Gale Twin-Headed Wolf, Forty-Nine Slashes

The match between Shrek Academy and Godwind Academy was undoubtedly the most anticipated battle of the promotion tournament. After fourteen matches, both teams had achieved twelve consecutive victories. This match was crucial to both sides, determining first place in the promotion tournament as well as the order for receiving a bye in the Grand Finals.

On Shrek Academy's side, the lineup was largely the same as it had been against Thunder Academy. However, since Dai Mubai had suffered serious injuries, Tang San, their Trump Card against Godwind Academy, was placed in the fifth position.

Godwind Academy, meanwhile, arranged its lineup with three Soul Elders followed by four Soul Ancestors, with Li Hong taking the final position.

Although Godwind Academy's Soul Power cultivation was comparable to Thunder Academy's, their individual combat abilities were a level higher.

Godwind Academy had only sent out its second competitor, yet he had already defeated Tailong, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan in succession.

However, Xiao Wu, who entered next for Shrek Academy, consecutively defeated two Soul Elders and one Soul Ancestor, only leaving the stage after depleting part of the second Soul Ancestor's Soul Power.

The fifth member of the Shrek Academy team to take the field was naturally Tang San. Relying on his powerful techniques and tactics, Tang San easily defeated two Soul Ancestors, forcing out Li Hong, Godwind Academy's final competitor.

Tang San was now at Rank 42 Soul Power, while Li Hong was at Rank 46, the same as Chen Long.

At the referee's signal, both sides released their martial souls.

Blue light appeared in Tang San's hand, and he remained calm and composed. Li Hong's body swelled in size, his long hair turned green, and a wolf's head grew from his left shoulder.

"Match begin." At the referee's words, both of them sprang into action.

Li Hong's Second Spirit Ring and Third Spirit Ring lit up simultaneously. Empowered by the Second Spirit Ability, Twin Wolf Possession, and the Third Spirit Ability, Gale Twin Wings, he rose into the air.

From the very beginning, Li Hong had never intended to fight Tang San at close range. After all, engaging a Tang Sect disciple in close combat was more than even an Assault-type Battle Soul Master could handle.

Tang San's expression did not change at all, making it impossible to discern his true thoughts.

The green light around Li Hong drew inward. His wings spread wide, forming a perfect angle with his body, and he descended from the sky like a shooting star chasing the moon.

This was Li Hong's Self-Created Soul Skill, Gale Twin-Headed Wolf Forty-Nine Consecutive Slashes. Compared to the original Gale Demon Wolf Thirty-Six Consecutive Slashes, it had thirteen additional slashes. This Self-Created Soul Skill was the result of years of grueling training.

Blue Silver Grass shot into the air, Entangling around the descending Li Hong.

Li Hong deftly adjusted his angle. The Blue Silver Grass could not stop his advance at all and was severed one after another beneath his wings.

Tang San threw both fists forward, striking toward Li Hong's wings.

Li Hong drew his wings in slightly, turning them directly toward Tang San's neck.

Tang San swiftly raised his fists and blocked the wing strike, but the sudden shift in force sent him back several steps, his feet sinking deep into the ground.

With the enhancement of Twin Wolf Possession, Li Hong had abruptly forced Tang San to alter the direction of his exertion, so he did not suffer much damage.

Li Hong rose high into the air once more, made a sweeping turn, and attacked again.

In an instant, Li Hong's Fourth Spirit Ring flashed, and then his entire body vanished.

The Gale Twin-Headed Wolf's Fourth Spirit Ability: Gale Invisibility.

A single wing sliced toward Tang San's abdomen. Though Li Hong controlled it expertly, Tang San still caught the change in the wind. His Mysterious Jade Hand shot out and blocked the attack.

Even so, Tang San was driven several inches into the ground by the tremendous force.

