Am I a mutant in soul land?

After the host announced Martial Soul Hall Academy as the victor, the next match was set: Lanba Team versus Godwind Academy. With Dai Mubai gone, only Tai Long was strong enough to step up and fill the gap.

Yet, even without Dai Mubai, the Lanba Team easily overwhelmed Godwind Academy in the fourth round, securing their place in the Top 3 alongside Tianshui Team and Martial Soul Hall Academy.

The host's voice echoed throughout the arena, brimming with excitement:

"Let us now look forward to the thrilling match between our Top 3 teams—taking place at the Sacred Temple Tomorrow!"

Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Ye Lingling, Meng Yiran, and Dugu Yan were all visibly excited about the upcoming showdown.

The Martial Soul Hall Team's performance in today's match hadn't been all that intimidating. In comparison, the Tianshui Team displayed more individual strength—but their overall coordination was lacking.

The fusion of fire and ice attributes within their lineup created more conflict than synergy, making them formidable as individuals but disjointed as a team.

The girls of the Lanba Team, observing this, felt little concern as they made their way back to their lodging.

Tang Yin had his own plans brewing as he sat beside the mountain of muscle known as Tai Long, casting him a slightly sympathetic

glance

—Hey, if you looked closely enough, he kind of resembled the Hulk. Dense? Check. Not the brightest? Absolutely. And just like the green rage monster, he was impulsive, occasionally furious, and always ready to smash something when emotions ran high.

Tai Long, meanwhile, was practically bouncing in excitement. With Dai Mubai out of the Team lineup, he had finally secured a spot on the Main Team instead of rotting on the substitute bench. The man was glowing with pride.

Tang Yin, however, had deeper ambitions. He had long decided to establish the Tang Sect—And that meant acquiring the loyalty of the four subsidiary clans of the Hao Tian Clan. Tang yin couldn't force their loyalty right away, but in five years? That was realistic.

He looked at Tai Long thoughtfully.

"Let's start with you."

Activating his telepathy, Tang Yin began subtly infiltrated Tai Long's mental state, nudging his emotions, memories, relationship and loyalty circuits. Within moments, Tai Long began to regard him not just as a Team leader—but as a lifelong brother-in-arms. Completely devoted.

After they arrived at their lodgings, Tang Yin pulled Tai Long aside and dragged him off to a nearby brothel. Once inside, Tang Yin pulled out a black, gummy-looking substance from his storage ring.

"Brother Tang Yin… what's this?" Tai Long asked, poking the sticky ball curiously.

Tang Yin said nothing at first, then used his energy conversion ability to begin boiling the lump of millennium-aged whale glue into a syrupy brew. Finally, he spoke:

"Eat this. You'll be strong enough to tear any opponents we face in our next match."

Without hesitation, Tai Long slurped it down like hot soup. Almost instantly, his body began to steam like a pressure cooker.

Tang Yin handed him a towel. "Now go in there, big guy. Pick a lady, and remember to circulate your soul power while you're at it."

Tai Long nodded earnestly, his aura rising. Then, with terrifying determination, he lunged into the brothel and disappeared inside.

Tang Yin peeked around the corner—just in time to see Tai Long proudly striding into a room… arm-in-arm with a woman who looked well into her fifties.

Tang Yin's eye twitched. "Big guy... I brought you to the best brothel in the city, and you pick...an Auntie? Your taste is next-level." Shaking his head, he returned to their team's lodging, utterly baffled.

Six hours later, Tai Long returned with a bright triumphant glow. "Tang Yin brother! I hit Level 40!" he roared with pride.

Tang Yin nodded, impressed. He immediately went to find Zhao Wuji, hoping to secure a soul ring for his newly promoted Soul Elder.

Zhao Wuji was ecstatic. "Perfect timing! Our team's lineup just got a whole lot stronger!" he said with a broad grin, snatching up a few thick cigars and stuffing one between his teeth.

"Let's move! Tang Yin—let the dean know I'm taking Tai Long out for a hunt!"

He looks more and more like Midget Wolverine—Tang yin thought as he nodded.

