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At first, Ma Hongjun didn't think much of it.
After all, he was well aware of the potency of his own flames. Even Soul King-level fire-attribute soul masters would find it hard to burn him now. However, when Ye Wen's flames approached him, the scorching heat made Ma Hongjun instinctively tremble with fear!
But it was already too late for Ma Hongjun to escape.
The searing ultimate flames crashed onto Ma Hongjun's body, eliciting a piercing scream. He was then violently hurled toward Tang San by the force of the flames.
As Ma Hongjun expected his beloved "Third Brother" to save him, Tang San's eyes narrowed, and he completed the charging of the six-person Spirit Fusion Technique!
At this moment, a mountain-like Hao Tian Hammer appeared on the arena stage, drawing gasps of astonishment from the spectators.
Soul Sages were already considered rare high-level soul masters on the Douluo Continent. In previous Soul Master Tournaments, even encountering a Soul King was remarkable. For most spectators, this was their first time witnessing the True Body manifestation of a Soul Sage's martial soul.
Seeing Ma Hongjun, now a burning fireball, hurtling toward him, Tang San's first thought wasn't to save him. Instead, he wondered: if a fire-attribute soul master like Ma Hongjun could be burned so badly, how could ordinary elemental soul masters withstand such a direct hit? Could they even continue fighting?
Thus, Tang San channeled his soul power and unleashed a technique he had learned from Tang Hao.
"Hao Tian Shield!"
This was an ultimate technique passed down by the Hao Tian Sect, accessible to any soul master wielding the Hao Tian Hammer.
The mountain-like Hao Tian Hammer began spinning rapidly, creating a powerful soul energy barrier that enveloped Tang San and his team. Ma Hongjun collided directly with the barrier, only to be deflected and flung out of the arena by the spinning force.
Watching his severely injured disciple—his eyes rolled back and unconscious—Flender immediately rushed to the edge of the stage to lift Ma Hongjun, his eyes filled with anguish.
Having no children of his own, Flender treated Ma Hongjun like a son. Now, because of a single match, his disciple had been gravely injured. For the first time since reuniting with the Golden Iron Triangle, dissatisfaction flickered in Flender's eyes. His disciple had fought so hard—how could Yu Xiaogang's disciple treat his disciple this way? If he remembered correctly, Tang San possessed a special soul skill for dissipating force. Would it have been so difficult for Tang San to use that skill to catch Ma Hongjun?
This proved that even someone as mild-mannered as Flender could transfer his anger to Tang San when pushed far enough.
But Tang San couldn't care less about Flender's changing expressions right now. His sole focus was on winning the match and bringing glory to his family name!
Ye Wen's group, having overcome the obstacle, naturally noticed Tang San's defensive setup. Frowning, they didn't rush to attack the protective barrier. Instead, they first tended to Bai Ling'er, who had injured herself due to her earlier overexertion.
Though activating the Hao Tian Shield drained Tang San significantly, Ye Wen's group holding back suited him just fine. He barked sharply, "Ning Yuan! Oscar!"
Shrek Academy's two auxiliary soul masters immediately understood. Ning Yuan's four spirit rings flashed as he bestowed all his enhancement skills onto Tang San, temporarily boosting his combat power.
Meanwhile, Oscar consecutively activated his third and fourth soul skills, summoning Twin-Winged Flying Mushrooms and Spicy Devil Peppers, distributing them among the team.
(T/N: I couldn't find the official names for Oscar's manhua soul skill names so I went with the flow)
Tang San took only the Spicy Devil Pepper and swallowed it whole, gaining an additional ten percent boost across all attributes. At this point, Tang San had concentrated all the team's enhancements onto himself. Though the boost was temporary, raising him to the level of a Soul Sage, his overall combat strength now rivaled that of a mid-tier Soul Sage.
The rest of Shrek's team, having expended significant soul power, consumed the Twin-Winged Flying Mushrooms to retreat into the air. They then ate the rejuvenating tofu provided by Oscar's first soul skill to recover some of their strength.
On the other side, after rescuing Bai Ling'er, Ye Wen quickly assessed her condition. As expected, it was Dragon Whisker Needles.
Bai Ling'er looked ashamed. "Captain, I'm sorry. My carelessness has put us in a tough spot."
Ye Wen, however, reassured her. "Victory and defeat are common in battle. Don't dwell on it. Let me tend to your wounds first."
Ye Wen then channeled his soul power to the location of the Dragon Whisker Needles. The twisted needles straightened once again, causing secondary internal damage to Bai Ling'er, who let out a low groan of pain.
Ye Wen could do nothing about it. He knew only that Dragon Whisker Needles turned rigid when infused with soul power and shriveled when deprived of it. He lacked Tang San's delicate technique to extract them without further harm.
Fortunately, at their core, they were still just needles. Without damaging her internal organs, the harm remained limited.
After removing the Dragon Whisker Needles from Bai Ling'er, Ye Wen instructed the others:
"Lingling, take care of Bai Ling'er's injuries. Everyone else, be cautious in the next round of combat. Don't fall for Tang San's tricks again."
The women nodded in agreement. While some of them enjoyed fighting, no one would willingly expose themselves to Tang San's insidious hidden weapons.
Bai Ling'er had fallen victim earlier because her attack intent was too obvious, allowing Tang San to lock onto her and exploit the intelligence gap. Now, with precautions in place and Huo Yuer's Spiritual Detection Sharing, there was no chance of being caught off guard again.
The second round of this team battle was about to commence.
However, Ye Wen's group didn't rush to act. If Tang San wanted to expend a massive amount of soul power maintaining the Hao Tian Shield, so be it. After all, formal matches prohibited external recovery of soul power—the longer Tang San defended, the more he would deplete.
But Tang San wasn't foolish.
At this moment, a crown resembling a seven-colored Glazed Tile Pagoda appeared above Ning Yuan's head.
This crown was distinct from a soul master's True Body Armor—its uniqueness was immediately apparent. The crowd instantly recognized it as a precious head-type soul bone, eliciting cries of astonishment.
Ten-Thousand-Year Head-Type Soul Bone – Courage Anthem Head Bone*
The moment the soul bone appeared, an invisible wave enveloped Shrek's team, granting them a special soul skill.
Soul Bone Skill – Courage Anthem!
Effect: For ten minutes, it stimulates a soul master's mental energy, placing them in a heightened state of excitement while erasing fear and other negative mental effects.
Of course, this soul skill wasn't foolproof. If the opponent's mental strength exceeded Ning Yuan's by twice the amount, the soul bone skill would be forcibly broken, causing backlash and plunging Tang San's team into a state of fear, rendering them unable to fight.
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