The Time Spirit – The Clock of Fleeting Years

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Yuwen Tuo's refusal to accept Huo Yuhao's help was firm and resolute. He had no intention of owing Huo Yuhao any favors for no reason.

Moreover, did Huo Yuhao truly believe that his knowledge of the Dai family from Star Luo Empire surpassed Yuwen Tuo's own understanding?

As for Huo Yuhao's concerns, they were entirely unnecessary. There was no chance in hell that Yuwen Tuo would join the Dai family of Star Luo, let alone become a subordinate of someone like Dai Huabing.

"This young man seems to have seen through your thoughts. He is no ordinary person," Tian Meng Ice Silkworm remarked with admiration.

Huo Yuhao nodded in agreement. "I don't know what he has been through, but he appears far more mature than me."

Although Yuwen Tuo had rejected his offer of assistance, Huo Yuhao wasn't disheartened. Gaining Yuwen Tuo's favor was only a secondary goal; the primary objective was to ensure that Yuwen Tuo wouldn't fall under Dai Huabing's influence. Yuwen Tuo's final words had already made it clear—he wouldn't show any mercy to Dai Huabing on the battlefield.

Semifinals Begin

In the semifinals, Yuwen Tuo's first opponents hailed from Class Ten of the new students. They were a trio of Great Soul Masters.

The three members of Class Ten were all male, exuding a confident and imposing aura.

"Class Ten, Zhou Sichen, Level 27 Strong Attack System Battle Soul Master."

"Class Ten, Long Xiangyue, Level 26 Agility Attack System Battle Soul Master."

"Class Ten, Cao Jinxuan, Level 26 Control System Battle Soul Master."

To have advanced this far in the competition without reaching the three-ringed Soul Lord level spoke volumes about their strength. Each of them was a mid-to-late-stage Great Soul Master, surpassing even the likes of Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er, who were part of Ning Tian's team.

At just twelve years old, their achievements rivaled those of Zhu Zhuqing from the original generation of Shrek's Seven Monsters. While teams led by Soul Lords relied on their core powerhouse, these three relied on their balanced strength and a bit of luck to reach this stage.

Their confident voices demonstrated their determination, though there was an undeniable tension in their tone—they were deeply wary of Yuwen Tuo.

Their spirit souls were indeed unique.

Zhou Sichen's spirit soul was a book—a highly unusual and versatile weapon. It could directly absorb the souls of defeated soul beasts, converting them into spirit rings to enhance his abilities. The most remarkable aspect of this spirit soul was its lack of limitations. Zhou Sichen could assimilate any soul beast's abilities and use them freely. For instance, one moment he might wield a lightning-based skill, and the next, switch to wind-based techniques. It was a spirit soul capable of endless transformations.

Long Xiangyue's spirit soul was a boomerang, a typical agility-focused weapon ideal for ambushes and quick strikes.

Finally, Cao Jinxuan's spirit soul was a clock known as the Clock of Fleeting Years. This was perhaps the rarest and most powerful of the three, as it bore traces of time manipulation.

"The power of time... how nostalgic. If cultivated properly, it might achieve a fraction of the might of my master's Kunlun Mirror," Yuwen Tuo mused.

Wherever time-based laws were involved, such powers were never to be underestimated.

In the original storyline, Cao Jinxuan had been instantly defeated by Huo Yuhao's mental shockwave at the start of the tournament, leaving his clock spirit soul unused—a wasted opportunity. Clearly, he hadn't mastered its use at the time. However, in later developments, he became one of Shrek Academy's main representatives during the Continental Advanced Soul Master Competition, proving that his talent was nothing to scoff at.

"The match begins!"

With the referee's signal, the opposing team took the initiative. Their captain, Zhou Sichen, moved first.

At this moment, two of his spirit skills manifested as a massive earth-brown bear and a flame-wreathed tiger. Despite his spirit soul's versatility, Zhou Sichen had chosen to focus on becoming a powerful strong-attack system battle soul master. Thus, he prioritized absorbing soul rings suited for offensive capabilities.

The bear and tiger surged forward, roaring menacingly as they formed a protective barrier in front of their teammates.

However, such summoned creatures held no significance for Yuwen Tuo.

"I have a blade. Its name is Wildfire Blaze!"

With a single horizontal slash, Yuwen Tuo unleashed a fiery blade of energy that tore through the summoned beasts in an instant. The backlash from having his spirit skills forcibly shattered caused Zhou Sichen to collapse unconscious.

Though their average skill level was commendable, against Yuwen Tuo, Great Soul Masters posed no threat whatsoever. So far, no one had managed to withstand even two of his strikes without the aid of support-type soul masters.

After Xiao Xiao used her Three Lives Soul-Sealing Cauldron to restrain Long Xiangyue, who had attempted to ambush with his boomerang, Yuwen Tuo delivered another strike, sending him flying out of the arena.

Only Cao Jinxuan remained. Despite the dire situation, he showed no signs of giving up.

"Second Spirit Skill: Time Lock!"

Above Yuwen Tuo's head, a clock materialized, its second hand ticking steadily. Cao Jinxuan's ability allowed him to halt the clock's movement, thereby immobilizing his target within the flow of time.

The duration of the lock varied depending on the opponent. During this tournament, Cao Jinxuan's longest successful lock had lasted five seconds against a significantly weaker single-ring soul master.

In a real battle, being immobilized for five seconds was essentially a death sentence.

But against Yuwen Tuo, this skill proved utterly ineffective.

Deep within Yuwen Tuo's soul sea, the purple spirit ring of his Xuanyuan Sword flashed briefly. In an instant, the clock above his head shattered violently.

Before Cao Jinxuan could react, Yuwen Tuo's blade was already pressed against his throat.

"Yuwen Tuo is truly formidable. A spirit soul as unique as the Clock of Fleeting Years couldn't even hold him for a single second!" Exclamations erupted from the audience.

Cao Jinxuan himself, however, wasn't amazed—he was horrified. Only he knew that it wasn't that he failed to lock Yuwen Tuo for even a second; rather, the power of time itself had no effect on him.

When he had attempted to freeze Yuwen Tuo in time, he had felt an overwhelming temporal force counteract and nullify his technique.

This Yuwen Tuo seemed to understand the manipulation of time far better than he did.

"Do you concede?" Yuwen Tuo asked with a faint smile.

"Yes, yes, of course I do! Great One, are you accepting disciples?" Cao Jinxuan looked at Yuwen Tuo with hopeful eyes.

The intricacies of time manipulation were far too complex. Even at Shrek Academy, none of the instructors seemed capable of teaching him how to fully utilize his spirit soul.

There was one exception—Time Douluo Shi Xing, the lord of Shrek City. But as a city lord, he wasn't a teacher and rarely visited the academy. Cao Jinxuan had tried multiple times to meet him, to no avail.

Now, finally encountering someone who clearly understood the power of time, his eyes lit up with excitement.

Yuwen Tuo blinked in confusion. Why was Cao Jinxuan looking at him like a lovesick man staring at a beautiful woman?

A shiver ran down his spine. Hastily, he replied, "No, I'm not taking disciples. See you later! Xiao Xiao, Lian Yue, let's go!"

He had a sinking feeling that if he didn't leave immediately, he'd be entangled in an unwanted predicament.

"Master, I won't give up!" Cao Jinxuan called out after Yuwen Tuo's retreating figure.

The allure of time manipulation was irresistible. Having finally found someone who could guide him, he wasn't about to let the opportunity slip away so easily.