"And lastly, let's talk about Tang San's classmates: the Evil Fire Phoenix, Ma Hongjun; the Star Luo Empire's prince, Evil-Eyed White Tiger Dai Mubai; the innate full-spirit-power Sausage Martial Spirit, Oscar... All such talented soul masters. Yu Xiaogang, you really have some nerve!"
"Everyone here has at least innate level 8 spirit power. If any of them attain Title Douluo, you can take some credit for it. What a clever plan you've made!"
Yu Xiaogang's face twisted, unable to find a retort. He hadn't expected Bibi Dong to know so much about what he had been doing all these years.
Bibi Dong sneered. She truly couldn't understand why she had ever been interested in such a useless and despicable person. What had she seen in him? His looks or his so-called "theory"?
Sure, Yu Xiaogang had looked decent when he was younger, but if she compared him now, even Qian Xunji had been better looking, and Su Ming was in a league far above him.
As for his "theory," she was the Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden back then; although she had focused more on her cultivation than theory, it was hardly enough to have drawn her to him. Most of his theories had come straight from the Spirit Hall archives!
Looking back, she couldn't fathom why she'd been so naïve—almost blinded by infatuation!
On the journey to Spirit City:
Dust swirled around the convoy as the guards from the Heaven Dou Empire found it increasingly difficult to proceed.
Inside the Heaven Dou Royal Academy carriage, Su Ming sensed something. A smirk spread across his face—so, it had finally come.
Over the past few days, Su Ming's soul power had risen from the peak of level 58 to level 59, bringing him closer to level 60.
He sent a subtle mental message to Dugu Bo, who was outside the carriage: "Old Monster, something feels off. Someone's coming. Don't intervene; they're probably not here for us."
Dugu Bo was a bit surprised. Su Ming's sudden warning clearly meant he had some insider information.
Not targeting them... could it be?
It took Dugu Bo only a moment to figure it out. The convoy included none other than Tang San. With the exposure of his Clear Sky Hammer, the Spirit Hall would undoubtedly take action.
But how did Su Ming know?
Su Ming must have connections within the Spirit Hall, and high-ranking ones at that, or he wouldn't know such classified information. Dugu Bo felt a hint of excitement. The thought of possibly facing off against that old Chrysanthemum Douluo again was delightful.
In no time, the captain of the 500-strong guard force noticed something amiss, a foreboding sensation, and immediately shouted, "Halt! Something's wrong!"
As soon as he spoke, a group of masked figures in black approached rapidly.
"Seventh Soul Skill: Martial Soul Avatar!"
Every one of the black-clad attackers activated their Martial Soul Avatar. They avoided using any additional soul skills to prevent giving away their identities.
Su Ming watched in bewilderment. In the original story, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo had made no attempt to hide their identities, so why the need now to use only their avatars?
The guard captain yelled, "Enemy attack! Defensive formation! Protect His Highness the Crown Prince!"
The Heaven Dou Imperial Guard quickly arranged themselves into a defensive formation, forming a soul power barrier. However, the black-clad figures shattered the barrier in just three blows, pushing half the guards back.
One of the black-clad figures barked at the guards, "Move! You're not our target. Don't get in our way!"
He then signaled to his comrades, "There, the Thunder Academy convoy! Let's go!"
Dugu Bo, observing from a distance, knew his guess was correct. Their target was indeed Tang San.
Inside the Thunder Academy convoy, Flender sighed as he saw the black-clad figures approaching. "Zhao Wuji, Qin Ming, get ready for battle! Protect the students!"
"Seventh Soul Skill: Owl Martial Soul Avatar!"
"Seventh Soul Skill: Martial Soul Avatar!"
Flender and Zhao Wuji activated their avatars, charging forward, while Qin Ming stayed back to protect Tang San and the others.
Seeing the chaotic situation, Tang San quickly took out several Zhuge Crossbows from his spirit tool, distributing them to his teammates. "This is an accessory weapon I made called the Zhuge Crossbow. It has decent power!"
Once his team was armed, he used his Blue Silver Grass to tie everyone together, ready to provide support.
Although the situation was dire, Tang San felt surprisingly calm. After all, their carriage held the Spirit Douluo Titan. And, more importantly, he was fairly certain his father was lurking nearby, waiting for the right moment to intervene.
Meanwhile, Su Ming had grown concerned that the conflict might spill over to the Blazing Fire Academy and Tianshui Academy convoys. The moment the convoy halted, he used his spiritual power to lock onto their positions, covertly activating his Kamui ability alongside his Wood Release, transporting everyone near him.
This teleportation happened instantly, leaving the students of the two academies bewildered. They were sure they had been some distance from Su Ming, so how had they suddenly appeared here?
Before they could fully process what had happened, Fire Wu Shuang attempted to charge toward the attackers, only for his sister to pull him back.
"Are you out of your mind? Charging in there is a death sentence! Can you try not to be so reckless?" She couldn't imagine any place safer than right here with Su Ming, especially given that he was accompanied by Dugu Bo, a powerful level 97 Title Douluo.
Meanwhile, Shui Bing'er, Xue Wu, and Shui Yue'er pulled their teammates closer to Su Ming, trusting his proximity for safety.
Su Ming addressed them, "Whatever happens, stay where you are. These attackers are targeting Thunder Academy."
"If anyone else gets in their way, they've only been knocked unconscious, not killed."