Douluo Dalu: Lucky Star

On the stage, after holding on for a few more minutes, Elephant Armor Academy helplessly chose to forfeit.

Hu Yanli could have continued to fight, but there was no need to. This was a competition, not an elimination match. Rather than forcing a hard fight and risking injury, it was better to concede.

They needed to stay in good shape for the upcoming matches. Thunderclap Academy was the perfect example right in front of them, and they didn't want others to take advantage of their weakened state.

Heaven Dou Imperial Academy won. Yesterday's star, Elephant Armor Academy, had fallen. Without a doubt, this was a tactical crushing, and it earned applause from the audience.

In the contestant viewing area, Han Li smiled as he looked at the group.

"Well, what do you say?"

"A bet is a bet. We owe you a favor."

Huo Wu and the others had no intention of going back on their word. They could afford to lose, though they still looked a bit frustrated.

If Han Li had known some inside information, it would have been one thing for Elephant Armor Academy to lose. But this was a solid tactical defeat by the second team of the Imperial Academy. Not even Hu Yanli could have imagined that someone would play with their martial soul like that. They had to admit defeat — both mentally and verbally.

At the same time, they raised the priority of the second team of the Imperial Academy in their minds. Regardless of their reputation, their strength was something to take seriously, even though their team composition seemed a bit odd.

After watching a few more matches — including one from Blazing Academy, which was easily won — the day's competitions came to an end.

In the following days, Canghui Academy became the center of attention, all because they entered a winning streak.

Aside from Blazing Academy, which attempted a group battle against weaker opponents and then faced the same predicament as Thunderclap Academy after their preparation time ran out, most of the strong teams they faced chose to forfeit.

This included Skywater Academy, who, still unable to find a way to counter Canghui Academy's tactics, decided to forfeit rather than step into the ring themselves. This marked Skywater Academy's first loss in the competition.

As for the other academies who were just there to participate, they stubbornly went up to fight, only to fall without suspense.

Canghui Academy indeed maintained their winning streak, but their mood wasn't good. Several days had passed, and Shi Nian still hadn't appeared. Even if they were slow, by now they had realized something was wrong.

They reported the situation to the Heaven Dou Empire in time, but the last clue disappeared after being traced to the city gates. Ultimately, they could only confirm that Shi Nian had left the city.

Shi Nian was most likely dead.

As the news spread, this became the common conclusion. Perhaps it had something to do with that seven-in-one fusion technique. The topic was quickly dropped because no one wanted to stir up trouble.

The Heaven Dou Empire's royal family, too, found themselves unable to explain and could only further strengthen the protection of the participating academies to prove their innocence. After all, they were the prime suspects.

In the end, the matter was left unresolved, becoming a cold case.

As the competition continued, Shi Nian was pushed to the back of everyone's minds.

The preliminary rounds were nearing their end, and many academies' strengths had already been revealed. In this situation, more teams started to forfeit, and the matches seemed to speed up as if someone pressed the fast-forward button.

Of course, the matches between the stronger teams were even more captivating.

Skywater Academy vs. Blazing Academy — Skywater Academy wins.

With a clear advantage in overall strength and some resources provided by Han Li, Skywater Academy opened the match with two martial soul fusion skills. Although their fusion wasn't perfect, their elemental advantage was significant. Huo Wu didn't even have time to unleash her ultimate move before she was swept off the stage.

After revealing their martial soul fusion skills, Tianshui Academy stopped hiding their cards. In the following matches, they opened with their fusion techniques, clearing the field. After all the matches were over, they secured the first qualifying spot with only one loss.

Blazing Academy vs. Thunderclap Academy — Blazing Academy wins.

Blazing Academy vs. Elephant Armor Academy — Blazing Academy wins.

Blazing Academy vs. Heaven Dou Imperial Academy Second Team — Blazing Academy wins.

After being humiliated by Skywater Academy, Huo Wu couldn't hold back anymore. As she put it, she didn't want to be eliminated without even showing off her true strength — that would be too stifling.

In the following matches, she decisively revealed her soul ring fusion talent. With the support of her six teammates, she unleashed a full-scale firepower assault.

Clearly, in the Soul Master Tournament, no one could withstand her barrage of attacks. And with one minute of preparation time, the Blue Silver Grass lost its fire immunity. Despite Tang San's best efforts to resist, he ultimately fell under the enormous white fireball.

He didn't even have a chance to use his Clear Sky Hammer — he couldn't get anywhere close.

Currently, the other teams' situations were more chaotic, but the most unfortunate one was undoubtedly Thunderclap Academy. Perhaps due to the impact of their previous matches, their performance in the following rounds was subpar. They consecutively lost to several other elemental academies, making them the first powerful team to be eliminated from the competition.

On the other hand, Canghui Academy, despite not having finished all their matches, was currently at the top with only one loss to Elephant Armor Academy. No matter how messy the elimination matches became, they had already secured a spot in the finals.

At Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, Tang San and his team were discussing their remaining matches.

