Tang San and his two teammates couldn't assist the others; they were barely able to protect themselves. Tang San attempted several times to use Blue Silver Grass to hinder Tianshui Academy's movements, but each attempt was futile.
The icy environment on the stage greatly restricted his Blue Silver Grass.
Though they'd seen Shui Bing'er's ice-sealing spirit skill before—Tianshui Academy used it to control matches, ending them swiftly—they didn't take it seriously. They figured Thunder Academy was stronger than the other academies and would be unaffected.
But now, their confidence was shattered, and this match was proving even tougher than yesterday's. Yesterday, they lost only two teammates; today, all but the three of them had been eliminated!
Humiliated, Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng took the last of their restorative sausages, knowing that with their remaining spirit power, they could only hold out for five more minutes without using any additional spirit skills.
On the stands, Yu Yuanzhen angrily slapped his armrest, "What a bunch of useless fools!"
Ning Fengzhi chuckled lightly, "Clan Head Yu, why be so upset? It's only a temporary setback. With Thunder Academy's strength, progressing to the next round shouldn't be an issue."
Yu Yuanzhen gave a cold huff, fully aware of Ning Fengzhi's mocking tone, but he chose not to engage in an argument now.
Instead, Yu Yuanzhen secretly transmitted his voice to Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng, "Both of you, focus on Tianshui Academy's captain. The rest of Tianshui's team isn't worth worrying about. Let Tang San handle them himself!"
Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng exchanged a glance and nodded, "Tang San, we'll take on Shui Bing'er; you can handle the rest with your speed!"
"We'll keep her occupied for at least a minute or two; make the most of it!"
"Third Spirit Skill: Thunderous Wrath!"
This skill temporarily doubled the power of their thunder attribute, allowing them to avoid expending too much spirit power to defend against Shui Bing'er's ice seals.
With the two of them advancing simultaneously, they refused to believe Shui Bing'er could still control them!
In their minds, Shui Bing'er was a traditional control-type spirit master, unlike the oddball Tang San. If they closed in on her, she'd be finished!
Seeing their intentions, Shui Bing'er coolly instructed her teammates, "I'll handle these two. The rest of you, don't let Tang San build up his Clear Sky Hammer's damage!"
"First Spirit Skill: Ice Seal!"
Focusing intensely, Shui Bing'er used multiple ice seals on Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin, managing to freeze them for just a second before their powerful thunder energy shattered the ice.
But that second was all Shui Bing'er needed.
"Fourth Spirit Skill: Thousand Feather Ice Seal!"
In an instant, a storm of ice spikes formed around Shui Bing'er and shot toward Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng.
In response, the two unleashed their fourth spirit skill, Blue Lightning Dragon Dash, charging forward with concentrated thunder energy.
Boom!
The clash of these powerful spirit skills generated a thick mist of ice vapor on the battlefield. Contrary to assumptions, ice and thunder colliding still produced some heat, creating a dense fog.
Shui Bing'er realized the danger immediately. With visibility so low, Tang San would use this opportunity—he had his Purple Demon Eyes, after all!
Indeed, Tang San saw the fog and grinned—what perfect luck!
With his Purple Demon Eyes, he could see everything on the stage clearly. He noted how everyone else, blinded by the fog, had stopped in place on high alert, too wary to make any sudden moves.
In the stands, Su Ming shook his head. He hadn't foreseen this situation, but would Tang San really think this was his chance?
Besides, with Tang San focused on stacking his Clear Sky Hammer's damage, he couldn't use his second martial spirit right now. If he put the Clear Sky Hammer away, his efforts would be wasted!
Su Ming remembered that in later years, dual martial spirit users could use both spirits simultaneously. But at this point, Tang San couldn't manage it—nor could even Bibi Dong, for that matter.
And it made sense; Bibi Dong had two beast martial spirits, which naturally couldn't be used together.
"Brother, this is bad. The fog has dropped visibility so much, and Tang San has his Purple Demon Eyes. Won't Shui Bing'er and the others be in trouble?" Xiao Wu said anxiously.
Su Ming had already explained Tang San's Blue Silver Grass ability to absorb others' spirit power and attributes.
"Don't worry," Su Ming replied, "this fog might have created an opportunity for Tang San to stack up his Clear Sky Hammer, but he can't afford to stop now just to use Blue Silver Grass. Still, he'll likely make a move first."
Ning Rongrong was concerned. "But won't Tianshui's team be at risk? Even with Ice Ring Armor, one hit from Tang San's hammer would be devastating."
"Don't forget Shui Bing'er's third spirit skill," Su Ming pointed out. "She's probably thought of all this as well. It'll just mean using up a bit more spirit power to keep Tang San from getting close."
Xiao Wu and the others brightened. Of course—they'd forgotten about that incredible skill.
One thing Su Ming hadn't mentioned was that this was just fog, which didn't necessarily need to dissipate naturally. Shui Yue'er's Extreme Cold Tornado skill could potentially improve visibility.
Su Ming had an even better idea: if Shui Bing'er and her team positioned Snow Dance strategically, they might be able to secure victory using the limited visibility.
On the stage, Yu Yuanzhen saw the fog and laughed heartily, "Looks like Tianshui Academy's luck has run out."
