As long as eye contact was made, the enchantment would take effect. Unexpectedly, the opponent had no defense against her ability…However, Cui Yajie had no time to feel pleased. She suddenly saw golden light flicker in Huo Yuqing's eyes!
That golden light became incomparably intense in an instant, as if piercing through her own eyes. It was like staring directly into the midday sun, bringing unbearable pain.
Yet, the pain in her eyes was nothing compared to the agony in her brain.She felt as if an arrow had pierced through her mind, leaving no place untouched by pain.Her vision vanished, leaving only darkness dotted with floating colored specks; her hearing disappeared, leaving behind only a sharp ringing sound, as if someone was severing her auditory nerves; her sense of touch faded as well—she could no longer feel her limbs, and the ground beneath her feet seemed to vanish, making her feel as though she were floating in midair.
Everything fell into silence.Beyond the ringing, a shrill and miserable scream echoed from somewhere far, far away.
Who was screaming? Then came chaotic voices. She heard someone calling for a healing-type soul master.
A cool sensation seemed to slightly ease her pain, and some of her senses slowly returned. She could hear the sound of hurried footsteps—each step striking her brain like a heavy hammer. The taste of blood, sharp as a blade, spread across her tongue.What… exactly happened?
Under the influence of that cool sensation, Cui Yajie slowly lost consciousness.—"It's a mental attack, quite severe… but nothing permanent. She just needs some time to rest." Yan Shaozhe personally checked Cui Yajie's condition.
"This is that little one's soul skill?" Xian Lin'er asked with great interest.
"It shouldn't be." Yan Shaozhe shook his head. "It seems like his soul skill had already been in use… This kind of mental attack is likely a special property of his martial soul or a unique application of his spiritual power. There are too few spirit-type soul masters, so our research in this field isn't thorough."
"Regardless, our Soul Tool Department is taking this little one." Qian Duoduo stared at Yan Shaozhe warily, as if afraid he might change his mind.
"Old Qian, I wouldn't be that untrustworthy, would I?" The Martial Soul Department's dean smiled helplessly."Heh." Xian Lin'er sneered from the side, raising an elegant eyebrow. "You? Don't we both know exactly what kind of person you are?
"Faced with the debts of his youthful romances, Yan Shaozhe wisely chose to remain silent.—On the stage, Huo Yuqing was startled by Cui Yajie's miserable state… even she hadn't expected her opponent to be injured so severely.But the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
She was a pure spirit-type soul master. Her sea of consciousness had been transformed by the power of the Golden of Life and the core energy of the million-year soul beast, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm. She had also undergone an attribute connection with the Emperor Auspicious Beast.
Three months ago, even against Tang Ya, a Soul Elder with long-term cultivation of the Purple Demon Eye, she had managed to make her opponent suffer a setback. And during these three months, Huo Yuqing had further studied the Tang Sect's Purple Demon Eye technique, successfully integrating parts of its training method into her meditation, significantly increasing both the level and total amount of her spiritual power.
With an additional 40% boost from Ning Tian, her strength had far surpassed that of Cui Yajie, who was only at the Grand Soul Master level.
Spiritual skills were inherently prone to backlash—whether it was mental impact or enchantment. Since Huo Yuqing's spiritual power was already stronger than Cui Yajie's, her counterattack naturally caused the enchantment to rebound.With multiple factors stacking up, Cui Yajie was directly rendered incapable of battle.
The battlefield instantly shifted from an evenly matched three-on-three to a three-on-two. Dai Huabin's expression grew extremely grim.
In contrast, Wang Rui's expression became even more relaxed.Certainly, since Huo Yuqing could defeat Cui Yajie, she could just as easily drive Zhu Lu back, preventing the Netherworld White Tiger from being unleashed.But since they had enough strength, why not thoroughly, openly, and honorably crush their opponents' strongest technique to win this battle?
This final match carried deeper personal grudges—grudges unrelated to Cui Yajie—so when they had strategized beforehand, they unanimously decided to eliminate her first.—At the center of the arena, Wang Rui and Dai Huabin stood facing each other like two feline predators in a standoff, locking eyes but holding back their attacks.Dai Huabin knew full well—Wang Rui alone could hold him and Zhu Lu off… dragging things out any further was pointless.As if making a decision, his face darkened. Suddenly, he moved, his soul rings flashing as a white protective shield expanded outward from his body. Then, he launched a White Tiger Fierce Light Wave toward Wang Rui's position. However, instead of pressing the attack, he retreated while shouting, "Zhu Lu!"At the same time, Zhu Lu also moved. Her figure turned ghostly and elusive, like an untouchable black stream of light, darting toward Dai Huabin.
