Putting on the Mask Also Tore Away the Shackles

His tone suddenly grew heavier.

"You must understand, the path of a soul master is long and arduous! What do a moment of humiliation or a temporary setback amount to? Those who achieve great things do not fuss over trivial matters!"

He avoided Tang San's eyes, which had instantly filled with disbelief and immense disappointment. His gaze drifted toward the window as though reciting some doctrine.

"Anger and revenge are the behavior of the weak! A true powerhouse must learn to endure! Turn this humiliation into the motivation that drives you forward!"

"When you stand at the summit one day and possess the power to crush everything, today's humiliation will naturally be repaid a hundredfold! Rashly starting a conflict now will only damage your foundation and delay your future! Listen to your godmother and endure this for now! For the future!"

Every word was like a poison-dipped needle, stabbing viciously into Tang San's battered heart.

The fingers clutching Yu Xiaogang's sleeve slowly, little by little, loosened and fell away weakly.

The eyes that had just burned with a plea for help went completely dark.

The deepest despair did not come from an enemy's cruelty, but from the moment your loved ones pushed you into the abyss and offered not a rope, but a grand speech about "enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens."

Tang San's body went completely limp, sinking once more into that deathly cold silence.

He closed his eyes, and two streams of scorching, silent tears broke through the dried tracks on his face and poured down again.

So... even his godmother... had abandoned him.

Seeing Tang San in such utter despair, Yu Xiaogang abruptly stood up and nearly fled in panic.

"You... you rest well! Godmother... Godmother will get you something to eat!"

He stammered out the words, then staggered from the room steeped in despair and slammed the door shut behind him, as though he could block out that suffocating heaviness.

The dull bang of the closing door was the final straw that crushed Tang San.

Only broken, utterly suppressed sobs remained in the room, echoing desperately through the dead silence...

It was soon Lin Jiang and Ning Rongrong's turn for the 2v2 spirit battle...

Lin Jiang and Ning Rongrong walked side by side through the passage leading to the spirit battle platform.

With the frenzied stands cut off, only their clear footsteps and Ning Rongrong's slightly hurried breathing remained in the passage.

"The thing I told you to do," Lin Jiang asked in a low, even voice, without a hint of emotion, "did you do it?"

Ning Rongrong's steps paused almost imperceptibly. Beneath her mask, her cheeks instantly grew burning hot, as though flames were scorching them.

Her fingers at her sides instinctively twisted the hem of her dress. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, trembling uncontrollably. "Master... I... I did it. And... I'm not wearing anything underneath..."

Lin Jiang turned his head. His gaze behind the mask's eyeholes swept over her tense body, and his lips curved into a smile only she could sense.

"Very good. There are a lot of people here today."

His words carried another meaning.

Ning Rongrong felt a strange current rush from her spine to her scalp, mixed with overwhelming shame and a secret, kindled excitement.

The mask concealed her expression, but it could not hide the flush rapidly spreading across her neck. "...Mm." She practically squeezed the syllable out of her throat.

Shrek's masks concealed their identities, yet seemed to tear away some invisible restraint.

When the host's voice rang out and announced the entrance of the Azure Vine Team, Lin Jiang and Ning Rongrong received only scattered applause mixed with jeers.

Two unknown nobodies who hid their faces were clearly incapable of stirring the audience's enthusiasm.

Only Ning Rongrong herself knew that every step she took onto the hard surface of the spirit battle platform, every faint tremor and occasional brush of fabric, sent an electric shiver through her body.

Countless invisible gazes were like tangible searchlights, piercing through her thin dress,

making her instinctively press her legs together as a hot current mixed with shame and unhealthy excitement surged wildly through her body.

"Next! Let us welcome their opponents with the loudest cheers—the Wind-Rock Team!"

The host's highly rousing roar instantly ignited the entire arena.

"Four consecutive victories! They are only one step away from entering the glorious Central Spirit Battle District! Will they make history, or fall short at the final hurdle? Let us wait and see!"

Amid thunderous applause and whistles, one tall and one short figure stepped onto the spirit battle platform with arrogant airs.

The tall, thin one had eyes as sharp as an eagle's, while the short, stout one was solid as a boulder.

Their gazes swept over their opponents wearing ridiculous masks. The tall man gave a clear snort of disdain. "Heh, hiding your faces and playing mysterious tricks!"

"Eleventh Spirit Battle Arena, two versus two, second match—begin!" The host fiercely swung down his arm.

"Shriek—!"

With a sharp cry, the tall man spread his arms. His skin was instantly covered in blue-gray feathers, and his hands transformed into sharp eagle talons.

One white and one yellow soul ring lit up beneath his feet.

Martial Soul: Wind Eagle!

"Roar!"

The short, stout man let out a low growl at the same time. His already sturdy body swelled further, and rough, rock-like patterns appeared across his skin.

A layer of earthy yellow light enveloped his entire body, while two soul rings—one white and one yellow—appeared beneath his feet.

Martial Soul: Rock Turtle!

Their team name came from exactly that.

Lin Jiang and Ning Rongrong released their soul power at the same time.

Seven-colored light flowed across Ning Rongrong's palm as the exquisite, crystalline Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda emerged. Two yellow soul rings rose and fell around it, radiating pure support light.

Lin Jiang, meanwhile, appeared far more "ordinary."

Azure Vine crept out from beneath his feet, emerald-green and resilient. Two soul rings rose—one white and one yellow.

He used Soul Ring Disguise to perfectly conceal the purple color of his thousand-year soul ring.

Flander, watching below the platform, raised his brows slightly. "Didn't he have two purple soul rings? How did they become one white and one yellow?"

"A control-type plant martial soul and a support-type tool martial soul?"

The contempt in the Wind Eagle man's eyes nearly overflowed. He grinned viciously at his Rock Turtle companion.

"Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda? Heh, what a pity it's paired with a useless vine!"

The Wind Eagle soul master's sneer was especially piercing above the noisy spirit battle arena.

He fiercely flapped his wings, and the white soul ring beneath his feet lit up.

"First Soul Skill: Wind Eagle Spreads Wings!"

His blue-gray figure shot into the air in an instant, circling above the spirit battle platform amid fierce winds.

His sharp eagle eyes locked onto Lin Jiang and Ning Rongrong below like a bird of prey that had spotted its quarry.

At the same time, the short, stout Rock Turtle soul master let out a muffled roar, and his earthy yellow soul power flared brightly.

A massive phantom turtle shell covered in rock patterns enveloped his body like a moving fortress. Holding that heavy Rock Turtle shield,

he advanced toward the two of them one solid step at a time, carrying an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Even the ground seemed to tremble faintly beneath his feet.

Lin Jiang's eyes narrowed as he instantly saw through their strategy.

"One defensive soul master on the ground draws the fire, while one flying soul master waits overhead for the chance to attack! No wonder they won four straight matches!"

He shielded Ning Rongrong completely behind him, his mind racing—he had to remove the nail in the sky first!

Yet the one who attacked first was unexpectedly the seemingly clumsy Rock Turtle!

"Second Soul Skill: Rock Turtle Impact!"

The short, stout man shouted, and the yellow soul ring beneath his feet blazed with dazzling light!

His massive body erupted with speed completely at odds with its size, like a boulder fired from a cannon.

Holding the heavy Rock Turtle shield before him and carrying a muffled gust of wind pressure, he charged savagely toward Lin Jiang!