If Wang Dong's Bright Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul represents the ultimate beauty of a Beast Martial Soul, then the pagoda that emerged in Ningtian's palm is the peak of splendor for a Tool Soul.
At the same time as the pagoda appeared, Ningtian's clear voice rang out:
"The Seven Treasures are renowned, the first is: 'Speed.'" The first soul ring on the pagoda lit up, and the rich yellow light made the pagoda even more resplendent. Two dazzling beams of light shot out instantly from the pagoda and landed on Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er.
Huo Yuhao had initiated the Shared Spiritual Detection at the beginning of the match, but he was shocked to discover that he couldn't detect the flow of Ningtian's Soul Power, nor could he tell when she used her soul skill. The reason was that the colorful pagoda in Ningtian's hand had a faint wave of strange fluctuations protecting her breath within it. It was actually able to shield against Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection.
What kind of Tool Soul was this, to be so powerful?
What stunned Huo Yuhao and the others even more followed. The moment the colored lights shone on Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er, the situation abruptly changed.
The speed of Nanmen Yun'er's palms, originally directed at Xiao Xiao, suddenly increased, even leaving behind a series of afterimages in the air.
If it weren't for Huo Yuhao's Shared Spiritual Detection, Xiao Xiao would have likely suffered a great disadvantage. The moment Nanmen Yun'er was illuminated by the colored light, Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection gave Xiao Xiao a warning. At the same time, Huo Yuhao, standing behind her, quickly grabbed the back of her clothes and yanked her backward, causing Xiao Xiao to dart back and narrowly avoid Nanmen Yun'er's palms.
Simultaneously, Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul Suppression Cauldron Martial Soul also activated. With a flash of black light, the colossal cauldron descended from the sky, landing on the ground with a violent boom. Xiao Xiao's first soul ring also lit up at the same time, Cauldron Shock!
Since the round-robin matches began, Nanmen Yun'er could be said to be the fastest opponent they had encountered. Especially after being boosted by the light from Ningtian's pagoda, her speed had completely surpassed the level of a two-ring, and even a three-ring Soul Venerable level agile-attack class Battle Soul Master would probably not be much faster.
And it was precisely in the face of such an opponent that Huo Yuhao's Shared Spiritual Detection became even more crucial.
Having missed with her first strike, Nanmen Yun'er immediately charged forward again. In her view, with her complete advantage in speed, she was confident she could finish the battle in front of her in a very short time.
However, the moment she charged forward, a sense of alarm rose in her heart. She was truly skilled. She came to an abrupt halt, forcibly stopping her momentum. Her first soul ring lit up, and a brilliant green light shone from both hands. It was faintly visible that a thin layer of green light extended from her palms to her arms. This felt slightly similar to Wang Dong's Wing Scythe Blades but was clearly a bit less powerful.
Just as her movement paused, the Three Lives Soul Suppression Cauldron fiercely landed, separating her from Xiao Xiao.
Nanmen Yun'er intended to dash past it and continue her attack, but Xiao Xiao's Cauldron Shock was already unleashed.
Amidst the intense booming, powerful shock waves enveloped Nanmen Yun'er, causing her to fall into a momentary daze.
It could be said that Xiao Xiao's Cauldron Shock, combined with Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, was an absolute powerhouse in controlling the field. With such swift speed, even Nanmen Yun'er suffered a setback.
The Three Lives Soul Suppression Cauldron surged forward, instantly striking towards Nanmen Yun'er's body.
And just as the Three Lives Soul Suppression Cauldron landed with a booming impact, Ningtian spoke again from a distance, "Seven Treasures is renowned, the second is 'Dispel'."
Another ray of light fell upon Nanmen Yun'er, and the dizziness that should have persisted was forcibly removed. Her body swiftly retreated, avoiding the strike from the Three Lives Soul Suppression Cauldron.
Huo Yuhao glanced at Ningtian from afar, feeling inwardly astonished, such a powerful Auxiliary Martial Soul, such keen judgment. Without his Spiritual Detection, she managed to instantly assess the changes on the battlefield and unhesitatingly assist her companion.
