Without the Blazing Delicate Apricot and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass lacked immunity to fire and water. As Thunderclap Academy's control-type soul master, how would he respond?
If Thunderclap Academy's strength remained similar to the original story, they wouldn't stand a chance against Blazing Fire Academy.
In the original, Huo Wu's fourth spirit ability, with the support of two Soul Elders, already rivaled a typical Soul King's fifth ability. And now?
With Huo Wu at Level 47 and two supporting Soul Ancestors amplifying her fourth ability, the power was formidable. Not to mention Huo Wu's unique gift—soul ring fusion. Even if she struggled to control it, her unleashed power would definitely rival a Soul Emperor's.
Furthermore, Tang San didn't even have his Eight Spider Lances. A direct hit could kill him on the spot!
Also, without the boost from the Moonlight Dew, Tang San's Purple Demon Eye was likely still at the Micro level, not the Seed level. If Shinian from Canghui Academy targeted him, only an intervention from Tang Hao would save him.
Reflecting on these scenarios, Su Ming felt a profound 'concern' for Tang San's safety. There was Shui Bing'er's ice, Huo Wu's fire, Shinian's illusions, and Canghui Academy's seven-in-one fusion technique—more than enough to keep Tang San preoccupied!
On the way back to the academy, Su Ming began writing in his diary.
Diary Entry: "Today was the opening of the Continental Spirit Master Elite Tournament. After a long ten months, I finally saw Tang San and Dai Mubai again."
"Surprisingly, Tang San managed to hold back in the face of my provocation. He truly knows how to endure. Judging by their demeanor, I suspect he has some hidden tricks up his sleeve. But even if he does, without the aid of three celestial herbs and his external spirit bone, how will he fare against Tianshui Academy, Blazing Fire Academy, or even Canghui Academy?"
Upon seeing Su Ming mention Canghui Academy, the women were baffled. While Canghui was certainly reputable, it seemed unlikely that Thunderclap Academy would lose to them.
As for Tianshui and Blazing Fire, the women were confident Thunderclap wouldn't stand a chance.
Diary Entry: "Oh, and there was an old acquaintance, Yu Tianheng. What a coward—hiding behind Thunderclap Academy instead of facing his former teammates. Pitiful!"
"On the bright side, Dugu Yan's attitude was refreshing. She intends to settle things with Yu Tianheng, and I hope Thunderclap can at least make it through the preliminaries. Otherwise, her teammates won't even get the chance to avenge themselves."
"As I see it, Thunderclap Academy will need some luck to advance. The strong teams in this bracket alone—like Elephant Armored Academy, Blazing Fire, Tianshui, Plant, and Canghui—make six challenging opponents. If Thunderclap ends up against Blazing Fire, Tianshui, Godwind, or Canghui, and those teams don't hold back, Thunderclap could easily end up fifth."
"And if they mess up their strategy or encounter some unexpected setback, they might miss the finals altogether. What a pity!"
This intrigued the women even more—especially Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong. They had interacted with Canghui Academy at the tavern and hadn't thought much of their strength. How could Canghui surpass Thunderclap Academy?
Unfortunately, Su Ming provided no further explanation, leaving them even more curious.
Diary Entry: "And then, the opening match. Team Two drew Blazing Fire Academy, of all teams. What terrible luck for their captain!"
"The Heaven Dou division has nearly thirty teams. To draw one of the Five Elemental Academies right away? Ridiculous. The same thing happened in the original story when the Lan Ba Academy, which had replaced Shrek, drew Team Two as their first opponent."
"What happened was hilarious. Before the match, Team Two looked down on Shrek Academy, only to be knocked out in under a minute. It was beyond embarrassing!"
Some of the female protagonists found this amusing, while Dugu Yan was irritated. This Team Two was utterly hopeless, managing to draw strong opponents two tournaments in a row!
Diary Entry: "What surprised me most, though, was Blazing Fire Academy's overall strength. Their team had six Soul Ancestors. In the original, only three reached that level, while three others were just below it. Yet now, all of them broke through to Level 41!"
"It's absurd. But even more absurd is Huo Wu, already at Level 47. With her cultivation speed, this shouldn't even be possible."
Huo Wu: "Su Ming, who are you calling weak? Just wait until we meet in the tournament—I'll show you!"
Huo Wu knew Su Ming was strong, but she didn't believe she was without a chance. With her trump card and the amplification from two Soul Ancestors, she felt confident.
If she could incinerate Su Ming's Wood Dragon spirit completely, he wouldn't be able to regenerate.
Diary Entry: "But Huo Wu indeed has some skills, or she wouldn't have led her team to the Soul Ancestor level. She's a determined woman."
"I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing Tang San face Blazing Fire, Tianshui, and the others. Hopefully, they'll push him enough to reveal his trump card. Tang San's calm demeanor today suggests he's got something up his sleeve."
"With Huo Wu's ring fusion and her amplified fourth spirit ability, Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu's fusion skill, and Canghui Academy's seven-in-one fusion technique, I'm sure we'll see Tang San's secrets come out."
