Chapter 207: Fire Immunity
The intense explosion from the fusion ring skill took its toll on Huo Wu as well. Her long, toned legs were cut by shards of debris, leaving her with numerous small wounds, and even her delicate face bore an unfortunate scratch. Her face was pale, her breaths ragged, as her previous poise faltered.
"Dai Yao, are you... still alive?" she muttered, struggling to stand as she clutched her injuries and glanced around with dazed eyes, searching for any trace of him, her voice hoarse. Huo Wu had refrained from using the fusion ring technique during the previous day's match against Shrek to save her strength for her duel against Dai Yao. Once used, the skill would drain all her soul power, leaving her unable to fight in the next round. She wanted to prove herself by defeating him, washing away the sting of her two previous losses, but she hadn't intended to kill him. Yet Dai Yao, with what seemed like reckless bravado, hadn't even used his martial soul, opting instead to meet her fusion ring skill head-on.
Just as Huo Wu began to feel a pang of regret, a massive stone in the ruins suddenly burst apart, drawing the gaze of the entire crowd. As the dust settled from the stone's explosion, a figure emerged.
"He's alive! I can sense his aura!" Tang San exclaimed in the Shrek viewing area, his eyes glowing with a faint purple light as he locked onto the dust cloud. His breathing quickened as the faint sound of footsteps became clearer, signaling to the crowd that someone was indeed approaching.
As the figure came into view, Tang San's eyes remained unblinking, and then, finally, his pupils constricted. Stepping calmly out of the haze was Dai Yao, dressed in his signature moon-white robe. It had picked up some creases and dust since the match began, but he looked otherwise unscathed.
A gentle breeze lifted his now dusted golden hair, casting a subtle gleam over his calmly resolute face. An astonished silence filled the arena as the audience looked on in disbelief. He had endured the full force of Huo Wu's devastating fusion ring skill without even summoning his martial soul, emerging completely unscathed and as collected as if he'd never been in battle. Dai Yao's feat defied all expectations and left everyone questioning their understanding of what a soul master could achieve.
"Impossible! How can you not even have a scratch?" Huo Wu's face mirrored the astonishment on many others in the crowd as she stared at Dai Yao's flawless appearance, struggling to comprehend what she was seeing.
She knew all too well the terrifying power of her soul skill—its innate explosive force, its focused intensity after repeated compression. The enormous crater left in the arena was proof of the skill's devastating might.
Dai Yao stepped slowly out of the dissipating dust, inspecting his hands with quiet satisfaction. "My Cloud Pattern Hand… it's complete!" he murmured with genuine joy.
He'd known the risks of testing his Cloud Pattern Hand against such a powerful fusion ring, but this battle had been the perfect opportunity to push its limits. Now, he felt confident he could withstand even Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer in their inevitable clash.
Dai Yao glanced over at Huo Wu and, in response to her shocked question, spoke in a calm, almost dismissive tone: "I have fire immunity. No matter how strong a fire-based attack is, it's completely ineffective against me."
At his words, Huo Wu's figure trembled. Realizing her technique had been so thoroughly countered, she wondered if Dai Yao had been humoring her from the start. She took a deep breath to steady herself, then pressed further, "But my soul skill had explosive attributes. How did you stop that?"
"No comment," Dai Yao replied coolly, unwilling to reveal any details of the Cloud Pattern Hand, a technique he intended to keep as his ace against Tang San.
Seeing his distant, impassive gaze, Huo Wu's spirit wavered. After a long silence, she managed a faint, resigned smile. "I… concede. I'm defeated and have nothing to contest."
In that moment, her desire to compete with Dai Yao dissolved. Her previous losses she had attributed to her own oversight, but now, her most powerful skill—the fusion ring—had been stopped without even forcing Dai Yao to use his martial soul. There was no room left for regret.
With Huo Wu's admission of defeat, a chill washed over the onlookers as they all watched the lone figure in the moon-white robe standing tall. On the same stage where Huo Wu had shone so brightly during previous rounds, she had been utterly outmatched by Dai Yao, who had kept control of the fight from start to finish, revealing only at the end that his fire immunity rendered her attacks useless.
Tang San's face darkened, glancing toward Platinum Bishop Salas in the VIP section. Sure enough, Salas looked exhilarated, visibly impressed by Dai Yao's performance. Tang San's eyes shifted to his right hand, where his Blue Silver Grass emerged, a flicker of resentment in his gaze.
