The small black hammer, accompanied by four black Spirit Rings, added a unique aura to Tang San at this moment.
What is that?
The nearly twenty thousand spectators in the arena erupted in an uproar. Although few among them recognized the Clear Sky Hammer in Tang San's hand, they were all familiar with the Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings.
Since ancient times, they had never heard of any Soul Master whose first four Spirit Rings could reach such a level.
"It must be fake! I remember his Martial Soul was clearly Blue Silver Grass!" a student shouted loudly.
"..."
"Twin Spirits, it must be Twin Spirits," someone murmured.
"Doesn't the Martial Soul in his hand look like the Clear Sky Hammer?"
The arena, surrounded by the Royal Knights, was immediately filled with a cacophony of voices.
Tang San stood calmly in the center of the arena, holding the Clear Sky Hammer. Hearing the discussions around him and seeing that Li Xun seemed not to have reacted yet, a smile appeared on his face.
This was the true form his Twin Spirits should take.
"Clear Sky Hammer..." Bibidong's eyes flickered as she looked at the Clear Sky Hammer in Tang San's hand, but she made no move.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged glances. Seeing that Bibidong showed no intention of taking action, they opened their mouths several times to remind her but ultimately swallowed their words.
The current situation had indeed been predicted by Xiao Xun. Ning Fengzhi, glancing at the reactions of the three, began to calculate his next steps.
"Clear Sky Hammer..." Qian Renxue's eyes turned cold as she saw the Clear Sky Hammer in Tang San's hand, her chest heaving violently.
Unconsciously, she crushed the armrest of her chair with her grip. However, as the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, she couldn't show too much of her true feelings.
After a long while, as if recalling the speculation Li Xun had shared with her earlier, Qian Renxue turned to Bibidong with a smile. "Your Holiness, I've always heard of the enmity between the Clear Sky Sect and the Spirit Hall. What are your plans moving forward?"
Bibidong's eyes flickered, and she returned Qian Renxue's smile. "The grievances between the two sides will indeed be settled, but now is not the right time. Everything will have to wait until this match is over."
"Oh? Then I'll be watching with great interest." Qian Renxue's smile faded, and she nodded expressionlessly.
Li Xun had expected Tang San to use the Clear Sky Hammer, but he hadn't anticipated it would be so direct. Seeing Tang San's confident demeanor, he smiled. It seemed he had put too much pressure on the other party.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique."
One yellow, two purple, and two black Spirit Rings appeared one after another beneath Li Xun's feet. Clapping his hands together, his Soul Power surged, and a hundred-meter-long Wood Dragon emerged, instantly surrounding Tang San in the center of the arena.
Li Xun stood atop the Wood Dragon's head, looking down at Tang San, who stood in the center of the arena.
The appearance of the coiled Wood Dragon, towering twenty to thirty meters high, instantly silenced the Royal Hunting Grounds, which had been buzzing with excitement over Tang San's Martial Soul and Spirit Rings.
For a moment, the nearly twenty thousand spectators even seemed to hold their breath.
How could this be fought? Could it be an illusion or some kind of trick?
Members of the ten teams from the various kingdoms and duchies looked at Li Xun standing atop the Wood Dragon in disbelief.
At their age, even the most talented among them had only reached level forty in Soul Power, with a perfect Spirit Ring configuration of two yellow and two purple. How could someone at this age already be a Soul King, with a Spirit Ring configuration that defied all logic?
Although the opponent's Spirit Ring configuration wasn't as impressive as Tang San's, it was still quite remarkable. More importantly, the Soul Skill Li Xun was currently displaying had far exceeded the performance expected at this level.
"I don't believe it. What's going on today? This must be an illusion," muttered Yao Zi, the captain of the Plant Academy team, rubbing her eyes.
Mu Yunteng opened her mouth, swallowed hard, and said, "Captain, I can't believe it either, but look at his Spirit Rings."
"One yellow, two purple, and two black? Why does his Spirit Ring configuration seem more normal than that guy named Tang San? Am I wrong?"
"..."
Not only the Plant Academy, but everyone except the five major academies who had already witnessed Li Xun's strength in the preliminary rounds felt a shock, especially the Royal Knights stationed here.
Although this unit was the empire's elite, most of its members were ordinary people. The empire had set up the venue for the advancement matches here under the pretext of protecting the students' privacy, but they knew it was just the higher-ups wanting them to learn from the experiences and strategies of these outstanding Soul Masters.
"Sect Master Ning, you've indeed taken in a good disciple!" Bibidong looked at Li Xun standing atop the Wood Dragon, her eyes narrowing slightly, but her face showed no significant emotion, a testament to her years of cultivated composure.
"I'm also fortunate to have a disciple like Xiao Xun. For this, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School has staked everything on him!" Ning Fengzhi wasn't awed by Tang San's talent but instead praised his own disciple, his smile as warm as a spring breeze.
"I also hope Your Excellency the Pope can offer some support to Xiao Xun, as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School is now part of the Spirit Hall's influence."
At this point, everything that needed to be done had been done. Li Xun's talent was no longer something that could be hidden, and even if they wanted to, it was impossible. It was better to acknowledge it openly.
However, by the end, Ning Fengzhi's tone still carried a hint of seriousness.
Bibidong lowered her eyelids, remained silent for a moment, and then smiled faintly, "That's only natural. Sect Master Ning, you can rest assured."
Hearing Bibidong's words, Ning Fengzhi nodded with a smile.
Qian Renxue sat between the two, naturally hearing everything firsthand.
Seeing that Bibidong and Ning Fengzhi seemed to have reached a consensus, she pondered for a moment and then revealed a mysterious smile.
"..."
Tang San looked around at the massive Wood Dragon surrounding him, realizing he hadn't seen Li Xun use such a Soul Skill in any of the matches.
Could there be a match I missed? Wait...
Tang San suddenly remembered that after their battle with the Canghui Academy, the Heavenly Dou Royal Team had faced the Tianshui Team. However, due to the significant impact they had suffered, they hadn't stayed to watch those matches.
Looking up at Li Xun, who was standing twenty to thirty meters above the ground on the dragon's head, Tang San saw four black Spirit Rings light up simultaneously beneath his feet: "Even if your Wood Dragon is larger, what does it matter? Wood is still wood; it will never be as hard as the continent's number one Item Soul Spirit."
"Ape Force Thousand Army." Although Tang San spoke dismissively, the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand instantly enlarged, and he swiftly charged toward the massive body of the Wood Dragon using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
He possessed extensive combat experience and knew that even when at an advantage, he couldn't underestimate his opponent. This Wood Dragon was enormous, and its abilities were still unknown. He had to quickly escape the encirclement.
In an instant, Tang San appeared beside the Wood Dragon, swinging the Clear Sky Hammer with all his might, smashing it into the dragon's massive body. The collision between the hammer and the wood produced a loud crack, and half of the Wood Dragon's sturdy body shattered.
Tang San's eyes narrowed. His numerous encounters with Li Xun immediately alerted him that something was amiss.
Although his attack had been effective, it hadn't delivered a decisive blow. If he hadn't managed to sever the Wood Dragon in half with a single strike, it would undoubtedly heal rapidly.
"Chaotic Cloak."
Realizing that his attack power was slightly lacking, Tang San's gaze turned sharp, and he quickly thought of a remedy. His body began to spin rapidly.
"Have you had enough fun?" Li Xun looked down indifferently at Tang San, who was spinning in circles below. With a light step on the dragon's head, the Wood Dragon instantly coiled and contracted.
(End of Chapter)