If Wang Dong's Radiant Butterfly Goddess was the pinnacle of beauty for Beast Souls, the Pagoda that had appeared within Ning Tian's palm could be considered the pinnacle of elegance for Tool Souls.
Ning Tian's clear voice rang out the instant that the pagoda appeared.
"I call upon the first of the Seven Treasures: Speed." Her first soul ring lit up when she finished saying this, the rich yellow light causing the pagoda to become even more beautiful. Immediately afterwards, two dazzling rays of light shot out from the pagoda and landed on the bodies of Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er.
Huo Yuhao had activated his Spiritual Detection at the start of the match, but he discovered—to his astonishment—that he was unexpectedly unable to perceive the circulation of Ning Tian's soul power, nor the soul skill that she was releasing. Ning Tian's dazzling pagoda seemed to be emitting a mysterious soul power undulation, which was protecting her aura from leaking out. Furthermore, it was actually able to block Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection.
Just what was this Tool Soul? It was actually this strong?
The scene that followed caused Huo Yuhao's team to become even more startled. Wang Dong's and Xiao Xiao's situation suddenly changed when the two rays of light landed on Wu Feng's and Nanmen Yun'er's bodies.
The speed of Nanmen Yun'er's palms suddenly increased as they swung towards Xiao Xiao, so much so that even a string of consecutive afterimages were formed in midair.
If Huo Yuhao hadn't had his Spiritual Detection active, Xiao Xiao might've suffered a great loss from this exchange. The instant that the ray of light had landed on Nanmen Yun'er, Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection had warned her. At the same time, Huo Yuhao—who was currently standing behind her—had suddenly grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her out of harm's way. However, she'd only managed to dodge Nanmen Yun'er's palms despite this.
Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao had activated her Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron, causing it to descend from the sky with a flash of black light. Once it landed, it caused a violent bang to ring out; Xiao Xiao's first soul ring lit up as her Cauldron Quake activated.
From the start of the round-robin tournament till now, Nanmen Yun'er could be considered the fastest opponent they'd met. This was even more true since she'd received the boost from Ning Tian's pagoda. Currently, her speed had completely exceeded the level of Soul Grandmasters; even agility system soul elders might not be able to best her in speed.
On the other hand, Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection was even more important during direct combat situations such as this.
After missing her attack, Nanmen Yun'er immediately charged forward. From her viewpoint, she was confident that she could end the battle within the shortest possible amount of time by utilising her complete dominance in speed.
However, a sense of crisis appeared in her heart the instant she charged forward. She suddenly forced her body to a screeching stop, and her first soul ring lit up, causing her hands to shine with a green light. One could faintly see that it had also spread to her arms, causing a thin layer of green light to appear around them. It felt somewhat similar to Wang Dong's Guillotine Wing, but was clearly much weaker.
The instant that she, the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron suddenly landed, separating her from Xiao Xiao.
Nanmen Yun'er had originally planned to dodge it and continue attacking, but the effect of Xiao Xiao's Cauldron Quake activated, stunning her.
As a violent boom rang out, violent seismic waves covered Nanmen Yun'er's body, immediately sending her into a daze for a brief moment.
The combination of Xiao Xiao's Cauldron Quake and Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection could definitely be considered a n extremely powerful weapon. Even with her swift speed, Nanmen Yun'er had suffered a loss.
The Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron then charged forward, slamming her body away.
When the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron landed on the ground with a bang and stunned Nanmen Yun'er, the distant Ning Tian opened her mouth again. "I call upon the second of the Seven Treasures: Dispel."
Another ray of light landed on Nanmen Yun'er's body after she finished speaking; even though her dazed state should've continued for a few more moments, it was forcefully dispelled. She immediately moved backwards as fast as she could, while dodging the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron.
As Huo Yuhao looked at the distant Ning Tian, he was inwardly astonished. What a strong auxiliary system martial soul, and what formidable judgement! She didn't have his Spiritual Detection, yet she'd instantly been able to judge the changes in the condition of the battle, and had supported her teammates without any hesitation.
From the soul skills she'd released so far, Huo Yuhao could tell that her first soul skill greatly increased the speed of her companions, while her second skill could dispel any negative effects or sealing abilities her teammates were afflicted with, thereby returning her teammates to their peak battle states. Regardless of whether it was battle experience or the strength of her martial soul, she completely deserved to be known as a Soul Elder-ranked expert!