Meanwhile, in the Oakland Academy section, Dai Yao's teammates cheered wildly. Even the usually composed Feng Qianli finally unclenched his fists, releasing a long breath of relief.
Seeing Dai Yao unharmed, Dugu Yan quickly hid her concern and scoffed, "Showoff! Always making things nerve-wracking. Zhu Zhuqing, you'd better give him a good talking to once he's back."
Zhu Zhuqing turned her head, her usually cool face softened by a rare, gentle smile. "I trust him. He'd never do anything unless he was certain," she replied warmly.
Dugu Yan's face softened, and after a pause, she reached out, poking Zhu Zhuqing's cheek lightly. "You… he's got you wrapped around his finger for life."
The referee, surveying the damaged battlefield and glancing between Dai Yao and Huo Wu, hesitated. "Due to the state of the field, Dai Yao and the next competitor from Blazing Fire Academy will rest briefly while we repair the arena," he announced.
Dai Yao looked over at Huo Wu, who lay sprawled on the ground, too weak to stand. In a single, fluid motion, he approached and helped her to her feet.
Startled by his unexpected gesture, Huo Wu glanced at his composed expression, feeling her heart skip a beat as a faint blush rose on her cheeks. "Thank you," she murmured.
"No problem." Dai Yao handed her off to Huo Wushuang, who cast a complicated glance at Dai Yao and thanked him as he instructed their support members to help restore Huo Wu's depleted soul power.
As the two red-clad beams of light enveloped her, Huo Wu felt strength returning to her limbs. But as she thought of her academy's position, she looked over to Huo Wushuang and asked, "Brother, do we continue? I don't think any of us can match Dai Yao."
Seeing his teammates' conflicted expressions, Huo Wushuang fell into contemplation. After Huo Wu's defeat, they had drawn skeptical glances from the other teams. The fact that Dai Yao hadn't even activated his martial soul to beat Huo Wu made some wonder if Blazing Fire Academy's reputation was overblown.
"No, we have to at least force him to use his martial soul, or Blazing Fire Academy's honor will suffer," Huo Wushuang declared firmly.
"Yes, Captain! Let's go all out!" Motivated by Dai Yao's calm confidence, the Blazing Fire Academy team rallied, determined to show the audience what they could achieve.
Back on the stage, to Dai Yao's surprise, a series of earth-element soul masters quickly restored the arena with their soul skills. In just a quarter of an hour, the once ruined battleground was fully restored.
"Now, would the next Blazing Fire Academy participant please come forward!" the referee announced.
A fiery figure burst from Blazing Fire Academy's seating area—the Fire Leopard soul master, his face set in grim determination.
"I'm going to force you to use your martial soul," he said, his tone serious.
"That depends on your strength," Dai Yao replied coolly.
One after another, Blazing Fire Academy's participants entered the stage, only to be swept away by Dai Yao with ease. Not one of them succeeded in pushing him to reveal his martial soul, and the murmur of voices among the spectators grew steadily louder.
"Blazing Fire Academy must be all show. They're losing so quickly," one remarked.
"Exactly. They can't even make him use his martial soul," another scoffed.
Soul masters from various kingdoms and duchies took the chance to mock Blazing Fire Academy. The once-spirited Blazing Fire participants now looked dejected. They couldn't defend themselves, having been utterly outmatched by Dai Yao's straightforward yet overwhelming strength.
But those who knew Blazing Fire Academy's true caliber—like the participants from Godwind Academy, Tianshui Academy, and Shrek Academy—wore expressions of deep concern. Blazing Fire Academy's strength wasn't far behind theirs, and the same outcome could have happened to any of them.
Dai Yao remained serene throughout. Blazing Fire had sent up five participants, including the twin brothers Firecloud and Firerain, both of whom had recently broken through to the Soul Ancestor rank. Yet none of them succeeded in getting Dai Yao to use his martial soul.
Dai Yao employed his two self-created soul techniques, Explosive Step and Eight Extremes Collapse, seamlessly in combat. If his opponents were fast, they lacked power; if they were powerful, they weren't quick enough. Dai Yao capitalized on every flaw, sending each opponent flying off the stage with skillful precision.