Zhao Wuji and Tai Long headed straight for the nearby Soul Beast Hunting Forest.

The Next Morning

Zhao Wuji and Tai Long burst through the door of the lodge with grins on their faces.

"Guess what?" Zhao Wuji boomed. "Haha.. I found him a perfect soul ring—a 4,000-year-old Fifteen-Ton Ant! Strength-type! It perfectly matches with his martial soul."

Tang Yin nodded with satisfaction. With a robust strength-type soul skill added to his arsenal, Tai Long could hold his own against nearly any Soul Ancestor—except maybe a top-tier agility-type like zhuqing.

Still, this was strong enough for the finals.

In front of the towering Sacred Temple of Martial Soul Hall, the Lanba Team stood before the grand gates, guarded by armored paladins. Tang Yin could sense it immediately—each guard was at least a Soul Elder, if not a Soul Ancestor.

Just before entering, Liu Erlong pulled Tang Yin into a quick embrace, whispering teasingly in his ear, "If you win the final… I'll reward you properly— anything you want."

Liu Erlong quickly leaned in and planted a light kiss on Tang Yin's lips before casually strolling off toward the viewing area, which was being reserved exclusively for the Top 3 teams.

Flender, who had been sipping tea at the side, nearly choked. His eyes bulged in disbelief as he watched the scene unfold like his worst nightmare come true.

Zhao Wuji, standing beside him, gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Tough luck, old friend," he said, suppressing a grin.

The girls were also mildly annoyed at Erlong—but they had already made peace with it, more or less. But that didn't mean they needed to be force-fed dog food every time in the public.

They decided to gang up on Tang Yin, nagging him for being a shameless womanizer—but Tang Yin, as always, played dumb, feigning complete innocence like he had no idea what they were talking about.

Zhao Wuji finally came to a halt and grinned. "Alright, good luck, everyone. I won't be coming along—if Martial Soul Hall recognizes me, they might make things unnecessarily difficult for you all."

Tang Yin stepped forward and gave him a casual wave. "Don't worry, Teacher Zhao. We'll win this tournament—you can count on it."

Zhao Wuji nodded proudly before turning back toward their lodging, his broad but short figure disappearing down the stone path.

As the Lanba Team passed through the massive gates, the colossal venue atop the Sacred Temple unfolded before them—a breathtaking sight of grandeur and reverence.

In the stands, students from both the Blazing and Tianshui academies could be seen loudly cheering. Meanwhile, members of the Martial Soul Hall Academy occupied their own special section—many of them surprisingly cheering for Tianshui Team as well.

The paladin captain suddenly dropped to one knee and announced in a booming voice:

"The arrival of Her Holiness!"

Clad in flowing purple robes and carrying her signature amethyst scepter, Bibi Dong descended the grand staircase with graceful steps. The rows of armored paladins immediately knelt in unison, heads bowed in reverence.

"Your Holiness!" they chanted.

The students and teachers from Blazing Academy and Tianshui Academy also bowed respectfully. Seeing this, Lanba Team followed

Liu Erlong hesitated briefly but bowed. Her resentment toward Bibi Dong had faded after breaking with Yu Xiaogang. Flender felt the same—their grudges buried and silent.

"Greetings to Her Highness," they said in unison.

Bibi Dong's violet eyes flicked briefly to Erlong, surprised to see her bow without resistance. She quickly dismissed it—anything tied to Yu Xiaogang was no longer her concern.

Then her gaze fell on Tang Yin, who dropped to one knee with a smooth, firm bow that stunned even the paladins. His cloak billowed gently behind him, his every movement radiating elegance and unshakable respect.

Tang Yin carried the dignity of royalty—heroic yet elegant through and through.

A small, amused smile tugged at Bibi Dong's lips. "Such elegance," she murmured, then spoke clearly in her soft, melodious voice:

"Stand up."

With that, the entire assembly rose to their feet in near-perfect unison.

"I see great hope in you. In this Sacred ground, I wish to witness the result of all your talents, and hard work . The ultimate victor will receive the finest reward from the Martial Soul Hall."

