Yan Shaozhe was laughing while Qian Duoduo had a face full of displeasure. But actually, he was also laughing in his heart. He glanced at Yan Shaozhe and thought to himself, Old Yan, Old Yan. Even though you are cunning, you still have to drink my feet-washing water. Hehe. I hope you don't regret this. Of course, even if you regret it later, it would still be too late. Wahahaha.
The two competing teams obviously did not know their match had already become the subject of the two deans' bet.
The two arrived at the field early to prepare and observe the other side.
Even then, Dai Huabin could not identify Huo Yuhao. But, he could obviously feel Team Huo Yuhao's threat. From cultivation, they could win. Yet, there were many things that should have happened but did not. Was Ning Tian's team weak? Be it the Seven Treasure Crystal Pagoda from Ning Tian or the Red Dragon from Wu Feng, both were top spirit beasts within freshmen. Their overall power was not weaker than his team. Was Xie Huanyue's team weak? Xie Huanyue had a powerful defense but still ended up requiring interference from a teacher. If not, that guy might not have been able to retreat without getting hurt.
The powerful Wang Dong, the dual innate battle spirit Xiao Xiao and that mysterious, single spirit ring spirit master, Huo Yuhao, made him feel threatened. Because of this, he had prepared for the fight beforehand. He even found their former opponents to learn more about the Huo Yuhao trio's abilities.
Compared to Dai Huabin's caution and focus, Huo Yuhao had very different emotions. Even though he had convinced himself and buried his hatred deep in his heart, the moment he stepped on the field, his heart suddenly started pumping furiously. He wanted to get his revenge so much! But he also knew that it was not realistic. With so many teachers present and a proctor in charge of the match. In this situation, it would be impossible to kill Dai Huabin with his current strength, even with Wang Dong's cooperation.
"Yuhao." Wang Dong called to him softly.
"Yes." Huo Yuhao turned his head toward Wang Dong, just in time to see a hint of coldness. "Relax a bit, don't reveal anything." He softly reminded Huo Yuhao. Not even Xiao Xiao heard it.
Just then, the proctoring teacher walked into the wide Examination District. All of the removable walls had been collapsed, revealing a huge field.
The proctor signaled for both sides to enter the field.
Huo Yuhao's trio proudly entered. Huo Yuhao still walked in the front, with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao standing to his sides in the back. On the other side, Dai Huabin was the leader, with the two girls following him.
The proctor called them in front of him and said with a deep voice, "From here, you guys will start the final match. There is one change in the rules. Listen carefully. You guys are allowed to move any way you desire in the field. However, those with flying battle spirits may only fly ten meters high at most. In order to allow you guys to use your entire power, you are allowed to use all your skills during the match. There is no need to hold back. I will be there to control the progress. All those who I rescue will be out of the match. Do you guys understand?"
"Understood," answered the two sides with one voice. A particular light flashed in Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's eyes. On the other side, Dai Huabin, revealed a hint of coldness. There seemed to be a formless killing intent radiating out from his body.
As the White Tiger Duke's heir, even though Dai Huabin was no the eldest, he still received the best education. Not only did he learn how to cultivate his battle spirit, he also learned how to participate in battles and kill enemies. The White Tiger Duke was the Star Dou Empire's marshal. His sons must have experience in the army.
So, Dai Huabin's attitude was much colder than most and already had the aura of a soldier. His talent was the best out of the White Tiger Duke's sons. He received a lot of attention. Also, in the White Tiger Duke's bloodline, the most capable always inherited the family. This created Dai Huabin's decisive and ruthless attitude. Even when he was only five years old, he had already personally killed small spirit beasts.
"Report your names."
"Huo Yuhao."
"Wang Dong."
"Xiao Xiao."
Dai Huabin's side immediately revealed hostility.
"Dai Huabin."
"Zhu Lu." Proclaimed the black haired girl.
"Cui Yajie." Proclaimed the pink haired girl.
The proctor extended his arms straight out toward the two sides and said, "Each side go to the edge of the field. You may begin attacking when I announce the start of the match."
The two sides slowly retreated. Huo Yuhao's gaze was still on Dai Huabin while Dai Huabin's eyes revealed an fierce glow with hidden killing intent. What surprised him was that Huo Yuhao did not back off a bit. Their powers were worlds apart, yet in this moment, Huo Yuhao's manner did not cower in the slightest.
