Listening to Meng Hongchen's words, Su Yu nodded silently. Xiao Hongchen's talent was undeniable. Although he often relied on medicinal boosts, his innate skill with soul tools was exceptional.
This was something Mi Jia couldn't match.
However, Su Yu had some impression of Mi Jia. In the original, as a key figure in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy's representative team, Mi Jia played an important role.
Mi Jia had a calm personality and extensive combat experience. He was far from ordinary.
Even a Soul King from Shrek Academy might struggle to defeat him one-on-one.
Indeed, Mi Jia was one of Illustrious Virtue Hall's elite students.
While they were talking, Mi Jia and Xiao Hongchen had already reached the center of the square.
At the referee's command, Mi Jia was the first to activate his changes.
Bright blue metal quickly unfolded from his back.
A series of metallic clanging sounds erupted from his body as his upper torso became encased in metal, resembling a suit of armor. The same metal covered his waist and legs as well.
Mi Jia's soul tool armor was a heavy, full-body suit. After donning it, his body seemed to expand by at least three times its normal size.
The bright blue metal gleamed, and two white lights flickered from his chest and abdomen—evidence of the core arrays of his soul tools.
"A full-body soul tool."
"This type of armor is considered the pinnacle of close-combat soul tools. It enhances both offensive and defensive capabilities and amplifies one's cultivation."
"Mi Jia is an excellent close-combat soul engineer, though he's also proficient in all the standard soul engineering techniques," Meng Hongchen explained to Su Yu.
"Battle armor," Su Yu muttered softly.
"What?"
Meng Hongchen asked, not hearing him clearly.
"Nothing," Su Yu shook his head, though his gaze was distant.
Mi Jia's soul tool armor reminded him of battle armor.
Battle armor provided soul masters with a significant power boost.
No ten-thousand-year soul bone or soul ring could compare with the amplification that battle armor offered.
In the original story, battle armor only appeared after the Divine Realm's disappearance. If the Divine Realm still existed, the emergence of battle armor would have been more questionable.
Naturally, Su Yu wasn't about to discuss battle armor at this moment.
Meng Hongchen rolled her eyes at him. She could tell he had said something, but since he didn't want to explain, she let it go.
By this point, Xiao Hongchen had also prepared for battle.
He released his martial soul.
A flash of golden light appeared, and a third leg suddenly sprouted from near his waist.
This leg was entirely golden. At the same time, a dazzling golden glow spread across his entire body.
Standing on three legs, Xiao Hongchen crouched slightly, with two yellow and two purple soul rings glowing around him.
His slightly hunched back protruded with golden bulges beneath his clothes, emitting a soft golden light.
His first and third soul rings lit up simultaneously. With a wave of his hands, he threw out at least a hundred metal spheres.
The spheres hovered in mid-air, surrounding him.
Then, something strange happened—thick metal barrels began to extend out of the spheres, growing as though from nowhere rather than being released by Xiao Hongchen.
In just a moment, Xiao Hongchen had transformed into something resembling a massive porcupine, bristling with metal barrels.
Below the stage, Wang Dong's jaw dropped in astonishment.
"Su Yu, Su Yu, did you see that?"
Wang Dong tugged at Su Yu's arm, unable to contain his shock.
Su Yu sighed and pressed down on his hand.
"I saw it, I saw it. Calm down."
After calming Wang Dong a bit, Su Yu turned to Meng Hongchen.
"A Three-legged Golden Toad. If I'm not mistaken, your brother can control metal, right?"
Meng Hongchen nodded, confirming it.
"The Three-legged Golden Toad is considered a divine beast martial soul. It can control metal and even absorb the energy of rare metals to aid in cultivation."
"No wonder your brother looks like he's only fourteen or fifteen but already has cultivation nearing that of a Soul King."
This was indeed one reason for Xiao Hongchen's rapid advancement.
Of course, another reason was his reliance on medicinal supplements.
Unlike Xiao Hongchen, Su Yu only consumed natural treasures to improve his physical and mental strength. He rarely used immortal herbs solely to boost his soul power.
He valued having a strong foundation.
"My brother is a genius," Meng Hongchen said softly.
"But I think you're even more of a genius," Su Yu remarked, looking at her.
Meng Hongchen's talent surpassed even that of Xiao Hongchen.
Upon hearing this, Meng Hongchen's face flushed red. Her voice grew quieter, and she lowered her head slightly, as if embarrassed.
"You... you're flattering me."
Her voice was soft, almost inaudible, and she kept sneaking glances at Su Yu.