They had two matches left, both against tough opponents: Godwind Academy and Canghui Academy.

"So, what do you think? Should we go all out in the next matches?"

The speaker was Yu Xiaogang. He was quite satisfied with their current record. Even if they lost the remaining matches, they would still be above the elimination line, thanks to Thunderclap Academy's poor performance.

Tang San was one of the most popular participants in the tournament. Although his team had once been captured by a single opponent, he had still made a name for himself.

"Let's fight."

Tang San spoke without hesitation. He had once again received a letter from Tang Hao, hinting that he should perform well, saying he would be paying special attention.

Although Tang San knew the individual matches during the finals would be the best opportunity for him to showcase his abilities, since Tang Hao had specifically asked, and there was rest time after the preliminaries, how could he make his father wait?

Hearing his response, the others were stunned for a moment but didn't object.

Since they had already secured a spot in the finals and their goal was achieved, if Tang San, the backbone of the team, wanted to fight, they'd let him. Even if he got injured, there was plenty of time for recovery, so it wasn't a big deal.

Yu Xiaogang frowned. His initial plan had been to keep a low profile, but after recalling the letter Tang Hao had asked him to give to Tang San the previous day, he kept quiet.

"All right, let's go with your decision."

Yu Xiaogang nodded in agreement. After giving a few reminders, he somewhat listlessly walked out.

So far in this Soul Master tournament, Tang San's performance has been decent. Recently, Yu Xiaogang had even overheard people talking about him.

As Tang San's teacher, his own identity had also been brought to light. Compared to before, his reputation had improved significantly.

But what people talked about more was Tang San's self-created soul skills. Even after their perfectly executed tactics and victory over Elephant Armor Academy, this was still the case.

Tang San's ten-thousand-year fourth ring had become a mere backdrop when Zhu Zhuqing suddenly took the stage. Moreover, his martial soul's performance had been rather ordinary, far below Yu Xiaogang's expectations.

Some even critiqued the inconsistencies between Yu Xiaogang's published The Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls and Tang San's abilities. Of course, Yu Xiaogang chose to ignore such discussions.

Previously, he had wanted to take responsibility for the Imperial Academy's second team. But now that he had resumed his role as the team's leader, with Tang Hao as an invisible superior looming over him, he wasn't as happy as he had expected.

Watching Yu Xiaogang's retreating figure, Tang San's eyes flickered. He greeted his teammates and followed him.

In Tang Hao's letter, he subtly mentioned that Yu Xiaogang seemed to be studying Canghui Academy's seven-in-one fusion technique. Yet this time, Yu Xiaogang had been smart enough not to document his findings.

Both father and son were aware that Yu Xiaogang had experience with martial soul fusion techniques. He might be able to draw something from others' practical examples, even if by coincidence. The very existence of the Bone Replacement Method was proof of this. Yu Xiaogang was, at times, quite useful.

"Teacher seems worried about the upcoming matches. You've worked so hard for us lately. You should take it easy."

Tang San caught up to Yu Xiaogang, showing concern for his teacher.

These words weren't insincere. When it came to organizing opponent data and devising tactics, Yu Xiaogang was indeed diligent, more so than Flender and Sun Buyu, paying meticulous attention to every detail.

Hearing his disciple's concern, Yu Xiaogang smiled, feeling quite gratified.

Although Tang Hao's attitude toward him was poor, Tang San had always remained respectful. Even when his martial soul encountered problems and Yu Xiaogang, as his teacher, couldn't help him, Tang San had only become slightly distant, never speaking ill of him.

"I've been thinking about strategies for the finals. You've already done excellently."

Yu Xiaogang smiled, shook his head, and pulled Tang San to sit down.

"As for the seven-in-one fusion technique, I have some ideas, but I'm not confident it can succeed in the short term. The rest will be up to you."

Yu Xiaogang didn't hide anything from his disciple. Although things hadn't gone exactly as planned, some of his goals had been achieved. At the very least, his name was no longer synonymous with mockery.

"You've worked hard, teacher."

Tang San stood up and respectfully saluted Yu Xiaogang. Setting aside the past, his teacher had indeed treated him well.

After pulling Tang San back to sit down, Yu Xiaogang looked at him.

"You seem to have something else you want to say?"

Tang San's hesitance to speak earlier hadn't escaped his notice.

"I can't hide anything from you, teacher. In the letter from my father, he permitted me to reveal my second martial soul."

Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaogang paused briefly before regaining his composure. From Tang Hao's attitude, he had already anticipated this, though he hadn't expected it to be so soon.

Had they already prepared for Tang San's identity to be exposed?

Yu Xiaogang wasn't sure. Was Tang Hao's recent mysterious behavior all in preparation for this?

Yu Xiaogang simply nodded. He had nothing more to say on the matter, as it was something beyond his control.

The next moment, Tang San asked him a question, slightly emotional: "Teacher, is it really impossible to cultivate both martial souls at the same time?"