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"No… no!"
A moment later, amid a wave of anguished cries, Yu Xiaogang shed the most humiliating and painful tears of his life.
.....
On the other side, Ning Tian couldn't have been happier.
After six long hours, the "Battle of the Two Nings" finally ended with his victory. He felt light and refreshed, a stark contrast to Ning Rongrong, who lay slumped on the bed, completely worn out. It took her ages to come back to her senses, and even then, she didn't have the energy to lift a finger.
"Are you a man or a bull?" she mumbled weakly, staring at the floor.
She could hardly believe how she'd survived those six hours. At first, she'd confidently used her Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to support Ning Tian, only to realize his strength was overwhelming. Left with no choice, she turned her boosts on herself. But who could've guessed that Ning Tian's stamina in a fight was just as impressive as his battle skills? He'd flipped the old saying, "There's no field that can't be plowed, only a tired ox," right on its head. The field wasn't ruined, not because the ox couldn't do it, but because it took pity on the field.
Still, even though she'd nearly been "plowed to pieces," Ning Rongrong had to admit the "ox" was something else. If it weren't the wrong season for planting, she'd have reaped a huge harvest. No way, she couldn't let her field take this alone next time. She'd have to drag Zhu Zhuqing, Ye Lingling, and even Zhu Qing into it. Otherwise, the field might not hold up.
While Ning Rongrong schemed about pulling the others in, Ning Tian had already dressed. "Rest up today and skip the Great Soul Arena. This is for you."
He handed her the Illusionary Wisdom Skull Bone he'd taken from Shi Nian.
"A Soul Bone and a head one!" Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled.
Ning Tian smiled. "It's the Illusionary Wisdom Skull Bone. It'll boost your mental strength a ton and give you the 'Illusionary Space' skill. You can increase your teammates' mental strength by twenty percent and set up a mental network so they won't get lost in illusions. For enemies, it'll mess with their sense of direction and slowly wear down their mental focus."
"Wow, Ning Tian, you're the best!"
Thrilled, Ning Rongrong threw herself into his arms. Right then, she felt like she'd struck gold; not only had she won Ning Tian over, but she'd also scored a Soul Bone tailor-made for her.
She'd known for a while that Ning Tian wouldn't settle for just one woman. Besides Zhu Zhuqing, there'd be others. So she'd plotted to lock him down, only to be brushed off every time because of her age. Now, at last, she has done it. From here on, no matter how many women Ning Tian had, she could proudly say she was the first to claim him.
Ning Tian didn't know what was running through her mind, but even if he did, he wouldn't care, he hadn't lost anything in the deal. The little schemer might think she'd won, but he'd never come up short.
After a short moment of closeness, Ning Tian washed up and joined the others in the courtyard pavilion, where they enjoyed a hearty breakfast courtesy of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
"Where's Rongrong?" Zhu Zhuqing asked, glancing at Ning Tian. She shared a room with Ning Rongrong, who hadn't returned since being called away last night.
"She's meditating, might be close to a breakthrough," Ning Tian said without missing a beat. At the same time, he sent a mental message to Zhu Zhuqing, Ye Lingling, and Zhu Qing: 'I got a Soul Bone yesterday that's perfect for her. She's absorbing it now.'
Mona, the Shi brothers, and the other original Imperial Battle Team members assumed Ning Rongrong was on the cusp of leveling up, their faces showing envy.
Zhu Zhuqing, Ye Lingling, and Zhu Qing exchanged surprised looks. 'A Soul Bone from Shi Nian, maybe?' They remembered Ning Tian mentioning that Cang Hui Academy's Shi Nian had a Soul Bone ideal for Ning Rongrong. Given Ning Tian's habit of leaving the Great Soul Arena early and Shi Nian's reputation for hunting talented Soul Masters, it seemed plausible he'd taken it from him.
......
The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament rolled on. After ten rounds, the rankings for the Heaven Dou Empire division were set.
The New Heaven Dou Battle Team led the pack with a perfect ten-win streak. Tied with them were Blazing Academy, Divine Wind Academy, Thunder Academy, Sky Water Academy, and Shrek Academy.
Elephant Armor Academy, after losing to the New Heaven Dou Battle Team in the first round, had then faced these five undefeated teams back-to-back, including Shrek Academy. They fell to Tang San and Dai Mubai's Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Demonic White Tiger. Since Tang San's Soul Power had caught up to Dai Mubai's and his mental strength outstripped it thanks to the Purple Demon Eye, he now led their fusion skill.
So, the New Heaven Dou Battle Team, Blazing Academy, Sky Water Academy, Divine Wind Academy, Thunder Academy, and Shrek Academy claimed the top six spots in the preliminaries. Unless some dark horse revealed hidden power, these six would advance.
The crowd's excitement only grew. The upcoming matches between these top teams promised fireworks.
Sure enough, the eleventh round kicked off with a blockbuster: Blazing Academy versus the New Heaven Dou Battle Team.
No doubt about it, with Ning Tian at the helm, this year's Heaven Dou Imperial Academy main team was a top contender for the championship. But Blazing Academy, one of the Four Elemental Academies, wasn't a pushover. Even if they weren't as strong, they could still force the New Heaven Dou Battle Team to show their hand.
