With a determined glint, Tang San bit down on the hidden Soul-Burst Pill in his tooth. In an instant, he felt a surge in his spiritual sea, doubling his mental strength. It was his first time using the Soul-
Burst Pill, and he finally understood why so many would take it despite the risks. Its effects were indeed potent, possibly life-saving. But if it failed…he'd have to rely on fate.
Bibi Dong frowned slightly. With her spiritual prowess, she detected the sudden change in Tang San. Daring to rely on external aid, are we? She chose not to intervene; after all, with Su Ming's abilities, he could handle this himself.
Meanwhile, Su Ming smirked, shaking his head. So, Tang San has resorted to using drugs. Did I really push him this far?
"Oh, well," he sighed theatrically. "Seeing you struggle, I might as well make this interesting. I've been standing here so long I'm almost falling asleep."
"Ha!"
Su Ming clasped his hands together. "Wooden Golem Technique!"
In an instant, trees sprang up on the battlefield, rapidly growing into a massive, forty to fifty-meter tall wooden golem with a wooden dragon coiled around its neck. Su Ming stood at the golem's forehead, commanding its presence.
As the golem took shape, Tang San's seventh strike descended.
Bam!
The giant raised its colossal hand, intercepting and deflecting the blow effortlessly.
The audience's collective response could only be summarized as, Whoa!
Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer, enhanced by seven blows, had been deflected in a single slap. It was almost absurd. Fire Dance, standing among the spectators, flashed her brother a triumphant look. "See that, brother? That's my boyfriend's strength!"
Her brother, Fire Unmatched, nodded, "He's incredible. Even when fighting against the Tianshui Academy, Su Ming used this move. I thought the wooden golem was all about defense, but…"
"Exactly! And you know why I admitted defeat in Heaven Dou City when we faced them?" Fire Dance asked with a smirk.
Fire Unmatched's eyes widened. "You mean—?"
"Yes," she said. "Su Ming and I had a secret duel back then. I attacked with my full strength using Flame Ring Fusion, but his golem put out my fireball with a single slap."
Fire Unmatched was momentarily speechless, realizing he had underestimated Su Ming.
Fire Dance glanced at her brother's dumbfounded expression with amusement. He hadn't even seen Su Ming's full power, like his Susanoo technique.
And unbeknownst to Fire Dance, Su Ming's wood techniques were not yet at full strength, as his Wood Release would only grow stronger with his abilities.
While Su Ming could already summon a complete Susanoo, it was limited to mere seconds on spiritual energy alone—a flashy but short-lived display.
Even Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue, and the Titled Douluo present were seeing Su Ming's Wood Golem technique for the first time, feeling intrigued. Qian Renxue wondered how her own Sun Breathing might fare against Su Ming's Wood Golem and dragon. Could the wood absorb her Holy Fire?
She was already looking forward to her battle with Su Ming, hoping he'd wrap up his match with Tang San soon.
Su Ming taunted, "Tang San, is that all you've got? Seven strikes, and you can't even break through my golem's hand. Pathetic!" He knew that Tang Hao was hiding somewhere, but with so many Titled Douluo around, Tang Hao wouldn't dare show himself.
How much more can Tang San and Tang Hao take?
And with Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue reconciled, he doubted Qian Daoliu would sit idly by if Tang Hao appeared, unlike in the original story.
Tang San was fuming. Su Ming's constant mockery was pushing him to his limits. Gritting his teeth, he used the Clear Sky Nine Absolution and merged it with the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique, hammering faster with the burst of power from the Soul-Burst Pill.
Boom, boom, boom!
Su Ming watched Tang San's intense effort with amusement. Good—let's see how much power you really have. This way, I can enjoy crushing you to the last drop of your potential.
A minute passed, and the spectators sensed Tang San's strength surging—but there was also a noticeable decline. Tang San had swung the Clear Sky Hammer almost twenty times, and the Clear Sky True Form's might had reached the level of a low-level Titled Douluo, yet he still couldn't break through the Wood Golem's defenses.
Tang San was left bewildered. What kind of wood is this golem made from?!
Su Ming chuckled inwardly. Just regular wood.
Watching Tang San struggle on and on, even the audience felt drowsy, feeling as if Tang San's hammer had lost its legendary dominance against Su Ming, who appeared to be toying with him.
"Uh…is it just me, or is this match a bit…boring? Not as intense as we thought it would be," murmured some spectators.
"Right? It's obvious that Su Ming is leagues above Tang San," one spectator commented. "Just look—Su Ming's six teammates are just standing there with nothing to do. Thunderclap Academy may be strong, but Heaven Dou Academy is clearly stronger!"
"And I can't wait to see Su Ming go up against Qian Renxue from Spirit Hall. Who's stronger? I'm on the edge of my seat!"
The voices from the audience naturally reached the ears of Su Ming and Tang San's team.