Huo Yuhao was astonished, but Nanmen Yun'er and Ning Tian were even more astonished than he was. Their astonishment naturally had nothing to do with Huo Yuhao. From their viewpoint, the powerful person was Xiao Xiao, who'd rapidly retreated and released her soul skill. Furthermore, the positioning and timing of the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron had simply been perfect. Furthermore, she'd perfectly controlled Nanmen Yun'er's soul skill while simultaneously blocking her sure-kill attack, and had even narrowly counterattacked, forcing Ning Tian to use her second soul skill. The two girls couldn't help but view Xiao Xiao in a new light.
On the other side of the battlefield, Wang Dong and Wu Feng were still stuck in a fierce battle.
Both parties had top-ranked Beast Souls, but Wu Feng had Ning Tian's buff, causing her agility and attack speed to increase. At the same time, she'd released her first soul skill—Dragonfire.
A dense layer of flames had shot out from her body, covering everything within 30cm of her. This made it so that all of her attacks possessed the high temperatures of Dragonfire, and made things extremely inconvenient for Wang Dong.
However, Wang Dong's combat strength wasn't at all inferior to his opponent's. His second soul ring was at the thousand year rank, so the increase in power provided by both his soul rings was greater than Wu Feng's. The rarity of his Radiant Butterfly Goddess also surpassed that of her Red Dragon. Although his opponent's speed was raised, don't forget that he had the assistance of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection! Whenever he spread his Guillotine Wings wide, he wasn't put at a disadvantage. Contrarily, he was even able to place himself in an advantageous position by relying on the predictive ability of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection.
Ever since he'd fused his martial souls with Huo Yuhao's, a sense of mutual understanding had faintly appeared between the two of them. The effectiveness of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection had become greater when used used on Wang Dong, compared to Xiao Xiao. Wang Dong's Guillotine Wing would often slash straight at Wu Feng when even miniscule opening appeared in his head. Wu Feng—who was currently being attacked—felt as if her hands were tied. In her current state, she definitely felt that she was stronger than her opponent. However, she was unable to put herself in an advantageous position. She didn't dare to let herself be hit by Wang Dong's Guillotine Wing. On the other hand, Wang Dong's Guillotine Wing seemed like a parasite; before she could even make a move, her opponent's attacks would already be waiting for her. This insufferable feeling—one that made her want to vomit blood—caused her to let out a few screeches.
Fortunately, her current speed exceeded Wang Dong's, and she was able to change her movements much quicker. Although Wang Dong could predict her movements, he still had to focus on defense. Even if he could predict where and when his opponent would attack, he'd suffer a loss if he couldn't keep up with his opponent's speed.
Everyone expected the match to end quickly as soon as they saw both parties released their martial souls. Even Zhou Yi was no longer confident. However, nobody expected that Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao would actually be able stand their ground while facing two strong opponents.
Mu Jin muttered to herself with an inconceivable tone in her voice, "This… how is this possible? What're they doing? With a three-ringed Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda increasing their speed, their speeds should've increased by 40%! At the very least, they should be as strong as Soul Elders; why can't they beat their opponents?"
Zhou Yi turned around and glanced towards Fan Yu, who had an inquisitive look in his eyes. Zhou Yi nodded her head, causing Fan Yu to immediately understand what was going on. His eyes lit up, and he unconsciously glanced towards Huo Yuhao, who only had a ten year soul ring flickering behind him. He was currently the most inconspicuous person amongst the six people in the arena.
"Is it him?"
"Yup."
Yes, it was Huo Yuhao.
Ning Tian's Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda was absolutely at the pinnacle amongst auxiliary system Soul Elders, but wasn't Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes the pinnacle amongst control system martial souls? Although he was currently only relying on a single martial soul, don't forget that he was fighting against two Soul Grandmasters and a Soul Elder! Despite this, he was able to rely on his Spiritual Detection to counteract the advantages of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.
This was the strength of a million year soul ring. With the assistance brought about by his Spiritual Detection Sharing, he'd managed to take control of the entire battlefield. However, Ning Tian's strengthening abilities only helped two people.
Both parties were currently stuck in a deadlock. Although Xiao Xiao was able to block Nanmen Yun'er's attacks, she didn't dare to rashly make a move. This was because her opponent was simply too quick. At this moment, she'd already released all three of her Threelives Soulcrush Cauldrons; only after doing so had she been able to protect the two of them under the guidance of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection. In reality, she was still stuck in a passive state.
