"The Saint of Spirit Hall... you are the Saint of Spirit Hall, Wu Ling!" Tang San's experience was limited, but he was not completely ignorant of the Spirit Master world. Wu Ling's name was so famous among Spirit Masters. How could he not have heard Ethan Drake mention it?
In Tang San's memory, when Ethan Drake first taught him Spirit Master knowledge, he had been full of confidence and hope for the future. But three years ago, he had lost his composure badly.
The reason was that Spirit Hall's Saint had appeared in the previous Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament. Wu Ling's terrifying strength filled Ethan Drake with deep regret. He even drank through the night, something rare for him.
"Alban!" While Tang San was still stunned, an angry voice came from inside Shrek Academy. The academy teachers had arrived.
"Tang San, move aside." An aged voice rang out from behind him. An old man suddenly charged out and leapt into the air, releasing an extremely powerful aura.
Dense black light erupted from the old man in midair. A long staff covered in countless patterns appeared in his right hand. Six Spirit Rings then surfaced, floating around the dragon-patterned staff in his palm.
One white, one yellow, three purple, and one black. The configuration was not especially high, but his cultivation was not weak either. A six-ring Spirit Daoist was strong enough to count as a high-level figure in a Spirit Hall sub-temple.
Tang San rolled out of the way. The old man brought his staff down. His sixth Spirit Ring flashed black, and the whistling staff carried a deep, muffled boom through the air.
A six-ring Spirit Daoist using a ten-thousand-year Spirit Skill from his strongest sixth Spirit Ring. The power of this strike could be imagined.
"If you are old, do not be so reckless." In the next second, Shrek's gatekeeping teacher Sylas Ward was taught a lesson. Wu Ling caught the staff steadily with one hand.
After throwing out that mocking line, Wu Ling shook the right hand holding the Dragon Pattern Staff. Sylas Ward was sent flying back even faster than he had arrived.
"Old Sylas, careful!" More than one Shrek teacher had come out with Sylas Ward. Another teacher saw this and hurriedly flew up to catch him, but he underestimated the force carried by Sylas Ward's body. The two of them rolled together like gourds, looking exceptionally miserable.
"Old Sylas! Old Lu!" Behind the two of them, an exceptionally violent voice rang out. Barrett Knox, the Motionless Bright King who had just arrived, saw the other two teachers rolling together and flew into a rage.
These Shrek Academy teachers were basically old teammates who had adventured with Flender in the past. They had deep bonds with each other. Seeing his own people beaten, how could Barrett Knox not be angry?
In only a few steps, he completed Martial Soul possession. Amid a dense series of metallic chimes, two yellow, two purple, and three black rings, an optimal configuration, appeared around Barrett Knox.
A thick layer of brown fur and armor covered his whole body. His height exceeded two and a half meters. Bulging muscles covered him, and his brown-yellow eyes released a domineering aura. His Martial Soul was the Vigorous Vajra Bear, a standout among bear-type Martial Souls, with a vajra body specialized in defense.
"Spirit Hall's Saint!" Barrett Knox recognized Wu Ling at a glance. During the previous Spirit Master tournament, he and Flender had gone to Spirit City. It was then that he came to know Wu Ling, this Saint.
Wu Ling's few matches back then had left a deep impression on him. The final match in particular had featured a Netherworld White Tiger comparable to a Spirit Daoist. Even Barrett would have needed to take it seriously, yet before Wu Ling, it had been toyed with easily. In the end, it had not even forced out Wu Ling's Martial Soul.
Afterward, when Spirit Hall announced that Wu Ling had become Saint, it also stated that his Spirit Power had already reached the Spirit Leader rank.
A five-ring Spirit Leader was already middle to high level among Spirit Masters across the entire continent. More importantly, Spirit Hall's Saint had only been fifteen then. Even if one did not believe his Spirit Power had truly reached Spirit Leader, the strength he displayed was undeniably close to a Spirit King.
He had already been like that three years ago. Three years later, what level had he reached now? With his talent, even if one ignored Spirit Power, his combat strength should at least rival a Spirit King.
Therefore, when Barrett saw that the enemy provoking them was Wu Ling, part of his anger was suppressed. He originally wanted to reason first. But when he lowered his head and saw Alban with all four limbs crippled and Tang San half-crippled, his violent temper was truly overwhelmed by the sight. He completely ignored Wu Ling's identity and attacked with full force.
"Martial Soul True Form!" Barrett Knox landed in three steps, each crossing more than ten meters. As his last step fell, he suddenly howled toward the sky. The pitch-black seventh Spirit Ring above him lit up.
Deep black erupted. Intense black light spread over Barrett Knox's entire body. Then his body began changing drastically.
Barrett's already burly body inflated like a balloon. Within moments, his height exceeded five meters. His muscles swelled into an exaggerated form, and brown-yellow fur grew wildly. He actually turned into a true giant bear.
When his body fully became bear-shaped, the brown-yellow fur shifted color at once and shone with brilliant gold. This was his Martial Soul True Form, the true body of the Vigorous Vajra Bear.
The seventh Spirit Ring was the strongest move of a seventh-ring Spirit King. Usually, it was only used in desperate situations. Yet facing Spirit Hall's Saint, Barrett Knox used it without hesitation, and he was not finished.
On Barrett's giant bear body, the first, second, third, and fifth rings lit up at the same time. These four Spirit Rings formed a continuous combination. Activated together, they supported one another and would help him deliver his highest damage.
The Motionless Bright King's protective body activated. Gravity Control spread out with Barrett Knox at its center, enveloping Wu Ling. Gravity Compression worked together with Gravity Control to restrict his movement as much as possible. Then Barrett raised both bear paws and fully drove the Vigorous Vajra Palm, releasing fierce energy fluctuations.
Barrett Knox used full force the moment he acted. This assault-type Spirit King's combo under Martial Soul True Form was something even ordinary eighth-ring Spirit Emperors would not want to take head-on.
However, his opponent was Wu Ling, someone whose physical body alone was much stronger than his.
Boom!
The entire street shook inside and out. Tang San was currently limping while dragging Alban's body away from the center of the clash. When he heard the sound and turned his head, he saw a horrifying scene.
Barrett Knox, the Motionless Bright King whom Tang San had spent so much effort dealing with, was now blasted away by brute force. Under the passive enhancement of seven main Heroic Spirits and three sub Heroic Spirits, Wu Ling's physical strength alone was already enough to rival an assault-type eighth-ring Spirit Emperor.
Rumbling sounds continued across the ground. Barrett seemed to be fighting some kind of monster. His massive bear body moved violently, faintly visible within the spreading dust.
A gale swept past. A figure landed with wings spread, bringing down a round, plump fatty. It was none other than Flender and Ash, who had gone off to solve Ash's personal problem. No one knew where they had received the news, but they had actually rushed back early.