The tornado was like layers of pale gray clouds, stacked upon each other.
"..."
With a snap of Su Wen's fingers, the people of the Sun Moon Empire were swept up as if by a vortex and instantly lost control, tumbling onto the arena, sprawled in a mess. That terrifying suction still hummed over their heads, leaving their hearts pounding in lingering fear.
"Th-thank you..." Ma Rulong was the first to struggle up, a complex look in his eyes as he faced Su Wen.
To be honest, when he saw layer after layer of defensive barriers sliced open like tofu by wind blades, despair welled up in his heart—an utter sense of powerlessness. An invincible shield is a brief life-saver, but only brief. What can three seconds do? Let him leave a last message?
That feeling of his feet dangling and strength draining from his whole body—he would never forget it.
He only came to when he felt the cold, hard surface of the stage beneath him.
If this had been a life-and-death duel, they'd probably have been ground into bloody foam by now, right?
Of course, the real monster here was still Su Wen. He had once thought the Sun Moon Royal Team could force out Su Wen's Darkgolden Dreadclaw Bear; he'd even simulated for several days and nights and crafted an ultimately detailed plan for it—yet he never imagined... they would stop here.
"If this were a battlefield, it wouldn't end this quickly," Su Wen smiled faintly.
"I concede wholeheartedly," Ma Rulong shook his head.
A tornado can exert its greatest power in an open space. What's more, this was an arena only about a hundred meters in diameter—there was nowhere to run. You could only watch as you were blown away.
That was why Su Wen could win so easily.
But what if it were other terrain?
With Su Wen's opening speed, they'd need to carry at least eighth-level soul tools to barely keep up. How terrifying is that?
And to withstand a tornado of that level, how solid would your foundation need to be? It's not just a matter of fixing a few screws into the ground and setting up a simple fortification. That terrifying suction seemed to come from heaven and earth's might itself—something humans simply could not resist...
They lost this year, fell at the top four; but they could be content.
He exhaled a long breath and looked teasingly toward Xiao Hongchen.
But the latter was struggling to rise, supporting Meng Hongchen beside him, staring blankly at the cyclone that had appeared at Su Wen's side at some point. "Has its attribute reached the ultimate of wind?"
"Mm."
Su Wen nodded slightly.
"All elements under heaven, once pushed to the ultimate, are reborn. But the wind at its ultimate is indeed rare. Also—thank you," Xiao Hongchen said sincerely.
"The Sun Moon Empire's number one soul tool prodigy can say 'thanks'?" Su Wen chuckled.
"Gah?!" Xiao Hongchen was dumbfounded, then wished he could find a hole to crawl into, his face burning hot.
Social death—utter social death!
If before the match he'd had strong confidence in himself, then after experiencing this battle, being struck by a monster-level aberration like Su Wen, this so-called title of number one soul tool prodigy felt rather shameful.
"I'm Meng Hongchen."
Supported by Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen finally steadied herself, stepped forward, and extended her hand.
Her silver eyes sparkled. This might be one of the few chances in her life to meet Su Wen up close—she had to seize it.
"Su Wen."
Su Wen paused, then smiled and shook her hand.
"So handsome..."
Meng Hongchen's ears flushed lightly as she muttered under her breath. She was a pure face-connoisseur, but sometimes, temperament is part of appearance too.
The past few days she had only watched from afar; today she finally had a rare close-up "view." Not to mention that Su Wen had just steamrolled the entire Sun Moon team. As an enemy, his oppressive, demonic aura had, at this moment, transformed completely into a mysterious charisma about him...
Handsome men aren't rare in the Sun Moon Empire—take Ji Juechen, for instance—but no feeling is no feeling.
Su Wen's type, though, really made her legs go weak.
"Ow~"
As the Sun Moon Empire team supported each other to leave, Meng Hongchen—reluctant to let go of Su Wen's hand—suddenly yelped. Having just brushed against death, her long, straight legs were already weak; she stumbled and fell into Su Wen's arms.