Wang Dong was in a similar situation on the other side of the arena. If he didn't explode out with his power, he'd only be able to maintain his current situation. However, for him to counterattack would be extremely difficult. After all, his opponent was too quick; one bad move would give his opponent a chance.
A trace of doubt flashed through Ning Tian's eyes, thus she subconsciously looked towards Huo Yuhao. Xiao Xiao had a petite body, so she wasn't able to completely block Huo Yuhao's figure from view. On the other hand, Huo Yuhao was also looking right at her.
Their gazes met, and Ning Tian narrowed her eyes in a somewhat chilly manner. However, Huo Yuhao nodded towards her with a smile on his face.
Is it him? Ning Tian's heart shook. She looked at his soul ring, and saw that it was was flickering with a gem-white light.
When the battle had started, their team of three had completely overlooked Huo Yuhao's existence; one couldn't blame them for doing so either. After all, how could a Rank 17 Soul Master, someone who only had a ten year soul ring, attract the attention of these Chosen?
However, seeing that the battle had reached its current stage, Ning Tian realised that something wasn't right. She was also the first person in the entire freshmen assessment to suspect Huo Yuhao.
How could a fellow who only possessed a single ten year soul ring manage to join Shrek Academy? Furthermore, his soul ring had been lit since the start of the match. This signified that he'd been using a soul skill the entire time. After realising this, Ning Tian couldn't help but recall what had happened at the start of the match. At that time, Huo Yuhao had claimed to be a control system soul master when he'd introduced himself.
What was his martial soul? What sort of soul skill was he releasing?
The instant she realized this, Ning Tian shouted, "Yun'er, attack that one-ringed fella in the back."
Ning Tian played the same role in her team as Huo Yuhao did; she was the brain of her team.
After hearing Ning Tian's command, Nanmen Yun'er suddenly sped up. However, she didn't attack Huo Yuhao straightaway, nor did she attack Xiao Xiao. Instead, she turned around and instantly charged towards Wang Dong, who wasn't far from her.
Nanmen Yun'er's current speed was simply too quick. Although Wang Dong was aware of her sneak attack due to Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, his reaction to it was extremely rushed. Furthermore, Xiao Xiao couldn't make it in time to help him out.
At this moment, their opponents fully utilised their advantage in speed in order to unleash a pincer attack on Wang Dong.
Nanmen Yun'er and Wu Feng were extremely coordinated with each other. In the instant that she made her move, a red light suddenly spilled out from her body. Her second soul ring lit up, and the Dragonfire around her body suddenly turned dark red. The dragon scales that were currently covering half of her body suddenly became thicker, and a her eyes shone with a red light. At the same time, her left hand completely transformed into the shape of a dragon claw.
This was Wu Feng's second soul skill, Dragonfury.
Both Wu Feng's attack and defense increased due to Dragonfury. At the same time, it also amplified the strength of her other soul skills, causing the intensity of Dragonfire's heat to practically double in an instant. This caused the air around her to violently distort.
Nanmen Yun'er also activated her own second soul skill; as she pounced towards Wang Dong, her yellow hundred year soul ring flashed. She clasped her hands above her head, causing a jade light to condense above them in the form of a crescent moon, which then shot directly towards Wang Dong.
Her martial soul was the Jade Bluebird, while the soul skill she'd used earlier was called 'Jade Blade', which turned her arms into blades. On the other hand, when her second soul skill merged with her first soul skill, it was known as 'Jade Slash'.
Agility system soul masters were always known for their speed and attack power, so the strength of this attack could be imagined. The jade-colored blade of light cut through the air in a beautiful arc as it swung towards Wang Dong. More importantly, this attack of hers had a lock-on effect, which made it impossible to dodge.
Two Soul Grandmasters had simultaneously activated their second soul skills, and in addition to that, were launching a pincer attack on Wang Dong under the speed boost of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. They clearly wanted to end everything in one move, and take care of Wang Dong then and there, as he was the only assault system soul master on their team. After that, Xiao Xiao and Huo Yuhao naturally wouldn't be a match for them. This was a method of utilising speed; even if their opponent knew what they were planning, they'd still be suppressed.
However, how could Huo Yuhao's team simply sit and wait for death? If it were anyone else, they would've been caught unprepared. However, their advantage lay in the fact that they'd already predicted Nanmen Yun'er's attack the instant she launched it via her movement, as well as the circulation of Wu Feng's soulforce.
