**** ANNOUNCEMENT ****
The wait is finally over! After a longer delay than expected (sorry about that!), Douluo: True Self is now available to read here on WebNovel!
It's a DD3 fic written by the same author as this one, and I'm really excited to finally share it with you all!
Any support you can give to help this new project gain traction would be greatly appreciated. Every little bit helps, whether that is adding it to your library, leaving a review, dropping a comment on the chapters, or throwing some power stones its way.
You can find it directly on my profile. Let's make this one big!
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Word Count: 2,985 Words
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Zheng Zhan's shout boomed across the arena, and both women on the competition stage launched into motion simultaneously.
Ling Qiuxi gripped the Golden Dragon Spear in her right hand. Six spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, two black—surged to life around her body, pulsating in fierce rhythm.
A dragon's cry resounded through the air. Fine golden scales spread across her fair, delicate skin, and clad in the Golden Dragon Manifestation, Ling Qiuxi radiated a valiant, heroic aura from head to toe.
Wang Dong Er's gaze sharpened with fierce resolve. A burst of pitch-black radiance bloomed as a solitary 10,000-year spirit ring materialized beneath her feet. Against the Golden Dragon's Ultimate Strength, she abandoned the Light Goddess Butterfly and chose her second Martial Spirit instead, the weapon renowned across the Douluo Continent for its sheer power: the Clear Sky Hammer!
What Clear Sky Hammer, what Screw-the-Sky Hammer... Ling Qiuxi had never held any other strength-type Martial Spirit in her eyes. She stomped hard and shot forward like a streak of light. The Golden Dragon Spear swung back before her entire body twisted forward, strength surging with the Golden Dragon's towering dragon might as she brought the weapon crashing down toward Wang Dong Er's head.
Wang Dong Er showed not the slightest trace of fear. Her lone 10,000-year spirit ring blazed with blinding intensity. The Clear Sky Hammer's head swelled and its handle lengthened, transforming into a massive long-handled war hammer. She gripped it with both hands and swung upward to meet the descending strike.
One spear, one hammer—they clashed head-on without a trace of flourish!
CLANG—
The deafening metallic resonance forced many spectators to clap their hands over their ears in pain. Shockwaves from the collision of pure strength swept outward in all directions, setting the entire competition stage trembling!
The Clear Sky Hammer reigned as the king of strength among tool-type Martial Spirits. Ten thousand years ago, it had been the continent's undisputed number one Assault System tool Martial Spirit, its very name enough to strike terror across the land. Yet the Golden Dragon claimed the title of Ancestor of Strength, inheriting the Dragon God's bloodline. Every eye locked onto the point of collision, eager to witness which would prove the true sovereign of the path of strength.
The outcome revealed itself quickly. Wang Dong Er and her Clear Sky Hammer were knocked skyward by the Golden Dragon Spear. Ling Qiuxi pressed her advantage, but Wang Dong Er twisted through the air like a butterfly in flight. The hammer that had nearly been knocked away gathered even more ferocious momentum and came crashing down again.
BOOM—
Wang Dong Er flew backward once more. Even in full retreat, her body never stopped rotating. Her hands alternated their grip along the hammer shaft, swinging it in rapid succession and using the momentum to drive the weapon into another devastating spin.
Ling Qiuxi's eyes gleamed cold as distant stars. She knocked the Clear Sky Hammer aside and thrust forward with her right hand, sending the incomparably sharp spear tip stabbing straight toward Wang Dong Er's chest.
Wang Dong Er's third hammer fell at precisely that instant. Her timing proved flawless as the heavy Clear Sky Hammer crashed squarely onto the spear tip.
The result was predictably another disadvantage, yet Wang Dong Er seemed to have entered a wondrous state. She retreated with nimble grace through the Tang Sect's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track while the Clear Sky Hammer surged forward for its fourth strike.
Spear and hammer collided again and again in a frenzy of violence. Every impact produced a thunderous boom, each crash heavier than the last!
Both peerless beauties burned with battle intent, neither willing to yield even half a step. Wang Dong Er borrowed force to return force, the Clear Sky Hammer whirling with tiger-like ferocity. Ling Qiuxi initially sought openings in her opponent's defense but soon abandoned any pretense of finesse and met every blow head-on with the Golden Dragon Spear. The two crashed together in pure, violent confrontation.
