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Ning Rongrong burst into uncontrollable laughter. "Haha, I'm dying of laughter! Dirty Tiger Dai, stop putting on airs—didn't you still get schooled by Brother Tianchen?"
Oscar let out a sigh of relief but couldn't help muttering bitterly, "Dai Mubai only knows how to bully the weak. When he faces someone stronger than him, he turns into a docile big cat. Hmph!"
"Letting him off easy! If I were on the stage, I'd definitely make Dai Mubai sing!" Chen Huayu grumbled resentfully.
Watching Ning Tianchen, who still seemed to be in excellent condition on the stage, Ke Jie couldn't help but smile. "This kid—does he want to pull off another 7-0 sweep?"
After recovering some of his strength through the earlier battle, Ning Tianchen's condition had improved significantly. If he could maintain this momentum, completing a 7-0 sweep didn't seem impossible. Even with his strength not at full capacity, Ning Tianchen had already eliminated Dai Mubai—how could Yu Xiaogang possibly accept this?
After all, aside from Ning Tianchen, the Seven Treasures Team still had two high-level Soul Masters and one Soul King. Dai Mubai hadn't managed to defeat even one of them. With just Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin left to fight, how could they possibly win against the Seven Treasures Team?
"Xiaogang, losing the match is something none of us wanted to see, but Mubai gave it his all. There's no need to dwell on it," Flender said as he patted Dai Mubai's shoulder. "Mubai, head back to the tent and check on Xiao San's condition."
Dai Mubai didn't dare linger any longer and quickly scurried off without a trace.
Yu Tianheng furrowed his brows, his expression darkening as he spoke. "Uncle Xiaogang, the match is still ongoing. Tang San arranged for Huang Yuan to go next. What do you think?"
Yu Xiaogang was seething inside. He wouldn't rest until he took down Ning Tianchen!
"Send Xiao Wu first! She must take down Ning Tianchen!" Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth, almost spitting out each word.
Xiao Wu lifted her chin confidently. "Master, don't worry. I have Teleportation and Invincible Golden Body. Ning Tianchen won't be able to touch me."
Liu Erlong sighed. "Xiao Wu, Ning Tianchen is too cunning. If you sense things going south, surrender immediately."
Xiao Wu shook her head. "It won't come to that, Mom. This match—I'll definitely avenge Brother San. Ning Tianchen is already at the end of his rope. I'm not afraid of him."
---
Inside Shrek Academy's tent
After being treated by the healing-type soul masters, Tang San gradually regained consciousness. He slowly sat up and asked Tai Long, who was standing beside his bed, "How's the situation? Did Big Brother Dai manage to eliminate Ning Tianchen?"
Tai Long quickly steadied him and shook his head. "Young Master San, I've been by your side the whole time, so I haven't kept track of the later matches. But judging from what happened, after your battle with Ning Tianchen, his soul power must've been depleted, forcing him to leave the stage. The next person from the Seven Treasures Team to step up likely won't be a match for Mubai."
As they were speaking, Dai Mubai walked into the tent, his head hanging low in dejection.
Tang San immediately sensed something was wrong and anxiously asked, "Big Brother Dai, what happened?"
Dai Mubai let out two deep sighs, sat down by the bed, and said shamefully, "Xiao San, I wasn't able to eliminate Ning Tianchen. That guy—he's far too cunning. While we were comforting Master, he actually recovered his condition right there on the stage!"
"When I fought him, he suddenly unleashed a burst of power that caught me completely off guard. I nearly suffered serious injuries and had no choice but to surrender."
Upon hearing this, the nearby healing-type soul master let out a sigh of relief. "At most, I can treat one more lightly injured person. If anyone else sustains serious injuries, my soul power won't be enough to fully heal them."
Tang San's heart tightened. He knew Ning Tianchen well—if he had the ability to defeat Dai Mubai, it meant he still had over fifty percent of his soul power remaining. The next person from Shrek's team to step onto the stage would likely be in trouble.
He quickly asked, "Big Brother Dai, who's going up next?"
Dai Mubai replied, "If I remember correctly, it should be Huang Yuan."
Tang San let out a sigh of relief. Huang Yuan was just a substitute; even if he sustained serious injuries, it wouldn't affect the team's overall strength.
"And after Huang Yuan?"
"Xiao San, didn't you arrange the order? After Huang Yuan, it should be Xiao Wu, then Tianxin and Tianheng."
Tang San's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly said, "Big Brother Dai, Huang Yuan's strength isn't enough to deplete Ning Tianchen's condition—he'll just get beaten up for nothing. With Xiao Wu's temperament, she'll definitely get hurt when facing Ning Tianchen. Hurry, go stop the match!"
