Tang Hao Fled in Defeat

The result was a lash from the Jadeplume Terrorshroom's tail that sent him flying backward, blood spraying from his mouth.

The Jadeplume Terrorshroom planted its feet and roared again, as though mocking Tang Hao.

Tang Hao wiped the blood from his lips, his face filled with fury.

"I want you... dead!"

Soul power surged through Tang Hao, and all his soul rings appeared: two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red.

Lightning flickered over his martial soul, the Clear Sky Hammer.

"Clear Sky Nine Jue: Instant Form! Move free and unfettered, flicker in and out in an instant!"

Tang Hao shot forward, bringing the Clear Sky Hammer crashing down onto the Jadeplume Terrorshroom's head.

Naturally, the Clear Sky Hammer's lightning attribute also affected the Jadeplume Terrorshroom.

Lightning was indeed a powerful attribute, but against the Jadeplume Terrorshroom, it would send the creature into an aggravated state.

Tang Hao froze for a moment when he saw the Jadeplume Terrorshroom enter an aggravated state after absorbing the lightning energy.

"What?! This beast can even absorb lightning!"

Aggravated: Fungus King's Swift Dance!

The Jadeplume Terrorshroom shook its head and lashed its tail, unleashing an unending barrage of attacks.

"Clear Sky Nine Jue: Tremor Form! Turn force against force, soften the impact with tremors!"

Tang Hao retreated as he fought. By now, he could clearly feel his body weakening and his mind growing foggy.

The surrounding spores had been working on him all along. Tang Hao had underestimated how dangerous they were, and he had never expected Lan Yu to drag him into a battle of attrition.

The instant Tang Hao's attention slipped, the Jadeplume Terrorshroom let out another piercing cry.

Catalyzing Plumage!

Clumps of grass-element energy shot from the Jadeplume Terrorshroom's tail feathers like missiles, locking onto Tang Hao.

"Damn it! Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer!"

Tang Hao could only use Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer to fend off as many of the incoming Grass Element Missiles as possible.

But no defense could hold forever. Several Grass Element Missiles still struck Tang Hao.

The grass-element energy exploded, blasting bloody wounds into his flesh. Lan Yu secretly activated Parasitism, and Fungal Threads slipped silently into Tang Hao's body.

As a Titled Douluo, Tang Hao was acutely aware of his own body. Sensing something wrong, he immediately mobilized his soul power to resist the invading Fungal Threads.

Seeing this, Lan Yu immediately had Fungal Threads drain Tang Hao's vitality and soul power, growing mushrooms around his wounds.

"Clear Sky Nine Jue: Collapse Form! Radiate like a meteor, bring mountains crashing down! Aah...!"

Tang Hao slammed his hammer straight into the ground. A shock wave swept outward, raising clouds of dust.

Then, not daring to linger, he turned and fled in utter disgrace.

Seeing Tang Hao escape, Lan Yu let out a sigh of relief.

"Why aren't you chasing him?"

Lan Yu rolled his eyes at Bifulong. "Don't you know what the Jadeplume Terrorshroom is like?"

Once its aggravated state ended, the Jadeplume Terrorshroom had flopped down like a corpse. It would probably take quite some time to recover.

"Right. How did I forget that?"

"Besides, he still has trump cards he hasn't used. Push him too far, and he really will fight me to the death."

Lan Yu did not know whether Tang Hao could still use the Great Clear Sky Hammer, and he did not want to gamble on it.

Elsewhere, Tang Hao cut away the mushrooms around his wounds. He was ruthless with himself, never making a sound.

"Whew... Damn it. I miscalculated. I absolutely cannot let him grow any stronger, or Xiao San and I will both be in grave danger."

That was what he said, but for now, he could only go and recover from his injuries.

The next day, Lan Yu stepped out of his room to find Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong already waiting for him.

Zhu Zhuqing looked as though she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"If you want to ask something, just ask."

Before Zhu Zhuqing could speak, Ning Rongrong asked, "Did that commotion last night have something to do with you?"

"That's right. I fought a Titled Douluo, and I won."

"Keep bragging. No matter how strong you are, there's no way you could beat a Titled Douluo as a five-ring Soul Wang."

"Believe what you like."

"You... weren't hurt, were you?"

"Seriously? You actually believe him?"

"I do!"

"Oh, you're hopeless."

Lan Yu ignored Ning Rongrong. After breakfast, he took Zhu Zhuqing to Suotuo City's Great Soul Arena.

"Are we signing up for soul fighting? I've wanted to try it for ages. Zhu Zhuqing, let's team up."

Zhu Zhuqing looked at Lan Yu again, and he nodded.

"Yes, you two will team up for two-on-two soul fighting. Zhu Zhuqing, you'll also enter an individual match to hone your control over your strength and gain combat experience."

"Yes!"

"Aren't you going to compete?"

"They can't find me an opponent here."

Lan Yu took out a Gold Soul Emblem. Most of his spending money over the years had come from the Great Soul Arena.

"A Gold Soul Emblem! Is that real?!"

Ning Rongrong looked astonished. She knew just how difficult it was to earn a Gold Soul Emblem at the Great Soul Arena.

"It's only a Gold Soul Emblem. There's nothing difficult about it. As long as you keep winning every match, it doesn't actually take that long."

The corner of Ning Rongrong's mouth twitched. Who could claim they would remain undefeated at the Great Soul Arena? What a humblebrag.

"Zhu Zhuqing, I don't expect you to earn a Gold Soul Emblem. A Silver Soul Emblem will be enough.

A soul master's main focus should still be cultivating soul power. You only need enough practical combat experience to get by."

"Yes, I understand. Rongrong, let's go sign up."

"Oh, okay!"

Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy, Oscar woke to find his room filled with mushrooms.

Even the door was blocked by mushrooms, and it took him quite a while to get out.

Once outside, he discovered that it was not just his room. Mushrooms were growing everywhere throughout Shrek Academy.

Shrek Academy rented half a village for its campus. The other half of the village was perfectly normal, without a single mushroom in sight.

Flender called everyone out, his face livid.

"In the world of soul masters, the strong prey on the weak. If you aren't strong enough, you get bullied. This is a perfect example.

Your first lesson today is to clear away all these mushrooms. Get started."

With just a few words, Flender dumped the work on the students. Tang San cursed inwardly, Damn you, Lan Yu!

A thought suddenly struck Oscar. "Hey, do you think these mushrooms are edible?"

"They are, but they don't have much flavor."

"Huh? How do you know?"

"That person yesterday was a classmate of mine and Xiao San's."

"What?! You mean he's the same age as you two? That's insane!"

"Xiao Wu, stop bringing that guy up. And I'd advise you all not to eat these mushrooms. Who knows whether the ones he's left here are poisonous?"

"Good point. If you're hungry, you can try my sausages."

No one paid him any attention, leaving Oscar thoroughly embarrassed.

"There are way too many mushrooms here. Watch me burn them all away! First Spirit Ability: Phoenix Fire Line!"

The chubby Ma Hongjun set the mushrooms ablaze himself. His flames did indeed burn hotter than an ordinary wood fire.

Even Bifulong's most ordinary mushrooms gave off an enticing aroma under the intense heat.

"Wow, that smells amazing! I really want to try some!"

The moment Oscar finished speaking, countless spores burst within the flames.