Ning Fengzhi didn't respond but instead used his spiritual power to monitor the movements of Tianshui Academy and Tang San. Fog or no fog, both sides were in the same environment; it was just a matter of who could use it to their advantage.
On the stage, Tang San utilized his Purple Demon Eyes to locate the closest Tianshui Academy member and activated his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, dashing towards them.
"Take this!"
At last, Tang San found an opportunity to use his Clear Sky Hammer and shine. He could keep stacking strikes while eliminating other members of Tianshui Academy from the stage. Due to his serious injuries yesterday, he had secretly absorbed some of the healing spirit master's spirit power while being treated, causing his spirit power to advance by one level. This breakthrough now allowed him to stack even more hammer strikes!
While the healer expended their own spirit power to heal him, he carefully siphoned some without attracting any attention.
Just as Tang San was about to strike, he suddenly felt an irresistible force pushing him away!
This felt strangely familiar.
Nearby, Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng, who had both been major "victims" yesterday, shouted in surprise, "Impossible! How do you also have something like Huo Wu's Ring of Fire?"
Tang San turned to Shui Bing'er, his face dark with frustration. How did Shui Bing'er possess a similar skill?
Through his Purple Demon Eyes, Tang San clearly saw Shui Bing'er's third spirit ring glowing, sending icy ripples outward from her.
Shui Bing'er smiled, "Why wouldn't I? We're both control-type spirit masters, so having similar third skills isn't strange at all!"
Yu Tianxin: ... Yu Tianheng: ... Tang San: ...
The three of them were speechless. They weren't buying Shui Bing'er's excuse—having such similar skills was far too much of a coincidence! And their attributes were entirely different!
"Haha, it seems Clan Head Yu might be disappointed," Sword Douluo chuckled, enjoying Yu Yuanzhen's earlier smugness.
Yu Yuanzhen glared at the stage, his face contorted. If Sword Douluo weren't here, he'd have intervened himself—this was too humiliating!
On stage, Tang San shouted, unwilling to back down, "Shui Bing'er, even if your third skill can repel us, how long can you protect your teammates? With such low visibility, you might defend them for now, but not forever!"
Shui Bing'er replied coolly, "No need to concern yourself with that. Have you forgotten that, since the match began, one of our team members hasn't done much?"
"Everyone else, step off the stage! Yue'er too!"
With absolute confidence in their abilities, Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu were prepared to unleash their fusion skill, a move powerful enough to take down even ordinary Spirit Emperors. Now, with Shui Bing'er's mastery of ice, its potency had increased several times over. Even Spirit Saints without martial soul avatars would struggle against it.
Whether or not Tang San fully stacked his hammer strikes, he wouldn't have a chance to unleash them. Their martial soul fusion skill wasn't a conventional attack but rather a chilling force that rendered enemies immobile, potentially freezing their blood.
The Tianshui team, minus Xue Wu, quickly exited the arena at Shui Bing'er's command. Shui Bing'er unleashed her third spirit skill again to keep Tang San at bay until her teammates were off the stage.
The announcer, Dou Dou, exclaimed in surprise, "Everyone, look! Except for the two captains, all members of Tianshui Academy have voluntarily left the stage! Are they planning something big?"
Tang San frowned, sensing something amiss.
He recognized this setup—it was exactly like yesterday with Huo Wu. The Blazing Fire Academy team had also stepped aside to allow her to fight alone. Shui Bing'er must have a powerful ace up her sleeve, possibly akin to Huo Wu's ring fusion skill. The presence of her vice-captain could only mean one thing: a martial soul fusion skill!
"Tianxin, Tianheng, attack them now! They're about to use a fusion skill!" Tang San shouted.
Shui Bing'er smiled calmly. "Too late!"
Though Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu's fusion skill was formidable, it had a significant weakness—it took a long time to prepare. And because Shui Bing'er needed to maintain control for the team, Xue Wu had handled the setup.
"Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Snowfall!"
When Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu activated their skill, their bodies vanished, leaving Tang San's team unable to locate them.
A blue and white beam shot skyward, creating thick clouds and a shower of snowflakes that resembled sharp blades. The arena's temperature dropped even further, becoming dangerously cold. Spectators near the stage felt the icy chill creeping over them, and some found themselves encased in thin layers of frost, unable to move. They'd rather endure yesterday's scorching heat from Blazing Fire Academy than freeze to death here!
Su Ming felt the intensity of the cold, noting that Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu's fusion skill was far stronger than he remembered. In the original story, their skill could severely injure or even kill a Spirit Emperor, and Tang San only withstood it due to his ice resistance from training and his Eight Spider Lances.
However, this time, Shui Bing'er's power had clearly evolved, and Su Ming doubted even an average Spirit Saint could withstand it without a martial soul avatar. Tang San's group seemed unlikely to endure this extreme chill.
"It's so cold!" Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong shivered beside Su Ming, while Zhu Zhuqing struggled to keep warm.
Su Ming chuckled, activating his fourth spirit skill and sending a green glow into the three of them. Enhanced by the life attribute, they instantly felt better.
Ning Rongrong sighed in relief, "Brother Su Ming, Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu's fusion skill is terrifyingly strong. If we face them in the finals, none of us could handle this cold except you."
Su Ming grinned. "Relax. It's only a dual fusion skill. I'll boost all of you if we face them."
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