They weren't able to do anything due to their inferior speeds. However, the three of them still reacted in three different ways.
Xiao Xiao's gaze became focused. She raised her hands into the air, and her temperament suddenly changed. A gentle and beautiful look appeared on her face, and following that, the two yellow soul rings surrounding her were suddenly replaced by a single yellow soul ring. The Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron simply floated above her head, while a jade-colored flute had appeared in her hands.
This jade flute was extremely long, and there were lifelike carving of phoenixes on it. When compared to the steady feeling given off by the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron, Xiao Xiao now seemed as beautiful as a fairy as she held the flute in her hands.
Her soul ring quietly lit up, causing a peaceful melody to ring out. The melody didn't seem very moving, but it made everyone who heard it feel a tangible viscosity. Following that, a jade-colored halo spread outwards from Xiao Xiao's body.
Regardless of how quick Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er were, they weren't capable of being faster than sound. Their movements suddenly became sluggish just as they were releasing their soul skills in preparation to launch a pincer attack on Wang Dong.
"Twin martial souls!" Almost everyone in the audience gasped in surprise.
That's right, Xiao Xiao was currently using her second martial soul—the Ninephoenix Worshipping Flute. Although it only had a single soul ring, Xiao Xiao was still displaying the might of a control system Tool Soul Master.
In terms of quality, there was still a large gap between her Ninephoenix Worshipping Flute and Ning Tian's Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. Her first soul skill could only decrease the speed of her opponents by 20%. However, even though that was the case, it was still enough to considerably affect Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er, who'd already adapted to their buffed movement speed. This, in turn, inhibited their pincer attack on Wang Dong.
Of course, Wang Dong wouldn't just sit still and his opponents attack him. The instant that Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection warned him that something was off, his second, thousand year soul ring lit up.
His dazzling purple soul ring instantly overshadowed the light of Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er's soul rings. Following that, the brightness of Wang Dong's wings increased even more.
The golden patterns atop his azure wings seemed to have been lit by countless tiny suns, causing it to burst forth with a strong radiance.
These golden patterns gathered on the front side of his wings. He suddenly turned his left wing towards Nanmen Yun'er, who was behind him. At the same time, he turned his right wing towards Wu Feng. Afterwards, the golden patterns atop his wings simultaneously erupted with a brilliant flash of color.
Wang Dong's entire body was instantly dyed gold, causing him to become the most dazzling person amongst the sixteen arenas.
Even the teachers within the Spectator's Stand who hadn't initially been paying attention to Huo Yuhao's match turned to look. When they did, they saw Wang Dong's dazzling pair of wings release a powerful attack in two directions at once.
This was Wang Dong's second soul skill—Light of the Butterfly Goddess.
This was the first time that even Huo Yuhao had seen the true might of this soul skill.
Wu Feng—who'd released her Dragonfury—was swallowed by the golden light in an instant. On the other hand, Nanmen Yun'er's Jade Slash was only able to cut through half of the golden light before it was worn away. After that, the golden light similarly struck her body.
Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er only felt something warm, before they were violently flung away. On the other hand, Wang Dong spun around in midair, before nimbly landing in an incomparably dashing manner.
This was the strength of a thousand year soul ring!
However, nobody managed to witness the hidden exchange that occurred between Huo Yuhao and Ning Tian.
In the instant that Wang Dong had released his soul skill, Ning Tian had begun to chant once again, "I call upon the third of the Seven Treasures-" However, she'd paused in the middle of her chant. Not only that, but her previous buffs on Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er had simultaneously disappeared.
Because of this, the speed-reducing effect of the Ninephoenix Worshipping Flute—which had been mitigated by her second soul skill—was activated. This was also the reason that Nanmen Yun'er, whose forte was speed, had been unable to dodge the ray of light from Wang Dong's Light of the Butterfly Goddess. After being struck by that seemingly warm ray of golden light, she'd directly fainted.
Ning Tian clearly wouldn't have made a mistake such as this. The factor that lead to all of this came precisely from Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes, which were currently glowing with a purplish-golden light. It had been his Spiritual Shock!
His Spiritual Shock was precisely what had interrupted Ning Tian's buffs. Furthermore, it had even interrupted the thousand year soul skill that she'd been preparing to unleash.
