Seeing Tai Long bypass the two and charge toward the rear, Jing Ling and Huang Yuan began attacking with even more intensity.
Jing Ling's situation was manageable. After a few exchanges with Tang San, he realized that Tang San had no intention of using any spirit abilities—not even the first three abilities detailed in the intelligence reports.
However, even without using spirit abilities, Tang San's strength was immense, and his movements were incredibly agile.
Of course, in terms of pure speed, as an agility-type soul master, Jing Ling was still faster. But this Tang San was not an ordinary control-type soul master. The pressure Jing Ling felt when facing him was no less than what he would experience against an assault-type soul master in direct combat.
Fortunately, Tang San lacked any decisive skills that could quickly determine the outcome. As long as Jing Ling played to his strengths, even if he got hit, he could rely on the defensive properties of his skeleton martial soul to endure for a while. His martial soul inherently had a decent defense.
However, Huang Yuan's situation was far less optimistic.
In terms of martial soul strength, he was weaker than Dai Mubai, and on top of that, Dai Mubai had superior soul power and spirit ability amplification.
The two exchanged spirit abilities and physical blows, but Huang Yuan was constantly being pushed back.
If it weren't for Jiang Zhu's healing ability at the start of the match, Huang Yuan might have been forced to retreat after just one round of exchanges.
Even so, he was barely hanging on now.
For some reason, Dai Mubai was fighting like a madman. His attacks were ferocious, and the malice in his evil eyes was even more intense than theirs.
He relied on the defensive amplification provided by his first and third spirit abilities, almost entirely abandoning defense. Even if it meant taking direct hits from Huang Yuan, he would still forcefully attack.
Huang Yuan, under the healing amplification, had no choice but to trade blows with him. Both of their clothes were in tatters, and the stage was stained with blood.
After a brief silence, the arena erupted into wild cheers.
This was what an opening match should be! It was already more exciting than the round-robin matches from previous tournaments. The sight of blood had stimulated the crowd, driving them into a frenzy.
As for any grudges between the two teams, aside from a few individuals, most of the audience didn't care.
In the stands, Emperor Xue Ye appeared somewhat surprised.
The participants in this year's tournament felt entirely different from those in previous years.
Seeing his confusion, Xue Qinghe leaned over and whispered a few words.
After hearing the explanation from the crown prince, Xue Ye seemed to understand, nodding as he scanned the expressionless Yu Yuanzhen, deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Han Li glanced in Ning Fengzhi's direction.
"No wonder Sect Master Ning had his daughter join Emperor Team Two. His instincts are truly sharp."
Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi was momentarily taken aback, not immediately understanding what Han Li was referring to.
Everyone in the stands turned their attention to Han Li after he spoke.
Han Li smiled and didn't keep them in suspense. He pointed to Tang San, who was still fighting in the arena.
"If I'm not mistaken, this control-type soul ancestor named Tang San isn't simple. He's already used two self-created spirit abilities. He's truly a genius."
"Besides his remarkable strength, just those two self-created abilities allow him to hold his own against an agility-type soul elder without even using his martial soul. Congratulations, Sect Master Ning. And of course, congratulations to Your Majesty as well."
It seemed that Han Li only remembered at the last moment that this student was the captain of Emperor Team Two, so he added a complimentary remark to Emperor Xue Ye.
After Han Li's comment, the atmosphere in the stands became somewhat awkward.
On the stage, Tang San's use of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon was quite subtle.
Most of the time, he concealed his movements, only using these techniques when necessary or when making specific attacks.
To most onlookers, it only seemed like his reactions were faster than average. But after Han Li's reminder, everyone began observing him closely.
Upon closer inspection, they had to admit that Han Li was right.
With their extensive experience, it didn't take long for them to confirm that Tang San had indeed used self-created spirit abilities, despite his efforts to conceal them.
His footwork and the way he guided his opponent's attacks were both incredibly sophisticated and perfectly suited to his fighting style.
Now, everyone's gaze toward Tang San became filled with newfound intensity.
Even Emperor Xue Ye, who had been focusing on Yu Yuanzhen earlier, subtly shifted his attention to Ning Fengzhi.
He had previously wondered why Ning Fengzhi would willingly send his beloved daughter to such an unknown academy.
Even though the students were quite talented, with the strength of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, recruiting them directly would have been easy. There was no need for such an arrangement.
Now, he understood. Ning Fengzhi, the master of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School, not only wanted to recruit people but also had his eyes on their self-created spirit abilities.
Fortunately, Xue Qinghe had handled things well. Now, Tang San was the captain of Emperor Team Two, meaning the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's recruitment efforts had not been successful.
He'd have to remind Qinghe to be cautious of Ning Fengzhi in the future.
As for the self-created spirit abilities, Xue Ye wasn't in a hurry. Although he coveted them, he also understood that no one would easily share such techniques, and there might be restrictions related to martial souls.