Her slender hand flailed in the air—and grabbed Su Wen's pant leg, then yanked hard downward.
"Shrek!"
"Shrek Academy!"
"Sh—"
The tidal roar of nearly a million spectators suddenly hit a snag; it was as if the air had been sucked out of the arena. The eerie atmosphere spread, and the Sun Moon team, sensing something wrong, all turned to look back.
On the field.
Su Wen was clutching his pants with both hands for dear life, staring dumbfounded at the silver-haired girl kneeling on the stage, both arms wrapped around one of his thighs, steam practically rising from her head like a "steam princess," her face pressed to his pant leg, head lowered.
Fortunately, he'd reacted quickly; otherwise those pants might have come down under a million eyes.
Even though he wore shorts underneath, still—please no!
"Meng!!!"
Xiao Hongchen cried in horror, "What on earth are you doing!"
Meng Hongchen: "..."
Social death looks fine on the surface—but the soul has already flown back to the ancestral village.
Ma Rulong's mouth twitched hard. He shot a look at a female teammate. She hurried forward, helped the kneeling Meng Hongchen up from Su Wen's leg, and slipped a milk bottle into her hands...
...
Walking off the stage.
Su Wen's hands still hovered protectively at his waist, guarding his pants, as he looked at the stands. Countless young beauties were cheering and waving; even the human wall of heavy-armored guards looked like it might give way.
If they all came to pull his pants—unimaginable horror.
"Yo, quite the charm—made a little girl try to yank your pants off in front of everyone," Ling Luochen teased.
Su Wen's cheek twitched.
This gag would haunt him for a lifetime.
Ma Xiaotao, still as carefree as ever, lounged lazily on a bench and snacked on crystal-clear grapes.
Wang Yan finally exhaled completely.
It's in the bag!
…
On the other side.
Xiao Hongchen stamped his foot, hating iron for not becoming steel. "Meng, clowns don't get love! Even if you like him, you can't—you can't... pull his pants in public!"
"I just got weak in the legs, okay? I wasn't paying attention and..." Meng Hongchen drooped her head, face flushed, looking utterly lifeless.
"Alright, it was an accident. Your life doesn't have that many observers. Most people just watch for laughs and forget by tomorrow," Ma Rulong said helplessly.
"Also, let's just forfeit tomorrow's individual eliminations to save time. Su Wen gave us face; otherwise we'd have been wiped out this time."
"Mm. There's no fight to be had," Xiao Hongchen nodded.
Their instructor, Old Ma, sighed lightly. "Then forfeit. A loss is a loss; nothing more to say."
…
Compared to the first match where Su Wen crushed the field with personal strength, the second was a team battle. The only one Imperial Mystical Academy could rely on was the Soul Emperor Jiang Peng. After Tang San and Tang Ju combined to eliminate him, the team match went as expected—they lost.
"Pfft... ruthless, Clear Sky Sect!"
Jiang Peng clutched his chest, forcing down the rampaging energy within. He swallowed the blood in his throat, glared fiercely at Tang San and Tang Ju on stage.
Around him, his teammates from Imperial Mystical Academy had just been tossed down, writhing and twisted on the ground.
Their hands and feet had been crippled—naturally to save trouble for tomorrow's individual eliminations.
"Jiang Peng, a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river can't even save himself; you're worried about your teammates? Let me remind you: if you let the poison in your body spread further, forget tomorrow's individual eliminations—you'll be a cripple for life..."
"The poison of my Eight Spider Lances is not just paralysis. Only a healing-type powerhouse above Titled Douluo has any chance to resolve it."
"And within half a day at that. Good luck."
With a contemptuous smile, Tang San turned and left with the Clear Sky disciples.
Only blood-streaked wreckage remained.
"Shrek Academy is better than you—stronger in strength and in character. Just comparing you and Su Wen—you aren't fit to touch a single hair of his!!!" Jiang Peng couldn't hold it in, spat out a mouthful of pitch-black blood, and snarled.
