The Path to Death
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Su Cheng finished his brief training in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and headed to the location of the Promotion Tournament, the Heaven Dou Empire Royal Hunting Ground.
The Promotion Tournament of the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament were not as exciting as the preliminary rounds.
To protect the privacy and safety of individual Soul Master, no spectators are allowed to watch the Promotion Tournament.
On the Heaven Dou Empire side, a total of fifteen teams, including the five teams that qualified from the Heaven Dou City preliminary rounds, had completed the registration process in the morning and gathered together at the location of the Promotion Tournament.
There are fewer teams, but those who can pass the qualifiers are undoubtedly the elite of the elite.
The ten teams from the five kingdoms and duchies who qualified through the preliminary rounds arrived earlier, allowing them to familiarize themselves with the environment.
The Royal Hunting Ground are located 50 kilometers southwest of Heaven Dou City. The terrain is varied and the area is vast. It is where the royal family members hunt and train on a daily basis.
No civilians are allowed to approach this place on ordinary days. It is patrolled and guarded by 10,000 Royal Knights Order, who also train here.
To avoid unnecessary trouble and conflict, and to prevent the strength of each academy that entered the Promotion Tournament from being observed by other academies, all fifteen Advanced Spirit Master Academy teams that entered the Promotion Tournament were arranged to rest in different places.
Led by the soldiers, Su Cheng quickly arrived at the rest area belonging to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
The members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team will stay here until the end of the Promotion Tournament.
This stage of the competition also follows a round-robin system. However, because the number of teams has been reduced significantly, the competition duration has been shortened from one month to half a month.
After a two-week break, the final competition will be held in Spirit City, located at the border of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empire Two Empires.
Not long after Su Cheng entered the rest area, his cheap apprentice Feng Qingyu somehow got wind of it and came running over.
Also accompanying them was Feng Xiaotian, the captain of the Godwind Academy Team.
"Greetings, teacher!"
Upon meeting, Feng Qingyu bowed respectfully to Su Cheng.
Feng Xiaotian glanced at her in surprise, then turned to look at Su Cheng.
Su Cheng was speechless for a moment. "You don't need to do that."
"A teacher for a day is a father for life. From now on, I will respect you as my father."
"..." Su Cheng ignored her and looked at Feng Xiaotian standing to the side.
"Brother Feng, what brings you here?"
The Promotion Tournament are about to begin. Unlike Feng Qingyu, he doesn't have to play, and unlike Su Cheng, he doesn't care about anything.
On the contrary, as captain, he is actually quite busy.
Even if you've already decided to join the Heaven Dou Royal Battle Team in the finals, there's no reason for you to come over now.
"That's right. I appreciate Brother Su's kind invitation, but our team plans to team up with the Blazing Fire Academy for the finals. Even if we can't win, we'll still have no regrets."
"..."
Feng Qingyu rolled her eyes slightly and gave Su Cheng a knowing look.
Seeing this, Su Cheng sighed and asked, "Is it because of Huo Wu from the Blazing Fire Academy?"
"There is part of the reason on her part, and I hope you can understand," Feng Xiaotian said frankly.
Su Cheng glanced at the other person, and was about to say something.
But in the end, he simply waved his hand and said, "Everyone has their own ambitions, there's no need to force it. Then I wish Brother Feng can win the heart of his beauty soon."
There's no point in saying anything more. He Feng Xiaotian aren't exactly close, so he doesn't have the standing to comment further.
Feng Xiaotian himself seemed to be enjoying himself, especially the last blessing, which pleased him greatly. He only came over to say hello.
Seeing that Su Cheng didn't seem to mind, he felt relieved and said with a smile, "I also wish Brother Su a successful championship. I'll leave Qing Yu in your care."
"No problem."
The competition officially began the next day.
Unlike the Promotion Tournament are held in a single venue: the Royal Knights Order's Grand Training Ground.
A total of fifteen teams will participate in the Promotion Tournament, which will consist of fourteen rounds of round-robin matches, all held in the same venue.