"They can use a martial soul fusion technique? No wonder they were admitted together!" Yan Shaozhe murmured, watching from the stands. "That Wang Rui kid is strong, but even with Ning Tian's boost, I doubt he can handle the Netherworld White Tiger alone… Wait, what are they doing?
"Wang Rui and his team immediately recognized that Dai Huabin was making a desperate gamble.
"Ning Tian, leave the stage," Wang Rui called as he intercepted the White Tiger Fierce Light Wave.The golden-haired girl gave them a deep look, nodded, boosted her own speed, and dashed toward the arena's edge at full speed.
"Why are they making the Seven Treasure Glazed little one withdraw?" Xian Lin'er was puzzled.The situation on the battlefield suddenly turned strange. All the teachers watching were baffled—why would Wang Rui send Ning Tian away when they were already at a disadvantage against a martial soul fusion technique?
Dai Huabin coldly glanced at Wang Rui. He couldn't understand the reasoning behind their actions, but that didn't stop him from believing that victory was now in his grasp.With a deep, rumbling roar, Dai Huabin's already enlarged body from the White Tiger Vajra Transformation swelled further, his form stretching and growing covered in white fur.
Meanwhile, Zhu Lu radiated black light, her figure turning ethereal, almost transparent, like pure energy.She pounced toward Dai Huabin, and he caught her securely in his arms. At that moment, their eyes held only each other. Dai Huabin's gaze remained cold, but Zhu Lu's turned as soft as water, filled with nothing but him.White Tiger and Netherworld Spirit Cat—at this moment, their auras completely fused. Zhu Lu's body melted into Dai Huabin's embrace, transforming into black patterns across his skin.Even from their shifting energy, it was clear—the Netherworld White Tiger fusion technique was completely dominated by the White Tiger. The White Tiger absorbed the Spirit Cat's power, making it an extension of itself.And so too was their relationship—Zhu Lu had fallen far deeper, while Dai Huabin… remained far more clear-headed.Black and white light surged outward. In the instant of fusion, both of their bodies disappeared—only a massive white tiger remained, its shoulder height exceeding two meters, its body stretching eight meters long. Cold, murderous intent filled its gaze as it stared down Wang Rui and Huo Yuqing.
"Netherworld White Tiger… the foundation of the White Tiger Duke's lineage," Huo Yuqing muttered, standing beside Wang Rui.She looked up at the terrifying beast, eyes burning with seething hatred and rage.
"Wang Rui, I…"She instinctively grabbed Wang Rui's hand, and their soul power quickly merged together. The overwhelming hatred and anger in her heart calmed down slightly.Huo Yuqing bit her lip and turned to look at Wang Rui.
"Go ahead, take my strength. Avenge your grievances, repay your debts," the red-haired boy said with a smile.The girl took a deep breath, reached out her arm, and hooked it around Wang Rui's neck, pulling him down slightly before embracing him tightly.
Wang Rui let out a soft sigh... This martial soul fusion technique would have been very gay if Yuqing was a boy, he thought.
Huo Yuqing could feel Wang Rui's arm wrap around her waist, his breath warm against the side of her neck... But she had no time to dwell on it, and even less time to feel embarrassed.A powerful and terrifying wave of soul power rose around the two of them as they embraced, almost identical to when the Nether White Tiger fusion had taken place earlier.
"A martial soul fusion technique! And it's the second pair in this battle!" Yan Shaozhe's face showed a trace of shock.
Dai Huabin, in his Nether White Tiger form, also saw this unfold. Naturally, he understood that his opponents had a martial soul fusion technique of their own. But he did not choose to attack.
Pitting one martial soul fusion technique against another was only fair. The other side had already let their support fighter step down, giving up their advantage. If he were to interrupt their fusion now, it would be far too dishonorable—like admitting outright that he couldn't afford to lose.