The teachers observing the battle on the high deck had become completely quiet. Even the deans, Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo, concentrated on the match field.
Fan Yu watched the slowly retreating Huo Yuhao and thought to himself: Kid, I hope you won't let me down. This final will not determine your freshman examination but is also an examination by the Spirit Guidance Division.
Very soon, both sides had arrived at the edge of the field. The enire Examination District's space was very big. In their eyes, the opponents appeared tiny.
The proctor raised his right hand and suddenly brought it down with, "Start," clearly being heard by the students.
The two sides moved the same way. Right after the declaration, they both charged toward their opponents.
Since the distance was great, even Huo Yuhao's Mental Detection could not determine the situation of his opponents.
While charging, Wang Dong yelled and the wings of his Bright Goddess Butterfly opened. He directly flew into the air, but did not pass Huo Yuhao, only remaining above him.
They were clear that if they compared strength, the chances of them winning were not great. Dai Huabin's White Tiger Battle Spirit is of the highest quality. It is even a level higher than Wu Feng's Red Dragon. Also, Wu Feng only had two rings and even though Ning Tian had three rings, her support was countered by Huo Yuhao's Soul Assault. But Dai Huabin would not be. He had fully prepared against Huo Yuhao's Soul Assault. His Spirit Elder cultivation had already determined that Huo Yuhao's team would be in for a tough fight. The only chance of them winning was Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's cooperative HaoDong Power.
Xiao Xiao ran in front of Huo Yuhao and used her own body to block him. At the same time, the first spirit released was the Phoenix Flute.
On the other side, Dai Huabin's trio maintained their original formation while charging. Dai Huabin charged in the very front. As he ran, he yelled, "White Tiger, possession."
A layer of intense, pale white glow suddenly exploded from his body. Dai Huabin extended his arms toward the side as he rushed forward. Then, his chest raised up, his bones crackled, his muscles swelled and his shirt tightened around his body. Every muscle became visible beneath. Even the air around him seemed like it was in a frenzy.
His golden hair suddenly became black and white, with white being the majority and a few strands of black hair appearing distinctively in it. His forehead gradually showed four pale lines; three across and one down, perfectly making the character "king."
His transformation continued with his hands becoming two times bigger and completely covered in white hair. When he moved his ten fingers, dagger like claws continuously extended and retracted. Each piece was like a ten inch blade, flickering with ghostly cold light.
Dai Huabin's upper body slowly bent forward and his pair of double pupils changed into a deep blue color, giving off the feeling as if he were a killing machine.
At his feet, three shining rings successively rose, two yellow and one purple. As the rings moved, surges of spirit power flowed out with great pressure.
Seeing the White Tiger spirit, Huo Yuhao unconsciously pursed lips. If he were not a variant spirit, he would also have had this Battle Spirit! With the powerful White Tiger Battle Spirit, he could have also received the best cultivation support even if he was a bastard of the White Tiger Duke.
The two girls beside Dai Huabin also changed. On the left, Zhu Lu's different colored eyes became a darker color. Her ears sharply rose. Her body became long and slender but filled with strength. Each of her fingers also grew razor-like blades. Unlike Dai Huabin's sturdy body, her body had an illusory lightness. Even though her speed did not exceed Dai Huabin's, her body flickered as a series of phantom figures appeared beside her.
The red haired girl's transformation was even more bizarre. After releasing her Battle Spirit, she seemed to have become three or four years older. The originally twelve-year-old child suddenly became a youthful beauty. Her hair also turned pink and became longer as it flowed down like a waterfall. Her eyes were reflectively clear. Her body was filled with youthful vigor. Her ears sharpened even more than Zhu Lu's. Her stunning face made the onlookers senseless. The strangest thing was two long tails that extended out of her. Each was around a meter long. The dense pink hair also gave off a refreshing feeling, making people want to feel its softness.
Cui Yajie's pair of pink eyes instantly found Huo Yuhao and she smiled at him. Her first spirit ring also started shining. The light was not obvious and would have been ignored if opponents were not attentive.
Huo Yuhao's golden eyes flashed and was not moved by her at all.