In the next instant.
Tang San flashed down from the stage, grabbed Jiang Peng by the neck. Eight slender, sharp spider spears pierced out from his back, stopping a hair's breadth from Jiang Peng's skull. Another hair closer and they would have pierced his brain.
"Say that again!!!"
Tang San's voice was icy.
The words had struck a nerve. As the God Realm's enforcer, wielder of two god positions, the Realm's number-one good guy (on the surface), he craved everyone's recognition and an impeccably positive image.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have, even after ten thousand years, secretly manipulated the Douluo plane so that the histories recorded only his virtues, with no hint of scandal.
Especially regarding character.
In his last life, taken in by an outer sect elder and orphaned of both parents, he became self-abasing and sensitive—so he liked to pursue "justice."
He got used to standing on the moral high ground and believed deeply in a Tang Sect rule: once you slap the "morally corrupt" hat on the other party, you can deem him deserving of death and bypass your conscience's censure. For example, when he encountered those three ants in his past life... bullying a weak soul beast—deserved to die!
He refused to admit he was selfish and despicable—though he always knew what sort of person he was. Fortunately, since becoming a god, those around him, due to his status, position, and power, didn't dare criticize him openly even if they were dissatisfied.
But a mortal ant dared insult his virtue!
Tearing open the scar.
Though the insult wasn't about that incident, in Tang San's eyes this guy was reminding him of his past, his corrupt moral character.
Having lived in comfort in the God Realm, he wouldn't tolerate even a little of that.
"Clear Sky! The match is over; you're off-stage now! If you continue to attack people, under the rules you'll be disqualified immediately!" Referee Heavenfiend Douluo frowned.
"Hmph... Just wait. Tomorrow in the individual eliminations, I'll kill you myself," Tang San snorted.
Then he released Jiang Peng's collar, letting him half-kneel on the ground, and turned away.
"Referee, we forfeit..."
Jiang Peng watched Tang San pause, then grinned and spat blood.
"Looks like I guessed right. You've clearly got private moral stains, yet care deeply about it... You're just a hypocrite, hahaha! That desperate act to keep up appearances is hilarious."
"Jiang Peng!"
Heavenfiend Douluo barked.
He flashed to Jiang Peng's side, eyes locked on Tang San. He couldn't police their trash talk, but a real fight would be his business.
Tang San stepped forward slowly, face dark.
The resentment choked in his chest wouldn't go down.
"Clear Sky Academy, victory!"
"..."
Shrek Academy.
"Tsk tsk, this Jiang Peng sure knows how to stir the pot," Ma Xiaotao said with a laugh, glancing at Su Wen.
Su Wen frowned slightly.
He had no ties to Imperial Mystical Academy, much less to Jiang Peng—barely even nodding acquaintances. But clearly, Jiang Peng liked to stoke the flames and use Su Wen as a blade to avenge himself and his teammates...
Tang San and Jiang Peng—he liked neither.
He preferred the Sun Moon kids—at least they were straightforward.
"And he overpraised me," Su Wen shook his head.
"I'm no paragon of virtue—only look better by comparison."
Calling Tang San a hypocrite? He'd raise both hands in favor.
But praising himself? Better not.
After all, he didn't show much mercy to the Dou Ling team earlier—he'd aimed to cripple them at least.
He didn't want that halo.
Imperial Mystical Academy's instructor hurried down, whispered with Jiang Peng, then rushed toward the Star Luo royal wall.
The Dou Ling Empire might have a Titled Douluo-level healer, but there wasn't enough time—half a day. Unless a Super Douluo-level agility attacker sprinted full-speed ferrying them, there'd be hope.
Su Wen arched a brow.
This Jiang Peng was something.
No one knew what the instructor whispered to Xu Jiawei, but not long after, a white-robed old woman descended from the imperial wall with the instructor and returned to the rest area. Verdant green vitality rose from her body, healing all the poisoned students.
