Shrek's Tradition

One million!

Not one hundred and fifty thousand!

He had spent a full three million to buy three!

That was one million per card!

But the words reached his lips, only to be swallowed back down.

Because he could not explain.

After all, the market price for a Primary Spirit Ascension Platform entry card was only around one hundred and fifty thousand.

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

What kind of sucker would they take him for?

How would they mock him?

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

So, he could only grit his teeth and swallow all his frustration and resentment.

Finally, he took a deep breath and tucked the entry cards back into his Storage Soul Guidance Device.

Then, he fished out something else from within.

It was a piece of metal the size of a fist, deep blue in its entirety, with tiny, shimmering silver specks on its surface that looked like stars twinkling in the night sky.

A rare metal, Deep Sea Sunken Silver.

And of the highest quality, at that.

The market price was usually around three million.

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

"Will this suffice?"

To this, Han Li simply nodded.

"It will."

Three million in rare metal.

This wager was decent enough.

The corners of Han Li's mouth curled up slightly as he stepped into the center of the arena.

Wu Changkong withdrew his gaze and turned to Tang Wulin.

He said, word by word.

"You must win."

His tone was very calm when he said this, without deliberate emphasis or additional explanation.

In his view...

This was the most natural requirement imaginable.

It was as self-evident as using chopsticks to eat or a cup to drink water.

He did not feel that his words would place any pressure on Tang Wulin.

He hadn't even considered that possibility.

Because at Shrek...

Winning was the foundation; it was expected.

It was the top soul master academy on the continent, having cultivated countless powerhouses over the past twenty thousand years.

In Shrek's dictionary...

There was no "doing your best is enough," no "it's the participation that counts," only winning, only victory, only being number one.

From the day they enrolled...

Every Shrek student was instilled with this philosophy.

You must win; you have no reason to lose.

And as an outstanding student of Shrek, Wu Changkong had walked this path himself.

In his life's dictionary...

The concept of "losing" did not exist.

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

In his perception, winning was the only standard, and there were no excuses for losing.

Even, in order to win...

Using any means necessary was correct.

This was what Shrek had taught him, and it was the creed deeply carved into his bones.

Rules are made for the weak.

The truly strong only care about the result.

No matter the method used or the price paid, as long as you stand in the victor's position in the end...

You are right.

Hearing this, Tang Wulin nodded solemnly, his gaze fixed firmly on Wu Changkong as he answered earnestly.

"I will definitely win, Teacher Wu."

Over these past few days, his changes had indeed been significant.

Not only had he evolved the first spirit soul of his Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul from a ten-year to a hundred-year spirit soul.

At the same time, Wu Changkong had paid out of his own pocket to attach a hundred-year spirit soul to his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul as well.

Having hundred-year spirit rings for both of his martial souls was already a quite impressive configuration among his peers.

In other words, his current strength...

Far exceeded that of an average two-ring Great Spirit Master.

Moreover, he also knew that Han Li's other martial soul had no spirit rings attached to it.

Which meant...

Han Li currently only had two spirit rings attached to that healing-type martial soul, while his Golden Dragon King Martial Soul still lacked any.

Although those two spirit rings on the healing-type martial soul were both purple, meaning they were Millennium Spirit Rings.

The problem was that the martial soul provided him with no offensive spirit skills.

In particular, Han Li had not used a single spirit skill from start to finish during their previous sparring sessions.

What did that signify?

It meant that Han Li's two Millennium Spirit Rings were highly likely to be auxiliary-type skills.

And the Golden Dragon King Martial Soul itself, without the enhancement of spirit skills, was merely strong in terms of physical power.

Therefore, Tang Wulin actually felt a degree of confidence in his heart.

His Clear Sky Hammer was the number one tool martial soul under heaven, and his hundred-year spirit rings had provided him with two offensive spirit skills.

His odds of winning were, in fact, very high.

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

He arrived opposite Han Li, the distance between them roughly ten meters.

On the playground, the students from both classes automatically dispersed, retreating to the edges of the field.

Wu Changkong stood on the sidelines, his expression blank.

He took a deep breath, then spoke calmly.

"The match begins."

As soon as the words fell.

Tang Wulin moved instantly.

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

At the same time, two hundred-year spirit rings rose slowly from beneath his feet, circling his body one above the other, emitting a bright yellow glow.

Then...

Tang Wulin stomped his right foot hard against the ground, leaping forward with the momentum, his entire body rushing toward Han Li like an arrow released from a bow.

His speed was astonishing; the soil beneath his feet sprayed in all directions, leaving a blurred afterimage in the air.

Meanwhile...

His first spirit ring lit up.

A brilliant radiance erupted from the Clear Sky Hammer.

The patterns on the hammer's surface seemed to come alive, and a violent surge of power poured out from the hammer, flooding into Tang Wulin's arms.

His muscles tightened, veins bulging as he raised the Clear Sky Hammer high, bringing it down toward the top of Han Li's head with the force of a thousand jun.

This was his first spirit skill.

Its effect was simple and direct: it significantly increased the attack power and destructive force of the Clear Sky Hammer.

Under the enhancement of the hundred-year spirit ring, the power of this strike was several times greater than usual.

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

Dozens of emerald-green blades of grass sprouted from him, spreading rapidly along the ground like agile snakes, winding toward Han Li's feet and waist.

Strengthened by the hundred-year spirit soul, the toughness of this Blue Silver Grass far exceeded what it had been before.

Therefore, once entangled...

Breaking free would be no easy task.

This strike...

Tang Wulin could be said to have used every ounce of his strength.

To this, Han Li's response was simple.

His right hand lit up with a golden radiance.

The Golden Dragon Claw took form.

Following that, Han Li raised his right hand and met the Clear Sky Hammer that Tang Wulin was smashing down with a single claw.

The next second—

"BOOM!"

A muffled, thunderous roar exploded across the training ground.

Immediately after, a visible shockwave rippled outward, kicking up a sky full of dust and fallen leaves.

The dust on the ground was swept up by the shockwave, forming a small cloud of debris that shrouded both of them within it.