From the first two soul skills she displayed, it was evident that her first ability significantly enhanced her companions' speed, while her second ability was to remove negative effects and seals. This enabled her teammates to return to their optimal combat state. Both her combat experience and Martial Soul abilities were truly befitting of a Soul Venerable level powerhouse!
Huo Yuhao was surprised, but Nanmen Yun'er and Ningtian were even more shocked. Of course, their surprise had nothing to do with Huo Yuhao. In their eyes, Xiao Xiao was formidable. The precise timing and positioning of the Three Lives Soul Suppression Cauldron could only be described as perfect. Moreover, it countered Nanmen Yun'er's soul skill, blocking her sure-win strike and nearly turning it around, forcing Ningtian to use her second soul skill. The two women began to see Xiao Xiao in a new light.
On the other side of the battlefield, the fight between Wang Dong and Wu Feng erupted with intensity.
Both possessed top-level Beast Martial Souls. With the augmentation from Ningtian, Wu Feng's movement and attack speed soared, and she also unleashed her first soul skill, Dragon's Fire.
A dense red flame emerged from within her, enveloping about one foot around her body. Each of her strikes carried the high temperatures of Dragon's Fire, causing significant trouble for Wang Dong.
But Wang Dong's combat power was by no means inferior to his opponent. His second soul ring was at the Millennium level, and his amplification from the two soul rings even surpassed Wu Feng's. The rarity of the Bright Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul was even greater than that of the Red Dragon. The speed of the opponent had increased, but let's not forget Wang Dong had Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection assistance! Spreading his Wing Scythe Blades, he was not only holding his ground but even gaining an edge by anticipating his enemy's moves.
Since completing the Martial Soul Fusion with Huo Yuhao, the two had developed an unspoken understanding. Even the effect of Huo Yuhao's Shared Spiritual Detection on Wang Dong was greater than on Xiao Xiao. Often, just as the Spiritual Detection began to indicate an inkling of judgment, Wang Dong's Wing Scythe Blade would already strike out. Wu Feng was hampered and frustrated. She could feel that she was stronger than her opponent, but she couldn't gain the upper hand. She didn't dare to let her body clash against Wang Dong's Wing Scythe Blades directly. However, Wang Dong's blades seemed to be as aware of her movements as if they could read her mind; before she could even make a move, his attack would already be waiting there, causing Wu Feng immense frustration and repeated screeches of rage.
Fortunately for her, her speed was superior to Wang Dong's, allowing her to change tactics much faster. Although Wang Dong could anticipate the opponent's moves, he still had to prioritize self-preservation. If he couldn't keep up with the speed to defend, he'd still suffer despite his predictions.
At the moment when both sides revealed their Martial Souls, everyone had thought the outcome was already decided; even Zhou Yi on the High Platform no longer had confidence. Yet, to everyone's astonishment, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao weren't falling behind against their powerful opponents.
Mu Jin couldn't believe her own words, "How, how is this possible? What are they doing? With the speed enhancement from the Soul Venerable level Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, their speed should increase by forty percent! That should at least equate to the Soul Venerable level. How could they not overpower their opponents?"
Zhou Yi turned her head to exchange a look with Fan Yu next to her; his eyes conveyed inquiry, and she nodded softly to him. Fan Yu immediately understood, his eyes brightening as he unconsciously refocused on the least conspicuous Huo Yuhao on the battlefield, who had only a white ten-year Soul Ring flickering.
"Is it him?"
"Mhm."
Yes, it was Huo Yuhao.
Ningtian was definitely a top Auxiliary Tool Soul Master of the same level, but weren't Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes also those of a top control-class Battle Soul Master? Though he currently relied on this single Martial Soul, let's not forget that he was fighting against opponents with two rings and three rings! Yet, with the assistance of Shared Spiritual Detection, he could negate the advantage of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda's enhancement.
This is the might of a million-year Soul Ring, with the assistance of the Soul Skills Spiritual Detection and Spirit Share, he controlled the overall situation, while Ningtian's enhancement was only for two individuals.