They had locked into a contest of wills. Neither used spirit skills; they simply pitted raw technique and physical strength against each other!
Stripped of bizarre and flashy spirit skills, primal violence held its own mesmerizing appeal. Especially when the combatants were two transcendent beauties, that savage contrast made it impossible to look away.
In Angelic Sanctuary's waiting area, Wu Feng watched Ling Qiuxi's heaven-shaking display and couldn't help recalling the terror of being dominated by the Golden Dragon Spear in the months before the tournament began. She hastily shook her head to dispel the memory.
A glance from the corner of her eye caught Ling Bai watching the match with a contented smile. Wu Feng curled her lips, wrapped her arms around Ning Tian beside her and nuzzled against her, then drew out her voice in a long, whining complaint:
"Ning Tian, look at him~ All day long he does nothing but watch beauties fight!
Unlike me. I only care about whether your eardrums are getting rattled!"
This old lady's a cut above. Wu Feng cackled inwardly. Her desire to compete for the title of Ning Tian's inner 'little darling' had never once faded. Even after rolling in the sheets with Ling Bai, she could still badmouth him without restraint. At worst, she'd just endure some embarrassing punishment later!
"Pure strength battles are rare. If he wants to watch, let him," Ning Tian replied calmly. "Wang Dong Er's hammer technique has a unique charm to it. Is that the Clear Sky Clan's Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer?"
Heart Separation Control was the secret technique best suited for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, while the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer was the Clear Sky Hammer's signature counterpart.
The Clear Sky Clan had hidden from the world for ten thousand years, and their renowned Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer had vanished along with them. Today, Wang Dong Er brought it back to the stage.
"That's right, the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer," Ling Bai confirmed. "Wang Dong Er uses force-borrowing techniques to dissolve Qiuxi's power while slowly stacking her hammer strikes.
When the eighty-first and final strike lands—nine times nine—the power layered onto the Clear Sky Hammer will reach at least the Spirit Douluo rank."
"The Disorder Splitting Wind is that fierce? Can Sister Qiuxi hold it off?" Wu Feng asked in amazement.
"Don't underestimate the Golden Dragon," Ling Bai said with a light chuckle. "Qiuxi can tell that each of Wang Dong Er's strikes grows stronger than the last. If she wanted, she could interrupt the sequence at any time. She just wants to test herself against Wang Dong Er head-on."
"Oh, I see..."
Realization dawned on Wu Feng. The next second, Ling Bai's voice reached her ear through a spiritual transmission:
"I heard everything you said to Xiao Tian, you know..."
Great. I'm getting drilled tonight!
Meanwhile, the Tang Sect members watched the battle with tense, unblinking focus. They represented not just the Tang Sect but carried Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year glory on their shoulders!
On the other side of the bracket, the Sun Moon Imperial Academy was all but guaranteed a place in the finals. As long as they could get past the final boss, Angelic Sanctuary, the Sun Moon Imperial Academy wouldn't even be worth worrying about!
Ling Bai stood as this tournament's strongest individual combatant. The Tang Sect would need everyone working together to have any hope of countering him. If Wang Dong Er could heavily wound Ling Qiuxi in the individual round, it would be a crucial advantage heading into the team battle!
Spear and hammer crashed together relentlessly. Another thunderous impact sent Ling Qiuxi plowing two deep furrows across the ground while Wang Dong Er flew backward, a thread of bright blood trailing from her lips. Her body spun as she sailed through the air, the Clear Sky Hammer whirling at extreme speed alongside her.
The eighty-first swing arrived. The Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer reached its absolute peak, and deep, oppressive blackness rolled off the Clear Sky Hammer like storm clouds blotting out the sky.
Centered on that single hammer strike, the competition stage caved inward instantly, collapsing into a crater more than twenty meters across.
Fierce light blazed in Ling Qiuxi's eyes. She gripped the Golden Dragon Spear with both hands as her body shuddered once and a golden dragon's illusory figure rose around her. Her toes barely touched the ground before she launched herself straight at Wang Dong Er. The Golden Dragon Spear in her hands seemed to transform into a brilliant golden dragon, eyes blazing with fury, maw yawning wide as it lunged to sink its fangs into the Clear Sky Hammer!
Vajra Indestructible, Golden Dragon!