The instant his attack was complete, Li Hong quickly dispelled Gale Invisibility. After all, using three spirit abilities at once consumed far too much. Soul Power had to be conserved wherever possible, and naturally, he could not keep the most draining Fourth Spirit Ability active continuously.

Li Hong spun once in the air, then unleashed the third and fourth slashes again.

Even with Li Hong using Gale Invisibility, Tang San could still sense the direction of the attack and defend himself the instant Li Hong drew near. But that instant was all he had. Though Tang San's reactions were fast, he could only shift his Mysterious Jade Hand into place and could not exert enough force to resist. In mere moments, his palms had already begun to go numb.

Just as Li Hong prepared to unleash the fifth slash, Tang San smiled. An utterly inconspicuous little hammer appeared in his hand.

Li Hong seemed to have anticipated it. He vanished once more, this time circling around from afar to Tang San's back before diving straight down.

A thunderous blast sounded beneath Tang San's feet. A massive crater appeared in the ground around his legs. Half-turning his body, Tang San gripped the hammer with both hands. His calves exerted force, his legs drove his waist, his waist drove his back, and his back drove his hips. His whole body spun halfway around as the little hammer swept upward from below, colliding with the edge of Li Hong's single wing.

Unable to see his opponent, he could only sense him through the direction of the wind. For an ordinary person, that was simply impossible.

Tang San was no ordinary person, but even he could only make a rough judgment. If it were easy to handle, Gale Invisibility would not deserve to be the Gale Twin-Headed Wolf's Fourth Spirit Ability.

Even so, Li Hong's face had turned somewhat pale.

But Tang San was not doing well either—or rather, his injuries were worse. The web between his thumb and forefinger had split open.

Without wasting time, Li Hong dispelled Gale Invisibility and rose into the sky once more. Then he used Gale Invisibility again and slashed downward.

Tang San had no time to think. The moment he caught that trace of wind, he swung his hammer without hesitation.

The two moved faster and faster. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen exchanges had passed.

Every one of Li Hong's strikes drew not only on speed and gravity, but also the power of the wind. Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer, meanwhile, possessed an amplification of its own strength, but because he could only barely strike the edge of Li Hong's single wing, its power was somewhat diminished.

Li Hong had reached his thirty-first slash, while Tang San's Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer had reached its twenty-seventh blow. For Tang San, once he reached the twenty-fourth blow, the terrifying force within the Clear Sky Hammer was already beyond his control. If Li Hong had not controlled his movements with such skill, shedding most of the force each time, he would likely have been reduced to a pile of bones long ago.

As the pulling force from the Clear Sky Hammer grew ever stronger, Li Hong abruptly flew into the distance, breaking free from the hammer's terrifying force field.

Seeing this, Tang San hurriedly withdrew the Clear Sky Hammer. But by then, he was already terribly dizzy and collapsed.

The victor of this match had been decided.

After all, Tang San had expended some strength beforehand and had not used the Eight Spider Lances. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to tell who would win. But exposing the Clear Sky Hammer this time had already brought him a deadly crisis.

Xiao Wu hurried onto the arena and dragged the unconscious Tang San away.

The following match held no suspense. Although Li Hong was very powerful, he had ultimately consumed too much Soul Power in defeating Tang San, and Zhu Zhuqing easily defeated him.

"Li Hong, you lost too?" Qi Xiaomin's hearty laughter echoed in Li Hong's mind.

"Enough. The finals are when victory and defeat will truly be decided," Li Hong replied.

"How about we meet before the Grand Finals begin?" Liu Xiaoxiao asked.

"Let's talk after we all arrive in Spirit City," Da Bao said. "We need to discuss how to choose the course of the story going forward. We must make some trade-offs."

No one knew that Lin Bo was sneering in secret.

"The assassination route from Heaven Dou City to Spirit City is a perfect opportunity for me," Lin Bo muttered to himself. "As long as I send word back that Dugu Bo is there too, more people will naturally come. Tang San, Tang San, I want to see how you can possibly escape."