There was a large gap between Huo Yuhao and Ning Tian's cultivation levels, yet his Spiritual Shock, fused together with his Purple Demon Eyes, had still been able to briefly stun even Ma Xiaotao, despite the gap between them.
After receiving his attack, Ning Tian felt as if her brain had been stabbed by a needle, causing her to blank out for an instant. By the time she was able to resist the acute pain in her brain and come back to her senses, Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er had already been blasted away by Wang Dong's Light of the Butterfly Goddess.
Wu Feng was a slightly better situation than Nanmen Yun'er, as she'd simultaneously activated her Dragonfire and Dragonfury skills, which had raised her attack and defense by a good margin right before she was hit. After taking Wang Dong's attack, she hadn't been injured that much. She rolled across the ground a few times, but she was able to stand back up. However, Nanmen Yun'er had directly fainted after landing on the ground, in turn losing all of her combat power.
"Ning Tian, what're you doing?" Wu Feng looked towards Ning Tian with an angry look on her face.
Despite this, Ning Tian merely supported her forehead with her hand. After recovering from Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Shock, a blank look flashed through her eyes. However, in the end, she was the core of their team, which was why she managed to immediately react.
"Wu Feng, go all-out."
As she spoke, Ning Tian began chanting as quickly as possible, "I call upon the first of the Seven Treasures: Speed. I call upon the second of the Seven Treasures: Dispel. I call upon the third of the Seven Treasures: Power."
The three soul rings surrounding her pagoda simultaneously lit up. As she simultaneously activated her three soul skills, the pagoda in her hand became extraordinarily resplendent, so much so that it even seemed to increase in size. Three rays of light shot out from it and landed on Wu Feng's body. At the same time, three beams shot out, turned around, and landed on her own body.
Her second soul skill could dispel all negative effects that were used by auxiliary system soul masters. She didn't believe that Huo Yuhao would have another way to interrupt her skills now that she'd used it on herself.
After Ning Tian's thousand year soul ring took effect, not only did Wu Feng's speed increase by 40%, her strength also increased by 40% as well. When all of this was combined with her resistance to negative effects, she'd be able to contend with assault system Soul Elders. Although they'd lost Nanmen Yun'er's combat strength, they still had a high chance of winning the match.
"Wang Dong, come back." Huo Yuhao shouted.
Unlike Ning Tian, he didn't put up a false show of strength. Flapping his wings, Wang Dong quickly retreated to Huo Yuhao's side. Xiao Xiao's Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron floated in front of her, and her two soul rings intersected with her other singular soul ring, allowing her to simultaneously release her two martial souls.
Huo Yuhao placed a hand on Wang Dong's shoulder. After that, Wang Dong folded his wings slightly, perfectly covering Huo Yuhao's body. Other than Wang Dong, nobody else was able to clearly see what he was doing, regardless of which angle they were looking at him from.
After Huo Yuhao placed his hand on Wang Dong's shoulder, they fused their soul power to form Haodong Power. This match had already become too challenging for them, and they could meet other strong opponents tomorrow. As a result of that, Huo Yuhao didn't want to continue wasting more time; he wanted to thoroughly decide the outcome of the match.
Wang Dong could clearly see a purplish-golden light appear in Huo Yuhao's eyes. That mysterious light in his eyes instantly shot out a three-inch long ray of light. Although it disappeared with a flash, Wang Dong was still able to sense a terrifying undulation of spiritual power suddenly explode outwards via his Spiritual Detection.
When two people fused their martial souls with one another, they'd become almost entirely immune to each other's martial souls and their abilities. If it were anyone else but Wang Dong, even if they weren't struck by Huo Yuhao's attack, they'd still have been dazed for a while due to being in such close proximity of his enhanced soul skill.
If Ning Tian felt as if her brain had been stabbed by a needle earlier, then this attack from Huo Yuhao was akin to a large hammer hitting her brain. Everything in front of her became white, and her body turned weak. She collapsed onto the ground, blood flowing out of her nose and mouth like tiny snakes.
Her second soul skill could only dispel auxiliary system skills, but Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Shock was a spiritual-type attack in the truest sense of the word. How could her second soul skill cancel it? Furthermore, this attack had been launched by Huo Yuhao with the assistance of Wang Dong. Even if the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda was stronger than it currently was, it wouldn't have the ability to block spiritual-type attacks. From another standpoint, Ning Tian's buffing abilities had actually been perfectly restrained by Huo Yuhao.
