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The battle raged back and forth, but Tang San's defeat was becoming increasingly evident.
Ye Wen felt a pang of disappointment. Tang San's hidden weapons—one of his standout features—had been given ample time to develop, yet they amounted to so little. Clearly, pure hidden weapon techniques were limited in potential; only something like the super bomb Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus held any real promise.
Tang San, however, remained remarkably calm. The more he fought, the more he understood the gap in raw strength between them. But that didn't mean he would concede defeat.
'Ye Tian Shui, this is the price you'll pay for underestimating me!'
As Ye Tianshui pressed her relentless assault, she suddenly saw a flash of golden light and quickly raised her arms to block.
Hmm…
The crowd fell into silence. What had just happened?
Golden particles scattered on the ground, and fine cracks appeared on Ye Tianshui's Cold Spirit Dragon Armor.
'That's it?' Ye Tianshui tilted her head, thinking it was some grand move. It turned out to be nothing special.
But Tang San's eyes were filled with disbelief.
"How could this be?! My Dragon Whisker Needles are specifically designed to pierce protective energy shields—why did your True Body Armor only crack slightly?"
Look at how flustered this kid is—he even used terminology from his past life.
In Tang San's understanding, soul power equated to internal energy, and True Body Armor was entirely composed of soul power. Referring to it as a protective energy shield wasn't inaccurate.
The Dragon Whisker Needles he obtained from Flander were undoubtedly the bane of such protective shields. According to Tang San's calculations, they should have severely wounded Ye Tianshui.
After all, though the name "Dragon Whisker Needle" sounded grand, it was an insidious hidden weapon. After piercing through a protective shield, the needles would twist into spring-like coils inside the opponent's body. Without specialized techniques, they couldn't be removed—only excised by cutting flesh.
Though Ye Tianshui didn't know what a protective energy shield was, she understood Tang San's claim that his needles were meant to pierce True Body Armor. By now, her Cold Spirit Dragon Armor had fully repaired itself.
Ye Tianshui sneered disdainfully. "What made you think my Cold Spirit Dragon Armor is entirely made of soul power? If this is all you've got, then you're guaranteed to lose today."
Before Tang San could dwell on it further, Ye Tianshui closed in again.
Now completely overwhelmed, Tang San was utterly crushed within a few moves, collapsing to the ground with a pale, iron-blue face.
"Why?" Tang San asked, unwilling to accept his defeat.
"?!"
Ye Tian Shui glanced at her defeated opponent and simply turned back to Ye Wen.
Revealing information to an enemy? That's something only idiotic villains do—and villains die because they talk too much. Her father had taught her better than that.
Ye Wen looked at Tang San with a hint of pity.
Dragon Whisker Needles were indeed troublesome, but against a countermeasure like Ye Tianshui's armor, they effectively neutralized Tang San's ultimate technique.
If Tang San had managed to forge the Zhuge Crossbow by now, it might have posed a threat to Ye Tianshui—but clearly, he hadn't succeeded yet.
As for why Tang San's Dragon Whisker Needles failed to pierce Ye Tian Shui's Cold Spirit Dragon Armor? It was simple.
The Cold Spirit Dragon Armor wasn't Ye Tianshui's True Body Armor—it was an additional layer of armor forged from extreme ice, encasing her True Body Armor. Its current strength rivaled refined iron, and it would grow even stronger as her cultivation increased.
Though Ye Wen enjoyed teaching, he couldn't be bothered to explain this to Tang San. Yu Xiaogang was a doctor, after all—let him handle the explanation later.
"Tang San, those self-created soul skills of yours were impressive, but unfortunately, they can't be used in official soul battles. Now, would you consider joining the Tian Dou Imperial Academy as my daughter's subordinate?" Ye Wen said indifferently.
The resources at the Tian Dou Imperial Academy were indeed excellent.
But upon reflection, rather than letting Tang San wander freely and stumble upon opportunities, it seemed wiser to keep him firmly under control while suppressing his arrogant confidence. Perhaps he could be molded into a loyal subordinate—though no rewards would be given. Hmm, Ye Wen mused.
Later, he could even find ways to withhold some of Tang San's cultivation resources. Being second-in-command was just that harsh.
Tang San shakily rose to his feet, his face flushed with frustration. He was deeply dissatisfied. Despite all his efforts, he blamed his lack of powerful backing and resources for his failure. Had he possessed those advantages, he was certain he could have surpassed Ye Tian Shui in cultivation.
Yu Xiaogang, meanwhile, was about to step forward and accept on Tang San's behalf. He had no lofty ambitions of being a strong mentor.
If Tang San had to bow to someone, so be it. As long as the goal of cultivating Tang San to level 40 at the Tian Dou Imperial Academy was achieved, everything else was irrelevant. This life of constant fear and anxiety—he didn't want to endure it anymore.
But soon, Yu Xiaogang froze.
"Reject him. I'll arrange another academy for Xiao San to train at."
Yu Xiaogang inwardly cursed. Tang Hao, that bastard, was still lurking in the shadows, watching.
But since Tang Hao had spoken, Yu Xiaogang couldn't resist. In his panic, lacking the ability to improvise, he could only say stiffly,
"Esteemed committee members, it seems my disciple has no karmic connection with the Tian Dou Imperial Academy."
Though Tang San wasn't a top-tier genius, he still had great potential for cultivation. Meng Shenji quickly interjected,
"Why do you say that, Dr. Yu? Director Ye Wen's children are only participating in this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament. Tang San's age allows him to wait for the next one—I'm confident he'll make a name for himself then."
Yu Xiaogang glanced at Ye Wen and forced a bitter smile.
"Thank you for your kindness, Academician Meng. However, Tang San cannot study at the Tian Dou Imperial Academy due to other reasons. We apologize for the disturbance and take our leave. Flender, let's go."
The three committee members exchanged confused glances. Everything had been fine just moments ago—they were merely following Ye Tian Shui's lead. Why had things fallen apart so suddenly?
The only person who likely knew the truth was Ye Wen, the god-level powerhouse present.
To transmit sound in front of a god—did they think Ye Wen was blind?
Though Tang Hao's words were cryptic, Ye Wen had a rough idea of the reasoning.
As the current heir of the Heaven Dou Sect, Tang Hao naturally knew the true cultivation methods of the Heaven Dou Hammer.
Double Pupils originally… cough, wrong thought.
Both Tang Hao and his brother Tang Xiao were formidable, so why did only Tang Hao possess the Killing God Domain? Was Tang Xiao really that inferior?
There was only one explanation: cultivating heart and spirit was part of the secret teachings of the Heaven Dou Hammer.
Unfortunately, Tang Hao—a man outwardly strong but inwardly weak—had crumbled after a major setback and suffered deep internal injuries. His life was already over.
But knowing his own flaws, Tang Hao couldn't allow Tang San to follow the same path. Tang San submitting to others was not something Tang Hao wanted to see.
Moreover, among those present today, Xiao Wu and Ah Rou had also come along.
Their presence as rivals made Tang Hao feel deeply insecure.
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