The battle between the two sides was at a stalemate for the time being. Although Xiao Xiao had blocked Nanmen Yun er's assault, she still dared not act rashly. The opponent's speed was simply too fast. She had only managed to protect the two of them under Huo Yuhao's guidance with Spiritual Detection after releasing all three of her Three Lives Soul Suppression Cauldrons. In fact, she was still in a passive position.
Wang Dong's situation on the other side was almost the same. Without a burst of power, he could only maintain the status quo; a counterattack seemed very difficult. After all, the opponent's speed was too fast. A single misstep could give the enemy an opportunity.
A hint of confusion flashed across Ningtian's eyes as she instinctively glanced towards Huo Yuhao behind Xiao Xiao. Given Xiao Xiao's petite stature, she couldn't entirely block Huo Yuhao from view, and Huo Yuhao was also looking towards her.
As their gazes met, Ningtian's eyes narrowed slightly with a touch of arrogance, while Huo Yuhao simply nodded at her with a smile.
Is it him? Ningtian's mind raced as she noticed the Soul Ring on Huo Yuhao's body, flickering with a faint white glow.
At the start of the battle, neither she, Wu Feng, nor Nanmen Yun er had paid any attention to Huo Yuhao's existence. It was no wonder they did not, for how could a Level Seventeen Great Soul Master with just a 10 year soul ring catch the attention of these proud children of heaven?
But as the competition progressed to this point, the observant Ningtian noticed something was off. She was the first to suspect something was amiss with Huo Yuhao since the freshman examination.
Could someone with just a ten-year Soul Ring be a member of Shrek Academy? Moreover, his Soul Ring was constantly shining, indicating he was using a soul skill. This made Ningtian recall Huo Yuhao's introduction earlier where he had mentioned he was a control-class Battle Soul Master.
What was his Martial Soul? And what Soul Skill was he currently releasing?
As enlightenment dawned, Ningtian shouted sharply, "Yun er, attack that one-ring guy behind."
Just like Huo Yuhao's role in his team, Ningtian was the brain of their three-person group.
Hearing Ningtian's words, Nanmen Yun er accelerated abruptly, but she did not head directly for Huo Yuhao, nor Xiao Xiao. Her figure flipped around, rushing instantly towards Wang Dong, who was not far behind.
Nanmen Yun er's speed was so fast that although Wang Dong could sense her sudden attack through Spiritual Detection, he struggled to cope. And Xiao Xiao was too late to help.
The opponent was fully exploiting the advantage of speed, launching a pincer attack on Wang Dong with the strength of two people.
Nanmen Yun er and Wu Feng worked in perfect tandem. As soon as she made her move, the latter suddenly burst out with a radiant red light. Her second soul ring lit up, and the Dragon's Fire that rose from her body swiftly turned deep red. The originally partial scale armor on her body suddenly thickened, and as her eyes flared with red light, her left hand had completely transformed into the shape of a dragon claw.
This was precisely Wu Feng's second Soul Skill, Anger of the Dragon.
Under the state of Anger of the Dragon, her offensive and defensive power dramatically surged in an instant, and it also amplified all her other Soul Skills. The heat of Dragon's Fire almost instantly soared by hundreds of degrees, causing the surrounding air to distort violently.
Nanmen Yun er also launched her second soul skill as she charged at Wang Dong. As her yellow hundred-year Soul Ring shone brightly, her hands came together above her head, condensing a crescent-shaped light blade above her, which she brought slashing down towards Wang Dong.
Her Martial Soul was the Jade Green Bird, and the first soul skill she had used was called Jade Green Knife, transforming her arms into blades. This second soul skill combined with the first, was called Jade Green Slash.
As an agile-attack class Battle Soul Master, she was known for her speed and attack power. The power of this strike was obvious to imagine. The verdant light blade drew a beautiful arc through the air, cleaving straight towards Wang Dong with a locking effect that made it impossible to dodge.
Two Grand Soul Masters launched their second soul skills simultaneously, and with the amplification of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, they co-attacked Wang Dong. This was clearly an all out move; if they could deal with Wang Dong, the direct-attack class Battle Soul Master, Xiao Xiao and Huo Yuhao would naturally not be their match. This was the advantage of speed; even if one knew what the opponent was going to do, they could still be suppressed.