Wu Feng, who'd already charged towards Huo Yuhao's team, instantly slowed down; the speed and strength buffs she'd just received completely disappeared. Astonished, she turned towards Ning Tian just in time to see her falling body. She completely gave up on attacking Huo Yuhao's team. Instead, she turned around and ran to Ning Tian's side, picking her up and holding her in her arms.
"Ning Tian, Ning Tian what's happened to you?" Wu Feng immediately panicked when she saw the injured Ning Tian.
Xiao Xiao suddenly turned towards Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, then whispered in an astonished tone, "Did you two do this?"
Wang Dong had a pleased smile on his lips, while Huo Yuhao shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't like your use of the word 'do'."
The proctor was slightly astonished as well. Only after Huo Yuhao reminded him did he announce that they'd won the match. Even though Wu Feng still had an indignant look on her face, she simply wasn't able to fight against the combined attacks of Wang Dong and the twin-souled Xiao Xiao without Ning Tian's assistance and Nanmen Yun'er's speed. Furthermore, she was anxious to treat Ning Tian; she didn't have the time to care about the competition.
Mu Jin was completely astonished as she stood in the Spectator's Stand; so much so that she didn't even dare to trust her own eyes. Her team had had two Soul Grandmasters and a Soul Elder! The latter even had the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, which was known as the 'Number One Tool Soul Under Heaven'. Despite all of this, they'd actually lost to two Soul Grandmasters and a Soul Master, who only had a ten year soul ring.
Not to mention her, nobody would've believed the results of the match after hearing the difference in power between both teams.
However, the facts were right in front of her: Ning Tian's team had lost.
The trace of a smile appeared in Fan Yu's eyes as he said to Zhou Yi, "This was truly a marvelous match. Your students have astonished me greatly; especially that Huo Yuhao. I didn't think that he'd actually have an ability like this."
There was only a gratified look in Zhou Yi's eyes. "Let's go." As she spoke, she took the initiative to walk towards the stairs. When she walked past Mu Jin, she glanced coldly at her. However, she didn't say anything. Instead, she jumped forwards and leapt off the twenty-meter-tall stage.
Fan Yu didn't even seem to see Mu Jin as he followed Zhou Yi.
"What did you guys do just now? Why'd that Ning Tian suddenly faint?" After leaving the Assessment Area, Xiao Xiao didn't forget to ask about the doubts in her heart.
Huo Yuhao chuckled. "It's because I used an attack fuelled by my spiritual power. She couldn't defend in time, thus she was knocked unconscious by it."
"Ah? You can even do that? No wonder her soul skills were interrupted earlier. Was that you as well?" Xiao Xiao's face was filled with astonishment.
Huo Yuhao nodded and said, "Perhaps this is an advantage of having a Body Soul. Furthermore, this was also due to my Purple Demon Eyes, which is a secret technique cultivated by my Tang Sect. I used the Purple Demon Eyes to stimulate my spiritual power, which made my earlier attack as effective as it was. As for why my Spiritual Shock became even stronger after I asked Wang Dong to return, it's because we've successfully created a fusion skill."
They were all friends, and Xiao Xiao had done her best during their previous matches. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong would definitely need to use their Haodong Power during their matches in the future, so they wouldn't be able to hide it either way. It was fortunate that they'd decided to tell her the truth, so as to avoid making Xiao Xiao feel alienated.
Xiao Xiao stared blankly at them. She pointed at Huo Yuhao, then pointed at Wang Dong. After that, she blurted out a few words that made the two not know whether to laugh or to cry. "I was getting more and more suspicious that the two of you were gay…."
Huo Yuhao scratched his head and said, "What do you mean by 'gay'?"
Xiao Xiao took Huo Yuhao's hand and placed it in Wang Dong's hand. Afterwards, she glanced disdainfully at Huo Yuhao. "How could you not know what such a mainstream thing is? Being gay refers to the love between two boys."
"You…."
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong simultaneously let go of one another's hands. With a bell-like laugh, Xiao Xiao immediately turned around and ran; she even remembered to release her Ninephoenix Worshipping Flute and play it so as to reduce the speed of the two guys that were chasing after her.
Contrary to their high-spirited excitement, Ning Tian slowly awakened after being treated by a high ranking healing system soul master in the infirmary.
After awakening, she immediately clutched her head in a fetal position. The intense waves of pain stemming from her brain filled her forehead with a cold sweat.
