Douro Continent

Chapter 364 Snowflakes Fall Like an Ice Phoenix (Part 2)

At this moment, only the three of them remained within the arena. The outcome was decided.

"Can you tell me why?" Shui Bing'er asked with some difficulty.

Tang San stopped three meters away from the two women. He flashed the Eight Spider Lances briefly, retracting them before anyone could see them clearly. But he knew that in this match, he had also lost. His opponent had forced him to unleash the Eight Spider Lances, a technique meant only for the finals. He considered himself the loser.

The victory in this match was not entirely due to Eight Spider Lances, nor was it solely due to him.

It was the same celestial herb she had previously consumed that took effect. The Eight-Cornered Ice Grass and the tempering at the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye granted her complete immunity to all cold and fire attribute energies. If Shui Bing'er had used a martial soul fusion skill of another attribute, Tang San would have been powerless at that moment, and even if he had used the Eight Spider Lances, he wouldn't have been able to turn the tide.

Therefore, deep down, he believed he had lost. Not because of a lack of ability, but because of his poor adaptability and misjudgment of his opponent.

The consecutive victories inevitably made the Shrek Academy team members a little proud, even Tang San was no exception. After all, he was only human, and he also had the emotions that ordinary people experience.

Before today's battle, he estimated that Tianshui Academy was on par with Blazing Fire Academy. But who knew that Shui Bing'er's control would be so effective against him, and that she would possess such a powerful ability as a Martial Soul Fusion Technique.

Faced with Shui Bing'er's question, Tang San did not hide anything. This was not only because he believed he had lost, but also because of Shui Bing'er's kindness. In the moment before the Ice Phoenix descended, he could clearly sense the worry in Shui Bing'er's words; it wasn't about winning or losing, but rather that she genuinely didn't want to harm him.

"My ability grants me immunity to ice. Therefore, your ability cannot restrain me," Tang San said in a voice only the three of them could hear.

Two beautiful eyes froze on him at the same time, and a bitter smile appeared on Shui Bing'er's lips.

"Then why were you able to restrain me before?" Shui Bing'er couldn't help but ask. Her first soul skill, Ice Seal, was effective against Tang San. But the Ice Phoenix's Lock-On didn't work?

Tang San gave a wry smile. "My ice and fire immunity only works on energy forms; I'll still be harmed by physical forms and energy impacts. Your ice seal is a solid form, not an energy form, so of course I'm affected. It's just that the chill within it won't hurt me."

"We lost." Despite her reluctance to admit it, Shui Bing'er managed to utter these words with difficulty.

Tang San shook his head and said, "No, we should be the ones who lost. It was my mistake that led to this outcome. My ice and fire resistance didn't come from cultivation."

At this moment, the referee cautiously approached. Even with a wedding skill level of over fifty, he was still somewhat apprehensive.

Young people these days are really amazing. If they have any other tricks up their sleeves, I might get caught in the crossfire.

"Is it over?" The referee looked at both sides.

Tang San and Shui Bing'er nodded simultaneously. They said in unison, "I lost."

The referee looked at the two of them, completely bewildered. "You two..."

Tang San took the initiative and said, "Let's call this a draw. Both of us have exhausted our soul power. We can't continue the match."

The referee then realized that while draws were rare, they did occur. He then declared the match between Shrek Academy and Tianshui Academy a draw.

"To be able to win but not to"—this was a warning Tang San gave himself. The preliminaries were just the beginning; there were still the qualifying rounds and the fiercely contested finals. Discovering his weaknesses now was far better than finding them later in the competition. After all, the finals were an elimination tournament, allowing no room for error.

The audience was undoubtedly disappointed; the fact that Shrek Academy, which most people supported, failed to win the final match drew criticism from many viewers. In particular, doubts about whether Shrek Academy had fielded its full strength team were widespread.

Back in the rest area, Tang San ate the recovery sausage Oscar handed him. "I'm sorry, it's my fault. I didn't take our opponent seriously enough at the start of the match. I failed to make timely tactical adjustments, which led to our passive situation later on."

Dai Mubai patted Tang San on the shoulder, "We're brothers, why say such things? The more important thing is to find the root cause of our failure. Don't forget, we're still young, and we can still afford to fail. You've already done very well, no one will blame you."

