"Are you really not going to join in yourself?"
Ning Tian asked, glancing at Huo Yuhao who was looking at the battlefield with a serious look.
"I already am joining them, I'm leading us with the use of Spiritual Sharing Detection." Huo Yuhao replied. He let out a sigh when he saw that she was giving him a blank look. "Ning Tian, tell me, out of everyone, who's more qualified to defend you from them?"
"... point. Still, can they really handle them? Aside from senior Ma, the rest of them are Soul Kings! Can we really stand a chance against them?" Ning Tian voiced her concerns. She had a lot of trust on Huo Yuhao, not only because he was her friend, but also he was the man who can make a lot of unbelievable achievements that probably only Ancestor Tang San could do!
Reaching Soul Ancestor at the age of 13, with 3 ten thousand year old soul rings with his main martial soul and 1 ten thousand year old soul ring with his second martial soul.
To her knowledge, there wasn't anyone among their peers that could equal his talent and hard work.
Huo Yuhao shrugged. "If they can't handle it, then we lose. Simple as that," His expression softened when he saw her worried expression. "Believe in me. If things do go south, me and Wang Dong'er would just have to use our martial soul fusion skill to crush them." he jokingly said.
It was true that their martial soul fusion skill can win them the match, but it was too "efficient". Having only used the power a couple of times, their mastery of using its power was... basic to say the least.
Yesterday's match, Huo Yuhao had actually intended to use the strength of an attack equal to a ten thousand year old soul skill at around five-rings with the aura of a high level Titled Douluo. Well, he got the latter down smoothly but the former... thankfully he calculated that any of the elders would intervene.
No, Huo Yuhao wasn't going to depend on their martial soul fusion skill until he and Wang Dong'er gets some practice with the help of a Titled Douluo to precede over them. He already had a clear plan on how to win against a team of Soul Kings led by a Soul Emperor.
Ning Tian looked at his eyes, and seeing nothing but sincerity and confidence, she slowly relaxed and closed her eyes.
"Just what do I do with you..." she said with a sigh, but a smile appeared on her lips. She opened her eyes, shining with trust and certainty. She raised her martial soul towards him.
"Alright, fine. Lead us to victory, captain."
Ning Tian wasn't like most girls, she didn't have a mature, voluptuous figure nor beautiful looks that would make cities go to war. She was taller most girls her age, short haired and pretty, giving her a tomboyish vibe.
But what truly made her stand out was her sometimes cold aloofness and cunning demeanor, befitting as the successor of one of the most well-known clans in the continent. And most men would go after that aloof demeanor, seeing it as a challenge for them to conquer.
Right now, however, to Huo Yuhao, she stood out to him for her sincerity and support, something that would move any man. He wasn't any different as he scratched his reddened cheek.
He narrowed his eyes, looking behind Ning Tian, and said,
"... Ning Tian, duck."
"?!"
Having shared his vision that covers the whole arena, Ning Tian saw a shadowy figure with sparks of electricity covering their body coming up from behind her, a hand poised to attack her back.
Without any hesitation, she ducked.
"Hm?!" Xi Xi widened her eyes in surprise, not expecting her to dodge; auxiliary Soul Masters aren't best with their physical capabilities after all. As a top agility-type Soul King, she should've been too fast for Ning Tian to react.
'Unless, what the captain said about Huo Yuhao's ocular martial soul's skills are true. I underestimated him.' She glanced at Huo Yuhao, her eyes widened as he arrived before her and threw a punch covered with intense wind at her.
The punch went through her face seamlessly, 'An afterimage?' Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes, dissipating the wind around his arm, he grabbed Ning Tian by her waist and made a handseal with his left hand.
"Body Flicker"
They both vibrated in place before disappearing a few feet away, just in time to dodge a dropkick, intense yellow lightning covered its leg, which cracked and created a large hole in the ground they were previously standing at.
"Hoh? You move pretty quick," praised Xi Xi, glancing at both Huo Yuhao and Ning Tian with a small smile on her face.
