"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The ice mirrors streaked across the air and, in the blink of an eye, attached themselves to the crimson flame crystal barrier surrounding Huo Wushuang.
"Explode!"
The next moment, Mu Yang whispered softly, and the six ice-flame mirrors shattered with a thunderous explosion.
"Crack! Boom!"
The combination of the Ice-Flame Dragon's breath and the simultaneous explosion of the six mirrors unleashed a powerful energy shockwave, forcibly shattering the crimson flame crystal barrier protecting Huo Wushuang.
It was just an ordinary second soul skill for defense, typically used in the best balance of offense and protection for its level. Its defense wasn't particularly formidable.
As the barrier around Huo Wushuang disintegrated, Mu Yang immediately stopped the Ice-Flame Dragon's assault.
Without a defensive soul skill to shield him, if the Ice-Flame Dragon's attack continued and Huo Wushuang failed to block it completely, he might end up in a miserable state after being touched by the clinging, persistent ice flames.
"What do you think?"
Mu Yang smiled at Huo Wushuang.
"Disgusting!"
After some hesitation, Huo Wushuang flushed with frustration and spat out two words.
Huo Wushuang had never encountered such an "annoying" soul master like Mu Yang!
To be honest, in Huo Wushuang's view, apart from the Ice-Flame Mirrors, Mu Yang's techniques—such as the Ice-Flame Arrow Array, the Ice-Flame Spear, the Ice-Flame Armor, and even the majestic Ice-Flame Dragon—weren't particularly sophisticated.
The reason Mu Yang was able to make him so miserable was not only due to the honing and tracking effects of his attacks but primarily because of the annoyingly persistent ice flames.
If these ice flames were ordinary fire attacks, Huo Wushuang would only need to withstand the explosive power when they landed.
But the ice flames were different—they were clingy. Once attached, they were extremely difficult to get rid of. Unless one wanted to endure constant burning damage, the only option was to burn soul power to counteract and extinguish them, which Huo Wushuang found incredibly frustrating.
After all, he wasn't a high-level soul master and didn't have an abundance of soul power to waste.
Furthermore, after witnessing Mu Yang's Ice-Flame Mirrors self-destruct and still generate those clingy ice flames post-detonation, Huo Wushuang realized that close combat would be just as challenging.
Because if he attempted melee combat, six ice mirrors could fly in at lightning speed for a face-on explosion. It would be like diving into a sea of flames unless he had a strong defensive soul skill.
Suddenly, Huo Wushuang thought of something and glanced at the Ice-Flame Dragon hovering in the air. After some hesitation, he turned to Mu Yang and asked, "Hey, little brother, your dragon... it won't self-destruct too, right?"
From the sharp claws beneath the Ice-Flame Dragon's belly and the resilient dragon scales covering its body, Huo Wushuang could tell that the dragon wasn't just about spewing those annoying ice flames—it was probably adept at close combat as well.
If this Ice-Flame Dragon, skilled in close combat, suddenly self-destructed, showering him with persistent ice flames...
Danger! Danger! Danger!
"They say you learn from your mistakes. I guess the saying holds true. Wushuang, you've already guessed one of my trump cards!"
Mu Yang nodded slightly, smiling.
Including the Ice-Flame Armor, all the techniques in the Secret Technique of Ice Flame had the ability to self-destruct.
The principle behind this was simple—controlling the condensed ice-flame soul power to instantly disperse. It was a minor trick, not difficult for Mu Yang, who possessed a talent for deduction.
Of course, the true power of these techniques didn't lie in their self-destruction. Ultimately, it was the clingy, pest-like nature of the ice flames that made them so troublesome.
Precisely because the ice flames were different from ordinary fire and were extremely hard to deal with, Mu Yang had incorporated self-destruction into all the techniques in the Secret Technique of Ice Flame.
Huo Wushuang didn't respond. He merely raised his middle finger at Mu Yang.
"Ahem. As the referee, I hereby announce: in this duel, 25th-level food-type Grand Soul Master Mu Yang wins. 39th-level assault-type Soul Elder Huo Wushuang is defeated!"
At this moment, Huo Wu, who had been serving as the referee, cleared her throat before loudly announcing the result.
"Hey, hey, hey! Little Wu, was it really necessary to emphasize our soul power levels?"
As soon as Huo Wu finished speaking, Huo Wushuang's face darkened, and he voiced his dissatisfaction.
Huo Wu immediately retorted, "Brother, that's not right of you. Victory and defeat are common in battle. How can you hold such a grudge? So what if you lost to Xiao Yang, who's 14 levels below you and is a food-type soul master? What's there to be embarrassed about?"
"Pfft—hahaha!"
As she spoke, Huo Wu finally couldn't hold back the amusement on her face. She burst out laughing, completely unrestrained.
Honestly, the matter wasn't particularly funny. After all, Huo Wu had watched the entire duel and understood that, despite her cousin Mu Yang's lower soul power level, his strength was not to be underestimated.
The problem was that someone had, before the duel, confidently boasted about his absolute advantage as an assault-type soul master with a 14-level lead. He had promised to go easy, not use excessive force, and merely guide his "little weakling" opponent.
The slap in the face came too suddenly. The more he had boasted earlier, the more awkward it became now.
"I doted on this sister for nothing!"
Looking at Huo Wu, who was laughing uncontrollably, Huo Wushuang felt a pang of resentment.
After a while, to ease the awkwardness, he changed the subject and said, "Little Wu, you've been stuck at level 39 for two months. The Soul Master Competition is still about half a month away, and the finals are even further. You'll definitely break through to the four-ring Soul Ancestor level by then. Why not reconsider and join this year's competition?"
As one of the elemental academies, the Blazing Fire Academy's team for this year wasn't weak. Adding or losing a three-ring Soul Elder wasn't critical. That's why neither Huo Wushuang nor Huo Wu had planned to participate.
However, having a four-ring Soul Ancestor on the team could help the team progress further in the finals, even if winning the championship was out of the question.
"I'd rather not. I'll wait for the next one," Huo Wu replied after some thought. She then added, "If we can't win the championship, there's no point in participating."
Huo Wushuang was left speechless.
The Blazing Fire Academy, though well-known, wasn't the strongest among the elemental academies. Furthermore, the royal academies of both empires were collectively stronger, not to mention the continent's strongest, Spirit Hall Academy.
The Blazing Fire Academy had won the championship a few times in its history, but the most recent victory was over three centuries ago—a distant memory.
That championship had been secured thanks to a peerless prodigy born with innate full soul power. In the final match, that genius single-handedly defeated Spirit Hall Academy's team, consisting of a five-ring Soul King and six high-level Soul Elders, leading the Blazing Fire Academy to glory.
[For additional chapters....
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
Patreon. Com/ALLISWELL123]
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