To be honest, up until now, Li Chang'an had always been wary of Tang Hao — this unpredictable variable. That's why he had deliberately hidden his strength from the very beginning.
But he knew deep down: if a Title Douluo had his eyes on Shrek Academy, then it was only a matter of time before he himself was noticed. Exposure was inevitable!
So he had already considered the worst-case scenario — What if Tang Hao found out about me? What should I do then?
After thinking it over countless times, he had come to one conclusion: kill Tang Hao.
Not even Flender knew that a Title Douluo had been keeping a constant eye on Shrek Academy. As for Tang San, he didn't even know his father's whereabouts.
In other words, if Tang Hao disappeared, no one would know for a while.
Whether for the sake of Spirit Hall's future or for his own current situation, Tang Hao had to die. Otherwise, everything he had done so far would have been for nothing.
But the biggest question remained: could Li Chang'an actually kill Tang Hao? That was a huge unknown!
Even though he wasn't more than fifty percent confident… the situation had come to this. He would give it everything he had. And once Tang Hao died, he was confident he could at least keep himself safe for a while afterward.
---
The purple glow of the Pangu Axe clashed head-on with the enormous Clear Sky Hammer, the shockwaves of their collision even distorting the surrounding space. However, Li Chang'an's martial soul was the Pangu Axe — a force that could suppress even the Clear Sky Hammer. So in this fierce confrontation, neither side gained the upper hand.
Still, Tang Hao's overwhelming, ferocious strikes forced Li Chang'an back several steps. Yet at the same time, his Clear Sky Hammer was also forced to retreat.
Suspended in midair, Tang Hao's expression turned grave as he stared at Li Chang'an. He had become fully alert. This was the first time his martial soul had ever been suppressed, and to such a degree no less. He had made up his mind: he would go all out to eliminate Li Chang'an. A youth with talent like this could not be allowed to grow.
Meanwhile, Li Chang'an simply shook his head in silence. Even with his terrifying soul rings and the advantage of martial soul suppression, Tang Hao was still… Tang Hao. The gap between them remained enormous.
But was Li Chang'an just some ordinary person?
Suddenly, he began madly consuming high-grade Soul Power Fruits — the kind of resources he had earned while showing off in front of the gods at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He had been saving up all those points, and now it was time to spend them.
With all the points combined, breaking through to Level 70 was entirely within reach!
Though just barely.
After reaching Spirit Sage, he'd only have three points left — proof that the soul power needed to go beyond Spirit Sage wasn't something that could be satisfied with tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of points.
But this was enough. Even without a seventh soul ring, reaching Level 70 meant he could activate his Martial Soul Avatar, which would increase his odds of victory by 20%!
As he devoured fruit after fruit, Tang Hao didn't stand idle either — hammers rained down upon him. But with the Donghuang Bell protecting his body, Li Chang'an had nothing to fear in the short term.
"Y-You… You've reached Spirit Sage? That's impossible! You were just a Spirit King! What the hell are those fruits?!" Tang Hao's voice trembled with disbelief. He had never even heard of such miraculous items. But the results were undeniable — their benefits massive.
Li Chang'an didn't even respond. This was his deepest secret — why would he reveal it?
But it was true: his aura had become frightening. After breaking through to Spirit Sage, a Spirit master's strength and soul power would undergo a qualitative leap. Whether his foundation was stable or not was no longer a concern. He was now a Spirit Sage — albeit one without a seventh soul ring.
"Tang Hao, take this!"
As his words fell, Li Chang'an was bathed in blinding purple light. The Pangu Axe in his hand swelled a hundredfold, and his figure completely vanished from sight!
The Pangu Axe now looked like a divine weapon with its own soul, capable of cleaving heaven and earth. This… was his Martial Soul Avatar!
Not to be outdone, the Clear Sky Hammer expanded as well, growing to match the Pangu Axe in size. Tang Hao's aura surged higher and higher — terrifying as ever. He was going all-out, but he had never feared Li Chang'an.
As the Clear Sky Hammer swept through the air, its strength reached an unfathomable peak. It even forced back the Pangu Axe several times!
But it wasn't that the Pangu Axe was weaker — it was Li Chang'an's soul power that was insufficient, unable to fully unleash the axe's might.
And Li Chang'an recognized the technique Tang Hao was using — the famed Great Sumeru Hammer of the Clear Sky School!
The Great Sumeru Hammer condensed all soul rings into one unified force, channeling it into the hammer to unleash the purest form of power and destruction — exponentially increasing one's strength and forcibly shattering any limitations. It allowed the user to surpass the boundaries of their own soul power and exert a strength far beyond their level.
This was the epitome of the "strength-over-everything" philosophy. No matter how many soul skills or techniques one had, none could withstand the raw might of the Great Sumeru Hammer. In theory, its power was infinite.
But Li Chang'an remembered one detail.
In that ancient text he'd found, it was recorded that the origin of this technique — the Great Sumeru Hammer — actually came from an even older battle art: Critical Triple Axe Strike.
"In that case, let me show you my Critical Triple Axe Strike!"
Li Chang'an gave up brute-force clashing and unleashed his trump card — Critical Triple Axe Strike!
With three successive swings, the Pangu Axe's power grew to an absolutely terrifying degree. A faint white glow began to emerge from the hundred-meter-long axe blade, and even the surrounding space became sluggish.
Boom!
Boom!
BOOM!
This time, Li Chang'an's Pangu Axe didn't just block the Clear Sky Hammer — it overpowered it. With each strike stacking on the last, the Pangu Axe shattered Tang Hao's momentum and even forced him backward in terms of raw strength!
The continent's number one strength-type Spirit master, the legendary prodigy Clear Sky Douluo, was being crushed in a head-on power clash by a Spirit Sage!
In the repeated collisions, faint marks even began appearing on the Clear Sky Hammer — evidence of the Pangu Axe's devastating impact.
And their clash had already transformed the landscape for 5 kilometres around them into a high-pressure zone. Wild beasts fled in panic, unable to withstand the pressure.
Just as Tang Hao prepared to pour everything into the next Great Sumeru swing, Li Chang'an's eyes suddenly sparkled with mischief.
[Whoever You Stare at Will Shit Themselves skill, activated]
"Grrrgghhh…"
Tang Hao's gut churned uncomfortably, and although he was a Title Douluo, even he had to divert some soul power to suppress the sudden, urgent discomfort. But he continued stacking the Great Sumeru Hammer, determined to slay Li Chang'an no matter the cost!
However — when thirty seconds had passed…
Li Chang'an's attack power doubled again, and the Critical Triple Axe Strike went into overdrive!
As for Tang Hao…
He cracked.
"PFFT!!"
Li Chang'an smirked.
"That was my second trump card!"
___
🎉 Shoutout to WraithsDomain! 🎉
A huge thank you to WraithsDomain for joining my Patreon and supporting the translation journey! Your support means a lot and helps keep the chapters coming faster. Welcome to the VIP club! 🙌✨