Chapter 97: Narrow Victory Over Thunder Academy

On the arena, even though Tang San broke free from the Heavenly Net of Thunder's restraint, the Shrek team was now on the defensive.

At least in terms of Soul Power Level, the gap between the sides was huge; the sole Soul Ancestor Dai Mubai had already consecutively used the third and fourth soul skills, especially the White Tiger Meteor Shower he employed to rescue Tang San, which consumed a great amount but only served to harass the enemy and lacked real killing power.

The others, in order to contend with the enemy, basically kept using multiple soul skills in succession, consuming a huge amount of soul power; overall they each spent at least sixty percent of their soul power.

Especially the Lightning Academy's Lightning Attribute elements were overwhelmingly dominant, subduing both Blue Silver Grass and other martial souls alike.

However, the Shrek team, already on a three‑match losing streak, could hardly afford another loss; another defeat would likely dash any hope of advancing.

At this moment Tang San's face was resolute, his gaze turning even fiercer; he could not allow himself to concede so easily.

Yang Xiong swiftly approached Yu Tianxin again; now, in terms of strength and otherwise, only Yang Xiong could match Yu Tianxin, otherwise their two supports would truly be crushed, making the situation even harder.

At this moment Tang San darted toward Lei Dong, who was the Control System Soul Master on the opposite side that had been restraining Tang San on the arena, even suppressing him with his control.

Lei Dong reacted swiftly; the massive Thunder Spider kept spitting webs, while Tang San, as ghostly as a specter and moving at blinding speed—using his Ghost Shadow Mirage Step—dodged Lei Dong's attack in a flash.

At that instant, a massive bloom of Blue Silver Grass suddenly covered the arena; the seven Soul Masters on the opposite side were each partially enveloped by it, and even their formidable lightning was delayed by the sudden attack.

Tang San then abruptly withdrew the Blue Silver Grass, grasped a small black hammer, and slammed it at Lei Dong with full force.

Lei Dong, a Beast Spirit Control System Soul, tried again to ensnare Tang San with webs, but Tang San's ghostly form gave him no chance; the hammer struck the massive Thunder Spider, and even the spider's legs struggling in resistance were useless, blasting Lei Dong's entire body away.

This was the first time the Thunder Academy had been relatively on the defensive; they had held a huge advantage from start to finish.

Everyone in the arena and on the guest seats gasped, especially Platinum Archbishop Saras of the Spirit Hall, who stared intently at the black hammer in Tang San's hand.

The top‑level Soul Masters among the guests were each horrified: "Clear Sky Hammer—who would have thought it's the Clear Sky Hammer? Could the Clear Sky Sect have emerged?"

The Clear Sky Sect, as the foremost of the top three sects, has dominated the continent for countless years; the Clear Sky Hammer is universally recognized as the world's Number One Tool Spirit, wielding great deterrence among both common folk and Soul Masters alike.

Even Emperor Xue Ye exclaimed, "I didn't expect it to be the Clear Sky Hammer, Crown Prince. You did an excellent job getting Tang San and his team into the Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

Crown Prince Xue Qinghe smiled slightly, "Father, I was merely following your and the teachers' guidance; I dare not claim credit for this."

Emperor Xue Ye was clearly pleased with Xue Qinghe's reply: "Crown Prince, you must focus on cultivating Tang San and the Shrek members; any of their needs can be met, and it's rare for the Heaven Dou Empire to produce such talents."

Xue Qinghe laughed, "Your son obeys; this Second Team indeed has many geniuses."

But although Xue Qinghe wore a smile, a trace of sinister malice glimmered in his eyes.

Ning Fengzhi and Gu Douluo, however, were not at all surprised, as if they had long known that Tang San possessed a Second Martial Soul.

Amid the crowd's gasps, the battle on the arena continued, now becoming even more intense.

Tang San switched from a Control System Soul Master to an Agility Attack System Soul Master; the advantage was increased combat power, while the drawback was a much weaker control ability, making the two supports especially hard to manage.

The Shrek team also began losing members first; the first to fall was Tai Long. Though Tai Long's strength was quite good and his Tool Spirit—Mighty Gorilla—had great endurance, the opposing side always fielded four Soul Ancestors, and Tai Long was besieged by multiple Soul Elders, his body lacking agility; moreover, Tai Long had never endured the brutal training of the original Shrek Eight, so his overall combat experience lagged slightly.

As Tai Long was eliminated, the Thunder Academy also began to thin its ranks; Yang Xiong had always fought one‑against‑two, not seeking to defeat the enemy but to hold the defense. The other two Soul Elders were less fortunate, quickly being eliminated—one of them was blasted away by Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer, taking advantage of the moment Lei Dong was knocked airborne.

As time passed, the Shrek team's two supports, Oscar and Ning Rongrong, grew increasingly distressed; without Tang San's Blue Silver Grass and without Yang Xiong guarding them, and since they constantly employed soul skills to support the whole team, the remaining five Shrek members could not have endured for so long without their presence.

When the two exhausted their soul power, they simply stepped off the arena; there they were merely burdens, and the Thunder Academy's members would occasionally launch a ranged soul skill at the two supports, making it easy to pin them down.

