The entire room was silent for a full three seconds.
Then it exploded.
" The Clear Sky Hammer! That's the Clear Sky Hammer!" Someone in the audience stood up, pointing at the black hammer on the field, their voice cracking.
"Isn't he Control System Soul Master? Blue Silver Grass is his Martial Soul!"
" Twin Martial Souls! He possesses Twin Martial Souls!"
Gasps of surprise spread like boiling water from the front rows of the audience to the back. Everyone who came to the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena to watch the preliminary rounds was either Soul Master or an ordinary person with discerning eyes.
The meaning of the three words "Clear Sky Hammer" needs no explanation.
The Clear Sky Sect. The number one Tool Martial Soul in the world. The leader of the Upper Three Sects have been in seclusion for many years.
And now, this hammer is in the hands of a young boy.
Feng Xiaotian's brow twitched. He had been leaning against the railing, but the moment Tang San raised his hammer, his back left the railing.
" Twin Martial Souls," he repeated softly.
Feng Lingtian didn't reply. Of course he knew that Tang San had Twin Martial Souls, and he knew even better than Tang San himself how many people's heads this Clear Sky Hammer would smash in the future. But at this moment, he was more concerned about the VIP seats than the hammer.
Salas stood up.
Salas, the Platinum Bishop of the Spirit Hall, had sat in the center of the VIP section throughout the entire preliminary round, regardless of the match, his expression always half-open, as if nothing could arouse his interest. But now he stood up, placed his hands on the table, and stared intently at Tang San.
Feng Lingtian saw it clearly—there was no appreciation in that gaze, only coldness.
"He's in trouble," Feng Lingtian said.
Feng Xiaotian followed his gaze to Salas and hummed in response.
On the field, the Elephant Armor Academy's reaction was even more direct than that of the audience. Huyan Li at the Clear Sky Hammer in Tang San's hand, his pupils shrinking slightly.
He played in the entire qualifiers, facing tough opponents like Feng Lingtian from the Godwind Academy, Shui Bing'er from the Skywater Academy, and Lei Dong from the Thunder Academy. Each of them was a tough nut to crack.
But he never imagined that Shrek, Control System Soul Master who uses Blue Silver Grass, would actually have Second Martial Soul hidden away.
And it's the Clear Sky Hammer!
" Huyan Li —don't panic!" The teacher leading the Elephant Armor Academy shouted from below the stage, but his voice was drowned out by the noise of the audience.
Panic? Huyan Li didn't panic. He was the strongest disciple of the Elephant Armor Sect in the current generation, and the inheritor of the Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul. The duty of Defense System Soul Master is to never back down in the face of the toughest bone.
"Close it!" Huyan Li roared.
The seven members of the Elephant Armor team simultaneously retracted their formation.
The formation that had initially spread out and dominated Shrek's entire field quickly retreated.
The phantoms of seven Diamond Mammoth overlapped behind them, and the earthy yellow Soul Power flowed between the seven like mud, eventually condensing into a defensive layer that was thicker and more solid than before.
Standing at the forefront Huyan Li, whose skin was as dark as iron. Then he took a deep breath. With a soft crack from the bones in his forehead, a palm-sized bone armor appeared. It wasn't the light of Soul Skill, but something purer and more primal— Soul Bone.
A palm-sized piece of bone armor appeared, its color exactly the same as the Diamond Mammoth's defensive layer, but its texture was completely different.
If Huyan Li's defense was like rock armor before, now he is like the rock armor itself. The phantom of the Diamond Mammoth roared behind him, the sound waves shaking the floor.
" Head Soul Bone!" someone from the Blazing Fire Academy exclaimed in a low voice.
" Huyan Li actually has Head Soul Bone? He's never shown it in any of the previous matches!"
"He was pushed to the limit. Facing the Clear Sky Hammer, he had no choice but to reveal his trump card."
The audience's emotions shifted from shock to excitement. A do-or-die battle in the qualifiers, with one player pulling out the Clear Sky Hammer and the other revealing the Head Soul Bone —this ticket was absolutely worth it.
Tang San glanced at the Soul Bone on Huyan Li's forehead, his expression unchanged. He turned his head and nodded to Oscar beside him.
Oscar paused for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening.
"Then!"
Several Flying Mushroom Sausage were flung from his hand, flying precisely towards Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Ma Hongjun, and Tai Long. The five of them caught and swallowed them, and at the same time, a pair of transparent wings bloomed on their backs. With a push of their toes, they took off into the air.
Tai Long was the last to take off. He glanced at Tang San's back, seemingly wanting to say something, but the effect of the Flying Mushroom Sausage had already carried him into the air.
Oscar swallowed one himself, spread his wings, and flew into the air. He had another one in his hand—for Tang San, so he could throw it down at any time.
The entire audience stared wide-eyed. What kind of strategy was this? Wiping out all teammates and leaving only one person on the field?
"He was afraid of accidentally injuring his teammates," Feng Xiaotian said.
Feng Lingtian nodded. The Clear Sky Hammer's area-of-effect damage was too great; with his teammates standing on the ground, Tang San couldn't fight freely.
Now only Tang San remains on the field.
He held the Clear Sky Hammer in his left hand and his right hand was empty. Opposite him were seven Diamond Mammoth, with the leader, Huyanli, having a shining Soul Bone on his Huyan Li. The seven-person defensive formation was layered on top of each other, like a small fortress.
Tang San made no unnecessary movements. He picked up the Clear Sky Hammer and charged forward.
The first hammer blow was aimed directly at Huyan Li.
Huyan Li did not dodge. The light from the Head Soul Bone exploded to its maximum the moment the hammer touched his defensive layer. With a loud bang, the air was shaken and visible ripples appeared.
The floor beneath Huyan Li's feet shattered into a spiderweb pattern, and he was sent sliding backward by the blow—not backward, but slid backward. His feet carved two deep furrows in the ground, a full seven or eight meters before he came to a stop.
But he did not fall. The light from the Head Soul Bone trembled, but it did not go out. He single-handedly withstood the defensive layer of the Diamond Mammoth.
Huyan Li raised his head, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were still fierce.
The other six members of the Elephant Armor were shaken by the shockwave, and their formation faltered slightly, but they quickly regained their footing.
Tang San looked at Huyan Li. For the first time, his expression during the match was no longer one of calm calculation. He was serious too.
He raised the Clear Sky Hammer, and began to gather power for the second strike. The black light on the Clear Sky Hammer was heavier and deeper than before, as if it were absorbing the surrounding air.
Huyan Li stared at the hammer, the light from the Soul Bone on his forehead shining brightly again. He knew that the previous strike was just a test.