Ma Hongjun sidled up and chuckled, "Third Brother, don't be upset. It's not because your brother isn't here. If I were here, I wouldn't let those beauties be so arrogant. Next time, I'll show them my Phoenix Flame. As they say, failure is the mother of success, and besides, we didn't lose! You didn't go all out either, did you? Actually, it wasn't just you; even Boss Dai and Xiao Wu didn't use their full strength. We still need you to lead everyone to the championship."

Dai Mubai raised his hand and tapped the fat man on the head. "You think you're so great? Fine, then next time you go and see how you burn seven people at once."

Ma Hongjun scratched his head and said aggrievedly, "I was just trying to comfort Third Brother."

"Failure is the mother of success, that's very true. There's a month-long adjustment period before the qualifying rounds. During this time, you have plenty of time to identify your weaknesses."

The master had walked over at some point, his gaze fixed on Tang San, smiling as he looked at him.

"Teacher." Tang San lowered his head in the face of the master's gaze.

The master walked to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Actually, the result of today's match is better than your victory. I've always said that real combat is the best way to test yourself. Only through constant real combat, facing different opponents, can you improve faster. The profession of Soul Master is inherently unpredictable; no one knows what kind of opponent you'll encounter in the next battle. The only way is to increase your experience by fighting against as many different Soul Masters as possible. You are all geniuses in the Soul Master world, and the opponents you faced in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament were all among the best of the younger generation. In your lives, this match is just a fragment; you have a long road ahead. As long as you gain something, winning or losing is not important."

"Yes, Master," the students responded in unison. The slight differences in their gazes that had previously appeared disappeared back into unison. For some reason, Tang San, who was usually calm and composed, now felt an intense desire for victory.

The preliminary rounds in Tiandou City have all concluded, and according to procedure, the awards ceremony will be held soon. The top five teams in the preliminary rounds will be awarded qualification for the next round.

However, because the main arena was damaged in a previous match, the process was simplified. Other academies that did not advance did not participate in the final ceremony. Only the top five teams went to the VIP section to receive their qualification certificates.

The ceremony was not complicated. As announced by the host, the captains and vice-captains of the top five teams walked onto the stage.

Since Shenfeng Academy and Leiting Academy both had the same record of 26 wins and 1 loss, and Shenfeng Academy had previously defeated Leiting Academy, the head-to-head result determined their rankings. Shenfeng Academy ranked first, Leiting Academy second, and Shrek Academy ranked third with a record of 24 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses. Chihuo Academy ranked fourth with half a win more than Tianshui Academy. Tianshui Academy remained in fifth place.

Representing Shrek Academy on the stage were Dai Mubai and Tang San. As soon as they stepped onto the stage, they immediately felt several unfriendly gazes. Among them, the most intense was Huo Wu from Blazing Fire Academy.

She was deeply resentful of losing to Tang San, blaming his fire immunity instead of reflecting on her own strength. Although Blazing Academy successfully advanced, being outmatched by Shrek Academy by half a game only intensified her anger.

"Next, His Majesty, Sect Master Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and Bishop Salas Platinum will personally present the qualification certificates and prize money to the five teams that have entered the qualifying rounds."

The qualification certificate was actually just a handwritten note, which wasn't difficult to forge, since both the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire knew exactly which academy had advanced. The prize money, however, was something Tang San and Dai Mubai hadn't known about beforehand.

The top five academies received the same prize money, after all, this was only the preliminary round. Each team received a reward of 10,000 gold soul coins from the Heaven Dou Empire. In the finals, the prizes for the top three teams would be provided by the Spirit Hall.

After the awards were presented, the host handed over the speaking rights to the most distinguished person present, Emperor Xueye.

Emperor Xueye's gaze swept over the student representatives from the five academies before him, lingering on Tang San for a few extra seconds before he smiled and said, "First of all, children, I want to congratulate you."

"You have successfully qualified for this year's Continental Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academies. As the supreme ruler of the Heaven Dou Empire, I am proud of you. You are all the hope for the future of the empire. As the captains and vice-captains of your respective teams, your strength played a crucial role in the competition. Therefore, I have decided to confer upon you the title of viscount on ten of you, and the title of baron on the other participating students from your five academies. After you graduate, the gates of the Imperial Household will be open to you at any time. Your fiefdoms will be allocated uniformly after your graduation."

(End of this chapter)