When Ning Rongrong heard Tang San say "begin the ultimate plan," the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in her palm had already gathered most of its light.
She paused for a moment, the scene from that morning flashing through her mind.
That morning, after the individual competition was canceled, the Shrek Seven Monsters sat in a circle in the rest room at Shrek Academy to discuss the afternoon's matches.
The other three substitutes didn't join in. Yu Xiaogang told them personally, "The finals are different from the qualifiers and the qualifying rounds. The margin for error is too low. To increase our chances of winning, Shrek must arrange for the seven players with the best chemistry to play." The three didn't say anything more, nodded, and left the discussion.
Yu Xiaogang walked in, and without exchanging pleasantries, went straight to the point:
"We've never really figured out the secrets of the Godwind Academy. In the qualifying rounds, they only had four people take turns playing, while the rest were all hidden."
Currently, all we know is that Feng Lingtian is Soul King, Feng Xiaotian is most likely one as well. But we have no idea what level or strength the other players who haven't appeared yet possess.
Therefore, to be on the safe side, we must field our seven strongest and most coordinated players.
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "I know you have opinions about me, that you think I favor Tang San, that you're just tools. I know all of that."
But what I want to say is that it wasn't me standing on the stage this afternoon, it was you. If you win, the glory is yours, and the future is yours. If you lose, the burden of defeat is yours, not mine.
Yu Xiaogang's tone turned slightly somber. "So, whatever your opinions of me, put them aside for now. There's only one goal now—"
Take this afternoon's match seriously. If you win, you can compete for the championship; if you lose, you can go your separate ways after the match, and I won't stop any of you.
Then he changed the subject. "Therefore, I have prepared a backup plan, a set of results that I have been researching for half my life - the Seven-in-One Fusion Skill."
Using Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda as a hub, all the Soul Power of the six of you will be gathered into Tang San alone. Combined with Tang San's own Soul Power, he will temporarily bear the power of seven people.
Tang San, using the Clear Sky Hammer as his foundation and fusing the power of seven people, unleashed a burst of power far exceeding the norm. "If ordinary methods fail in this afternoon's match, then this Seven-in-One Fusion Skill will be your last resort to turn the tide."
"However, this fusion technique requires extremely high precision in Soul Power transmission— Ning Rongrong, can you use the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Heart Separation Control Technique—"
"I'm sorry, Grandmaster." Ning Rongrong raised her head, her voice soft but clear, "I understand your considerations, but Heart Separation Control is a secret technique of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and I cannot pass it on to outsiders."
Yu Xiaogang was silent for two seconds, a hint of disappointment flashing across his face. "Fine, if you're not willing, then forget it."
If Tang San had learned Heart Separation Control and alternated between his Blue Silver Grass and Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul, the stability of his fusion skill would have been much higher.
He composed himself. "But it's alright. Without Heart Separation Control, the fusion technique can still be activated, just less stable and shorter in duration. But this is the strongest trump card we can offer right now."
After Yu Xiaogang finished speaking, he turned and walked out of the lounge. The door closed softly behind him, and no one in the lounge spoke; a long silence followed.
Ning Rongrong kept her head down, her fingers clenching and unclenching on her knees. She knew that regardless of whether they won or lost that afternoon, the Shrek team probably wouldn't be able to continue.
Yu Xiaogang's words weren't a threat; he simply brought to the surface what everyone knew in their hearts but no one dared to say. If they won, they would still walk together for a while; if they lost, they would each go their own way.
She thought of Dai Mubai's occasional absent-minded glances towards the Star Luo Empire during training, of her father's words before they even arrived in Spirit City: "Come back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect with me after this," and then she thought of Oscar—
Oscar must have overheard his father's conversation with him on the way home the day before yesterday.
The partner of the young sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect must be Power Attack System or Defense System Soul Master, otherwise he will not be able to protect the sect.
Oscar, being Food System Soul Master with no offensive capabilities, was never among the candidates the sect was looking for for Ning Rongrong.
Oscar didn't say anything at the time, but after that he trained harder than anyone else, to the point that it was heartbreaking to watch.
This team is no longer the same.
The recollection ends.
