Bottom Line

Bottom Line

The second day of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament officially began. Ten of the twenty-eight competing teams had already entered the arena, and the layout of the Great Spirit Arena had changed significantly from the first day—besides the central main stage, four auxiliary stages of equal size had been added around it. The five massive stages were scattered throughout the vast venue, which could hold eighty thousand people, yet it did not feel crowded in the slightest.

Today's matches still divided the twenty-eight teams into three groups. Shrek Academy had been placed in the first group, and their opponent for this match was one of the tournament favorites—Elephant Armored Academy. Given the astonishing strength both sides had displayed in the first round, this highly anticipated battle had naturally been arranged on the central main stage.

In the VIP Seats, the spectators were almost the same as they had been during the opening ceremony. Xue Ye sat at the head, with Ning Fengzhi and Salas at his side. Today, however, two additional figures were present. One was the Heaven-Supporting Pillar of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—Bone Douluo Gu Rong. The other was an enormous man impossible to forget at a glance.

This unusual existence resembled a human-shaped mountain. Even while seated, he stood a full two and a half meters tall and occupied three seats by himself. His dark skin gleamed with a metallic luster, and his huge bell-like eyes flashed with sharp light whenever they opened and closed. Though his hair and beard had gone entirely white, the oppressive aura radiating from him made the surrounding VIPs turn to look.

Feng Yao's gaze shifted between Gu Rong and Xiao Wu among the Shrek group. Slightly surprised, he thought to himself, Without Lovesick Heartbreak Red concealing her, how is she hiding her Spirit Beast aura? His fingers lightly tapped the armrest. Could this be Tang Hao's doing?

As the only human Spirit Master who knew Xiao Wu's true identity, that Haotian Douluo must have left some contingency behind. Feng Yao silently guessed that even without the enhancement of Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, Tang San's Purple Demon Eye would probably find it difficult to see through this disguise.

Feng Yao gently shook his head and cast aside those unnecessary thoughts. Forget it. What does this have to do with me? His fingers unconsciously stroked the strings of "Fuxi." He understood better than anyone that a gentleman did not stand beneath a crumbling wall—now that he could handle even Qian Renxue as he pleased, how could he be foolish enough to provoke the legendary Haotian Douluo?

Turning his attention back to the arena, a calm smile appeared on Feng Yao's lips. He firmly believed that cultivation valued steady progress. Once one's strength was sufficient, opportunities would arrive in due time. Like an Immortal Grade flower blooming deep in a secluded valley, once it released its fragrance, colorful butterflies would naturally follow the scent. This was called striving without striving.

Feng Yao lightly stroked the strings, and a trace of profound realization flashed through his eyes. "Striving without striving is the best strategy."

Feng Yao had always believed that a Spirit Master's understanding of their Martial Soul was far more important than mere Soul Power rank or a single Spirit Bone Skill, at least when everyone possessed equal potential.

In the original story, Qian Renxue's defeat had resulted, in his eyes, from being overly obsessed with "striving." A favored daughter of heaven with twenty levels of Innate Soul Power should have reached the divine realm before Tang San. Unfortunately, she had wasted too much time competing with Bibi Dong out of pride—just to prove that she could surpass Bibi Dong's achievements, Qian Renxue had devoted a great deal of time to political schemes that meant nothing to her.

"What a pity." Feng Yao looked at the snow-white figure in the VIP Seats and sighed inwardly.

With that thought, Feng Yao's gaze became even more resolute. Since his fate and Qian Renxue's had already become intertwined, he would not allow the original story's ending to happen again.

Keep developing the uses of ultrasound. Master it as quickly as possible, and perhaps even integrate it with the Tang Sect's secret arts. Feng Yao stroked "Fuxi" as he sensed the Soul Power flowing through his body.

The strings of "Fuxi" in Feng Yao's arms trembled faintly, just as they had yesterday. Waves of invisible sound quietly spread outward, stirring imperceptible ripples through the air. Even the Soul Douluo experts maintaining order in the arena failed to notice this secret probing technique.

However, Bone Douluo Gu Rong in the VIP Seats suddenly frowned. As a Title Douluo most sensitive to spatial fluctuations, he instantly locked onto Feng Yao's position. A trace of interest flashed through his hawk-sharp eyes. "An interesting little fellow."

"Uncle Gu, what is it?" Ning Fengzhi noticed Gu Rong's reaction and discreetly sent him a voice transmission.

Gu Rong's voice rang directly in Ning Fengzhi's mind. "A young man is using his Martial Soul ability to investigate the arena. His method is quite exquisite."

A trace of surprise flashed through Ning Fengzhi's eyes. Secretly investigating with a Martial Soul ability could, to a certain extent, be considered interference with the match. What shocked him even more was that such an act had escaped the notice of so many experts present, and that the caster was only a young man.

