Zhu Zhuqing had never trained for long-distance running, but she thought about one thing every day—how to kill her enemy! Her strengthened physique was now fully evident.
She didn't need any soul skills.
Simply with her cat claws from her martial soul, she could tear through Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, preventing it from getting close to her. The paralyzing toxin from his first soul ring had no chance to activate. Seeing the twitch in Tang San's brow confirmed that Zhuge Lan's warning was accurate.
Recalling how the Blue Silver Grass had targeted her sensitive areas earlier, Zhu Zhuqing's gaze turned colder. She chose to take a longer route, avoiding the shattered areas of Blue Silver Grass, not giving its seeds any chance to parasitize her.
This forced Tang San to use his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to circle around with Zhu Zhuqing. However, since they were classmates, Tang San wasn't going to use his hidden weapons, and he didn't want to reveal his second martial soul. Faced with Zhu Zhuqing's killing intent, he was pushed to the edge of the arena and finally had no choice but to admit defeat.
"Hmph!" Zhu Zhuqing left the stage, pleased. When she saw Zhuge Lan, she raised an eyebrow at him. Zhuge Lan gave her a thumbs-up.
[Emotion Points +233]
After a while, Tang San and Xiao Wu's "Three No's Combination" were the first to take the stage. During the battle, Tang San got slightly injured, and Xiao Wu used a hidden arrow, aiming to kill the opponent—her killing intent was shockingly intense. Tang San also used a hidden arrow to save the other party, but Zhuge Lan didn't believe this was out of kindness.
—Even when a gatekeeper shoved him, this "God of Slaughter" had already thought about how to deal with the aftermath. He wasn't much better than Xiao Wu. It was probably because in a practice match, killing someone would result in a loss by default, which was why he saved them.
"Will the duo known as 'The Condor Heroes' please get ready? The next match is yours," the referee announced.
Zhuge Lan and Zhu Zhuqing walked to the competitor's tunnel.
"Nervous?" Zhuge Lan asked. "If it turns out that our connection was wrong, would you regret rejecting—"
"I won't regret it!" Zhu Zhuqing said firmly. "I've thought it through. If I have to bow to that Dai Shao for power, I would just be a slave to strength!"
[Emotion Points +1111]
So determined.
"Let's welcome the newcomer duo—The Condor Heroes!" the referee's voice echoed.
Zhuge Lan and Zhu Zhuqing walked side by side out of the tunnel. As newcomers who had already won their debut match, they caused quite a stir in the audience.
"Who are they?"
"Oh! Your dad's here again!"
"So, what's the deal with this 'Condor Heroes' pair?"
"No idea!"
The atmosphere was electric. The referee seized the moment and introduced them:
"The Condor Heroes duo consists of a Level 27 Soul Grandmaster and a Level 36 Soul Elder! But their opponents are the fierce Tiger and Leopard duo, at Level 38 and Level 39 Soul Elders!"
"Will a miracle happen this time? Let's find out!"
As the referee's voice fell, Zhuge Lan and Zhu Zhuqing both summoned their martial souls. Instead of engaging their opponents directly, they clasped hands, fingers intertwined. Under the pull of martial soul resonance, their soul power surged, blending and entering each other's bodies.
Zhuge Lan's Thorn Armor and Zhu Zhuqing's Hell Civet moved closer together.
"Buzz—"
A bright light flashed, and the two disappeared. In their place stood a long-haired figure of indeterminate gender, clad in thick armor, with only a pair of black eyes visible.
In the spiritual realm, Zhuge Lan and Zhu Zhuqing, still holding hands, could clearly sense everything happening in the outside world.
It worked!
[Emotion Points +11111]
Zhu Zhuqing's lips curled in satisfaction—they could indeed use the Martial Soul Fusion Skill!
[Emotion Points +19]
"A Martial Soul Fusion Skill?!" the referee exclaimed. "No wonder they dared to challenge higher-level soul masters—this 'Condor Heroes' duo has a Martial Soul Fusion Skill!"