"Ning Tian, Ning Tian…"
Wu Feng hugged her concernedly, while Nanmen Yun'er stood to the side with a perplexed look on her face.
Teacher Mu Jin had an extremely grave expression on her face as she asked the teacher who'd just healed Ning Tian, "Just what happened to her? What knocked her out?"
The teacher muttered in response. "I'm not really sure. It seems like her head was struck by a heavy object, thus causing her to have a cerebral concussion. As you know, the brain is the most complicated organ in our bodies—nobody has managed to truly grasp everything about it. As such, I can only make a few minor deductions about what happened here. However, despite her injuries, her soul power seems to have a very strong ability to adjust itself, so the problem isn't that serious anymore. She'll be able to fully recover after a short time."
"Thank you." After thanking the teacher, Mu Jin walked over to the bed.
After a brief moment of uncomfortableness, Ning Tian's headache gradually subsided, and her breathing became much more stable.
Nanmen Yun'er asked Mu Jin in a quiet voice, "Teacher Mu, what happened? How did we lose the match?" Up till now, she still didn't understand how her team had lost.
Mu Jin had a grave expression on her face as she remained silent. Wasn't Nanmen Yun'er's question the exact question that she had in her heart? She didn't even know how they'd lost the match. Although she'd been able to clearly see the entire match from the tall stage, she hadn't been able to concentrate on the minute details. This was especially so when Wang Dong had used his wings to cover Huo Yuhao, and in turn when Huo Yuhao had used their Haodong Power to activate his Spirit Shock. She hadn't been able to see anything then. Only Ning Tian would be able to quell their doubts, but that would be after she woke up.
After a full fifteen minutes, Ning Tian slowly came to from her coma. When she opened her eyes, she couldn't help but furrow her brows. Her headache had already subsided by a large amount, and her train of thought had gradually returned.
After Wu Feng helped her up and gave her some water to drink, Ning Tian's pale expression improved slightly. After seeing Mu Jin—who was standing next to the window—an ashamed look appeared on her cute face. "Teacher Mu, we lost."
Mu Jin nodded and warmly said, "It's fine, don't be too upset over losing this match. It's fine as long as you're safe."
Mu Jin's words caused a warm feeling to appear in Ning Tian's heart. "Teacher Mu, were you able to see why we lost from the Spectator's Stand?"
Mu Jin was stunned. "You don't know either?"
Ning Tian placed her hand on her forehead and started to concentrate. "Once I finished buffing Wu Feng, I used all three of my buffs on myself in order to protect myself. However, I saw a purplish-golden light appear in front of me right after I finished. After that, it seemed as if an enormous hammer struck my head. I can't remember anything else after that."
Wu Feng angrily said, "Those bastards dared to be so vicious. Teacher Mu, we can't just let it go like this."
Mu Jin coldly swept her eyes over her. "Then what do you plan on doing? This was just an assessment. Do you think that this is a sect war?"
Wu Feng lowered her head and stopped talking. However, she clenched her fists tightly. Her eyes were burning with both anger and rancor.
Mu Jin asked Ning Tian, "Think a bit more carefully. Just before you fainted, did anything strange happen?"
After thinking for awhile, Ning Tian replied, "Although I don't know how they did it, the problem most likely stemmed from that one-ringed Soul Master. His soul ring was lit up from the start of the match till the end, which meant that he was constantly activating a soul skill that we couldn't sense, yet was still affecting the situation of the battle. I faintly saw a golden light flickering in his eyes. Their team had a very strong assault system soul master, as well as a twin-souled control system soul master. What qualifications does that one-ringed freshman have to form a team with those two? He must have some sort of special ability. During the most critical moment of the battle, he interrupted my soul skills, preventing me from buffing Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er. At that time, my head felt as if it had been stabbed by a needle. However, his attack was much stronger the second time around.
Mu Jin's heart shook. Right! That one-ringed freshman didn't seem to make any moves the entire length of the match. That soul master who had the Radiant Butterfly Goddess and the twin-souled soul master were the only ones who fought. Then, what role did he play in their team? No wonder Zhou Yi was that confident; that freshmen with that ten year soul ring must have some sort of secret.
After calming the indignation she had in her heart, Mu Jin said, "If you lost, you lost. However, you should summarize your experiences and use them as a lesson when you do. In any case, you've already passed the freshmen assessment. There'll definitely be competitions between you and them in the future. So, for right now Ning Tian, have a good rest."
"Thank you, Teacher Mu."