The golden dragon tore through the massive hammer. Wang Dong Er crashed into the competition stage like a bird with broken wings. The metal floor beneath her split open into spreading webs of cracks as her aura withered and blood spewed from her mouth.
"Dong Er!"
The Tang Sect members rushed forward. Huo Yuhao stared at Ling Qiuxi with naked vigilance, afraid she might suddenly lash out at his girlfriend.
Ling Qiuxi spared him a single glance, rotated her wrist, and walked straight toward the edge of the stage to await her next opponent.
For the time being, she had no intention of delivering killing blows to the Tang Sect. The previous night, Shrek Academy's Taotie Douluo Elder Xuan had personally visited Jianmu Douluo to discuss a breakout strategy. Jianmu Douluo had agreed, both because the Sun Moon Empire was their common enemy and for the sake of his past bond with Mu En.
Out of respect for his teacher's reputation and consideration for Ma Xiaotao and Han Ruoruo's feelings, Ling Bai couldn't let Ling Qiuxi go too far. Besides, Huo Yuhao was no longer the Son of Destiny. This Tang Sect generation held nothing worth scheming over.
In many ways, this semi-final was already the true final. In the individual battles, anyone who felt like it could step up and play. Ling Bai would serve as the final backstop in the team fight.
In truth, Wang Dong Er's Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer packed tremendous power. With the terrifying force of eighty-one stacked strikes, only three people in this entire tournament could guarantee blocking it: Ling Bai himself, the Body Sect's Long Aotian, and Ling Qiuxi, who had achieved a Vajra Indestructible body after consuming the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. Even the two Evil Spirit Saints, Yan Feng and Tang Ya, might not have managed it.
Wang Dong Er had lost, yet Ling Qiuxi remained virtually unharmed. The Tang Sect's atmosphere turned heavy at once. If things continued like this, their chances of defeating Angelic Sanctuary were vanishingly slim.
Bei Bei's injuries had fully healed. He clenched his fists, his gaze locked on Ling Bai across the waiting area. Faint crackling of lightning surrounded him; clearly, his heart was anything but calm.
There was only one reason: Tang Ya.
During Angelic Sanctuary's battle with the Holy Spirit Cult, the Angel Sword had fallen without mercy. In Ling Bai's eyes, Tang Ya seemed no different from any other Evil Spirit Master.
Even though Tang Ya had fallen to evil, Bei Bei still loved her with all his heart, unswerving unto death. As long as she could return to his side, he would overlook every sin she had committed as an Evil Spirit Master.
Regarding Ling Bai, Bei Bei found himself at a loss for words. He could hardly accuse the Seraphim of being wrong for killing Evil Spirit Masters. But he could lead the Tang Sect to crush Angelic Sanctuary in direct combat and vent his anger on Tang Ya's behalf!
"Sanshi, Junior Sister's head-on battle consumed a good deal of Ling Qiuxi's stamina. Your abilities excel at stalling. Get up there. At minimum, drag things out until her strength is exhausted and she steps down."
"Got it."
Xu Sanshi understood he was the one best suited to entangle Ling Qiuxi. He drew a deep breath and strode onto the competition stage.
"Match begin!"
Unbreakable Douluo Zheng Zhan roared. He had received instructions from Xu Tianran today: let the two teams fight however they pleased. The more deaths, the better!
Xu Sanshi's sixth spirit ring blazed with brilliant light. A massive shield materialized from thin air, its body as black as ink. Tortoise-shell ridges jutted sharp and distinct across its surface, and gloomy waves of black vapor poured from its edges.
Coiled at the shield's center lay a great black serpent. If not for those ruby-like eyes, its form would have blended entirely into the dark surface.
Sixth Spirit Skill, Xuanwu Domain!
The Xuanwu was a divine beast of water. Viscous black water flooded across the competition stage. Within the Xuanwu Domain, Xu Sanshi could unleash the Xuanwu Shield's full potential. Empowered by the domain, every one of the shield's abilities received a hundred percent boost. The drawback was the domain's massive spirit power consumption.
Ling Qiuxi felt the air grow still. Everything around her plunged into darkness as water pressure steadily intensified.
Domains were among the spirit skills that Spirit Masters coveted most. A domain's wielder held an absolute advantage within its range.
