Pope

At the referee's command, the match officially began.

The three academies each sent out their first competitor. Blazing Academy sent Wang Xiaofei, Spirit Hall Academy sent a level 46 spirit master, while Shrek Academy's first pick was unexpectedly Huang Yuan.

The drawing of lots was conducted by the three of them, deciding which two academies would fight the first match. The winner would then continue fighting, and so on.

Shrek Academy's luck was astonishingly good. Huang Yuan drew a bye right away. A first-round bye meant that Shrek Academy's competitor could enter later. Not only could they conserve their strength in the first round, but they could also get a better look at their opponents' abilities. It was undoubtedly the best possible draw. Xiaofei could not help complaining about it.

Xiaofei and the Spirit Hall Academy student stepped onto the arena together. His opponent's Martial Soul was a Black Bear, clearly a strength-type Martial Soul. Relying on his incredible speed, Xiaofei continuously attacked him. This Black Bear Soul Elder was far weaker than Xiaofei; he could neither catch him nor hit him, and in the end, he could only admit defeat. Xiaofei had not even used a single Soul Skill.

Next came Shrek's Huang Yuan, who was just about to take the stage. Suddenly, Yu Xiaogang stopped him and said, "Please wait a moment before continuing the match!" The referee was so furious he nearly wanted to throw Yu Xiaogang out of the venue.

In the end, the Pope raised a hand and said, "Please state your reason."

Yu Xiaogang said calmly, "Our Shrek Academy is willing to concede and voluntarily enter the Losers' Bracket this afternoon."

Bibi Dong asked calmly, "Why?"

Yu Xiaogang replied directly, "There is no reason. I believe conceding is our right."

Yet even more unexpectedly, Pope Bibi Dong slowly rose to her feet and nodded at the master. "You are right. It is your right. I should not have asked. My apologies, Elder Yu."

After hearing those words, Xiaofei was clearly speechless. What the hell were these two doing in a setting like this? With the Pope's declaration, Yu Xiaogang was now confirmed as an official elder of Spirit Hall. Who would dare provoke him in the future without knowing better?

Xiaofei thought it over carefully, then gritted his teeth. Damn it, you two bastards. Believe it or not, I'll make you regret this.

At that moment, the referee asked Xiaofei, "Will you continue?"

Xiaofei glanced around and said, "Of course I'll continue!"

Thus, Spirit Hall sent out another Soul Ancestor. This one was level 48, only slightly below Xiaofei in level. However, once he fought Xiaofei, it was obvious that he was no match for him. Whether in strength or speed, the gap was enormous. Before long, he was defeated by Xiaofei. By then, the Pope was already looking somewhat displeased.

The third to take the field was Yan. As a Soul King, Yan was clearly much stronger than the previous opponents. Xiaofei and Yan constantly exchanged punches. Yan truly deserved to be called a top-tier dual fire-and-earth-attribute spirit master; his defense was terrifyingly high, leaving Xiaofei's fists aching. Yan's Soul Skills were quite good as well, all group-attack skills, but they were not very useful against a Xiaofei who could fly.

In the end, Xiaofei used his third Soul Skill in the Spirit Master Tournament: Phoenix Flame Claw. His entire left arm transformed into the arm of a phoenix, its five fingers becoming sharp claws. High-purity phoenix flames covered the entire arm, greatly enhancing the claw's power and speed. He slashed at Yan repeatedly, eventually leaving several huge claw marks across Yan's body and sending him flying off the arena.

At this point, Xiaofei had completed a one-versus-three sweep. Of course, he also looked extremely exhausted, as though he were about to collapse. Naturally, Xiaofei had not used his Soul Bone to heal himself, nor had he suffered any serious injuries. He was merely pretending that his Soul Power had been depleted. The nearby staff hurriedly took Yan away for treatment.

Yu Tianheng, Yu Xiaogang, and some of the higher-ups from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan instantly changed expression upon seeing Xiaofei's Soul Skill. What Xiaofei had used was precisely the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Dragon Transformation. Some of the higher-ups, especially those at the level of Titled Douluo, understood exactly what the term Dragon Transformation represented.

Many people from Spirit Hall were already looking grim. The referee asked Xiaofei, "Contestant, will you continue?" Xiaofei nodded. He would continue.

Spirit Hall's next contestant was Hu Liena. At this point, Spirit Hall could no longer afford to lose. After all, three of their people had already been injured. If they lost now, the afternoon match would become difficult.

After Hu Liena took the field, she launched a continuous barrage of attacks against Xiaofei. Xiaofei struggled to fend them off. Suddenly, his vision blurred slightly, and he immediately understood what was happening. It was probably Hu Liena's charm. In the end, when Hu Liena attacked, he endured the injury and struck her heavily. Both of them fell off the arena at the same time. Blood flowed continuously from Xiaofei's body.

