Prior to the commencement of the first match of the Trial of Five Gods, he had been very nervous. His opponent during that match was Huang Zhengyang, a man whose cultivation rank wasn't particularly exceptional, but his mecha piloting skills were truly incredible.
That match had actually been a very perilous one for Tang Wulin. If it weren't for the fact that Huang Zhengyang didn't know much about him, it wouldn't have been easy for him to secure that victory.
After that came the second match. Overall, Zhang Geyang's soul spirits were more powerful than his, and he had been completely dominated. Zhang Geyang had two 100,000-year-old soul spirits, the most powerful plant system soul spirit in the form of the Infernal Lightning Vine, and his bonded soul spirit, the Infernal Flame Beast, all of which were extremely powerful. If it weren't for Tang Wulin's special status as the Son of Nature and the Infernal Lightning Vine's discontent with Zhang Geyang, he would've lost that match.
If the Tang Sect Master had been defeated by the vice-chairman of the Spirit Pagoda, no one would mention the age disparity between the two; it would simply have been treated as a victory for the Spirit Pagoda over the Tang Sect. That match had been an extremely high-pressure affair.
Following those two consecutive victories, the pressure on him was lessened slightly, but his opponents only became even more powerful. Never did Tang Wulin think that he would face a Limit Douluo for the third match. If it weren't for the extraordinary circumstances that Tong Yu had been facing, he would've lost that battle as well.
Even though he had secured the victory in the end, that had been an extremely grueling battle. Tong Yu's Five-elemental Divine Arrow had threatened his life on several occasions, and even though Tong Yu's powers had been limited to the Hyper Douluo level at the time, a Limit Douluo with handicapped powers was naturally incomparable to an actual Hyper Douluo.
In the end, Tong Yu had exhausted his power from manifesting that Qilin Bead, and only then was Tang Wulin able to earn a victory by the thinnest of margins. If Tong Yu had been to continue to battle even in his handicapped state, the outcome of that match could've swung in either direction.
That hard-fought victory had been a huge relief for Tang Wulin, and after saving Tong Yu's life, he had been in a very good mood. This was the first time that he had experienced such joy ever since he had come here.
The fourth match pitted him against the weapons master, Weeping Blood Douluo Chu Tiange. In reality, if Chu Tiange hadn't used that Vajra Bracelet, Tang Wulin was prepared to engage him in a fair battle with his Golden Dragon Spear to hone his spear techniques. Unfortunately, the emperor had decided to play a trick on him and forced Chu Tiange to use the Vajra Bracelet to strip him of his Golden Dragon Spear. As such, he was forced to resort to his backup plan, using his giant hammers to force Chu Tiange into the air before defeating him with the Divine Atlas Spear.
What was even more worthy of celebration was that the Holy Spirit Douluo had made a breakthrough to become the first healing system Limit Douluo in history after he asked her to become his godmother. This was definitely an unexpected surprise, and a massively pleasant one, at that.
Thus far, he had secured four consecutive victories, saved Tong Yu, indirectly helped the Holy Spirit Douluo become a Limit Douluo, and convinced the Star Luo Empire to agree to the Tang Sect's conditions.
Now, there was no longer any pressure on him, thereby allowing him to cast aside all inhibitions and enjoy this match.
It was the same venue and the same Trial of Five Gods, but his mental state was completely different as he strode into the sports stadium. It was as if the entire world had become more vibrant, and everything was so wonderful and exuberant.
He cast his gaze toward the booths of the sports stadiums. He couldn't see into the booths, but through her reverse scale, which was hanging around his neck, he could sense her approximate location.
A series of complex emotions welled up in Tang Wulin's heart at the thought of her. Did he really not have any feelings for Na'er? Of course he did. However, Gu Yue's position in his heart was completely irreplaceable.
He didn't even know whether he should be looking forward to Gu Yue's awakening, or to be content with Na'er continuing to control Gu Yuena's body. He had almost completely lost Na'er in the past; if Na'er and Gu Yue were to fuse as one, would she still be her?
Would Na'er still be Na'er? Would Gu Yue still be Gu Yue?