But how could the likes of Huo Yuhao and his teammates just sit idly by? Anyone else would have been caught off guard, but Huo Yuhao's team had the advantage that as soon as Nanmen Yun er made her move, they were able to predict the opponent's next attack based on her trajectory and the explosive operation of her and Wu Feng's Soul Power.
Indeed, they were too late in terms of speed, but at this moment, the three of them also made different responses.
Xiao Xiao's gaze sharpened, and she raised her arms in front of her. Suddenly, her demeanor changed, an aura of delicate beauty emerging on her face. Immediately after, her two yellow Soul Rings merged into one atop her head, with the Three Lives Soul Suppression Cauldron floating above, while in her hands appeared a long jade flute.
The jade flute was lengthy, adorned with lifelike phoenix carvings. In contrast to the stable Three Lives Soul Suppression Cauldron, Xiao Xiao, holding it, looked even more like a celestial fairy.
That single Soul Ring quietly lit up, and a subtle melody sounded, not particularly melodious but imparting a viscous feeling to those who heard it. A verdant halo then spread out from Xiao Xiao's body at the center.
Neither Wu Feng nor Nanmen Yun er could outpace the speed of sound, and their actions, originally aimed at double-teaming Wang Dong, abruptly slowed down as they launched their soul skills, their velocity significantly reduced.
"Twin Martial Souls!" Almost everyone watching the match exclaimed in unison at the sight.
Indeed, what Xiao Xiao had just used was her second Martial Soul, the Nine Phoenix Flute. Although it had only one Soul Ring, at that instant, Xiao Xiao exhibited the might of a control-class Tool Soul Master.
It had to be admitted that in terms of Martial Soul quality, her Nine Phoenix Flute was inferior to Ningtian's Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. Her first soul skill could only slow down the opponent's speed by twenty percent. Nonetheless, the already adapted Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun er were still significantly affected, and their coordinated strike on Wang Dong was consequently delayed.
Wang Dong certainly wasn't going to let his opponents attack unopposed. The moment his Spiritual Detection told him something was amiss, the second Soul Ring on his body lit up—a Millennium-level purple soul ring.
The resplendent purple Soul Ring instantly overshadowed the brilliance of the Soul Rings from Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun er, who were in front and behind him. The wings of his Bright Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul also shone brightly.
The golden patterns on the azure wings seemed to ignite like tiny suns, bursting forth with intense radiance.
All these patterns were concentrated on the forward wings, with his left wing suddenly twisting to face the rear, towards Nanmen Yun er, and the right wing directed at Wu Feng. The gold patterns on both wings simultaneously shone brightly.
Wang Dong's entire body seemed to turn gold in that moment, instantly becoming the most dazzling being across all sixteen competition fields.
On the High Platform, even teachers who hadn't been watching their match turned their gaze at the sudden transformation, witnessing the splendid wings unleash a powerful attack both forwards and backwards at the same moment.
Wang Dong's second soul skill of the Goddess of Light Butterfly, Light of Butterfly God.
Even Huo Yuhao had never witnessed the power of this soul skill before.
Wu Feng, who was in the midst of performing Anger of the Dragon, was almost instantly devoured by the golden light, while the Jade Green Slash on the other side only managed to pierce through half of the golden light before fizzling out. That same golden light also struck Nanmen Yun er.
Both Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun er only felt a warmth on their bodies before they were violently thrown backward. In contrast, Wang Dong elegantly landed on the ground with a twist in the air, looking incredibly suave.
This was the power of a Millennium level Soul Ring!
However, no one noticed the secret confrontation between Huo Yuhao and Ningtian.
Just as Wang Dong was using his soul skill, Ningtian also chanted an incantation for the third time, "Seven Treasures renowned, on the third day..." Her soul curse was only halfway completed when it paused. Not only that, but the two significant boosts previously added to Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun er also vanished at the same time.
It was precisely because of this that the reduced speed effect of the Nine Phoenix Flute, which was originally perfectly restrained by her second soul skill, took effect. Nanmen Yun er, who relied on her speed, was unable to dodge the radiance of Light of Butterfly God and was rendered unconscious by the seemingly warm and genial golden light.