"If this old man were not especially sensitive to spatial fluctuations, I might not have noticed either." Gu Rong's voice carried a hint of admiration. "He is not far behind and to your right."

Using the motion of adjusting his sleeve as cover, Ning Fengzhi's gaze swept inconspicuously toward the direction Gu Rong had indicated. When he saw Feng Yao holding "Fuxi," his pupils contracted slightly. "So it is him."

Noticing the strange look in Ning Fengzhi's eyes, Gu Rong's intrigued voice rang in his mind again. "What? Fengzhi, you know this young man?"

"Yes." Ning Fengzhi stroked the scepter in his hand and replied through voice transmission, "His name is Feng Yao. He serves under Qinghe."

Upon hearing that, even Gu Rong's ancient well-like expression revealed surprise. "I did not expect the Heaven Dou Imperial Family to produce someone like this." He gave Xue Qinghe, seated upright in the distance, a meaningful glance. "That boy does have good judgment."

Ning Fengzhi said no more and merely lifted his teacup with elegance, taking a light sip. Amid the curling tea fragrance, he was already considering sending people to Nuoding City to thoroughly investigate Feng Yao's background. After all, any young man praised by Uncle Gu could not be a simple figure.

"Though he is unsuitable for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, perhaps he may still prove useful."

Ning Fengzhi watched Tang San lead the Shrek Team into the arena, and a trace of emotion flashed through his eyes. A remote border town like Nuoding City actually produced two such extraordinary youths at once. He sighed inwardly, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the scepter in his hand.

At the side of the arena, the strings of Feng Yao's "Fuxi" trembled faintly, clearly feeding the scene on the stage back into his mind. When he sensed the Elephant Armored Academy members' physiques, his eyes widened—the students were each more than two meters tall, their muscles knotted all over their bodies. Standing there, they resembled moving walls.

What on earth did these guys eat to grow this huge? Martial Souls have a major influence, sure, but this is ridiculous. Feng Yao clicked his tongue inwardly. On a battlefield, they would practically be human battering rams. He could even imagine the earth-shaking sight of those giants charging in heavy armor.

At the referee's command, the match officially began. Feng Yao's eyes fixed firmly on Tang San as invisible sound waves spread like a spiderweb across the entire arena.

Tang San's body suddenly stiffened slightly, and his brows furrowed unconsciously. That feeling of being watched had returned—no matter how he activated his Purple Demon Eye or pushed the Mysterious Heaven Skill to its limit, he could find no clue whatsoever. Yet a warrior's sharp instincts told him that a pair of eyes in the shadows was watching his every movement.

Could it be... A trace of realization flashed through Tang San's eyes, and his tense shoulders gradually relaxed. Father is watching the match from the shadows?

That thought warmed his heart, and his tightly wound nerves eased with it. Tang San drew a deep breath and refocused on the opponent before him. Elephant Armored Academy's seven "human fortresses" had already formed a battle formation and were pressing forward with overwhelming force.

No matter what, win this match first. Purple light surged in Tang San's eyes as Blue Silver Grass spread from his palm like spiritual snakes.

Through "Fuxi's" ultrasound perception, Feng Yao clearly captured every minute change in Tang San's movements. He noticed that whenever Tang San's Blue Silver Grass came into contact with Elephant Armored Sect disciples, it cleverly avoided their hardest areas and instead coiled around vulnerable points such as their joints.

What precise control. Feng Yao silently praised him, his fingertips unconsciously trembling with Tang San's movements. This nearly instinctive combat intuition had clearly been tempered through countless life-and-death battles. Every strand of Blue Silver Grass moved with the precision of a scalpel, targeting the opponent's weakest joints and acupoints.

Watching Tang San's flowing combat rhythm, Feng Yao could not help feeling somewhat inferior. As a transmigrator from modern civilization, he still carried the restraint and hesitation of a civilized person in his bones. Whenever he struck, he unconsciously left room for mercy, unable to be as decisive and ruthless as Tang San.

Feng Yao's fingers lightly brushed the strings, producing an almost inaudible sigh. "This is the gap." He stared at Tang San's fierce figure in the arena, a complicated emotion flashing through his eyes.

As a transmigrator, he could never completely abandon the values modern civilization had given him—his convictions about humanity, principles, morality, and the dignity of life. Except in necessary life-or-death struggles, he would always instinctively leave some room for mercy.

To turn killing into instinct like Tang San... Feng Yao shook his head mockingly. I would first have to kill part of my own soul.

The strings trembled faintly, as if responding to their master's inner struggle. Feng Yao knew very well that in this world where the strong devoured the weak, such convictions might become a fatal weakness. Yet some things should not be easily cast aside, not even in the face of death.

