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However, Jiang Nannan remained completely unfazed in this situation.
"Second Soul Skill—Gravity Control!"
Though it was only a hundred-year soul skill, capable of altering gravity by only a small margin, in this moment, it became her lifeline. Her body rapidly plummeted to the ground, narrowly avoiding the Phoenix Piercing Cloud Strike.
Underneath her helmet, Jiang Nannan winced slightly. There was no helping it—falling from such a height had left her legs numb.
In mid-air, Ma Xiaotao's expression darkened. That attack had been her strongest offensive soul skill.
Originally, Ma Xiaotao hadn't intended to use a ten-thousand-year soul skill. After all, her opponent wasn't Huo Yuer, whom she considered her greatest threat. Even for a Soul Emperor, using a ten-thousand-year soul skill was taxing, and Ma Xiaotao was genuinely worried about whether her soul power would last until her fight against Huo Yuer.
But now, Ma Xiaotao had no time to dwell on these thoughts. She had clearly noticed Jiang Nannan's stiffened movements.
"What a great opportunity!" Ma Xiaotao's eyes gleamed as she enveloped herself in ultimate fire, diving straight down without using any soul skills, intending to end Jiang Nannan with sheer force.
But at this critical moment, Jiang Nannan raised her right hand and shouted:
"I yield!"
Just as they were about to collide, Tian Sha Douluo, the final match's chief referee, instantly stepped between them.
"The match is over. Cease your attacks," Tian Sha Douluo said calmly.
Beneath his flowing robes, Tian Sha Douluo's right hand twitched almost imperceptibly. Though he was self-taught, even he hadn't expected that the flames of a mere Soul Emperor could harm him.
At this moment, Jiang Nannan dispelled her armor fusion, lightly tossed her slightly disheveled golden hair, and smiled faintly.
"Thank you for going easy on me, Senior. I'll take my leave now."
Watching Jiang Nannan's retreating figure, Ma Xiaotao's fiery temper caused her eye to twitch involuntarily. Where had she gone easy? She had unleashed her strongest soul skill, yet Jiang Nannan showed no signs of injury—only slight stiffness and numbness.
How infuriating—!!! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
"Calm down, Ma Xiaotao. Don't let anger cloud your judgment. The battle isn't over yet!"
Wang Yan's stern voice echoed from Shrek's competitor lounge. Instinctively, Ma Xiaotao glanced over.
Seeing Wang Yan's anxious yet serious expression, Ma Xiaotao's mind instantly settled. He was right—she couldn't afford to lose her composure. If she faltered, Shrek's chances of victory would grow even slimmer.
"Even if it's not Huo Yuer, I'll use every technique I have to defeat all of you!"
At this moment, Ma Xiaotao's eyes burned with an intense will to fight. Taking advantage of the brief lull before her next opponent took the stage, she quietly began recovering her depleted soul power.
When she saw her next opponent, Ma Xiaotao narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Another 'familiar face,' huh?"
Her second opponent was Tang Ya.
Though they didn't know each other personally, Tang Ya had once been a notable figure at Shrek Academy. When Ma Xiaotao reviewed the data on Tianxing Academy's competitors, she recalled Tang Ya's profile.
Because of this, Ma Xiaotao didn't take Tang Ya seriously, dismissing her as just another pawn in a war of attrition meant to drain her soul power.
Thinking about Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass martial soul, Ma Xiaotao's lips curled into a smirk. Surely this little girl didn't possess speed exaggerated enough to evade her flames, and fire naturally countered grass. Her advantage was overwhelming.
In Shrek's competitor lounge, Bei Bei watched his former lover with a complex expression, tinged mostly with worry.
After all, Ma Xiaotao's reputation as the "Flame Demon" within Shrek was terrifying.
Even with Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass martial soul at over Level 40, Bei Bei couldn't see how she could win. He even silently cursed Tianxing Academy for being reckless with human lives—what if Tang Ya got hurt?
By now, the referee had announced the competitors' readiness.
Ma Xiaotao instantly entered her martial soul state, silently vowing not to give her opponent any chance to don their armor this time.
Tang Ya slowly raised her right hand, and her Blue Silver Emperor, imbued with a golden hue, quietly blossomed, lending her an air of noble elegance.
Ma Xiaotao immediately sensed something amiss.
"Why isn't Tang Ya reaching for a metal plate? And why does that Blue Silver Grass look… unusual? Bah, it's just Blue Silver Grass. A bit of color change doesn't mean much."
But after the referee signaled the start of the match, Ma Xiaotao quickly regretted her arrogance as she launched a swift assault.
"First Soul Skill—Lush Growth!"
"Second Soul Skill—Entangle!"
In the blink of an eye, the surging Blue Silver Grass obscured Ma Xiaotao's entire field of vision.
Moreover, Ma Xiaotao realized that these Blue Silver Grass strands were unusually resilient. Even against her ultimate fire, it took a while before they began to burn away.
A soul master's soul skills weren't static. If their martial soul evolved or underwent mutations, their soul skills would also change accordingly.
Tang Ya, whose martial soul had evolved into the Blue Silver Emperor, was no exception—especially with Ye Wen's guidance behind her.
As Ma Xiaotao attempted to fly up and locate Tang Ya's position, that ominous voice rang out once more.
*[Ultimate]*
*[Life]*
*[Supreme Blue Silver Emperor Power]*
*[Super—Transformation!!!]*
*[Blue Silver Emperor Mode GO!!!]*
By the time the final "GO" was declared, Ma Xiaotao was utterly dismayed.
Hadn't Wang Yan said this kind of thing should be rare? How was this already the third instance?
But there was no time to dwell on it—the fight had to go on!
Following the direction of the voice, Ma Xiaotao unleashed her ultimate fire, which could incinerate anything.
But the next moment, her expression abruptly changed as she felt different pulling forces from all over her body. The Phoenix Fire Line, originally aimed at Tang Ya, veered off course.
"I'm caught? When did this happen?"
Though being ambushed like this irritated Ma Xiaotao, she instantly ignited her entire body with raging ultimate fire. How could mere weeds restrain a phoenix destined to burn the skies?
Though the Blue Silver Emperor was quickly incinerated, Ma Xiaotao instantly recognized the peculiarity of Tang Ya's martial soul. She had faced top-tier plant-type soul masters before, but these Blue Silver Grass strands clearly surpassed the realm of those elite plant martial souls.
And Tang Ya's registration form clearly stated "Blue Silver Grass."
As for the title "Blue Silver Emperor," it had vanished for so many years that even Tang San's name failed to bring it back to people's attention.
But Tang Ya no longer cared whether her martial soul was called Blue Silver Grass or Blue Silver Emperor.
Tang Ya was destined to stand in the shadows, concealing her true strength—a basic necessity.
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