Flender quickly rushed onto the stage, carrying Tang San back to Shrek Academy's tent and handing him over to the healing-type soul masters for treatment.
Tai Long, who had returned to the tent earlier, saw how severely injured Tang San was and tearfully exclaimed, "Young Master San, you mustn't come to any harm!"
Flender scolded him irritably, "A grown man crying like this—what kind of behavior is that! Tai Long, take care of Xiao San. I'll return to watch the match."
He had originally thought Tang San would win, but the situation on the field had changed drastically.
In an instant, Tang San's advantage had been overturned, and he himself had suffered such a severe injury.
Was Ning Tianchen truly unbeatable?
---
In Shrek Academy's rest area, Yu Xiaogang remained stunned for a long time, unable to recover his composure.
Liu Erlong patted his shoulder comfortingly and said, "Xiaogang, we underestimated Ning Tianchen and overlooked his fifth soul skill. Although Xiao San lost this match, Ning Tianchen has expended a great deal of his soul power. If Mubai goes up next, he can easily eliminate him."
"This match wasn't without gains—at the very least, we've figured out all of Ning Tianchen's secrets. In the finals, we'll be better prepared to handle him."
Yu Xiaogang let out a long sigh.
Just when Tang San had gained a significant advantage, how had it been reversed?
Yu Xiaogang fell into self-doubt and couldn't immediately send another contestant onto the stage.
The promotion round had no time limit, and as long as they didn't wait too long, the referee wouldn't declare a loss by default.
---
On the stage, Ning Tianchen wiped the sweat from his forehead.
His battle with Tang San had consumed nearly half of his soul power, and his physical stamina was also greatly drained.
Ke Jie asked him, "Tianchen, are you still able to fight? You have teammates—you don't need to push yourself so hard."
Ning Tianchen sat cross-legged on the spot, beginning to recover his condition. "Shrek Academy won't send someone up immediately. I should still be able to eliminate one or two more opponents."
Though his condition was only half-depleted, his current strength was less than thirty percent of his full potential.
Earlier, out of the corner of his eye, he had noticed that everyone in Shrek Academy's rest area was consoling Yu Xiaogang—they wouldn't send anyone up anytime soon.
Besides, the tournament rules didn't forbid recovering one's condition on the stage.
After some thought, Ke Jie didn't force Ning Tianchen to leave the stage.
Pausing for a moment, he transmitted a message to him. "Someone was likely secretly guiding Tang San just now, and that person is quite powerful. Be careful and don't overexert yourself."
Ning Tianchen's eyebrows twitched.
During the match, Tang San had suddenly gained a deep understanding of the Chaotic Wind Splitting Hammer Technique—a breakthrough that clearly wasn't something he could achieve on the spot.
Ning Tianchen considered many possibilities but hadn't expected that someone was secretly guiding Tang San.
Just like earlier, when Ke Jie transmitted a message to him, outsiders couldn't possibly know about it.
"No wonder he was able to spot my weaknesses," Ning Tianchen muttered softly.
He could confirm that the person secretly guiding Tang San must have been Tang Hao.
Aside from Tang Hao, who else would be familiar with the Chaotic Wind Splitting Hammer Technique?
Moreover, with Tang Hao's sharp eye, spotting his weaknesses wasn't surprising.
Ning Tianchen bitterly smiled inside.
To become a Title Douluo, it wasn't just about breaking through soul power—it was also essential to find an opponent's weaknesses during battle.
The road of cultivation was long, and to reach the level of Chenxin or Tang Hao, he still had a long way to go.
---
About an hour later.
Under the persuasion of everyone from Shrek Academy, Yu Xiaogang finally accepted reality.
He adjusted his mindset and arranged, "Mubai, you'll go up for the next match. You must eliminate Ning Tianchen and then take out one more member of the Seven Treasures Team, or we won't have a chance at victory."
Dai Mubai patted his chest confidently. "Master, rest assured. After that fierce battle earlier, Ning Tianchen's soul power is greatly depleted—I'm not afraid of him."
With that, he strode confidently onto the stage.
Thanks to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's fast-recovery techniques, Ning Tianchen had regained about twenty percent of his soul power during this time, and his stamina had also recovered somewhat.
When Dai Mubai stepped onto the stage, Ning Tianchen slowly rose to his feet.
"Ning Tianchen, today's match will determine a victor between us!" Dai Mubai declared confidently.
Ning Tianchen ignored his taunts and waited for the match to begin.
Below the stage, many people grumbled. "This Dai Mubai is shameless. Ning Tianchen just fought a major battle and is low on soul power. This guy actually wants to take advantage of someone in a weakened state!"
"If Dai Mubai loses this match, won't he become a laughingstock?"
Ning Rongrong sneered. "Dai Mubai is still the same coward—he always bullies the weak and fears the strong."
Oscar clenched his fists angrily. "I believe in Tianchen—he'll definitely teach Dai Mubai a lesson!"
---
The match began.
Dai Mubai knew he still needed to defeat another opponent afterward.
Therefore, in this match, he couldn't afford to expend too much soul power.
"First soul skill—White Tiger Protective Barrier."
With the defensive boost provided by his soul skill, Dai Mubai's hands transformed into tiger claws, with sharp talons extending from his fingertips.
By this time, the sun had set, and the sky was gradually growing darker.
Fighting in the dark wouldn't diminish Ning Tianchen's combat effectiveness.
For him, as long as he could drag things out, he would gain the environmental advantage. Even if he were forced to retreat, Zhu Zhuqing would have plenty of room to shine in the darkness.
Thus, he chose to temporarily avoid direct confrontation with Dai Mubai and conserve his stamina while waiting for nightfall.
Yu Xiaogang grew increasingly anxious. "If this keeps dragging on, it'll be completely dark, which will put us at a disadvantage. Moreover, if Mubai expends too much energy in this match, he might struggle to defeat his next opponent."
Flender patted his shoulder. "Xiaogang, we need to trust Mubai. Besides, he's only activated his first soul skill, so his soul power consumption isn't significant."
---
Ning Tianchen's agility was already exceptional, and after years of practice, using his movements consumed little stamina.
In fact, he could even use the gaps in Dai Mubai's attacks to recover some of his strength.
Unable to make progress, Dai Mubai grew increasingly anxious and couldn't help but curse loudly, "Ning Tianchen, are you a damn eel or something?!"
"Third soul skill—White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
With the enhancement of his third soul skill, all of Dai Mubai's attributes increased significantly.
In a frenzied state, he launched an attack at Ning Tianchen, seemingly forgetting Yu Xiaogang's instructions.
"Getting impatient already?" Ning Tianchen smirked faintly, glancing up at the already darkened sky.
"Then let's have some fun."
"Heavy Sword Style!"
The Seven Kill Sword slashed down at Dai Mubai's head like a meteor crashing down with overwhelming force.
Dai Mubai's eyes widened in panic as he hastily raised his hands to block.
The tremendous force from the Seven Kill Sword rendered his full-strength defense useless.
Under such immense pressure, Dai Mubai gradually dropped to his knees.
"Heavy Sword Style."
A single strike with unstoppable force.
Dai Mubai was completely unable to resist, watching helplessly as the sword blade approached his neck.
Panic-stricken, he hurriedly chose to surrender!
According to the tournament rules, once an opponent surrenders, they cannot be harmed further.
Ning Tianchen quickly retracted his sword and shot Dai Mubai a disdainful glance.
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