In Douluo Continent, he tricked Xiao Wu into giving him a soul ring.

"As you wish." Shui Bing'er's voice rang out from the soaring blue pillar of light. In mid-air, the snowflakes that had been attacking in a tornado shape suddenly flew up and disappeared into the dark clouds.

The blue beam of light vanished. A resounding phoenix cry echoed from the dark clouds, and a gigantic, ice-blue bird's head burst forth, followed by its neck, wings, claws... Finally, a complete ice-blue phoenix, over seven meters long, came into view.

With a flap of its enormous wings, the dark clouds dispersed, and the ice phoenix spoke in human language—it was Shui Bing'er's voice, "This is my strongest attack. You can still regret it now." At this moment, the energy that the ice phoenix had gathered in the air was gradually slipping out of her control. She was about to collapse.

"Come on." Lan Si's strange longsword trembled suddenly, gripping the ground and controlling the attack distance. A thin, deep blue-white beam of light, almost the size of a thumb, shot out instantly.

The moment the light appeared, the entire space seemed to tremble.

As soon as Lan Si finished speaking, the Ice Phoenix lost control, and a massive amount of energy descended from the sky, accompanied by a surge of cold air, and rushed towards Lan Si.

The Great Luo of All Worlds

Blue light surged in Lan Si's eyes, and two long, bluish-white fire snakes shot out from his azure fiery eyes. He slashed his longsword upwards with an extremely strange posture, and the bluish-white light drew a semi-circular trajectory in mid-air.

Click...

The enormous ice phoenix paused above Lan Si's head. Lan Si twirled his sword and sheathed it. The ice phoenix split in the middle and slowly fell to the sides of the arena beside Lan Si. White ice mist filled the entire arena.

As the icy mist dissipated, Xue Wu and Shui Bing'er's stunning figures were revealed. Due to the excessive consumption of their soul power, their bodies were moving slowly, but they were clearly unharmed.

Chapter 278 Ning Fengzhi Wants to Find a Son-in-Law

—Wait half an hour—

Xue Wu glanced at Lan Si with lingering fear, then walked to Shui Bing'er's side and helped her up.

Shui Bing'er raised her slightly pale, beautiful face and asked Lan Si with some difficulty, "How did you do that just now?" Just now, the moment that thin bluish-white light touched the Ice Phoenix, as the one who controlled the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, she felt the threat of death for a moment. However, she didn't know why, the bluish-white light only separated her from Xue Wu and did not harm them in the slightest.

"Not bad figures." Under the gaze of his fiery blue eyes, Lan Si had a complete view of Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu's delicate bodies.

"What?" Upon hearing this, Shui Bing'er instinctively covered her chest, her pretty face instantly turning bright red. Under Lan Si's blue-glowing eyes, she instinctively felt as if she were naked.

"Cough cough..." Lan Si coughed a few times guiltily, then changed the subject, saying, "This arena is about to collapse. Thank you for fulfilling my impolite request and for startling you. Consider this match a win for you."

As he spoke, Lan Si flashed away, leaving the arena looking somewhat disheveled.

At this moment, the referee had already walked over. Hearing Lan Si's words, he was completely confused. Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu were clearly exhausted of their soul power and had no power to fight anymore, but Lan Si acted as if nothing had happened. Why did he admit defeat?

Left with no other choice, he had to announce: "In the first match of the twenty-sixth round, Tianshui Academy defeats Shrek Academy."

Shui Bing'er was equally bewildered. She glanced at Lan Si, who had already returned to the direction of the Tian Dou Royal Academy's rest area, and a hint of interest flashed in her wise eyes. She murmured to herself, "He really is an interesting fellow."

"Big sister, Lan Si just said that the arena is about to collapse," Xue Wu said to Shui Bing'er in a somewhat anxious voice.

Sword Comes

As soon as she finished speaking, the central competition arena began to shake.

"Oh no, jump quickly!" Shui Bing'er was startled. Before Xue Wu could reply, she pulled her off the arena. The referee, who possessed a flying-type martial soul, immediately spread his wings and flew into the sky, looking down with lingering fear.

