[DD]: 196

Tang Xiao arrived quickly and left just as fast.

When he came, his emotions were turbulent, and when he left, they were just the same.

This time, he returned to the sect with hope. He agreed with most of Tang Hao's plans, but there was one point of disagreement.

Regarding the idea of openly attending the Spirit City competition, he preferred to keep a low profile. While he was fine with attending, there was no need for an official announcement.

As he put it, showing up and making a public declaration were two different things. The latter was too provocative—what if the Spirit Hall didn't show him any respect?

Although Tang Hao was somewhat dissatisfied, he conceded that his brother had a point. After all, the needs of the entire Clear Sky Sect had to be considered.

Meanwhile, Han Li's message was delivered to Qian Daoliu through Salas. After reading it, Qian Daoliu was silent for a moment before sending a reply: everything was to be decided by Han Li.

At least, if nothing else, the trust level was maxed out.

Back in Heaven Dou City, the Soul Master tournament continued as usual. However, there was one notable change: the team leader for Heaven Dou Imperial Academy was now Yu Xiaogang, who had taken full charge—a significant upgrade from his former assistant role.

Tang San, meanwhile, received a letter from Yu Xiaogang, signed by his father, Tang Hao.

The letter made it clear that Tang Hao had been watching Tang San's growth and that he was proud of his maturity. As a father, he was very pleased.

Of course, Tang Hao didn't forget to add one crucial line: "Use the hammer in your left hand to protect the grass in your right."

When Tang San read this familiar phrase, his spirit instantly lifted. He understood his father's message: he no longer needed to hide the Clear Sky Hammer. But why hadn't his father mentioned anything about the Clear Sky Sect?

Tang San wasn't the naive boy he once was. During his time at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, he gained access to knowledge unavailable to him before, significantly deepening his understanding of the soul master world.

Through this process, he realized that certain things had been left out of his previous education. Whether Yu Xiaogang didn't know these things or had deliberately withheld them was unclear. Apart from a solid foundation in soul beast knowledge, quite a lot of relevant information had been omitted.

Fortunately, Tang San had quietly made up for it.

During the tournament's three-day break, Dai Mubai went out with Tang San and Tai Long. When he returned, he had successfully broken through to level 42, and he was close to reaching level 43.

According to him, if they made it to the finals, he would likely break through to level 43. However, despite his smile, Ning Rongrong couldn't help but notice that his pale complexion was somewhat unsettling.

After exchanging a glance with Tang San, Tai Long also stepped forward.

Unlike Dai Mubai, who had undergone a series of treatments after being knocked unconscious, Tai Long had used soul beast bones similar to Tang San's. After his bone transformation, he too had broken through to the Soul Ancestor level.

As his grandfather had said, being one of Tang San's followers was a great fortune. He had jumped three levels in a single day, and his fourth soul ring was from a 7,000-year-old soul beast. Not everyone had the luck to be in such a position.

With a celebratory smile, Tai Long proudly announced that he had also broken through to level 42, which left everyone both envious and pleasantly surprised.

Now, their team had three Spirit Ancestors. Although they were still one short compared to the four Soul Ancestors of the official team from Skywater Academy, they were strong enough to stand out in the competition.

In their calculations, they conveniently ignored Zhu Zhuqing and the other three members of the Skywater Academy team. In Tang San and Dai Mubai's eyes, those four were specifically targeting them and didn't count as part of Skywater Academy.

With three Soul Ancestors and Ning Rongrong's support, the team's overall strength was practically equivalent to five Soul Ancestors. The finals were almost guaranteed.

Even Dai Mubai, who usually had a grim expression, couldn't help but smile.

Though he knew Dai Weisi had a martial soul fusion ability, Dai Mubai had learned Tang San's secret during their recent outing—he had seen the black hammer.

In his view, Tang San's combat strength was formidable. As long as they could use Oscar's flying sausages to withstand the Hell White Tiger attack, victory wasn't out of reach.

Besides, there was a chance they wouldn't even face the Star Luo Empire team. If—though it was a big if—Skywater Academy faced them instead, that would be ideal.

Regardless of who lost, Dai Mubai would be happy with the outcome. He even hoped that Zhu Zhuqing, Dai Weisi, and Zhu Zhuyun would all perish together—that, in his mind, would be the best scenario.

While everyone was celebrating their teammates' breakthroughs, the door opened. Yu Xiaogang, who had been at the arena watching matches and gathering intelligence on their opponents, walked in.

Everyone turned to look at him, and it was clear from his expression that something was wrong.

Tang San quickly stepped forward, curious. "Teacher, what's going on? Did something happen at the arena?"

He had originally planned to attend the matches today, but due to some delays, he returned early.

