"Don't worry about these trivial matters, Tai Long. They are nothing but a group of losers."
Tang San calmly took a step forward, positioning himself in front of Tai Long, directly facing the seven pairs of eyes burning with rage.
As a student of Shrek Academy, provoking someone was their specialty.
Tai Long was now his follower and those in front of them were weaker than him. What right did they have to be angry? Resenting Tai Long for abandoning them was laughable. If they worked harder, why would they still be stuck at Blue Tyrant Academy? Didn't they want to enter Heaven Dou Imperial Academy? But they couldn't—because they lacked talent and strength. Who could they blame for that?
"You're right, Young Master."
Initially hesitant to face his old teammates, Tai Long gained confidence after receiving Tang San's support. The path his grandfather had chosen for him was indeed the right one.
Upon joining the second team of Emperor Battle, Tai Long realized that, compared to his previous teammates, while the members here weren't particularly friendly, their battle prowess and talent were undoubtedly superior.
Especially Tang San—when they sparred a week ago, Tang San had effortlessly defeated him without even activating his martial soul. Such strength was truly worthy of being followed.
Subconsciously, Tai Long straightened his back. It was time to deliver a crushing defeat and make his former teammates face reality.
At that moment, the host, after warming up the audience, turned the camera to the arena. The referee, pleased with the tension between the two sides, stepped into the center.
"Both sides, bow and prepare for the match."
Although neither side was eager, once on the stage, they had to follow the rules. After a forced bow to each other, the referee looked at the two teams.
"The first round of the preliminary matches, first battle, officially begins."
With that, he stepped aside, and both teams quickly moved into position.
Like arena battles, the tournament allowed one minute for both sides to activate their martial souls, providing a better display for the audience.
Tang San coldly eyed the opponents, stretched out his right hand, and shouted, "Brothers, activate your martial soul!"
Due to his status, Tang San was the captain of the team. With the Star Luo Prince on the team, Dai Mubai could never be the leader; it was simply not allowed.
As both sides released their martial souls, and the soul rings appeared, a wave of astonished murmurs spread through the stands.
Standing at the front, Tang San displayed two yellow, one purple, and one black soul ring—four soul rings in total.
"A ten-thousand-year fourth ring?"
In the stands, Xue Ye froze for a moment before speaking excitedly. He glanced at Xue Qinghe, then turned to the three board members behind him, seemingly asking what was going on.
Xue Qinghe shook her head. She didn't know either, but she was certain Han Li must have known—yet he hadn't informed her. She'd have to settle that score with him later.
For now, all she could do was look toward the three board members.
Meng Shenji, feeling the eyes of those around him, was also stunned. He had no idea either.
A month ago, Flender's report said Tang San had only just broken through to level 37. How had he suddenly become a Soul Ancestor with a ten-thousand-year fourth ring? If Meng Shenji had known, he would have reported it immediately. He understood the significance of this.
What he didn't know was that Flender had planned to showcase Tang San's strength today to gain favor. But now, Flender wasn't in the mood for that anymore.
Meng Shenji could only brace himself and respond, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, I'm not sure of the specifics either. Before the match, they said they had a surprise in store. I didn't expect this kind of surprise."
"Your Majesty, regardless, it's indeed a surprise, isn't it? And it comes from our academy. Look at the crowd's reaction. Why don't we watch the match first, and afterward, we can have Tang San meet with you?"
Bai Baoshan, another board member, glanced at his old friend and quickly added.
Xue Ye nodded at his words, then discreetly glanced at Ning Fengzhi and Yu Yuanzhen, who were eavesdropping and pondering something, as well as Han Li, who still wore an inscrutable smile.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Xue Ye shook his head.
"No need for a meeting. Let them focus on the competition first. Since this is a surprise, let's wait until after the preliminary rounds to see if they reveal it themselves. In the meantime, ensure his protection. No one is allowed to approach him."
The three board members were momentarily stunned but quickly understood his meaning. "No one" naturally included their allies.
They nodded, deciding to provide close protection the moment the match ended.
What they didn't realize was that among those present, the only one truly interested in Tang San was Yu Yuanzhen.
Salas, although surprised by Tang San's ten-thousand-year fourth ring, merely thought Tang San had some talent in spiritual power. Among the higher-ups of Spirit Hall, this was no longer a secret.
As for Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo, they knew Tang San's background and had no ulterior motives. They only wanted to see if they could pay a price to learn the method from Tang Hao.
Han Li and Qian Renxue, on the other hand, were entirely indifferent.
Thus, although the representatives of various factions on the stands harbored different thoughts, outwardly, a strange calm settled over the scene.
In the arena, aside from Xiao Wu and Tai Long, who had already seen this, not only were the Blue Tyrant Academy members stunned, but even Ning Rongrong and the others were taken aback.
When had Tang San reached level 40?