At this point, Xiaofei had completed a one-versus-four sweep. Everyone present was dumbfounded and marveled at his formidable combat ability. The people from Spirit Hall, on the other hand, were livid.

At this point, Blazing Academy still had six people left, and all six were Soul Ancestors. Spirit Hall had only three remaining, their sole advantage being that they still had Xie Yue, a Soul King. Pope Bibi Dong looked over the scene, thought seriously for a moment, then suddenly said, "The Martial Soul Hall Team voluntarily concedes and will enter the Losers' Bracket this afternoon."

The two teams for the afternoon match had been decided: the Martial Soul Hall Team and the Shrek Team. Shrek Team had been the first to concede, and now they had finally gained an advantage. No matter what, at least two injured Soul Kings from Spirit Hall would be unable to fully recover by the afternoon.

As for Wang Xiaofei of Blazing Academy, although he appeared to have lost quite a bit of blood, he had not suffered any serious injuries.

After leaving the arena, four Soul Saint-level healing spirit masters treated Hu Liena and Yan continuously. However, it would likely be difficult for them to return to peak condition before the afternoon match. Xiaofei, meanwhile, was already full of energy after receiving treatment. Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang both called him a monster.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for the afternoon match. Shrek Academy fielded its full main lineup, while Spirit Hall Academy continued with a three-Soul-King lineup. Hu Liena and Yan were clearly not in good condition. Xiaofei estimated that they had recovered at most seventy to eighty percent. However, the Soul Power gap between the two teams was nearly ten levels, and that was not an easy disparity to overcome.

Once the match began, Tang San instantly cast his Fourth Soul Skill, Blue Silver Cage. Seven massive Blue Silver Grass vines surrounded the seven members of Spirit Hall Academy. Then the seven formed a line in this order: Oscar, Ning Rongrong, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, and Tang San.

Oscar pressed both hands against Ning Rongrong's back, pouring all of his Soul Power into her body. Ning Rongrong then summoned a massive Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. The pagoda's three Soul Rings fused into one, exactly Huo Wu's ultimate technique, Ring Fusion.

Then all of Ning Rongrong's Soul Power flowed into Zhu Zhuqing's body, followed by Xiao Wu's, then Dai Mubai's. Afterward, everyone's Soul Power merged into Tang San's body. Tang San's Soul Power suddenly surged, seeming as though it would burst his body apart. Then a black-gold hammer appeared in his hand. The wildly swelling Soul Power within him seemed to pour into the hammer. As it received the Soul Power, the hammer gradually enlarged and solidified, becoming the size of a water vat, while its handle was as thick as an ordinary person's thigh.

Some high-level spirit masters who saw this scene, especially certain Soul Douluo and Titled Douluo, even muttered, "The Clear Sky Hammer... Tool Spirit True Body?"

In the distance, the Spirit Hall members had already noticed that something was wrong. Yan directly unleashed his Fourth Soul Skill, Magma Surge, while Xie Yue desperately slashed at the Blue Silver Grass with his Moon Blades.

By the time they broke through the Blue Silver Cage, the Clear Sky Hammer's Tool Spirit True Body had already been completed. Xie Yue and Hu Liena instantly performed their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Demon Charm. Then it shot toward the people behind Tang San like an afterimage. The Spirit Hall members clearly knew that Tang San's weakness was now the teammates behind him. After all, Tang San's Soul Power came from their transmission, and Ning Rongrong in particular was the key to the entire formation with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda's Ring Fusion and amplification.

However, Tang San activated his Purple Demon Eye and struck Demon Charm with a single hammer blow. Demon Charm flew out of the arena like a baseball. Guards carried the two away, but they had already fainted. Multiple tendons and bones throughout their bodies had been shattered, and their injuries were likely extremely severe.

Spirit Hall's other five members charged at the people behind Tang San from different directions. But Tang San gritted his teeth and simultaneously used the Purple Demon Eye and the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, hammering all five Spirit Hall members out of the arena. Once Tang San dismissed the Tool Spirit True Body, everyone also released the Seven-in-One Fusion Skill.

Shrek Academy ultimately won the match. The Pope looked at Yu Xiaogang with a grave expression before leaving the venue.

Xiaofei had carefully observed Tang San from beginning to end. Tang San's use of the Tool Spirit True Body was not as effortless as it had been in the original story; there was even a trace of pain at the corners of his eyes.

Xiaofei shook his head and left the venue. In his understanding, the Tool Spirit True Body required the complete fusion of one's Martial Soul and Spiritual Power. Even Soul Saints found it somewhat strenuous to use, and they would suffer a period of weakness afterward.

Tang San's Spiritual Power had clearly not reached the Soul Saint realm. It was likely that his Spiritual Power had already suffered some damage. If he used the Tool Spirit True Body repeatedly, he might turn into an idiot without anyone else even needing to strike him. Yu Xiaogang was, after all, only a low-level spirit master and did not fully understand certain matters concerning high-level spirit masters.