As the match between Heaven Dou and Star Luo concluded, the top three teams of the tournament were finally decided: Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Emperor Battle Team, Spirit Hall Academy, and Shrek Academy.
There was no doubt about the first two, but Shrek was a complete dark horse.
However, since the finals began, with Ning Rongrong fighting every match, Shrek effectively had full Soul Ancestor-level strength. So calling them a dark horse wasn't too surprising.
"Well done, Tianheng! The match is over, let's leave the stage and rest. I heard the Pope herself will attend our match tomorrow."
Tianlin patted Yu Tianheng's shoulder, congratulating him.
As for the frozen Netherworld White Tiger, there was no need to worry. This was Spirit City, full of high-level soul masters. Saving two people wouldn't be a problem—let alone the Star Luo Royal Academy team leader, who was a Soul Douluo.
Strangely, Yu Tianheng stood with his eyes closed in the center of the field, not stepping down. His soul power, which had previously been depleted, was now surging.
Yu Yuanzhen's eyes narrowed. As a Title Douluo, he could see that his grandson's soul power had reached a critical point.
This phenomenon is called a breakthrough. Today, Tianheng's soul power had been pushed to its limits again and again, then restored by the Nine-Hearted Begonia. The bottleneck between level 49 and 50 was smashed through by these repeated breakthroughs.
Before everyone's eyes, a wing sprouted from Yu Tianheng's back, partially formed. His dragon transformation had deepened—though there was only one wing for now, with the second to appear only at rank ninety.
The wing hadn't fully formed because he hadn't yet obtained a soul ring. But his soul power was truly at level fifty.
"Haha! Breaking through after a battle feels amazing!"
Yu Tianheng laughed at the sky. He had finally caught up with Gu Ran and entered the Soul King realm.
And he hadn't even gotten his soul ring yet—once he did, his level would surely surpass Gu Ran's.
"Haha! Sect Master Ning, Old Sword, Old Poison, look, my grandson's broken through!"
Yu Yuanzhen was overjoyed. If not for two more matches in the finals, he'd have rushed to take Yu Tianheng to the Star Dou Great Forest for his fifth soul ring right away.
"Congratulations, Sect Master Yu! Truly worthy of being your grandson—he has your flair from back in the day," Ning Fengzhi sincerely said.
"Damn, to break through at this time—what a headache," Yan complained on Spirit Hall Academy's side.
"Forget it. I already noticed that Tianheng's bottleneck loosened when the finals started. Breaking through now is normal," Hu Liena remained calm. "No need to worry. With two more days of matches, he won't have time to hunt his fifth soul ring. His real strength will only be a bit stronger than a Soul Ancestor. Without that fifth ring, he doesn't deserve the title of Soul King."
"Hehe, Nana's right—I was overthinking it. What's there to worry about with a level fifty without a soul ring?"
Hearing Hu Liena, Yan immediately put on a flattering smile, his anger gone.
Actually, Hu Liena's logic was sound, but they missed one thing—Tianlin happened to have a ten-thousand-year-old Death Tyrannosaurus with him.
But who could've guessed someone would carry a ten-thousand-year soul beast around?
After saying goodbye to Ning Fengzhi and Yu Yuanzhen, Tianlin hurried back to the team's inn with Yu Tianheng.
"Xiao Tian, why are you rushing like this? I'm exhausted—need to rest!"
Yu Tianheng complained.
Tianlin didn't answer. He had Gu Ran check the area, and after confirming they were alone in the inn's garden, he said, "Of course, I have a present for you. Watch!"
Tianlin opened his storage belt, and a huge tyrannosaurus appeared before them. It was motionless, like the living dead, since its soul had already been absorbed by Gu Ran.
But they could still hear its heartbeat—it was alive.
"This is... a Death Tyrannosaurus, and by the looks of it, just over ten thousand years old," Ye Lingling exclaimed.
"Xiao Tian, why do you have something like this?"
"I'll explain later. Tianheng, how about making this your fifth soul ring?"
Tianlin asked with a smile.
"How about it? This is amazing! A Death Tyrannosaurus—a super-strong sub-dragon soul beast! Thank you, Xiao Tian!"
Yu Tianheng was thrilled. He'd thought he'd have to wait until after the tournament to advance to Soul King, but now, thanks to Tianlin, he had the chance immediately.
Seeing how pleased Yu Tianheng was, Tianlin nodded, "Glad you like it. Go ahead and absorb it—it has no soul, so it won't cause any soul shock. It's perfectly safe."
"In that case, don't stand on ceremony. Once you advance, our chances against Spirit Hall Academy will increase greatly," Qin Ming said.
Yu Tianheng wasted no time. He leaped up and struck the Death Tyrannosaurus's chest, channeling his lightning into its body and shattering its heart.
A black soul ring emerged from the Death Tyrannosaurus and was drawn to Yu Tianheng.
An hour later, he finished absorbing it—slower than usual due to his exhaustion, but otherwise would have taken only half an hour.
"As expected of a Death Tyrannosaurus soul ring—my level is nearly fifty-two now! Haha, Gu Ran, I've finally surpassed you!"
Yu Tianheng said proudly, becoming Emperor Battle Team's perpetual second-in-command again.
That was normal: Gu Ran's soul power was boosted by Tianlin's skills, while Yu Tianheng had to break through on his own, resulting in a deeper foundation.
"Tianheng, enough showing off—what's your fifth soul skill? The Death Tyrannosaurus is dark and sinister, the complete opposite of your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. I bet it gave you a weird attack, maybe even changed your lightning's nature, right?"
Ye Lingling guessed.
Yu Tianheng gave a thumbs-up.
"As expected of our team's genius—you're completely right. My fifth skill is called Death Thunderstorm, but the thunder is rather peculiar."
He activated his fifth soul ring, and his lightning turned pitch-black, flowing like liquid between his fingers.
"This liquid-like lightning is very special—heavy, turbid, and ever-changing, unrestrained and free, flowing like mercury, seeping everywhere, sapping bones and willpower."
Yu Tianheng explained.
Hearing this, Tianlin was shocked.
Wasn't this Ablution Thunder?
Daoist thunder arts recorded it as the polar opposite of regular yang lightning. This thunder was of the yin attribute—while it lacked the overwhelming attack and penetration of normal lightning, it gained strange, corrosive properties instead.
In terms of raw attack, Tianheng had never lacked. Now, with Ablution Thunder, he would be even harder to defend against. Leaving behind the Death Tyrannosaurus's body had indeed been the right choice.