No one could see what was happening at the central arena anymore. All anyone could make out was that dazzling pillar of seven-colored light.
Tang San stood perfectly still in place, his opponent's voice echoing from every direction: "You're far too naive if you think closing your eyes will shield you from our Seven Asura Illusion Realm. We've waited far too long for this day. Prepare yourselves for the foulest depths of your own hearts. The torment of psychological devastation will bring you exquisite agony—driving you mad, inch by inch. That is the price you pay for humiliating us. Don't worry, though. We'll show mercy. We'll leave you alive."
Every other member of the Shrek Academy team still had their eyes shut. Tang San let out a soft sigh and spoke with effortless calm: "The ones being naive here are you. You think this simple illusion can trap us? Compared to Shi Nian's seventh soul skill—Nightmare—this Seven-Man Unity Fusion Technique of yours falls far short."
Indeed, though this Seven-Man Unity Fusion Technique looked spectacular and imposing, and illusions had already begun taking root in everyone's hearts, when measured against the assassin Shi Nian, their illusion soul skill was far too crude and superficial. On a fundamental level, it was simply inferior.
The pillar of seven-colored light trembled violently, and even the illusions forming inside the Shrek Academy members' minds flickered and blurred. Clearly, Tang San's words had landed a devastating blow.
"You… Where is Teacher Shi Nian?" Though unseen, the voice was unmistakably that of Canghui Academy's team captain, and it was laced with panic.
Tang San replied flatly: "You're his students, aren't you? Looking for him? I won't give you the chance. Don't worry, we'll show mercy. We'll leave you alive. That's precisely why you won't be seeing him."
The timing was right. Tang San's body suddenly moved, rising through the multicolored light as six kicks lashed out in rapid succession. He wasn't striking his enemies—instead, each kick tapped precisely against a partner's back.
Six bodies were sent tumbling in six different directions simultaneously, each one spitting a mouthful of blood. Meanwhile, Tang San himself hung in the air, his eyes blazing a deep purple-gold. Beams of purple-gold light roughly a foot long erupted from his gaze, flashing from seven different angles at once.
Screams rang out almost in unison. When Tang San's body descended back to the ground, he delivered a light palm strike to his own chest, and a thin trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
The colored light withdrew. Everything around them snapped back into sharp clarity. That massive seven-colored pillar of light had vanished into thin air. Of the fourteen people who had been on the arena, only one remained standing.
It was Tang San.
The sight of the other six Shrek Academy members vomiting blood had been perfectly captured by the audience in the instant the colored light disappeared. They had all collapsed to the ground, clearly having lost all ability to fight.
As for their opponents—the seven members of the Canghui Academy team—they had been blasted far from their original positions and now lay sprawled across seven different spots on the arena. Unlike the Shrek team, however, these seven were convulsing violently on the ground, foaming at the mouth, their eyes rolled back in their skulls.
They looked as though they were suffering epileptic seizures.
Tang San's complexion was deathly pale, and his stance was unsteady—he swayed from time to time. But his gaze remained firm and resolute, as though declaring to the entire world that he was the last one standing, and therefore the victor.
An uproar erupted. Whether on the spectator stands or in the VIP section, chaos reigned.
The Soul Masters in the crowd who had believed Canghui Academy was executing a true Seven-Man Martial Soul Fusion Technique were so stunned their jaws had dropped. When that colored light had engulfed the Shrek Academy members, they had all assumed the match was over.
Who could have predicted that Shrek Academy would deliver yet another stunning surprise? Even Canghui Academy's so-called "divine technique" had still been defeated.
The referee's body trembled as he announced the final result. After being evaluated by several veteran experts of the Soul Master world, the verdict for Canghui Academy's competing members was soul skill backlash.
Though this elite tournament of advanced Soul Master academies explicitly prohibited crippling or killing one's opponents, who could be blamed for a soul skill backlash?
The Canghui Academy members were carried off the arena by their own people. On the Shrek Academy side, Oscar, Ning Rongrong, and Ma Hongjun rushed up to help. Just as Ning Rongrong, heedless of exposing her abilities, was about to release her Martial Soul to provide everyone with a boost, Tang San stopped her with a single look.
Together, the four of them barely managed to support the six fallen members off the arena.
What greeted them was a thunderous roar from the audience—cheering for them as heroes. The Shrek Academy team had once again defended their standing with raw power. A record of twelve consecutive victories made them the undisputed pride of the tournament.
The moment they stepped off the arena, the supported Dai Mubai couldn't hold back: "Xiao San, that was brutal."