"They even invited the Star Luo Empire's Medical Immortal," Xuan Zi marveled.
"Medical Immortal?" Wang Yan's pupils shrank. "It's Senior Wang Xian'er?!!"
"Wang Xian'er?"
The students were confused.
"She's the continent's number-one healing-type soul master and the only one at the Super Douluo realm. They say her martial soul is the Healing Angel—a mutated form of the Six-Winged Angel, a natural healer," Wang Yan explained patiently.
"Compared with Su Wen's Emerald Swan, whose healing is stronger?" Wang Dong'er asked, thrilled by the drama.
"Likely the Emerald Swan," Wang Yan mused.
"According to records, one of today's Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, Bi Ji, is only tens of thousands of years old, yet her strength already rivals a fifty- to sixty-thousand-year fierce beast."
"The Healing Angel is a variant of the Six-Winged Angel and a top-tier healing martial soul—but it depends on the comparison..."
"..."
Everyone sighed.
Only Gu Yuena cast a strange look.
Clearly, none of Su Wen's contracted soul beasts had even appeared, but she knew great changes had occurred—an evolution at the depth of bloodline. Compare just the Emerald Swan and the result might be debatable—but the Emerald Swan's advanced form would unquestionably crush that Healing Angel.
Her fist curled slightly.
Her mission wasn't done, but that upgrade was too tempting...
"Calm down! Calm down!"
...
Night.
Star Luo Empire Grand Hotel.
In a suite on the top floor.
Gu Yuena lay on the soft bed, propped on pillows, her long legs bent to support her arms as she gazed out the window. A bright moon hung high, as if watching her.
The silver-haired girl curled into herself.
Faint moonlight washed over her.
Her cold eyes had softened a little.
Su Wen's attitude toward soul beasts was serious—he truly was helping them seek a way to survive, as if he himself were a soul beast in human form. And she hadn't even given him much.
These days, living among humans, she had a change of heart.
From thinking all humans were profit-driven, cunning, and evil—to realizing many were kind. For example, Su Wen. The contradiction left her at a loss.
Also, Su Wen carried a trace of the Snow Empress's aura. It seemed his fifth contracted beast was indeed the Snow Empress. Who would have thought—the proud Snow Empress of that day would now be with Su Wen...
So should she choose—or not?
Her heart tangled.
"Heh, you don't really believe a human would truly help soul beasts find their path, do you?"
A sneer sounded.
"Who!"
Gu Yuena's brows tightened.
After a pause, she donned her school uniform and stepped out. Two figures sat in the hotel's top-floor lounge.
They were Tang San and Er Ming, without their masks.
"Tang San?"
Gu Yuena's face turned cold.
"What surprised me is that despite Destruction's obstruction, you still sent a wisp of divine sense down... No—that thread is cut off from the God Realm!" The girl's eyes widened.
"You're just a wisp of divine sense now."
"Exactly," Tang San smiled. "My purpose is simple. One: invite you to join us. The one beside me, you surely recognize. Two: I want you to return that wisp of my divine sense."
"Traitor."
Gu Yuena glanced coolly at Er Ming.
"..."
Er Ming swallowed hard, hanging his head in shame.
"Lord, I..." The burly man opened his mouth but couldn't speak.
"..."
Tang San kept smiling.
He gently extended his hand, awaiting her response.
"I am the current enforcer of the God Realm. As far as I know, your brother, the Golden Dragon King, is still imprisoned in the God Realm. If you'll lend me a hand, perhaps I could consider releasing him—on the condition that he doesn't retaliate against the God Realm."
Tang San played his trump card.
His smile deepened.
He didn't believe the Silver Dragon King could refuse.
Gu Yuena, who had been about to leave, halted, her figure going stiff.
But in the next moment—
A terrifying aura burst from the Silver Dragon King. She turned slowly, her silver eyes locking onto Tang San, murderous intent surging.
Er Ming, aghast, stepped in front of Tang San.
"Get out."
Gu Yuena said coldly, then turned and left.