In Douluo Continent, his martial soul mutated into Blue Silver Grass.

Chapter 173 The Clear Sky Hammer is Exposed, Lin Hai's Plan Needs to Be Moved Ahead

The battle between Tianshui Academy and the Beast Academy has concluded, which means that the preliminary rounds in the Tiandou City region have all ended. According to the competition schedule, the next step is the awards ceremony. Emperor Xue Ye of the Tiandou Empire personally presented the qualification certificates for the next round to the top five teams in the preliminary rounds, as well as some rewards.

However, since the main arena in the center of the Great Soul Arena was destroyed in the intense competition, the award ceremony was also simplified. Only the top five teams went to the VIP section to receive their qualification certificates, and the other academies that failed to advance did not participate in the final ceremony.

For example, right now, the sect leader of the Elephant Armor Sect had a very dark expression on his face. He had failed to fulfill his promise to the Spirit Hall. Although he had expressed his loyalty to the Spirit Hall, he was still worried that the Spirit Hall would punish him.

"Next, His Majesty the Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, Sect Master Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and Platinum Bishop Salas of the Spirit Hall will personally present the qualification certificates and prize money for the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament to the five teams that have entered the qualifying rounds."

The qualification certificate for advancement is actually just a handwritten note. There's no fear of forgery with such a document, since both the Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire know exactly which academy has advanced.

The top five academies received the same prize money: 10,000 gold soul coins from the Heaven Dou Empire. It wasn't a huge amount, but it wasn't a small amount either, considering it was only the preliminary rounds. In the finals, the prizes for the top three teams would be provided by the Spirit Hall.

The rewards then will be much more generous than what we have now.

After all matters were settled, Emperor Xueye's gaze swept over the student representatives from the five academies before him, especially those from the Beast Academy, whom he was particularly pleased with. He smiled and said, "First of all, congratulations to all the outstanding young Soul Masters on passing the preliminary rounds. You will represent our Heaven Dou Empire in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. As the supreme ruler of the Heaven Dou Empire, I am proud of you. You will all be the hope for the future of the empire."

"The captain and vice-captain of your teams performed exceptionally well, so I have decided to confer upon you ten the title of viscount. The other students from your five academies also performed admirably, and you will also receive the title of baron. Once you graduate from your respective academies, the gates of the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family will be open to you at any time, and your fiefdoms will be uniformly allocated after your graduation."

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School Master didn't think much of Emperor Xueye's attempts to win him over, but the Spirit Hall's Platinum Bishop Salas was quite unhappy.

"Your Majesty, this is not appropriate." To dare to interrupt the emperor of an empire while he is speaking is enough to show how powerful and arrogant the Spirit Hall is.

Emperor Xueye glanced at Salas casually. "Is there anything wrong with this, Bishop Salas?"

"There is no precedent for awarding titles in previous competitions. Moreover, Your Majesty, isn't the title you're bestowing a bit too high?" Salas seemed to be stating a fact.

"Lord Salas, isn't the conferment of titles an internal matter of our empire? Does your Spirit Hall have to interfere in this as well?" Emperor Xueye's tone was authoritative without being angry, leaving Salas with no choice but to grit his teeth in silence.

Salas's expression darkened considerably, but he didn't say anything more, though a sinister glint appeared in his eyes.

Moreover, if the rewards you offer are too high, it will be difficult for our Spirit Hall to win you over later.

Everyone else was very excited; they were all young people, and the series of rewards and money were something many people their age wouldn't have the opportunity to receive.

Lin Hai was not interested in this, because he sought something bigger and had broader ambitions.

The next qualifying rounds will still be held in the Heaven Dou Empire, but the venue will change from the Heaven Dou Grand Arena to the Heaven Dou Empire's Royal Enclosure.

At that time, ten teams from the five duchies and kingdoms under the Heaven Dou Empire, who passed the preliminary rounds, will come to compete in the qualifying rounds, along with fifteen advanced soul master academy teams.

Emperor Xueye promised the teams from the five academies present that the Heaven Dou Empire would provide the three students with the most wins in the qualifying rounds with the soul beasts needed for their next title upgrade. Furthermore, they could choose the type of soul beast themselves; the Heaven Dou Empire guaranteed to provide all soul beasts with a cultivation level below 30,000 years.

Throughout the snowy night, the Great Emperor was constantly demonstrating the authority of the Heaven Dou Empire to everyone, especially to the Platinum Bishop Salas of the Spirit Hall. Lin Hai, as an observer, saw this very clearly.