Only when thinking about them did a hint of internal turmoil arise in Tang Wulin's heart.
He shook his head to rid himself of that train of thought before casting his gaze toward the opposite side of the stadium. The Holy Dragon Douluo had entered the venue almost at the exact same moment as him, and he was currently in a set of casual clothes.
It was impossible to tell what he was feeling from his expression. At the Limit Douluo level, one could disguise their emotional fluctuations to a great extent.
Tang Wulin gave En Ci a nod of acknowledgment as a gesture of respect, and a faint smile appeared on En Ci's face. His heart was filled with complex emotions at the sight of the young man standing before him.
Several years ago, this young man had almost been killed by his disciple, yet now, they were standing on the same platform as equals. The rate of Tang Wulin's development had truly been extraordinary, and En Ci had no idea how far he would go in the future.
However, what he did know was that as long as Tang Wulin could continue to develop at this rate, he would definitely be able to reach his level or even surpass him someday.
"The final match of the Trial of Five Gods is going to be held today, and the representative for our empire will be the most powerful Soul Master in our empire, the principal of Monster Academy, the master of the imperial Holy Hall, Holy Dragon Douluo En Ci! I'm sure this is going to be the most spectacular match yet, so let's all enjoy it together. This will be the final match of this friendly trial, and I've received permission from His Majesty to cheer on Sect Master Tang on behalf of the empire; we hope to see you create another miracle!"
Cheering on Tang Wulin on behalf of the empire?
All of the spectators were quite surprised to hear this, but their expressions began to ease after the announcer reiterated that this was just a friendly match. Indeed, all that should be focusing on was enjoying the match rather than overthinking things.
This was going to be the ultimate showdown, and even though no one was of the opinion that Tang Wulin could actually defeat En Ci, this was still going to be the crowning jewel of this Trial of Five Gods.
Tang Wulin had already proven that he had the right to challenge the Holy Dragon Douluo through the four consecutive victories that he had secured thus far.
En Ci had been appraising Tang Wulin this entire time, and he was surprised to discover that there seemed to be something different about Tang Wulin. Compared to the calmness that he had displayed during the previous few matches, he seemed to be much more excited and exuberant. This wasn't just the confidence one derived from sustained success.
Back in his youth, he had also been just as fearless and courageous, and it was quite remarkable that Tang Wulin had managed to retain these trains despite his current status, particularly when he was facing such a powerful opponent in front of such a massive audience.
Even En Ci was beginning to look forward to this match. Being able to battle such an exceptional young talent would undoubtedly benefit him greatly as well, and it had been a long time since he had felt these emotions.
He was looking forward to an even more outstanding performance from Tang Wulin.
All of the lights were focused on the competition platform, and all of the spectators were looking at the two competitors in an intent unblinking manner, awaiting the commencement of the match with bated breath.
"Begin!"
The final match of the Trial of Five Gods finally commenced!
As soon as the starting signal was given, Tang Wulin immediately raised his head and cast his gaze toward En Ci. It was as if two bolts of lightning had erupted out of his eyes, and his powerful aura radiated forth alongside scorching blood essence fluctuations. The projection of a giant golden dragon appeared behind him, and it was as if there were an actual dragon dancing behind Tang Wulin.
The massive golden dragon had a wingspan of over 100 meters and gave off a peerlessly domineering aura. Tang Wulin sprang forth toward En Ci, and it was as if his blood essence had been set alight.
Tang Wulin was well aware of his advantages and disadvantages against En Ci, and he knew that his two main disadvantages lay in his cultivation rank and his battle armor.
He was facing a four-word battle armor master, of which there were perhaps less than 10 on the entire Douluo Star.
However, he did have some advantages, the most prominent of which was his bloodline. En Ci was superior to Tang Wulin in all aspects except for blood essence.
Tang Wulin was only in his early twenties, so his blood essence was at its peak. In contrast, En Ci was well over 100 years of age. He may have been a Limit Douluo, but as long as he hadn't broken through beyond the restrictions of this world, then his blood essence would invariably decline.
At the same time, Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon King bloodline was the bane of all dragon-type martial souls, so that would be an important factor as well.