[Emotion Points +11111]
On the spectator platform, Dai Mubai stood frozen, mouth agape.
How could this be?
Wasn't the Martial Soul Fusion Skill something only he and Zhu Zhuqing could perform? How could she now do it with Zhuge Lan?
No wonder! No wonder Zhuge Lan was willing to help Zhu Zhuqing strengthen her physique! And no wonder Zhu Zhuqing was so proactive with Zhuge Lan!
It all made sense now!
Tang San and the others were equally astonished, contributing even more Emotion Points.
But the bulk of the Emotion Points still came from the audience!
[Emotion Points +9][Emotion Points +9][Emotion Points +9]
With thousands in attendance, the steady flow of points gave Zhuge Lan an adrenaline rush, pulling in nearly 10,000 points per second!
Feeling energized, he wanted to show off even more. As his consciousness took control, the armor on his body sprouted countless spikes, his form grew larger by several sizes, and he charged forward like a mini bulldozer.
The tiger soul master, being a power-type assault fighter, couldn't back down at this point—he was still three levels higher than Zhuge Lan! He activated his third soul ring, his right arm swelling as he prepared for a direct confrontation.
"Boom!"
The tiger soul master was sent flying, unable to resist at all. He hit the ground unconscious, vomiting, his fist covered in blood from the impact.
—It was the Thorn Armor's passive ability, Hate Curse, causing a backlash! Every ability of the Thorn Armor was now embedded into the full-body armor! Without missing a beat, Zhuge Lan charged toward the leopard soul master.
But the leopard was highly agile. With a backward roll, he dodged the attack and created some distance.
Oh? Think you're faster than the Spiral Nine Shadows?
Just as Zhuge Lan was about to finish him off, Zhu Zhuqing's voice interrupted, "Let me take control this time."
Zhuge Lan nodded.
In the next moment, his consciousness withdrew from their shared body, and Zhu Zhuqing took over. The massive form shrank, becoming slimmer, and most of the spikes retracted, leaving only a thin layer. However, the fingers on both hands extended into sharp blades, half a meter long, gleaming with a cold light.
Her speed increased several times over, leaving a trail of afterimages. In the blink of an eye, she caught up with the leopard soul master, her blade-like claws at his throat. Just the light touch sliced through his soul power defense, causing blood to trickle down.
He was so terrified he didn't dare move.
Instant defeat!
[Emotion Points +59]
"I—we surrender!" he quickly said.
In the spiritual realm, Zhuge Lan was a bit puzzled. How did the leopard soul master's Emotion Points peak at 59? That didn't seem right! This Tiger and Leopard duo didn't even appear in the original story.
How could they—
The view shifted. Zhuge Lan and Zhu Zhuqing returned to the real world, and before he could react, Zhu Zhuqing threw herself onto him, embracing him tightly!
"So strong!" she exclaimed. "And unlike the Hell White Tiger controlled by Dai's family, I can take the lead in this Martial Soul Fusion Skill! It suits me perfectly!"
"Forget about the Hell White Tiger and that Dai Shao—let them get lost!"
"Hahaha—"
[Emotion Points +11111][Emotion Points +19999][Emotion Points +20111]
The kid was overjoyed—his points had exceeded 20,000! He enjoyed Zhu Zhuqing's embrace until the referee's reminder brought her back to reality. Embarrassed, she quickly let go of Zhuge Lan and pulled him away, still holding his hand, with no intention of letting go.
As they entered the tunnel, Flender and the rest of the Shrek team were there to greet them.
"This year's batch is way too strong!" Flender laughed. "Not only did we recruit four little monsters, but we also have a pair with a Martial Soul Fusion Skill! Hahaha—"
[Emotion Points +2333]
But Zhuge Lan remained focused on the upcoming competition...
---
Advanced 30+ Chapters in Patreon for 7 Dollars
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