Douluo: Soul-Breaking spear

Chapter 148: Tang San's Third Defeat

At this stage in the match, with Niu Mang decisively stepping down, Dugu Yan and Yang Ping'an were left to face off against four Spirit Ancestors alone, a scenario that ratcheted up the pressure considerably. The audience was stunned; it seemed that Heaven Dou Team Two wasn't concerned with winning or losing.

As Dai Mubai took the stage, whispers rippled through the crowd. Dai Mubai's strength was widely recognized, seen by many as second only to Tang San and Yu Tianheng on Heaven Dou Team One. Some even felt that his prowess was nearly equal to Yu Tianheng's. From a tactical perspective, his abilities also gave him a natural edge over Dugu Yan's poison skills, thanks to his defensive and physical enhancements.

Once the match began, Dugu Yan immediately blanketed the arena in a thick, purple mist—a manifestation of her third spirit ability, Jade Phosphorescent Poison, which induced hallucinations in her opponents. But Dai Mubai unleashed his fourth spirit ability, White Tiger Meteor Shower, dispersing her poisonous mist with an explosive barrage. He then followed up with White Tiger Vajra Transformation, intending to overpower Dugu Yan with a quick, decisive strike.

Despite her role as a control-type Spirit Master, Dugu Yan had the physique of a beast-type spirit user. Years of training had given her an impressive physicality, enabling her to fight as both a control and power-type Spirit Master. As she merged with her Jade Phosphorescent Snake spirit, Dugu Yan skillfully evaded Dai Mubai's assault, summoning another wave of poison.

Activating her fourth spirit ability, Jade Phosphorescent Yellow Poison, she covered the stage in a yellow mist that corroded everything it touched, rapidly draining Dai Mubai's spirit power and stamina. Dai Mubai gritted his teeth, trying to maintain his advantage, but her agility in the poisonous fog put him at a disadvantage. Twenty minutes of back-and-forth later, Dai Mubai finally collapsed, exhausted and poisoned. Dugu Yan, visibly drained, was still standing, though breathing heavily.

She remained on the platform, prepared to continue.

Yu Xiaogang's confidence started to falter. According to his calculations, Dai Mubai should have barely managed a win, which would have allowed the remaining three fighters to overwhelm Yang Ping'an. Now, however, Dugu Yan's next opponent would be Tai Long, who, despite his raw power, would be hard-pressed to defeat her in her current relentless state.

As Tai Long stepped onto the stage, Dugu Yan summoned her Jade Phosphorescent Snake once again and filled the arena with poison. Despite being physically drained, her spirit remained fierce as she battled Tai Long, her speed and snake-like agility compensating for her reduced power. Tai Long tried to turn the tide by activating his fourth spirit ability, Titan's Strength, but Dugu Yan responded with a fierce counterattack, spitting a final burst of poisonous mist just as he struck her with full force. They both fell, but not before Dugu Yan's spirit power surged to a breakthrough, finally advancing to level fifty.

Although exhausted to the point of collapse, Dugu Yan's achievement was clear to all: Heaven Dou Team Two now boasted a second Spirit King. Yu Xiaogang's face grew dark with frustration. His meticulous strategies, intended to ensure victory, had inadvertently fueled the growth of his opponents, with both Dugu Yan and Yang Tianyue achieving major breakthroughs during the competition. This turn of events suggested that future battles against Heaven Dou Team Two would be even more challenging.

With Dugu Yan's victory, Heaven Dou Team One was down to two remaining members, while Heaven Dou Team Two had only one fighter left. As expected, Yang Ping'an stepped onto the stage to face Xiao Wu, who had been strategically chosen by Yu Xiaogang to whittle down his spirit power in preparation for Tang San's turn.

Yang Ping'an, however, remained steady, wielding his Soul-Breaking Spear with a calm and unshakable presence. He limited himself to spear techniques alone, refraining from any high-consumption spirit abilities. Despite Xiao Wu's agility and teleportation ability, her close-combat skills couldn't penetrate Yang Ping'an's defensive spear techniques, which he wielded with masterful precision, nullifying her attacks.

After a drawn-out exchange, Yang Ping'an finally bested Xiao Wu, though the skirmish had cost him thirty percent of his stamina and around twenty percent of his spirit power. Tang San caught his falling teammate in his arms and murmured, "Don't worry, Xiao Wu. I'll avenge you."

