Douluo Dalu: The Legend of The Spider Emperor

"Martial Soul Fusion Skill: Twin Spider Emperor?"

"Yes, this Martial Soul Fusion Skill is led by Young Master Ye, with the Death Spider Emperor and the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor as support. The three of them perform this technique together."

"How powerful is it?" Bibi Dong asked with interest.

Bloodthorn Douluo continued, "The Martial Soul Fusion Skill used by Young Master Ye bears an uncanny resemblance to the Saintess's 'Demonic Charm' and has an overall power level reaching Rank 99, the level of a Limit Douluo."

"Rank 99 Limit Douluo?" Bibi Dong was visibly shocked.

A Martial Soul Fusion Skill can only be achieved when Soul Masters possess an exceptionally high level of synergy.

Take Hu Liena and Xie Yue, for example. They are biological siblings—Hu Liena took their mother's surname, while Xie Yue took their father's. Each inherited a martial soul from their respective parents.

Their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Demonic Charm, allows them to exhibit power at the level of an ordinary Soul Sage despite being mere Rank 50 Soul Kings.

In stark contrast, the Martial Soul Fusion Skill performed by Ye Hao had reached the level of a Limit Douluo—a truly terrifying feat.

"Yes."

Receiving confirmation from both individuals, Bibi Dong finally emerged from her state of astonishment.

Leaning back lazily on her throne, she found herself even more intrigued by this son she had never met.

"This little one is quite capable… The surprises he gives me just keep coming," Bibi Dong murmured.

"It looks like this year's championship battle will be far more exciting than expected. Nana and the others must be careful."

"Your Holiness."

"What is it?"

Serpent Spear Douluo replied, "We have completed the tasks entrusted to us by the Young Master. Do you have any further instructions? If not, we should return and report back."

"Hmm—"

Bibi Dong pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Deliver a message for me."

A brief silence filled the room. The two Douluos stood still, waiting attentively.

Bibi Dong slowly said, "Come to Spirit Hall sooner."

The two looked at each other—was that it?

"You may leave." Bibi Dong waved her hand, signaling them to depart.

After bowing respectfully, the two left.

Bibi Dong's gaze turned thoughtful.

"Little one, just how many secrets are you still hiding?"

The next day upon returning to Shrek Academy, Tang San was especially excited upon learning that Shrek Academy had won two consecutive matches. If they continued at this pace, they would undoubtedly advance to the next stage of the elimination rounds.

By then, he could finally face Ye Hao head-on.

Just then, Grandmaster approached with a dark expression.

"Xiao San, come with me." His tone was indifferent.

Tang San was slightly startled but quickly understood the reason—his father must have informed his teacher about his second Martial Soul awakening.

Gritting his teeth, Tang San followed Grandmaster to a secluded wooden hut in the back of the mountain.

Inside, the hut was empty—only the two of them remained.

"Xiao San, you have truly disappointed me." Grandmaster sighed deeply, his eyes filled with dejection.

Back when Tang Hao had informed Grandmaster that Tang San had absorbed a soul ring for his second Martial Soul, Grandmaster had been utterly dumbfounded.

In his memory, Tang San was always an obedient and well-behaved student—someone who followed his every instruction.

How had a single trip changed him so drastically? How could Tang San disregard his advice and prematurely allow the Clear Sky Hammer to absorb a soul ring?

With this decision, Tang San had practically ruined his Twin Martial Souls.

"Teacher, I'm sorry, I—" Tang San hesitated, feeling an overwhelming sense of frustration. He never expected that absorbing a soul ring for the Clear Sky Hammer would cause so many problems.

Originally, his second Martial Soul could have possessed all ten-thousand-year soul rings.

But now?

His first soul ring for the Clear Sky Hammer was only a hundred years!

Grandmaster nearly vomited blood in anger. Years of effort, are now completely wasted.

"You should be apologizing to your father," Grandmaster said weakly. "You have let both him and me down."

He recalled the time when he had been expelled from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

Back then, he had sworn that one day, he would prove to his clan that he was not a waste.

His most powerful argument would be raising a truly formidable disciple.

Tang San, possessing Twin Martial Souls, had been his greatest proof.

He was nothing more than a Rank 29 trash, but if he could train a Titled Douluo, then the entire Douluo Continent would recognize him as Grandmaster.

