Douluo Continent: The Sky Revealed, What the Hell is Honkai Academy?

Chapter 4: The Clear Sky Hammer is ranked twentieth? The Clear Sky Sect has broken through its defenses!
Throughout the entire Douluo Continent, from top powers to ordinary soul masters, everyone was stirred by this sudden celestial curtain.

Confidence, expectation, ambition, calculation... a variety of emotions are pervasive.

Almost everyone believed that this would be a ranking battle among the top martial souls they were familiar with.

However, they did not know that deep within the Sunset Forest...

How will an academy called "Collapse" rise to the top of the Martial Soul Ranking and overturn all their understanding?

……

Throughout the entire Douluo Continent, from the supreme Pope and Venerables to the proud sect leaders and the fledgling young Soul Masters.

While everyone was immersed in extreme confidence in their own martial spirits and boundless anticipation of the Heavenly Dao's rewards, and each was expressing their own outrageous opinions—

An indescribable, vast pressure descended without warning, instantly enveloping the entire Douluo Continent.

The clouds solidified, the wind ceased, birds fell to the ground in panic, and beasts crawled on the ground, wailing.

From the titled Douluo with boundless soul power to the children who have just awakened their martial souls, and even ordinary birds and beasts, all felt a sense of insignificance and trembling in the face of the great power of heaven and earth at this moment!
The golden light covering the sky grew brighter and brighter, and after a moment of preparation, it finally coalesced into a line of ancient and majestic characters.

At the same time, that mighty voice of the Heavenly Dao resounded once again in the minds of all living beings:

[Martial Soul Ranking, 20th Place: Clear Sky Hammer]

boom--!
The entire Douluo Continent seemed to have been hit by a bombshell, instantly causing an uproar!

"Twenty...twenty people?!"

"The Clear Sky Hammer?! The number one weapon spirit in the world is only ranked twentieth?!"

"Are you kidding me! Is there something wrong with this list of honors?!"

Exclamations, doubts, and incredulous roars swept across every corner of the continent like a tsunami.

Those Soul Masters who had personally witnessed the power of the Clear Sky Hammer felt their understanding had been completely overturned.

……

Haotian Sect, hidden in a secluded valley.

Just moments before, he was full of confidence, believing that Haotian Hammer would at least be in the top three, and even coveting the top spot among the elders. But the smile on his face instantly froze.

On the sect square, the disciples who had been filled with anticipation for the Golden List's arrival were now as if doused with ice water. Their excitement froze instantly, turning into bewilderment and humiliation.

"Twenty... How could there only be twenty?!" a core disciple exclaimed, his voice filled with resentment.

"...Twentieth place?!" Elder Lieyang, with his fiery temper, took a step forward and unleashed his violent soul power, shattering the hard stone slab beneath his feet!

His hair and beard stood on end as he roared to the sky, his voice booming: "What a joke! My Clear Sky Hammer is the number one weapon spirit in the world, how could it be ranked last?!"

"Bullshit! Utter bullshit! My Clear Sky Hammer is the number one weapon spirit in the world, unparalleled in attack and destruction, capable of shattering the dawn with a thousand pounds of force! How could it be ranked twentieth?! This ranking is unfair! Heaven is unjust! It must be the Spirit Hall pulling the strings in the dark!"

The elders behind him also had ashen faces, their fists clenched so tightly that their nails dug deep into their palms.

Sect Master Tang Xiao's pupils also contracted sharply, and his fingers gripping the armrest of the chair turned white from the force.

Although the Heavenly Dao highly praised it, calling it the "peak and benchmark," this ranking... is simply an insult!

However, the Golden List ignored the uproar on the mainland and the anger of the Clear Sky Sect, and continued to relentlessly display the information:

[Evaluation: The Clear Sky Hammer, a top-tier offensive weapon spirit, the number one weapon spirit in the world! Its weight is immeasurable, its power immense, its attack invincible, and its battle unmatched. It is the pinnacle and benchmark of all offensive weapon spirits. However, the spirit itself is not considered top-tier; it is its self-created spirit skills that elevate it to its rightful place.]

[Strongest Holder: Tang Chen, Level 99 Title Douluo, the most talented member of the Haotian lineage, creator of the soul skills Great Sumeru Hammer, Ring Explosion, and Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique, King of Slaughter!]

