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"Thunderclap Academy blatantly violated the tournament rules. Are we really just letting this slide?"
In the spectator stands, many students from Seven Treasures Academy were indignant about the incident.
Another older student responded, "What else can be done? Both sides belong to the top three sects. We can't possibly ignite a war between the two factions over this matter. If the sect's higher-ups choose not to pursue it, then it has to be left unresolved."
Of course, Ke Jie's decision was made after observing the anger smoldering in Ning Tianchen's heart.
By allowing Thunderclap Academy to stay, not only would they give him an outlet to vent his frustration, but they could also humiliate them in the process. Such a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy naturally didn't require kicking Thunderclap Academy out of the tournament.
Earlier, when Ning Tianchen had hidden behind Dugu Bo, he secretly consumed Longzhi Ye (Dragon Mushroom Leaf) without anyone noticing, restoring nearly all of his soul power.
At that time, he wasn't sure if the match would continue, so to prepare for emergencies, he needed to maintain peak condition. Unexpectedly, this move ended up misleading his opponents.
Even without replenishing his soul power, he still retained nearly sixty percent of it.
Did his opponents really think they could openly drain his soul power as if he were a fool?
Ning Tianchen simply stood his ground and, seizing the moment his opponent exposed a weakness, delivered a heavy kick that sent him flying off the stage.
"Seven broken ribs… this…" The instructor from Thunderclap Academy dared not express anger, fearing another flare-up between the two sides. Silently, he dragged the student back to the rest area and had the accompanying healing-type soul master treat him.
---
Ning Tianchen consecutively defeated six members of Thunderclap Academy.
At this point, the final member who should have gone on hesitated. "Teacher, should I still go on? His soul power seems abundant. If I lose, won't he complete a clean sweep of seven?"
The team leader also hesitated.
Being swept in a clean seven was an immense humiliation, one that might even affect next year's recruitment.
The Soul Masters Tournament had been held twice already, and in the preliminary rounds of the Tiandou Empire division, no one had ever achieved a clean sweep of seven. However, there had been one instance in the Star Luo Empire division.
Achieving a clean sweep of seven placed enormous demands on both soul power consumption and personal strength.
After battling Yu Tianxin and defeating four more opponents in succession, Ning Tianchen's soul power must have been nearly depleted. His current performance might just be him barely holding on.
"Lei Dong, go defeat him!" The speaker was Yu Tianxin.
While being swept in a clean seven was indeed a great humiliation, refusing to let the last person step onto the stage amounted to surrendering to the opponent.
As one of the Blue Lightning Twin Stars, Yu Tianxin absolutely wouldn't allow himself or his teammates to admit defeat!
Seeing this, the team leader immediately agreed to send Lei Dong into battle.
After all, with Yu Tianxin having spoken, even if they were swept in a clean seven, he could always shift the blame elsewhere.
---
"Teacher, how does Ning Tianchen still have soul power left? Can he really achieve a clean sweep of seven?" Tang San pondered, utterly baffled.
"This kid knows how to hide his true strength. At this point, achieving a clean sweep of seven seems almost certain," Zhao Wuji remarked.
Setting aside loyalties, the student he valued most was Ning Tianchen.
Yu Xiaogang didn't respond but instead said, "Xiao San, unless we obtain immortal herbs before the Soul Masters Tournament, avoid clashing with the Seven Treasures team during the preliminaries. Their momentum is too strong right now."
Without using his fourth soul skill and relying solely on sword techniques, Ning Tianchen had defeated Yu Tianxin. If he were to unleash his fourth soul skill, even Yu Tianheng and Dai Mubai working together might not be able to stop him.
Rather than letting him shine in the Soul Masters Tournament, it was better to avoid confrontation from the start.
"Teacher, I'm now certain that immortal herbs are stored in Dugu Bo's backyard garden. If we can enter it, we're bound to gain something," Tang San stated gravely.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect didn't deal in medicinal herbs, so they likely didn't recognize such rare treasures. On the other hand, Dugu Bo, besides being a master of poisons, was also an experienced pharmacist.
Thus, Tang San believed it was Dugu Bo who provided the immortal herbs to the Seven Treasures team.
"Xiao San, even if you can confirm the origin of the immortal herbs, that place belongs to Dugu Bo. The chances are high that he's already harvested them all. Sneaking in there won't yield anything, and we might even offend a Title Douluo. This plan isn't worth the risk," Flender countered, showing little confidence in his idea.
"Teacher, are we just going to sit idly by and watch the Seven Treasures team grow stronger?" Ma Hongjun felt unwilling.
Ever since Tang San mentioned the effects of the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, Ma Hongjun had been obsessed with obtaining it.
His martial soul, frankly speaking, was nothing more than a fire-breathing chicken. With the chance to transform into a phoenix, he didn't want to miss out.
Yu Tianheng suddenly recalled, "I heard that Thunderclap Gorge is rich in heavenly treasures and rare herbs. Why don't we check it out?"
Thunderclap Gorge was under the control of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, so they could freely enter and exit.
Yu Xiaogang chuckled. "I forgot about that place. Tianheng, write a letter to the family. When we have time, we'll go take a look."
"As for Hongjun, you're close to breaking through to level thirty. Focus on that breakthrough as soon as possible."
---
After Lei Dong stepped onto the stage, his fighting style became somewhat conservative.
The few who went before him had been overly aggressive, resulting in their seven ribs being broken. He didn't want to repeat their mistakes.
"One through seven, one through seven!"
Chen Huayu and others mixed into the crowd and began shouting loudly.
Inspired by their lead, the emotions of the other students were ignited.
For a moment, cheers like roaring waves and surging seas echoed throughout the academy.
Lei Dong, already under immense pressure, crumbled under the weight of those shouts.
He made frequent mistakes during the battle and eventually fell off the stage himself, losing two teeth in the process.
"Boss really completed a clean sweep of seven!" Chen Huayu exclaimed, his face brimming with excitement.
"Tianchen never disappoints," Oscar chimed in support.
"Brother Tianchen is amazing!" Ning Rongrong gave a thumbs-up toward the stage.
Witnessing Ning Tianchen's achievement of a clean sweep of seven firsthand, the students' cheers grew even more enthusiastic than before.
---
On the high platform, Yu Luomian abruptly stood up and flicked his sleeve. "Hmph, clever calculations."
First, Zhu Zhuqing and the others rigged their matches to lull Thunderclap Academy into a false sense of security, ultimately allowing Ning Tianchen to achieve the feat of sweeping seven opponents.
Taking a deep breath, Yu Luomian's gaze toward Ke Jie grew increasingly hostile.
He finally understood why Ke Jie hadn't kicked Thunderclap Academy out of the tournament.
Initially, he thought Ke Jie wanted to avoid completely souring relations between the two sects, but it turned out he was secretly setting a trap.
Ke Jie noticed his glare and responded with a smile. "Vice-Sect Leader Yu is correct—victory and defeat are common in battle. Surely, Lord Yu of your sect won't be angry over this, will he?"
Yu Luomian couldn't help but clench his fists tightly.
Originally, he had intended to provoke Ke Jie with such words, but he didn't expect Ke Jie to retaliate with the same logic.
"Hmph, my sect still has affairs to attend to. I cannot linger here any longer."
With that, he quickly left the high platform, fearing that the trio representing wind, water, and fire might join the "battlefield."
"Tsk, what does Old Second Yu amount to?" Huo Lie shouted triumphantly.
Ke Jie stood up. "Three clan heads, today's matches are over. Organize your respective students and ensure they rest early."
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