusion had been a bit improper, she really couldn't beat Chu Chengzhou, even at what she did best.
"I declare — Blue Tyrant Team's Chu Chengzhou wins! Congratulations to Blue Tyrant Academy for securing a place in tomorrow's final championship match.Spirit Hall Team and Heaven Dou Royal Academy, please prepare for this afternoon's team battle. The winner will face Blue Tyrant Academy tomorrow for the championship."
Helpless, the referee could only announce the result.
Author's Note: Some readers said Tang San's strength doesn't make sense, so here's my explanation:
Tang San is a rank-50+ Soul King with four soul bones, including a main fourth soul ring automatically boosted to over twenty thousand years. His Blue Silver Overlord Transformation gives him 100% attribute amplification. Xiao Bai was a support-type ten-thousand-year summon that didn't even have time to buff itself — being one-shotted by the Overlord Spear is fair. Xiao Hong was also a ten-thousand-year Fire Phoenix: good at offense but not defense. Tang San used an eighty-thousand-year power soul bone skill under the Blue Silver Overlord Transformation — blowing through it isn't unrealistic.
In the lore, the Phoenix God is only a second-tier god — it can't compare to a true Dragon God, so that explains the difference.
Also, the Purple Demon Eye is set to be the same tier as the "Eternal One Thought." Tang San has trained the Purple Demon Eye since childhood; the MC only trained Eternal One Thought for about a year, and his previous mind arts were lower tier. So with the added advantage of a high-year soul bone and no boosting skill to balance the gap, it's reasonable for Tang San's spiritual power to be slightly stronger.
Once Tang San used his attribute boost soul skill, his Overlord Transformation gave him a 100% bonus, while Xiao Bai's blessing only gave 50% — half the boost. That's why the MC was still overpowered by the Purple Demon Eye.
T/N: For up to 30 chapters ahead on most of my translations, become a p@tron at p@treon.com/LordHipposApostle