Shrek's preparation zone.
Tang San slowly rose to his feet.
Even after witnessing Dai Mubai's instant defeat, there wasn't the slightest trace of fear on his face.
Other than Flender, who had once accompanied him to hunt for a Spirit Ring, no one knew just how much his strength had transformed.
"I won't lose."
Meeting the burning gazes of countless spectators, Tang San stepped steadily onto the stage.
As one of the only two known twin-spirit holders in tens of thousands of years—
In Spirit City,
Tang San's reputation ranked only beneath the three of the Golden Generation.
And because he had never fought Li Zhexian head-on,
Their fame was considered almost equal.
Perhaps because Li Zhexian's earlier "disrespect" toward Bibi Dong had angered the crowd,
The cheers for Tang San at this moment were even louder.
"Teach that arrogant brat Li Zhexian a lesson!"
"Twin spirits! That's such a huge advantage!"
"Tang San is no ordinary figure—even if Li Zhexian wins, he'll pay a heavy price!"
In the VIP stand—
Bibi Dong's voice, wrapped in Spirit Power, drifted to her side.
"This youth… he is the twin Martial Soul?"
Ghost Douluo's voice wafted like smoke.
"He is. Though he cannot match Li Zhexian now, he too is a talent rare in a thousand years."
"In terms of the potential of twin spirits—his future achievements may well be no less than Li Zhexian's."
Bibi Dong's deep violet eyes were as fathomless as an abyss, showing no ripple at all.
On the stage—
Clang—!
The referee's gong resounded, its echo lingering.
Spirit Power erupted around Tang San.
Yellow, yellow, purple, black—four Spirit Rings rose beneath his feet.
Gasps and restrained cries swept through the audience.
Yet—
That uproar quickly ebbed, leaving only murmurs.
In the past, a fourth spirit ring at the ten-thousand-year level would have caused a storm.
At another time—
A fourth ring of ten thousand years would have been enough to shock the continent.
But now—
With Li Zhexian's dazzling spirit rings as a precedent, the light was too bright.
Not to mention his first two rings were a thousand-year purple, just that third dazzling and magnificent Spirit Ring alone was enough to shatter every Spirit Master's worldview
Compared to that, Tang San's ten-thousand-year ring seemed… rather ordinary.
"Li Zhexian…"
Tang San locked his eyes on the drifting figure in white across the stage.
This enemy he had branded in his heart as his destined rival.
At last—it was time to decide who stood above.
"A ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring?"
Li Zhexian's sword brows arched, surprise flickering in his eyes.
By his reckoning—
Without the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Tang San shouldn't have been able to absorb a ten-thousand-year ring at this stage.
"So it seems…"
"His father, that Clear Sky Douluo, must have secretly gifted him some opportunity?" As a visitor from another world, Tang San did indeed bear a bit of fortune.
"Hmph!" Tang San caught the fleeting surprise in Li Zhexian's eyes. However, he was not satisfied.
"What will really surprise you is yet to come." When enemies meet, why bother with words! As soon as he made a move, it was with the force of thunder and ten thousand catties!
The deep black Spirit Ring under Tang San's feet suddenly burst into a brilliant light.
"Fourth Spirit Ability—Blue Silver Prison!"
Boom—!
Boom—!
Without warning, the arena's solid ground split open.
One after another, massive Blue Silver vines as thick as pythons, covered in savage thorns, burst from the ground around Li Zhexian with deafening force.
They twisted and writhed, converging overhead to form a pitch-black cage with no gaps, sealing Li Zhexian completely inside.
A cold light flashed in Tang San's eyes.
His figure blurred, trailing afterimages—the Tang Sect's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track—as he dashed straight toward the caged Li Zhexian.
At the same time—
Lightning surged across his right hand.
Suddenly, a small jet-black hammer appeared.
Its square head gleamed with metallic luster, faint ancient crimson patterns flowing across its surface.
Even just holding it in his grip—
A suffocating heaviness spread out.
As if what he held was not a hammer, but a mountain.
This was the Clear Sky Hammer, hailed as the number one tool Martial Soul on the continent.
The moment it appeared, Tang San's aura became as oppressive as a mountain. He gripped the hammer's handle tightly and had already rushed to a close distance to the Blue Silver Prison.
However, crack—crack— It sounded as if an ice surface was cracking.
Tang San's pupils suddenly contracted.
His Blue Silver Prison, tough as refined steel, was suddenly webbed with fine cracks, spreading across the cage.
"How is that possible?!"
But the arrow was already on the string, it had to be released.
Tang San drove his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to the extreme, his speed surging further.
In the blink of an eye, he had already rushed to a few meters away from the cracking cage.
"Haahhh—!"
His eyes bulged, throat erupting with a roar.
His foot stamped the ground—under the weight of the Clear Sky Hammer, the tiles beneath his feet collapsed.
Using the force of the recoil, Tang San's body soared several meters high.
His right arm's muscles were bulging, and his veins were coiled like angry dragons, making his arm three times thicker.
Dragging the Clear Sky Hammer behind him,
all his Spirit Power and physical strength poured into one point.
His waist twisted—
power like ten thousand catties surged.
With the force to split mountains, Tang San swung the fearsome hammer down toward the Blue Silver Prison.
And just as the Clear Sky Hammer was about to smash into it—
Boom—
Boom—
The Blue Silver Prison shattered.
Countless black fragments burst out like a rainstorm.
A surge of peerless sword qi shot into the sky.
Through the flying dust and debris, the white-robed figure reappeared—untouched, spotless.
Li Zhexian lifted his head.
He looked up at the Clear Sky Hammer crashing down.
The wind from its descent whipped his robes violently.
Yet he had no intention of dodging.
In that moment—
The entire arena went silent.
Every spectator felt their heart gripped tight by an invisible hand.
All eyes—whether fearful, anxious, or incredulous—locked on the hammer, and the white figure beneath it.
BOOOOM—!!!
A thunderous explosion erupted on the arena floor.
Centered on the two, the stage cracked apart like an eggshell.
Dust and rubble surged like raging waves, rising in a suffocating storm.
Silence.
A deathly silence smothered the arena.
Everyone held their breath, straining with tension and curiosity, desperate to pierce the cloud of dust and see the scene within.
Moments later—
A faint breeze stirred.
The smoke and dust finally dispersed.
As the scene came into focus—
Hiss—!
Gasps of disbelief rang out across the stands.
The once-flat arena floor was now a ruin, webbed with cracks.
Tang San was frozen midair in his stance of splitting mountains, as if time itself had stopped.
And the Clear Sky Hammer, swung with such devastating force—
Its square black head was held firmly in a single slender, pale hand.
Li Zhexian had merely raised his right hand.
His five fingers gently curled, gripping the hammerhead.
Violent arcs of lightning crackled along the hammer, lashing at Li Zhexian's arm—yet vanished without a trace, unable to shake him in the slightest.
The oppressive force field radiating from the Clear Sky Hammer whipped his white robes into a frenzy.
But—
Li Zhexian stood tall as bamboo, his face calm as still water.
His deep, dark eyes gazed at Tang San's face, frozen in shock and disbelief at such close range.
His voice was quiet, flat—
even carrying a hint of disappointment.
"The world's number one Tool Martial Soul, Clear Sky Hammer…"
"…is that all?"