A long, narrow black crack emerged from the center of the arena, causing it to split open with a deafening roar. The arena, which was over a hundred meters long and wide, tilted to both sides. The entire central arena was split in two, the cut smooth and flat, like a polished mirror.

Beneath the cut of the ring, there was a deep, narrow crack, about the width of a thumb, with a uniform thickness, which sent chills down one's spine.

As the arena was cleaved in two, the hearts of the spectators in the entire Great Soul Arena suddenly stopped. Even hundreds of meters away, they could feel the terrifying power of that sword strike. Even the Ice Phoenix, whose attack rivaled that of a Soul Emperor, was cleaved in two by Lan Si's single sword strike. They wondered if Lan Si could truly kill a Soul Emperor with a single blow.

As for the outcome of the match, none of that matters anymore, because Lan Si's strength has already surpassed the level of the preliminaries. Everyone is looking forward to seeing how far this rising star of the Soul Master world will grow.

"Holy crap, that's ridiculous!" In the Shrek Academy rest area, Ma Hongjun, the Phoenix of the Brothel, couldn't contain his excitement and shouted out. Before the preliminary rounds started, he had naively thought he had caught up with Lan Si; looking back now, it was utterly laughable.

The rest of the Shrek Academy members were also dumbfounded and silent, their fighting spirit completely gone. With such a powerful opponent, even if they defeated the powerful Spirit Hall team, could they really win the championship of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament?

Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Yu Xiaogang had already clenched their fists, their bloodshot eyes filled with resentment.

Meanwhile, Lan Si had already returned to the rest area.

"Ah Si, aren't the girls from Tian Dou Academy pretty?" Zhu Zhuqing asked coldly, one hand covering her chest, the other clamping down on Lan Si's ear. She knew Lan Si's azure fiery eyes possessed X-ray vision. He hadn't used it in previous rounds, but he did this one, and against the all-girls Tian Shui Academy, and even forfeited in the end—it was all too suspicious.

"She's pretty, but she's nowhere near as pretty as my Zhuqing." Lan Si released the kitten's delicate paws and pulled her into his arms.

"Nobody would believe you!" Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head, her pretty face flushed, and offered a few token resistances.

Ye Lingling, who was also aware of Lan Si's Azure Fiery Eyes ability, couldn't help but smile wryly when she saw Zhu Zhuqing being so easily fooled by Lan Si. She couldn't help but sigh at how adept her little cousin was at handling girls; thankfully, he was quite loyal and hadn't developed any romantic feelings for any other girl besides Zhu Zhuqing. At most, she had only kissed him that one night.

"Sigh, let's just pretend that night never happened." Ye Lingling thought to herself, when an untimely cough suddenly rang out, "Cough cough..."

Ye Lingling looked up and saw that Feng Xiaotian, the captain of Shenfeng Academy, had walked over at some point.

"Isn't your match about to start? Why aren't you getting ready yet?" Lan Si released Zhu Zhuqing, turned her gaze to Feng Xiaotian, and a hint of undisguised disdain flashed in her eyes.

"You've destroyed the arena. It'll take at least half an hour to repair it. That's why my duel with Tang San is delayed." Feng Xiaotian curled his lip, pointed to the main arena in the center, seemingly unfazed, and completely ignoring Lan Si's disdainful look. He looked Lan Si up and down again, and asked hesitantly, "You... are you really under twenty-five?"

Feng Xiaotian's heart pounded. He had been full of confidence, believing that as long as he could limit Lan Si's incredible speed, Huo Wu would definitely become his girlfriend. But after this battle, he had completely lost his confidence. He hadn't expected Lan Si to not only have superhuman speed, but also terrifying attack power, and that bluish-white flame that could easily block the cutting attack of the ice and snow vortex.

Aside from his strength, which is still unclear, he has almost no weaknesses in other aspects. Can he still defeat such a terrifying being?

“No.” Lan Si shook her head.

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiaotian's expression softened considerably. Then he heard Lan Si say, "I am under fifteen years old."

