As usual, Huo Yuhao quickly used his Simulation Soul Skill to conceal his Soul Rings. A faint golden light flickered in his eyes as he instantly activated his Spiritual Detection and Spiritual Sharing, connecting with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao to provide them with visual assistance.
Xiao Xiao's expression was serious, but she hadn't forgotten the strategies they'd discussed. A delicately crafted flute appeared in her hands; it was her second Martial Soul, the Nine Phoenix Auspicious Flute. Simultaneously, a yellow Soul Ring manifested around her.
As for Wang Dong, she simply stood in place, neither her Martial Soul nor a Soul Ring visible. However, the two teachers watching from the sidelines both raised an eyebrow. They sensed that the aura around Wang Dong seemed to have become heavier.
"Soul Master?" On the other side, Xie Huanyue, who had also released his Soul Rings, his eyes flickered, a mix of elation and confusion in his heart.
Three Soul Rings appeared around him, two yellow and one purple, a perfect combination.
The moment the Soul Rings appeared, his body swelled again. He grew to a height of one meter and ninety centimeters, and his skin turned dark and rough, making him appear incredibly sturdy.
"Follow me."
Xie Huanyue spoke softly. The next moment, he charged towards Huo Yuhao like a mountain of flesh. Behind him, the Luo Brothers leaped, landing on Xie Huanyue's incredibly broad back and concealing themselves, like assassins waiting to deliver a fatal blow.
From Huo Yuhao's perspective, they could only see Xie Huanyue, but under the scan of the Spiritual Detection, all concealment was futile.
Xiao Xiao clearly saw the Luo Brothers, their arms glowing with white light. They were clearly ready to strike.
Wang Yan had also identified their Martial Soul: the White Blade Mantis.
Without hesitation, Xiao Xiao raised her flute and began to play. In an instant, the Soul Rings around her shone brightly, and a melody as beautiful as flowing water spread out, as if transporting everyone into a vast bamboo forest.
Invisible sound waves spread out, covering Xie Huanyue's body.
He raised an eyebrow. "A Soul Skill that slows speed?"
But Xie Huanyue didn't care about this slight reduction in speed. He roared, and as his left foot stomped on the ground, his first Soul Ring lit up.
The next moment, Xie Huanyue sprang up like a coiled spring, reaching a height of ten meters above the ground. He curled his entire body into a ball.
He was using the attack of a falling meteor, crashing down with immense force. Behind him, the Luo Brothers clearly couldn't remain hidden any longer. They leaped, intending to jump down from either side, their arms, which had transformed into mantis blades, raised high, ready to strike.
"Mental Impact!"
But as Xie Huanyue reached the apex of his flight, Huo Yuhao was already prepared to attack. A dark light flashed in his eyes, and three sharp mental waves instantly shot out.
Like bullets piercing a skull, the three mental impacts directly hit Xie Huanyue and the Luo Brothers. Xie Huanyue immediately felt a dizzying pain, but it came and went quickly; its effect on him wasn't significant, thanks to his Pipi Elephant Martial Soul's resistance.
However, it was different for the Luo Brothers, who were about to leap down from either side. Their faces contorted in pain as their brains were struck by the impact, causing them to collapse, unconscious, and fall straight down.
To put it in a single sentence, their brains felt as if they had been pierced by needles, the pain was unimaginable.
Outside the arena, the two teachers' expressions changed, and they immediately rushed onto the stage to catch the falling students.
Xie Huanyue obviously didn't know his teammate had been eliminated. His massive body still crashed down like a cannonball.
However, when Xie Huanyue stubbornly crashed down, Huo Yuhao and the other two had already dodged.
With a loud boom, the hard ground was shattered by Xie Huanyue's impact.
Just as he landed, Xie Huanyue's first Soul Skill was finally released. His body, curled into a ball, expanded again. At the same time, his body spun like a top, charging towards Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao, who had avoided the initial attack.
That huge body carried an indescribable sense of weight.
Xiao Xiao had already retracted her Nine Phoenix Auspicious Flute. She waved her hands, summoning the merged Triple Soul Suppression Cauldron in front of Xie Huanyue's path.
The giant cauldron blocked the way, and Xiao Xiao simultaneously released her second Soul Skill, Cauldron Swing.
"Dong!"
A loud crash echoed out as Xie Huanyue's massive body slammed into the giant cauldron, the terrifying impact pushing the cauldron back several meters.
Xiao Xiao's expression also changed, sighing at how truly frightening this guy's attack power was.
A strong black light emanated from the Triple Soul Suppression Cauldron, containing a not-insignificant amount of vibrational force.
Xie Huanyue's Martial Soul clearly had a talent for resisting various forms of control; the vibrational force didn't knock him unconscious, falling short compared to Huo Yuhao's mental impact.