Dai Mubai didn't dare linger any longer and quickly got up to leave the tent.
Unfortunately, Liu Erlong was already rushing toward the tent, holding an injured Xiao Wu in his arms.
"Teacher Erlong, how did Xiao Wu get hurt so badly?" Dai Mubai was dumbfounded. Tang San had just finished speaking, and Xiao Wu had already lost?
Without paying him any mind, Liu Erlong rushed into the tent, placed Xiao Wu on the bed, and ordered the healing-type soul master to begin treatment.
"Xiao Wu, no!" Tang San's face filled with anxiety as he hurriedly got out of bed. But just as he took a step, he stumbled and fell to the ground.
"Xiao San (Young Master San)!" Dai Mubai and Tai Long quickly helped him up.
"Xiao Wu, who did this to you?!" Tang San's face darkened as he practically spat out each word.
Xiao Wu had already fallen unconscious from her severe injuries and couldn't answer his question.
Liu Erlong's expression turned grim as he explained, "It was Ning Tianchen! After Xiao Wu stepped onto the stage, she launched a fierce attack against Ning Tianchen, but he easily countered everything."
Although Xiao Wu had Invincible Golden Body and Instant Transmission, these soul skills came with significant limitations. Invincible Golden Body could only be used three times a day, while Instant Transmission consumed a massive amount of soul power, making it impossible for her to use it continuously.
Ning Tianchen was well aware of her abilities. During the match, he repeatedly used feints to trick Xiao Wu into using her first two activations of Invincible Golden Body.
With the cover of night, Ning Tianchen's movements became ghost-like, leaving Xiao Wu unable to defend herself properly.
After being tricked into using her first two activations of Invincible Golden Body, Xiao Wu assumed Ning Tianchen's final attack was another feint and didn't activate Invincible Golden Body again.
However, Ning Tianchen didn't hold back this time—his attack landed squarely on Xiao Wu.
After recounting the events of the match, Liu Erlong saw that the healing-type soul master remained unmoved and lost his temper. "What are you still standing there for?! Hurry up and treat Xiao Wu! The academy is paying you five hundred gold soul coins—not for you to sit around and watch the show!"
The healing-type soul master forced a bitter smile. "Vice-Dean Liu, after treating Tang San and Tai Long, my soul power has been heavily depleted. What little remains isn't enough to heal this student. How about giving me half an hour to recover?"
Upon hearing Liu Erlong's words, Tang San mentally labeled Ning Tianchen as someone courting death. And after hearing the healing-type soul master's explanation, his anger reached its boiling point!
Relying on his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps body technique, Tang San broke free from Dai Mubai and Tai Long's support, stormed forward, grabbed the soul master by the collar, and glared at him with murderous intent. "If Xiao Wu doesn't recover today, you will pay with your life for your incompetence."
The healing-type soul master swallowed hard.
In Tiandou City, almost all healing-type soul masters knew that Shrek Academy was a group of ruthless individuals who wouldn't spare even a single bone. Previously, healing-type soul masters who accepted commissions from Shrek Academy were almost always drained of their soul power.
Now it was his turn, and Shrek Academy was even contemplating murder.
Though he was a Soul King, as a healing-type soul master, how could he possibly stand up to battle-oriented soul masters? Even Yu Xiaogang at level twenty-nine could make him cry for his parents.
Moreover, his old bones couldn't withstand such a beating.
If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have agreed to Shrek Academy's commission just for a few dozen extra gold soul coins.
"Rest assured, I'll definitely heal her."
The healing-type soul master didn't dare slack off. Even if it meant draining every last bit of his soul power, he would heal Xiao Wu.
As Tang San let out a sigh of relief, the killing intent on his face remained unchanged. Turning around, he glanced toward the Seven Treasures Academy's tent, the Hidden Arrow in his sleeve ready to strike.
Dai Mubai guessed his intentions and hurriedly stepped forward, grabbing his arm and quietly advising him. "Xiao San, don't do anything reckless. The dean of Seven Treasures Academy is a peak Soul Douluo (Ke Jie's breakthrough hasn't been exposed). If you act rashly, you'll only throw your life away."
"A true man seeks revenge ten years later. After the promotion round, there's still the finals. We'll have plenty of chances to avenge Xiao Wu!"
The killing intent on Tang San's face gradually faded, and he let out a long sigh. "Alright, Big Brother Dai, I'll listen to you this time."