This means that the conflict between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Spirit Hall is about to be brought into the open.

After the qualifiers and before the knockout stage, there is a one-month transition period during which everyone can get some rest.

Xiao Wu returned a few days before this transition period. Er Ming saw her off for a while, which shortened her return time by a few days. Moreover, she was carrying a rather large backpack on her back.

After Xiao Wu returned, she went straight to Tang San and gave him the good things she had obtained from Da Ming and Er Ming.

Tang San watched as Xiao Wu took out boxes from her backpack, and he was a little confused. He didn't know what Xiao Wu had been doing during the time she had been home.

But when he opened those metal boxes, he was stunned...

In the days that followed, Shrek Academy fell silent for a few days, and a week later, the main group of Shrek Academy members left.

……

Meanwhile, Salas's detailed information on the various teams of the Heaven Dou Empire also arrived at the altar of Bibi Dong, the only Pope of the Spirit Hall.

"A five-ring Soul King has appeared in the Heaven Dou Empire, and there is another person who is suspected to be a Soul King. This generation of the Heaven Dou Empire does have some strength, but it is not something to be afraid of." Although Bibi Dong paid more attention to the information on Feng Xiaotian and Lin Hai, in her opinion, although Feng Xiaotian and Lin Hai were a threat, they were nothing special. She had a lot of confidence in the Golden Generation of the Spirit Hall.

And then...

"Hmm?" Bibi Dong, as the Pope, exuded an aura of authority and majesty with every casual remark.

Her attention was entirely focused on the document in her hand, her eyes fixed on those words: "Fourth Soul Ring of Ten Thousand Years".

Bibi Dong put down the documents in her hand, closed her eyes in deep thought, and gently tapped the table with one hand.

"This Tang San seems to be a threat. If he can't be used by my Spirit Hall, then... humph!"

Bibi Dong gave the order to send a message to Salas, instructing him to keep a close eye on the young Soul Master named Tang San.

……

A month passed quickly, and the advanced soul master academies from various regions of the Heaven Dou Empire that had passed the preliminary rounds had all arrived in Heaven Dou City.

The qualifying rounds are relatively simple; they're basically a ring match where the winner defends their title, and the loser is eliminated and replaced by another person.

In the previous matches, Feng Xiaotian was undoubtedly the best performer, stealing the spotlight. Lin Hai, however, remained calm and composed, stating that true masters always make their move in the most tense and crucial moments.

Feng Xiaotian defeated all his opponents along the way, and Mu Jiabao also achieved remarkable results. In some battles against academies, Feng Xiaotian didn't even need to participate; Mu Jiabao had already taken care of the situation. Of course, both of them had others hold off several opponents before they could enter the fray.

However, when it came to Tang San, he encountered resistance.

Tang San was overjoyed after receiving the immortal herb that Xiao Wu brought back, but the bad news was... there were only three, not enough to go around. With no other choice, Tang San had to first enhance his overall strength. He found the immortal herb that was easiest to refine into pills and then distributed them equally among the others.

Because Tang San had also prepared pills made from high-grade herbs for them in advance, these people, except for Ma Hongjun, were only two or three levels away from becoming members of the Soul Sect.

Oscar and Ning Rongrong gave them pills. The two of them were level 39 and 38 respectively, and the medicinal power shared by the immortal herbs was enough for them to break through.

Ma Hongjun also gave him pills.

Tang San had Xiao Wu consume one of the plants, and Zhu Zhuqing gave him another.

Of course, firstly, Zhu Zhuqing was only level 37 to begin with, and this was the result of her hard work. Secondly, if Zhu Zhuqing could break through to the Soul Master level, the power of her Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Dai Mubai would be greatly enhanced.

With his help and the help of others, defeating a Soul King will not be difficult.

Tang San and Dai Mubai also swallowed a pill, which improved their strength. There was one more pill left, which Tang San saved for them.

Of the original seven members of Shrek Academy, all but Ma Hongjun have broken through to the Soul Master level.

With their individual strengths greatly increased, Shrek Academy's overall strength also increased significantly, which restored Tang San and his companions' confidence.

The confidence stems from several points. First, Tang San's four-ring spirit and soul bone make his overall strength comparable to a Soul King. Second, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing's spirit fusion skill, a dual-Soul Sect spirit fusion skill, is already on par with a Soul Emperor. Furthermore, their experience with this skill has only increased their combat effectiveness. Third, Ning Rongrong and Oscar, both with four-ring spirits, possess incredibly powerful support abilities from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, ranking among the top in the entire Douluo Continent. Oscar, with his innate full soul power, has an extraordinary support ability from his food-type spirit; everyone who has used it praises it, although his soul curses can be quite nasty.

