Soon, a minute passed.
In this brief minute, Tang San had already consumed Oscar's full-strength recovery sausage. Combined with the operation of his Mysterious Heaven Technique, his soul power had mostly recovered.
The spectators were quite disdainful of Tang San's actions; even Emperor Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi frowned slightly, feeling displeased.
However, since the Blazing Academy had no objections to this, they didn't say anything.
Huo Wushuang said with a hint of helplessness, "Sister, why did you agree to the Thunder Academy's request just now? Even if you agreed, you shouldn't have let them restore their soul power by eating food-type soul master sausages in that one-minute period."
Huo Wushuang genuinely couldn't understand why his sister would make such a decision; it seemed like a thankless move.
But Huo Wu responded, "Brother, don't worry about it. I have my reasons for doing this. Soon, Tang San will probably go all out. Your task is to hold off the rest of the Thunder Academy with the other team members."
"I'll handle Tang San. If necessary, Huo Chun and Huo Jun can boost me!"
The other team members were also a bit puzzled, but Huo Wu's authority was unchallenged; whatever she said, they would follow.
Inwardly, Huo Wu was thinking that Tang San might use his second martial spirit, the Clear Sky Hammer, soon, as his soul power had mostly recovered.
Since she had promised Su Ming to properly teach Tang San a lesson, she intended to execute it perfectly.
By defeating him after he used his Clear Sky Hammer, she believed it would break Tang San down even more!
At that moment, the announcer, Dou Dou, saw that both sides were ready and said, "The one-minute timer is up. The match resumes!"
As soon as the announcer finished, a massive blue hammer appeared in Tang San's left hand!
In the audience, Su Ming and Xiao Wu's eyes narrowed, not expecting Tang San to reveal his second martial spirit so quickly. Wasn't he worried about being targeted by the Spirit Hall?
Some less-informed spectators immediately raised questions: "Hey, isn't it against the rules to use weapons in this match? Isn't Tang San breaking the rules?"
"Yeah, yeah! Announcer, Tang San is blatantly breaking the rules; shouldn't you declare the Blazing Academy the winner?"
Since the Thunder Academy had already violated the rules once, and the Blazing Academy hadn't objected, people saw the appearance of a hammer as Tang San relying on external help.
The announcer, Dou Dou, found herself in a dilemma, casting her gaze towards Emperor Xue Ye and the others on the stage.
What should she do?
As she was close enough to Tang San, she could tell that the hammer was unusual, not just a simple weapon. However, due to the Clear Sky Clan's long isolation, it had been years since a soul master with the Clear Sky Hammer had appeared, so it was natural for some to forget.
Compared to the restless crowd, Emperor Xue Ye uncertainly asked Ning Fengzhi, "Sect Leader Ning, is this… the Clear Sky Hammer?"
Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, the hammer in Tang San's hand should indeed be the Clear Sky Hammer martial spirit."
Emperor Xue Ye murmured in shock, "Then that means Tang San is a twin martial spirit user?"
Meanwhile, the Spirit Hall Bishop Salas, sitting on the other side of Emperor Xue Ye, was struck by a thought upon seeing the Clear Sky Hammer. The Clear Sky Clan had been in seclusion for years, and only that person, exiled from the sect, had it.
He remembered hearing about a child back then. If his calculations were correct, the age matched perfectly!
This needed to be reported to the Pope.
Salas subtly gestured with his left hand, summoning a heavily armored Spirit Hall guard. He whispered something to him quietly.
This interaction was naturally noticed by Emperor Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi.
However, they chose not to intervene. They were well aware of the old grievances between the Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Clan.
Salas held a considerable position within the Spirit Hall; otherwise, Bibi Dong would not have assigned him to oversee the Heaven Dou City branch.
Ning Fengzhi shook his head slightly, thinking the Spirit Hall likely intended to target Tang San. But that was not his concern.
Though their three sects shared a common bond, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Clear Sky Clan were technically rivals.