Among Blazing Fire's six competitors, three had reached level forty or higher, yet not one of them managed to trouble Dai Yao. His expression and stance revealed no signs of fatigue, as though his soul power was still untouched.
"Next," he said calmly, one hand behind his back, the other raised slightly after sending Firerain off the platform.
A profound silence blanketed the arena. In that stillness, Dai Yao's calm words seemed to echo, while every gaze directed at him was laced with apprehension. For most of the audience, mocking Blazing Fire was merely a means to express their envy. Blazing Fire had long been a giant among academy teams, but they'd never had such an opportunity to ridicule it.
Yet the presence of that white-robed figure standing unshaken in the arena sent chills through them. How could such a terrifying person exist among their peers?
Some even began hoping that Blazing Fire's final participant, Huo Wushuang—the one touted as one of the strongest attack-type soul masters in the competition—might be able to give Dai Yao a real fight.
"Brother…" Huo Wu began, trailing off as she looked at Huo Wushuang's solitary figure with a complex expression.
Huo Wushuang turned to his sister, his once-stern expression softening into a gentle smile. He reached out, touching Huo Wu's hair in a comforting gesture. "Don't worry. Leave the rest to me," he said.
He then surveyed his team and saw the heads of his dejected teammates hanging low. They avoided meeting his gaze, too ashamed to look up. He barked, "Straighten up! What's the matter with all of you? Just because we lost doesn't mean we're disgraced!"
"You are all the best of our generation! When you compete, you must be prepared to face defeat. In Douluo Continent, there will always be someone stronger than you!"
"After a loss, what matters is to accept it, strengthen yourselves, and aim for victory in the future! Standing here sulking… it's disgraceful!"
Encouraged by Huo Wushuang's words, the five defeated members slowly lifted their heads, a glimmer of determination reigniting in their eyes. It wasn't easy to come to terms with such an overwhelming loss to someone their own age, but Huo Wushuang's words had rekindled their spirits.
Seeing his teammates' renewed resolve, Huo Wushuang felt a wave of relief. He turned to face Dai Yao, his expression becoming solemn once more. Dai Yao had already achieved an impressive six-on-one victory, yet he hadn't shown a hint of exhaustion. If he defeated Huo Wushuang, it would mark a seven-on-one—a feat previously unheard of. Blazing Fire Academy, once seen as a powerhouse, would forever become the team Dai Yao used to reach this historic milestone.
For Huo Wushuang, the stakes were higher than ever. As team captain, he bore the weight of Blazing Fire's reputation. Even if he couldn't beat Dai Yao, he needed to at least push him to use his martial soul. Otherwise, the academy's reputation would plummet.
Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Huo Wushuang inhaled the cool air until it soothed his tension. Under the gaze of many spectators, he ascended the stage with steady steps.
Facing Dai Yao, who stood with unbroken composure in his white attire, Huo Wushuang cupped his fists respectfully. "Huo Wushuang, Captain of Blazing Fire Academy, level forty-three attack-type Battle Soul Master. Please, let's have a good match."
Dai Yao returned the gesture. "Dai Yao, Deputy Captain of Oakland Academy, level forty-five attack-type Battle Soul Master. Let's fight."
At the announcement of Dai Yao's level, a hum of whispers broke out in the audience. A level forty-five soul power made him one of the strongest competitors in the entire tournament.
Hearing this, Tang San's heart sank. "In just one month, he's grown even stronger? He's younger than me by several months, yet his soul power has already surpassed mine," he thought grimly.
With the judge's signal, the match began.
Huo Wushuang instantly released his martial soul, revealing the distinctive one-horned fire dragon. The intense heat emanating from him caused the air itself to waver with energy. Lowering his stance, he launched himself like a cannonball toward Dai Yao, his third soul ring shining fiercely. "Third soul skill—Fire Dragon Claw!"
Watching Huo Wushuang charge forward with determination blazing in his dark red eyes, Dai Yao felt a trace of admiration. Challenging an unbeatable foe took courage, and he respected that.
But respect didn't mean he would hold back. The allure of achieving an unprecedented seven-on-one win was undeniable. He gazed at Huo Wushuang, his expression as predatory as a beast eyeing its prey.
As soul power surged through his hands, he prepared his self-created soul skill that had already defeated five members of Blazing Fire Academy.
This would be the final test.
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