He was curious to see how Tang San, whose Blue Silver Grass Soul had lost its fire immunity and whose soul power was a full seventeen levels lower than Huo Wushuang's, would handle the fight.
'Could he possibly bring out the big hammer?'
Mu Yang couldn't help but wonder.
He really couldn't think of any other way for Tang San, who was prohibited from using hidden weapons in the tournament, to pose a threat to Huo Wushuang—aside from bringing out the Clear Sky Hammer and using the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique.
Of course, that possibility was unlikely.
After all, not long ago, Tang Hao had caused a huge uproar—not only did he kill the Platinum Bishop Salas, but he also smashed the Heaven Dou Spirit Hall, which represented the Spirit Hall. If Tang San exposed his Clear Sky Hammer Soul now, he would attract too much hostility.
"Come on~!"
Huo Wushuang curled his fingers at Tang San in a taunting gesture.
Taking a deep breath, Tang San pushed off the ground, executing his movement technique—Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. His figure flickered, leaving behind multiple afterimages as he ghosted toward Huo Wushuang.
Huo Wushuang, maintaining the demeanor of a 'seasoned expert,' merely activated his second soul skill, Crimson Flame Crystal Barrier, and crossed his arms in front of his chest, waiting calmly to see if Tang San could put on an impressive performance.
"First soul skill, Binding!"
In the blink of an eye, the distance between them shrank to about ten meters. Tang San's expression sharpened as his first soul ring lit up, and from his right palm, several Blue Silver Vines shot out like writhing spirit snakes, wrapping toward Huo Wushuang.
Tang San: Taste my mother's Binding!
Seeing that Tang San's first soul ring emitted only the glow of a hundred-year-old soul skill and that he hadn't revealed any hidden trump cards, Huo Wushuang immediately lost interest.
As expected, not every opponent would have some hidden ace up their sleeve. They were all just young people—having no trump cards was normal.
However, just as Huo Wushuang was about to finish Tang San off, a sudden and intense soul power fluctuation erupted.
Tang San's left arm radiated a dazzling yellow glow.
"Soul Bone Skill: Earth Dragon's Roar!"
As a vast amount of soul power surged, a massive, earthen yellow ground dragon illusion materialized in midair behind Tang San. It had short forelimbs, thick and sturdy hind limbs, and an appearance that resembled a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Then, its enormous maw opened wide.
A roar that distorted the very air erupted, spreading outward in an instant.
Sixty-thousand-year Earth Dragon Left Arm Bone Soul Skill: Earth Dragon's Roar. A control-type soul bone skill that forcefully stuns all opponents within range. The duration of the stun depends on the difference in mental power between the two parties.
"ROAR—"
A deafening beastly roar exploded from the arena. The sound wave spread out with Tang San at its center, enveloping an area of more than seventy meters.
Caught off guard, Huo Wushuang—along with many of the closer spectators—instantly felt their minds go blank, freezing in place.
At the same time, the Blue Silver Vines Tang San had released earlier successfully wrapped around Huo Wushuang, presenting the audience with an unexpected display of rope artistry.
In the next moment, Tang San pushed off the ground, twisted his body, and used the momentum of his leg to drive his waist, then his arm.
With a sudden swing, he hurled Huo Wushuang, who was bound by the Blue Silver Vines, like a meteor hammer straight toward the edge of the stage.
From Huo Wushuang's previous battles against Xiao Wu and Dai Mubai, Tang San had noticed that—perhaps due to his confidence in victory—Huo Wushuang didn't have a habit of instantly finishing off his opponents at the start of a match.
This habit gave Tang San the foundation he needed to execute a unique strategy.
Tang San's tactic was simple:
First, he would close the distance and activate his first soul skill, Binding.
Given Huo Wushuang's five-ring strength and fire-attribute soul power, this soul skill alone didn't pose much of a threat. Huo Wushuang likely wouldn't burn the Blue Silver Vines the moment they were released. He would either wait until they were about to reach him or allow himself to be bound before setting them ablaze.
As long as Huo Wushuang didn't burn the vines immediately, Tang San would then activate his Earth Dragon's Roar Soul Bone Skill, stunning Huo Wushuang and creating an opening.
He would then use the Blue Silver Vines as a 'human meteor hammer,' flinging the temporarily stunned Huo Wushuang out of the arena.
This way, he could achieve something that should have been impossible—defeating the powerful, five-ringed Huo Wushuang as a mere forty-second-level Blue Silver Grass Soul Master!
Why not use Earth Dragon's Roar first and then Binding?
Tang San had considered that Huo Wushuang's soul power was significantly higher than his own.
Furthermore, Huo Wushuang's fourth soul ring was also at the ten-thousand-year level, meaning his mental power was likely superior to Tang San's.
Since Earth Dragon's Roar was a wide-range control skill, it wasn't particularly strong against single targets. Tang San was worried that he wouldn't be able to stun Huo Wushuang for long enough.
That's why he adjusted the sequence of his skills to ensure a seamless transition.
And reality proved his tactic was feasible—it wasn't just wishful thinking.
Although this strategy would only work once, since Huo Wu would undoubtedly be prepared if she stepped onto the stage next, that wasn't a problem.
Among all the teams in the qualifiers, how many could push the Blazing Fire Team to their last remaining member?
Aside from the Skywater Team, which had two Soul Kings, Tang San didn't think any other team had that capability.
It didn't matter if his tactic was underhanded. It didn't matter if the Blazing Fire Team had underestimated him before.
A win was a win, and a loss was a loss.
Results were all that mattered.
Being able to defeat a high-level five-ringed Huo Wushuang with a mere four-ringed cultivation—and in under ten seconds—Tang San was undoubtedly the brightest star in this year's Soul Master Tournament!
Tang San: Heh heh heh—
However, did Tang San's strategy truly succeed?
The plan was indeed executed, but it failed to achieve the expected outcome.
Just as Huo Wushuang was about to be thrown out of the arena, he suddenly shook off the stun effect, regaining consciousness.
Earlier, just before he was stunned by Earth Dragon's Roar, Huo Wushuang had seen the Earth Dragon illusion appear and realized that this had to be Tang San's hidden trump card.
Thus, as soon as he broke free from the control effect, he instantly grasped the situation.
"Third soul skill, Crimson Flame Dragon Transformation!"
Without hesitation, his third soul ring lit up.
His muscles swelled, his aura skyrocketed, and a pair of crimson crystal-scaled dragon wings sprouted from his back.
The next second—just as he was about to be thrown out and was less than two meters from touching the ground—Huo Wushuang flapped his dragon wings and soared back into the air, returning to the stage.
"What?!"
Tang San's eyes widened in shock, unable to suppress his exclamation.
"How did you break free so quickly?"
After a long pause, he came back to his senses, his face turning bitter as he asked.
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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