Tang San: "Impossible, Absolutely Impossible"

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 Compared to the New Heaven Dou Team's grand entrance, the Elephant Armor Academy's arrival was less dramatic, though the organizers still gave them proper attention.

 As they stepped onto the stage, their names and martial souls were announced. Their presence alone demanded notice, not because of flair, but sheer size. The seven members weren't people so much as mountains of flesh. Dressed in black, the shortest stood over two meters tall and weighed more than three hundred pounds. The tallest towered above two and a half meters, his weight exceeding five hundred pounds. When they climbed onto the soul battle stage, it shook with every step.

"Elephant Armor Academy Team Captain, Hu Yanli. Martial Soul: Diamond Mammoth. Level 43 Defense-Type Battle Spirit Ancestor. Please advise!" Hu Yanli, the biggest of them all, spoke with a polite tone, offering his name, martial soul, and level.

Ning Tian, never one to ignore courtesy, smiled and stepped forward. "New Heaven Dou Team Captain, Ning Tian. Martial Soul: Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword. Level 48 Assault-Type Battle Spirit Ancestor. Please advise."

"Both teams, salute. Non-participants, leave the stage," the announcer called. The teams bowed to each other, and extra members stepped off, leaving only the fighters for the first preliminary match.

For the New Heaven Dou Team, Ning Tian took the lead, with Zhu Zhuqing, Shi Mo, Shi Mo, Yu Feng, Osler, and Jia lined up behind him. The Elephant Armor Academy stood shoulder to shoulder, forming a solid wall that blocked their opponents' view.

...

In the VIP seats, Ning Fengzhi's brow creased with a hint of worry. He could see the Elephant Armor Academy's strength. In an open field, it might not matter, but in the tight space of the soul battle stage, their power was magnified. The New Heaven Dou Team faced a real challenge.

Emperor Xue Ye, seated in the center, stayed calm. He glanced at Ning Fengzhi with a small smile. "Sect Master Ning, no need to fret. This first match will be straightforward."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Ning Fengzhi replied, returning the smile.

Salas, nearby, glanced at them but kept silent.

The preliminaries had five stages. After the opening matches, the rest would run five at once.

"Both teams have one minute to summon their martial souls. After that, the first round of preliminaries, match one, begins!" the referee declared.

At the signal, both teams on the main stage unleashed their martial souls.

"Diamond Mammoth, possess!" the seven Elephant Armor Academy members shouted together. They ripped off their shirts, transforming into elephant-headed figures. The three in the center, including Hu Yanli, each had two yellow and two purple soul rings. The other four had two yellow and one purple. Their soul power hinted they were close to reaching Spirit Ancestor level.

Three Spirit Ancestors and four near-Spirit Ancestors; this was why Ning Fengzhi had been concerned. But that concern didn't last.

Yellow, purple, purple, black—Ning Tian's soul rings shone brightly, a jaw-dropping sight. Behind him, Zhu Zhuqing and the Shi brothers each released two yellow and two purple rings. The force from these four alone outmatched the seven across from them. When Yu Feng, Osler, and the stand-in Jia added their two yellow and one purple rings, the Elephant Armor Academy felt the pressure.

But no one cared about that anymore. Every eye locked onto Ning Tian's soul rings. A thousand-year second ring and a ten-thousand-year fourth ring broke all the rules. High-level Spirit Masters who'd absorbed ten-thousand-year rings knew the stakes. A thousand-year second ring was rare enough, but a ten-thousand-year fourth ring? That was unheard of. It wasn't just about physical strength, it meant enduring the soul beast's lingering spirit shock.

The crowd, the VIPs, and the other teams in their rest areas gasped. Who'd have guessed a ten-thousand-year soul ring would show up in the preliminaries?

The Shrek Team's reactions were a mess of shock and envy. They'd heard Ning Tian talk about chasing a ten-thousand-year fourth ring, but seeing it hit differently. With his already impressive power boosted like this, could they even stand a chance?

Tang San's voice broke the silence, sharp with disbelief. "Impossible, absolutely impossible! He actually absorbed a ten-thousand-year fourth ring." His own Blue Silver Grass fourth ring was only about six thousand five hundred years, and that was with his second martial soul's thousand-year power rings strengthening him. How had Ning Tian, with just one martial soul, pulled this off?

Dai Mubai's face darkened, his jaw tight. "It's not just Ning Tian…Zhu Zhuqing is a Spirit Ancestor now too."

