Hidden Weapons? Children's Toys!

Dead silence.

A tangible silence blanketed the entire Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.

Everyone seemed to have had their throats seized, unable to make a sound. They could only stare wide-eyed at the young man on the arena platform, who casually withdrew his finger, and at the Shrek Seven Devils sprawled beneath the platform, coughing blood and stripped of their ability to fight.

One finger.

Still just one finger.

He had not even used his Martial Soul.

Yet he had shattered the phantom of the Clear Sky Hammer, the legendary number one Tool Martial Soul in the world, along with Shrek Academy's proud Seven-in-One Fusion Skill, which had defeated countless powerful enemies!

This could no longer be described as merely powerful. It was simply... unreasonable!

"Mon... monster..." Someone in the stands swallowed with difficulty and muttered in a dry voice.

That whisper seemed to flip some sort of switch. The deathly silence was instantly shattered, and earth-shaking cries of shock erupted like a volcanic explosion!

"My god! What did I just see?!"

"One finger! Just one finger! And the Clear Sky Hammer was gone?!"

"The Seven-in-One Fusion Skill... was broken just like that?"

"How is that possible?! What level is he at? A Titled Douluo?!"

"Zhang Bufan! Nine Cauldrons Douluo! Invincible!"

The wave of sound nearly lifted the roof away, every face filled with disbelief and fervor.

On the Imperial Fighting Team's side, Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and the others had expected it, yet witnessing this miracle-like scene firsthand still made their scalps tingle. As they looked at Zhang Bufan's back, their eyes were full of reverence.

The referee's mouth hung open. Only after a long while did he come back to his senses. He hurried over to inspect the Shrek Seven Devils, confirmed that they had indeed lost their ability to battle, then loudly announced in a trembling voice:

"Team battle soul fight, Imperial Fighting Team, vict—!"

"We won! We won!" Only then did the Imperial Fighting Team's members erupt into cheers. They rushed excitedly onto the platform and surrounded Zhang Bufan. Though they had barely done anything, the joy of victory still filled their hearts.

Surrounded by everyone, Zhang Bufan still wore that lazy smile, as if he had merely done something insignificant. He even patted Yu Tianheng's shoulder and comforted him. "Captain, don't get so excited. Basic stuff."

Yu Tianheng: "..." Am I excited? I'm scared out of my mind!

On Shrek Academy's side, Master Yu Xiaogang abruptly rose from his seat. His face was deathly pale, and his body swayed slightly, nearly unable to remain standing. Flender and Liu Erlong hurriedly supported him.

"How... how could this happen..." Yu Xiaogang muttered absentmindedly. "Seven-in-One, the Clear Sky Hammer... they couldn't even withstand one strike... Was my theory... wrong?" The Martial Soul theories he had devoted his life to studying seemed so pale and powerless before Zhang Bufan's absolute strength.

Flender looked at Zhang Bufan, who was being surrounded on the platform, then at the shattered Yu Xiaogang and the severely injured children below. He shook his head bitterly. "Xiaogang, it isn't that your theories were wrong. It's... it's that Zhang Bufan is an exception. He has gone beyond the scope of our understanding."

On the platform, the Shrek Seven Devils barely managed to get to their feet with the staff's support. Looking at Zhang Bufan, who was surrounded by the Imperial Fighting Team as though he were the center of the stars, their eyes were filled with defeat, unwillingness, and an indescribable trace of fear.

Tang San clutched his chest, where his blood and energy still churned, blood lingering at the corner of his mouth. He stared fixedly at Zhang Bufan. His normally calm, steady eyes were now bloodshot and full of incomprehension.

The Tang Sect's secret arts he had been so proud of, the Clear Sky Hammer he had patiently cultivated for years, the team fusion skill he had painstakingly planned... before that man, they had all been utterly powerless.

"Why..." he whispered hoarsely.

Zhang Bufan seemed to sense his gaze. He parted the teammates surrounding him and walked to the edge of the platform, looking down at the Shrek Seven Devils below.

His gaze passed over Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar... before finally settling on Tang San.

"Hey, hammer boy." Zhang Bufan spoke in the same casual tone.

Tang San raised his head and stubbornly met his eyes.

"Where are your Hidden Weapons?" Zhang Bufan raised an eyebrow, seemingly curious. "Why didn't you use them just now? I heard those things of yours are pretty sneaky. I thought you'd take the chance to give me a few shots."

His words carried obvious mockery, even insult.

Anger appeared on the faces of the Shrek group.

Tang San's gaze turned even colder. He took a deep breath, suppressed his churning blood and energy, and said in a low voice, "My Hidden Weapons kill enemies. They are not for performance."

"Oh? Is that so?" Zhang Bufan grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "Sounds pretty intimidating. But..."

He paused, and the smile on his face faded slightly, replaced by a hint of teasing.

"To me, those so-called Hidden Weapons of yours are no different from slingshots children play with. They're not even as good."

"You!" Xiao Wu was so angry that she nearly rushed forward, but Dai Mubai held her back tightly.

Tang San's fists clenched abruptly, his nails nearly digging into his flesh. The Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons were his greatest pride from his previous life and one of the foundations that had allowed him to establish himself in this world. Yet now, they were being disdainfully dismissed as "children's toys"!

"Not convinced?" Zhang Bufan found Tang San's near-explosive expression rather amusing. "How about this? I'll give you a chance. Right now, use your strongest Hidden Weapon. Ambush me however you want. If you can so much as touch the corner of my clothes, I'll count it as my loss. How about it?"

The entire arena erupted again!

That was far too arrogant!