One supported the Heaven Dou Empire, and the other, the Star Luo Empire.
Tang San alone couldn't represent the Clear Sky Clan. Whether he lived or died didn't matter; he had already formed a grudge when he decided to help Su Ming.
Then, Emperor Xue Ye's authoritative voice resounded, "The match continues. This is the Clear Sky Hammer martial spirit, not an external weapon, so Tang San has not violated any rules."
The announcer, Dou Dou, sighed in relief.
And the audience members who had just raised doubts fell silent.
The Clear Sky Hammer?
Whoa, was this the long-lost legacy martial spirit of the Clear Sky Clan?
But why was it appearing here?
Some observant spectators remained silent, sensing that the reappearance of a Clear Sky Hammer user might foreshadow future events.
On the stage…
Huo Wu smiled faintly, "I didn't expect you to possess twin martial spirits, and the other one is even the Clear Sky Hammer. But, your second martial spirit doesn't have any spirit rings. Do you think you can defeat me like this?"
Tang San expected this question. Although his Clear Sky Hammer lacked spirit rings, his months of training with his father were not in vain!
From the Clear Sky Clan's martial skills, he not only mastered the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique but had also learned a few of the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes.
Ordinarily, the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes were forbidden for Tang San to practice without the approval of the clan's leaders. His absorption of the Blue Silver Emperor spirit bone hadn't boosted his power as anticipated.
After much consideration, Tang Hao decided to teach Tang San the nine attack techniques of the Clear Sky Hammer, the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes.
Tang Hao planned to bring Tang San back to the Clear Sky Clan to reclaim his heritage after winning the soul master competition. He believed Tang San's talent and power would earn him recognition from the clan master and elders.
Now, he was simply teaching Tang San ahead of time, not technically breaking any rules, as Tang Hao continuously reassured himself.
In response to Huo Wu's remarks, Tang San looked at the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand, realizing that his only chance to win was through the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique!
Right now, since his Clear Sky Hammer had no spirit rings attached, Tang San could only rely on the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique.
However, he needed to let the technique stack up continuously. If interrupted during the process, its power would be greatly diminished.
Tang San's eyes turned, and he said to Huo Wu, "Huo Wu, since you think my Clear Sky Hammer without a spirit ring can't defeat you, how about this: let's make a bet and decide the outcome with one strike. But you must give me the time I need to execute it without interruption. What do you say?"
Huo Wu looked at Tang San as if he were an idiot. "Tang San, this bet offers me no advantage at all. Do I look that foolish?"
Tang San naturally understood that Huo Wu wouldn't agree so easily. He asked, "What's the matter? Are you not confident in your strength? My Clear Sky Hammer doesn't even have a spirit ring."
"How about this: a single strike decides the match. If you win, then if we meet in the advancement rounds, Thunder Academy will voluntarily forfeit. What do you think?"
Huo Wu smiled slightly, "Forfeit in the advancement rounds? Do you think Blazing Academy can't beat Thunder Academy? Don't forget, you're currently at a disadvantage!"
Tang San calmly replied, "Blazing Academy's strength relies on you alone. How many attacks could you possibly withstand from the rest of us? Your brother is only equal to our captain, and he might not be able to beat him. And as for the rest of our Soul Ancestor team members, they're enough to exhaust your soul power completely!"
Tang San's argument sounded reasonable to him, and Huo Wu thought it over for a few seconds.
While she was confident in her abilities, her team only had four Soul Ancestors with attack power, including herself, aside from the two support-type Soul Ancestors.
Meanwhile, on Thunder Academy's side, all seven Soul Ancestors were capable of attacking. Plus, she hadn't forgotten that Dai Mubai was not currently in the lineup.
This was definitely Tang San keeping a trump card hidden, allowing him to focus on enhancing his strength using secret techniques.