Su Ming decided it was finally time to wrap things up. Tang San's last-ditch efforts, even with the Soul-Burst Pill, didn't impress him. "Tang San, I'm tired of this. Let's end this match already. I'm sure your teammates are waiting anxiously too." Su Ming shook his head in feigned disappointment.
Before Tang San could respond, Su Ming's wooden golem moved. In the blink of an eye, the giant figure snatched Tang San's enormous Clear Sky Hammer mid-air.
Su Ming's wooden golem stood forty to fifty meters tall, easily dwarfing Tang San's thirty-meter Clear Sky Hammer—even in True Body form. The golem's hands wrapped effortlessly around the weapon.
This is bad!
Tang San's heart sank as he struggled to escape, but it was too late. The golem yanked him off the ground, then slammed him brutally into the arena floor.
Tang San's body crashed, creating a massive crater. If the arena hadn't been spacious enough, the impact might have flattened Thunderclap Academy's entire team.
Dazed and wracked with pain, Tang San barely mustered the strength to resist, left helpless as the golem repeatedly smashed him into the ground. Although he was in True Body form, his spirit energy and mental strength were nearly depleted, and Su Ming's relentless assault created one crater after another in the arena.
With every slam, Tang San felt his life force waning. Blood poured from his mouth as his vision blurred.
"Xiao San!"
"Third Brother!"
Yu Xiaogang and Dai Mubai, along with others in the audience, couldn't stay seated any longer.
Yu Xiaogang moved to intervene, but Flender held him back tightly.
"Xiaogang, this is a match! Tang San will be fine—it's only superficial injuries," Flender warned, his voice firm. "You're defenseless now; if you go in and get caught in the crossfire, you won't stand a chance. You could be obliterated, and there'd be no one to defend you."
Even Flender was unsettled by the ferocity of Su Ming's onslaught. "Su Ming is playing rough," he muttered, unable to mask his unease.
Yu Xiaogang's face flushed with anger, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms. Tang San was his disciple, and if Su Ming were to cripple him, he'd never have the chance to prove himself again.
If Flender knew Yu Xiaogang's true thoughts, he'd be speechless. Was he really only thinking about himself?
Meanwhile, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar stood frozen, glaring helplessly at the brutal scene. They understood now—they'd lost the match. Completely and utterly. Su Ming was toying with them, exacting his vengeance.
Yu Tianheng, pale as a sheet, was filled with dread. He couldn't comprehend why his grandfather Yu Yuanzhen hadn't appeared in Spirit City. If his grandfather hadn't killed Su Ming, shouldn't he have come to protect him?
Had his grandfather simply abandoned him?
The match was clearly one-sided, and panic grew in Yu Tianheng's heart. Was he truly alone, left to face Su Ming's wrath? His grandfather's absence gnawed at him, raising more and more doubts.
He wondered if perhaps his grandfather was hiding in the shadows, like Tang Hao…
But none of these questions would be answered. He only knew that once Su Ming was finished with Tang San, his own turn would likely come next. Otherwise, why would Xiao Wu maintain her spatial lock on them?
On top of that, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling continued poisoning and healing them, subjecting them to a torturous cycle of icy venom and fiery relief.
If Yu Tianheng had known that Su Ming had already killed his godlike grandfather, he might have fled long ago. After all, he'd betrayed his teammates, and now Dugu Yan was leagues ahead of him in strength. There was no one left to protect him.
Elsewhere, Bibi Dong nodded approvingly, noting that Su Ming seemed ready to finish the match. She and the other Titled Douluo kept a close eye on Tang Hao's movements, wary of a sudden attack, especially after Su Ming's brutal handling of Tang San.
If Tang Hao dared show himself, she'd be ready to let him taste the might of her hundred-thousand-year soul skill.
Back on the field, the wooden golem's strength was relentless, an unyielding machine. Tang San had tried several times to gather his strength to break free, but to no avail. He felt utterly powerless, left only to endure the torment.
Finally, his spirit energy drained, the Clear Sky True Body dissipated.
But Su Ming wasn't finished with him yet—not by a long shot. Using the golem's thumb and forefinger, he picked up Tang San and spun him 360 degrees before slamming him back down onto the arena floor.
Boom!
Tang San spat a mouthful of blood as his entire body went numb, and he slipped into unconsciousness.
"Xiao Wu, Dugu Yan, Lingling," Su Ming called out as he released the Sage Mode and the wooden golem.
The three women nodded, dispersing the spatial lock on Thunderclap Academy's remaining six members.
Before Dai Mubai and the others could flee, Su Ming raised another barrier around the arena, sealing them inside and ensuring they couldn't surrender or escape.
Glaring at Su Ming, Dai Mubai and his team rushed toward Tang San.
"Xiao San! Xiao San!"
Watching him slip in and out of consciousness, they were frantic. Oscar, unable to revive him, could only look on in despair—Tang San was too weak to swallow even a single sausage.
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