On the arena, Ning Rongrong gripped the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda again, her gaze sweeping over Tang San's back, Xiao Wu's tense shoulders, Dai Mubai's heavy breathing, finally settling on Oscar's hand hanging by his side, his clenched fist slowly loosening.
She cannot retreat in this battle.
Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth and poured her Soul Power into the tower.
Suddenly, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda burst forth with a rich golden light, rising from Ning Rongrong's palm into the air. The nine stories of the pagoda lit up simultaneously, and nine-colored streams of light poured down, enveloping all seven members of Shrek Academy.
Oscar had already swallowed three Sausage. The moment the pulling force spread from the tower, the seven people moved in unison—
Dai Mubai placed his hand on Tang San's left shoulder, Ma Hongjun placed his hand on Tang San's right shoulder, and Xiao Wu stood behind Tang San, placing her hands on his back.
Zhu Zhuqing placed her palm on Tang San's arm from the side, while Oscar, close to Ning Rongrong, placed his hand on the base of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and poured his Soul Power directly into the pagoda.
Seven people formed a complete transmission chain. Ning Rongrong stood in the center, Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda extracted, gathered, and compressed the Soul Power of all of them, pouring it into Tang San's body along the golden light path.
Tang San did not release his Martial Soul. He had already retracted the Blue Silver Grass. He stood in place with his arms hanging naturally, allowing the six streams of Soul Power to flow into his body in turn, intermingling, colliding, and fusing with his own Soul Power.
Seven forces surged and flowed within his body, and his Soul Power Level began to rise dramatically—fifty-three, fifty-eight, sixty-three, sixty-eight, and seventy.
A phantom image of a jet-black Clear Sky Hammer rose from behind Tang San, its body swirling with dark gold patterns. An immense, overwhelming pressure spread out, causing the arena's stone slabs to crack like spiderwebs under the pressure.
That was the Clear Sky Hammer Avatar, Martial Soul Avatar in the real sense.
Yu Xiaogang stood up on the sidelines, his eyes fixed on the center of the arena. After the seven-in-one transformation, the Clear Sky Hammer Avatar was released!
Whether it was the Godwind Academy players on the field or everyone in the stands, everyone felt that overwhelming sense of oppression.
Pope Bibi Dong rose from her seat, walked to the edge of the viewing platform, and her gaze darkened.
Feng Xiaotian's expression changed for a moment on the field. He subconsciously steadied himself in a horse stance, crossed his arms to protect his chest, and the Wind Scale Armor instantly solidified on his body, pouring almost all of his Soul Power into defense.
When the first wave of pressure from the Clear Sky Hammer Avatar crashed down, his feet slid back half a step on the arena, and the stone slab beneath his feet cracked with spiderweb-like fissures. He gritted his teeth and tensed his arm muscles to the limit, but fortunately, he managed to withstand it.
Su Mei'er, standing beside Feng Xiaotian, was also under pressure. All nine tails of her Martial Soul body exploded simultaneously.
Five solid tails shimmered with five colors of light: lightning, fire, ice, light, and earth. The remaining four ethereal tails also stood upright, with Wind Attribute Soul Power surging and roaring at their tips.
This was the first time Su Mei'er had unleashed all nine of her tails simultaneously in battle.
Jiang Lin, Cheng Luo, Lu Qing, and Zhong Yue each unleashed their defensive techniques, their faces all bearing solemn expressions.
Feng Lingtian tucked his wings in mid-air, using the Peregrine Falcon's agility to avoid a head-on collision, his gaze passing over Tang San and locking onto the person behind him.
Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was still operating, but her fingers gripping the pagoda were beginning to tremble. Maintaining the Soul Power Soul Power for seven people was far beyond her current limits. She could hold on, but for how long?
Feng Lingtian did a somersault in the air, adjusting his angle to position himself so he could cut into Ning Rongrong's flank at any moment. He was waiting for an opportunity.
In the center of the arena, Tang San, carrying the Clear Sky Hammer, walked forward step by step. With each step, a crack appeared on the stone slab.
Feng Lingtian hovered in mid-air, his gaze passing over the dark hammer shadow, remaining fixed on Ning Rongrong's trembling fingertips.