As long as Tang San remained in the Heaven Dou Empire, that was all that mattered. In the future, they could help him establish a sect of his own, and as long as he served the empire, that would be enough. After all, the Xue family wasn't known for its combat strength. Even if they acquired the techniques, without a titled Douluo, they would be of little use.
However, under no circumstances could they allow the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to get their hands on those techniques. In recent years, that sect's influence had grown too much, and even an alliance required some level of vigilance.
There was a good chance that when Qinghe acted against others, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had a hand in it. Now that they were also connected with Han Li, it was crucial to maintain a delicate balance in these dealings.
He sighed inwardly. The throne of Heaven Dou is not an easy one to sit on.
Qinghe, while your father can still hold on for a few more years, grow quickly. You need to become the pillar of Heaven Dou.
Faced with Han Li's attempt to undermine him, Ning Fengzhi only smiled faintly and said, "Holy Son, you have a keen eye. If it weren't for your reminder, I wouldn't have realized that Rongrong's classmate had such talent. I'll have to ask Rongrong about it later."
He didn't offer much explanation. Tang San's self-created spirit abilities were something Ning Fengzhi was well aware of. He had even subtly probed through Ning Rongrong but eventually gave up.
Tang San's talk about the so-called "Tang Sect" was something Tang Hao had deliberately taught him to use as a cover story. With the Clear Sky Sect already in existence, founding something like the Tang Sect? Ridiculous.
In Ning Fengzhi's eyes, both Tang Hao and Tang San were not the type to settle down quietly. Their identities being exposed was only a matter of time.
When that time comes, any suspicions from Emperor Xue Ye will naturally be dispelled. Besides, even if he explained now, would Xue Ye believe him?
They had been old friends for decades. Who didn't know what the other was thinking?
As for the Spirit Hall, to be honest, Ning Fengzhi almost wanted to laugh when he heard Han Li's attempt to sow discord.
He was quite looking forward to the day when Han Li learned Tang San's true identity. Would he remember today's events and regret it so much that he'd want to slap himself?
After all, this was the closest the Spirit Hall had ever come to finding Tang Hao and his son, yet Han Li had wasted the opportunity on such petty maneuvers.
Seeing that Ning Fengzhi didn't take the bait, Han Li smiled as well, unfazed.
He had only spoken casually, laying the groundwork for Qian Renxue's future actions. The outcome wasn't important.
The stands grew quiet, and on the stage, although Huang Yuan was already bleeding, both sides still seemed somewhat satisfied with the situation.
The most pleased, of course, was Tai Long. After receiving Ning Rongrong's buffs, his previously clumsy movements had become much more agile.
At this moment, he was grinning ferociously as he approached Jiang Zhu, who was continuously retreating but had reached the edge of her spirit ability's amplification range.
Tai Long was very familiar with Jiang Zhu's abilities. He knew that if she left this range, Jing Ling and Huang Yuan up front would no longer receive any buffs.
But if she chose not to retreat, then once he got close, how would a healing-type soul master defend against his attacks? No matter what choice she made, her defeat was already sealed.
At this moment, Tai Long considered himself the one controlling the pace of the match.
As for the other four members of the opposing team, the same as always, reacting half a beat too slow. Now they wanted to support Jiang Zhu? Wasn't it a bit too late?
Especially that defense-type soul master with a shield martial soul. Instead of standing at the front with Jing Ling and Huang Yuan to protect Jiang Zhu, he prioritized the protection of the control-type soul master he liked. Hopeless.
While mocking his former teammates in his mind, Tai Long's hands moved swiftly. His spirit ability-enhanced fist smashed down toward Jiang Zhu.
"Time to knock you out."
But then, he saw the previously panicked Jiang Zhu smile at him, and she shouted one word: "Retreat."
Just as Tai Long was momentarily stunned, he heard Tang San's voice from behind: "Dodge quickly!"
But Tai Long had already committed fully to his punch. With the combined momentum of his speed and strength, it was far too late to change direction.
He saw that Jiang Zhu's waist was now entwined with the hollow vine martial soul of the control-type spirit master from her original team. Under the vine's pull, she was rapidly retreating backward.
At the same time, the defense-type soul master, whom Tai Long had been mocking, suddenly dispelled his shield martial soul. Behind him, two powerful energy spheres shot out, heading straight for Tai Long.
Meanwhile, hollow vines were growing rapidly at Tai Long's feet, blocking his attempts to dodge sideways.
The hollow vine, which had never been known for its toughness and usually broke with a single pull, had now become Tai Long's greatest obstacle.
Boom!
The exploding energy spheres slammed into Tai Long, sending him flying through the air and crashing backward.
It was only at that moment that Tai Long realized why the defense-type spirit master's shield had been slightly larger than usual and why the control-type soul master had stayed in the backline. It had all been to set up this one strike.
Then, he lost consciousness as his body hit the ground hard.
On the other side, even the heavily wounded Huang Yuan smiled when he saw this.
Before Tang San and his team could launch another attack, the members of Blue Tyrant Academy exchanged glances, nodded, and simultaneously raised their right hands. They turned to the referee and shouted:
"Referee, we surrender!"