Chapter 224: This is the Hao Tian Hammer!
The match began.
Feng Xiaotian was well aware of his condition and dared not drag out the fight with his opponent.
The remaining fifty percent of his soul power was enough for him to use his fifth soul skill.
Though it was his trump card, exposing it for the sake of achieving a one-against-seven sweep was worth it.
"Fifth soul skill—Tornado Blade!"
His hands transformed into sharp claws of a demon wolf as his body soared into the air, spinning rapidly and whipping up fierce winds.
Within the whirlwind, the edges were as sharp as blades, cutting through everything in their path.
As the tornado swept across the stage, it completely shattered the granite flooring.
The referee covered his face, unwilling to witness the destruction of the stage again.
Yesterday, the stage had already been damaged once, and today it was being destroyed again—was there no respect for the rules?
To be fair, this granite surface was assembled piece by piece. To ensure a flat surface, not a single mistake could be made during installation.
And to keep the matches running smoothly, they had to repair it quickly.
Thinking back to yesterday's ordeal, the referee wanted nothing more than to disqualify Feng Xiaotian—but the tournament had no rule against damaging the stage. As such, they couldn't punish the contestant arbitrarily.
---
"Is this really someone who has exhausted their soul power?" The Balak captain swallowed hard, feeling utterly hopeless.
The fifth soul skill was the ultimate move of a Soul King. How could he, a low-level Soul Ancestor, possibly defend against it?
"We… concede."
To avoid further injuries to his team members, the instructor of the Balak Academy reluctantly announced their surrender.
"Let me congratulate Feng Xiaotian from the Seven Treasures Team for completing the first-ever one-against-seven sweep in the history of the Tiandou Empire region's tournament," the referee said through gritted teeth, though he had no choice but to congratulate the victor.
Needless to say, with the stage destroyed, the match was forced to pause.
After withdrawing his soul skill, Feng Xiaotian struggled to return to the rest area, barely able to stand.
Ning Tianchen and the others quickly rushed to greet him.
"I'm never trying a one-against-seven sweep again—it's exhausting, and there's no extra reward," Feng Xiaotian muttered weakly, collapsing onto a chair without moving or speaking.
Ning Tianchen scolded him half-heartedly, "Even if you wanted to, you wouldn't get another chance. After seeing our strength, other teams will definitely avoid fighting us."
It was clear that as long as either he or Feng Xiaotian consecutively defeated four opponents, the opposing team would almost certainly concede.
As for hiding their trump cards, at this stage of the tournament, there was no need to hold back.
Even if Feng Xiaotian exposed his fifth soul skill, others still wouldn't be able to withstand it.
"What a pity—there are no full-Soul Ancestor teams left, or I'd like to try my hand at a one-against-seven sweep too," Chen Huayu lamented.
"What are you thinking? A full-Soul Ancestor team wouldn't even make it past the preliminaries," Oscar retorted.
Amidst the banter, the stage was repaired and restored to its original state.
With yesterday's experience, the referees became much more adept at laying the granite.
However, this was only the beginning—they wouldn't have time to rest.
---
In the Shrek Team's rest area
Yu Xiaogang remarked with satisfaction, "Feng Xiaotian has achieved a one-against-seven sweep, but he also revealed his fifth soul skill. Regarding the Seven Treasures Team, aside from Ning Tianchen's fifth soul skill and Ning Rongrong's fourth soul skill, we now have a fairly complete understanding of them."
"When we reach the finals, we'll defeat them squarely in a team battle!" Dai Mubai clenched his fists tightly.
The members of Shrek Academy were incredibly excited, convinced that victory was within their grasp.
"Teacher, for our next match against the Portland Academy, I want to attempt a one-against-seven sweep," Tang San declared firmly.
(T/N: No it's not a typo, it legitimately translates to Portland lmao)
Cultivating the Hao Tian Hammer martial soul was meant to serve as a trump card. If he kept it hidden and unused, wouldn't that be a waste?
Witnessing the immense prestige a one-against-seven sweep brought to an academy, Tang San made up his mind.
Yu Xiaogang spoke gravely, "Xiao San, if you want to defeat Ning Tianchen, you must conserve your strength until the match against the Seven Treasures Team."
Tang San continued, "Teacher, please hear me out before making a decision."
"First, the Hao Tian Hammer martial soul is extremely heavy. Simply striking an opponent with it can cause significant damage. In this way, I only need to use the first two soul skills of the Hao Tian Hammer. The third and fourth soul skills can be reserved as trump cards against Ning Tianchen."
"Second, achieving a one-against-seven sweep will etch the Shrek Academy's name into the record books. This will greatly increase the academy's exposure. Even if we don't win the championship, we'll still gain an advantage in recruitment after the tournament ends."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaogang fell into deep thought.
What Tang San said made sense—a one-against-seven sweep would give Shrek Academy significant visibility across the entire continent.
Compared to the tournament itself, reviving Shrek Academy's ability to recruit students was equally crucial.
"Master, I agree with Xiao San's idea," Dai Mubai said with a smile.
"If we have the strength, we should showcase it instead of keeping it hidden. There's a saying—"
Yu Tianheng picked up where he left off, "Strike one blow to open the way, and avoid a hundred punches. Uncle Xiaogang, I also agree to let Tang San attempt a one-against-seven sweep. Even if he fails, we'll still have each other's backs—we won't lose the match."
"Alright, go ahead and give it a try," Yu Xiaogang finally agreed.
---
The match between Shrek Academy and Portland Academy was the last match of the day.
It wasn't until halfway through the afternoon that their match finally began.
Portland Academy had gathered quite a bit of intelligence on Shrek Academy. Seeing Tang San as the first contestant, they immediately sent a fire-attribute Soul Ancestor to counter him.
According to their information, Tang San's martial soul was Blue Silver Grass, and fire-attribute soul masters were highly effective against plant-type martial souls.
"Tang San is going first? He's just a control-type soul master—does he think he can turn the tables?" Yu Die couldn't help but scoff.
Ke Jie shook his head. "No, Tang San's soul power level has reached forty-nine. During the month-long break, he made significant progress."
"Forty-nine?" Not knowing that Tang San possessed twin martial souls, everyone was astonished.
Feng Xiaotian, however, nodded thoughtfully.
He had been present when Ning Tianchen told Ning Fengzhi that Tang San had twin martial souls.
The match began.
To everyone's surprise, Tang San did not use his Blue Silver Grass martial soul. Instead, a hammer martial soul appeared in his left hand, and four soul rings—purple, black, black, black—emerged beneath his feet.
"This is—the Hao Tian Hammer!"
Some knowledgeable team instructors immediately straightened their backs in shock.
The Hao Tian Hammer martial soul hadn't appeared on the continent for over a decade—why was it appearing now?
Of all the people present, Salas was the most shocked.
His face darkened as he immediately dispatched someone to send this intelligence to Spirit City.
Gu Rong transmitted a message to Ning Fengzhi, "That brat Tianchen was right—Tang San does indeed possess the Hao Tian Hammer martial soul. That means he must be Tang Hao's son!"
Ning Fengzhi remained silent.
Tang San's life or death didn't concern him.
On the stage, the member of Portland Academy wore a bitter expression.
He had been sent specifically to counter Tang San, but unexpectedly, Tang San had switched to a different martial soul.
How was he supposed to fight this?
Tang San showed no mercy as the Hao Tian Hammer came crashing down.
Once again, the stage was shattered.
The referee felt a headache coming on.
Isn't the Hao Tian Hammer just for demolition? From now on, destroying the stage might become a regular occurrence.
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