Yet now?

Tang San's reckless decision shattered that dream.

Grandmaster suddenly looked much older. He let out another sigh before walking away, his figure exuding loneliness.

Years of painstaking effort—all for nothing.

But despite everything, Grandmaster did not believe that Tang San's Twin Martial Souls were completely ruined.

Gazing in the direction of Spirit Hall, he made a firm decision.

For the sake of his disciple—and for himself—he needed to go there personally.

Watching Grandmaster's departing figure, Tang San felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

Even though he had now reached the Soul King level—making him the second Soul King in this tournament—his advancement had come at the cost of squandering his Twin Martial Soul's potential.

Even if he became a Titled Douluo in the future, he could never erase the stain of having a hundred-year soul ring on his Clear Sky Hammer.

"Damn it!"

Tang San trembled with rage.

He hated Ye Ritian to his very core.

How had Ye Ritian known he would awaken the Blue Silver Grass?

Only Xiao Wu, his father, and himself had known about this.

How could Ye Ritian possibly know?

Tang San was baffled.

The only logical explanation lay in the message Ye Ritian had left behind before departing:

"I have always been here."

This sentence had two meanings.

First, Ye Ritian was someone Tang San already knew.

Secondly, "Ye Ritian" was most likely a member of Shrek Academy. Otherwise, there was no way he could have known about Tang San's awakening of the Blue Silver Grass.

This would explain why "Ye Ritian" arrived at the location ahead of time and wiped out every last Blue Silver Grass, permanently preventing Tang San's martial soul from evolving. A crippled martial soul would remain crippled for life.

A waste—would always be a waste.

This indirectly became one of the reasons why Tang San chose to add soul rings to his Clear Sky Hammer.

For Ye Hao, this was an unexpected gain from his journey.

The next morning, Heaven Dou City was once again bustling with activity. Throngs of people filled the streets, all with the same destination—Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.

At the same time, a new round of battles in the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament was about to begin.

This time, Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Second Team was up against Blazing Academy, a team ranked just below them in the qualifiers. Among the many veteran academies, Blazing Academy was considered a strong contender.

But when it came to today's battle, there was no suspense whatsoever.

Blazing Academy was strong—but Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Second Team was stronger.

This was Ye Hao's unwavering belief.

In the previous two battles, Ye Hao hadn't participated at all, and his absence made the fights exceptionally difficult for his team.

It was only then that they truly realized—Ye Hao was the sole core of the team.

They could do without anyone, but not without him.

Especially upon hearing that Ye Hao would be competing today, Yu Tianheng and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling secretly overjoyed.

Blazing Academy was a veteran powerhouse, but now that Ye Hao was rejoining the team, the outcome of this battle was completely predictable—effortless and one-sided.

Before the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team's match, another long-standing rivalry was about to unfold—

Shrek Academy vs. Canghui Academy.

These two teams had been bitter enemies ever since their conflict on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.

Following the principle of "only the mediocre avoid trouble," Shrek Academy struck first, making Canghui Academy suffer bitterly.

Now, fate had brought them together again—it was time to settle old scores.

"Round 5 of the Qualifiers—Shrek Academy vs. Canghui Academy! Will both teams please enter the arena!"

At the host's announcement, the fourteen participants from both sides stepped onto the battlefield in turn.

The battle hadn't even begun, yet the air on the stage was already thick with tension.

When enemies meet, their eyes burn with fury.

The Canghui Academy captain snarled viciously,

"Shrek Academy! Today, you will pay the price!"

The seven members of Canghui Academy looked pale and sickly, their expressions eerie. Dark circles rimmed their eyes, giving them a sinister appearance.

From the stands, Ye Hao watched with amusement.

These seven must be the ones personally trained by Shi Nian—the ones who wield Gem Martial Souls and can unleash the Seven-in-One Fusion Technique, the Asura Illusion Realm.

"The Shrek Seven Devils are in for a rough time," Ye Hao remarked mockingly.

Shi Nian was infamous for bearing grudges, and naturally, the students he trained were the same. Combined with the lingering animosity from the Star Dou Forest incident, today was the perfect moment for payback.

