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"Thank you for the clarification, Your Grace," Tang San replied to Chrysanthemum Douluo, then turned to Huo Wu and said, "Later, I need you to convert your spirit power into heat and light, enough to melt all the ice and snow."
"Sure thing," Huo Wu replied, though she thought it might be overkill. All they needed to do was prevent Hao Yuhao and his team from executing their seven-in-one spirit fusion technique.
But Tang San had other plans, and Huo Wu was willing to comply. She was eager to show off her power anyway.
"Time's up!" Chrysanthemum Douluo announced. "Begin the match!"
As soon as the signal was given, Huo Wu transformed her spirit power into a blazing burst of light and heat. The intense energy spread across the arena, rapidly melting the ice and snow.
From the stands, it looked as though a miniature sun had appeared in the center of the arena. The intense heat and light drove away the ice and snow, turning the icy landscape into a mere memory.
However, this level of heat was not only overwhelming for the Canghui team but also for members of Tian Dou Royal Team 1. Tang San stood calmly by Huo Wu's side, seemingly unperturbed, but even Ning Rongrong and the others needed their feathered cloaks to cope with the heat. The four pillars surrounding the arena still emitted a steady stream of cold air, ensuring that the environment didn't become unbearable.
"What an incredible energy!" Hao Yuhao's inner voice, Dou Yi Tianmeng, was astonished. "Is that ultimate fire or ultimate light?"
"No," Ice Jade Scorpion Empress replied, "that's the ultimate sun!"
Despite having lived for a shorter time than Dou Yi Tianmeng, the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress knew more about various energies, while Dou Yi Tian Meng had spent much of his time asleep.
"Unbelievable! A spirit master who can combine light and fire to create something resembling the sun," Ice Jade Scorpion Empress remarked.
"This energy has the essence of life but also immense destructive power," Hao Yuhao mused. He was surprised that Huo Wu could be so powerful. Was she enhanced by consuming some sort of Phoenix Crest Sunflower?
"Yulin, maybe you should consider surrendering," Dou Yi Tianmeng cautioned. "Fighting against Tang San might not be a good idea, and he's likely a transmigrator."
"It's precisely because he's a transmigrator that I have to fight him!" Hao Yuhao retorted. "Otherwise, what happens to the plot? I have to deal with Tang San to keep things on track."
Dou Yi Tianmeng sensed that Hao Yuhao had become obsessed with defeating Tang San.
"What if I used the seven-in-one spirit fusion technique along with your spiritual energy? Could we make Tang San lose his mind?" Hao Yuhao asked.
"In theory, yes," Dou Yi Tianmeng replied, "your mental attack could shatter the soul of even a Titled Douluo above level 95." But he added, "That's only in theory. Tang San's spiritual power isn't weak, and he's just a step away from reaching the Spirit Domain level."
More importantly, they hadn't told Hao Yuhao that Electrolux had visited Tang San's spiritual sea. If they stirred up that hornet's nest, there was no guarantee they'd come out unscathed.
Besides, Tang San was highly likely to be the Chosen One, the Child of Fate. Not only would it be incredibly difficult to kill him, but even if they succeeded, they'd probably face the wrath of the entire universe for a long time.
In truth, Dou Yi Tianmeng, Dou Er Tianmeng, and Ice Jade Scorpion Empress didn't want Hao Yuhao to clash with this "protagonist group."
"Why not just surrender and compete in the resurrection round?" they urged. "Get a good placement, join a larger faction, and leverage their resources to grow stronger. Isn't that the smarter play? Why risk everything to challenge Tang San?"
"Fine, let's give it a shot," Hao Yuhao resolved. His motivation for confronting Tang San was straightforward—because he was supposed to be Tang San.
"All Tang fanboys must die!"
Since waking up in the body of Hao Yuhao, his first thought was to become strong enough to storm the Divine Realm, step on God-King Tang San's head, and claim his wives and daughters.
But now he was in the era of Tang San's younger self, where Tang San was still powerful but not quite as godly as his future self. It was an opportunity for revenge and to take him down a peg.
As the snow and ice melted, Huo Wu ceased her output of light and heat, replenishing her depleted soul power with the help of Tang San's first soul skill.
"The ground is black," Tang San noted, squatting to scoop up a handful of the newly revealed earth. He released his Endless Grassland, ensnaring the Canghui team's members as they tried to prepare their spirit fusion technique.