When the advancement rounds began, she estimated that Dai Mubai's soul power would reach at least level forty-five. Also, that hefty guy with the Evil Fire Phoenix martial spirit was no pushover.
Although he was currently just a Soul Elder, he was close to reaching the Soul Ancestor level. With Tang San's secret techniques, he might cross that threshold just in time.
Considering all of this, Huo Wu replied calmly, "Alright, I agree! We'll decide the match with a single strike! But, as before, there's a one-minute preparation time!"
One minute?
Tang San calculated quickly in his mind. With his current strength, he could stack up to forty-nine hammer strikes, which should be enough in a minute!
Huo Wu wasn't worried about Thunder Academy backing out if she won, as there were plenty of spectators as witnesses, including Emperor Xue Ye above.
However, just to be safe, Huo Wu looked towards the announcer. "Announcer, please serve as a witness. No one from either academy will interfere; Tang San and I will settle the match in one strike. If I win, Thunder Academy will automatically forfeit if we meet in the advancement rounds."
The announcer, Dou Dou, felt a bit troubled. She was just a lowly announcer with limited strength—why were they putting her in such a difficult position? She was on the verge of tears.
"Approved!" Emperor Xue Ye's commanding voice sounded from the stands.
He and Ning Fengzhi were both curious as to where Tang San's confidence came from. Just how much power could a Clear Sky Hammer without a spirit ring possess?
In Ning Fengzhi's mind, he thought that Tang San's confidence probably stemmed from Tang Hao's training. Since Tang San hadn't returned to his clan, his only trump card must be the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique—a skill any Clear Sky Hammer martial spirit wielder could learn.
But with Tang San's current strength, how many hammer strikes could he manage?
Ning Fengzhi vaguely remembered that Tang Hao could stack up to eighty-one hammer strikes at his peak. As Tang Hao's son, Tang San's strength shouldn't be weak.
If the little girl from Blazing Academy didn't have a hidden trick, she might suffer a loss.
In the audience, Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong frowned slightly. What was Tang San planning?
"Brother Su Ming, do you know why Tang San is so confident? Even if his Clear Sky Hammer is considered the strongest weapon martial spirit in the world…"
Su Ming immediately understood, "Tang San must have a reason for this bet, likely because his technique requires some preparation time and can't be interrupted. That technique should be the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique, a secret technique of the Clear Sky Clan."
"Really? Then isn't Huo Wu in danger if Tang San's power is allowed to stack?" Ning Rongrong said worriedly.
Su Ming shook his head and stopped talking. Lose? Not necessarily.
He remembered that Huo Wu also had a trump card.
However, with this one-on-one bet, if they had included the two support-type Soul Masters from Blazing Academy, Huo Wu's technique could potentially defeat even a Soul Emperor. Without caution, there could be a real risk.
On the stage.
Huo Wushuang looked at his sister helplessly, "Sister, you're being too impulsive. We could've fought seven against five, and now you're going one-on-one. Just looking at Tang San's confident expression, it's obvious he has a trump card. And the advancement rounds are just for ranking, right? If we can't win, we can simply forfeit."
Huo Wushuang thought Huo Wu accepted the bet for the sake of Blazing Academy's reputation in the advancement rounds.
Blazing Academy's strength truly lay in its team coordination. When it came to individual power, aside from Huo Wu, their team's strength was indeed somewhat lacking compared to Thunder Academy's.
Though he felt a bit frustrated, Huo Wushuang had to admit it.
After all, if it weren't for Huo Wu's intense training, they wouldn't stand a chance against the more powerful teams in the arena.
Before Huo Wushuang could finish speaking, Huo Wu said, "So what if Tang San has a trump card? I'm not without one myself!"
Huo Wu understood that the bet didn't carry much significance. The advancement rounds weren't elimination rounds but a way for the two empires and the Spirit Hall to select talents. Losing didn't really matter.
She agreed to Tang San's request to defeat him when he was at his strongest, to make him question himself.
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