With his confidence restored, and Shrek Academy, determined to win the championship, also returned, Yu Xiaogang saw hope once again.

In the final individual match of the qualifying rounds, Shrek Academy launched a strong attack, wearing down several members of the Beast Academy. The two took turns whittling down Feng Xiaotian before it was finally Tang San's turn to enter the arena.

Don't complain about how disgusting the tactics are; as long as they're practical, that's all that matters.

Although Feng Xiaotian was exhausted, he was in excellent condition, while Tang San was filled with the trust of his companions. Their eyes met, stirring up an invisible tension.

"How interesting, you've become a Soul Master so quickly. I don't feel like I've changed much."

"Hehe, that's not right either. At least Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is still the same Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."

The match between Tang San and Feng Xiaotian was truly spectacular, but Feng Xiaotian was no longer the same Feng Xiaotian from the original timeline, and Tang San was no longer the same Tang San from the original timeline either.

Feng Xiaotian's strength was awe-inspiring, but Tang San could not possibly tarnish the glory of his Tang Sect. He mastered the six ultimate techniques of the Tang Sect with ease.

Tang San's obsession with winning led him to ultimately use his other martial soul, the Clear Sky Hammer.

The moment the Clear Sky Hammer appeared, everyone was stunned, especially Salas, who jumped to his feet, completely disregarding the feelings of Emperor Xueye and Ning Fengzhi beside him, his eyes fixed on Tang San on the field, or rather, on the hammer in his hand.

After staring for a few seconds, Salas's face

He left without changing his expression, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. If anyone from the Spirit Hall were here, they would have noticed that Salas's gaze was no different from the one he used when judging criminals.

It's no wonder Salas acted this way; those who understand what the Haotian Hammer signifies know it all. He had to immediately relay this message back to His Holiness the Pope.

Ning Fengzhi narrowed his eyes slightly, and at this moment he carefully examined Tang San on the field again. His old habit had resurfaced.

Tang San's identity suddenly changed in his eyes: he was the successor of the Clear Sky Sect and possessed twin martial souls...

Tang San's value in his mind had risen to a new level. He was considering whether to invest more in Tang San, his beloved daughter's good classmate.

The reason Ning Fengzhi was able to develop the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School into such a wealthy enterprise is because he is a businessman. Businessmen can't resist investing when they see hidden profit margins.

However... no matter what Ning Fengzhi thinks, it has nothing to do with Lin Hai. Lin Hai is only responsible for one thing, which is to force Ning Fengzhi's many investments to succeed in only one of them, and that is Lin Hai himself.

Ning Fengzhi was unaware that Lin Hai and Tang San were lifelong enemies. The Blue Silver Emperor was destined to have a successor only appearing after the fall of the previous emperor.

Looking at Tang San, who had revealed his twin martial souls on the field, Lin Hai was certain that Ning Fengzhi would definitely invest, given his personality. Moreover, because of Ning Rongrong, Tang San's connection with her was even stronger than Lin Hai's.

Lin Hai looked at Ning Fengzhi in the VIP seats on the high platform with a scrutinizing gaze. He knew that time was running out for him. Ning Fengzhi's time to make his choice was approaching, and that time would be after the conclusion of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.

"We need to hurry!" Lin Hai left. The final outcome was meaningless to him. Whether he won or lost, they had already made it to the finals. Fame and fortune held little allure for him.

……

Lin Hai wasn't sure where Xue Qinghe was, so he took the token and went directly to the Heavenly Dou Imperial Palace and the Crown Prince's residence to look for him, but unfortunately, Xue Qinghe wasn't there.

As night approached, Xue Qinghe returned. Emperor Xue Ye had assigned him other tasks today, so he didn't have time to watch the competition and was busy with other matters.

The guard knight approached Xue Qinghe and whispered, "Someone has come with a token seeking Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"I see!"

Xue Qinghe was a little confused. There weren't many people with his token, but there were several, and he wasn't sure who they were.

The scene is about to transition to the Spirit Hall, and Lin Hai is about to take the stage. His Blue Silver Domain has the effect of concealing his spirit rings, so while Lin Hai is high-profile, he's not as flamboyant as Tang San.

(End of this chapter)