Su Yu felt a bit at a loss. Why is she so easily embarrassed? Is she really that innocent?
Then again, recalling Meng Hongchen's personality from the original story, he wasn't too surprised.
After all, this was the same girl whom Wang Dong had managed to charm with just a few words.
If Wang Dong could do it, surely Su Yu could as well.
Su Yu knew how handsome he was, after all.
Shifting his thoughts, Su Yu decided to say no more and instead focused on the match.
In the square, Mi Jia and Xiao Hongchen had already begun their battle.
Xiao Hongchen, a typical soul engineer, relied on long-range attacks and focused on bursts of firepower.
Mi Jia, on the other hand, specialized in close-combat soul engineering. In some ways, this was shaping up to be an interesting match.
Mi Jia repeatedly attempted to close the gap between him and Xiao Hongchen.
However, Xiao Hongchen didn't give him the chance, continually suppressing him with relentless firepower.
Thanks to his martial soul, Xiao Hongchen's attacks were particularly fierce.
For a while, Mi Jia struggled to get close, forced to retreat under the barrage.
Xiao Hongchen unleashed a burst of firepower, keeping Mi Jia on the defensive and preventing him from closing in.
"This is the strength of a soul engineer? Such terrifying explosive power," Wang Dong marveled, watching Xiao Hongchen dominate the battlefield.
He hadn't expected the goofy Xiao Hongchen to possess such overwhelming strength.
Wang Dong imagined himself in Mi Jia's position. If he were up against such firepower, he might not last even thirty seconds before being eliminated.
He could fly, but Xiao Hongchen's attacks were too fierce and fast to dodge for long.
"Soul engineers are generally weak in close combat, but in a one-on-one battle, if you lack speed or strong defenses, it's difficult to get close to them."
"Mi Jia excels in close combat, but Xiao Hongchen's firepower is too intense. He's continually suppressing Mi Jia, preventing him from closing the distance."
Su Yu analyzed calmly.
"What about you? Could you get close?"
Wang Dong asked curiously.
Su Yu smiled but didn't answer.
If it were me?
If Su Yu were to make a move, Xiao Hongchen wouldn't even have a chance to use his soul tools.
Even if Xiao Hongchen did manage to use them, with Su Yu's speed, Xiao Hongchen would only be left chasing after him, eating his dust.
"Yeah, Su Yu, if it were you, what do you think your chances are against my brother?"
Meng Hongchen came over, curious.
She knew well enough about Su Yu's background.
At first, she hadn't realized that Su Yu was the Su Yu, but now that she knew, she naturally recalled his extraordinary lineage.
Faced with the curious looks of both Wang Dong and Meng Hongchen, Su Yu smiled helplessly.
"I'd say it's about 70-30."
Three moves would be enough to put Xiao Hongchen down.
"70-30? You're being too modest. That guy is stronger than you?"
Wang Dong was skeptical.
After all, Su Yu had taken him down without even using his martial soul.
Earlier, he had also overpowered Xiao Hongchen with just one hand.
To Wang Dong, Su Yu was like a freak of nature, beyond comprehension.
Even if Su Yu couldn't beat that eccentric, his chances couldn't possibly be just 30%, right?
Su Yu smiled but didn't explain further.
Modest? This was modest?
He almost said he could punch Xiao Hongchen into the ground with just one hit.
If he used his martial soul, taking down Xiao Hongchen in a single move wouldn't be out of the question.
Neither Wang Dong nor Meng Hongchen had any idea what Su Yu was thinking, both assuming he was just being humble.
Meng Hongchen's eyes sparkled as she gazed at Su Yu.
Handsome, talented, and unlike her arrogant brother—he was truly perfect.
If Wang Dong weren't standing right next to her, her eyes might have been twinkling with little stars by now.
"Hmm? It seems like Mi Jia is about to counterattack," Su Yu said, turning his attention back to the battlefield, where Mi Jia, who had been suppressed by Xiao Hongchen, was starting to fight back.
Metal tubes extended from Mi Jia's body, countering Xiao Hongchen's firepower.
Simultaneously, Mi Jia swung his giant sword, using the soul tool thrusters on his back to leap forward, closing the distance between him and Xiao Hongchen.
He slashed his sword toward Xiao Hongchen.
Xiao Hongchen quickly dodged.
It was clear that Mi Jia's close-combat skills were well-honed, and his extensive combat experience showed.
In this round, Xiao Hongchen was forced to retreat repeatedly.
Now, Mi Jia had the upper hand.
Close combat was naturally the forte of a close-combat soul engineer.