Not to mention, the academy's high-ranking officials were watching from the stands, evaluating the battle. The White Tiger Duke's mansion couldn't afford such a disgrace either. Acting now would be equivalent to admitting that the Nether White Tiger's fusion technique would lose to theirs.
Dai Huabin's inherent White Tiger arrogance and absolute confidence kept him from attacking at this moment....Although, even if he did attack, it would have been useless.On the stands, Wang Rui transformed into a liquid-like red flame, merging entirely into Huo Yuqing's body. On the battlefield, blazing flames surged up, engulfing Huo Yuqing in a sea of fire.Through the flames, a vague silhouette could be seen gradually stretching and growing taller.This was the first time they had ever unleashed their martial soul fusion technique. Having merged their soul power countless times before, everything now felt strangely natural, like responding to an instinctive call.
Among their four martial soul fusion techniques, Wang Rui and Huo Yuqing each took the lead in two. Since Huo Yuqing wanted to take revenge personally, she naturally took the lead in this fusion.
At this moment, the fusion technique she was using combined the spiritual attributes of her Lingmou martial soul with the ultimate fire from Wang Rui's body.Huo Yuqing could feel Wang Rui's power flowing into her like water, merging completely into her body.Spirit, strength, physique, and soul power—all aspects were elevated at this moment. Her sea of consciousness was no longer a blank void; her spiritual power, centered around the golden core of vitality, instantly became dense. It was no longer formless like air, but had a texture like water, rippling with waves.Though still untouchable, it now had a tangible form.The spiritual power radiating outward burned like a blue-gold flame, taking on a defined shape.
"Tangible yet intangible! A single martial soul fusion directly pushed her spiritual power to this level?!" Tianmeng Iceworm shrieked in astonishment. "This kind of power..."
Huo Yuqing didn't bother listening to Tianmeng Iceworm's rambling. She was busy experiencing her power's transformation. At the same time, the effects of the fusion technique naturally surfaced in her mind.
In this fused state, she had reached the 'tangible yet intangible' stage of spiritual power—a breakthrough that brought countless benefits.
More importantly, in this moment, she could feel that she had Wang Rui—no, to be precise, they had each other. They had completely merged, their minds connected as one…
No wonder partners who share a martial soul fusion technique always end up married in the end.
Wait.If their minds were connected, wouldn't that mean Wang Rui could sense everything she was thinking right now?
Huo Yuqing hurriedly forced herself to shut out any inappropriate thoughts.However, she immediately felt a surge of intense confusion coming from Wang Rui's consciousness—an unmistakable wave of disbelief, as if the person fused with her was internally screaming and questioning reality itself.
It was only then that Huo Yuqing finally noticed the changes in her body.A moment ago, she had been too immersed in her newfound power to pay attention to herself. But the spectators—including Dai Huabin on the battlefield and the teachers in the stands—had seen everything clearly.
Just a few seconds ago, the terrifying crimson sea of fire had suddenly fallen silent. Every flickering flame froze in place, as if time had stopped. The eerie stillness lasted for only two seconds before the flames melted like ice turning into water.From the heart of the fire, something dazzling, beautiful, and pure—a brilliant azure blue—burst forth.
In an instant, Huo Yuqing's side of the battlefield was transformed into a serene sea of sapphire flames.The temperature of these flames was unimaginably high. They burned in complete silence, yet the ground beneath them showed signs of melting.At the very center of this blazing ocean stood a figure cloaked in blue fire.
She was over two meters tall, her features incomparably beautiful, and upon closer inspection, she was an older version of Huo Yuqing herself. But her eyes had changed—they now gleamed with the same golden hue as Wang Rui's, molten gold radiating an inhuman sense of oppression.
Her expression was serene yet carried a mountain-like majestic aura, like a queen surveying her dominion.
A pair of sapphire dragon horns, like a crown, adorned her head. Her long, flowing blue hair cascaded to the ground, its ends transforming into flames that seamlessly merged with the ocean of fire beneath her.She wore an elaborate and luxurious ceremonial gown. Upon closer inspection, the grand skirt was not made of fabric, but woven entirely from the same sapphire fire.
Everyone present was stunned by this breathtaking and overwhelming beauty.Everyone, except Wang Rui, who—inside their shared consciousness—was mentally spamming question marks at an insane rate.