Spirit Hall's humiliation had begun with Tang San's certainty.
Spirit City.
On the balcony of a tavern,
Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, and the others had gathered.
Like the many lively pedestrians in the streets below, Tang San and his companions gazed toward the Pope's Palace, their expressions grave.
Qian Daoliu's Martial Soul had vanished from the sky, but the lingering might of the fully manifested Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul had still startled the entire city. Many people were still gazing apprehensively at the heavens.
The vast fluctuations of Soul Power had left even ordinary people who had never awakened their Martial Souls deeply shaken.
"Third Brother, is Spirit Hall trying to intimidate us?"
Leaning against Tang San, Xiao Wu gazed at the distant sky, still shaken. She asked uneasily,
Tang San put an arm around Xiao Wu and furrowed his brow slightly. "Partly, but not entirely. I could feel a battle taking place in that direction just now."
"Before the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul appeared, there was an orange-red tornado of spiritual power over there. That must have been that fellow named Qian Renyu making his move."
"When the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul suddenly appeared, it might have been to put an end to the battle—and also to intimidate us!"
Tang San explained in a grave voice.
As he spoke, he kept looking toward the Pope's Palace.
His slightly narrowed eyes occasionally flashed with a cold glint.
"The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, a legendary god-level Martial Soul. But its power seems far too terrifying!"
"Even from this far away, its might is astonishing. It seems even stronger than many Titled Douluo!"
Tang San silently analyzed what he had witnessed.
The more he considered it, the harder it became to calm down.
Just then, Ning Fengzhi entered from the room with Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo. He joined Tang San and the others on the balcony as if he were one of them.
His deep, serious gaze turned toward the Pope's Palace, just like Tang San's.
After a moment's thought, Ning Fengzhi asked gravely, "Tang San, are you shocked by that Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul?"
Tang San nodded. "I am. That Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul feels incredibly powerful. I suspect its owner is among the very best even among Titled Douluo."
Ning Fengzhi listened calmly. When Tang San had finished, he turned to Sword Douluo.
Sword Douluo understood what Ning Fengzhi meant. With his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes suddenly gleamed.
"Tang San, it's only natural that the owner of this Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul would surpass most Titled Douluo."
Sword Douluo said in a grave tone, "If my senses are right, its owner is Qian Daoliu, the current Grand Pontiff of Spirit Hall."
"As Grand Pontiff of Spirit Hall, Qian Daoliu has already reached the summit of Douluo Continent. His strength has long since reached the level of a rank ninety-nine Titled Douluo!"
Hiss—
Gasps filled the balcony.
As soon as Sword Douluo finished speaking, everyone stared at him in shock.
Even Ning Fengzhi looked shaken.
If Ning Fengzhi was this surprised, Tang San, Dai Mubai, and the others were even more horrified.
Xiao Wu reacted most strongly of all. Pressed against Tang San, she stiffened, wishing she could melt into his body.
Remembering some things Sword Douluo had once alluded to, Ning Fengzhi quickly regained his composure.
He studied the reactions of Tang San and the others, then spoke again. "Have you all lost your fighting spirit? Now that you know the owner of that Martial Soul is a rank ninety-nine Titled Douluo, have you lost the courage to stand against him?"
Tang San abruptly came to his senses and hurriedly shook his head. "Uncle Ning, you misunderstand. We were just surprised by the strength of the Martial Soul's owner."
"As for our fighting spirit, nothing could shake it. Besides, the Spirit Master Tournament has rules, and the Grand Pontiff of Spirit Hall Sword Douluo mentioned is already far older than the age limit. He couldn't possibly compete himself."
"So there's no need to worry about any of that. We don't need to worry at all!"
"If there's no need to worry about someone of that caliber entering the tournament, then Shrek Academy will undoubtedly take the championship this time!"
Tang San spoke with absolute certainty.
His words were firm, and his eyes shone with unwavering confidence.
Ning Fengzhi looked at Tang San with approval and laughed. "Well said. That's the Tang San I know!"
"You're young, yet your fighting spirit is so unyielding. I'm confident you can win the championship."
"Since your fighting spirit hasn't been affected, I won't keep you from your preparations."
"If you have any questions or concerns, you can come to me anytime!"
With that,
Ning Fengzhi left again with Sword Douluo, without lingering.
As soon as Ning Fengzhi had gone, Dai Mubai and the others gathered around Tang San.
At the same time, Tang San's expression darkened. Once Ning Fengzhi had left, everything that had happened earlier came flooding back to him.
Every time he thought about it, he felt bitter. The feeling of being bullied without the power to fight back had nearly made him lose control of himself several times.
"Xiao San, have you thought about our preparations for the tournament?" Dai Mubai asked.
Tang San came back to himself. "Boss Dai, I've worked out some of the plans. Our teacher has been captured, Er Long is seriously injured, and Dean Flender will have to devote most of his energy to looking after her."
"From now on, leave all the preparations and plans to me. Qian Renyu doesn't think Shrek Academy can win the championship. That just makes it all the more important for us to win and show him!"
Dai Mubai didn't mind Tang San taking charge of Shrek Team's strategy outright. Although he was technically the team captain, Tang San had been leading them all along.
Dai Mubai didn't object. Neither did Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, or the others; they already regarded Tang San as their unquestioned leader.
As for the substitutes—Jiang Zhu, Tai Long, Jing Ling, and Huang Yuan—they had no objections either, nor were they in a position to object.
When Tang San saw that Dai Mubai and the others had no reaction, he swallowed the rest of what he had been about to say.
After settling who would take command, Tang San strode to the edge of the balcony and gripped the railing with both hands.
He gazed toward the Pope's Palace and let out a heavy breath.
Deep inside, one thought after another surfaced.
"The fourth rule in the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record says that Tang Sect disciples must not provoke trouble lightly. But if someone attacks us first, we must answer with thunder!"
"Qian Renyu has already attacked us first. He doesn't want to see Shrek Academy win the championship. So we have to win it with thunder and make all his plans fall through!"
"Let Qian Renyu—and all of Spirit Hall—lose face!"
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