When Tang San took the stage, the crowd sensed they were about to witness the climax of the tournament. Tang San made the first move, launching his Blue Silver Grass Bind to catch Yang Ping'an off guard. But Yang Ping'an's reflexes were sharp, and he dodged the tendrils effortlessly, lunging at Tang San with a powerful thrust of his spear, each strike emanating an unstoppable force.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass began to show its weaknesses—vulnerable to both fire and cutting attacks. The Soul-Breaking Spear, with its natural piercing edge, put Tang San at a significant disadvantage.

As Yang Potian watched from the stands, he couldn't help but be somewhat amused. Blue Silver Grass was inherently fragile, and it was unrealistic to think it could withstand sharp, cutting attacks from a skilled weapons master.

Seeing Yang Ping'an repeatedly pierce through his Blue Silver Grass, Tang San decisively withdrew it, summoning instead his second martial spirit, the Clear Sky Hammer. Yet, from the outset, Tang San found himself at a disadvantage. Without spirit rings, the Clear Sky Hammer weighed only about five hundred pounds, had no attached abilities, and could only be wielded with basic techniques or the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique, which required considerable time to build momentum and could be interrupted if the opponent was prepared.

Yang Ping'an, meanwhile, had reached the level of Spirit King, with five offensive spirit rings. His Soul-Breaking Spear now weighed around eight hundred pounds, and in his hands, it was a formidable weapon. Raised in the martial traditions of the Po Clan, Yang Ping'an had trained in spear techniques from a young age, mastering not only the clan's spear style but also picking up advanced techniques under Yang Potian's guidance.

As the match progressed, it became increasingly clear that Tang San was struggling. In both spirit power and physical strength, he was at a disadvantage. His only edge was the enhanced recovery ability he'd gained from the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, which allowed him to withstand a bit more punishment. Additionally, his mastery of Tang Sect techniques—Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon—gave him a slight advantage in speed and agility.

Yang Ping'an lacked the esoteric techniques of the Tang Sect but made up for it with his five powerful offensive spirit abilities, which enabled him to compensate for any gaps in his skills. Eventually, Tang San resorted to the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique, swinging his hammer in a continuous barrage. Despite Yang Ping'an's repeated attempts to disrupt the momentum, Tang San managed to reach the fifty-fourth hammer strike, building his Clear Sky Hammer into an immensely powerful blow.

Surprisingly, Yang Ping'an didn't dodge or defend. Instead, he activated all of his spirit rings simultaneously, the first four rings melting away to pour their energy into the fifth. He was using the Po Clan's secret Spirit Ring Fusion technique, one even more dangerous than other fusion techniques because it combined the full force of his offensive spirit abilities into a single strike.

In the face of Tang San's massive hammer swing, Yang Ping'an's Soul-Breaking Spear exploded with immense power, emitting a sound like an explosion and blasting a hole into the dueling platform. When the smoke cleared, Tang San lay on the ground, defeated, while Yang Ping'an, leaning heavily on his spear, struggled to stay upright.

To everyone's astonishment, the clash had pushed Yang Ping'an to a breakthrough, raising his spirit power to level fifty-two—an achievement unheard of under such extreme conditions.

With the referee's announcement, Heaven Dou Team Two emerged victorious in what was the toughest battle of their journey so far. The spectators were awestruck; rumors buzzed throughout the arena as everyone speculated about Heaven Dou Team Two's training methods. In just one month, four of their team members—Yang Tianyue, Ye Lingling, Dugu Yan, and Yang Ping'an—had advanced in their spirit power. This rate of progress was unheard of, a feat unmatched by any other team, where breakthroughs were rare and infrequent.

Many in the audience turned curious gazes toward Yu Xiaogang. He had advocated for merging Heaven Dou Teams One and Two, with himself as head coach. Yet, under his leadership, Team One, while performing well, hadn't shown the extraordinary growth that Team Two had. Heaven Dou Team Two's consistent breakthroughs and impressive victories only drew more attention to their captain and trainer, Yang Potian.

Now, everyone began to understand that Heaven Dou Team Two's incredible success was the result of Yang Potian's training regimen. Despite Team Two's members being less naturally gifted than those in Team One, they had achieved far greater results. This stark contrast led many to question Yu Xiaogang's teaching abilities and to look at Yang Potian with new respect and curiosity.

For the first time, the crowd began to wonder just how powerful Yang Potian himself must be to have trained such an extraordinary team.

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