Feng Yao had never considered himself a saint, but neither was he a demon stripped of humanity.

He knew that the imprint of modern civilization still remained deep in his bones—something he was unwilling to erase no matter what.

In this world where the strong devoured the weak, this conviction might seem laughable, but it was precisely this "laughable" conviction that allowed him to remember where he had come from. It was precisely because of those memories that he possessed his current achievements.

Some bottom lines, Feng Yao told himself, once crossed, can never be returned from.

Qian Renxue seemed to sense something and turned to glance at him. Feng Yao met her gaze with a smile. He knew that if Qian Renxue understood his thoughts, she would likely find this hesitant way of thinking childish enough to laugh at.

On the arena, the clash between the Shrek Team and Elephant Armored Academy had entered its most intense stage. Feng Yao lightly stroked the strings, taking in the battle through the feedback of his sound waves.

"Brilliant." A trace of admiration flashed through his eyes. What Tang San was using at that moment was a tactic that perfectly combined Heart Separation Control with Control Crane Catch Dragon—using Blue Silver Grass to control the Shrek members, relying on Oscar's flying sausages to evade Elephant Armored Academy's attacks, while also splitting his attention to direct the entire team's coordination.

Feng Yao unconsciously held his fingers above the strings. As a musician, he understood better than anyone how much effort such exquisite control required. Every note had to be exactly right, just as every strand of Tang San's Blue Silver Grass controlled his teammates' landing positions with perfect precision.

Feng Yao stared at Tang San's flowing combat rhythm, deep in thought. Ordinary musicians could form precise muscle memory through years of practice—that was instinct, a craft etched into the body.

But the Heart Separation Control Tang San displayed was clearly even more profound. It was not merely muscular memory, but the division and use of Spiritual Power, like simultaneously conducting several independent orchestras playing different movements. Each split consciousness retained complete judgment and execution ability, yet all were perfectly unified beneath the overall strategy.

"It is like..." Feng Yao's fingers unconsciously pressed through the air above the strings, "using the left hand to play the killing sound of 'Ambush from Ten Sides,' while the right hand must perform the gentle, winding emotions of 'Three Variations of Plum Blossom.'"

This level of control had already surpassed the realm of mere technique and touched upon the profound domain of dividing Spiritual Power.

Feng Yao lightly rubbed the strings, a trace of eagerness flashing through his eyes. "Such an exquisite control method... pity it is not an internal art. There is no obvious energy circulation, so it cannot be learned."

His gaze inadvertently swept across the snow-white figure in the VIP Seats, and Feng Yao's lips curved upward.

Tonight, I should ask her whether there is a chance to obtain it.

"Fuxi" in his arms seemed to sense his thoughts. Its seven strings moved without wind, producing soft resonant notes. Feng Yao shook his head and smiled, pulling his wandering thoughts back to the arena. If he could learn Heart Separation Control, both "Fuxi" and the Innate Bagua Plate would have far greater room to develop.

Soon, Tang San used his formidable control abilities in coordination with Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing's Hell White Tiger to finally find a flaw in the Elephant Armored Sect's iron-bucket formation. The Hell White Tiger charged fiercely, tearing open the defensive line and instantly shattering Elephant Armored Academy's impregnable formation.

Bang!

A muffled sound suddenly came from the VIP Seats. Elephant Armored Sect Leader Huyan Zhen's face had turned ashen, and his enormous fan-like palms had crushed the armrest of his gilded chair to pieces. Wood splinters fell from between his fingers, glimmering with fragmented golden light beneath the sun.

Huyan Zhen's knuckles had gone white as irrepressible unwillingness churned in his chest. He had seen it clearly—with his eldest grandson Huyan Li at the lead, the copper wall and iron barrier formed by three Soul Ancestor-level Elephant Armored Sect elites should not have been defeated by a mere Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

It should not have happened like this. He roared inwardly. The Hell White Tiger was powerful, but under normal circumstances, three Elephant Armored Sect disciples working together could absolutely have blocked it. As long as they endured that burst of power, victory should have been within their grasp.

But reality had dealt him a resounding slap. Shrek Academy had not only broken the defensive formation they were so proud of, but had ended the match with overwhelming momentum. Huyan Zhen stared fixedly at the boy controlling Blue Silver Grass in the arena, his cloudy eyes filled with disbelief.

Feng Yao lightly stroked the strings, watching the arena thoughtfully. Even without the enhancement of Immortal Grade herbs, he mused, Shrek can still handle opponents with such one-dimensional tactics with ease.

The defensive formation Elephant Armored Sect took such pride in had ultimately exposed its fatal rigidity before Tang San's exquisite control and the explosive power of the Hell White Tiger.