The training ground has been renovated, with a 100-meter-diameter area in the center designated as the competition arena. Compared to the preliminary rounds, this space is much larger and makes it easier for the contestants to showcase their abilities.
On the north side of the training ground, a temporary VIP seating area, which also served as the referee's seat, was set up facing south. This time, there weren't as many VIPs watching the game as last time.
Looking around, apart from Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, and Platinum Bishop Salas in the first row, the seats behind were occupied by people dressed as military officers and some high-ranking members of the Spirit Hall and the Martial Soul Temple of the Heaven Dou City.
Team battles are inherently chaotic, making it difficult to see things clearly. However, the Promotion Tournament are different. Each student will showcase their individual strength under the watchful eyes of everyone, making it the best opportunity to assess the strength of a Soul Master.
Outside the Great Training Ground, a full ten thousand royal knights surrounded the entire training ground, making it completely impenetrable, with extremely tight defense.
Between the large circle formed by the knights and the competition field, all fifteen participating teams had arrived, including those who had a bye today. Even without playing, they wanted to assess their opponents' strength.
The rules of the game are very simple.
Each side sends seven players to participate. Each player must fight until they are defeated. The winner will face the next opponent, until all seven players on one side are defeated.
The draw was completed last night, and coincidentally, the first opponent of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy is Shrek Academy again.
Xue Ye rose from the VIP seats and announced loudly through his Soul Tool: "The Promotion Tournament officially begin today. Over the next fourteen days, I hope that each academy team will fully demonstrate their strength and showcase the true style of Soul Master."
As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of shouts, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, rang out in unison. "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Subsequently, the seven members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team and the Shrek Academy Team each stepped forward.
Su Cheng glanced at the person opposite him.
Zhu Zhuqing remained indifferent to him, while Tang San looked at her defiantly.
"So they're starting to use the Clear Sky Hammer? They seem quite confident."
With a slight sense, he noticed the changes in the other party's aura over the past month, and suddenly realized what was happening.
"However, this may not be a bad thing for him. The Blue Silver Emperor has no hope of awakening, so he might as well cultivate the Clear Sky Hammer directly."
Tang San was indeed very confident at this moment.
His current level has reached level forty-seven.
The increase in Soul Power brought about by absorbing Soul Ring is simply too obvious.
Especially when the level is still low, absorbing Soul Ring at the limit of years is enough to increase one level of Soul Power, not to mention that Tang San absorbed more than just the limit of years.
The Thousand Year Soul Ring on the Blue Silver Grass, plus the four Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings on the Clear Sky Hammer, helped him increase his level by more than seven, and now he is not far from level forty-eight.
He is now finally the strongest player in his academy's team.
At least that's what Tang San himself thinks.
Although Zhu Zhuqing was at the same level as him, there were still differences between Soul Ancestor.
He looked at Su Cheng in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team with a solemn expression.
Although the two are still at a slightly different level.
But he possesses a total of eight Soul Rings, and the Clear Sky Hammer is further adorned with four Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings.
Although due to the limitations of their bodies, these Soul Rings are only a little over ten thousand years old.
However, compared to Su Cheng's mere two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, it already possesses the power to fight.
Xiao Wu was the first student from the Shrek Academy to take the stage, and she defeated two students from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy in a row.
Su Cheng, who was watching the game, was not surprised by this.
Xiao Wu's strength far surpasses that of her peers.
After understanding the method of condensing Soul Ring, Su Cheng realized that these transformed Soul Beast, because their own bloodline had been transformed into Martial Soul, had extremely pure bloodlines and Martial Soul, which could be called "source Martial Soul".
Therefore, when generating Soul Ring, almost all of them are top-quality Soul Skill that can perfectly match one's own needs, and the Soul Ring Limit will also be optimized according to one's own physique.
In this situation, the combat power of transformed Soul Beast among those of the same level naturally belongs to the top tier.
