At this point, only three people remained within the arena. The outcome was decided.
"Can you tell me why?"
Winning this match was not entirely thanks to the Eight Spider Lances, nor was it his own merit.
It was the immortal herbs he had consumed long ago that had made the difference. The Eight-Pointed Ice Grass and the tempering from the Yin-Yang Cleft had rendered him completely immune to all ice- and fire-attribute energy. If Shui Bing'er had used a Martial Soul Fusion Technique of any other element, Tang San would have already been out of Soul Power at that point, and even with the Eight Spider Lances, he would have had no way to turn the tide.
So, deep down, he considered himself defeated. Not in terms of raw strength, but in adaptability and in his estimation of the opponent.
The string of consecutive victories had inevitably bred a degree of arrogance among Shrek Academy's team members, and Tang San was no exception. He was still human, after all, and subject to the same emotions as anyone else.
Before today's battle, he had placed Tianshui Academy on equal footing with Blazing Fire Academy. But who could have known that Shui Bing'er's control abilities would prove so counter to him, and that she possessed something as powerful as a Martial Soul Fusion Technique?
Facing Shui Bing'er's question, Tang San did not hide the truth. Not only because he felt he had lost, but also because of Shui Bing'er's kindness. In the moment before the Ice Phoenix descended, he had clearly sensed the worry in her voice—it was not about winning or losing. She genuinely had not wanted to hurt him.
"My ability includes ice immunity. That's why your powers couldn't restrain me," Tang San said in a voice only the three of them could hear.
Two pairs of beautiful eyes locked onto him simultaneously, and a trace of bitterness appeared at the corner of Shui Bing'er's lips.
"Then why were you still constrained by me earlier?" Shui Bing'er couldn't help but ask. Her first Soul Skill, Ice Seal, had still been effective against Tang San. But the Ice Phoenix's lock-on hadn't worked?
Tang San gave a rueful smile. "My ice and fire immunity only works against energy-based forms. Physical forms and kinetic impacts can still cause me harm. Your Ice Seal is a solid-state form, not an energy form—of course I'd be affected. It's just that the cold within it can't injure me."
"We lost." Though reluctant to admit it, Shui Bing'er still forced the words out with difficulty.
Tang San shook his head. "No, it should be us who lost. My mistake led to this outcome. My resistance to ice and fire doesn't come from cultivation."
By now, the referee had approached cautiously. Despite being a Soul Master of the fiftieth rank, even he was feeling uneasy.
These young people were truly terrifying. If they still had some hidden trump card up their sleeves, he might get caught in the crossfire.
"It's over?" the referee looked between the two sides.
Tang San and Shui Bing'er nodded at the same time, speaking in unison: "I lost."
The referee stared at them, thoroughly confused. "You two..."
Tang San spoke up first. "Let's call this a draw. Both sides have exhausted their Soul Power. Neither can continue the match."
Only then did the referee understand. Draws were rare, but not unheard of. He promptly announced that the match between Shrek Academy and Tianshui Academy had ended in a draw.
Winning when he could have—yet choosing not to—this was the warning Tang San gave himself. The preliminary rounds were only the beginning. The advancement rounds and the finals, where the strongest would gather, still lay ahead. Discovering his flaws now was far better than discovering them in later matches. After all, the finals were an elimination tournament, where there was no room for even the slightest mistake.