Although Zhang Bufan's strength was absurdly overwhelming, Tang San's Hidden Weapons were elusive and unpredictable. Even Soul Kings had suffered at their hands in previous matches! How dared he be so careless?

"Bufan!" Yu Tianheng could not help calling out a warning.

Zhang Bufan merely waved his hand, signaling for him to relax.

A sharp light flashed in Tang San's eyes as he stared at Zhang Bufan. "Do you mean that?"

"When I, Zhang Bufan, speak, my word is my bond." Zhang Bufan stood with his hands behind his back and even closed his eyes. "Come on. Let me see just how capable those Hidden Weapons of yours that are 'not for performance' really are."

A provocation! A naked provocation!

Tang San did not hesitate any longer! He knew this was Shrek's final chance to recover a shred of dignity, and also his chance to see just how much weight the Tang Sect's secret arts carried before this monster!

His wrist flicked at a strange angle!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Three nearly inaudible sounds of air splitting rang out!

Silent Sleeve Arrows! They shot straight at Zhang Bufan's eyes and throat, vicious to the extreme!

Yet Zhang Bufan did not even raise an eyelid.

When the three sleeve arrows, moving at extreme speed, came within three feet of him, they seemed to strike an invisible, intangible, yet indestructible wall!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With three crisp rings, the finely forged steel sleeve arrows seemed to have hit a wall of copper and iron. They instantly warped and twisted before falling limply to the ground.

"Too slow. Too weak." Zhang Bufan commented with his eyes closed, disappointment in his voice. "Is there more?"

Tang San's expression changed as he gritted his teeth and struck again!

His hands flashed repeatedly, countless dense cold glints pouring down like a rainstorm, covering the vital points all over Zhang Bufan's body! These were even more powerful mechanism-type Hidden Weapons, such as the Sand Scatterer and Back-Mounted Flower Crossbow!

Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang...

Another series of crisp impacts rang out, dense as rain striking banana leaves.

Every Hidden Weapon, without exception, was blocked by the invisible Soul Power barrier three feet before Zhang Bufan. Not one of them so much as touched his clothing.

The spectators watched in stunned silence. Many of them had not even seen how the Hidden Weapons had been fired. They only saw Tang San move his hands, sparks erupt before Zhang Bufan, and every attack becoming ineffective.

"The concealment is decent, but unfortunately, the energy fluctuations are far too obvious." Zhang Bufan spoke again, like a teacher evaluating a student's assignment. "To my senses, they're as bright as torches in the night."

Tang San's face had gone from pale to green, then from green to red. His strongest mechanism-type Hidden Weapons could not even break through the other man's defenses?!

He refused to believe it!

The Mysterious Heaven Skill circulated madly within him. His technique changed, no longer relying on mechanisms. Instead, he used Tang Sect hand techniques—Bat Wing Cycle, One Thousand and One Nights, and other exquisite methods! Willow Leaf Blades, Money Darts, Bone-Piercing Needles... all manner of bizarre Hidden Weapons shot toward Zhang Bufan along strange arcs and from every unimaginable angle!

This time, the Hidden Weapons were clearly faster and more powerful, even producing piercing shrieks!

Yet the result remained the same.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

Every Hidden Weapon, no matter how tricky its trajectory or swift its speed, was precisely intercepted and knocked away by an invisible force the moment it came within three feet of Zhang Bufan. That invisible Soul Power barrier seemed like an absolute domain, cutting off all outside attacks.

"Your techniques are flashy and impractical." Zhang Bufan finally opened his eyes. Looking at Tang San's ashen face and ragged breathing, he shook his head. "That's it? This is the trump card you've been hiding? What a... disappointment."

Damn, this guy's Hidden Weapon techniques actually have some real substance. If my Divine Sense weren't so powerful, and my Soul Power control so precise, someone at the same level might really have fallen for it.

But compared to modern firearms, this speed and penetration are basically toys. A bullet's muzzle velocity is several hundred meters per second. His is at most a hundred, right? And he's throwing them by hand...

The power isn't enough either. It would probably struggle to break a Soul Ancestor's defenses, let alone the shield formed by my Chaos Divine Power.

What a waste. I was hoping it would at least make me take things a little seriously.

Listening to Zhang Bufan's merciless assessment and looking at the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons scattered across the ground, warped and twisted, Tang San felt an unprecedented humiliation and despair rise in his heart.

One of his greatest supports had been belittled as worthless before his strongest opponent.

"Children's toys... children's toys..." he repeated those four words blankly, his resolve as a cultivator nearly shattered.

Seeing his dazed state, Zhang Bufan felt that was enough and could not be bothered to provoke him further. He turned to the referee. "Referee, can you announce it now? I'm really hungry."

Only then did the referee recover from his string of shocks and hastily announce again, "Imperial Fighting Team wins! They advance to the finals!"

Zhang Bufan nodded in satisfaction. Under countless reverent, worshipful, fearful, and complicated gazes, he shoved his hands into his pockets, whistled, and sauntered off the platform.

As he passed the Shrek group, he paused and glanced at the listless Tang San before casually leaving behind a single sentence:

"Hidden Weapons are ultimately external things. If your heart is crooked, even the best technique is a wicked path."

After saying that, he did not linger and left directly.

Tang San's entire body shook. He abruptly raised his head and watched Zhang Bufan's departing back, his eyes fluctuating violently as he sank into deep thought.

In the stands, Huo Wu watched Zhang Bufan walk safely off the platform. The tension that had been tightly wound in her heart finally eased, and she let out a soft breath. That bastard... he may be annoying, but he's so strong that there's nothing anyone can say.