The referee's whistle blew, and the match officially began.
Huo Wushuang was the first to rush out. His Martial Soul was the Fire Lion, and after it possessed him, flames surged around his body. His Fourth Soul Ring lit up, and he pounced on Dai Mubai like a burning beast.
Dai Mubai did not retreat. His White Tiger Martial Soul activated, his fourth soul ring lit up, and the White Tiger Blazing Light Wave met the attack head-on. The flames and the White Tiger's soul power collided, creating a wave of heat. Both of them took a step back, neither gaining an advantage.
Huo Wu wasn't blinded by anger and rushed out recklessly. She stood at the back of the group, with a Support System beside her, their Soul Ring glowing and support Soul Skill continuously flowing into her body. Another Support System stood behind Huo Wushuang, providing him with buffs.
Ma Hongjun made his debut, spreading his Phoenix Wings from the side, with Evil Fire dancing at the tips. He was originally one of his hidden trump cards, but facing a Fire Attribute powerhouse like Blazing Fire Academy, his teammates needed him for points, and his Phoenix Flame might come in handy.
Ma Hongjun found an ordinary member of the Blazing Fire Academy and unleashed his Phoenix Flame. The special properties of the Evil Fire gave him the upper hand for a time, and the member's flames were gradually defeated in the face of the Evil Fire.
But Huo Wu immediately noticed and raised her hand.
With the support of her Soul Skill, the temperature of her flames instantly soared, and a wall of fire appeared in front of Ma Hongjun. It wasn't an attack, but an interception. The temperature of the fire wall was astonishingly high, and Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire was actually forced back when it collided with it.
Ma Hongjun's expression changed. His Evil Fire was almost unmatched among those of the same level, but Huo Wu's flames, with the aid of her, were hotter and had a wider range than his, even suppressing the corrosiveness of his Evil Fire.
"This is impossible!" Ma Hongjun gritted his teeth, flapped his wings fiercely, and created another Phoenix Fire Line.
Huo Wu didn't speak, but simply waved her hand, and the wall of fire grew even thicker. Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Flame were completely blocked outside, unable to advance an inch.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass spread from the ground, attempting to control the Blazing Fire Academy's movements. His tactic was simple—as long as he could entangle Huo Wu and the two support characters, the Blazing Fire Academy's attack power would be greatly reduced.
But the Blue Silver Grass caught fire as soon as it reached out.
It wasn't just one or two blades, but patches upon patches of fire. Huo Wu's Huo Wu covered the entire battlefield. The Blue Silver Grass was as fragile as paper in the face of the flames, burning to ashes as soon as it reached out. No matter how strong Tang San's control over the Blue Silver Grass was, it couldn't withstand the continuous burning of the flames.
Tang San frowned. His Blue Silver Grass was not fireproof. This was a fatal weakness.
Dai Mubai unleashed his White Tiger Fierce Light Wave again, but Huo Wushuang withstood it head-on. Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing flanked from both sides, attempting to bypass Huo Wushuang and rush straight to the back row, but the Agility Attack System from the Blazing Fire Academy filled in in time and stopped them.
In three rounds of attack, Shrek gained no advantage.
A growing murmur of discussion arose from the stands.
" Tang San, the Shrek's genius in Control System Martial Soul, was killed by Blue Silver Grass."
"That Huo Wu, the flames are way too hot! Even Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire can't be contained."
"The support behind her kept healing her, didn't you see?"
"So what's going on now? Is Shrek going to lose?"
"Losing to the Blazing Fire Academy isn't shameful, is it? Blazing Fire Academy was the favorite to win the championship."
"But didn't Shrek Academy say they wanted to be in the top five? Losing to the Godwind Academy could be attributed to bad luck, but losing to the Blazing Fire Academy would put their top five hopes in jeopardy."
In the VIP seats, Ning Fengzhi watched the battle unfold and shook his head slightly. The Blue Silver Grass was completely countered by the flames. No matter how strong Tang San's control was, the inherent disadvantage of his Martial Soul's attributes could not be compensated for.