Ningtian certainly did not make a mistake. The reason for all of this lay in the flash of golden light in Huo Yuhao's spirit eyes. Soul Shock!
It was Soul Shock that disrupted Ningtian's boosts on her two teammates, as well as the powerful Millennium level soul skill she was about to cast.
Huo Yuhao's cultivation level might have been quite inferior to Ningtian's, but his Soul Shock, combined with the Purple Demon Eyes, had once made even someone with Ma Xiaotao's cultivation experience a moment of stupefaction.
After being hit by his attack, Ningtian only felt as if her brain had been pricked with a needle for a moment, a brief void appearing before her eyes. When she recovered from the sharp pain in her head, Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun er had already been blasted away by Wang Dong's Light of Butterfly God.
Wu Feng fared somewhat better as she was casting Dragon's Fire and Anger of the Dragon simultaneously, her offensive and defensive capabilities were quite formidable. Despite taking that hit, she did not suffer much damage and rolled several times on the ground before standing up. Whereas Nanmen Yun er fell into unconsciousness upon landing, losing all her combat power.
"Ningtian, what are you doing?" Wu Feng looked back at Ningtian with rage and confusion on her face.
Ningtian, however, was holding her forehead, just recovering from the Soul Shock, her eyes still showing a hint of bewilderment. As the core of the team, she almost immediately realized she must have been affected by the opponent's skill, her gaze quickly finding Huo Yuhao, whose eyes shimmered with a faint golden light.
"Wu Feng, give it your all."
As she spoke, Ningtian began chanting the soul curse with utmost speed, "Seven Treasures renowned, first named: Speed, Seven Treasures renowned; second named: Release, Seven Treasures renowned; third named: Strength."
The two yellow and one purple soul rings on her pagoda shone simultaneously, activating the three soul rings at the same time, which made the pagoda in her hands exceptionally dazzling, even appearing to increase slightly in size. Three beams of light were shot out, landing on Wu Feng, while another three beams reflected back, landing on herself.
"Her second soul skill could remove all negative effects from auxiliary soul masters, and she used it on herself this time, not believing that Huo Yuhao would be able to interrupt her."
"With the thousand-year soul ring skill activated, Wu Feng's speed had not only increased by forty percent, but her strength had also increased by the same margin. Coupled with her second soul skill to resist negative effects, she was now comparable to a level 30 or above direct-attack class Battle Soul Venerable. Despite losing Nanmen Yun er's combat power, they still had great confidence in winning this match."
"Wang Dong, come back," Huo Yuhao shouted.
He was not bluffing like Ningtian had; with a flap of his wings, Wang Dong rapidly returned to Huo Yuhao's side, while Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul Suppression Cauldron floated to their front. Her body flickered with the alternating light of two soul rings, as she released both of her martial souls simultaneously.
Huo Yuhao placed a hand on Wang Dong's shoulder. Wang Dong's wings that were slightly drawn in just covered Huo Yuhao's body perfectly, so that aside from Wang Dong, no one else could see what Huo Yuhao was doing from any angle.
With his hand on Wang Dong, the Haodong Power was fused. The match had become far too difficult, and tomorrow they might have to face even stronger opponents. Huo Yuhao had decided not to waste any more time. He was ready to settle the battle once and for all.
Wang Dong clearly saw that a brilliant purple-gold light surged from the depths of Huo Yuhao's eyes, and the strange radiance burst forth from his pupils in a three-inch flame. Although it vanished in a flash, under Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, Wang Dong still felt a terrifying spiritual fluctuation suddenly erupt.
This was because he was by Huo Yuhao's side, with their Martial Souls fused, granting them a strong immunity to each other's souls. Had it been someone else, even if they had not been directly hit by Huo Yuhao's attack, they would probably have become dizzy.
If Ningtian had felt like her brain had been pricked by a needle just a moment ago, then now, she felt as if she had been violently struck by a hammer. Her vision went white, her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, with blood trickling out of her nose and mouth like small serpents.
Her second soul skill could only remove auxiliary skills, whereas Huo Yuhao's Soul Shock was a bona fide spiritual series attack skill. How could her second soul skill possibly neutralize it? Moreover, this strike was carried out with the combined effort of Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Martial Soul might be strong, but it had no ability to defend against spirit-class attacks. In a sense, Ningtian's amplification ability was actually perfectly countered by Huo Yuhao.
