Xue Qinghe frowned. The expression on Ye Hao's face was unsettlingly familiar. Impossible! He was an only child. There was no way...
As Huyan Li and Ye Hao prepared themselves, the referee announced:
"For the third match: Huyan Li versus Ye Hao. Both sides have one minute to summon their martial souls."
As soon as the announcement ended, Huyan Li shrugged off his shirt, revealing his impressive and exaggerated musculature. Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul Possess!
A yellow, angular layer appeared on his muscular frame, shimmering with a golden hue. Huyan Li's body expanded to nearly twice its size. His upper lip curled back, revealing thick, powerful tusks over a foot long.
Next to him, Ye Hao seemed as small as an ant.
However, Ye Hao wasn't one to back down. "A show-off," he muttered.
Three soul rings slowly rose at his feet: one yellow, two purple.
The crowd stared in disbelief at the unprecedented configuration—a combination unmatched on the entire continent.
Behind Ye Hao, eight black spider spears burst forth. Black armor covered his chest and face, while crimson eyes glowed menacingly. Additional smaller eyes on his face darted around incessantly. Green, spiny growths sprouted from his legs, nearly resembling spider limbs.
Ye Hao had fully activated his Death Spider Emperor martial soul, standing menacingly like a human-shaped spider. A faint green toxic mist began to spread across the arena, the characteristic venom of the Death Spider Emperor.
Recalling Qin Ming's prior warnings, Ye Hao refrained from unleashing the poison.
Behind Hu Yanli, the martial soul projection of a diamond mammoth appeared, exuding an overwhelming presence. Yet Ye Hao stood unfazed.
In response, his own Death Spider Emperor possession materialized, emanating an aura of regal dominance—the undisputed monarch among spider-type martial souls.
The emergence of the Death Spider Emperor caused Xue Qinghe's composure to falter. Her breathing grew erratic as her sharp gaze locked onto Ye Hao's possession.
"This is no mere Death Spider. It's a Death Spider Emperor!"
As someone who was all too familiar with the aura of this martial soul—one of her mother Bibi Dong's twin martial souls—Xue Qinghe couldn't keep calm.
Bibi Dong rarely revealed this power publicly, having served as the Pope of the Spirit Hall for many years. Moreover, Ye Hao's soul had been recorded as the Death Spider, not the Death Spider Emperor.
Though both belonged to the same species of magical spider-type soul beasts, the difference in hierarchy was unmistakable.
Ye Hao's Death Spider Emperor mirrored hers so precisely that aside from differences in soul rings, it was hard to tell them apart. His demeanor, expressions, and every move made Xue Qinghe see a reflection of Bibi Dong herself.
"It's like... he's her child, and I'm the adopted one."
The thought was absurd. Xue Qinghe shook her head. Impossible. She was an only child and had never heard of having a brother. Ye Hao's awakening of the Death Spider Emperor martial soul was merely a coincidence—combined with his innate full soul power, nothing more.
Her curiosity piqued, and Xue Qinghe decided to observe Ye Hao's every move closely.
"Begin!"
The referee's declaration signaled the start of the match.
Huyan Li charged like thunder, the ground trembling violently beneath his massive frame. He raised his massive fists like mountains and swung them toward Ye Hao.
Ye Hao narrowed his eyes, his first soul ring lighting up. In an instant, his hands transformed into two sturdy Death Spider Emperor spears. He met Huyan Li's heavy fists head-on, the ground beneath him splintering like a spiderweb.
Huyan Li seized the opportunity to activate his soul ring. A dark yellow armor enveloped his body, drastically boosting his defense.
Ye Hao dodged nimbly, finding an opening. With a swift motion, he raised one of his spears and thrust it downward with tremendous force.
The yellow armor on Huyan Li's chest shattered, revealing a dark, purplish-black mark underneath. The Death Spider Emperor spear had almost pierced his body entirely.
Huyan Li's heart raced—he knew Ye Hao had held back. This was a friendly match, not a life-or-death battle. There was no need to take a life.
Still, the fight carried immense significance for both competitors. Now tied at one win apiece, victory was their sole goal.
Huyan Zhen, who had been watching the match intently, felt an inexplicable sense of defeat. A formless pressure weighed on him, making it hard to breathe.
Ye Hao stood tall, unyielding in the face of Huyan Li's powerful aura. At this moment, Ye Hao exuded a commanding presence, reminiscent of the Spirit Hall's Pope herself.
Huyan Li adjusted his strategy after the earlier exchange. His third soul ring, a Millennium ring, began to glow. A solemn and oppressive atmosphere spread across the arena, radiating from his towering figure.
"Using the same trick again? Planning to use the same move you did on Oslo?"
Ye Hao raised his head. Above, the massive projection of a Diamond Mammoth's front hoof descended forcefully.
Almost simultaneously, a thunderous "Boom!" echoed across the arena. The entirety of Heaven Dou Royal Academy seemed to quake as though struck by an earthquake.
The crowd held their breath. Qin Ming, the Emperor Team, the three school board members, and even Xue Qinghe all stared, captivated.
"That… that's…"
"Six…"
Xue Qinghe abruptly swallowed her words. External soul bone—Six-Winged Purple Light Wings.
It was identical to her own external soul bone!
The realization silenced Xue Qinghe. Ye Hao had the Death Spider Emperor martial soul, innate full soul power, and now this external soul bone. Every detail made him uncannily similar to her.
"Coincidences don't line up this perfectly. Something's off…"
According to information she had heard from Meng Shenji, Ye Hao was an orphan who had grown up in hardship.
But the more people emphasized such claims, the more suspicious they seemed. Ye Hao's sudden and dazzling appearance had utterly caught Xue Qinghe off guard.
"Could it really be..." she thought. "Could he actually be related to me?"
Though Xue Qinghe knew it was foolish to speculate, the similarities were undeniable. But instead of revealing her suspicions, she resolved to investigate.
"If Ye Hao truly is my younger brother, this will be... interesting."