Flender shut his eyes, pained. "This should've been Shrek's moment. If only…" He didn't finish, but his thoughts drifted to Tang Hao's actions. In his ideal world, Shrek's team would've been Ning Tian, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Tang San, Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar. With those eight, they could've aimed for the top. But Tang Hao had shattered that dream.

Even Ning Fengzhi, who'd always believed in Ning Tian, was stunned. Now he saw why Emperor Xue Ye was so at ease. If he'd known this, he wouldn't have worried either.

Emperor Xue Ye, though briefed beforehand, still looked impressed. He turned to Ning Fengzhi and Salas. "Sect Master Ning, Bishop Salas, what do you think of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's team this year?"

Salas gave a quiet "Mm," his expression unreadable.

"Very impressive, Your Majesty," Ning Fengzhi said, snapping out of his surprise. After replying, he glanced at Ning Rongrong in the New Heaven Dou Team's rest area.

.....

Ning Rongrong stared at Ning Tian on the stage, her eyes shining with awe, practically glowing with admiration.

Ning Fengzhi, watching from the VIP seats, thought, 'Rongrong, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's future rests on you.'

...…..

Meanwhile, the match on the main soul battle stage had kicked off.

The seven hulking figures of the Elephant Armor Academy felt the heat from the New Heaven Dou Team and didn't hold back. Their twenty-four defense-type soul rings flared to life. Boosted by the combined power, they seemed to meld into one giant mass, a faint Diamond Mammoth shadow flickering above them. They charged straight at Ning Tian and his team.

The crowd nodded in approval. The Elephant Armor Academy was smart. The New Heaven Dou Team outclassed them overall; playing it safe would mean a crushing loss. Going all-in was their only shot.

But as people wondered how the New Heaven Dou Team would respond, Ning Tian moved. Gripping his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm sword with both hands, his black soul ring glowed. In an instant, he became a streak of pale golden lightning, racing toward the towering mass.

His teammates didn't budge.

What happened next left everyone speechless. There was no epic clash. Ning Tian's lightning form smashed through the Elephant Armor Academy's rock-solid defense like it was nothing.

With a loud crack, the pale golden lightning burst apart, sending electric arcs everywhere. The Diamond Mammoth shadow shield collapsed under the onslaught. The leftover sparks hit the seven members, scorching their skin, raising their hair, and dropping them to the ground with their eyes rolled back and smoke drifting from their mouths.

The arena went quiet, mouths hanging open. It was a total wipeout, all by Ning Tian alone. Even with their full power, the Elephant Armor Academy had fallen in one hit to his ten-thousand-year soul skill.

Was this really a Spirit Ancestor's strength? Even a Spirit Saint with their martial soul's true form might not strike this hard. It was unreal.

The Elephant Armor Academy's teacher rushed to the referee, muttering anxiously. The referee blinked out of his daze, checked the seven downed fighters, and saw they were just unconscious, not badly hurt. With the teacher breathing a sigh of relief, he raised his voice. "First round of preliminaries, match one: New Heaven Dou Team wins."

Killing wasn't allowed in Soul Master tournaments, so Ning Tian's control was a good sign.

The crowd exploded with cheers. The New Heaven Dou Team stood for the Heaven Dou Empire, and most of the audience were empire citizens. Seeing their captain crush the competition so easily sparked their pride.

Emperor Xue Ye beamed. With Spirit Hall's rising threat, he hadn't felt this good in ages. Still, as emperor, he kept it together. He turned to Ning Fengzhi. "Sect Master Ning, Ning Tian's fourth soul skill is something special. Taking out seven solid fighters in a flash…it's hard to believe."

Ning Fengzhi shot a quick glance at Salas, who hadn't looked away from Ning Tian, and smiled to himself. "True, but it's partly attribute suppression. The Elephant Armor Academy's earth-based soul rings don't stand a chance against lightning. That said, Ning Tian's fourth skill is undeniably strong."

The Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder was beyond Douluo Continent's norms, so Ning Fengzhi pinned it on attributes.

Emperor Xue Ye nodded.

...….

In the New Heaven Dou Team's rest area, Ning Rongrong flung herself at Ning Tian, planting a kiss on him. "Ning Tian, you were incredible!"

Ning Tian grinned. "Rongrong, we're in public. And your dad's watching."

Ning Rongrong peeked at the VIP seats, catching Ning Fengzhi's gaze. She flinched, but seeing his smile and encouraging look, she relaxed. Hooking her arm through Ning Tian's, she pouted. "Let him watch. He won't mind us being together."

Nearby, in the Shrek Team's rest area, Oscar fumed. He hadn't realized they were this close. A kiss? It was too much.

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