Seeing Su Ming mention Tang San, Huo Wu decided that if she faced Tang San in the tournament, she'd "treat him well." After reading Su Ming's diary for seven years, she could see that Tang San's character was indeed frustrating. Huo Wu, always direct, also sympathized with Xiao Wu, noting that in the original story, Tang San had continuously taken advantage of Xiao Wu's sacrifices.
Then something clicked. Not only Huo Wu, but all the women noticed it—a seven-in-one martial soul fusion technique?
They were astounded. Did such a fusion even exist?
Now, it made sense why Su Ming believed that Canghui Academy could be stronger than Thunderclap Academy, assuming no one held back. Of course, this would only apply if the two academies actually faced each other since not all teams would cross paths during the preliminary rounds.
Even far away in Spirit City, Bibi Dong was intrigued by this fusion concept. A seven-in-one fusion was beyond her expectations. She speculated that Canghui Academy's technique might relate to illusions, given that their instructor, Shinian, was a master of illusions.
However, her curiosity was purely hypothetical; the students' skills wouldn't necessarily mirror their teacher's. Nevertheless, with three Soul Ancestors and four Soul Elders, such a fusion technique would have power comparable to a Soul Emperor or even a Soul Sage.
Back at the academy, Xiao Wu and the others snuck glances at Su Ming, their eyes full of curiosity about the possible strength of a seven-person fusion technique. Judging by Su Ming's calm demeanor, he seemed to have a way to handle it.
Su Ming only smiled, acknowledging that Canghui's Seven Asura Illusion was formidable and worthy of Shinian's instruction. Under this fusion technique, they had a high probability—ninety percent or more—of overcoming an opponent even two ranks above them, unless the opponent had significant mental strength to break the illusion.
Yet, Canghui's powerful illusion was ineffective against his Fiery Eyes.
Diary Entry: "Speaking of Huo Wu, I can't ignore her fanatical admirer, Feng Xiaotian from Godwind Academy. He's her ultimate fanboy!"
Huo Wu: "…"
Su Ming's mention of Feng Xiaotian left her speechless. She could never like a guy like Feng Xiaotian, a shameless pursuer. Huo Wu liked strong, assertive men, and Feng Xiaotian wasn't her type. While he had once been stronger than her, his personality lacked appeal.
The other women were surprised by the mention of yet another admirer. Su Ming had already referenced two hopeless admirers before, and now Feng Xiaotian made three.
Diary Entry: "Feng Xiaotian is talented, with a dual-purpose martial soul—the Swift Gale Twin-Headed Wolf. He's one of the few innately full spirit power users on the continent."
Xiao Wu and the others were surprised at Feng Xiaotian's high potential—enough for Su Ming to praise him.
Diary Entry: "But he shouldn't have spent so much time developing his own spirit ability instead of advancing his spirit power. If I remember correctly, he's around 24 now, but only has a spirit power level of 44!"
"At the same time, Huo Wu, who's about 18, has already reached Level 43. She's six years younger and only one level behind him! And she wasn't even born with full spirit power. Feng Xiaotian's choice was absurd."
"His talent, other than lacking a twin martial soul, was almost maxed out—enough for a main character in his own right. But instead of maximizing it, he wasted time creating a custom technique!"
"Now, at 24, he's only Level 44. Without that misstep, he could've been a Soul King by now. No wonder Huo Wu isn't interested in him—he's six years older and hasn't outpaced her by much in strength. Strong-willed women like Huo Wu won't look at him."
"And let's be real, there's a bit of a 'cradle-robber' vibe about him, haha."
Ye Lingling / Dugu Yan: "…!"
If Su Ming considered Feng Xiaotian a cradle-robber, what did that make them? At eighteen or nineteen, both of them were several years older than Su Ming, who was only thirteen. Su Ming's comment made them flush with embarrassment.
Ye Lingling took it in stride, already being with Su Ming and dismissing the thought. But Dugu Yan, still in the courting phase, felt more self-conscious. But who could blame her? Su Ming was exceptionally tall for his age—nearing six foot three—and hardly looked thirteen.
Diary Entry: "Actually, Huo Wu's disinterest in Feng Xiaotian might stem from another reason. Feng Xiaotian lacks an understanding of what she really likes—strength and confidence beyond her own."
"Although Feng Xiaotian, believing himself powerful, humbles himself to pursue her, she just can't like him."
"During the tournament, after her attempt to confess to Tang San fails, she eventually settles for Feng Xiaotian. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stood a chance!"
Huo Wu: "What? Me, like Tang San? Impossible!"
Diary Entry: "The circumstances of Huo Wu's affection for Tang San are strange. Due to Tang San's celestial herb enhancement, his Blue Silver Grass developed fire immunity. When Shrek Academy faced Blazing Fire Academy, Huo Wu didn't anticipate this and lost."
"Tang San smugly said, 'My Blue Silver Grass is fire-immune!' This infuriated Huo Wu—fire immunity isn't that impressive! In the subsequent ranking matches, Huo Wu used her ring fusion talent, pouring her full spirit power into her fourth spirit ability to go all out against Tang San, aiming for mutual destruction just to save her academy's face from a total wipeout."
"Classic storyline trope—Tang San activated his Eight Spider Lances and shielded her with his body just as her attack was about to land."
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