Xu Sanshi hovered within the Xuanwu Domain, his expression cold and stern, the Xuanwu Shield raised high in his grasp. Black light surged forth, and a vortex deep as an abyss rolled toward Ling Qiuxi.
Her pitch-black sixth spirit ring ignited. Ling Qiuxi took a single step forward, the Golden Dragon Spear steady in her right hand, and clenched her left into a fist. She punched directly into the oncoming vortex. Golden light gathered around her left fist, and around that radiance, a twisted golden vortex formed to mirror the black one.
From the day he first obtained his sixth spirit skill, Xu Sanshi had always been the one using the Xuanwu Domain to impose water pressure on others. Now, suddenly, he felt the air around his own body grow heavy. Ling Qiuxi's left fist was shaking his domain itself!
Golden Dragon's Sixth Spirit Skill, Golden Dragon's Skybreaker!
By seizing control of gravity, she compressed the surrounding air into terrifying energy in an instant and channeled it into an all-out strike rivaling a Titan Giant Ape at full power!
A towering golden pillar of light roared out and slammed into the black vortex. The resulting explosion dwarfed even the earlier clashes of spear and hammer. The instant the Golden Dragon's Skybreaker pierced into the Xuanwu Domain, thick clouds of black smoke erupted skyward.
Xu Sanshi's expression twisted in horror. He drove the Xuanwu Shield forward with everything he had. The Xuanwu Domain surged, spun, ground, and compressed, working in concert with the shield to intercept the strike. A blow that should have detonated on impact was held back for half a second, and only then did he barely manage to withstand that crushing force, so heavy it felt like Mount Tai descending on his skull!
Even so, the Golden Dragon's Skybreaker pressed forward step by step. The domain's master was forced to retreat again and again. Bearing that titanic pressure head-on, Xu Sanshi's broad face gradually turned purplish-red.
Bei Bei, I hate you! What kind of "stalling" is this?!
Xu Sanshi wanted to weep but had no tears to shed. Ling Qiuxi had held Wang Dong Er in a different regard and stubbornly insisted on winning through a fair contest of strength. Against him? Of course she would pick the most efficient, most energy-saving way to fight!
The dragon's cry grew ever more piercing. Ling Qiuxi's fifth spirit ring suddenly blazed to life.
Golden Dragon's Roar!
Black water shattered and dispersed!
Xuanwu Domain—broken!
She swept the spear in a single, brutal arc. Xu Sanshi took the hit squarely to the abdomen. His body bent like a shrimp as he sailed off the stage, screaming, "Bei Bei, you bastard!"
The one-versus-two came to an end. Ling Qiuxi stepped down to rest. Wu Feng took the stage next and defeated He Caitou before stepping down as well. Na Na, Xie Huanyue, and even Nanmen Yun Er each went up to show their faces, ensuring they left no regrets at this year's Spirit Master Tournament.
The individual segment concluded. The point gap wasn't large enough to skip the team battle. On the competition stage, Unbreakable Douluo Zheng Zhan announced that both teams should send their members forward for the team fight.
All seven members of Angelic Sanctuary rose and took the stage together. Each one brimmed with spirit and energy; from their appearance alone, it was impossible to tell how much they had expended in the individual matches.
Things did not look nearly so good for the Tang Sect. Xu Sanshi's thick skin and sturdy build left him in slightly better shape. Wang Dong Er, on the other hand, was paper-pale. The Golden Dragon's domineering power had bored deep into her meridians, and her legs quivered with every step.
"Dong Er, are you alright?" Huo Yuhao asked with concern, reaching out to steady her.
"Don't touch me. I... I'm fine!"
Wang Dong Er shook him off and gritted her teeth as she climbed onto the stage. The Tang Sect's only hope of overturning their disadvantage rested entirely on the Spirit Fusion Skill. Without her, they might as well surrender.
For the revival of the Tang Sect, for Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year glory, she could not give up!
"Dong Er..."
Huo Yuhao's eyes dimmed. They were lovers, yet Wang Dong Er would rather force herself to stand than accept his help. What exactly had he done wrong!
The question had circled his mind for days without yielding an answer. He shook his head hard, then turned his gaze toward Angelic Sanctuary's seven members opposite them and murmured:
"I'll have a frank talk with Dong Er later. Today... the Tang Sect must win!"