She gently tapped her crystal scepter against the floor. A soft hum of soul power resonated through the air as three ornate box appeared, floating mid-air, before opening with a burst of radiant light.

Three shimmering objects emerged, casting a brilliant glow.

"Soul bones!" someone gasped.

Excitement rippled through the audience as they stared at the floating treasures, gleaming with an ethereal brilliance.

Gui Mei stepped forward, his voice deep and menacing. "These soul bones were taken from decade-millennium-old soul beasts. They are Wisdom Skull, the Burning Right Arm, and the Agile Left Leg. The Wisdom Bone, in particular, came from a fifty-thousand-year-old beast—beheaded by the former Pope himself."

A wave of gasps swept through the crowd. Even Ning Fengzhi's eyes gleamed with unconcealed astonishment—and greed.

Bibi Dong spoke again. "Only one team will claim the championship. These soul bones shall belong to the victors. I hope you all give it your best—to earn both honor and glory."

From the Spirit Hall side, Hu Liena, Xue Yue, and Yan all smirked arrogantly. These precious soul bones had been carefully selected to suit them three. In their minds, victory was already guaranteed and this match was just formality.

"Now," Bibi Dong continued, "please send seven members from your team to participate in the morning's individual elimination round. The winners will enter the grand final battle tomorrow. The losing team will battle in the afternoon for the remaining spot in the final."

With a wave, she gestured to the Paladin leader to proceed.

The Paladin leader stepped forward as he addressed the participants in a firm voice:

"Please proceed to the bleachers to prepare for the drawing of lots. The order of matches will be determined by the draw. Any participant who draws a bye will automatically advance to face the winner of the first round."

He added, "Team representatives, please step onto the platform to draw lots."

The members of the Lanba Team all turned to Tang Yin. He nodded and stepped forward calmly. Drawing from the box, he revealed a slip—marked with a bye.

Returning with a faint smile, he said to the others, "We'll be fighting later on."

The Paladin leader raised his voice. "I hereby announce the first match of the individual round—Tianshui Academy versus Spirit Hall Academy!"

The arena erupted in cheers.

Huo Wushuang and Sun Chuantao were the first to clash. Their battle was fierce. Despite the gap in spirit level, Huo Wushuang gave it his all. In the end, he emerged victorious, though completely drained of soul power.

Next came Xue Yue. He defeated four members of Tianshui Academy in a row—until he met Shui Bing'er. Her flying control-type Ice spirit proved to be his bane, and she claimed victory after a tactical fight.

Then Yan took the stage. Though he struggled against Shui Bing'er due to her control and his fire attribute being countered, he eventually overwhelmed her with sheer power. He moved on to face Huo Wu—another fire-type user like himself. Their battle was intense, but in the end, Huo Wu was defeated due to lack of soul power as well.

Thus, the Spirit Hall Team triumphed over the Tianshui Academy in the first round.

From the stands, Tang Yin smiled and politely clapped for Tianshui Academy performance,

"Shui Bing'er, I didn't expect you to defeat Xue Yue. You're really strong," he said with genuine admiration. "It's just that your teammates weren't quite strong enough—that's why you lost to us before."

Shui Bing'er blushed at the compliment, her gaze flickering away shyly. But before Tang Yin could say more, a fiery presence popped up right in front of him—Huo Wu.

"What about my performance?" Huo wu demanded, hands on her hips. "I didn't see you clapping for me! Hmph!"

Tang Yin chuckled and teased, "I would've… if you had actually defeated someone....anyone. But she did—and a Spirit King, no less."

Huo Wu's expression soured instantly "You…!" she growled and lunged at him angrily with her fist burning in fiery heat.

But Tang Yin was already a step ahead. With a smirk, he effortlessly sidestepped her strike, using his graceful movement technique to spin out of reach like a phantom breeze.

"Too slow," he quipped.

"You little—! Stop running!" Huo Wu chased after him while the others laughed at their playful exchange.

