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On an arena in the upper bracket, Oscar and Tang Long faced each other.
The light from the Night Pearls shone down on the stage, casting their tense figures in sharp relief.
In the stands, most spectators focused their attention on what seemed to be an utterly one-sided battle.
After all, Oscar was only a Rank 42 Soul Ancestor, while Tang Long was a Rank 53 Soul King.
With an eleven-rank gap in soul power, almost everyone believed this match held no suspense.
Beside Lan Minghua, Feng Xiaotian looked at his eldest senior brother—who was younger than him—on the stage and asked,
"Master, does Eldest Senior Brother have a chance to win?"
At his question, Shui Bing'er also looked on curiously, awaiting Lan Minghua's reply.
But Lan Minghua didn't answer directly. Instead, he returned the question, "What do you think? Does your eldest senior brother stand a chance?"
Feng Xiaotian rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment before replying, "There's a chance, but it's likely less than thirty percent. If it were me in his place, a thirty-percent chance would be the most optimistic outcome."
He was making this judgment as if he were in Oscar's position, fighting at his own peak strength.
Facing a Rank 53 Soul King wielding the world's number one weapon spirit, the Clear Sky Hammer, a thirty-percent chance of victory was the most he could hope for.
As a student from the Four Element Academies, Shui Bing'er was well aware of Feng Xiaotian's strength and talent.
She was surprised that he believed there was any chance of victory at all against a Soul King.
Hearing this, Lan Minghua smiled and shook his head.
He knew the full extent of Oscar's abilities—his complete mastery of the Vajra Invincibility and partial mastery of the Beiming Divine Skill.
These two techniques gave Oscar more than enough confidence to face an opponent whose soul power far exceeded his own.
Even if he couldn't win, he could ensure he wouldn't lose.
Lan Minghua didn't answer Feng Xiaotian directly, saying calmly, "If you want to know the result, watch for yourselves. Don't underestimate your eldest senior brother. I have no interest in mediocrity."
Hearing their master's confidence, Feng Xiaotian and Shui Bing'er fixed their eyes on the arena.
The referee saw they were ready and announced loudly, "The match begins!"
The instant the match started, Tang Long struck like a fierce tiger, radiating lethal intent.
He had two missions in this tournament: first, become the champion and claim the 100,000-year spirit bone for the Clear Sky Sect. Second, kill—or at the very least, cripple—Lan Minghua's disciple.
Without any probing attacks, Tang Long's second and third spirit rings lit up simultaneously.
He swung the Clear Sky Hammer with the force of a roaring storm, combining it with the Pierce Technique from the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes.
In an instant, innumerable hammer shadows filled the air, the assault crashing down like a tidal wave. It seemed as if the entire arena was within the hammer's attack range.
The air hissed and ripped with the sound of its passage.
"Bring it on!"
Oscar didn't dodge. Suddenly, his body erupted in a blinding golden light, transforming him into a small golden figure.
Tang Long's hammer shadows rained down upon him, and the moment they collided, a series of metallic clangs rang out as sparks flew.
Yet Oscar only leaned slightly forward, his feet planted on the ground like nails, as immovable as a mountain.
The Clear Sky Hammer struck the golden light, sending sparks flying but failing to penetrate it.
Tang Long sneered with disdain. "A mere golden light? Watch me smash your turtle shell!"
Without another word, he intensified his assault, the soul power fluctuations from his hammer growing stronger.
However, Tang Long was unaware that a portion of the soul power from his attacks was being steadily absorbed by the golden light.
After a fierce barrage, Tang Long suddenly gripped the hammer with both hands, his body twisting with the motion as he swung and launched Oscar high into the air.
In the next moment, his figure flashed, appearing instantly above Oscar. He swung his hammer again, smashing Oscar down toward the arena floor.
Then, moving even faster, Tang Long appeared at Oscar's landing spot before he even arrived.
He gripped the Clear Sky Hammer with both hands, lightning crackling and coiling around its head.
He roared, "Heaven-Cleaving Strike!"
In a flash, the hammer, empowered by thunder, swung viciously toward Oscar's descending back.
"Crack!"
A crisp sound echoed as spiderweb-like cracks spread across the golden light on Oscar's back.
The next moment, he shot straight up into the sky.
The audience could only make out a dark speck, and a wave of shock swept through the stands.
In the seating area for the top three sects, Gu Rong, Tang Xiao, and Yu Yuanzhen smiled smugly.
They wanted Tang Long to kill Oscar and thereby provoke Lan Minghua.
Feng Xiaotian and Shui Bing'er grew anxious. They couldn't help but look at Lan Minghua and ask in low voices, "Master, will Eldest Senior Brother be alright?"