Cui Yajie's body shook a bit. Her stunningly beautiful face changed color. Her Battle Spirit was one of the top ones among Beast Spirits because of its uniqueness. It was called the Nine-Tailed Fox. Each time she obtains a new spirit ring, another fox tail will appear. Along with it, her power will increase. Her first spirit skill was called Charm. However, nothing happened when she used it on Huo Yuhao.
The Nine-Tailed Fox Battle Spirit seemed to be in between a mental attribute and an offense attribute. Because of this, her cultivation path was also in between these two attributes. Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes was a pure mental attribute spirit. So, it would be nearly impossible for Cui Yajie's Charm to have any effect on him.
Within this short period of time, both side had already charged to within fifty meters of each other. Xiao Xiao's Nine Phoenix Flute's speed reduction ability started to take effect. Dai Huabin's trio obviously slowed down a bit. It affected Zhu Lu the most as two of her illusory bodies disappeared and she did not look so phantom-like any more.
With the distance drawing closer, Dai Huabin's trio did not only slowed but also entered the range of Huo Yuhao's Mental Detection. Each of their movements were instantly transmitted to Huo Yuhao's trio.
The first to move was Dai Huabin's trio. Zhu Lu flashed as her speed increased. A row of illusory figures appeared behind her as she rushed toward Huo Yuhao. Even with the Nine Phoenix Flute's speed reduction, she was still extremely fast.
Huo Yuhao's trio were shocked. Before the match, they had heard that this Zhu Lu's Battle Spirit was the Nether Civet, an agility type spirit. But, compared to all the agility type Spirit Masters that they had encountered, her speed was incomparably the fastest. If she was not slowed by the Nine Phoenix Flute, most people would not even be able to catch her shadows.
As Zhu Lu moved, Dai Huabin's attack also started. A roar came from his mouth as thick white light gathered toward his head. Then, his second spirit ring shone as a ball of white light shot toward Wang Dong. This was obviously to prevent Wang Dong from helping Huo Yuhao.
Cui Yajie's target also suddenly changed. She originally aimed for Huo Yuhao, but this time, her ability turned toward Xiao Xiao.
They cooperated with each other very well. Each targeted a different member of Huo Yuhao's team. At the same time, their abilities countered their opponents. Cui Yajie wanted to interrupt the Nine Phoenix Flute's speed reduction to increase Zhu Lu's speed toward Huo Yuhao. Zhu Lu targeted Huo Yuhao to first take out the enemy team's leader. And Dai Huabin aimed at Wang Dong to compare strengths.
If not for Huo Yuhao's Mental Detection, they would have been at an immediate disadvantage from the beginning. Furthermore, they were also lacking in terms of cultivation. However, with their foresight, the situation was quite different.
Cui Yajie's attack had just started turning when Huo Yuhao's attack activated. He did not join forces with Wang Dong since it was a three versus three situation. If he and Wang Dong acted together to counter one person, then the enemy who was left would have created huge problems.
Soul Assault. Target, Cui Yajie.
Huo Yuhao's timing was too clever. Since Daydream had warned him to be careful of a backlash, how could he have chosen the moment when his enemy was most guarded? His Soul Assault was used in the instant when Cui Yajie switched her target to Xiao Xiao.
Even though they were both mental attribute attacks, a clear difference appeared in this moment. For Cui Yajie's Charm to affect its opponent, the enemy must look directly into her eyes. But, Huo Yuhao's Soul Assault did not have this requirement.
Cui Yajie suddenly choked as she experienced piercing pain in her head. Her foot staggered and her charge slowed as she almost fell. However, her mental strength was much stronger than normal Spirit Grandmasters. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao's cultivation was below her's. Without HaoDong Power, it was not enough to be a threat to her. But even with these advantages, her attack on Xiao Xiao was still interrupted.
When Huo Yuhao activated his skill, Xiao Xiao's main Battle Spirit, the Three Lives Soul Sealing Cauldron also appeared. The huge, black cauldron directly flew next to Huo Yuhao. Just as Zhu Lu was about to reach Huo Yuhao, the huge cauldron dropped.
Zhu Lu's speed was extremely fast and immediately dodged. But the Three Lives Soul Sealing Cauldron instantly split into three. At the same time, its first spirit ability, Cauldron's Tremor, activated.