[Rewards: All Soul Rings' age increased by 10,000 years; 100,000-year Soul Bone 'Left Arm Bone of the Earth-Shaking Demon Bull'—greatly amplifies the strength and explosive power of the left arm, and comes with the Soul Bone skill 'Earthquake Wave,' which strikes the ground with full force, generating a powerful shockwave with a wide coverage, causing area-of-effect stun and damage, and has additional destructive effects on building targets.]

[Most Talented: Tang San, Level 42 Soul Master, Twin Martial Souls, Chosen One, Destined to Become a God!] [Rewards: Soul Power Level increased by one level (Level 43), all Soul Rings' age increased by 500 years, one Immortal Herb 'Dragon Elephant Bone Forging Grass'—after consumption, it can greatly temper the physical body, improve bone strength and power foundation, and significantly benefit the subsequent absorption of high-age Soul Rings!]

……

After the furious Haotian Sect elders and disciples finished reading the rest of the list, especially the terrifying rewards, they were stunned and their minds instantly calmed down.

But then again... although the Golden List places the Haotian Hammer in twentieth place, the Heavenly Dao rewards are substantial and enviable.

That's a 100,000-year soul bone, a reward that increases the age of all soul rings by 10,000 years!

This is an unimaginable improvement even for the peerless Douluo Tang Chen!

There was also a reward from Tang San, the nephew of Sect Master Tang Xiao... the Immortal Herb, Dragon Elephant Bone Forging Grass.

Unheard of, but just hearing about its effects tells you it's no ordinary product.

"The way of Heaven is so harsh, yet so generous?"

Tang Xiao muttered to himself, and then a strong sense of unease welled up in his heart.

If even the Clear Sky Hammer is only ranked twentieth, then how heaven-defying must the martial souls ahead be?

His words sounded like he was trying to comfort his people, but more like he was struggling to convince himself.

The glory of the Haotian Hammer has stood tall on the continent for many years, but today, in front of the whole world, it has been nailed to the twentieth position. This huge drop makes his heart ache.

……

Just as the twentieth place on the list was announced, the screen on the sky changed rapidly, transforming into a real-time projection that split in two, shining on the two people on the list respectively.

boom! boom!
Two golden beams of light, of different thicknesses, ignored spatial distance.

A path descended into the depths of the City of Slaughter, enveloping the Slaughter King who had lost his way on the throne.

The other arrow landed precisely on Tang San in the Shrek Academy playground!

"Ugh—Aaaaaaah!"

Under the golden light, Tang San was shaken to his core. He felt a surge of pure and powerful energy flow into his limbs and bones, and his soul power instantly broke through the barrier, reaching level 43!

At the same time, the original yellow spirit ring has become a bit deeper in color. Although it is still far from purple, the power of the spirit skill has been improved.

More importantly, a magical herb with leaves like dragon scales, exuding a wild and untamed aura, fell into his hands; it was none other than the "Dragon Elephant Bone Forging Grass".

He could sense that this immortal herb would be of great benefit to his cultivation of the Mysterious Heaven Skill and the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique!

"Third Brother! Congratulations!" Xiao Wu was the first to exclaim in surprise.

Dai Mubai and the others also gathered around, their faces full of envy.

"Increased soul power, increased soul ring age, and that Elephant Immortal Grass—the Heavenly Dao's rewards are too generous!" Ma Hongjun exclaimed in amazement.

Yu Xiaogang, trembling with excitement, walked to the camera lens on the sky and roared at the heavens:

"See that! This is the talent of my disciple Tang San! Even the Golden Ranking acknowledges Xiao San's potential, saying he has the makings of a god. So what if he's 20th on the Clear Sky Hammer list? The most talented one is Xiao San, and he will surely surpass his predecessors in the future!"

Flander pushed up his glasses, already calculating how much prestige and sponsorship Tang San could gain by getting him on the list and becoming famous, and how much he could bring to Shrek Academy. What a shrewd old businessman.

However, in stark contrast to Tang San's joy at receiving the reward, the atmosphere within the Clear Sky Sect was even more oppressive.

“The winners are actually the ancestor who has been missing for many years, and that wretched son who was expelled from the list…” an elder said in a complicated tone.

Tang Xiao looked at the image of Tang San receiving a reward in the sky, his expression becoming even more complicated.

The sect's glory has been tarnished, and the hope for its future lies elsewhere... It's truly lamentable!
(End of this chapter)