Su Ming chuckled. "Old monster, Dugu Yan is my girlfriend now. Avenging her is like avenging my own. No need to thank me—thanking would just make things awkward!"
As Su Ming spoke to Dugu Bo, he felt something soft and warm on his cheek. Turning, he found that Dugu Yan had unexpectedly stolen a kiss.
Despite her usual boldness, Dugu Yan's face turned red from kissing him in front of everyone. Su Ming gave Dugu Bo a knowing look—no doubt the old man had seen her move but hadn't warned him, grinning slyly.
Meanwhile, the crowd, curious to see how Su Ming would restore his spirit power in just half an hour, had their attention glued to the Heaven Dou rest area. Instead of food, they were served a heavy dose of PDA.
"Oh, I can't take it! I don't want to see more of this!" someone yelled, laughing.
"Where's my sword? I want to go slash him!" another joked, before nervously adding, "Just kidding—I'd like to live a few more years!"
Su Ming summoned his wood-element spirit, sending streams of green light into his teammates to speed up their spirit power recovery. Ten minutes later, they were back to full strength.
The audience was astonished at Heaven Dou Academy's recovery speed. Su Ming and the others casually enjoyed the snacks Spirit Hall provided, with Su Ming advising, "Let's just eat lightly; we don't want to be too full for the next match."
As the half hour passed, both teams were ready. The red-robed bishop announced, "Heaven Dou Academy and Spirit Hall teams, please take your positions!"
He continued, "We've already introduced Heaven Dou Academy, so let's go over Spirit Hall's lineup."
"Captain, Hu Liena, a sixty-seven-level control-type Spirit Emperor with the Fox Spirit.""Vice-Captain, Xie Yue, a fifty-six-level assault-type Spirit King with the Moon Blade.""Member, Yan, a fifty-five-level assault-type Spirit King with the Flame Lord Spirit.""Member, Sun Chuantao, a forty-nine-level assault-type Spirit Ancestor with the Ring Blade.""Member, Li Kai, a forty-eight-level assault-type Spirit Ancestor with the Black-Horned Boar Spirit.""Member, Xu Yu, a forty-six-level support-type Tool Spirit Ancestor with the Golden Scepter.""Substitute, Qian Renxue, an eighty-three-level assault-type Spirit Douluo with the Seraphim Spirit, granddaughter of the Grand Worshipper, and the Pope's daughter."
The crowd erupted into whispers.
"Whoa! Qian Renxue is an actual Spirit Douluo, and she's only twenty-three! And the Pope's daughter? I didn't know the Pope even had a daughter!"
Some people murmured, "I heard rumors about it before…"
The red-robed bishop wiped a nervous bead of sweat, realizing he had only recently learned that Qian Renxue was Bibi Dong's daughter and daughter of the previous Pope, Qian Xunji. He wondered about the Pope's intentions in making this announcement public today.
Su Ming raised an eyebrow at Qian Renxue and sent her a telepathic message, "So Bibi Dong's revealing your true identity. No more secrecy?"
Qian Renxue replied with a hint of regret, "It's all because of you, little brother. Bibi Dong thinks Hu Liena and Xie Yue's fusion skill won't be enough to hold you, so she's sent me to protect Spirit Hall's reputation. And since you're my sworn brother, I knew you wouldn't mind. Plus, I'm within the age limit, so this is a good opportunity."
Su Ming asked curiously, "So what's happening with 'Xue Qinghe'?"
"Don't worry. 'Xue Qinghe' is 'sick' today, resting in Spirit Hall's reserved quarters with two elders disguised as guards. Everything's under control," Qian Renxue replied confidently.
Meanwhile, Spear and Dolphin Douluo, stationed outside the empty hotel room posing as guards, were silently lamenting their situation. They were missing the significant operation Spirit Hall had planned against Tang San and Tang Hao.
Yu Xiaogang's eyes were dazed. He had already suspected that Qian Renxue might be Bibi Dong's daughter, but a part of him still held onto a slim hope that he was wrong. When the red-robed bishop publicly confirmed it, his fantasies crumbled.