But without a doubt, the Triple Soul Suppression Cauldron successfully blocked Xie Huanyue's impact, reducing its force.
Just as Xie Huanyue's body was spinning again, preparing to attack, on the other side, Wang Dong, who had been silent for a long time, moved. His aura thickened, and his movements quickly closed in on Xie Huanyue.
When he reached Xie Huanyue, a faint black light erupted from Wang Dong's palm. The light instantly condensed, and a strange object appeared in his palm.
It was a pitch-black hammer. The entire hammer's surface faintly shimmered with a deep, profound light, and the hammerhead was covered with a few patterns.
Outside the arena, the two referees exchanged surprised glances.
Wang Dong's Martial Soul was...
"Smash him."
Wang Dong inwardly shouted, gripping the Clear Sky Hammer with both arms and swinging it down with all her might. At that instant, the air around Wang Dong's body seemed to thicken and become heavy.
"Dong."
As Xie Huanyue began to spin again, the Clear Sky Hammer in Wang Dong's hands landed on him. The moment the hammer's head made contact with Xie Huanyue's body, a stream of black light erupted from Wang Dong and into the hammer. Immediately, Xie Huanyue felt something was wrong.
A terrifying force, as if to destroy everything, exploded from the point of contact. Xie Huanyue's enormous body was sent flying like a golf ball by Wang Dong's powerful strike, nearly flying out of the arena.
"Wang Dong."
Huo Yuhao called out in a low voice.
Wang Dong nodded inwardly and darted forward, her Clear Sky Hammer once again swinging.
At the edge of the competition stage, Xie Huanyue was trembling all over. The intense pain was almost unbearable, even with his Elephant Body Soul Skill.
No matter how strong his body was, it was still a physical body, not forged from steel.
Suddenly, Xie Huanyue's heart trembled. Seeing Wang Dong charging towards him, even he, who had always considered himself invincible, couldn't help but feel a sliver of fear. The Soul Ring on his body, which contained purple light, suddenly lit up. He had already decided to unleash his third Soul Skill.
A giant Pipi Elephant shadow appeared beside him. Xie Huanyue's pupils were filled with a trace of red light, and he let out an elephant's roar.
"Whoosh!"
Just as Xie Huanyue was about to unleash his strongest third Soul Skill, Huo Yuhao's long-concealed Soul Ring finally appeared, beside Xiao Xiao. In his eyes, powerful mental energy gathered. The next moment, a silver-white light appeared in his eyes, and a mental impact, far surpassing any before, shot out.
Directly piercing Xie Huanyue's head, his pupils dilated. The Soul Skill he was releasing was abruptly interrupted, and he lost all sensation. The transformation from his first Soul Skill was blocked, and his body reverted to its normal state. Although the Pipi Elephant Martial Soul had strong resistance to control-type Soul Skills, and even mental-type Soul Skills, Huo Yuhao's mental power was not something ordinary people could compare to.
Especially when the opponent had not made any mental defenses, a mental attack was practically the strongest sneak attack Soul Skill.
The very next second after Xie Huanyue's Soul Skill was interrupted, Wang Dong arrived, wielding the Clear Sky Hammer.
The whistling wind was like a death knell, about to claim Xie Huanyue's life.
"Swish."
Without any hesitation, two referees immediately intervened. One of them stood in front of Wang Dong, radiating a yellow light as a heavy Diamond Shield Martial Soul materialized, held firmly in his grasp.
The other referee carried Xie Huanyue away from the competition stage.
"Boom!"
A dull thud echoed as the Clear Sky Hammer in Wang Dong's hand slammed directly onto the referee's Martial Soul.
In an instant, the rampant, surging soul power wind in the No. 1 assessment area spread out, stinging people's faces.
The referee teacher's expression showed a hint of surprise, but Wang Dong had already reacted at this moment. She gave a self-deprecating smile and retracted her Clear Sky Hammer. "I'm sorry, teacher. I didn't hold back."
"It's okay. If you could hurt the teacher, that would be strange indeed." The referee teacher was, after all, a high-level Soul Emperor, and a defensive Soul Master at that. If he couldn't resist it, he might as well go home and raise pigs.
Xie Huanyue, who had been rescued from the arena, had already woken up. He looked at Huo Yuhao and his two teammates with particular fear.
His emotions were still not calm. His teammates in this match were too weak; they were instantly defeated at the start. He was also controlled throughout, and lost miserably.
However, compared to Xiao Xiao's defense and Wang Dong's attack, Xie Huanyue was even more wary of Huo Yuhao's abilities.
Both times he released a Soul Skill, his head was in excruciating pain. The second time, he even lost all his senses. This was definitely a mental attribute attack, so he would have to be on guard in the future.
"The Huo Yuhao team wins and advances to the top eight."
The referee who had saved Xie Huanyue announced loudly.
