**Chapter 102: Gu Ziyi VS Tang Hao**
Whoosh~
Tang Lao heard a buzzing sound behind him. Startled, he quickly rolled forward to dodge the attack coming from behind.
"How is this possible…"
After standing up, Tang Lao realized it was the Golden Light Talisman that Gu Ziyi had just thrown to attack him.
Soon after he saw it clearly, the Golden Light Talisman hovering in the air attacked him again.
"How is this possible?"
"Isn't he supposed to be a support-type Soul Master?"
"His third soul skill can actually be used to attack enemies…?"
"He's supposed to be a support-type Soul Master, yet how can he exhibit a soul skill usually reserved for offensive Soul Masters?"
"..."
The audience was shocked to see Gu Ziyi using his third soul skill as an offensive one.
They had never seen a support-type soul skill also function as an offensive skill.
Moreover, Gu Ziyi's Golden Light Talisman was highly flexible, able to move forward and backward under his control and gestures.
"He's actually an offensive Soul Master?"
Ning Shuangjiang, who had hoped to see Gu Ziyi embarrassed during this match, found her dream crushed and replaced by disbelief.
She became increasingly unhappy as she watched Gu Ziyi skillfully use his Golden Light Talisman to force his opponent to dodge repeatedly.
"Annoying!"
Ning Shuangjiang clenched her teeth. Not only did she fail to witness Gu Ziyi being beaten, but she also saw him flaunting his strength.
"Third Soul Skill – Final Word!"
Tang Lao, recovering from his initial panic, activated one of his soul skills.
Bang—
The Clear Sky Hammer in his hand emitted a burst of power. Following a loud crash, the Golden Light Talisman shattered instantly.
"Damn, so the Golden Light Talisman is this fragile!"
After seeing this, Tang Lao didn't feel triumphant but rather angry.
If he had known earlier, he could have just smashed it with his hammer and wouldn't have needed to use his soul skill.
"Third Soul Skill – Golden Light Talisman!"
Seeing his Golden Light Talisman shattered, Gu Ziyi merely smiled faintly and waved his right hand.
With a whooshing sound, two talismans materialized from thin air before him.
Whoosh~
Gu Ziyi controlled the talismans with hand gestures, sending them flying toward his opponent.
While his Golden Light Talisman was ineffective against high-ranking Soul Ancestors, Tang Lao lacked the soul power to counter it effectively.
Swish, swish, swish~
Although the talismans' attacks weren't particularly powerful, Tang Lao dared not take them head-on. Left with no choice, he continued to dodge.
Under Gu Ziyi's control, the talismans' movements were so agile that the Clear Sky Hammer in Tang Lao's hand seemed clumsy and ineffectual.
Bang— Bang—
Eventually, drained of his soul power, Tang Lao failed to avoid the talismans and was struck by both.
The talismans dissipated into golden light after hitting Tang Lao, but the impact forced him backward.
Bang—
The Clear Sky Hammer slipped from Tang Lao's grasp and fell to the ground.
"Damn it!"
"I surrender!"
Though not injured, Tang Lao had exhausted his soul power. Facing Gu Ziyi's flexible tactics, he decided to concede.
"The participant Tang Lao has admitted defeat!"
"I hereby declare the Martial Soul Hall participant Gu Ziyi the winner of this round. Now, we invite the Star Luo Empire Team to send their representative!"
After the host saw Gu Ziyi win, he immediately started the next challenger for the next team.
"Our Starluo Empire Team chooses to abstain!"
But right after the host finished speaking, Dai Nisha raised her hand and chose to abstain.
Abstaining does not only mean forfeiting this round, but also not participating in this champion-deciding match again.
Otherwise, if she let her team's auxiliary Soul Master go up and admit defeat right after.
Dai Nisha saw that it would be difficult for her Starluo Empire Team to win this individual competition, so she chose to abstain to preserve her remaining strength.
"Smart!"
"Even if she went up and defeated the auxiliary Soul Master of the Martial Soul Hall Team, that wouldn't happen. Her second best option would be to ask her auxiliary Soul Master to admit defeat before the match and grant victory to the Martial Soul Hall Team. However, Team Haotian also has an offensive Soul Master left on their team. This Soul Master would definitely beat Gu Ziyi, but he is no match for Bibi Dong. In the end, Dai Nisha and Bibi Dong would fight in the final round. However, even if they tried their best and actually defeated each other, they would still have to face Team Haotian's strongest, Tang Hao! "Instead, it's better to just give up and focus on deciding second place!" "Let Bibi Dong and Tang Hao fight each other. No matter who wins in the end, the other will definitely be too worn out for the next match!" "This gives your team a chance to defeat the eliminated team in this decisive match and have an easier time deciding the second place!"
When Yu Xiaogang saw Dai Nisha's choice, he secretly praised her for her wise decision.
Now that's a smart person!
Unlike Gu Ziyi who went up on stage, what if he went up to defeat the opponent's Soul Master, who was already severely depleted of Soul Power?
Not only was his Soul Power wasted in vain, but he also revealed that he possessed offensive soul skills to the other two enemy teams!
Wouldn't it be good to hide his trump card?
"The Starluo Empire Team chooses to abstain from the match!"
"So only Team Haotian and Team Golden Generation are left on the arena for the individual battle!"
"Now, please invite the Haotian Team to send their next representative!"
After confirming Dai Nisha's abstention, the host quickly continued the competition.
"I'll go!"
{"Kid, don't back out now if you have the guts!"} – Private Message
Before the host could finish speaking, Tang Hao jumped onto the stage, provoking Gu Ziyi.
Tang Hao seemed eager to face Gu Ziyi in an individual match, hoping the latter wouldn't surrender outright.
Hearing Tang Hao's private taunt, Gu Ziyi shot him a disdainful glance.
If Tang Hao had the nerve to provoke him, why did he use his soul power to speak privately instead of aloud? Was he afraid others would accuse him of bullying?
"Participant Gu Ziyi, will you concede?"
The host, unaware of Tang Hao's taunt, asked Gu Ziyi, anticipating the expected outcome.
Most believed Gu Ziyi would concede. As a support-type Soul Master, his offensive capabilities seemed insufficient to challenge someone like Tang Hao.
Surrendering seemed the most logical decision, allowing Bibi Dong, a fellow Soul King, to take the stage and face Tang Hao instead.
"No, I want to see for myself the strength of the Haotian Sect's so-called Son of Tomorrow!"
Rejecting the idea of conceding, Gu Ziyi smiled confidently.
He had joined the stage intending to test whether he could outwit Tang Hao and defeat him, making a statement before the audience.
If Gu Ziyi managed to best Tang Hao, it wouldn't matter if his Tai Chi Realm Domain or fourth soul skill, the Restriction Talisman, were revealed to the public.
Even if exposed, Gu Ziyi believed he could lead the Martial Soul Hall Team to victory against the Star Luo Empire Team in the finals.
Defeating Tang Hao in a duel, however, would humiliate his opponent in a far more profound way.
...
(End of Chapter)
N/E: I'm glad I re-read the chapter before posting, can you believe that chatgpt deleted an entire page of text (I realized because there were so few words). The part that was eaten was the part about Dai Nisha's withdrawal and Yu Xiaogang's monologue, which I think are the most interesting parts of this chapter. You almost missed that.
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