Ishya_Chan
Ning Chen has 4 rings, Tang San should have 3 rings.... they should not be in the same rank bracket. How did this happen? If anything, this would been a leap frog challenge. Tang didn't get his 4th ring until just before the intercontinental tournament happens and he gets his Protagonist boost from plot armor from the yin-yang well and immortal herbs. If I remember right. Their battle in Souto city was just before they left their due to money issues and was rebuffed at the imperial Dou Academy. The battle in Souto City was I think 1 year to 1 1/2 years before the tournament. At any rate even if they were in the same rank bracket, Ning Chen would still win, but have trouble as Tang San has both Protagonist Plot Armor and Mysterious Treasure Record Skills from Tang Sect from past life. Ning would still win, but with some trouble. Don't forget that they have way different spirit ring ages too. Ning Chen 1st ring 875 years old, 2nd ring 1,688 years old and spirit bone, 3rd ring 5,000+ years old, 4th ring 40,000+ years old and wing type external spirit bone and self forged dragon bloodline creation with bonus of completing the breathing cultivation technique. Tang San spirit rings at the Souto City battle arena would have been. 1st ring 422 years old, 2nd ring 600+ years old, 3rd ring 2,100-2,200 years old with spider limb back location external spirit bone. The biggest variable are Mysterious Treasure Record Skills that he converted to spirit skills, Jade Hand, Ghost Perplexing Track, Hidden Tiger catching Dragon (or whatever that skill that can control his hidden weapons are), Purple Demon Eye, Internal Energy Chi Gong manipulation, and his hidden weapons. I think Ning Chen got something similar to Jade Hands, instead of Internal Energy Chi Gong, he has a breathing technique to use external energies to temper his own, his eyes have changed to actively see energies though it is unknown how it matches up to Purple Demon Eyes, self studied spirit animal feet movement technique, but last but not least are the self created Sword Techniques that resonate with spirit ring skills and his breathing techniques together. It is unknown how much stronger they are together. And Finally there is the fact that he could amp himself up by himself and get more buffs by other auxiliary spirit masters. I know this is a long comment and I apologize. But these are my thoughts.