"Beautiful."
Xiao Xiao jumped up and high-fived Wang Dong. There was a difference of more than ten centimeters in their heights.
Huo Yuhao stood in place, his gaze happening to meet Xie Huanyue's. He nodded in acknowledgment.
Xie Huanyue was stunned. He hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to take the initiative to greet him. Although he had lost, it was a fair loss. His opponent hadn't cheated. Xie Huanyue smiled back, "Congratulations. We'll be going now."
With that, Xie Huanyue left with the Luo Brothers, who looked embarrassed.
The latter also knew they had dragged down their big brother.
"Write down the names of these three students; we can report them to Director Du." The two referee teachers were recording something.
Huo Yuhao and the others didn't stay long, turning to leave the assessment area.
"Good job."
As the three of them were chatting and laughing while walking on the path outside the assessment area, a figure appeared there, smiling at Huo Yuhao.
"Senior Sister." Huo Yuhao looked at Ma Xiaotao with a gentle gaze. He had known Ma Xiaotao was coming when he activated his Spiritual Detection.
Ma Xiaotao walked over. Today, her attire had returned to its usual style, a red uniform of the inner court students.
"Senior Sister." Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao quickly greeted her.
"You guys are also very good. Without your help, this kid Yuhao wouldn't have made it to the top eight," Ma Xiaotao looked over and praised.
"No, no, no, it should be the class monitor who helped us," Xiao Xiao quickly waved her hand.
Huo Yuhao glanced at Xiao Xiao. This kid's alright, he thought. Good to be around.
Ma Xiaotao nodded slightly, "Then, can I borrow Huo Yuhao for a bit?"
"Huh?" Xiao Xiao was taken aback. Wang Dong, however, glanced between Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao. Seeing the gentle look Huo Yuhao gave Ma Xiaotao, her heart skipped a beat. She then said, almost without thinking, "Senior, we have a match this afternoon, and we need plenty of rest. How about you come later tonight?"
Xiao Xiao didn't mind; they did need to rest. They had the quarter-finals in the afternoon.
Ma Xiaotao, on the other hand, her eyes flickered thoughtfully as she looked at Wang Dong. She chuckled softly, "Alright, I'll come tonight."
"Remember to rest well. The teacher will be here to oversee the rest of the matches after the top four. Don't embarrass yourselves," Ma Xiaotao said, still her usual self. She affectionately ruffled Huo Yuhao's hair, then left.
"Class monitor, that senior seems quite close to you," Xiao Xiao teased.
Huo Yuhao watched Ma Xiaotao's departing figure. "Did you forget what I called her?"
Xiao Xiao realized, "Right, the class monitor called her senior sister."
So, they were from the same school. No wonder they seemed to get along so well.
"Let's go back first," Wang Dong said, sounding unhappy for some reason. He lowered his head and walked out.
"What's wrong with him?" Xiao Xiao asked, puzzled.
"Who knows," Huo Yuhao shrugged.
Wang Dong seemed gloomy all morning.
Huo Yuhao thought Wang Dong might be on her period, since humans in Douluo Continent developed much faster than on Earth. However, when Wang Dong asked what a period was, she was instantly embarrassed and almost smashed Huo Yuhao with her Clear Sky Hammer.
Judging by her energetic demeanor, she was probably fine.
Afternoon.
The remaining eight teams gathered at Shrek Plaza.
As Huo Yuhao and his two companions were about to enter, an unwelcome voice cut through the air.
"So anyone can make it to the top eight these days."
Huo Yuhao looked around, frowning as he called out, "Who's talking?"
Across from Huo Yuhao, Dai Huabin's breath hitched. Pretending not to see him, he clenched his fists, the knuckles popping audibly.
Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong couldn't help but chuckle.
"Guess I'm a bit tired lately, hearing things. Thought I heard a dog barking." Huo Yuhao didn't even glance at Dai Huabin, heading straight for the draw.
"You." Zhu Lu, standing beside Dai Huabin, looked fierce and wanted to step forward, but Cui Yajie stopped her.
At this moment, Director Du and a group of teachers also walked over.
Seeing this, Zhu Lu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her anger.
Dai Huabin's face was cold and he didn't speak.
There were strong people present during the competition; he couldn't kill anyone. But Huo Yuhao would eventually have to leave Shrek Academy, wouldn't he?
The unfinished business from the Duke's mansion would now be dealt with.
He wanted to see how Huo Yuhao would escape this time, without Chen Hongsheng's help.
The competition is all that's happening now, it's really annoying. I'll try to skip ahead; tomorrow is the final, and then I'll prepare for the Extreme North Land dungeon.
Your wives, fellow bookworms, will soon make their appearance.
Regarding the Snow Emperor's arrangements, I actually prepared three options. We'll see which one is ultimately chosen.
...
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