The match between Shrek Academy and Flaming Academy was the fifth bout on the schedule. Before the match had even begun, Tang San could already feel a pair of scorching eyes fixed on him from not far away.
He didn't look toward Huo Wu, nor did he make any show of arrogance. He simply watched the ongoing matches on the field with a calm expression, paying particular attention to the bouts involving Divine Wind Academy and Lightning Academy. These two academies were ones they hadn't encountered before. They would be facing them in the advancement tournament, so he had to observe carefully.
Through his observations, Tang San discovered that besides the four elemental academies, two other academies were also quite strong. One was called Seiras Academy, and the other was Plant Academy.
Seiras Academy was manageable—they appeared to be roughly on par with the four elemental academies, with three students above level forty. But Plant Academy was something Tang San couldn't quite figure out. Every competitor from Plant Academy possessed a plant-type Martial Soul, and they were all extremely unusual plants. Since the start of the tournament, only three of their members had ever taken the field.
Of course, that was also because they hadn't faced any particularly strong opponents. The members they sent out were all in their thirties, but Tang San could tell that every one of the Plant Academy competitors was a Control Type Soul Master. Under those circumstances, even opponents above level forty would have a hard time gaining an advantage against them. Relying on just three Soul Venerables in the thirty-plus range, they had already racked up two consecutive victories in the matches that had concluded so far.
Plant Academy kept a very low profile, and their Soul Skills weren't flashy at all. But the more restrained they were, the more Tang San sensed they were no ordinary team.
At last, it was time for Shrek Academy and Flaming Academy to take the field.
When Tang San, representing Shrek Academy, was the first to walk onto the competition grounds, the Flaming Academy side immediately showed expressions of surprise.
The first to compete for Flaming Academy was indeed Huo Wushuang—just as Dai Mubai had predicted, Huo Wu would be the last one to appear.
Seeing Tang San emerge onto the field first, Huo Wu shot up from her seat. The fullness of her chest rose and fell rapidly, and light flickered in and out of her eyes. If not for the rule that the submitted order of appearance could not be changed, she would have volunteered to go first without a second thought.
Why? Why are you going first? Huo Wu screamed internally.
During the month after the preliminary rounds ended, her training had been almost punishingly intense—torture by her own standards. And she had finally broken through: her Soul Power had risen by another level, and her mastery of her own Soul Skills and overall combat abilities had improved considerably. All of it had been in preparation to face Tang San and reclaim her honor.
But now, Tang San had appeared as the first member for Shrek Academy. No matter how strong he was, Huo Wu didn't believe he could last long enough to face her. Was this chance to settle the score just going to vanish like that? She refused to accept it.
But the rules were right there, and there was nothing she could do about them. She couldn't very well ask her brother and everyone else to forfeit.
After all, she had to think about the team as a whole.
Huo Wushuang stood facing Tang San. His expression was grave. He had originally expected that Xiao Wu, coming off her five-match winning streak the day before, would be the first to appear, and he had prepared himself to fight her.
Instead, the person before him was Tang San—the one who had left such a deep impression on him. A hairline crack had already appeared in Huo Wushuang's inner resolve.
He knew that with Tang San's control over his Martial Soul and his fire immunity, he would have a very hard time getting the upper hand. The fire immunity was simply too devastating a counter to his abilities.
Tang San maintained his usual calm expression—it was the same regardless of who his opponent was. At the referee's signal to begin, he gestured invitingly toward Huo Wushuang.
Almost simultaneously, both released their Martial Souls. Tang San raised his right hand before him, and from his palm grew a stalk of Blue Silver Grass roughly five inches tall, swaying gently. Were it not for the four dazzling Soul Rings on his body that announced his true power, no one would have believed that a mere five-inch strand of Blue Silver Grass could possess such terrifying might.
Not only the Flaming Academy members, but even the competitors from the various kingdoms and principalities—all who weren't currently in a match—had their eyes locked on the fight between Huo Wushuang and Tang San.
One was a traditionally powerhouse academy, the other held a ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring. This battle was destined to be spectacular. At the same time, these academies wanted to observe closely just how formidable Tang San truly was.
Scales surfaced from beneath his skin, scorching flames flared up in an instant and then receded just as quickly. Huo Wushuang's entire body was covered in a layer of dark red. A short horn protruded from the top of his head, roughly three inches long—it was his Martial Soul, the One-Horned Firefiend Dragon, manifesting upon his body.
Watching the process of Huo Wushuang releasing his Martial Soul, Tang San's gaze sharpened. The initial release of flames was normal, but the way the fire subsequently contracted back inward was clearly different from when they had clashed in the team battles before. From Huo Wushuang's composed and confident demeanor, it was obvious he had already devised a counter.
Unlike the usual dynamic where an offensive-type Soul Master took the initiative against a Control Type, this time it was Tang San who moved first.