"Thunderclap Academy lost."

Yu Xiaogang's face was grim, and his tone carried a heavy sense of disappointment.

"What? Thunderclap Academy lost?"

Several voices erupted at once—it was simply unbelievable to them.

"Grandmaster, if I remember correctly, their opponent today was Canghui Academy, right?"

Ma Hongjun asked in shock.

"Yes, it was them," Yu Xiaogang nodded, having calmed down a bit.

"But they're not particularly strong, right? Thunderclap Academy losing to them doesn't make any sense. Unless… did they send in their entire reserve team?"

Ma Hongjun squinted his small eyes, struggling to understand.

"No, Thunderclap Academy sent out their full main lineup. However, they didn't expect that Canghui Academy was hiding a Seven-in-One Fusion Technique. Before they could react, Canghui Academy had already eliminated them."

When Yu Xiaogang mentioned the Seven-in-One Fusion Technique, his expression turned very serious.

"Fusion technique? A Martial Soul Fusion Technique? With seven people?" Dai Mubai asked, somewhat startled. Among them, he had the deepest understanding of Martial Soul Fusion Techniques, yet even he hadn't attempted one with that many participants.

"No, it wasn't a Martial Soul Fusion Technique. The current record for a Martial Soul Fusion Technique is between three people at most."

Yu Xiaogang shook his head, denying Dai Mubai's assumption. He was about to boast about his knowledge but remembered the current situation of the Golden Iron Triangle and swallowed his words.

Thinking of Flender's predicament, Yu Xiaogang glanced at the group before him, and a strange sense of superiority rose within him. Soul Sages? Impressive? In the end, the one who laughs last will still be me.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he cleared his throat.

"Based on my observation, although Canghui Academy's seven members didn't achieve a true Seven-in-One Martial Soul Fusion Technique, it's still appropriate to call it a Seven-in-One Fusion Technique."

"Their combination technique, while not as powerful as a true Martial Soul Fusion, is far stronger than the sum of their individual strengths. Most importantly, their fusion technique involves mental attacks, which are particularly troublesome."

As Yu Xiaogang spoke, he recalled how Thunderclap Academy had been utterly overwhelmed by Canghui Academy, unable to mount any resistance.

Though he had issues with certain members of his family, that didn't mean he wanted to see the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan embarrassed. After all, he knew that the stronger the clan, the more influence he could wield.

He glanced at Tang San. The most critical point was that, on their way back, Tang Hao had informed him that although Tang San's spiritual power was far above his peers, at his current level, he would still be unable to withstand Canghui Academy's mental attacks.

Mental attacks?

Tang San's brow furrowed slightly, and he was about to say something to boost the team's morale when Yu Xiaogang shook his head at him.

Startled, Tang San closed his mouth. While he didn't fully trust Yu Xiaogang's judgment, if his teacher was this certain — and if his father had already informed him — there was no need for him to say anything.

"I've decided that we should forfeit our match against Canghui Academy. What do you all think?"

Yu Xiaogang looked at the others.

"Forfeit? But wouldn't that…"

Ma Hongjun started to voice his opposition but then remembered Flender's warnings and stopped himself. Better to lose face than to lose your life.

The others turned their eyes to Tang San, waiting for his decision. They didn't have any better ideas.

"Let's go with the teacher's suggestion and forfeit. However, this will put a lot of pressure on us in the remaining matches. We've already lost one match."

Tang San frowned, mentally calculating the remaining matches.

"Blazing Academy, Godwind Academy, Elephant Armored Academy, Thunderclap Academy. After forfeiting against Canghui Academy, we can only afford to lose one more match, or we'll be out of the running for the finals."

Yu Xiaogang had already calculated this on the way back and now laid out the facts.

"So, we must give our all to win against Thunderclap Academy tomorrow."

Yu Xiaogang pulled out a match table from his pocket, pointing to Thunderclap Academy's name.

"I've told you the bad news. Now for the good news."

He paused to build suspense, waiting until everyone's eyes were on him before continuing, satisfied.

"Because of Canghui Academy, Thunderclap Academy's members have suffered severe spiritual damage. In tomorrow's match, they won't be in good condition, and we have a high chance of winning."

As he spoke, he glanced at Dai Mubai and Tai Long, aware of their recent breakthroughs, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Moreover, after our match tomorrow, Elephant Armored Academy will face Canghui Academy. So, the day after tomorrow, our match should also be much easier."

"As things stand, unless we find a way to counter it, Canghui Academy's team battle strategy is unbeatable given the one-minute preparation time before each match. But they're helping us by wearing down our opponents, making them a powerful asset for us."

...

Upon hearing Yu Xiaogang's words, the light in Tang San and the others' eyes gradually brightened.