"Hmph!" Dai Mubai scoffed disdainfully,

"Talk big all you want, just don't bite your tongue. Today, I'll make sure you crawl out of here!"

With that, the fourteen participants from both teams began releasing their martial souls one by one.

The audience was keenly interested in this battle.

Although Shrek Academy had already secured two consecutive victories, Canghui Academy was no pushover, ranking far ahead in the qualifiers.

However, at that very moment—the audience's expressions changed.

Not just the spectators—even Emperor Xue Ye, Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo in the VIP seats were visibly stunned.

Ye Hao's brow furrowed.

"How did Tang San become a Soul King?"

On the stage, Tang San stood at the very center, his soul ring configuration appearing beneath him—two yellow, two purple, and one black.

A confident smile spread across his face as he basked in the shocked reactions of the crowd.

At that moment, he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Is this guy an idiot?"

A voice suddenly echoed in Ye Hao's mind—it was Xiao Hong.

Ye Hao: "…"

"Do you happen to know how Tang San reached Soul King?" Ye Hao asked, genuinely curious.

After all, the Blue Silver King had already been slain by Ye Hao himself.

Logically, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass should have been completely unable to evolve.

And yet, while his martial soul remained Blue Silver Grass, his soul power had skyrocketed to Soul King.

Ye Hao couldn't make sense of it.

Could it have been Tang Hao's doing? Or was it simply an incredible stroke of luck?

Xiao Hong sighed dramatically,

"This Tang San is truly a peculiar one. You already know he's a twin martial soul wielder like you. Now that his Blue Silver Grass can no longer awaken, the Clear Sky Hammer has become his only trump card."

"But what he shouldn't have done… was recklessly add spirit rings to the Clear Sky Hammer—and not just one, but four in a row."

That was the key mistake.

Ye Hao's eyes widened slightly.

"Four soul rings?"

Then he sneered,

"Is he not afraid of dying? Recklessly attaching four spirit rings to the Clear Sky Hammer—does he really think his body can handle that?"

Xiao Hong chuckled,

"I'd bet his dear old Titled Douluo father had a hand in this. With Tang San's body, forcibly adding soul rings to his second martial soul should have been a death sentence. That's precisely why he was able to advance to Soul King early… but what a waste—a twin martial soul completely ruined."

"Tang San could have had a second martial soul with all ten-thousand-year spirit rings—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on the entire Douluo Continent. Yet, for some reason, he completely botched it. His Clear Sky Hammer now has a spirit ring configuration of two yellow, two purple—utterly ridiculous."

At this, Ye Hao burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"HAHAHAHA!!!"

He clutched his stomach, nearly doubling over,

"I can't… I just can't! What kind of brain-dead decision is this?! Risking his life to forcefully absorb soul rings for his second martial soul was already dumb enough—but his first soul ring is only a hundred years?! This is killing me!"

"HAHAHAHA!!!"

The greatest advantage of a twin martial soul was that once the first martial soul had all nine soul rings, the second martial soul could freely absorb ten-thousand-year or even hundred-thousand-year soul rings without issue.

Having a martial soul fully composed of ten-thousand-year rings was an unprecedented feat—only a select few on the entire continent could achieve it.

Yet now, Tang San was nothing but a clown.

A clown standing in the spotlight.

Beneath his dazzling appearance lay a bitter truth—his twin martial souls were completely wasted.

The audience erupted into an uproar, marveling at Tang San's immense talent.

From the VIP seats, Emperor Xue Ye couldn't help but sigh,

"Tang San of Shrek Academy—it's only been a few days since I last saw him. Wasn't he just a Rank 43 Soul Elder? How did he suddenly leap to Soul King?"

Even Ning Fengzhi, who was well-informed and knowledgeable, was momentarily stunned.

Could it be... Tang San consumed some kind of immortal herb, similar to the Beautiful Silk Tulip that Rongrong had taken before?

Advancing seven whole levels in soul power at once—this was simply unheard of.

Xue Qinghe's eyes narrowed slightly. Tang San… This person has already become the greatest threat to the Spirit Hall. He absolutely cannot be allowed to live.

Originally, he thought that Xiao Hao had destroyed the Blue Silver King, making it impossible for Tang San to fully awaken his Blue Silver Grass into the Blue Silver Emperor.

