Chapter 335: The Underdog's Struggle (Part 1)

After declaring his surrender, Tang Wulin stepped down from the arena under the gaze of the entire crowd.

He knows that once the match ends, the Ri Yue Di Guo officials will certainly write all sorts of articles about his surrender.

They will probably say that he seems unimpressive on the surface, but in fact he expended a lot of effort in the duel with Xiao Hongchen.

In response, Tang Wulin merely gave a faint smile in his heart.

Let them say what they will; the outcome of a match has never depended on words, but on fists.

As long as the Tang Clan ultimately wins, any post‑match attempts by the Ri Yue Di Guo to save face will only make it look more like a dying, struggling clown.

The second contestant from the Tang Clan is Nan Qiuqiu, and the next to step onto the stage from the Ri Yue Di Guo Royal Soul Instructor Academy is their vice‑captain Meng Hongchen.

Originally they dared not send Meng Hongchen onto the field, fearing that her love‑struck mind would lose outright to Tang Wulin, but now that Tang Wulin has stepped down, they no longer need to hide her.

It happens that they now urgently need Meng Hongchen, the second‑ranked expert of the Ri Yue Di Guo Royal Soul Instructor Academy, to turn the tide and improve their reputation.

After Meng Hongchen steps onto the stage, she focuses her gaze on Nan Qiuqiu and finds the latter staring back, eyes filled with strong hostility.

For some reason, Meng Hongchen always feels that this hostility is not solely because they are opponents in the match.

She instinctively glances again at Tang Wulin in the audience, then quickly withdraws her sight.

The match is about to begin; she cannot afford to daydream any longer.

Otherwise she might actually lose.

Five years ago Nan Qiuqiu was not in Shilake's reserve team, so Meng Hongchen has no information on her at all.

Nevertheless, her intuition tells her this will not be a feeble opponent.

And when the match starts, Nan Qiuqiu's performance confirms her suspicion.

The moment she sees the six soul rings on Nan Qiuqiu, Meng Hongchen's mouth twitches involuntarily.

In earlier matches, Bei Bei and Xu San Shi had already taken the stage, displaying Soul Emperor‑level power.

How is there another Soul Emperor? What on earth is going on with the Tang Clan? Seeing the surprise in their eyes, Nan Qiuqiu can't help but wear a smug grin.

As a top‑tier prodigy possessing the Rouge Dragon martial soul, she naturally received excellent treatment at Shilake Academy, and her cultivation speed far outpaces that in the Earth Dragon Gate.

The Rouge Dragon's Oblivion attribute, while not inferior to the Ultimate attribute, lacks the slowdown that follows the three rings of an Ultimate Soul, and combined with her decent comprehension, she has already become a disciple of a Senior Elder in the Sea God Pavilion.

The Senior Elder treats her well, providing plenty of heavenly materials and earthly treasures; had she remained in the Earth Dragon Gate, she likely would never have accessed such resources in her lifetime.

If one insists on pointing out a drawback, it is that lately she has been forced to watch Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong display affection up close, which unsettles her stomach.

During the pre‑match period, while training with Tang Wulin as a teammate, she unexpectedly noticed a subtle tendency for her martial soul to evolve, further enhancing her already formidable strength.

Don't be fooled that she only broke through the Soul Emperor realm a few months ago; in terms of power, she ranks among the top Soul Emperors.

Nan Qiuqiu raises her hand, and a pink beam spans a hundred meters, instantly crossing the entire arena and striking Meng Hongchen.

Meng Hongchen's eyes show a hint of surprise.

The beam's speed already surpasses that of most soul‑guide rays; is this merely a first‑tier soul skill? Meng Hongchen's initial reaction to the beam is not to dodge.

Regardless, Nan Qiuqiu is still only employing a first‑tier soul skill; given its excellent speed and range, there must be trade‑offs elsewhere.

Therefore, instead of expending effort to dodge, she chooses to receive the attack herself and analyze the opponent's ability.

Meng Hongchen lifts her longsword, precisely blocking the strike. Then her expression turns rather grim.

She feels the soul power wrapped around her sword draining away rapidly.

The Ri Yue Di Guo's research on martial souls cannot compare to Shilake Academy's, so even after taking the hit, Meng Hongchen still cannot discern Nan Qiuqiu's martial soul or its attributes.

"You sent her out second because you anticipated that the next contestant would be Meng Hongchen, right?"

Hearing his partner's voice suddenly beside him, Tang Wulin smiles and nods.

"Yes."

Nan Qiuqiu is, aside from him, the Tang Clan's strongest long‑range combatant.

In prior training she sparred with He Caitou; the result was that He Caitou won when Tang Wulin was absent, but when Tang Wulin stood beside Nan Qiuqiu, she could turn defeat into victory.

Based on the last match's experience, Meng Hongchen cannot spread toxin across the entire arena, so keeping distance is undeniably an effective tactic.

Even if Meng Hongchen gets close, Nan Qiuqiu still has an edge over other Tang Clan members, because her Oblivion attribute can truly break down toxins, countering Meng Hongchen's deadly poison.

However.

"Then who do you think will win?"

When Tang Wulin hears the question, he answers without hesitation.

"Meng Hongchen, then."

"Oh?" Huo Yutong blinks in surprise, "Nan Qiuqiu's strength isn't lacking either, right? Why are you so sure?"

Tang Wulin says helplessly:

"Because I just fought Xiao Hongchen, and given the relationship between the two of them, even if Meng Hongchen is weaker than her brother, the difference is small; it's unlikely that Nan Qiuqiu can handle her, but I believe she will certainly exact a huge price from Meng Hongchen, that's the way it is."

He lifts his hand and rubs Huo Yutong's little head.

"Are you really okay here? You're the captain of the Shilake team, you should be stationed at the contestant's seat, right?"

"It's fine," Huo Yutong smiles brightly, pointing to the Shilake contestant's seat, "See, 'I' am sitting right there."

Tang Wulin glances over and can't help but twitch his mouth.

At the Shilake contestant's seat, indeed sits a "Huo Yutong".

However, Tang Wulin cannot feel the same familiarity from her as from the one beside him; clearly, that one is a spiritual duplicate.

If earlier someone had asked Tang Wulin which of Huo Yutong's soul skills was the most disgusting, he would have answered "Simulation" without hesitation.

But now, faced with the same question again, he finds it hard to answer.

He feels that the "Spiritual Duplicate" soul skill is no less disgusting than "Simulation", and even surpasses it in some aspects.

Using a Spiritual Duplicate to hold the Shilake team, then the original activates Simulation to become invisible and approach him—only Huo Yutong can accomplish that.

Off‑topic, haha, the few days of make‑up classes are finally over; my soul feels like it's about to burst out.

Today I give myself a day off; tomorrow I'll take even more at once.

(This chapter ends)