The Bait Named Greed, a Twisted Victory

On the day the finals officially began, the atmosphere in Spirit City reached a boiling point.

On the massive plaza in front of the Pope Palace, a magnificent competition arena had been constructed. The stage was paved entirely with expensive black granite and surrounded by a powerful spirit-guided defensive barrier, capable of withstanding bombardment from Spirit Saint-level spirit skills.

Sunlight poured down, casting a golden, resplendent glow.

The three top teams on the continent—Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Star Luo Royal Academy, and the Spirit Hall Academy Team—stood at the very front as the seeded teams. Meanwhile, Shrek Academy and the other teams that had fought their way through the qualifiers were lined up on either side.

Amidst the gaze of the masses, the heavy gilded doors of the Pope Palace slowly creaked open.

Bibi Dong walked out, surrounded by a group of Cardinals. Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo Chen Xin, as special guests, sat in the VIP seats to the lower side of the Pope. On the other side, the two Title Douluo, Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo, stood like two door gods, radiating a suffocating and terrifying aura.

"Elite high-level Spirit Masters of the entire continent."

Bibi Dong's voice, amplified by spirit power, resounded across the entire plaza. "You are the future of Soul Land. To honor the ultimate champion of this tournament, I have specially prepared generous rewards."

Bibi Dong flipped her palm.

Hum!

Three strange rays of light shot into the sky, intertwining into a brilliant curtain of light above the arena.

After the light dissipated, three trays hovered in mid-air.

On each tray lay a crystal-clear bone, radiating a powerful fluctuation.

Spirit Bones.

And these were three top-tier Spirit Bones, each over ten thousand years old!

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence, followed immediately by the sound of heavy breathing. It was the sound of greed.

Even Dai Mubai, Yu Tianheng, and the others standing in the front row revealed undisguised longing in their eyes.

But among everyone present, the person with the most fervent gaze was undoubtedly Tang San.

He stared fixedly at the pale blue skull in the center—the Wisdom Skull of Mental Cohesion.

Mental power... that is a skull to enhance mental power!

Tang San's heart hammered violently, as if it were about to leap out of his throat.

His current Purple Demon Eye was stuck at a bottleneck, and his mental power was insufficient to master higher-level hidden weapon techniques. If he obtained this skull, his strength would undergo a qualitative leap! It might even be possible to solve the backlash caused by his Twin Martial Souls!

This is an opportunity... this is compensation from the heavens!

Tang San screamed crazily in his heart. The humiliation and torture he had endured previously seemed to find an outlet at this moment. As long as I win the championship and get the Spirit Bone, I can turn the tables! I can stand tall once again!

This was hope.

A massive, tangible hope.

However, just as Tang San was immersed in his beautiful fantasies about the future, a highly discordant, lazy voice suddenly shattered the solemn and greedy atmosphere of the scene.

"Tsk tsk tsk, the quality is not bad at all."

Everyone followed the sound.

They saw Yu Tianyu, sitting at the head of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy rest area, crossing his legs and playing with an apple he had produced from somewhere, looking at the three Spirit Bones in the sky with a casual expression.

He took a bite of the apple and said indistinctly:

"Her Holiness the Pope is truly thoughtful, knowing that I've been short a few bones to feed my dogs lately, and specially prepared such a fine welcoming gift."

The entire audience was in an uproar!

What was he saying?

Feeding dogs?!

These were priceless Spirit Bones! They were sacred objects that every Spirit Master dreamed of! He actually claimed they were for feeding dogs?

Moreover, the implication of his words clearly meant he already viewed the championship as his own.

"Arrogant!"

On the side of the Star Luo Royal Academy, a burly youth with a sinister expression let out a cold snort. He was Dai Mubai's brother, Dai Weisi.

"Yu Tianyu, the competition hasn't even started yet; it is not yet known who will claim these Spirit Bones. You are far too dismissive of the heroes of the world."

Yu Tianyu glanced at him and sneered:

"Heroes? Where are there any heroes?"

His gaze swept across the crowd, finally settling on the longing-filled Tang San.

"I only see a bunch of... beggars."

Yu Tianyu stood up, pointed at the Spirit Bones in the sky, and his voice instantly became incomparably domineering:

"Listen well."

"These three Spirit Bones belong to the Yu family."

"I am temporarily leaving them in the custody of Her Holiness the Pope. Anyone who dares to harbor crooked thoughts, or attempts to reach out..."

Yu Tianyu's palm clenched violently, and an invisible dragon might erupted.

"I will chop off his hand, along with his head."