Unless it encounters an elemental advantage or a combat style advantage, it is basically invincible among its peers.
The third player to enter the arena for the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team was named Wang Yu.
He is a control-type Soul Master in the team, and his Soul Power cultivation is the same as Xiao Wu's, reaching level 38.
If we exclude the support-type Soul Master Ning Rongrong, his strength in the second team can be said to be second only to Su Cheng.
As the light flashed, tentacles appeared behind Wang Yu —his Martial Soul was an octopus.
As soon as the referee announced the start of the match, Wang Yu stretched out his hands, and his Third Soul Ring lit up.
The eight tentacles on its back grew and extended rapidly, then bared their fangs and claws as they surrounded Xiao Wu.
Looking at the soft, long whiskers in front of her, Xiao Wu couldn't help but feel nauseous.
She immediately focused her gaze on her opponent.
But Wang Yu closed his eyes at this moment, clearly not wanting his third Soul Skill to be interrupted by Xiao Wu's Charm skill.
In the previous two matches, Xiao Wu's combat methods as Power Attack System Soul Master had already been fully revealed, and the effects of her three Soul Skills were no longer a secret.
Although he closed his eyes, it did not affect Wang Yu's ability to fight in the slightest.
As a control-type Soul Master, he possesses a second Soul Skill that specifically enhances his perception.
The tiny water spots on the ground were constantly giving him feedback about his surroundings.
Even without relying on sight, it can have a complete grasp of the situation, and is even more perceptive and useful than the eyes.
Xiao Wu moved lightly with her feet, silently wandering around the outer circle of the venue.
Wang Yu continued to approach her.
Its eight tentacles expanded further, and even split again at the ends of the tentacles, densely covering everything.
Seeing Xiao Wu frowned slightly.
These tentacles are extremely unpleasant to the senses.
Especially after Wang Yu used his First Soul Skill to split himself, it was almost like a form of mental pollution.
She started running faster to buy time.
The goal is simple: not to achieve merit, but to avoid mistakes. Wang Yu needs to consume a lot of Soul Power to maintain three Soul Skills at the same time.
However, Wang Yu clearly did not intend to continue this protracted struggle.
After pressing him to a certain distance, he suddenly stopped and raised his arms.
As he moved, the water stains on the ground suddenly flew into the air.
This turn of events was clearly beyond Xiao Wu's expectations.
Since the start of the match, a large amount of water has silently accumulated on the ground.
This is no ordinary water; it contains a special viscous substance from Wang Yu's martial soul, which he can easily manipulate.
The next moment, Xiao Wu was instantly covered in water, and her movements became much slower than before.
At the same time, the split tentacles accelerated their encirclement.
Tang San, watching from below the stage, looked somewhat anxious.
According to the original plan, Xiao Wu should have admitted defeat by now.
The opponent had already used all her Soul Skill, and her tactical role had long been fulfilled. Moreover, her Soul Power was almost depleted.
But Xiao Wu showed no sign of giving up.
With a leap and Teleportation, Xiao Wu finally unleashed her full speed, hoping to escape her predicament.
In her calculations, she was perfectly capable of escaping her opponent's attack range when those fine tentacles caught up with her.
However, she soon realized something was wrong.
As the split tentacles drew closer to her, she clearly felt a pulling force drawing her body away, and even Teleportation couldn't completely pull her away.
At this moment, Tang San, who was outside the arena, had already stood up, his hands clenched into fists.
The current situation on the field is clearly beyond his ability to predict.
Xiao Wu had already participated in two matches, and at this point, she didn't have much Soul Power left in her body, making it impossible for her to Teleportation continuously.
When those fine tentacles exerted a suction force on her body, not only was her body momentarily slowed down by the sight, but the main body of the eight tentacles also lashed out rapidly.
This is the real killer move!
The timing of the attack was perfect; it was precisely along the path Xiao Wu's body was inevitably traveling, just as she had completed a Teleportation and was unable to continue using her momentum.
