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Tang San frowned. "I can do it."
His words didn't ease the Shrek team's worries.
Xiao Wu, anxious that Tang San might have some trick up his sleeve against Ning Tian, hurried to ask, "Brother, do you have a plan to deal with Ning Tian?"
Tang San gave a simple nod. "Yes."
At the same time, after Ning Tian's lightning-fast victory over Feng Xiaotian, the referee checked with him and declared the final match would start right away.
"Brother, come on, tell us your plan, we're all worried sick!" Xiao Wu's face was etched with concern.
Her worry was real, though it wasn't for Tang San.
Seeing Xiao Wu so 'worried' about him warmed Tang San's heart. In this world, only she and his father truly cared for him, he thought.
Still, he chose to keep her guessing. He took a few steps toward the stage, then turned back, his rugged face breaking into a small smile. "You'll find out soon."
With that, he jumped onto the fighting stage, leaving Xiao Wu's frustrated look behind.
The crowd's excitement hit its peak. The last showdown of the preliminary round was about to kick off. People whispered among themselves, wondering who'd come out on top: the world's greatest tool martial soul or Ning Tian's Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword.
Ning Tian's strength so far had been impossible to ignore.
...…
On the main fighting stage, the two stood thirty paces apart.
To the left, Tang San wore black, his dark skin and stocky, slightly hunched frame standing out.
To the right, Ning Tian stood tall in white, his handsome features and near-perfect build catching every eye.
The difference between them was striking.
This final match wasn't just a battle of the strongest, it was a clash between the best-looking and the least.
No surprise, the crowd was almost entirely behind Ning Tian.
The referee signaled them to release their martial souls.
Tang San raised his left hand, a thick black light glowing from his palm. He knew his Blue Silver Grass wouldn't cut it here, only the Clear Sky Hammer could hope to match Ning Tian.
Looking straight at Ning Tian, he said, "Ning Tian, since we awakened our martial souls, I never thought someone with just half a level of innate soul power could climb this far."
Ning Tian smiled, then hit Tang San with a jab that stung. "And I never thought you'd pass up my teacher, a real master, to study under that Yu Xiao Gang."
The words cut deep. Tang San had often wondered what might've been if he'd chosen Zhu QIng over Yu Xiaogang.
Even Ning Tian, starting with a measly half-level of innate soul power, had soared under her guidance.
Himself, though? With full innate soul power and the Tang Sect's secret skills, he'd surely be a Spirit King by now.
The thought fueled his growing resentment toward Yu Xiaogang and his envy of Ning Tian.
Why did Ning Tian get everything he wanted so easily? And without even trying?
Even brushing off Xiao Wu like it was nothing. Sure, Tang San was relieved by that, but seeing something so precious to him dismissed by Ning Tian burned all the same.
He had to win this.
His eyes flashed purple, his hands gleaming white as he activated his Purple Demon Eye and Mystic Jade Hands.
"The match begins!"
At the referee's shout, both sprang into action.
Ning Tian swung his sword with one hand, sending out the same sword light that had crushed Huo Wushuang before, only now, it was even faster.
Tang San's heart raced. He'd seen that sword light, but this time it moved so quickly that he could barely follow it with his Purple Demon Eye.
Had Ning Tian been holding back?
With no time to dwell on it, Tang San raised his Clear Sky Hammer to block.
Boom!
The sword energy slammed into his chest, the hammer's handle just catching it, but the force still threw him back.
He was about to fly off the stage when the Eight Spider Lances shot out, digging into the floor. They carved deep, jagged marks, halting him at the edge in a swirl of dust, barely keeping him in the fight.
The crowd went wild. They knew Ning Tian was tough, but this tough? A single sword strike had Tang San on the ropes.
It looked like the match was already over.
But as the dust cleared, people spotted the eight spider legs sprouting from Tang San's back, confused. Didn't he have Blue Silver Grass and the Clear Sky Hammer? Where'd the spider come from?
Most didn't know it was an external soul bone.
.......
The VIPs did, though. Ning Fengzhi blurted out, "An external soul bone!"
Bone Douluo scanned it with his spiritual power, confirming it was fused with Tang San's body. He sighed, disappointed it couldn't be pried loose for Ning Rongrong.
Ning Fengzhi realized he'd misjudged Tang San. He'd thought Yu Xiaogang's teachings had dragged him down below Ning Tian. But with that external soul bone and twin martial souls, Tang San might still outshine him.
Good thing he'd backed Tang San early and hadn't burned bridges when Oscar started sniffing around his daughter.
With stakes in both Tang San and Ning Tian, Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but smile, satisfied. Salas, on the other hand, looked grim.
'Ning Tian's one thing, the young master's already planning to recruit him. But Tang San? Twin martial souls and an external soul bone? No wonder the Pope sent Elders Yue Guan and Gui Mei to ambush him outside Heaven Dou City. Damn it!'
...…..
Tang San's eyes widened in shock. The speed, the power; it was far beyond anything he'd faced before. Ning Tian had been hiding his true strength all along. But now, the real fight was just beginning.
Tang San wiped the blood from his mouth, his second soul ring lighting up. A gray glow coated the Clear Sky Hammer. He stepped into the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and swung the hammer at Ning Tian. Boosted by the Eight Spider Lances, his speed jumped, his purple eyes leaving faint trails in the air.
To Tang San's surprise, Ning Tian didn't dodge. His second soul ring flashed, forming a sword shield edged with pale golden lightning. He stood there, steady as a rock. That was fine with Tang San. With the Clear Sky Hammer, the top tier tool martial soul and his second soul skill, Demon Bear Hammer, which outdid his first skill, Diamond Smash, in piercing armor, he was certain he could break through.
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