Yu Xiaogang had thought that, with his "restored" body and Bibi Dong having spared him once, he might use his "silver tongue" to persuade her somehow. After all, with his connections to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and his father's strength, he didn't believe Bibi Dong would dare to kill him.
Bibi Dong, although feeling some shame at the rumors among the audience, forced herself to remain calm. She knew Qian Renxue had to reveal her identity eventually, so it might as well be now. Glancing at Yu Xiaogang with disdain, she remembered the requirements of her eighth test for the Rakshasa God and snorted inwardly. She had nearly broken him mentally, and once the tournament ended, it would be time to act. She thought, Enjoy what little time you have left, Yu Xiaogang.
Seeing that the moment was right, the bishop announced, "Let the battle begin!"
Hu Liena refrained from immediately using her fusion skill with Xie Yue, deciding to test the waters first.
"First soul skill, Fox Charm!" she called out.
In a flash, Hu Liena unleashed her alluring charm, amplifying her natural beauty and targeting Su Ming. But Su Ming simply looked at her calmly, unphased. Although the charm didn't affect him, he had to consciously restrain his physiological response as a man to Hu Liena's allure, his posture slightly stiffening.
Seeing Su Ming resist the charm, Xiao Wu couldn't help but jump in. "Hu Liena, let's see if your Fox Charm is stronger than my Charm!"
"Second soul skill, Charm!"
The two conflicting charm forces clashed in the air, creating a powerful spiritual shockwave. Su Ming suspected that Xiao Wu and Hu Liena were equally matched in spiritual power. Although Xiao Wu had been training with the spiritual techniques he'd taught her, her experience and cultivation level were still limited. Hu Liena, on the other hand, had focused on charm techniques her whole life and was a Spirit Emperor, making her spiritual power comparable to a high-level Spirit Sage or even a low-level Spirit Douluo.
As predicted, both Xiao Wu and Hu Liena staggered back slightly, ending in a draw.
Frustrated, Hu Liena signaled to Xie Yue, "Brother!"
Understanding her cue, Xie Yue grabbed her right hand, ready to unleash their full power immediately.
"Martial Spirit Fusion Skill, Enchanting Demon!"
A thick red mist filled the field, and from within it emerged a towering armored figure with an androgynous voice that blended Hu Liena's and Xie Yue's tones. They wielded two crescent blades that emanated a chilling aura.
As the red mist engulfed the Heaven Dou team, the seven members felt their senses dulled and their attributes weakened. Watching from the sidelines, Dugu Bo noted how formidable the red mist was, almost like a domain that weakened enemies and dulled their five senses. He thought that if Yan Yan could someday absorb the Golden Sacred Dragon's bloodline, she might develop her own domain to counter it. But for now, he could only hope Su Ming had a plan.
Seeing the Enchanting Demon fusion skill in action, the crowd gasped in awe. It seemed the tournament had been flooded with powerful fusion skills this year. With Hu Liena's Spirit Emperor level and Xie Yue's Spirit King level, their fusion skill likely had the power of a low-level Titled Douluo.
With Qian Renxue, a Spirit Douluo with a god-tier spirit, in the lineup, the audience began to wonder if the Heaven Dou team had any chance of winning.
"Su Ming, what do we do now?" Dugu Yan asked, glancing nervously at Su Ming.
Hu Liena and Xie Yue's fusion skill might not affect Su Ming much, but it posed a considerable threat to everyone else on the team. If they couldn't resist the enchantment, defending against the Enchanting Demon's crescent blades would be nearly impossible.
Smiling slightly, Su Ming activated his sixth soul ring.
"Sixth soul skill: Tree of Rejuvenation!"
Gentle green light enveloped the team, sinking into each member. The team's eyes widened as they felt their spiritual power surge by an incredible amount. Su Ming's sixth soul skill, derived from his 150,000-year soul ring, had increased their spiritual power tenfold.
Su Ming said calmly, "My sixth soul skill enhances spiritual power by ten times and speeds up its recovery, also by tenfold."
Notes-Read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X, i have finished uploading the whole series in patreon, thanks for supporting me and special thanks to all the patrons for joining
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