"I thought it would be tiled," he mused aloud, surprised by the authenticity of the dirt arena.
Tang San paid little attention to Hao Yuhao and his team after breaking their combo attempt, focusing instead on the practicalities of the battlefield. He directed Huo Wu, Yu Tianheng, Shi Mo, and Shi Mo to their respective positions, while Ning Rongrong provided support with her attribute-boosting abilities.
Although she wasn't essential, Tang San preferred to give everyone a role, allowing them to demonstrate their usefulness. Otherwise, it would just feel like a routine battle.
Under the cover of Endless Grassland, the four swiftly approached the Canghui team members, knocking them out one by one.
The Canghui team was composed of relatively weak soul masters. Any of Tian Dou's fighters could easily overpower them, resulting in a lopsided battle.
The only downside was that Tang San's Blue Silver Emperor grew too thick, obstructing the audience's view. If these spectators weren't mostly from Martial soul City, they might have demanded their money back.
"San-ge, what do you want me to do?" Zhu Zhuqing asked, feeling left out since Tang San hadn't given her any instructions.
"Wait until Yu Tianheng and the others have knocked everyone out... Oh, that should be it," Tang San said, sensing the situation's progress. He pointed in a specific direction. "Head that way. The Blue Silver Grass will guide you to Hao Yuhao's location."
"My target is Hao Yuhao?" Zhu Zhuqing's eyes gleamed with excitement—those white soul rings were likely hundred-thousand-year rings, a formidable challenge. She was glad Tang San trusted her enough to handle it.
"Yes, and aim for his nape," Tang San said, pointing to the base of his own neck. "Strike here."
"Isn't that... lethal?" Zhu Zhuqing wasn't concerned about Hao Yuhao's safety, but if he died, they might be disqualified from the tournament.
"No, you're underestimating him. With his hidden cards, if you actually manage to kill him, I'd be shocked," Tang San replied seriously. "I can sense with my spiritual power and Blue Silver Emperor that he has a powerful ice-based energy within him. It's incredibly potent. I suspect he has another spirit, but if it's not ringed, there's no way it should be this strong. Either he's more than just a Soul Elder, or he's got another ringed spirit—another hundred-thousand-year spirit."
As he spoke, Tang San summoned Wu Lin, a small, icy creature, to perch on Zhu Zhuqing's shoulder.
"Just in case, Wu Lin has extreme ice properties to protect you."
Zhu Zhuqing understood Tang San's plan—expose Hao Yuhao's hidden strength, which would draw the attention of various factions, causing them to covet his power.
Tang San had a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and was a Soul King, a theoretical genius, with Martial soul Hall's attention, protection from the Poison Douluo, and ties to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Few would dare to target him.
But Hao Yuhao was different.
The Canghui Academy's fame and strength couldn't protect a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone from other powers' greed.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't see anything wrong with Tang San's strategy. After all, Hao Yuhao and his teacher, Shi Nian, had already schemed to disqualify Tang San.
This was just retribution—what goes around comes around.
Moreover, Zhu Zhuqing was curious to test the strength of Hao Yuhao, with his twin spirits and hundred-thousand-year spirit ring. How formidable could he be?
"Understood," Zhu Zhuqing nodded, her gaze narrowing as she darted through the dense Blue Silver Emperor. In a matter of seconds, she was behind Hao Yuhao, her attached spirit bone, the Dark Demon Bone Armor, activating its first soul skill: Ghostly Stab.
She infused her claws with darkness, wind, and thunder attributes, aiming at the back of Hao Yuhao's neck. If this strike hit, he would be dead on impact.
However, Hao Yuhao's instincts went on high alert, with the three spiritual entities in his mind frantically urging him to move. But his own reflexes weren't quick enough.
"Bad timing!" Dou Er tianmeng intervened, controlling Hao Yuhao's body, and released his second spirit: the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion.
Clang!
The metallic clang of claws hitting armored chitin resonated across the arena. The force of the collision was enough to clear a path through ten meters of Blue Silver Emperor, revealing a patch of open ground.
Now, everyone could see Hao Yuhao's true state.
His previous soul rings—two white and one purple—had vanished, replaced by a deep red ring, adorned with three golden patterns, with the fourth pattern starting to form.
But the most striking change wasn't the ring—it was the spirit itself.
Hao Yuhao's spirit wasn't Spirit Eyes, but—
The Ice Jade Scorpion!
(End of Chapter)