With a roar, shockwaves connected to form a defense in front of Huo Yuhao. Even though Zhu Lu's speed was extraordinary, she could not circle around in an instant. As she watched the opponent's spirit ability activate, she stopped her first spirit ability and retreated to dodge Cauldron Tremor's shockwaves.
Also in this instant, another violent clash sounded. Wang Dong grunted and fell heavily from the sky, landing next to Huo Yuhao.
Wang Dong thought that his first spirit ability, Guillotine Wings, would be strong enough to counter Dai Huabin's second spirit ability, White Tiger's Light, but lost. His wings trembled and released an unstable glow. Thin strands of blood also flowed out of Wang Dong's mouth and nose.
The difference between Spirit Power immediately became obvious.
Dai Huabin did not pause after gaining an advantage. He roared and continued charging forward. His double pupils' released intense killing intent while the cunning Cui Yajie quickly hid behind him to dodge further attacks from Huo Yuhao.
Dai Huabin was not only brave but also experienced. As he charged forward, his first spirit ring also started shining. A layer of white light covered his entire body, especially his head. This was obviously to protect himself against Huo Yuhao. His first spirit ability, White Tiger Protection, not only had a powerful defensive effect but also increased his overall combat ability.
The two teams' distance had become very close after the first exchange. With a single jumped, Dai Huabin arrived in front of Wang Dong. He immediately swiped forward with a pair of tiger claws.
On the side, Zhu Lu was dodging the Three Lives Soul Sealing Cauldron's movements. Her speed was too fast. Even with the Nine Phoenix Flute's speed reduction, Xiao Xiao still had to focus on preventing Zhu Lu's advances toward Huo Yuhao.
After losing the first exchange, Wang Dong was at a disadvantage as Dai Huabin appeared in front of him.
Even though both of them were offense type Spirit Masters, their emphases were different. The Bright Goddess Butterfly focused on energy based attacks like his second ability, Light of the Butterfly Goddess. Comparatively, the White Tiger Battle Spirit always focused on close combat. Because of this, Dai Huabin had a significant advantage at this distance.
What surprised Dai Huabin was that Wang Dong did not activate his second spirit ability. After his wings stabilized, he used Guillotine Wings to meet Dai Huabin's tiger claws.
Dai Huabin snorted. His did not dodge, but aimed heavily hit Wang Dong's wings while completely ignored the wing's sharpness. He wanted to use brute force and rip into Wang Dong's Battle Spirit. From this, one could see how confident he was of his power.
Just when his Tiger Claws was about to collide with Wang Dong's wings, a warning suddenly appeared in his heart. He noticed that Wang Dong's wing blades seemed to be different from before. Previously, the wings were blue with a golden edge, but now, the golden color was covered by a faint orange.
Something was wrong. Dai Huabin's battle experience made him stop his attack in mid-air. Then, he kicked the ground with his right leg and forcefully changed the direction of his charge to dodge to the side. At the same time, his second spirit ability, White Tiger Light activated and shot toward Wang Dong while he was to the side.
But, this time, the situation was completely different. When Dai Huabin changed directions, Wang Dong did not try to meet him but violently expanded his wings. His body immediately floated up and he landed on top of Huo Yuhao's shoulders to dodge the White Tiger Light.
With Mental Detection, his real-time judgments were very accurate. Dai Huabin's sudden attack did not have a chance to focus on him and was easily dodged. But, when Dai Huabin suddenly changed directions, the Nine-Tailed Fox, Spirit Grandmaster, Cui Yajie, was revealed.
Just when Cui Yajie was shocked by this sudden change, Wang Dong's second spirit ability, Light of the Butterfly Goddess shot out.
This was combat's beauty. Both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong knew that it would be impossible to defeat Dai Huabin with brute force in a moment's notice. Thus, their target from the beginning was Cui Yajie. The reason they appeared so weak by Wang Dong directly receiving Dai Huabin's attack was to numb their opponents.
Even if Dai Huabin had rich battle experience, he was still just a twelve year old boy. How much planning could he have? But, Huo Yuhao's tactic was carried out under his Mental Detection. This moment was also the peak of their cooperation after many previous matches.