"Pfft..." Feng Xiaotian almost spat out a mouthful of blood, and said in disbelief, "So you're only fourteen years old."

Lan Si nodded slowly.

"And what about these two younger siblings?" Feng Xiaotian's gaze subconsciously swept over the kitten and Ye Lingling. "I sensed a soul power fluctuation from these two younger siblings that is not much less than mine. You're not going to tell me that they are also fourteen years old, are you?" If that's the case, then this world is far too crazy.

Chapter 279 Lan Si Starts to Set His Eyes on Xiao Wu

—Wait half an hour—

Shrek Advanced Soul Master Academy, Dugu Bo's residence.

This is a quiet little courtyard, backed by a forest and facing a small river. It was originally a training ground for mimicry.

After Tang San obtained his fourth spirit ring and returned to Shrek Academy, Dugu Bo, just like in the original story, fulfilled Tang San's last condition and became the honorary dean of Shrek. Because Dugu Bo preferred quiet, a small courtyard was built here to serve as his residence.

After learning that Shrek Academy's opponent had forfeited in the seventh round of the preliminary competition, Tang San, who was eager to cultivate his second martial soul, rushed here immediately, calling out, "Old Poison, Old Poison."

"Stop howling, I'm here."

A lazy and aged voice suddenly rang out. Tang San looked in the direction of the voice and saw that Dugu Bo had appeared by the riverbank, leaning lazily against a willow tree.

Dugu Bo slowly stood up, yawned, and his expression suddenly became serious. He solemnly said, "Have you thought this through? Once a spirit ring is absorbed, it can never be replaced. Don't blame me for not reminding you. You can still regret it now, lest you regret it later and waste several spirit ring slots."

Tang San nodded emphatically, "I've thought it through. I hate losing. In the promotion tournament, Shrek Academy will definitely face off against the second team of Heaven Dou Royal Academy again. I will return all the humiliation Lan Si inflicted on me."

"It's good that you've thought it through. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of power the Clear Sky Hammer will unleash after it's been equipped with four spirit rings that are over a thousand years old. Let's set off. I'm quite familiar with Sunset Forest, and I know where to find suitable spirit rings for you. Let's try to get back before dark." Dugu Bo sighed and was about to get up when a majestic and domineering voice suddenly rang in his ears, "You can't go anywhere."

"Who is it?" Dugu Bo was taken aback. He flashed forward and immediately stood in front of Tang San, staring warily at the other side of the river. There, a black figure with an unusually tall and burly build and an unfathomable aura had appeared.

A gentle breeze swept by, the white clouds in the sky dispersed, and sunlight poured down, illuminating the dark figure and revealing a weathered, sallow face covered with a thick beard. It was Tang Hao.

Upon seeing the newcomer's appearance, Dugu Bo frowned. Due to his aloof personality, he hadn't had much interaction with Tang Hao to begin with, and now that many years had passed and Tang Hao's appearance had changed drastically, he was even less likely to recognize him.

But if Dugu Bo didn't recognize him, how could Tang San not recognize him?

"Dad..." Tang San's voice trembled with joy. He bypassed Dugu Bo and quickly walked towards Tang Hao.

Upon hearing Tang San's words, Dugu Bo was startled and realized that the person in front of him was the legendary Haotian Douluo. He was indeed terrifying that the person could appear without his knowledge.

Judging from this, it seems that Haotian Douluo has been secretly following Tang San for a long time. Doesn't that mean that his capture of Tang San's son is also...?

Tang Hao ignored Tang San and turned his gaze to Dugu Bo, interrupting his thoughts, "Old Poisoner, I have something to say to my son, could you please leave first?" Although it was a request, his tone was full of command.

As the saying goes, might makes right. Upon hearing Tang Hao's words, Dugu Bo showed no dissatisfaction, simply nodded, and turned to disappear into the jungle.

"Slap..." Just as Dugu Bo left, a loud slap echoed through the courtyard, sending Tang San flying backward like a cannonball. He crashed heavily into the wall before finally coming to a stop.

