Shrek's Tradition

One million!

Not one hundred and fifty thousand!

He had spent a full three million on three of them!

That came out to one million each!

But when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back down.

Because he could not explain it.

After all, a Primary Spirit Ascension Platform entry card normally sold for around one hundred and fifty thousand.

If he said he had spent three million on three cards, what would people think of him?

What kind of fool would they take him for?

How would they mock him?

The aloof image Wu Changkong had worked so hard to establish at the academy would be ruined in an instant.

So he could only grit his teeth and swallow all his grievance and reluctance.

In the end, he took a deep breath and put the entry cards back into his Storage Soul Guidance Device.

Then, he rummaged through it and took out something else.

It was a fist-sized piece of metal, deep blue throughout, with specks of silver light glittering over its surface like stars in the night sky.

A rare metal—Deep Sea Sunken Silver.

And it was of exceptionally high quality.

Its market price was usually around three million.

Wu Changkong held the Deep Sea Sunken Silver in his palm and looked at Han Li, his voice calm and restrained.

"Will this do?"

Han Li nodded at that.

"Yes."

Rare metal worth three million.

That was a decent enough wager.

The corners of Han Li's lips lifted slightly as he walked to the center of the field.

Wu Changkong withdrew his gaze and turned to Tang Wulin.

He spoke each word distinctly.

"You must win."

His tone was calm when he said it, without deliberate emphasis or any further explanation.

To him...

It was the most natural demand in the world.

As natural as using chopsticks to eat or using a cup to drink water.

He did not think those words would put any pressure on Tang Wulin.

The thought had not even crossed his mind.

Because at Shrek...

Winning was the foundation. It was what was expected.

It was the continent's foremost Soul Master Academy, having produced countless powerhouses over the past twenty thousand years.

In Shrek's dictionary...

There was no "just do your best," no "participation is what matters." There was only winning, victory, and first place.

From the day they enrolled...

Every Shrek student was instilled with that belief.

You had to win. You had no reason to lose.

And as one of Shrek's outstanding students, Wu Changkong himself had grown up this way.

In the dictionary of his life...

The word "lose" did not exist.

From childhood to adulthood, from elementary academy to Shrek, from student to teacher, he had won countless times.

In his mind, winning was the only standard, and there was no excuse for losing.

Even in order to win...

Using any means necessary was right.

That was what Shrek had taught him, and it was a creed carved deep into his bones.

Rules were made for the weak.

True powerhouses only cared about the result.

No matter what methods were used or what price was paid, as long as you stood in the victor's place in the end...

You were right.

Hearing this, Tang Wulin nodded solemnly. He looked at Wu Changkong with determined eyes and answered earnestly.

"I will definitely win, Teacher Wu."

Over the past few days, he had indeed changed greatly.

Not only had the first Soul Spirit of his Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul evolved from a ten-year Soul Spirit into a Hundred-Year Soul Spirit.

Wu Changkong had also paid out of pocket to add a Hundred-Year Soul Spirit to his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

Both of his Martial Souls now possessed Hundred-Year Spirit Rings, which was already quite an impressive setup among those his age.

In other words, his current strength...

Far surpassed that of an ordinary two-ring Soul Grandmaster.

Moreover, he knew that Han Li's other Martial Soul had no Soul Rings attached to it.

That meant...

At present, only Han Li's healing-type Martial Soul had two Soul Rings attached to it, while his Golden Dragon King Martial Soul had none.

Although the two Soul Rings on that healing-type Martial Soul were both purple Millennium Spirit Rings.

The problem was that Martial Soul had not provided him with any offensive Soul Skills.

In particular, Han Li had not used a single Soul Skill from beginning to end during their previous battle.

What did that mean?

It meant Han Li's two Millennium Spirit Rings were very likely both support-type Soul Skills.

And the Golden Dragon King Martial Soul itself, without the enhancement of Soul Skills, only possessed relatively strong physical power.

Therefore, Tang Wulin was actually fairly confident.

His Clear Sky Hammer was the number one weapon Martial Soul in the world, and his Hundred-Year Spirit Rings had also granted him two offensive Soul Skills.

His odds of winning were actually quite high.

At that moment, Tang Wulin took a deep breath and stepped into the center of the field.

Then, Tang Wulin came to stand opposite Han Li, with roughly ten meters between them.

On the field, the students from both classes automatically spread out and retreated to the edges.

Wu Changkong stood at the side of the field with a blank expression.

He took a deep breath, then spoke calmly.

"The match begins."

The moment his words fell.

Tang Wulin moved instantly.

His right hand shot out, and the pitch-black Clear Sky Hammer appeared in his palm out of thin air.

At the same time, two Hundred-Year Spirit Rings slowly rose from beneath his feet, one above and one below, circling his body and radiating bright yellow light.

Then...

Tang Wulin stomped hard with his right foot, launching himself forward as he charged at Han Li like an arrow loosed from a bow.

His speed was astonishing. Dirt flew in every direction beneath his feet, and an afterimage lingered in the air.

At the same time...

His first Soul Ring lit up.

A dazzling burst of light erupted from the Clear Sky Hammer.

The patterns on the hammer seemed to come alive as a violent power surged forth from within it and flooded into Tang Wulin's arms.

His muscles tensed, veins bulging as he raised the Clear Sky Hammer high and brought it crashing down toward Han Li's head with the force of Qian Jun.

This was his first Soul Skill.

Its effect was simple and direct: it greatly enhanced the Clear Sky Hammer's attack power and destructive force.

With the enhancement of a Hundred-Year Spirit Ring, the force of this strike was several times greater than usual.

At the same time, Blue Silver Grass, tougher than before, surged madly from Tang Wulin's body.

Dozens of emerald-green blades of grass grew from him and rapidly spread along the ground, coiling toward Han Li's feet and waist like spiritual snakes.

Strengthened by the Hundred-Year Soul Spirit, this Blue Silver Grass was far tougher than before.

Therefore, once it wrapped around someone...

Breaking free would be anything but easy.

This attack...

Could be said to have used all of Tang Wulin's strength.

Han Li's response was very simple.

Golden light lit up on his right hand.

The Golden Dragon Claw took shape.

Then, Han Li raised his right hand and met Tang Wulin's descending Clear Sky Hammer with a claw.

The next second—

"Boom!"

A dull, thunderous explosion erupted across the field.

Then, a visible shockwave spread in all directions, sending dust and fallen leaves flying into the air.

The dust on the ground was swept up by the shockwave, forming a small cloud that engulfed them both.