"Aaaah!"Lan Si exerted force with his left hand, causing Xiao Wu's ankle to dislocate instantly. She cried out in pain. Desperate, she kicked at Lan Si with her other leg, forcing him to release her. He blocked the kick with his arm, and Xiao Wu used the momentum to propel herself away from Lan Si, creating distance.
"Xiao Wu!" Tang San was shaken from his self-doubt by Xiao Wu's scream.
Before he could react, Lan Si activated his full power, engulfed in a green-white aura from the Sacred Universe Technique. A powerful shockwave sent both Tang San and Dai Mubai flying backward.
Lan Si swiftly teleported beneath Dai Mubai and delivered a powerful kick, sending him soaring into the air.
"Damn it... How is he this strong?" Dai Mubai winced in pain as his jaw throbbed from the blow. Before he could fully comprehend the situation, Lan Si's eerie voice whispered from behind, like a ghost, "If I'm not mistaken, didn't you say you wanted to kill me in this Soul Arena? If that's the case, I won't hold back either. Have you ever heard of Front Lotus?"
As he spoke, Lan Si grabbed Dai Mubai from behind, and the two began spinning violently, head-first, toward the ground.
"What are you doing?! Let go of me! No, I don't want to die! Please, spare me! I'll agree to anything!" Dai Mubai felt the ground approaching rapidly, a cold dread flooding his body—it was the taste of death.
In that moment, the once-proud, domineering Dai Mubai broke down, crying and begging for his life. All his ambitions—becoming the prince of the Star Luo Empire, marrying his fiancée, avenging Lan Si, defeating Davis, and becoming emperor—meant nothing. He only wanted to live.
"What a coward," Lan Si sneered, glancing down at the arena floor. He spotted a crater that Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng had created during their previous battle. With a wave of his hand, he activated his third soul skill, Soul-Devouring Spiderweb , forming a large web across the hole. Then, he released Dai Mubai, leaving him to scream as he plummeted into the web.
Naturally, Lan Si wasn't planning to kill Dai Mubai. Even if he wanted to, now wasn't the time. Killing him would provoke the wrath of the Star Luo Empire, and Lan Si wasn't confident that Qian Renxue would protect him. Even if she would, he didn't want to gamble his life on it.
"Mubai!" Shrek Academy didn't have the luxury of a private VIP box. Flender couldn't bear the expense. From their lower vantage point, Flender, Zhao Wuji, and Yu Xiaogang couldn't see the web Lan Si had prepared on the ground, and they cried out in horror.
Flender, in his rage, prepared to release his martial spirit, ready to violate the rules and offend the entire Soto City Great Soul Arena to save Dai Mubai.
But it was already too late. Dai Mubai was falling too fast.
"Puff."
The expected loud crash didn't happen. Instead, the sound of a web vibrating filled the air, followed by Dai Mubai's terrified wails from the Soul Arena.
"Ah! I won't do it again! I don't want to die! Please, let me go!"
Flender spread his owl wings and flew into the air. Looking down, he saw Dai Mubai stuck to the web, crying hysterically, tears and snot streaming down his face. He had clearly been scared out of his wits. Flender felt embarrassed for him.
Flapping his wings, he slowly returned to his seat.
"How's Mubai?" Zhao Wuji asked as Flender landed.
"He's fine. That kid has some restraint. Mubai was just scared," Flender sighed, shaking his head as he sat down again. His face burned with embarrassment.
In a team battle, one of their own had been scared to tears—how humiliating.
With Dai Mubai dealt with, Lan Si turned his gaze to Tang San. By now, Tang San had already reset Xiao Wu's ankle. When Dai Mubai had been in mortal danger, Tang San hadn't gone to save him. Instead, he had checked on Xiao Wu's injuries first.
"Third Brother, I..." Xiao Wu looked worried. Lan Si was terrifyingly strong, so strong it seemed impossible, like a monster. Alone, he had almost singlehandedly defeated their entire Shrek team.
Tang San raised his hand, signaling Xiao Wu to remain silent. His face was solemn as he faced Lan Si. He spoke in a grave tone, "Before stepping into this Soul Arena, I thought I had calculated for every possible scenario. But I overlooked you. I never imagined that the person I once saw every day at Notting Academy would become this powerful. I have to admit, you hid it well."
"Did I? I never hid anything. You just never paid attention to me. After all... in the eyes of that 'Great Master,' you and this 'Soft-Bone Rabbit' were the true geniuses, while I was just a clown who strayed from the path, choosing to become a Battle Soul Master instead of an Auxiliary Soul Master as I was 'supposed to,'" Lan Si replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm, emphasizing the words "Great Master."
Below the stage, Flender and Zhao Wuji looked at each other in confusion, then turned to Yu Xiaogang. "Master, do you know him?" they asked. Since neither of them had seen Lan Si's martial spirit before, and Zhao Wuji had never met Lan Si, they didn't recognize him.
Yu Xiaogang's face was dark and gloomy, his expression a mix of green and purple, completely different from his earlier triumphant look after Tang San's team defeated Yu Tianheng. His face was now filled with dejection and frustration.
A deathly silence filled the Great Soul Arena, the atmosphere tense and oppressive.
Tang San glanced at Xiao Wu, then looked at Yu Xiaogang in the audience, whose face was full of disappointment. Taking a deep breath, he addressed Lan Si, "Ah Si, this will be the last time I call you that. You've hurt Xiao Wu, you've hurt my teammates, and you've insulted my teacher. I should kill you to avenge them. But you helped me once at the blacksmith's shop, so from now on, we're even. I'll spare your life."
In truth, Tang San did want to kill Lan Si at that moment, but he knew it would create too many complications. Lan Si's companions were all people with powerful backgrounds, one of whom was even backed by a Titled Douluo.
Lan Si, in addition to his remarkable talent, was likely favored by someone influential.
Tang San, being just the son of a blacksmith, knew he had to be cautious until he fully matured.
(At this point, Tang San is unaware that his father, Tang Hao, is the mighty Title Douluo known as Haotian Douluo.)
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