Cui Yajie was a Spirit Grandmaster. It was absolutely impossible for her to defend against the Light of the Butterfly Goddess fueled by HaoDong Power. But, at that moment, Cui Yajie showed her ruthlessness.
With the Light of the Butterfly Goddess about to land, there was nowhere to dodge. Dai Huabin was also at the side and could not rescue her. She had no way to retreat, no way to dodge, but did not show a hint of distress. Just then, her second spirit ring started shining. She twisted her slender body and a pair of pink tails shot toward Huo Yuhao's chest.
Do not think that it was some kind of soft, furry tail. It contained her second spirit ability's attack.
Huo Yuhao's Mental Detection could clearly feel the seriousness of the Spirit Power contained within the pair of fox tails. That Spirit Power was not spread out, but concentrated like a needle. If it hits his vitals, he would definitely die.
The Nine-Tailed Fox's second spirit ability, Fox Tail Needle.
Knowing yourself and knowing your opponent will guarantee victory. Huo Yuhao's trio did not know their opponents' abilities before the battle. But, with Mental Detection, they could predict their opponents' movements. However, Dai Huabin's trio only knew about their opponents based on performances in previous matches.
In their memories, Huo Yuhao had always innocently stood there using his mental attribute spirit ability. Other than that, he never did anything.
So, Cui Yajie never thought her attack would miss. She obviously could not dodge Wang Dong's attack. But, if she could take Huo Yuhao down with her, then it was still somewhat worth it. As long as Huo Yuhao's Soul Assault was still on the field, Zhu Lu and Dai Huabin could be affected at any time.
She judged that the perfect timing to attack Huo Yuhao would be when they were fighting at a close distance. When Wang Dong expanded his wings, she set her plan in motion.
In order to let these six freshmen use all of their powers, there were no limitations on what they could use. Only by going all out could they reveal their true potentials to the observing teachers. Because of this, the proctoring teacher was not only very experienced, but was also an agility type, seven spirit ring Spirit Saint. His speed was faster than what students at Huo Yuhao's level could imagine.
When Cui Yajie brutally attacked Huo Yuhao, the proctor had already closed in. Even this experienced teacher had determined both Huo Yuhao and Cui Yajie were about to be eliminated.
And just when the teacher was about to intervene, Huo Yuhao acted.
His body suddenly became elusive. With a slight sway, he retreated backward, leaving a blur.
Of course his speed was incomparable to the agility type spirit master, Zhu Lu's. But this movement was definitely not something a normal control type spirit master could accomplish. The most crucial point was that his steps were extremely deceptive. Cui Yajie's piercing Fox Tail Needle could not even find a target to hit and the pent up Spirit Power could not be released.
Just then, Wang Dong's Light of the Butterfly Goddess flowed out. Not only did it attack her, but also covered Dai Huabin.
Wang Dong's feet were on Huo Yuhao's shoulders. So with Huo Yuhao's retreating movement, his body moved as well. But, with their Mental Detection and Sharing, Wang Dong's ability could not miss. Even more, the Light of the Butterfly Goddess was an ability that could be an area-wide attack or a concentrated attack.
The proctoring teacher raised his right hand and grabbed Cui Yajie out of the field. This teacher's judgment was very accurate. Cui Yajie had already lost her chance to hit Huo Yuhao. If she were covered by the Light of the Butterfly Goddess, then even if she did not die, she would still be critically injured. As for Dai Huabin, there was no need for him to act.
The Light of the Butterfly Goddess violently hit the White Tiger's Protection and exploded with a shock. Dai Huabin bent his body and used his tiger palms to protect his head while minimizing damage.
However, Wang Dong's Light of the Butterfly Goddess was still outside of his predictions. This was not some second spirit ring ability. Its power was not something he could endure. As a result, his White Tiger Protection instantly shattered.
Dai Huabin made a prompt decision. The air around his body became distorted. His evil double-pupil eyes became red. His third spirit ring, flashing a noble, purple light, had risen. His originally White Tiger possessed body turned even stronger as his muscles expanded again. This time, his shirt completely ripped to reveal his muscles. The weird thing was that his skin also showed black line patterns. If he had fur, then there would be no difference between his body and that of a tiger.
A pair of tiger palms became even tigger. The extended claws changed to a bright silver color. Extraordinarily, his entire body was also covered by a layer of intense golden light like he was gilded in gold. His blood red, double pupils revealed a bloodthirsty glow. His entire body also carried the tyrannic aura of the king of beasts.
