With Huyan Li injured—and it appeared to be serious—the others quickly rushed to his rescue.
This turned into a classic "besiege the point, strike the reinforcements" scenario. Tang San reacted with lightning speed, activating his third soul skill: Blue Silver Hurricane Array. In an instant, multiple members of the Elephant Armor Academy were ensnared by the Blue Silver Grass. Remarkably, the grass now had a faint green hue, its tips razor-sharp. Even the heavily armored students of the Elephant Armor Academy couldn't withstand it, their bodies riddled with countless wounds.
At the same moment, Dai Mubai unleashed his fourth soul skill: White Tiger Meteor Shower. Under the relentless barrage, four Soul Elders from the Elephant Armor Academy collapsed onto the stage.
However, the other two Soul Ancestors, Huyan Ba and Huyan Shan, simultaneously activated their fourth soul skill, Thousand-Jun Guidance, to protect Huyan Li. Many members of large sects with the same martial souls often shared identical soul skills—a result of their sect's traditions.
Seeing the enemy closing in again, the injured Huyan Li let out a thunderous roar. A terrifying force erupted from his head, sending the four members of Shrek Academy flying. Yang Xiong, tasked with protecting the two auxiliary members, didn't engage in the attack.
A golden glow emanated from Huyan Li's head, resembling a helmet adorned with two sharp fangs.
The onlookers couldn't help but swallow nervously. A head soul bone—this was a head soul bone! Judging by its appearance, it was likely at least a ten-thousand-year grade. This was the first soul bone to appear in the entire Soul Master Competition.
Yang Xiong merely snorted coldly and remained beside the two auxiliary members without moving.
Huyan Li, Huyan Ba, and Huyan Shan then simultaneously activated their third soul skill: Death Crush. The entire arena trembled, and everyone felt an overwhelming pressure. Even Yang Xiong, Ning Rongrong, and Oscar, who were relatively farther away, found the pressure immense.
The appearance of the head soul bone shocked the entire audience. Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but chuckle. "Sect Leader Huyan, your grandson is indeed extraordinarily talented. To possess a head soul bone at such a young age—his future looks incredibly promising."
Huyan Zhen merely grunted and said nothing. Soul bones were treasures of the soul master world. His grandson was only at Level 43, and displaying such a valuable soul bone in public could easily attract covetous eyes.
Under the Elephant Armor Academy's Death Crush, especially with three Soul Ancestors unleashing the skill, the pressure on the Soul Elders was immense.
Unfortunately for the Elephant Armor Academy, the members of Shrek Academy had undergone rigorous training. They couldn't be defeated by a simple large-scale attack soul skill.
Moreover, although Huyan Li's head soul bone was formidable, he had already used three soul skills, leaving him with little remaining soul power.
Oscar quickly handed out his Super Recovery Sausages. After consuming them, the team's soul power was restored, and with Ning Rongrong's enhancement abilities, they continued their assault on the three members of the Elephant Armor Academy.
Though Tang San was only a Soul Elder, his combat strength rivaled that of a Soul Ancestor. Dai Mubai's abilities were also commendable.
After several intense minutes, the final member of the Elephant Armor Academy was knocked down, securing Shrek Academy's victory. However, this battle against a team with three Soul Ancestors left everyone feeling the true weight of the competition.
Still, astute observers noted that this match was a tactical disaster for Shrek Academy. Tang San's control abilities hadn't shone particularly brightly—in fact, he had exposed significant vulnerabilities. If not for Yang Xiong's superior strength compared to Huyan Li, Huyan Li might have broken through their defenses. Two auxiliary Soul Elders would have been no match for a Soul Ancestor.
As everyone stepped off the stage, Oscar finally spoke, his voice trembling. "Brother Xiong, thank goodness you were there to protect us earlier. Otherwise, Rongrong and I would've been in serious danger. That big guy was terrifying!"
Yang Xiong smiled. "Isn't my role as a defensive soul master to protect the two auxiliaries and maintain the formation?"
Ning Rongrong muttered, "If Little Bear had attacked earlier, those big guys would've fallen much sooner. It wouldn't have been so troublesome."
Yang Xiong simply smiled without responding. He had never intended to fully commit to the Soul Master Competition or strive for the championship.
Although they had defeated the powerful Elephant Armor Academy, Tang San didn't speak to anyone afterward or pay attention to other matches. Instead, he left the team with Yu Xiaogang.
Yang Xiong, on the other hand, was dragged shopping by Ning Rongrong. With his straightforward personality, he couldn't understand why girls enjoyed shopping so much.
Yu Xiaogang, seeing Tang San's dejected expression, consoled him. "Xiao San, don't overthink it. You performed exceptionally well in this match. At the very least, your combat strength matched Huyan Li's."
Tang San shook his head. "Teacher, I'm well aware of some things. Though we won this match, my Blue Silver Grass was clearly countered.
"For soul masters with strong physical builds, my Blue Silver Grass lacks sufficient resilience to effectively control them. My self-created soul skills, while advantageous, can only marginally bridge the gap between a Soul Elder and a Soul Ancestor. They can't achieve absolute dominance."
Yu Xiaogang quickly responded, "Xiao San, don't dwell on this too much. You're still young, and your path ahead is long. Besides, don't forget—your true strength lies in your second martial soul, the Hao Tian Hammer. Only when you add soul rings to it will your true potential emerge."