It wasn't Dai Mubai's words that swayed him—it was Tang San's deep consideration of the potential consequences.
After all, Ning Tianchen was hailed as the once-in-a-thousand-years genius of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. His safety was undoubtedly of utmost importance to the entire sect. Attacking him now would not only result in Shrek Academy being disqualified from the tournament under the rules but also invite retaliation from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—something he couldn't handle.
Moreover, Shrek Academy had worked so hard to reach this point. How could he ruin everyone's efforts?
---
With Huang Yuan being effortlessly eliminated by Ning Tianchen, he had now consecutively eliminated five opponents, subtly showing signs of pulling off a 7-0 sweep.
"Do you think Boss can really pull off a 7-0?" Chen Huayu asked nervously.
Shrek Academy's team wasn't some weak squad—they were the second-ranked team in the promotion round. A 7-0 sweep against them would be an unprecedented achievement, unmatched in history.
Ke Jie stared intently at Ning Tianchen. After carefully sensing his condition, he said, "Tianchen still has about fifty percent of his soul power left. After the earlier skirmishes, his stamina has recovered quite a bit. However, the remaining two members of Shrek Academy are Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng—both Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon soul masters."
"Whether he can pull off a 7-0 depends on whether they give him the chance."
"Seven Treasures Academy, 7-0 sweep!" The Portlan Team waved their fists and shouted loudly.
Shrek Academy had once achieved a 6-0 sweep against them, nearly nailing them to the pillar of shame. If Seven Treasures Academy could nail Shrek Academy to the pillar of shame with a 7-0 sweep, they'd be more than happy to see it.
With someone leading the charge, others quickly joined in. In short, they didn't mind stirring up trouble—they weren't the ones involved, so they didn't care. What they wanted was to see an exciting match.
---
In Shrek Academy's rest area
Liu Erlong, Dai Mubai, and the others were in the tent tending to Xiao Wu and weren't present at the scene. Only Yu Xiaogang, Flender, Yu Tianxin, and Yu Tianheng remained.
"Xiaogang, admit defeat. No one expected the match to reach this point, and the children have done their best," Flender sighed.
No one wanted their academy to be nailed to the pillar of shame, so Flender's decision wasn't wrong.
Yu Tianheng hesitated for a moment before saying, "Uncle Xiaogang, Principal, let me fight one more match. Ning Tianchen is far too arrogant. If we don't knock him down a peg, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect might ride roughshod over our sect in the future!"
Yu Xiaogang's mind was clouded with anger. His eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaving rapidly as he nearly roared, "Keep fighting, Tianheng! No matter how much soul power you expend, no matter the cost, you must take down Ning Tianchen!"
Yu Tianheng's gaze hardened as he patted his chest. "Uncle Xiaogang, rest assured. I will definitely defeat Ning Tianchen!"
---
After a brief rest, Ning Tianchen stood once again, sword in hand.
At first, he hadn't planned on achieving a 7-0 sweep.
But plans often change. Now that the match had reached this point, not attempting a 7-0 sweep would be inexplicable.
Yu Tianheng stepped onto the stage.
Learning from Dai Mubai's mistakes, he didn't show any signs of underestimating his opponent. He took up a defensive stance, ready to fight at any moment.
Even if Shrek Academy lost this match, they were still the second-ranked team in the promotion round—they couldn't afford to be underestimated. Ning Tianchen didn't just want to achieve a 7-0 sweep; he wanted to humiliate them!
From the high seats, Xue Qinghe couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, does Brother Tianchen really have a chance at completing a 7-0 sweep?"
"I doubt it." It was Salas who spoke. "Ning Tianchen may be strong, but Shrek Academy's two Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon soul masters are no pushovers either."
Ning Fengzhi forced a smile. "That's none of your concern, Salas. You should focus more on how to make your own team deal with this Seven Treasures Team."
Though reluctant to admit it, he also felt that Ning Tianchen's chances of completing a 7-0 sweep were slim.
---
The direction the match would take still depended on the outcome of the battle.
Once the match began, Yu Tianheng adopted a relatively conservative approach, avoiding any openings.
Since the opponent wasn't in a rush, Ning Tianchen saw no reason to hurry either. He simply stood in place, seizing every opportunity to recover his soul power.
About a minute later, Yu Xiaogang couldn't sit still any longer and shouted loudly, "Tianheng, don't let him keep recovering! End it quickly!"
"Shrek Academy receives a warning!" the referee barked sternly.
Risking a violation, Yu Xiaogang still called out to remind Yu Tianheng, showing just how much animosity he harbored toward Ning Tianchen!