When he used this third spirit ability, both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had a sense of danger.
The thick golden light expanded out from Dai Huabin's body. Both his speed and power increased. His pair of tiger palms collided in front of him and forcefully crushed the light balls generated by Light of the Butterfly Goddess into smithereens.
Even though Wang Dong's attack was not completely directed toward him, this was still an ability fueled by their HaoDong Power! It had already reached the level of a thousand year spirit ring's power. Dai Huabin was also the first person to directly face and successfully defend against the HaoDong Powered Light of the Butterfly Goddess.
This was a top level Beast Spirit's potential. Wang Dong was still lacking in cultivation compared to Dai Huabin. Even with Huo Yuhao's spirit power fusion, he was still not a Spirit Elder. If Huo Yuhao's cultivation was at least level twenty, then even with this power up, Dai Huabin would still not be able to match them. But, in the current situation, there was a significant difference between them.
In an instant, the Butterfly Goddess attack had completely disappeared. After sacrificing Cui Yajie, Dai Huabin finally arrived in front of Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong in his peak condition. Even though it was one versus two, his power at the moment was stronger than theirs.
When the Light of the Butterfly Goddess was extinguished, Dai Huabin kicked the ground with his left foot with a "pong" sound. His entire body then shot forward like an arrow. The target was not Wang Dong, but Huo Yuhao.
This was the first time Huo Yuhao entered a close distance with Dai Huabin. With the target of his vengeance in front of him, he could not steady himself no matter how much he tried.
With Ghost Elusive Steps, Huo Yuhao quickly retreated. But his speed was lacking compared to the Spirit Elder, Dai Huabin. The distance between them continuously shortened. Dai Huabin's tiger palms went straight for Huo Yuhao's chest.
Just then, Huo Yuhao suddenly stopped. His glowing eyes stared at Dai Huabin. With his head as the center, the air within an area of around five meters suddenly distorted. Even those on the observation deck could not detect this subtle change.
This was not Soul Assault but Mental Disturbance. Huo Yuhao understood that if he used Soul Assault against Dai Huabin in his current condition, the one to lose would be himself due to backlash. So, he chose the skill that would have no negative consequences. He created a powerful Mental Disturbance zone of five meters in radius using his increasingly powerful mental power.
When Mental Disturbance activated, Wang Dong suddenly fell forward, with his Guillotine Wings glowing a faint orange color, directly at Dai Huabin. He aimed at the sides of Dai Huabin's neck.
No matter how tough Dai Huabin's third spirit ring ability, White Tiger Vajra, made him become, he still did not dare to use his own neck to feel those sharp blades. And, under Huo Yuhao's Mental Disturbance, his reaction was a split second slower.
So, when Dai Huabin detected Wang Dong's Guillotine Wings, his reaction speed was a bit slow. He had to use his pair of tiger palms to protect his neck from the attack.
A quick reaction could not compare to one that was planned. Even with Dai Huabin's strongest ability, it could not shake Wang Dong away. Golden light suddenly glowed from the Guillotine Wings. Light of the Butterfly Goddess activated once more.
With Huo Yuhao and HaoDong Power's support, the skill had greater power and activation speed. His current strength had reached the level of a Spirit Elder. He just lacked an extra ability.
Dai Huabin was shocked. Wang Dong's sequence of attacks were too perfectly controlled and did not allow him to counter. He could only helplessly continue defending. He used his second spirit ring ability, White Tiger's Light to forcefully fight back Wang Dong's Light of the Butterfly Goddess at a close distance.
One was completely focused on attacking. The other was hurriedly defending. One was a thousand year spirit ring ability, one was a hundred year spirit ring ability. They also differed in Spirit Power. The result was predictable.
A violent clash exploded between Wang Dong and Dai Huabin. Wang Dong was attacking from a higher position while Dai Huabin had tilted his head upward to use the White Tiger's Light.
In the fearsome explosion, Wang Dong expanded his wings and flew up, easily dissipating the blowback. But Dai Huabin did not have it easy. His legs sunk into the ground as his upper body bent back. Golden light flowed out of his body as he received a great force using his White Tiger Vajra.