Control-type Soul Master' ability to grasp the battlefield situation is indeed unmatched by Power Attack System Soul Master.
Judging from the current situation, it is clear that Wang Yu is quite experienced and has an excellent grasp of the situation.
A flash of white light, Xiao Wu's eerie leaping figure came to an abrupt halt.
The three tentacles missed their target, two lashed out at her, and the remaining three bound her tightly within them.
The azure waves surged, the tentacles tightened, and Xiao Wu's face was instantly filled with pain, her pretty face turning pale.
"We concede defeat," Yu Xiaogang's voice rang out promptly.
Upon hearing this, Wang Yu withdrew his Soul Skill. Azure light poured down and merged into the ground.
Just before Xiao Wu was about to hit the ground, Tang San rushed to her side and caught her.
Xiao Wu's body trembled slightly due to the low temperature, and there were several faint red whip marks on her body, which were from the third Soul Skill attack that she had not completely dodged.
Seeing her with her eyes closed and her breath weak, Tang San felt an indescribable heartache.
Looking up at his opponent, Wang Yu's face had turned somewhat pale from using multiple Soul Skill.
A cold glint flashed in Tang San's eyes.
He wasn't going to wait to fight Su Cheng anymore.
He's going to be the next to appear, to avenge Xiao Wu.
Tang San picked up Xiao Wu and handed her to Jiang Zhu behind him. He then stood up and slowly walked into the arena.
He walked slowly but steadily and powerfully, staring at Wang Yu with a gloomy expression.
Looking at Tang San, who was walking slowly towards him with an expressionless face, Wang Yu suddenly felt a sense of unease for some reason.
Although he had consumed a great deal of Soul Power, he was not prepared to give up so easily.
Wang Yu knew that he was not good enough and that he would most likely not be able to play in the final round.
The Promotion Tournament are his last chance to shine, and every battle is precious.
Wang Yu was already very satisfied and grateful to have come this far.
His talent wasn't particularly outstanding, and his Martial Soul wasn't powerful either.
As a control-type Soul Master, he is far inferior to Dugu Yan and naturally has no chance of being selected for the first team.
He had also witnessed Su Cheng's battles against the other powerful Element Academy.
They knew very well that without Su Cheng's presence, their second team would absolutely not be able to defeat those Element Academy, let alone Shrek Academy, and would not have had the opportunity to participate in the Promotion Tournament.
He now has less than half of his Soul Power left.
It would be enough to cause Tang San some damage.
Although no matter what happened, Su Cheng was always there to back him up in the team, he didn't want to appear too useless.
"The match begins."
The format of the Promotion Tournament dictates that the contestants cannot have a break. The match began immediately upon Tang San's entry.
A small black hammer instantly appeared in Tang San's hand.
Immediately, the First Soul Ring and Second Soul Ring, which were pitch black, lit up one after another, and the small hammer instantly became enormous.
As the hammer handle swung, the hammerhead arrived in an instant, accompanied by a tremendous whistling sound, easily shattering the defensive line built by Wang Yu's tentacles using his third Soul Skill.
Then, the Clear Sky Hammer showed no mercy and slammed heavily into Wang Yu's right shoulder.
"Bang!"
The next moment, his body flew out of the arena like a rag doll.
Before losing consciousness, Wang Yu, who was spitting out blood, clearly heard the sound of his bones breaking.
"Boom!"
Driven by inertia, the Clear Sky Hammer continued its momentum and crashed onto the ground beside Tang San.
A huge crater instantly appeared in the hard ground, accompanied by a "crackling" sound, and fine cracks spread outwards.
Today is 10,000.
P. S., I'm not trying to smear Tang San. That's exactly how it happened during the fight against the Thunder Academy —a classic scene. Xiao Wu defeated two opponents, but lost to a third. Tang San wasn't on the roster, so she immediately called on Dai Mubai to avenge Xiao Wu. She crippled the opposing team. (Chapter 115 of the original novel).