But now, it seemed Tang San was far from as simple as he appeared.

If he were allowed to continue developing like this—especially given that he was from the Clear Sky Clan and the son of Tang Hao—this alone was enough to sentence Tang San to death!

"How... how is this possible? Weren't you just a Soul Elder? How did you suddenly become a Soul King?!"

The captain of Canghui Academy retreated, completely caught off guard. This turn of events had gone far beyond their expectations.

With Tang San's breakthrough to Soul King, the situation on the battlefield instantly became unpredictable—everything was now an unknown.

Dai Mubai and the others were brimming with confidence, their eyes reflecting an eager thirst for victory. Especially after learning that Tang San had become a Soul King earlier that morning, they were ecstatic. Facing their long-time rival, Canghui Academy, they were full of confidence.

"Begin the battle!"

At the referee's announcement, the seven members of Canghui Academy reacted swiftly.

The moment their martial souls were revealed, Grandmaster's eyes widened in shock.

"Gem Martial Souls!"

Each of the seven had a gemstone in the palm of their right hand, each unique in color and shape—rhombus, triangle, square—all radiating distinct luminous glows.

Gem Martial Souls were extremely rare and had immense developmental potential, making them exceptionally valuable.

With different spirit rings, they could evolve in countless directions. Gem Martial Souls were one of the most spirit-ring-dependent martial souls in existence—an incredibly rare type.

For seven of them to appear simultaneously—it was no wonder Canghui Academy was so composed and confident.

"Shrek Seven Devils, prepare to face death."

The opposing captain let out a sinister smile, one that was eerie and unsettling. The other six members mirrored his expression, their eyes flickering with an ominous black light, as if they were ready to devour the Shrek Seven alive.

Taking the lead, the captain of Canghui Academy activated his fourth spirit ring, raising his gemstone high above his head. The other six followed suit, lifting their gemstones skyward while their third spirit rings lit up.

Seeing this, Ye Hao immediately understood Canghui Academy's next move—

Seven Asura Illusion Realm!

Almost simultaneously, seven beams of different colored light shot up into the sky, converging on the Canghui Academy captain. Within moments, both teams—the Shrek Seven Devils and the Canghui Academy team—vanished from sight. The entire battlefield was swallowed by thick, dense mist, leaving the audience clueless about what was happening inside.

Meanwhile, Zhuer, who had been observing from the shadows, quietly closed the book in her hands. A flash of purple light crossed her eyes as she peered into the battle arena, scanning the movements of both teams in an instant.

Ye Hao did the same—he wanted to see just how powerful Tang San had become after advancing to Soul King.

Previously, when Tang San was merely a Soul Elder, Ye Hao didn't think much of him.

But things were different now. Tang San was already a Soul King. Though his second martial soul was supposedly crippled, there was no guarantee he wouldn't use it in this battle.

And chances were high that he'd use it against Ye Hao.

After all, the enmity between them was irreconcilable. If they weren't matched in this round, they might very well face each other in the upcoming 1v1 stage.

The audience erupted in an uproar. Tens of thousands of spectators were at a complete loss—what was happening?

"Seven-in-One Fusion Technique?" Emperor Xue Ye's eyes lit up.

Such a technique had never been successfully executed in the entire continent's history. If Canghui Academy had pulled it off today, it would be an unexpected delight.

"No… this isn't a Seven-in-One Fusion Technique."

At this moment, Ning Fengzhi shook his head and explained, "All seven members of Canghui Academy possess gem-type martial souls, giving them an exceptionally high compatibility rate. The true Seven-in-One Fusion Technique would be far more powerful than what we're seeing now. This tournament is truly filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers—just the qualifiers alone are already so thrilling. And this Tang San…"

"How exactly did he reach Soul King? Did he consume some kind of immortal herb?"

Ning Fengzhi was utterly puzzled.

Up in the stands, Ye Hao watched with rapt attention.

Because he suddenly realized—

The Shrek Seven Devils were standing completely still.

All except for Tang San.

Above the heads of the other six teammates, a gleaming sword hovered ominously.

Meanwhile, the Canghui Academy team wore twisted, eerie smiles—grins so unsettling they sent shivers down one's spine.

Their long-standing grudge with Shrek had run deep.

Now, this was the perfect chance for revenge.