The Clear Sky Hammer's Defeat

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In the VIP seats, Emperor Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, and Bishop Salas stared, speechless.

Was this really just a Spirit Ancestor fight?

They'd believe it if someone called it a duel between two top-tier Spirit Kings.

Tang San was no surprise as he had twin martial souls, including the world's top tool martial soul, the Clear Sky Hammer. Yet Zhu Zhuqing kept him on the ropes, landing blow after blow.

Emperor Xue Ye felt lucky his son had teamed up with Ning Tian. Ning Fengzhi felt the same. He was glad his daughter had followed Ning Tian instead of staying with Shrek.

Without that, there'd be no Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul, no Spirit Ancestor rank, and no shot at pulling geniuses like Ning Tian and Zhu Zhuqing into their sect.

Salas's shock turned to smug delight. Twin martial souls, the Clear Sky Hammer losing to Ning Tian was one thing, but now to a Nether Spirit Cat with similar soul power? Tang San had dragged the Clear Sky Sect's name through the mud.

Right then, Emperor Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, and Salas were all quietly pleased.

The Shrek group, though, was tense, sweating for Tang San.

Dai Mubai, awake now, looked pale and worried. "This is bad. Third Brother's in trouble. Ning Tian has already seen through his Disorder Splitting Wind, and Zhu Zhuqing, that snake must know how to break it too."

Yu Xiaogang spoke up, "I am not so sure about that. Ning Tian beat it with raw attack power. Zhu Zhuqing is strong, but she's an agility-type Spirit Master. She can't smash the ground like he did."

Hearing that, the Shrek team eased up a bit.

And it was true, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't break the ground.

But her attacks came nonstop, forcing Tang San to keep swinging his Clear Sky Hammer without a break.

If the Disorder Splitting Wind stopped, he'd face a storm of strikes. And then he'd lose.

No matter how much he hated to admit it, the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Method maxed out at thirty-six swings.

That was the moment Zhu Zhuqing was waiting for.

The instant Tang San finished his thirty-sixth swing, Zhu Zhuqing's fourth soul ring glowed. "Fourth Soul Skill: Nether Terror Claw!"

She crossed her hands at her chest, her claw blades flashing dark gold. With a sharp swing, a giant cross-shaped claw beam, ten feet wide, appeared in the air.

Tang San saw it needed time to charge and felt a flicker of hope. His second soul ring lit up, coating the Clear Sky Hammer in pale gray light as a Great Strength Demon Bear phantom took shape.

'She doesn't know what she's up against,' Tang San thought with a silent laugh. 'Taking on the Clear Sky Hammer's attack power is a death wish.'

The Shrek team let out a breath, relieved.

No one had seen Zhu Zhuqing's fourth soul skill before, but how could an agility-type Spirit Master's fourth skill match the Clear Sky Hammer's strength?

Only Ning Tian, Ye Lingling, and Zhu Qing smirked. Sure, a typical agility-type wouldn't stand a chance against the Clear Sky Hammer.

But Zhu Zhuqing's fourth skill wasn't typical. It came from a six-thousand-year-old Terror Claw Bear, with power close to a power-type Spirit Master's ten-thousand-year skill.

And by chance, Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer second soul ring came from a bear too, a Great Strength Demon Bear.

It was a strong beast, no question.

But next to a Terror Claw Bear, tied to the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear bloodline, it didn't measure up.

While Ning TIan and the others watched, something shocking happened in the arena. The Demon Bear Hammer clashed with the Nether Terror Claw.

The Demon Bear phantom couldn't hold for even a moment. The Nether Terror Claw's huge claw beam ripped it apart and kept going, straight for Tang San.

Yu Xiaogang shouted, "The Clear Sky Hammer lost head-on? That's impossible!"

Tang San almost bit his tongue, but there was no time to think. He had only the Clear Sky Hammer's toughness and his Eight Spider Lances soul bone to fend off this unstoppable claw beam.

He held the Clear Sky Hammer in front of him, crossing the front four spider lances over it for support, while the back four stabbed into the ground to hold him steady.

As Tang San blocked the Nether Terror Claw, the two clones that had been attacking with Zhu Zhuqing's real body swung around to his back.

Tang San was already at his limit holding off the Nether Terror Claw. How could he stop the clones' attack when Zhu Zhuqing was managing all three at once?

In a panic, he swung two of the grounded spider lances at the clones.

He hit just one, splitting his focus that much was his limit. The other clone slipped past and struck his side.

"Ah!" Tang San couldn't hold on. The Clear Sky Hammer flew from his hands, and the Eight Spider Lances soul bone broke under the Nether Terror Claw's power. He was thrown back, blood trailing through the air.

The arena dropped into a heavy silence. Not a single sound broke the stillness.

Tang San had lost. The crowd could hardly believe it. Though his messy appearance and rough demeanor won him only a few fans, he was still a Twin Martial Soul holder, wielding the legendary Clear Sky Hammer, the world's top tool martial soul. And yet, he'd been beaten.

In the VIP seats, Emperor Xue Ye let out a quiet sigh, shaking his head. "The Clear Sky Hammer's reputation has suffered in Tang San's hands. It's nothing like the elegance it had under the Clear Sky Douluo."