Tang San shuddered, feeling as if he were being stared down by a prehistoric beast. The greed and hope that had just welled up within him were instantly doused by this bucket of cold water, chilling him to the bone.

He looked at the arrogant posture of Yu Tianyu, and the hatred in his heart grew even more intense.

By what right?!

By what right is everything good yours?!

"Just wait... I will definitely win." Tang San lowered his head, masking the malice in his eyes. "This skull bone will be mine!"

The first round of the draw began.

As the focus of the entire continent, the Cardinal fumbled inside the drawing box for a moment.

"First round, first match."

"Shrek Academy, versus, Star Luo Royal Academy!"

Whoosh!

The entire arena erupted once more.

This was truly a fated duel. Everyone knew that Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing of Shrek Academy were the exiled prince and noble of the Star Luo Empire. And the leaders of the Star Luo Royal Academy were none other than their older brother and sister.

This was a family feud, and even more so, a battle of life and death.

In the Shrek resting area.

Dai Mubai's face turned pale instantly, his body trembling slightly. Years of psychological trauma gave him an instinctive fear of Dai Weisi. Zhu Zhuqing also wore a grave expression, her fingernails digging deep into her palms.

"Don't be afraid, Mubai."

Tang San patted Dai Mubai on the shoulder, his eyes flashing with a near-pathological confidence. "I am here. I am determined to obtain this Spirit Bone; no one can stop our progress. Not even your brother."

For the sake of the Spirit Bone and a chance to turn the tables, Tang San's desire to win was now stronger than anyone else's.

"San..." Dai Mubai looked at Tang San's firm gaze and nodded reluctantly. "Alright! Then let's fight them to the end!"

The teams from both sides walked onto the arena.

Dai Weisi looked at Dai Mubai across from him, a cruel smile curling the corners of his lips.

"My dear younger brother, I didn't expect you to have actually survived until now. What? Bringing this bunch of bumpkins, you think you can challenge me?"

Beside him, the curvaceous Zhu Zhuyun covered her mouth and chuckled, looking at Zhu Zhuqing with contempt:

"Zhuqing, after running away from home for so long, is this all the skill you've learned? Better come home with your sister obediently and accept the family's punishment."

"Enough talk!"

Dai Mubai roared, his White Tiger spirit possessing him. Although his momentum was not weak, he was clearly putting on a brave front.

"The match begins!" the referee commanded.

The battle erupted instantly.

Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun were, after all, several years older, with spirit power reaching over level forty and nearing level fifty; they displayed an overwhelming advantage right from the start.

"White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"

"Nether Thrust!"

The spirit skills of both sides collided in mid-air.

Tang San stood at the very back of the formation, his Blue Silver Grass surging out like vipers.

"Bind! Parasite! Spider Web Restraint!"

In order to end the battle quickly and prove himself in front of Yu Tianyu, Tang San used his full strength from the very beginning.

Countless strands of Blue Silver Grass precisely bypassed Dai Weisi on the front line, turning instead to ambush the support-type Spirit Masters in the back row of the Star Luo team.

"Ah!"

Several screams rang out.

A few members of the Star Luo team were tightly bound by the thorn-covered, poisonous Blue Silver Grass, instantly losing their combat effectiveness.

"Good!"

Flender waved his fists excitedly off the stage.

A trace of smugness appeared on Tang San's face. Do you see? This is my control! This is my tactic!

However.

Just at this moment, Yu Tianyu spoke up again from the high platform.

His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached every corner of the arena, like a scalpel precisely dissecting Tang San's inner thoughts.

"Tsk tsk, is this what you call a control-type genius?"

Yu Tianyu shook his head, his face full of disdain.

"Instead of supporting your teammates who are getting beaten up on the front lines, you use all your spirit power to ambush the support on the other side."

"Tang San, have you gone crazy wanting to win? To show off yourself, you don't even care if Dai Mubai lives or dies?"

The audience was stunned for a moment, then immediately turned their eyes toward the battlefield.

Sure enough.

Because Tang San had used all his soul power to ambush the back row, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, who were in the front, were in precarious danger under the combined attacks of Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun, with several bloody wounds appearing on their bodies.

"Damn it!"

Dai Mubai was sent flying by a palm strike from Dai Weisi, vomiting blood, and he couldn't help but feel a trace of resentment toward Tang San in his heart.

I'm fighting for my life on the front lines, and you're back there farming stats?

After being prompted by Yu Tianyu, the audience, who had originally thought Tang San's tactics were brilliant, immediately changed their tune.