Wu Feng, who was rushing towards Huo Yuhao and his companions, suddenly slowed down, as the speed and strength she had just gained disappeared. She turned back in surprise to look at Ningtian, just in time to see her fall. No longer concerned with attacking the enemy, she ran back to Ningtian's side and caught her in her arms.
"Ningtian, Ningtian what's wrong with you?" Seeing Ningtian bleeding from the mouth and nose, Wu Feng immediately panicked.
Xiao Xiao turned around sharply to look at Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, asking in surprise, "Did you two do this?"
With a proud smile, Wang Dong said, while Huo Yuhao shrugged his shoulders and said, "Your use of 'did' is not quite right."
The proctor teachers were somewhat dazed, and it was only after Huo Yuhao's reminder that they announced the victory of his team. Even though Wu Feng was still visibly unsatisfied, without the support of Ningtian and the speed of Nanmen Yun er, she alone was no match for Wang Dong and the Twin Martial Souls Xiao Xiao. Moreover, she was eager to treat Ningtian and could no longer worry about the match.
On the observation high platform, Mu Jin had become completely stupefied; she couldn't believe her eyes. Two Grand Soul Masters and a Soul Venerable with the world-renowned Tool Soul of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda had lost to two Grand Soul Masters and a Soul Master with just a ten-year soul ring.
It wasn't just her disbelief; no one would believe such a contrast in strength if they heard it.
Yet, the undeniable truth was before them, Ningtian and her team had lost.
Fan Yu's eyes revealed a hint of amusement as he said to Zhou Yi, "That was a truly splendid match. Your students surprised me, particularly Huo Yuhao. I did not expect him to have such capability."
Zhou Yi's eyes held only gratification as she said, "Let's go." Leading the way, she headed toward the stairs of the high platform. Passing by Mu Jin, she gave her a cold glance but didn't say a word. With a leap, she jumped down from the twenty-meter-high platform.
Fan Yu, without so much as a glance at Mu Jin, likewise floated down, following Zhou Yi.
""What did you two just do? Why did Ningtian faint all of a sudden?" As they left the examination area, Xiao Xiao couldn't help but voice her confusion.
Huo Yuhao chuckled, "I launched a spiritual impact with my spiritual power. She was caught off guard and was knocked unconscious by my spiritual force."
"Ah? You can do that? No wonder her soul skill was interrupted before. That was you, right?" Xiao Xiao's face was a picture of shock.
Huo Yuhao nodded and said, "Perhaps this is the advantage of having a self martial soul. Moreover, it also involves the unique eye technique of the Purple Demon Eyes from the Tang Sect. I used the Purple Demon Eyes to stimulate my own spiritual power, which is why the attack was so effective. As for why the spiritual impact strengthened after I called back Wang Dong, it's because we've mastered a Martial Soul Fusion Skill over the past few days."
They were teammates, and Xiao Xiao had committed herself fully during the earlier matches, and with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's Haodong Power certain to be used in later matches, there was no point in keeping it a secret. It was better to be upfront than to let Xiao Xiao feel there was a barrier between them.
Xiao Xiao looked at them, dumbfounded, pointed at Huo Yuhao, then at Wang Dong, and blurted out a sentence that made the two of them not know whether to laugh or cry, "I'm becoming more and more suspicious of you two…"
Huo Yuhao scratched his head, "What?"
Xiao Xiao grabbed one hand from each of Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, brought them together, and glanced disdainfully at Huo Yuhao, "You don't know? It's the feelings between men that go beyond friendship."
"You…"
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong exploded in unison, while Xiao Xiao turned and ran away, laughing like silver bells. She didn't forget to play the slowing tune with her Nine Phoenix Flute to reduce the speed of the two chasing after her.
In stark contrast to their joyous laughter was Ningtian, who was slowly regaining consciousness in the infirmary with the help of a high-level healing class soul master.
As soon as she woke up, she couldn't help but curl up, holding her head as waves of severe pain caused beads of cold sweat to form on her forehead.
