Soul Land V: Rebirth of Tang San

Next round, Tang San would face Big Cat, while Pretty Girl would face the winner of the last group of contenders from today.

As for the doubles, Pretty Girl herself had no worries at all. She and Tang San had defeated Mengte Te and Mengte Shi, leaving very few challengers who could possibly threaten them.

In the singles, Tang San and his allies had already achieved a sweeping victory, fully accomplishing their preset goal. Initially, Tang San's goal was to at least make it into the top sixteen with Pretty Girl and Big Cat. Entering the top sixteen was the minimum requirement to gain recognition from the Ancestral Court, and for Big Cat, it meant gaining recognition from the Lion Demon Clan.

Now they had all entered the semi-finals, and moreover, they did so by continuously defeating formidable opponents. Undoubtedly, they had all become the center of attention, especially Pretty Girl, who was now the leading favorite to win the championship. Even if the audience didn't know about the close relationship between Big Cat and them, at the very least, they knew that Tang San was Pretty Girl's partner in the doubles! Both making it into the semi-finals in singles meant what for the doubles? Undoubtedly, they were also the top favorites to win the doubles.

Keep in mind, before this elite competition began, the Ancestral Court didn't believe any contestant would be able to claim both the singles and doubles championships because that would be simply too incredible. To win both championships would require competing every day, and even if one was incredibly strong, could they ensure not getting injured during the matches? All participants were powerhouses, and without being in top condition, even if inherently stronger, continuous victories weren't guaranteed. Under the knockout format, losing just once meant complete defeat.

But Tang San and Pretty Girl had advanced step by step, eventually reaching the peak. At this point, it seemed there was nothing that could stop them. This team, which on the surface even appeared to be a human duo, had incredibly made it this far.

The Peacock Demon Clan's Heavenly Mechanism Dance re-emerged on the Continent, bringing this once-glittering race back into the Ancestral Court's sight. Despite the higher-ups knowing early on that this was a result deliberately sought by the Peacock Demon King, no one expected that his offspring could actually go this far.

Tang San and Big Cat had come out of nowhere. One appeared to be of an unknown race yet possessed a mix of bloodlines, while the other belonged to a race known as the 'cursed' Lion Tiger Beast Clan.

Although their brilliance was somewhat overshadowed by Pretty Girl, making it into the top four of the singles meant they were absolute peak powerhouses.

After the singles ended, a surprising event unfolded in the doubles the next day.

The duo of Tang San and Pretty Girl, while defeating a formidable Spirit Monster team, saw Tang San end up injured.

And it seemed the injury was serious. This match's conclusion also led to a dramatic drop in the bets from the audience who had wagered on them to become the ultimate doubles' champions, drastically decreasing their odds.

What made those who bet on their victory even more despondent was that, in the following day's singles semi-finals, Tang San withdrew due to the severity of his injuries.

Yes, he gave up the match against Big Cat, allowing Big Cat to advance directly to the finals, making it into the final two.

Pretty Girl smoothly sailed through the competition, using her extraordinary ability and the Heavenly Mechanism Dance to defeat her powerful opponents and also make it into the singles finals.

"Why?" Big Cat, who had directly sought him out, looked unwilling to accept it as he faced Tang San, who had just opened the hotel room door for him. Although Tang San's complexion was somewhat pale, it definitely wasn't the look of someone without the strength to fight.

"I'm injured, and I'm tired. I need to rest." Tang San said with a smile.

Big Cat said angrily, "I was planning to have a fair rematch with you on the competition stage. Even though I know I'm no match for you, I still hoped to compete with you on such a stage to see where I fell short. And don't you want to meet her in the finals? Why choose to give up?"

Tang San first invited him to sit down in the living room.

"Don't be mad. We can spar whenever we want, right? And after so many days of competition, I'm really exhausted. I got some internal injuries from the fight with Mengte Te that day, and it wouldn't hurt to rest for a day to recover. Do you think Mengte Te was that easy to defeat?"

His words were half-true, half-false. The battle with Mengte Te did indeed drain a lot of Tang San's divine consciousness and Spiritual Power. But being able to summon the will of the Asura God's Sword was not only greatly beneficial to Pretty Girl but also helped him to a certain extent in refining and purifying his Spiritual Power and divine consciousness.

Big Cat was still somewhat reluctant and wanted to say something, but he heard Tang San continue, "Originally, the doubles match should have been me pairing up with you. It was my fault for putting love before friendship, I'm sorry, brother, for not being able to compete alongside you. In the singles competition, I don't have the face to compete with you on the stage! My heart has already lost to you. So, don't take it to heart. Besides, if we really fought, I might not be able to beat you now. You've got a divine tool now."

Looking at Tang San's smiling face and his relaxed demeanor, Big Cat said sulkily, "Anyway, it's not good for you to do this. Are you sure your body is okay?"

Tang San nodded, "Don't worry, it won't affect tomorrow's doubles match."

His voluntary withdrawal from the singles competition was a well-considered decision. The most important reason was exactly what he just told Big Cat, in fact, he had already decided that if he met Big Cat in the competition, he would concede. For the doubles registration, he had agreed to take part then backed out at the last minute for Pretty Girl, and he left Big Cat hanging. Although Big Cat didn't say anything, Tang San himself couldn't pretend that it didn't happen. So he had to make his stance clear.

Another reason was that he had secretly instructed Zhang Haoxuan to contact the Redemption Organization to make a big profit during this opportunity.

The financial status of the Redemption Organization wasn't very good, otherwise, they wouldn't have coveted their Array Plate before. Tang San had Zhang Haoxuan tell the Redemption Organization that he would lose his fight with Big Cat, in addition to the apparent serious injuries from the previous doubles match, and today's withdrawal. The odds of him and Pretty Girl winning the doubles match drastically dropped in these two days.

By leveraging these few matches, as long as the Redemption Organization played their cards right, they were certain to make a huge profit. No matter how weak, the Redemption Organization had been leading humanity to stand tall for many years, and they had some foundations. Enough to operate without god or ghost knowing. The Monster and Fairy Clans were powerful and wealthy, taking advantage of the situation to make a profit was definitely a good thing for the Redemption Organization.

So, his seemingly abrupt injury and concession were actually multi-faceted gains. As long as he and Pretty Girl could win the doubles match, it would be enough to help her establish the reputation of the new generation's top talent and would be greatly beneficial for Pretty Girl as she took charge of the Peacock Demon Clan.

A faint smile appeared on his face, and a touch of divine light shone slightly on Tang San's face. He patted Big Cat on the shoulder and said, "You should prepare well for the finals now. Little Beauty has made great progress these days. Her understanding of the spatial attribute is profound and she has made significant strides recently. Both bloodlines have basically reached a point where they can be used interchangeably. The killing intent of the White Tiger Great Demon King is even stronger than your Killing God Domain, and I don't know how much Little Beauty has comprehended. Anyway, you need to be careful when facing her."

Big Cat glanced at him and huffed, "Fine, I'm going back, you take care of yourself. We've agreed that after we return, you have to spar with me properly, and you can't go easy on me, you have to go all out."