"Fourth soul skill, Blue Lightning Divine Dragon Strike!" Yu Tianheng held nothing back, unleashing his full strength to fight.
Violent lightning surged around him as his arms transformed into dragon limbs, initiating a fierce attack.
Theoretically, before obtaining the True Body of their martial souls, beast-type soul masters held a significant advantage over weapon-type soul masters.
But with Ning Tianchen, this advantage seemed to vanish.
The strength of beast-type soul masters lay in their superior physical prowess, but if they couldn't close the distance, what use was that advantage?
Moreover, Ning Tianchen's close-combat abilities were far from weak.
Ning Tianchen manipulated the Seven Kill Sword, using his sword techniques to block Yu Tianheng's attacks and gradually suppress him.
"Fengzhi, there's a special case in the world of soul masters—have you heard of it?" Gu Rong suddenly spoke up.
Ning Fengzhi didn't react, but Xue Qinghe was the first to respond. "Does Elder Bone Douluo mean Weapon Soul Beast Transformation?"
The Snake Spear Douluo beside him possessed this ability and thus had two True Bodies.
Gu Rong nodded. "Exactly. Tianchen's martial soul, based purely on the Seven Kill Sword, carries traces of dragon power. Moreover, all his spirit rings are derived from dragon-type soul beasts. And his current combat style partially relies on dragon-based techniques."
"Perhaps when he breaks through to level seventy, he can attempt Weapon Soul Beast Transformation."
Ning Fengzhi picked up the thread. "This theory is called Weapon Martial Soul Beast Transformation. Tianchen does indeed exhibit characteristics of a beast-type martial soul."
Upon closer inspection, one would notice that when Ning Tianchen activated his martial soul, his physical attributes were significantly enhanced. Though not obvious, his physical capabilities had already surpassed those typical of weapon-type soul masters.
"Teacher, this isn't easy to achieve, is it?" Xue Qinghe's face showed confusion, but inwardly, he was delighted.
After all, the only person on the continent who had successfully cultivated this theory was the Snake Spear Douluo.
In the future, he could use this as leverage to win over Ning Tianchen.
Ning Fengzhi forced a bitter smile. "Indeed, it's not easy. He'll have to figure it out on his own."
Aside from Weapon Martial Soul Beast Transformation, Ning Tianchen also needed to prepare for cultivating his twin martial souls.
These two talents were rare and unparalleled on the continent, but both were difficult to cultivate—a double-edged blessing.
---
Under Ning Tianchen's overwhelming pressure, Yu Tianheng, though unwilling, still met defeat.
At this point, Ning Tianchen had achieved the feat of sweeping six opponents.
Of course, this match had taken a heavy toll on him. Taking advantage of the break before the next opponent stepped onto the stage, he sat cross-legged and began recovering his condition.
In Shrek Academy's rest area, Flender grabbed Yu Xiaogang's shoulder and urgently said, "Xiaogang, that's enough. Tianheng gave it his all and still wasn't a match for Ning Tianchen. Even if Tianxin steps up, the outcome won't change!"
Yu Xiaogang shook off his hand, his face turning beet red as he pointed angrily toward the stage. "Flender, do you want to sit idly by and watch Ning Tianchen flaunt his dominance on the stage?!"
"No matter the cost, we must stop his winning streak!"
Flender raised his voice. "Xiaogang, do you want to sacrifice our children for nothing?! They've never trained for nighttime combat. Under such dim conditions, this is a disadvantage for us."
"To fight our weakness against their strength—isn't this madness?!"
Yu Xiaogang lost his temper. "Flender, Tianxin is my nephew—it's not your place to decide!"
As their argument escalated, Yu Tianxin quickly interjected, "Principal, Uncle Xiaogang, Ning Tianchen's condition won't hold up for the next match. Once I step onto the stage, I'll definitely win!"
"Tianxin, you…" Flender hesitated.
Realizing his authority as principal had been undermined, he decided to say no more and sat back down in a nearby chair.
As Yu Tianxin made his way to the stage, many teams began jeering.
"Ning Tianchen, 7-0 sweep!"
The noise grew louder, adding immense pressure on Yu Tianxin.
His appearance marked Shrek Academy's last stand. If they lost this, the academy would be permanently nailed to the pillar of shame!
The members of the Seven Treasures Team couldn't help but glance at Ke Jie, as if asking about Ning Tianchen's chances of victory in this match.
Ke Jie spoke gravely. "Tianchen has trained for nighttime combat. Right now, the darkness is his only advantage!"
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