No wonder he hadn't been participating in team drills lately. Even when they gathered, it was only to discuss tactics without any actual combat. He had been hiding his strength.
A flicker of excitement passed through Dai Mubai's eyes.
He had also broken through to the Soul Ancestor level. If Tang San was willing to share his methods, could he also attach a ten-thousand-year soul ring for his fourth ring?
His body couldn't help but tremble. If possible, even with his terrible reputation, as long as he could defeat Dai Weisi, it wasn't entirely impossible that his father might choose him—if he could keep that secret hidden.
"Alright, it's just a soul ring. We'll discuss it later. For now, stick to the plan and crush them."
Tang San could feel the astonishment from both his teammates and opponents, as well as the gasps from the audience in the arena. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly—he enjoyed this feeling. However, he quickly suppressed his emotions. This was just the beginning.
Across from them, the members of Blue Tyrant Academy, after a brief moment of shock, quickly regained their composure.
It was just a ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring. They had already known they weren't a match for the opposing team. So what if they were a little stronger?
Jing Ling and Huang Yuan, standing at the front of their team, exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and turned back to their teammates.
"There's nothing to be afraid of. Stick to the original plan. We'll hold them off with everything we've got. Jiang Zhu, we're counting on you."
"As for the rest of you, focus all your efforts on attacking Tai Long."
The others nodded silently. It was the only thing they could do.
A sharp whistle echoed through the arena, signaling the official start of the battle.
"Charge!"
Tang San shouted as he, Dai Mubai, and Tai Long charged forward together.
At the back of their formation, Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda glowed, instantly applying three buffs to the trio.
Oscar, standing beside her, reluctantly withdrew his soul ring.
Xiao Wu and Ma Hongjun didn't retract their martial soul, but they stayed behind to guard the two, ensuring that their opponents couldn't bypass the trio and attack the backline.
Yes, this was the battle plan Tang San had devised with Flender.
The opponents weren't particularly strong, and Tai Long had already described their spirit abilities in detail. From their perspective, only three of their opponents had any real combat power, and Jiang Zhu was merely a healing-type soul master.
To be precise, the only real threats were Jing Ling and Huang Yuan. Once they were dealt with, the rest would fall apart.
With three of them charging the enemy, plus Ning Rongrong's support, four people—this was already giving the other side a lot of face.
"Is this…?"
The audience erupted in surprise upon seeing their actions.
If they remembered correctly, the host had mentioned earlier that the captain of Emperor Team Two was a control-type soul master, right? Why was he charging forward with just three people? Wasn't this a bit overconfident?
On the stage, the members of Blue Tyrant Academy, after seeing their opponents' actions, first felt anger, but then a sense of joy washed over them.
So they were underestimating us? That was perfect. They'd pay for that.
Their initially grim faces twisted into smiles filled with a hint of madness.
"Jiang Zhu!"
Jing Ling's voice rang out sharply. Receiving the signal, Jiang Zhu didn't hesitate for even a moment. Her three soul rings flashed rapidly, and her healing staff was already planted firmly into the ground in front of her.
A wave of orange-yellow light spread out, instantly covering Jing Ling and Huang Yuan as they charged forward.
At the same time, their soul rings began to glow as they activated all of their abilities. They knew their strength well, so they unleashed everything right from the start.
"Overestimating yourselves."
Seeing only two opponents rushing toward them, Tang San smiled and charged forward to meet them head-on. Their choice played right into his hands.
He didn't even use his Blue Silver Grass martial soul. Today, they wanted to achieve a show of overwhelming strength to intimidate their opponents.
Moreover, there was another layer of strategy—concealing his spirit abilities. His Blue Silver Grass martial soul was still too weak. In the tournament, its first use might catch opponents off guard, but after that, it wouldn't be as effective.
But as long as he didn't use it, the black soul ring above his head would remain a powerful deterrent to any opponent. Even in the middle of battle, they would have to expend energy keeping an eye on him.
This was exactly what he wanted.
A faint, cryptic smile flashed across Tang San's face. His hands, wrapped in Blue Silver Grass and soul power, unleashed the Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon technique. In an instant, he deflected Jing Ling's bone blade to the side.
Meanwhile, on his left, Huang Yuan, who had wolf martial soul possession, was clashing palms with Dai Mubai. Both took a step back before immediately engaging each other again.
"Tai Long, leave this to us. The rest are yours. Show them what you're made of."
Effortlessly dodging Jing Ling's attacks, Tang San even had time to direct Tai Long.
"Yes, Young Master."
With his martial soul possession turning him into a massive gorilla, Tai Long didn't hesitate after hearing Tang San's words. He charged directly toward the enemy's backline.
He knew his opponents too well. With Jing Ling and Huang Yuan out of the picture, there wasn't a single person left who could stop him.
He hadn't expected that in the very first match, he would be given such a great opportunity to shine.
As it turned out, his grandfather was right. Following Young Master was the best path for him.