"Yeah, that's just too selfish."

"He's selling out his teammates."

Hearing these discussions, Tang San's face flushed bright red.

"That's not it! I'm trying to clip their wings first!"

He defended himself in his heart, but his movements became erratic.

"Damn you, Yu Tianyu! You're messing with my focus!"

On the battlefield, the situation changed in the blink of an eye.

Seeing the back row being cut off, a flash of ruthlessness crossed Dai Weisi's eyes.

"Zhuyun!"

"Coming!"

The two embraced in mid-air, and their two massive surges of soul power fused instantly.

ROAR--!

A heaven-shaking tiger roar erupted.

A massive Nether White Tiger appeared out of thin air, over eight meters long, exuding a terrifying aura comparable to a Soul Emperor.

This was the true trump card of the Star Luo royal family!

"ROAR!"

The Nether White Tiger swiped a claw, directly swatting away Tai Long and Huang Yuan, who had attempted to block it, knocking them unconscious on the spot.

Immediately after, the giant tiger claw, carrying an aura of destruction, slammed fiercely toward the already heavily injured Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing.

If this strike landed solidly, the two would be either dead or crippled.

"San! Save me!!" Dai Mubai screamed in despair.

At this moment, Tang San faced a choice.

Should he use all his soul power to launch his strongest strike at the Nether White Tiger's weak point to secure victory?

Or should he use Blue Silver Grass to pull Dai Mubai back, giving up the offensive opportunity to save his teammate?

If it were the Tang San of the past, he might have hesitated.

But now, the temptation of those three soul bones, combined with Yu Tianyu's mockery, had caused him to lose his reason long ago.

I must win!

Only by winning can I slap Yu Tianyu in the face! Only by winning can I obtain the soul bones!

Sacrifice... is unavoidable!

A flash of cruelty crossed Tang San's eyes.

He did not use his Blue Silver Grass to pull Dai Mubai back.

Instead, the Eight Spider Lances on his back (even if damaged, they remained his strongest external soul bone) plunged into the ground, using the leverage to launch him into the air.

"This is it! The stiffness after their fusion!"

Tang San advanced instead of retreating, the Blue Silver Grass in his hands transforming into black spears, even interspersed with a few hidden Yama's Invitation (or if not Yama's Invitation, then top-tier hidden weapons like Dragon Whisker Needle).

"Go to hell!!"

Tang San poured all his attacks into the Nether White Tiger's only visual blind spot.

"What?!"

Dai Weisi had not expected that Tang San would disregard his teammates' lives just to launch an attack.

BOOM!

BANG!

Two loud explosions rang out almost simultaneously.

The first was the giant palm of the Nether White Tiger slamming fiercely into Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing.

The second was Tang San's attack successfully striking the Nether White Tiger's weak point at its waist.

"PUH--!"

Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing were sent flying like ragdolls, blood spraying wildly as they crashed to the edge of the arena, their lives hanging in the balance.

"Awoo--!"

The Nether White Tiger also let out a cry of pain, its massive body collapsing instantly. Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun tumbled out, their faces deathly pale, clearly having suffered heavy injuries.

Tang San had won this exchange.

He stood in the center of the arena, gasping for air, looking at his fallen opponents with a trace of wild joy on his face.

"I won... I broke the Nether White Tiger!"

He turned his head to look at Yu Tianyu on the high platform, wanting to see an expression of shock or frustration on his face.

But all he saw was an even more intense mockery.

"Clap, clap, clap."

Yu Tianyu applauded once again.

But this time, his applause sounded exceptionally harsh in the silent arena.

"Brilliant, truly brilliant."

Yu Tianyu stood up, looking down at Tang San from above, his voice filled with disdain.

"For the sake of so-called victory, for the sake of that spirit bone."

"You actually watched your brothers, who fought through life and death with you, get severely injured, choosing instead to go for the kill yourself."

"Tang San, your heart is even blacker than your Blue Silver Grass."

As Yu Tianyu's words fell, the eyes of the entire audience turned toward the edge of the arena.

There, Dai Mubai was struggling to lift his head, looking at Tang San with a face covered in blood.

In those eyes, there was no joy of victory, only deep disappointment and... hatred.

Just a moment ago, he had seen it clearly.

Tang San had the chance to save him.

But Tang San did not.

Tang San chose to let him act as a meat shield, to bear the fury of the Nether White Tiger, in order to trade for an opportunity to attack.

"Xiao... Xiao San..."