Mi Jia's giant sword swung wide and powerfully, and Xiao Hongchen didn't dare take a single hit head-on.
After being pushed back, Xiao Hongchen's expression darkened.
His second and fourth soul rings lit up simultaneously.
Boiling Gold and Sacrifice of Gold, two soul skills, activated at once.
Boiling Gold greatly enhanced the activity of the metallic soul power in his Three-legged Golden Toad martial soul.
For a short time, his control over metal multiplied, allowing him to absorb large quantities of metal elements from the air to temporarily use.
Sacrifice of Gold involves burning the absorbed metal elements, producing a massive amount of energy.
Mi Jia's giant sword was made of metal.
And if it was metal, Xiao Hongchen could control it.
Even though Mi Jia had infused his soul power into the sword, Xiao Hongchen's control, while weak, was still enough to slow it down at a critical moment.
As Mi Jia swung his sword, it suddenly slowed, giving Xiao Hongchen the chance to retreat.
He backed up several paces, then crouched down, summoning countless pieces of metal to envelop him, forming an impenetrable fortress.
This was one of the signature tactics of a soul engineer: the soul cannon fortress technique.
A soul engineer using this technique became like a living turret, capable of unleashing devastating firepower.
Xiao Hongchen bringing this out meant he was getting serious.
A barrage of firepower rained down on Mi Jia.
The battle in the arena had reached its climax.
Naturally, Mi Jia didn't just sit there and take it. He fought back with everything he had.
But in the end, Xiao Hongchen's firepower was too overwhelming, and he emerged victorious.
Xiao Hongchen's talent in the field of soul tools was indeed extraordinary.
"The battle is over. Xiao Hongchen wins!"
Xiao Hongchen's face was pale, but he wore a wide grin, beaming like a lotus in bloom.
He glanced smugly in Su Yu's direction as if to show off.
Su Yu didn't even bother to acknowledge him, completely ignoring him.
This made Xiao Hongchen stomp his feet in frustration.
After Xiao Hongchen and Mi Jia, the next battle was between Lin Xi and Li Yan.
However, this fight had much less suspense.
Although both Lin Xi and Li Yan were fifth-level soul engineers, Lin Xi's strength was far superior.
In the ensuing firepower duel, Li Yan was decisively defeated.
With that, the two combat matches came to an end.
After watching the matches, Su Yu gained some understanding of how soul engineers fought.
To put it simply, these soul engineers relied far too much on their soul tools.
Their personal strength was fairly average.
Su Yu believed that if he ever faced them on a real battlefield, these soul engineers wouldn't stand a chance.
He only needed to activate his domain, and the soul engineers would be rendered blind.
Once a soul engineer couldn't lock onto a target, they were as good as finished.
However, Su Yu didn't entirely underestimate soul tools. The power of close-combat soul tools was quite impressive.
As weapons, they were undeniably formidable.
Of course, the ultimate weapon was the stationary soul tools.
Those were not something that could be demonstrated in sparring matches like this.
In real combat, the destructive power of stationary soul tools was something to be feared.
All in all, Su Yu felt he had gained valuable insights from the experience.
"Wang Dong, let's go."
Since the combat matches were over, there was no reason to stay.
"Su Yu, what dorm do you guys live in? I'll come visit you sometime!" Meng Hongchen called out, her bright eyes sparkling.
"We live in the first-year dorms, building one, room 212."
Su Yu didn't mind telling Meng Hongchen where they lived, considering she was quite charming.
Of course, if it had been a guy, that would be different.
His dorm didn't welcome any male visitors.
"Got it. I'll remember that."
Meng Hongchen smiled sweetly, looking cute and charming.
"Let's go!"
Wang Dong pouted, pulling Su Yu away.
Su Yu turned back and gave an apologetic smile, then left the second trial ground with Wang Dong.
Meng Hongchen watched them disappear before turning to find Xiao Hongchen standing beside her.
"Meng, wasn't my performance just now amazing?"
Xiao Hongchen asked, winking and making faces.
"Yeah, amazing," Meng Hongchen replied, though she didn't seem very enthused.
Xiao Hongchen laughed triumphantly. He looked around and realized Su Yu and Wang Dong were gone.
"Where are those two little brats? Where'd they go?"
"They already left," Meng Hongchen replied.
"Left in such a hurry?"
"They must have been scared after seeing my heroic display, right?"
"Being scared won't help them. I'm going to settle the score with them someday, hahahaha!"
Xiao Hongchen laughed heartily, hands on his hips.
Meng Hongchen rolled her eyes and dragged her slightly neurotic brother away in another direction.