'She's fast. If I was a second too late to move, she would've landed a critical hit on us both! Her speed and strength is the same as when I open the second gate, is she a hybrid-type(AN: assault+agility) soul master?' Huo Yuhao frowned, standing protectively in front of Ning Tian while also keeping track with the others and giving them orders.
She gives a whole different feeling compared to other Soul Kings he met, heck, she felt somehow stronger than teacher Zhou Yi! And she's a Soul Emperor.
'Judging by there's no bright color or sharp aura radiating from her, she hasn't been buffed. How frightening. So this is the ability of one of the Shrek Seven Monsters as well as a student of the inner courtyard.' Huo Yuhao wryly smiled. His friends are truly capable since they managed to keep up with them.
Although she had an ordinary appearance, her speed was nothing to scoff at. Out of everyone of Ma Xiaotao's team, she had specifically picked Xi Xi to be the one to hunt down Ning Tian and even face against Huo Yuhao.
All because of her speed. As someone who had trained under Huo Yuhao for a couple of months, Ma Xiaotao knew his fighting style and some of his weaknesses. She and Ling Luochen were out because of elemental suppression, Gongyang Mo was obvious, while the other two males are more suitable to face against the other juniors.
That left Xi Xi, the fastest soul master among their peers, to be the one to deal with Huo Yuhao and Ning Tian.
Because to Ma Xiaotao, who trained together with Huo Yuhao for a while, knew that his speed was a bit lacking compared to his other feats. So it was that Xi Xi was the perfect match to exploit this gap in his abilities. Her agility and combat skills posed a serious threat, forcing Huo Yuhao to constantly be on the defensive.
Huo Yuhao's golden-red eyes slightly shone and he pressed his left weight bracelet, whispering. "All weights, off."
All four of his weight bracelets in each of his limbs blinked bright red and the heavy feeling that constantly weighed him down instantly disappeared, giving him a sense of lightness and freedom. With the sudden release of weight, Huo Yuhao felt a surge of strength in his whole body.
"Hm. That feels great."
'Ning Tian, prepare to start buffing everyone with everything that you've got.' He mentally commanded, cracking his knuckles and did a light warm up of jumping from left-to-right. "We're finishing this now rather than later."
Although there were many, they were still of lower cultivation than the Shrek Six Monsters. In a battle of attrition, they were sure to lose.
Rather than dragging it out, it was best to finish them with everything that they got!
Ning Tian nodded and raised her hand, her martial soul; Seven Treasure Glaze Tile emanated a bright cyan light from the three floors of the pagoda.
"First day, Speed! Second day, dispel! Third day...!"
Xi Xi furrowed her brows, one of her purple soul rings(AN: Her third soul ring) lit up and dazzling yellow lightning surged around her body. "Not so fast!" she exclaimed, dashing toward Ning Tian with blinding speed.
3rd Soul Skill: Thundering Devastation - Increases her overall speed and ferocity by 100% as intense lightning spread inwardly; speeding up the signals that are sent from the brain to the muscles to increase the user's striking speed. The skill also gives the user cutting capabilities from barehanded attacks.
Boom!
Her body blurred, creating a shockwave as she launched towards Ning Tian. Sparks of yellow lightning scattered out and trailed behind her shadowy figure as she closed the distance in an instant. However, Huo Yuhao was ready for her.
"First... Gate of Opening, Open!"
"Second... Gate of Healing, Open!"
"Third... Gate of Life, Open!"
Waves of intense soul power surged through Huo Yuhao's body as he activated the first three gates, significantly enhancing his physical capabilities. His muscles bulged slightly, turning his skin red as veins popping all around a rush of power filled him. His long hair stood up as the swirl of soul power surged around him.
The sensation was overwhelming, but he had trained extensively to control it. So with a slight huff, he disappeared through the air, intercepting Xi Xi in mid-flight.
