Huyan Lin's second Soul Skill couldn't fully transform him into a Diamond Mammoth. He could only change parts of his body, but with the enhancement from the Bloodthirsty Pill, his speed was nothing like an elephant's sluggishness.
With a thunderous boom, Huyan Lin charged toward Tang San, his massive foot propelling him forward in a surge of bloody energy. Just as Tang San was about to evade using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, his opponent seemed to anticipate it. Pivoting on his right foot, Huyan Lin instantly changed direction and lashed out with a kick.
"Trying to run? You can't escape!"
Whoosh! The thick mammoth leg stirred up a terrifying gust of wind. Tang San knew Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track alone wouldn't be enough to dodge this. In that instant, the Clear Sky Hammer hummed in his palm!
Tang San abruptly halted his evasion. When Huyan Lin's blood-tinged kick was mere inches from his face, the Clear Sky Hammer flashed brilliantly, smashing directly into Huyan Lin's mammoth leg.
A loud collision echoed, followed by a sickening crack! The sound of bone fracturing silenced the noisy stands. Huyan Lin staggered back, while Tang San, though not unscathed, was only forced back a few steps—the first time he'd retreated in all his matches so far.
In the VIP seats, Elephant Armor Sect elder Huyan Ning crushed the armrest of his chair, his gloomy gaze sweeping over Tang San in the arena. He had seen something that shouldn't belong to a twenty-fourth rank Great Soul Master.
"Eh? Am I seeing things? Do I have color blindness?" A spectator rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating. The color of that Soul Ring was wrong!
"Holy shit! Purple—one, two... That's right! The second Soul Ring is purple! A thousand-year ring!"
Even the Spirit Hall bishop paused his note-taking, staring in shock at the purple Soul Ring beneath the young man's feet.
Yes, it was purple!
"Wasn't the second Soul Ring's limit supposed to be impossible to reach a thousand years? What the hell is this? Dyed or something?"
"While the concept of Soul Ring limits has always existed, the actual age varies from person to person. But forcibly exceeding the limit risks Soul Power backlash, so few Soul Masters dare challenge it," a knowledgeable spectator quietly explained.
"This guy must be insane to challenge the Soul Ring limit. He's got a death wish."
The moment the purple Soul Ring appeared, the Spirit Hall bishop's expression changed completely. He had been eagerly documenting the effects of the Bloodthirsty Pill, but upon seeing the purple ring, he realized his initial assessment might have been wrong.
Flipping back a page in his records, the bishop crossed out the line: "Though Tang San, son of the Clear Sky Douluo, exhibits outstanding Innate Full Spirit Power, current observations suggest he may not reach Tang Hao's level."
"Tang San might become the next Tang Hao!"
Meanwhile, atop the peak of Clear Sky Sect, Tang Hao and Tang Xiao stood side by side, their eyes seemingly piercing through the clouds to gaze at the distant Clear Sky Soul Arena.
"Purple—so flamboyant. Aren't you afraid the Spirit Hall will discover Xiao San's Twin Spirits and bring disaster?" Tang Xiao naturally knew this match had been arranged by Tang Hao. Under normal circumstances, as a Black Iron rank, Tang San's opponents should have been weaklings.
Yet now, even drug-enhanced fighters had appeared.
"I'm not afraid of that. Not to mention Qian Xunji, even if Qian Daoliu tried to forcibly keep me here, it wouldn't be possible. At worst, I'll take Little San and hide in the Star Dou Great Forest. Let the Spirit Hall try to march in there openly if they dare." Tang Hao took a big swig of wine and laughed, "What I'm more curious about are those strange Soul Skills Little San obtained from that special Soul Guidance Device. Those ancient Soul Skills are quite powerful."
Tang Xiao shook his head, "What, do you want your son to hand those skills over to the sect?"
"No, that's his own fortune, belonging to him alone. As long as he's a member of the Clear Sky Sect and my son Tang Hao, that's enough. The rest doesn't matter."
Tang Hao smiled contentedly, slowly raising his head to look in a certain direction as he murmured to himself, "Perhaps it's time to take him to see his mother."
Meanwhile, in the midst of battle, Tang San remained unaware that he was being observed by multiple parties. Suddenly, his heart tightened—the blood qi from Huyan Lin's wounds was being frantically absorbed by the Diamond Mammoth phantom. The originally pale golden core of his Martial Soul was gradually tainted with a murky dark red.
"I can't let his Bloodthirsty Pill continue like this. If the medicinal effects are completely exhausted, he won't even have a chance to survive." Tang San found himself in a difficult position. He wasn't just an ordinary participant in the Soul Duel Arena—this was his business!
If a regular sparring match at the Clear Sky Soul Arena resulted in a participant being beaten to death by him, it would undoubtedly affect the arena's reputation and income!
And right now, money was exactly what they needed.
Whoa! After Huyan Lin's injuries were healed by the pill's effects, his consciousness seemed to deteriorate further. The Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul enveloped his entire body as he charged forward like a real mammoth, intent on ramming Tang San away.
The Clear Sky Hammer rotated halfway in his palm as the purple second Soul Ring at his feet emitted a violet glow.
Tang San's First Soul Skill—Mountain Shattering Tremor—was a skill that could penetrate defenses with resonant shockwaves, but it clearly wasn't suitable here. That left only the Second Soul Skill.
"Second Soul Skill—Mountain Moving."
Gripping the Clear Sky Hammer, Tang San struck the ground. In the next instant, the same yellow ripples once used by the Mountain Moving Goblin spread from the point of impact, radiating across the dueling platform in waves.
Just as Huyan Lin reached Tang San, the ground suddenly undulated. With several muffled thuds, three stone pillars erupted from the ground, perfectly pinning Huyan Lin's arms and legs under Tang San's precise Soul Power control, immobilizing him.
This was Tang San's Second Soul Skill—like the Mountain Moving Goblin, it allowed him to draw power from the earth and manipulate earth-attribute Soul Power. Not only could he create stone walls, pillars, and other obstacles out of thin air, or use rocks as footholds for aerial maneuvers, but he could also infuse the Clear Sky Hammer with earth-type Soul Power, making it as massive as a mountain.
The moment Huyan Lin was restrained, Tang San retracted the Clear Sky Hammer and activated his Profound Jade Hand. His fingers struck several acupoints like a pressure point technique, sending precise waves of Soul Power three inches below the opponent's ribs.
The Diamond Mammoth phantom let out a mournful cry as the blood-red patterns receded like a tide. When Huyan Lin collapsed to the ground, spiderweb-like crimson veins had already spread to behind his ears—a clear sign of Qi and Blood Reversal and the collapse of the Gate of Life, just as predicted in the Profound Heaven Treasure Record.
Seeing Huyan Lin collapse on the ground, the referee immediately stepped forward to check. After confirming he was still breathing, he announced Tang San's victory.
Tang San waved at Feng Yang, who was standing nearby. Noticing the summons, Feng Yang quickly jumped onto the arena and asked, "Young Master, what are your orders?"
Tang San pointed at Huyan Lin on the ground and said, "Send someone to the Clear Sky Sect and request the clan leader and deputy leader of the Po Clan to come and treat him."
"Treat him?" Feng Yang was stunned. Asking two Soul Douluo to heal a mere Great Soul Master?
If these words hadn't come from Tang San himself, he would have outright refused. This was just a disciple from the Elephant Armor Sect, one of the lower four sects. Even if it were an ordinary disciple—or even if it were Huyan Zhen's own son who was injured—it wouldn't warrant summoning the Po Clan's leader and deputy leader.
Before Feng Yang could voice his objections, a deep voice rang out from the spectator stands.
"No need."