"That brat..." Elder Xuan observed the battle royale happening on the arena below, his attention focused mainly on the Academy's greatest interest, Huo Yuhao. "Hmph. Look at how arrogant he's behaving, creating an ice throne that acts as a sort of domain... and sitting casually with a girl by his side, while his allies are fighting."
"Elder Xuan, he's..." Wang Yan spoke up, trying to defend Huo Yuhao. He was standing close to Elder Xuan, which was strange considering he was just an ordinary teacher, but he earned the qualification today due to his deep research on martial souls.
Elder Xuan waved him off, gulping down a mouthful of alcohol. "It's fine, it's fine. In fact, I like this sort of behavior. While he comes off as a merciless, arrogant and egotistical brat, he has not look away from the battle, blindsiding anyone from his true prowess."
"His eyes..." Wang Yan's eyes widened in understanding. "An extremely useful support soul skill that lets him and his allies analyze the battle with crystal-clear detail, to the point of almost letting them foresee the moves of what their opponents would make. What's more, it grows in accordance to the user. A skill that some of that I, and other likeminded researchers of martial souls, have categorized it as Godlike." he said, looking at Huo Yuhao from down below.
Elder Xuan nodded, chuckling. "If no one knew about his main martial soul, and just think of him as another attack-type soul master that guards their support, they wouldn't focus all their strength on defeating him and instead try to stall him so they could get to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's young lady. The God-like supportive capabilities of their martial soul is widely known after all. Only, they would realize too late of just how they shouldn't underestimate a soul master with the Ultimate attribute with unparalleled sight."
Yan Shaozhe on the side, nodded. "That is true, elder Xuan."
"Eh? Then, what about the ten thousand year old soul ring that Huo Yuhao has? Wouldn't they back off from the intense pressure it naturally releases? They're mostly Soul Elders, the suppression of a black soul ring is..."
Elder Xuan smirked. "Little Wang, you forget. The kids gathered in the arena are the top 1% of the entire Shrek Academy student body. Though fear may initially cause some hesitation, their determination to prove themselves will quickly override any sense of intimidation. Besides, facing a challenge head-on is a crucial part of their growth as soul masters."
Wang Yan nodded, realizing the truth in Elder Xuan's words. "You're right, Elder Xuan. Their drive to succeed will push them past any obstacles, no matter how daunting."
Elder Xuan raised his bottle gourd in a mock salute. "Exactly. Now, let's sit back and enjoy the show. It's not every day we get to witness such talented young souls in action."
With that, they both turned their attention back to the intense battle unfolding in the arena, watching with a mix of anticipation and admiration for the young fighters demonstrating their skills and determination.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At that moment, Wu Feng, buffed by Ning Tian and her own natural abilities, was solely keeping the Netherworld White Tiger occupied. Her flaming dragonian red-scaled arms delivered powerful blows, each strike accompanied by a burst of intense heat. The Netherworld White Tiger, however, only received minor scorch marks from her attacks, its thick fur and robust body providing formidable defense against the onslaught.
It was only thanks to Huo Yuhao's silent support through Spiritual Detection that she hadn't gotten any injuries from the Netherworld White Tiger.
"Haa... Haa..." However, her stamina and soul power was running low. After many months of arduous training and cultivating, Wu Feng had reached soul rank 36, an impressive level that only Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin beats her at.
But compared to the Netherworld White Tiger that can even holds its own against a five-ringed soul master, she was severely outmatched.
Gritting her teeth, her purple soul ring shone, and she opened her mouth. Scorching hot fire energy gathered within her, swirling and condensing into a massive fireball. "Dragon Burst!"
"HAAAAAA!" With a fierce roar, she unleashed the attack towards the Netherworld White Tiger, hoping to break through its defenses and turn the tide of the battle.
The fireball hurtled through the air with incredible speed, leaving behind a trail of scorching heat in its wake. The Netherworld White Tiger, sensing the impending danger, let out a low growl and braced itself for the impact.
As the fireball collided with its target, a deafening explosion reverberated throughout the arena, engulfing the Netherworld White Tiger in a raging inferno.
Curious at the spectacle, most of the student paused their battles and turned to look at the battle between Wu Feng and the Netherworld White Tiger. The spectators held their breath as they watched the intense confrontation unfold, their eyes glued to the spectacle before them.
However, to everyone's surprise, the Netherworld White Tiger emerged from the flames somewhat unscathed, its fur singed and its body battered, but still standing strong. Its eyes gleamed triumphantly and let out a low growl.
"Shit..." Wu Feng cursed under her breath, she had used more than 70% of her soul power in that attack, she was running on fumes now.
Her eyes widened and a smile spread across her lips, "Finally. What were you bitches doing? Chatting?"
Suddenly, a large black cauldron came flying at breakneck speed and hit straight towards the Netherworld White Tiger's body with a resounding clang. The force of the impact sent shockwaves rippling through the arena, causing the ground to tremble beneath the students' feet.
A bright blue light shone as beautiful butterfly wings, gleaming with a sharp edge, unfolded from behind the black cauldron, revealing Wang Dong'er.
With a smirk on her face, she kicked the Threelives Soul Sealing Cauldron and flew over the Netherworld White Tiger, flapping her wings, she started cutting through the air with the precision of a seasoned warrior. Each movement was calculated, each strike aimed to incapacitate her opponent.
The Netherworld White Tiger, caught off guard by Wang Dong'er's sudden appearance and formidable skill, struggled to defend itself. Its fur, already singed from Wu Feng's previous attack, offered little protection against Wang Dong'er's relentless assault.