The clash was explosive. Huo Yuhao's fist, glowing with wind energy, collided with Xi Xi's lightning-covered right leg, creating a shockwave that rippled through the arena. Sparks of electricity and gusts of wind swirled around them as they stood locked in a battle of strength.
Xi Xi's eyes widened in surprise at Huo Yuhao's speed and strength. "Impressive," she muttered, beads of cold sweat rolled down her face, but she didn't slow down. Instead, she pushed forward, her Thundering Devastation skill increasing her ferocity and speed.
Huo Yuhao, however, was ready. He had anticipated her movements through his Spiritual Detection, 'Ning Tian, now!' he commanded through their mental link.
Ning Tian's Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Pagoda glowed brightly as she continued her incantation. "Third day, Strength!"
All of Huo Yuhao's teammates began to glow intensely, and the battles they had with their seniors began to tip on their favor; gradually pushing them back.
Xi Xi glanced at her teammates with a slight grimace but she didn't show any massive changes to her expression. In fact, this was all according to plan.
Them being overpowered by juniors, even though they have a higher cultivation realm, greater combat experience and being boosted by someone with a martial soul that was equal to the effects of the Seven Treasure Glaze Tile martial soul? Even a deaf man could tell that something was wrong.
'They're greatly exhausting their energy in order to get rid of us, how naive dear juniors. You all might be extraordinary, probably even surpassing us! As seniors, we're greatly honored to have such talented juniors, but you still have a lot to learn.' Xi Xi thought to herself as she braced for Huo Yuhao's next move.
However, to her surprise, Huo Yuhao gave her a cunning look and a crafty grin.
"Planning to exhaust us, are we?"
"?!"
Xi Xi widened her eyes.
"H-How did you..."
"Please, don't misunderstand. I didn't read your mind or anything of the sort. In truth, I simply asked one of the many hypothetical questions that came to mind. Your reaction, though, told me everything I needed to know." Huo Yuhao's grin widened as he positioned himself defensively, maintaining a calm demeanor.
Xi Xi clenched her teeth. "You may have figured it out, but that doesn't change the outcome."
Huo Yuhao chuckled. "Oh, it changes everything. You see, the key to winning isn't just brute force or raw power—it's strategy and adaptability."
With that, he made a quick hand signal to Ning Tian. "Ning Tian, switch to plan B."
Ning Tian's eyes widened slightly in realization, but she nodded firmly. The Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Pagoda glowed with a different hue, and the buffs on their teammates changed dynamically. All of the cyan lights radiating from their body, including Huo Yuhao's, disappeared for a moment.
"What are you..."
"Did you honestly think I was going to ignore a control-type Soul King?" Huo Yuhao asked in a deadpanned.
"...Yes?"
Ling Luochen was left to not only guard Gongyang Mo, but also to do her job and strike the opponents at the right moment.
A smirk flickered across Huo Yuhao's face. "Well, you shouldn't have also forgotten about our other control-type Soul Ancestor. There's a reason why she has a ten thousand year old soul ring as her 4th."
Huo Yuhao's words, Ling Luochen's eyes widened and she whipped her head towards the one beaming cyan light pillar in the center of the arena, thick dark-blue vines surrounding her as if they were snakes.
Ning Tian's all 3 amplification skills were all focused on Tang Ya, boosting her speed and strength by 40%
Tang Ya's pale white pretty face contorted, her lips parted to reveal a wide bloodthirsty grin as she took out a lit up cigar, putting it in the corner of her lips as she muttered out a single word.
"Devour!"
And hundreds of thick dark-blue vines surged out around her like waves, burying and binding almost everyone within seconds.
....
AN: I tried out Wuthering Waves and it's pretty freaking cool, ngl. Especially the combat and parkour mechanics. I recommend you try it out! Ah but be warned, there's still a couple of bugs(it's pretty laggy for me still but idk if that's because of my internet connection or the server).
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❄️A bigger shout out to the ones who ascended to become a One Above All!! The GOATS! THE MAJESTIES!!
•Adrian Durand
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