Lan Minghua only smiled faintly, his gaze still calm.
He looked up at the sky and said softly, "Raise your heads and see for yourselves. If he could be defeated so easily, he wouldn't be worthy of being my first disciple."
His voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear him.
So, the crowd looked up toward the sky.
Oscar's figure was hovering in midair, showing no signs of falling.
He had eaten a Flying Sausage, which allowed him to fly freely through the air.
Oscar exhaled a turbid breath and murmured, "What terrifying power. You almost shattered my golden light."
Taken at face value, the words might seem like praise for Tang Long's strength.
But combined with Oscar's sly, roguish tone, it was pure sarcasm.
Hearing this, Tang Long's eyes went wide with rage. He raised the Clear Sky Hammer, pointed it at Oscar in the sky, and roared, "Get down here if you have the guts! I'll smash you to a pulp!"
Oscar chuckled, a cunning glint in his eyes. "Since you insist, I'll indulge you."
Before he finished speaking, the golden light around his body erupted, shining even more brilliantly than before.
During Tang Long's assault, Oscar had been quietly using the Beiming Divine Skill, absorbing a large portion of the soul power from the attacks.
Now, he converted all of that stored energy into golden light and unleashed it at once.
In an instant, he seemed to transform into a miniature sun, the piercing light so intense that the crowd didn't dare look directly at him.
Tang Long, startled by the sudden flash, subconsciously raised a hand to shield his eyes.
Oscar seized that fleeting opportunity to launch his own attack.
He projected the golden light outward, instantly forming it into a ten-meter-long golden greatblade.
Gripping the handle with both hands, he swung it down fiercely at Tang Long on the ground.
Tang Long immediately reacted to the violent sound of tearing air, but it was already too late to dodge.
Clenching his teeth, his fifth spirit ring lit up, and the Clear Sky Hammer instantly expanded to several times its normal size.
He combined it with the Penetrate Technique from the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, attempting to counter Oscar's golden blade head-on by focusing his power on a single point.
"BOOM!"
With a deafening crash, Tang Long was sent staggering backward by the terrifying force of the blow.
Splattering golden light slashed his face, leaving several cuts.
Blood trickled down his cheek and dripped onto the golden blade.
Having achieved his goal, Oscar retracted the blood-stained blade.
He wiped the blood from its surface and quickly activated his fourth spirit ability. A Mirror Image Sausage appeared in his hand.
Without hesitation, he swallowed it.
With a flip of his wrist, a Clear Sky Hammer identical to Tang Long's appeared in his hand.
The audience gasped in unison, stunned by the scene.
The disciples of the Clear Sky Sect, in particular, were utterly dumbfounded.
"Th-This… how is this possible?"
Even Tang Xiao lost his composure, shooting to his feet with a look of sheer disbelief in his eyes.
Oscar paid no mind to the commotion. Holding the Clear Sky Hammer, he dove toward Tang Long.
Then, he began to execute the very same spirit abilities Tang Long had just used.
Even the Pierce and Penetrate Techniques from the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, as well as the Heaven-Cleaving Strike, were unleashed from his hands.
Their power was weaker than Tang Long's, but the techniques were identical.
Tang Long was caught completely off guard, and Oscar's assault forced him into a steady retreat.
He had never imagined that the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, his greatest pride, could be copied so easily by someone else.
It was as if Oscar had become another version of him—a version from when he himself was a Soul Ancestor.
Although Tang Long's soul power was higher, Oscar's Beiming Divine Skill turned him into a living power bank for his opponent.
He tried to counterattack, but he couldn't break through Oscar's Vajra Invincibility, and every blow only fed more of his soul power to the Beiming Divine Skill.
This roguish fighting style was a nightmare for a Power Attack-type Soul Master.
"It's over."
Oscar seized an opening in Tang Long's defense. The Clear Sky Hammer in his hand swung out fiercely—another Heaven-Cleaving Strike.
The blow landed squarely on Tang Long's chest.
With a dull thump, Tang Long grunted, spraying a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs.
His body was sent flying backward, crashing heavily at the edge of the arena, his condition unknown.
Seeing this, the referee immediately announced, "The match is over! Oscar wins!"
The crowd was silent for a moment, then erupted in deafening cheers.
Lan Minghua smiled slightly, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
Feng Xiaotian and Shui Bing'er were incredulous, muttering in disbelief, "H-He won?"
Lan Minghua heard them and chided, "This is just the beginning. Now, go watch your second senior sister's fight."
At that moment, the battle between Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Wuchen was reaching its climax.
(End of Chapter)