Dai Mubai spat out a mouthful of blood, his voice trembling, "Do you want to win that badly?"

Zhu Zhuqing had already fainted, her breathing weak.

"No... that's not it..."

Tang San looked at the expression in Dai Mubai's eyes, and the wild joy in his heart instantly cooled, replaced by a wave of panic.

"Mubai, if I hadn't done that, we all would have lost! I did it for the team! I did it for everyone!"

He argued loudly, trying to convince Dai Mubai, trying to convince the audience, and even trying to convince himself.

"Enough."

At this moment, Bibi Dong spoke coldly.

"Shrek Academy wins."

Her voice was devoid of any emotion, "But this behavior of using any means necessary for victory and sacrificing teammates is truly a disgrace to the dignity of a Spirit Master."

With a single sentence, the Pope had defined Tang San's character.

The entire audience began to boo.

"What kind of Shrek is this? They're just cold-blooded monsters."

"Selling out their own teammates? Does a person like this even deserve to be a Spirit Master?"

"Disgusting. And to think I actually thought he was a genius."

Countless insults surged in like a tide.

Tang San stood in the center of the arena, still holding his victory pose, but he felt like an isolated island, abandoned by the entire world.

He had won the match.

But he had lost the hearts of others, lost the bond of brotherhood, and lost his reputation.

And this was exactly what Yu Tianyu wanted to see.

The members of Shrek Academy carried the heavily injured Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing away from the arena, slinking off in defeat.

Back in the resting area, the atmosphere was terrifyingly oppressive.

Oscar and Ma Hongjun looked at Tang San with changed eyes, filled with a hint of unfamiliarity and fear.

No one could guarantee that they wouldn't be the next ones to be sacrificed.

Tang San sat in the corner, clutching his head in his hands, in unbearable agony.

He didn't understand why, despite having won, things had turned out like this.

"It's all Yu Tianyu's fault..."

Tang San gritted his teeth, "If he hadn't stirred up the crowd, why would everyone look at me like that? This was clearly a tactic! It was a necessary sacrifice!"

Just then, the curtain to the resting area was pushed aside.

Yu Tianyu walked in.

He still wore his usual leisurely expression, even holding an unfinished apple in his hand.

"What do you want?!"

Ma Hongjun jumped up in fright, blocking the way in front of Tang San.

"Get lost, fatty."

With a casual wave of his hand, Yu Tianyu sent Ma Hongjun tumbling to the ground with a gust of force.

He walked straight up to Tang San, crouched down, and looked at this "protagonist" who was now abandoned by all his allies.

"How is it? Is the taste of victory sweet?"

Yu Tianyu asked with a smile.

Tang San raised his head, his eyes bloodshot like a wounded beast, "You won... are you satisfied now?"

"Satisfied? It's far too early for that."

Yu Tianyu pulled something out from his robes and tossed it in front of Tang San.

It was a bone.

However, it wasn't a spirit bone, but a leftover chicken bone.

"I saw you staring at that Wisdom Skull for a long time earlier, you were practically drooling."

"Since you like bones so much, I'll bestow this one upon you."

"After all, someone like you who would betray his brothers for profit is essentially no different from a stray dog fighting over a bone."

"You!!" Tang San trembled with rage, wanting to strike, only to find that under the pressure of Yu Tianyu's aura, he couldn't even move a finger.

"Don't be in such a hurry to get angry."

Yu Tianyu leaned into Tang San's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"The next match, if I recall correctly, you are to face the Spirit Hall Academy."

"That is, those three guys you call the 'Golden Generation'."

"Tang San, a friendly reminder."

"That flower on your little rabbit seems to be withering."

"If her aura were to leak out during that match..."

"Tell me, how do you think Bibi Dong, sitting up on the stage, along with those two Title Douluo, would react?"

Boom!

Tang San felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Love-Sickness Heartbroken Red!

That was the only barrier masking Xiao Wu's aura!

If the flower withered, or fell off during the intense battle...

"You... what do you want?!" Tang San asked in terror.

"I don't want anything."

Yu Tianyu stood up and clapped his hands, as if brushing off something dirty.

"I just want to see."

"Between a spirit bone and Xiao Wu, between your own life and the life of your lover."

"This time, who will you choose to sacrifice?"

Having said that, Yu Tianyu laughed heartily and turned to leave.

He left behind only Tang San, staring at the chicken bone on the floor and Xiao Wu, who was watching him with concern not far away, as he sank into an unprecedented abyss of despair.

This wasn't a competition at all.

This was a complete and utter slow execution of his humanity.