"Ningtian, Ningtian…"
Wu Feng held her body with concern, and Nanmen Yun er stood by, with a puzzled expression on her face.
Their teacher, Mu Jin, had a very dark expression on her face. She asked the healer who had just treated Ningtian, "What happened to her? What caused her to faint?"
The healing teacher pondered, "I can't say for sure. It feels as though she suffered a heavy blow to the head, causing a concussion. You know, our brain is the most delicate organ in the body, and to this day, no one has really managed to fully study the brain. I can only make a judgment based on the outward symptoms. However, her own soul power has a very good ability to regulate itself, and the problem is no longer serious. She should be able to recover before long."
"Thank you," Mu Jin thanked the healing teacher and walked to the bedside.
After a brief period of discomfort, Ningtian's headache gradually eased, and her breathing became much steadier.
Nanmen Yun'er asked Mu Jin in a low voice, "Teacher Mu, what exactly happened? How did we lose the match?" She was still unclear about how they had lost.
Mu Jin's expression was solemn, and she remained silent. Nanmen Yun'er's question was the same doubt that lingered in her own mind. She also didn't know where the battle had been lost. Although she could see the situation clearly from the high platform, she couldn't make out the details, especially what happened when Haodong's Power was triggered by Huo Yuhao under the cover of Wang Dong's wings. She couldn't see the slightest bit of the situation. The answer could only be uncovered when Ningtian woke up.
It took a full quarter of an hour before Ningtian slowly regained consciousness from her stupor, and when she opened her eyes, she couldn't help but frown again. The pain in her head had eased a lot, and her thoughts were gradually returning.
Wu Feng helped her sit up and drink some water, and Ningtian's pale complexion finally looked a bit better. Seeing Mu Jin standing at the window, her pretty face couldn't help but reveal a trace of shame, "Teacher Mu, we lost."
Mu Jin nodded at her, saying gently, "It's okay, losing a match is not a big deal, as long as you are okay."
Mu Jin's words warmed Ningtian's heart, "Teacher Mu, from the spectator's platform, were you able to tell where we lost?"
Mu Jin was taken aback, "You don't know either?"
Ningtian pressed her hand to her forehead, steadying herself, "At that time, I had just finished assisting Wu Feng. To be cautious, I had also applied three major auxiliary skills to myself. But in the next instant, it seemed like a cluster of purple-gold light magnified in front of my eyes, and then it was like a huge hammer smashed my head, and I didn't know anything after that."
Wu Feng spoke angrily, "Those bastards hit so hard, Teacher Mu, we can't just let this go."
Mu Jin gave her a cold glance, "What else do you want to do then? It was an assessment, do you think it was a sect competition?"
Wu Feng bowed her head and fell silent, but her fists were clenched tightly, her eyes not only held anger but also a deep-seated hatred.
Mu Jin asked Ningtian, "Think carefully, before you passed out, was there anything unusual?"
After pondering for a moment, Ningtian said, "Although I don't know how they did it, the problem must have originated from that One-ring Soul Master. From beginning to end, his soul ring was shining brightly, indicating that he was constantly using a soul skill that we couldn't perceive, yet it was affecting the battle. I vaguely noticed that there seemed to be golden light flickering in his eyes. With such a team, having a strong direct-attack class Battle Soul Master, and a Twin Martial Souls control-class Battle Soul Master, how did that new student with only a 10-year soul ring qualify? He must have some special ability. During the most critical moment before, he had already interrupted my auxiliary support once, and at that time, it felt like my head had been pricked by a needle. But the second time, his attack was much stronger."
Mu Jin's heart stirred. Indeed! That new student with only one soul ring had not done much from the beginning to the end. It was always the Goddess of Light Butterfly Soul Master and the Twin Martial Souls Soul Master fighting. So, what role did he play? No wonder Zhou Yi was so confident. This new student with only a ten-year soul ring must have some secret.
Suppressing the resentment in her heart, Mu Jin said, "What's lost is lost, but we must learn from defeat. You have already passed the freshman assessment. The competition with them will definitely appear again in the future. Ningtian, rest well."
"Thank you, Teacher Mu."