"Dad, why?" Tang San's eyes were slightly red. Ignoring the sharp pain in his cheek, he cried out in shock, his heart filled with grievance. Why... why did his father, whom he hadn't seen for eight years, want to beat him up as soon as they met, and without any mercy?

"Don't call me father, I don't have a cowardly son like you." Tang Hao walked up to Tang San, raised his palm as big as a fan, and wanted to hit Tang San again, but after seeing Tang San's swollen face and the tears about to seep from the corners of his eyes, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Dad, why do you say that too?" Hearing Tang Hao's words, Tang San's tears finally streamed down his face. It was bad enough that Lan Si, that bastard, called him a coward, but he never expected even his own father to say that. Could it be that he, who had lived two lives and possessed Tang San's ultimate skills, was truly a coward?

"Get up." Tang Hao didn't answer, only uttering these two cold words.

Tang San dared not disobey his father's words. Despite the excruciating pain in his body, he got up as instructed, tears welling in his eyes.

Seeing this, Tang Hao's expression softened considerably, and he said calmly, "Do you still remember what I said to you when you first awakened your martial soul?"

The Great Luo of All Worlds

"Use the hammer in your left hand to protect the grass in your right hand," Tang San replied in a trembling voice.

Tang Hao continued in a deep voice, "Anything else?"

Tang San thought for a moment and said, "Without your permission, I absolutely cannot add any spirit rings to my second spirit."

Tang Hao asked seriously, "So, what did you do now?"

"I..." Tang San's voice suddenly weakened.

Tang Hao was somewhat exasperated: "A real man like you, if you only think about running away when you encounter a little setback, are you still my son, Tang Hao?"

Upon hearing this, Tang San, not knowing where he got the courage, stood up and retorted, "But Dad, Lan Si hurt Xiao Wu and insulted my teacher. And Blue Silver Grass is a useless martial soul. If I don't switch to Clear Sky Hammer, I will have no way to defeat him in the Soul Master Competition and avenge him."

Tang Hao's eyes narrowed slightly, a deep disappointment and a faint sadness flashing across them. "Who told you that Blue Silver Grass is a useless martial soul? And you want to defeat that kid named Lan Si, is it really just because he hurt Xiao Wu? Insulted your teacher? Just because of that, you're so eager to kill him? When did your magnanimity become so narrow?"

"Although Lan Si has defeated you time and time again, he was right about one thing: the Soul Arena is a place for Soul Masters to spar and hone their skills, not a playground for you. There's no rule that you can only hurt him and he can't fight back. Since you're so afraid of losing, what kind of Soul Master are you?"

Tang Hao's words hit the nail on the head, leaving Tang San speechless. And since the one who criticized him was his father, he dared not refute him. He could only clench his fists, grit his teeth, and lower his head, cursing Lan Si's ancestor a hundred thousand times over in his heart.

Seeing Tang San fall silent, Tang Hao let out a long sigh, his tone softening considerably. He said with a sigh, "I know you're not convinced. You've been a genius all your life since you were little, and suddenly someone stronger than you appears, someone you once didn't even take seriously. You can't accept it right away. Even I thought about killing that person who might threaten you in the future. I never gave up on that idea until the opening ceremony of the Soul Master Competition."

"Dad, then why don't you do it?" Tang San raised his head, his eyes filled with murderous intent. His father was Haotian Douluo. If he wanted to kill Lan Si, it would be an extremely simple matter. In that case, he wouldn't have to switch to cultivating a second martial soul in advance.

Chapter 280 Tang Ritian's Plans

"I understand, Dad." Tang San quickly perked up. Yes, his father was one of the most powerful Title Douluos in the past, known as the youngest Title Douluo on the Douluo Continent. He made him so powerful with just the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique. If he were to teach him other unique skills...

This is not something that someone like Lan Si, who could only learn by stealing techniques, could compare to.

Tang Ritian nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "The training of the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique ends here. Xiao San, let me ask you, where do you think you fall short compared to Lan Si?"

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