Chapter 352. Hidden Secrets, Seven Gems Martial Soul (Part 2)

Tang San had already recovered his wits. Watching Huo Wu tumble through the air, his brow furrowed slightly as his hand swept across the Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night. The Zhuge Divine Crossbow was already in his hands—his movements were so fast that, in the span of a single heartbeat, accompanied by the metallic clang of mechanism, the weapon was fully cocked and ready.

Tang San's reaction was born of necessity.

At this moment, the seven members of Shrek Academy were positioned squarely between Blazing Fire Academy and Canhui Academy. If a fight broke out with Blazing Fire Academy, a sneak attack from Canhui Academy behind them could easily result in casualties.

But with the Zhuge Divine Crossbow in hand, everything changed. As long as Blazing Fire Academy dared to break the tournament rules and attack within the rest area, he could lead his team to kill them in an instant, then turn to deal with Canhui Academy.

Tang San was confident that at such close range, with Blazing Fire Academy's team members having not yet released their Martial Souls, they would have no way of withstanding the Zhuge Divine Crossbow's impact—let alone the fact that they had just finished a match, meaning their Soul Power had certainly been partially depleted.

Tang San's movements served as the entire team's signal. The moment he drew out the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, Xiao Wu—who shared the deepest synergy with him—completed the same motion. Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing followed immediately, producing their own Zhuge Divine Crossbows. Four Zhuge Divine Crossbows aimed at Blazing Fire Academy simultaneously.

Though they didn't know what the weapons were, the moment the Zhuge Divine Crossbows were pointed at them, every member of Blazing Fire Academy felt a bone-chilling killing intent radiate from the seven members of Shrek Academy.

Tang San spoke in a calm, flat tone. "If you're looking for trouble, we'll oblige."

Huo Wushuang glared coldly at Tang San. Though he sensed something was wrong, as the captain of Blazing Fire Academy, backing down now would make it impossible for him to hold his head up back home. Just as he was about to explode, Huo Wu grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

Huo Wu glanced at the foot-long black case in Tang San's hand. "Let's go." With that, she forcibly dragged her brother toward the rest area.

The seven members of Shrek Academy were unfazed, but the members of Canhui Academy all wore expressions of disappointment. If Shrek Academy and Blazing Fire Academy had actually fought, setting aside the rule violation, the drain on their Soul Power alone would have been hugely beneficial for the match against Shrek Academy that was still to come.

A faint shimmer of light flickered, and a trace of icy resolve surfaced in Tang San's eyes. The way Huo Wu had stared at him before leaving left him with an uncomfortable feeling.

Dai Mubai resumed walking forward. As he moved, he turned to the captain of Canhui Academy beside him and said, "Looks like we didn't fight. Disappointed?"

The captain of Canhui Academy appeared to be around thirty years old. If not for the relatively fair age regulations of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, Dai Mubai would have suspected the man had exceeded the age limit.

The Canhui Academy team captain let out a cold snort, didn't even look at Dai Mubai, and strode forward with his head held high.

Cold light flashed in Dai Mubai's eyes. Just you wait—we'll show you what we're made of on the arena.

Both teams entered the venue, and the crowd immediately erupted into deafening cheers—none of which were directed at Canhui Academy. As the marquee matchup of this round, the Shrek Academy versus Canhui Academy match was naturally placed on the central main stage once again. Shrek Academy had long since become a fixture here.

"Destroy them! One-shot those losers! Hail Shrek!"

"Twelve wins in a row! Twelve wins in a row!"

All manner of cheers surged from the spectator stands into the arena, while the professional commentators in the VIP section also turned their focus to these two teams.

"The third round of Day Twelve is about to begin! I'm sure everyone has noticed that Shrek Academy's team is competing in this round. Their opponents are Canhui Academy, who have posted an impressive record of eleven matches with eight victories and three defeats. Based on their current results, Canhui Academy still has a chance to advance—though compared to Shrek Academy, their strength is clearly inferior. After all, they've come out on the losing side in previous encounters against several powerhouses. Today, as Canhui Academy faces Shrek Academy, in my personal assessment, the outcome of this match is beyond doubt. The real question is how long Canhui Academy can hold out against Shrek Academy's attacks."

The commentator's words were no doubt caustic. As a professional commentator, he had no personal bias—his commentary simply shifted to align with the audience's wishes, and right now, the crowd's support unanimously fell on Shrek Academy. His remarks served to amplify the arena's atmosphere to its peak.

"Oh—wait, let's take a look! Shrek Academy has swapped one member of their lineup today. It's no longer the auxiliary Soul Master Jiang Zhu, but the agile-attack Soul Master who appeared in the match against Elephant Armor Academy. Let me check the records... Ah, her name is Zhu Zhuqing. If I'm not mistaken, she should be a Soul Ancestor above level forty. Moreover, in the fight against Elephant Armor Academy, she teamed up with Shrek Academy's captain, Dai Mubai, to unleash the first Martial Soul Fusion Technique seen in this entire tournament. It was that Martial Soul Fusion Technique that turned the tide of battle and allowed Shrek Academy to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Sending her out today—does that mean Canhui Academy is even more threatening in their eyes than Blazing Fire Academy? She didn't appear in yesterday's lineup!"