Both sides quickly reduced to four‑versus‑four; the Shrek team now only had Yang Xiong, Tang San, Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu, while the Thunder Academy retained four Soul Ancestors. However, the tricky match‑ups were Lei Dong and Xiao Wu.

Lei Dong had originally controlled the field, but Tang San now wielded the Clear Sky Hammer together with Ghost Shadow Mirage Step, even employing various Self‑Created Spirit Skills; he had just taken a hard hit from Tang San's hammer, a strand of blood spilling from his mouth.

Xiao Wu, as a Soul Elder confronting a Soul Ancestor, and moreover a Soul Ancestor of the Agility Attack System, was likewise at a severe disadvantage.

Yu Tianxin now also grasped the arena's danger; perhaps this was the Thunder Academy's first defeat, and he suddenly grew fiercer, especially when facing Yang Xiong, who had limited his performance throughout the match.

Yu Tianxin's Fourth Soul Ring flared, lightning crackling over his body; his right arm swelled again, tearing the clothing on his right hand, his speed surged, and he lunged at Yang Xiong like a bolt of lightning, unleashing his Fourth Soul Skill: Blue Lightning Divine Dragon Rush.

The prodigies of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan all wield the Fourth Soul Skill Blue Lightning Divine Dragon Rush; it is not only their Inheritance but also a method to cultivate Dragon Transformation, and the clan deems it the most suitable soul skill.

Seeing the overwhelming power of Yu Tianxin's technique, Yang Xiong's five fingers formed like claws, and a deep‑blue sphere materialized on his silver hand, which he hurled forward at full force.

Spiral Sphere vs. Blue Lightning Divine Dragon Rush.

Yu Tianxin's right hand, like a dragon claw, collided with the Spiral Sphere, instantly generating a terrifying force as if an explosion erupted, sending Yang Xiong several meters backward.

In contrast, Yu Tianxin was clearly the worse off; his entire right hand was drenched in blood, trembling, and he spat a mouthful of blood, indicating the Spiral Sphere had grievously wounded him.

Had the competition not prohibited killing or maiming opponents, Yang Xiong's Spiral Sphere would have been even more powerful; after all, this was merely an ordinary Spiral Sphere.

The audience erupted again, astonished that Yu Tianxin, renowned across the Tiandou Region for his formidable combat power, was directly injured by Yang Xiong; what then could Yang Xiong's combat power possibly reach?

Seeing Yu Tianxin wounded by Yang Xiong, others seemed eager to intervene quickly, especially Deputy Captain Lei Dong, who redoubled his effort to unleash the Heavenly Net of Thunder again, at least to slow Yang Xiong's assault.

Another person reacted just as swiftly: Lei Mie, who had been dueling Xiao Wu; now his attack grew even more ferocious, and he knocked Xiao Wu off the arena while everyone was distracted.

Tang San's big‑picture view also manifested at this moment; rather than assisting Yang Xiong, he chose to strike Lei Dong. The massive Clear Sky Hammer slammed onto Lei Dong, who had been under continuous attack and whose soul power was nearly depleted, sending Lei Dong crashing off the arena.

Now the sides truly reduced to three‑versus‑three, with Yu Tianxin still seriously injured.

After a grueling fight, Yu Tianxin finally fell onto the arena unwillingly, and both Tang San and Dai Mubai were panting heavily, each bearing different wounds.

When the referee declared the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Shrek team the victor, Tang San and Dai Mubai were both on the verge of collapsing; it had been a hard‑on‑hard battle, a brutally exhausting war, with almost everyone on both sides wounded and, aside from Yang Xiong, everyone's soul power depleted.

The Shrek team finally ended its three‑match losing streak, and the Thunder Academy suffered its first defeat.

However, in order to win the fight, Tang San revealed the Clear Sky Hammer, and it was unclear whether that was a boon or a bane.

As for Yang Xiong, he didn't care much about winning or losing; he treated the whole match as mere practice. Yet battling Lightning Attribute Soul Masters seemed somewhat beneficial to his body—though the process was relatively painful, occasional lightning stimulation felt quite good.

But before Yang Xiong could leave the arena, Yu Tianxin rose shakily and said, "Yang Xiong, what kind of monster are you? Why can't I knock you down even when I give my all? You're just a Soul Elder."

Yang Xiong replied casually, "Yu Tianxin, how is my strength? You can ask your brother Yu Tianheng; I've fought him many times."

Yang Xiong and the others said nothing more, and left amid cheers.

The Shrek teachers and students were clearly delighted; the battle had been extremely brutal, yet they emerged victorious, especially since the Thunder Academy was completely defeated, which greatly boosted everyone's morale.

Especially seeing Yu Xiaogang and Flanders so thrilled, as if they had won the championship.

And in the eyes of the audience, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Shrek team seemed poised to overturn history; in recent years the teams advancing from the Tiandou Region were usually the Five Element Academies, five long‑standing powerhouses, while the once‑neglected Second Team of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy surged like a dark horse, crushing two Yuan Su Xue Yuan squads.

(End of Chapter)