Tang yin grasped her hand tightly as he asked,

"How about you face me in the afternoon?" Huo wu eyes burned with desire to defeat him as she nodded with an arrogant huff..

Shui Bing'er chimed in shyly, her voice soft.

"If you're going to fight first… then I'm certain that we'll defeat you today!"

Despite her words, her eyes kept flickering away from Tang Yin's gaze—unable to meet his for more than a second. It was as if there was something on her mind, something she wasn't quite ready to say or—

Tang yin thought for a bit before he agreed with a grin "Alright! I accept your challenge."

Afternoon—

Tang Yin and Hu Liena stood face to face at the center of the arena. The crowd hushed, but the tension between both of them wasn't just competitive but slightly ambiguous—

Hu Liena's golden eyes lingered on Tang Yin's eye-catching profile, her heart skipping a beat.

So handsome… she thought, captivated.

Her teacher's words echoed in her mind—"If you can, try to bring him over to our side."

A smirk tugged at the corners of her cherry lips as she was confident in her charm, she slowly stepped forward as she used seductive voice:

"You're just my type," she said boldly. "Why don't you transfer to Spirit Hall Academy? I might even let you pursue me."

She batted her eyes playfully, her enchanting Fox Spirit radiating charm as she tried to tempt him with her natural allure.

acting mode online—

But Tang Yin didn't even blink. His expression remained perfectly calm as he said deadpan.

"Your ambition is admirable and your beauty is certainly above average."

Then he added, with a sly smile, "But I must decline. I've seen a beauty even greater than you… and she seems quite interested in me. I cannot accept your love proposal, woman."

Hu Liena froze. Love proposal?! When did I—?

Her expression twitched as realization hit. I was letting him chase me—not the other way!

Grinding her teeth in frustration, she glared at Tang Yin—who was clearly enjoying every second of her reaction, his smirk growing wide.

Just then, the Paladin leader raised his voice,

"Next match—Lanba Team versus Spirit Hall Team! Match—begin!"

But Tang Yin casually raised a hand.

"We surrender this match," he announced. "I've already agreed to fight Tianshui Team."

"Lanba Team surrendered? Weren't their Team undefeated till now?"

Speculation erupted throughout the stands.

"Is this some kind of rematch requested by the New Tianshui Team?"

Hu Liena stood stunned, blinking in disbelief. What? That's it? Just like that?! She couldn't even fight him today? She gritted her teeth.

Her fists clenched as she stomped her foot in frustration and stormed off the stage, her short hair bounced sharply with each step, twitching with every stride like it shared in her irritation.

From above, Bibi Dong watched with a rare, amused smile. So that's what it looks like when Hu Liena gets stumped… how cute.

Her gaze lingered on Tang yin— Let me see just how strong and talented you are.

Elsewhere—

Shui Bing'er and Huo Wu were headbutting each other aggressively, both shouting over the other about who would fight Tang Yin first. Their foreheads slammed together again with a loud thunk as they fought:

"I said I'm going first! I have a tactics!"

"No, I am! Your Ice attribute is useless!"

Off to the side, Huo Wushuang's face twitched with irritation. A vein bulged on his temple as he finally lost patience. With an exasperated groan, he leapt into the arena, ignoring the bickering behind him.

Tang Yin spotted him and smiled warmly. "Yo! We meet again." After all, this guy was going to be his brother-in-law someday.

Huo Wushuang gave a nod in return, already taking his stance without showing any fear.

"The match begins!" the Paladin leader shouted.

Huo Wushuang wasted no time. His martial soul erupted around him as his body swelled with power. His strong body was ready.

But Tang Yin didn't move. A smirk curved his lips as his third soul ring lit up ominously.

"Third Soul Skill—Soul Devouring Cage."

A blood-red cage erupted from the ground beneath Huo Wushuang, trapping him instantly. The moment it formed, his soul power began draining rapidly.

Huo Wushuang gritted his teeth and fought back with skill after skill—but the cage didn't budge. Nothing worked. Within moments, he was drained dry by trying to break free.

Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes with interest from the stands. So this is the strength of his third skill… Not only is it incredibly durable, but it has a devouring attribute—it grows stronger the more it absorbs soul power. Her lips curved slightly. Formidable.

Frustrated and defeated, Huo Wushuang returned to his team—only to be immediately scolded by Huo Wu.

"You were too greedy!" she snapped.

"Are you kidding me?!" he shouted back, still breathless. "You were the one arguing while I was being sacrificed like a goat!"

But Huo Wu had already pushed past him. Her fiery gaze locked onto Tang Yin as she strode into the arena.

"I will defeat you, Tang Yin!" she declared with spirit blazing. "Hmph! Take this—Spirit Ring Fusion: Burning Sun!" A massive, scorching sphere of flame exploded toward him.

But Tang Yin didn't flinch. His third soul ring lit up once again.

"Third Soul Skill—Soul Devouring Cage."

The blood-red cage formed just in time, taking the brunt of the explosion. By the time the dust settled, Tang Yin had already vanished, using his movement technique to slip away like a ghost unharmed—this was a variant skill he had created to counter situation like this.

Huo Wu stood stunned. That's not how he used the cage before…

She stared in disbelief as her strongest skill was effortlessly neutralized. Shoulders slumping, she turned and walked off the stage, frustration written all over her face.

Then came Shui Bing'er.

She approached quietly, her steps light, almost hesitant. But something in her gaze was… off. There was a glint—too sly, too calculating for her usual heroic self.

Tang Yin's brow twitched. She's definitely planning something.

Shui Bing'er didn't fly. Instead, she suddenly leapt forward—and kissed him on the lips.

Tang Yin stood there, utterly stunned.

Before he could recover, Shui Bing'er had already acted.

"Third Soul Skill—Chopping Ice!"

A blast of icy energy erupted, encasing Tang Yin in a thick crater of ice.

In the stands, Huo Wu, Hu Liena, Qian Renxue—and even Bibi Dong—were frozen in shock. No one spoke. No one reprimanded her action because beauty was regarded as a useful tool and they were generally used in assassination.

But did she really just do that here… in front of everyone?!

Tang Yin remained perfectly unharmed inside the ice, his body glowing faintly. But now he couldn't exactly pretend that nothing had happened—he hadn't used his Blue Silver King like an armor this time.

He could only smile wryly, silently applauding her bold tactic. But he wasn't done yet. For the third time, his third soul ring lit up.

"Third Soul Skill—Soul Devouring Cage."

This time, Shui Bing'er was the one trapped. But she didn't resist. Her soul power drained steadily until she finally collapsed to one knee, exhausted.

She looked up and smirked. "What did I tell you? How'd you like the surprise?"

Tang Yin chuckled and gave a nod of respect. He then turned and walked off the stage.

Though he had technically lost, Lanba Team still won the round without breaking a sweat. Dugu Yan alone was more than enough to crush the rest of Tianshui's team.

"The winner—Lanba Team!" the Paladin leader announced.

Cheers erupted as he continued, "Tomorrow's final match will be between— Lanba Team vs Spirit Hall Team!"

Up in the stands, Bibi Dong turned to Salas.

"Salas," she asked the old man, "what's the deal with Tang Yin's martial soul? It doesn't seem to be affected by either fire or ice."

Salas took just a second too long to respond, his gaze lingering on her flawless features with lust. But when he replied, his voice was extremely respectful.

"His mutated Blue Silver Grass is naturally resistant to both fire and ice," Salas explained.

"That's why he defeated Blazing Academy and Tianshui Academy so effortlessly. Even when they joined forces, they still couldn't bring him down. I know he also possesses a movement techniques and other self-created skills that would be… quite useful to Spirit Hall."

Then, after a pause, he made a subtle throat-slashing gesture.

"Your Highness… perhaps—"

But Bibi Dong frowned slightly and shook her head.

"No," she said quietly. "He's not affiliated with any known clan. It might be possible… to bring him into the Martial Soul Hall."

Salas frowned—Should I have acted instead of asking for permission? It felt like his entire contribution had been dismissed entirely.