Elder Xuan watched with keen interest, a hint of admiration in his eyes. "Oho," he muttered, nodding approvingly at Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao's display of teamwork. "Using the cauldron as a distraction while the butterfly girl launches her attack from above. Clever."
He tilted his head. "By the way, why is she dressed in a male uniform? Is she, what you call, a tomboy?"
Yan Shaozhe, Xian Lin'er and other high standing staff members had no answer to his question. They instead turned their heads towards Wang Yan.
"Eh... I heard it's because of family tradition?"
"That so? Huh. Well, true, there are a lot of weird family traditions..." Elder Xuan mused, scratching his chin. "But regardless of her attire, her combat skills are impressive. They seemed very experienced in fighting."
"Hey Feng, you doing all right?" Xiao Xiao asked cheekily, walking up beside Wu Feng.
"Yeah. Just a bit tired. Thanks for the help, but why did you two take so long?!"
"Blame it on Wang Dong, sh... he wanted to wait at the last minute to take all the credit and show off."
"Ah! What are you saying, Xiao Xiao!? Don't you spread such lies about me!" Wang Dong'er proclaimed, her cheeks flushing slightly.
"Hahaha." Both girls burst out laughing, and Xiao Xiao wiped away a tear. "As always, you're easy to tease."
Wu Feng shook her head and looked around for Ning Tian, deeply worried for her safety, she sighed in relief when she saw her together with Huo Yuhao. Out of anyone, she trusted him the most to protect the young miss.
Though the Spiritual Detection let her "see" everything within the arena, she was too focused on fighting against the Netherworld White Tiger to notice Ning Tian's location.
"So, what's the plan?" Wu Feng asked.
"Retreat back towards Yuhao's location. The other students are starting to realize the biggest threats in the arena, which is our group. So they're starting to group up." Xiao Xiao replied, recalling back the Threelives Soul Sealing Cauldron back to her side, letting it split into three, as she glanced around the approaching students.
"So before we get jumped, we should regroup first?" Wu Feng clenched her fist, going into a stance. "Alright. Sounds like a plan. And then, what?"
"Well it's better to fight a mob with a group, than be picked off one by one. Once we regroup, we'll assess the situation and adjust our strategy accordingly. We can't afford to underestimate our opponents, but with Huo Yuhao's support and our teamwork, I'm confident we can win this challenge," Xiao Xiao replied confidently.
Wu Feng nodded, a determined glint in her eyes. "Let's do this then. What's the signal to move?"
"Raaaaauugh...." The Netherworld White Tiger let out a ear piercing whine, cuts covered all around its body. With bloodshot eyes, it aggressively started swiping at Wang Dong'er.
"Bleh! Can't catch me, slow poke!" Wang Dong'er tauntingly said, her purple(second) soul ring lit up and a bright golden light enveloped her entire body. A moment later, numerous rays of golden light shot off from every direction, blinding everyone.
"Raaaaauuugh...!" It especially targeted the Netherworld White Tiger, disorienting it further with the sudden burst of blinding light.
"That's our signal!" Xiao Xiao shouted over the chaos, her voice barely audible amidst the commotion. "Let's move!"
With a swift nod, Wu Feng and Wang Dong'er leaped into action, swiftly making their way towards Huo Yuhao's location amidst the confusion caused by Wang Dong'er's dazzling display of light.
Meanwhile, Elder Xuan observed the unfolding spectacle with a keen eye, his lips curled into a faint smile. "Hehe," he murmured, his gaze flickering between the battling students. "These young lasses are certainly cunning. Now, what about the older students...?!"
His old hazy eyes widened.
'This aura...'
The battlefield where fifth years fought had somewhat become a jungle, many thick dark-blue vines covered the ground while a strange pink mist spread out; the most astounding thing however were the bounded older year students.
Standing in the middle of it all, sitting on a make-shift chair from the vines with her legs crossed, was Tang Ya, a sadistic smirk on her face while her soul rings circulated around her menacingly.
Standing beside her, with a breathing mask on her face, was a cold sweating Jiang Nannan. She looked at her friend with wide eyes, dumbfounded.
'W-What just happened...?' She thought, clenching her hands. 'I was fighting off someone for a moment, and then... Yaya gave me a mask... and everyone around me was suddenly bound by her... is this still Blue Silver Grass? Did her martial soul evolve?! And this strange mist. What kind of ability is this?'
"Be grateful that you bastards are only experiencing a paralyzing concoction left by my predecessors and not my ten thousand year soul skill. Looking down at me all these years... Well, whose laughing now?! Huh?! Hahahaha!" Tang Ya let out an evil laugh, sending chills down Jiang Nannan's spine.
Elder Xuan's interest piqued as he observed the unfolding scene. "Intriguing," he murmured to himself, his gaze fixed on Tang Ya and the peculiar aura surrounding her. "Feels like an Evil Soul Master... but not entirely. Is it like Xiaotao's case? It seems like Tang Sect will finally rise in this generation!"
Unbeknownst to him, Tang Sect had already been dissolved and a new sect was created.
He glanced to another battlefield between the older students, Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi were now allied together and are now heading towards Huo Yuhao's location with a group of other students following after them. And He Caitou, the only Soul Tool Department core student, finally stopped his rampage and also headed towards his junior brother's location, and unsurprisingly, a lot of students followed after him as well.
Elder Xuan smirked, taking a sip of his gourd. "Seems like the older students aren't holding back either. This exam just got even more interesting."
He narrowed his eyes, feeling something was wrong.
'Why are the numbers... not adding up?'
From below, sitting upon his frozen throne, Huo Yuhao grinned.
.....
AN: Thoughts? Sorry for the late upload, it's another blackout. The solar panel I'm getting won't be here until around a week later.
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