And so, for the first time since the opening ceremony, Ning Tian, captain of the New Heaven Dou Battle Team, stepped onto the stage again.
Maybe because they'd seen Ning Tian's devastating ten-thousand-year Soul Skill, Blazing Academy lined up their seven members in a triangular formation to avoid being wiped out in one go.
At the front stood a young man of average build and looks, just over twenty, next to a fiery girl who seemed younger. Ning Tian didn't need their profiles to know them: Blazing Academy's captain, Huo Wushuang, and his sister, vice-captain Huo Wu.
Huo Wushuang's Martial Soul was the One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon, a level 42 assault-type Battle Spirit Ancestor. Huo Wu's was the Fire Shadow, a level 43 control-type Battle Spirit Ancestor.
Beside them stood a level 38 Fire Leopard assault-type Spirit Elder.
Behind them, on the left, were twins Huo Yun and Huo Yu, both with the Fire Crane Martial Soul at level 39. On the right were two tall guys with the Fire Star Martial Soul, support-type Spirit Elders with some attack power.
Right off the bat, Huo Wu zeroed in on Ning Tian. "Finally showing your face? I thought you'd keep hiding."
"Had to, my teammates can't show too much yet," Ning Tian replied.
Huo Wu's eyes flared with irritation. "So you're saying your team could beat us without you?"
"Not 'could', they already have," Ning Tian said with a grin.
Fuming, Huo Wu opened her mouth to snap back, but Huo Wushuang raised a hand to stop her. He eyed Ning Tian. "Let's see about that. I'll give you this: you're strong. One-on-one, maybe only those monsters from Spirit Hall Academy could take you. But without a control-type Soul Master, you won't beat us."
"Let's test it then," Ning Tian said, calm as ever. His yellow, purple, purple, and black Soul Rings rose from his feet as he summoned his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword Martial Soul.
"Both teams may now release their Martial Souls. The match starts in one minute," the referee announced.
At the signal, both sides let loose their Martial Souls, flooding the arena with glowing Soul Rings.
Both teams had top-tier Soul Ring setups, but the New Heaven Dou Battle Team had the edge in Spirit Ancestors and overall Soul Power: four Spirit Ancestors, two level 39 Spirit Elders, and a level 36 assault-type Spirit Elder.
Ning Tian stood out with his level 48 Soul Power and his intimidating yellow-purple-purple-black Soul Ring combo.
Blazing Academy was behind in raw strength. Still, they had advantages: the New Heaven Dou Battle Team's weakest link, Huang Jia, was obviously just filler, and they lacked support-type or control-type Soul Master roles that could swing a team fight.
Normally, that'd matter.
"Begin!"
The minute flew by, and at the referee's call, both teams moved.
Huo Wu, maybe trying to stop Ning Tian from wiping them out with his ten-thousand-year Soul Skill, took the lead. As a control-type Soul Master, she had a trick up her sleeve: her third Soul Skill, Resist Fire Ring, which could push back opponents and their attacks, ignoring defenses, as long as their Soul Power wasn't more than ten levels above hers.
But she'd misjudged. As the Fire Star Soul Masters buffed their team, NingTian was already in motion.
Among all the competitors, only Tang San, with his Purple Demon Eye, could follow Ning Tian's sword strike. To everyone else, it was just a flash of light cutting across the stage.
"Ah!"
The next second, Huo Wushuang yelled as he was flung back, a thin line of blood seeping through his shirt where his One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon had taken over.
The arena went quiet, the crowd frozen.
No one had expected Ning Tian to drop someone right out of the gate. Last time, it was his ten-thousand-year Soul Skill and an elemental edge. This time, he hadn't even used a Soul Skill, just one sword swing from a distance took out Blazing Academy's captain. It was unreal.
Shrek Academy's Ma Hongjun gaped, his eyes wide with shock, remembering their first run-in when Ning Tian had knocked him flat with a single strike.
Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Oscar gritted their teeth, old memories of Ning Tian's dominance creeping back.
"Damn it!" Huo Wu clenched her jaw, her third Soul Ring lighting up as she unleashed the Resist Fire Ring.
A three-meter-high flame halo burst out from her, spreading to a sixty-meter diameter in a blink.
Ning Tian saw it coming. Without a word, Zhu Zhuqing, the Shi brothers, and Osler jumped. Three meters was nothing to them. Yu Feng, a flying Soul Master, had it even easier.
Only Huang Jia, the weakest of the bunch, got caught off guard and blasted out of the ring by the flames.
No one on the New Heaven Dou Battle Team batted an eye, afterall he was just there to make up numbers.
"Now, attack!" Huo Wushuang shouted mid-air, still tingling from the faint Evil-Warding Divine Lightning in Ning Tian's strike.
Blazing Academy didn't let him down. As the New Haven Dou Battle Team hung in the air, the Fire Crane twins and the Fire Leopard Soul Master fired off ranged attacks.
The twins lit up their three Soul Rings at once, launching a massive flame beam several meters wide at the six airborne foes.
The Fire Leopard Soul Master triggered his third Soul Ring, roaring as he spat out a fireball like Dai Mubai's White Tiger Light Wave.
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