Ning Fengzhi nodded. "That's true, but it's not all his fault. Miss Zhuqing's strength speaks for itself. In a one-on-one fight, probably only Ning Tian could stand up to her. And Tang San's defeat isn't entirely on him, he chose the wrong teacher."

Ning Fengzhi knew the Tang family and Ning Tian had no love for Yu Xiaogang. With Emperor Xue Ye as his audience, he didn't hold back on criticizing the man.

Emperor Xue Ye chuckled softly. "Indeed. Miss Zhuqing is Ning Tian's girlfriend, after all. I hear she and your daughter trained under Master Zhu Qing these past two years, making great strides. It's a shame your daughter's a support-type Spirit Master and won't be in the promotion rounds."

The two traded casual remarks, each seeming certain that Ning Tian and Zhu Zhuqing would join their side.

Nearby, Bishop Salas cast them a sidelong glance, scoffing to himself. 'Our young master couldn't win them over, and you two think you've got a chance? Dream on.'

Tang San dragged himself up from the ground, his voice thick with defeat, bitterness, and a trace of defiance. "The Nether Terror Claw... I never imagined you'd get a soul ring from the legendary Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear."

He knew of the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear, a rare and powerful spirit beast. Yu Xiaogang's theories might be flawed or borrowed, but they held scraps of obscure knowledge, like tales of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger and the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear. Tang San hadn't thought Zhu Zhuqing could cross paths with such a creature.

That explained why his Demon Bear Hammer had collapsed so fast. Only now, beaten and broken, did it sink in.

Zhu Zhuqing didn't reply. She saw no point in correcting him and told him that her soul ring came from a regular Terror Claw Bear, not the Dark Gold kind. She just turned to the referee.

The referee blinked, finally snapping out of his shock. "New Heaven Dou BattleTeam versus Shrek Team—New Heaven Dou Team wins."

Tang San's temper flared as Zhu Zhuqing ignored him completely. "If you hadn't caught me off guard, you'd never have won."

Zhu Zhuqing paused, then spoke, her voice cold and her eyes cutting through him like he was nothing. "What's next? You'll say that outside a match, I wouldn't stand a chance against you?" She stared him down. "Tang San, your 'intelligence-dropping hammer tricks' don't work on everyone."

With that, she walked off the stage.

Tang San coughed up blood, not from his wounds, but from pure rage. Then came the regret. He cursed himself for ever taking Yu Xiaogang as his teacher. Without that mistake, he wouldn't have built such shaky fighting habits.

He wouldn't have lost so badly today.

The Shrek team rushed onto the stage the moment their defeat was called. Yu Xiaogang grabbed a recovery sausage from Oscar and hurried to Tang San, offering concern mixed with his usual empty encouragement.

"Little San, are you okay? Don't lose hope. No one saw Zhu Zhuqing's hidden move coming. Next time, with some preparation, you'll come out on top."

His words only made it worse. Tang San wanted to lash out, to stab Yu Xiaogang with his Eight Spider Lances right then and there. If he hadn't followed that man's nonsense all these years and if he'd trained under Master Zhu Qing instead, he wouldn't be in this mess.

Ning Tian had a thousand-year second ring and a ten-thousand-year fourth. Tang San had Twin Martial Souls and the Tang Sect techniques. He should've been unstoppable.

Yet he couldn't even beat Zhu Zhuqing, with her simple Nether Spirit Cat.

Still, he held back his anger. He needed Yu Xiaogang's Twin Martial Soul cultivation method. Killing him now would brand him a traitor to his teacher, a stain he couldn't afford.

'Not yet.'

"I'm fine. Thank you, teacher," Tang San said, shaking his head and taking the sausage. He swallowed it in one bite.

But inside, his mind was racing. Since getting the Eight Spider Lances external soul bone, his body had grown tougher. Maybe it was time to add a third or fourth soul ring to his Clear Sky Hammer.

....

Back in the rest area, Ning Tian led Zhu Zhuqing to their team's camp.

"So, how did it feel?" Ning Tian asked, meaning her use of the external soul bone to drain Dai Mubai's life force and soul power.

He figured the Black Widow's ability to absorb and transform energy, rivaling even the Man-Faced Demon Spider's might be the key. If Zhu Zhuqing took enough from Dai Mubai, her martial soul could evolve into the Nether White Tiger.

Beating Tang San was no surprise. Zhu Zhuqing soul power outstripped Tang San's, and she'd mastered a twist on the Nether Hundred Claws, letting her fire claw beams without a soul ring. She knew Tang San's moves, the Clear Sky Hammer's weak spots, and her external soul bone countered his third and fourth soul skills. Losing wasn't even an option.

Zhu Zhuqing didn't waste words. She summoned her Nether Spirit Cat martial soul and let it take over.

But this time, it wasn't the same. If you looked closely, faint markings, matching the ones on Dai Mubai's White Tiger martial soul, had appeared on her Nether Spirit Cat.

"After taking some of Dai Mubai's life force and soul power, I felt my martial soul shift," Zhu Zhuqing said. "Years ago, my martial soul resonated with his White Tiger, but that faded the day we joined Shrek. This feeling's close to that resonance, but not quite. My martial soul seems to hungry for his soul power and life force."

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