Tang San frowned. "Teacher, why won't you and Father let me add soul rings to the Hao Tian Hammer? I could become much stronger."
A bitter smile crossed Yu Xiaogang's face. "Twin martial souls are extremely rare, and your talent surpasses even my expectations. But twin martial souls come with a significant drawback: cultivating two martial souls simultaneously can lead to mutual repulsion, potentially resulting in death.
"Over the years, I've analyzed and researched extensively, but I've yet to uncover the secrets of twin martial soul cultivation. This may be one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in history."
Tang San fell silent upon hearing this.
---
Yu Xiaogang had once said that control-type soul masters were the strongest fighters among all soul masters. Unfortunately, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had glaring weaknesses, particularly its lack of resilience—it was vulnerable to fire and ice, making it highly susceptible to being countered. Compared to top-tier martial souls, the gap was vast.
Though Tang San had recently performed well and was widely acknowledged as having Soul Ancestor-level combat strength despite being a Soul Elder, these feats relied on his self-created soul skills rather than the inherent qualities of the Blue Silver Grass itself.
In the Soul Master Competition, information flowed freely. Every soul master's strengths and weaknesses were magnified countless times, especially for strong teams that meticulously analyzed each opponent to devise counter-strategies. After all, this was a rare five-year event.
Compared to Tang San's intense pride, others were more cheerful. The girls, in particular, reveled in the limelight, enjoying the attention of defeating a powerhouse like the Elephant Armor Academy at such a young age.
After the match against the Elephant Armor Academy, many teams quickly began studying Shrek Academy's weaknesses.
So far, Shrek Academy had remained undefeated, having not yet faced any veteran powerhouse teams. Their flawless record placed them at the forefront of all academy teams, drawing the attention—and targeted strategies—of rival schools.
In the following matches, opponents frequently fielded weapon-type soul masters or fire-attribute soul masters. Under their influence, Tang San's control abilities were further weakened.
Moreover, everyone knew that Tang San was the tactical core of Shrek Academy. Most of their strategies originated from him. Disrupting his Blue Silver Grass control essentially disrupted the team's fluidity, forcing Shrek Academy into direct confrontations and even traps.
The result was that every match became an arduous struggle. Both sides would wear each other down, eliminating numerous members before gradually securing victory.
Compared to other academies, Shrek Academy's advantage wasn't Tang San or Dai Mubai, the Soul Ancestor, but rather their possession of two high-level auxiliary soul masters.
One day, the group watched a match between the Blazing Fire Academy and the Sky Water Academy. These two teams were genuine contenders, with extraordinary combat strength. Notably, the Sky Water Academy had effortlessly defeated the Elephant Armor Academy, leaving Shrek Academy deeply concerned.
After observing the match, Tang San voiced his confusion. "Teacher, though their teamwork is solid, I don't see any auxiliary capabilities like Rongrong and Xiao Ao provide. Do they not have auxiliary soul masters?"
Yu Xiaogang stared at the stage and shook his head. "Elemental Academies are veteran powerhouses. Their teams adhere to a fundamental requirement: all members must share a single elemental attribute. Take the Elephant Armor Academy you faced—they even had seven members with identical martial souls. No auxiliary soul masters, not even an agility-type soul master."
Tang San's eyes widened. "Teacher, I've been reviewing that match recently and feel their team-building philosophy is entirely different from ours. It seems they prefer to maximize the potential of a single attribute."
"And after closely observing the Five Elements Academies, I've noticed they don't emphasize inter-elemental coordination. While their strengths are pronounced, their weaknesses are equally glaring."
Yu Xiaogang explained, "This reflects two schools of thought in the soul master world. One is the extreme specialization approach, like the Elemental Academies. The other is the balanced approach. Our team, which includes various types of soul masters, represents the latter."
Tang San pondered. "Teacher, haven't the Elemental Academies considered addressing their weaknesses?"
Yu Xiaogang remained silent for a long time before answering. "Each academy has its own traditions and backing. Behind the Elephant Armor Academy is the Elephant Armor Sect; behind the Thunder Academy is…"
He sighed. "In recent years, aside from the Five Elements Academies, no other powerhouse teams have emerged in the Tiandou Empire. Even this year, only Tian Dou Imperial Academy has performed well. In contrast, the Star Luo Empire seems to favor balanced approaches, with better synergy among their soul masters."
Tang San asked, "What about the Spirit Hall?"
A bitter smile crossed Yu Xiaogang's lips. "Compared to the two empires, the Spirit Hall's research into soul masters runs deeper. They pursue individual extremes while maintaining team balance. I call this the fusion approach. In my opinion, their method may be the strongest form of cooperation."
Tang San remarked, "The Spirit Hall is too selfish. Why don't they release these theories to promote the development of the soul master world?"
---
Others nodded in agreement, but Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong exchanged glances, speechless. Born into the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, they had seen far more soul masters and information than the others.
Anyone with a bit of insight in the soul master world knew that synergy yielded better results, especially with a top-tier support like the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda.
However, for students whose combat strength was relatively weak and whose knowledge was shallow, failing to maximize their potential and martial soul attributes would only sow seeds of trouble for future cultivation. Not to mention the Five Elements Academies—where in this world were there lightning-attribute auxiliary soul masters? Even control-type soul masters were scarce.
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