Sword Douluo stood behind him and whispered, " Tang San isn't panicking; he must have other trump cards up his sleeve."
Ning Fengzhi didn't respond. He knew, of course, that Tang San had a trump card; in the previous match against the Canghui Academy, Tang San had used Hidden Weapon to break the Seven-in-One Fusion Skill. But the new rules had banned Hidden Weapon, so what else could Tang San possibly have?
Salas sat to the side, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest. Shrek's loss to the Blazing Fire Academy was a good thing for him. He didn't want Shrek to make it into the top five; ideally, they wouldn't even make it into the qualifying rounds.
Yu Xiaogang stood on the sidelines, his brows furrowed. He had long anticipated that Blue Silver Grass would be countered by flames, but he hadn't expected it to be countered so thoroughly. Tang San's control was broken, and Shrek's overall rhythm was disrupted.
What worried him even more was that Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Flame was also suppressed. Ma Hongjun was Shrek's only Fire Attribute Soul Master, and he was originally the key to dealing with the Blazing Fire Academy, but now, with Huo Wu's support, the quality of her flame was even higher than Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire.
The only hope is Tang San.
Tang San retrieved his Blue Silver Grass and stood at the sidelines, his gaze sweeping over the formation of the Blazing Fire Academy. Huo Wushuang and Dai Mubai were locked in a fierce battle, neither able to gain the upper hand.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing were held up by the Agility Attack System from the Blazing Fire Academy and couldn't break through for the time being. Ma Hongjun was blocked outside by Huo Wu's fire wall, and his Phoenix Flame couldn't hit him at all.
His own control was also destroyed. The Blue Silver Grass burned as soon as it was extended, and he couldn't even maintain basic control.
Tang San took a deep breath.
He knew he had to use that.
External Soul Bone - Eight Spider Lances.
This was one of his biggest trump cards, obtained from the Man Faced Demon Spider. He had never used it in the competition because he knew that once exposed, it would attract the covetous eyes of countless people. The Spirit Hall, other academies, and even some ill-intentioned Soul Master would all be eyeing him.
But now, without it, they're going to lose. The qualifiers are already halfway through, and losing a match will affect their points. They're still a bit far from the top five, so they can't afford to lose this one.
After Tang San made his decision, his Fourth Soul Ring, which had lasted for ten thousand years, lit up. The Blue Silver Cage wasn't aimed at the people, but at the ground. The Blue Silver Grass rose from the ground, not to attack, but to provide cover—blocking the view of the seven students from the Blazing Fire Academy.
In that instant, a tear appeared in the back of Tang San's clothes.
Eight purple bone spurs burst forth from his back, gleaming with a cold light in the sunlight. The bone spurs were covered with fine patterns, as if they were alive, pulsating slightly.
In the stands, someone gasped.
"Look what that is?!"
" Soul Bone?... It's External Soul Bone!"
How could Tang San possess External Soul Bone?
In the VIP section, Ning Fengzhi's eyes narrowed slightly. External Soul Bone is even rarer than an ordinary Soul Bone. How many secrets does this Tang San still hold?
Sword Douluo's gaze fell on the Eight Spider Lances. He didn't speak, but his expression changed.
Salas's face darkened. External Soul Bone... Shrek Academy is becoming increasingly unfathomable.
Feng Xiaotian sat in the contestant's seat, watching the Eight Spider Lances on the field, without saying a word. Feng Lingtian stood to the side, his gaze calm.
He knew Tang San possessed the Eight Spider Lances, a fact established in the original novel. But seeing it with his own eyes was still a different experience.
On the field, the Eight Spider Lances unfolded behind Tang San, the eight bone spikes like eight sharp swords, pointing at the seven people from the Blazing Fire Academy.
Huo Wu's pupils contracted slightly. That thing... was poisonous. She could feel the aura emanating from the Eight Spider Lances, which made her flames unconsciously weaken a bit.
Tang San's eyes turned purple-gold.
The match isn't over yet. But everyone knows that the battles to come will be different.