However, it wasn't long before Hu Liena's eyes widened in shock.
Soon after, her vision spun, and her consciousness appeared in a space filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers—a breathtakingly beautiful scene.
Carefully breaking through Hu Liena's counterfeit "black room" technique to avoid causing her a spiritual backlash, Chu Chengzhou immediately countered with his own illusion mastery, pulling her consciousness into an illusory realm.
Looking at the shocked expression on Hu Liena's face not far away, Chu Chengzhou smirked. "Little fox, you've been naughty~"
"How… How did you break my illusion?"
Hu Liena's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Chu Chengzhou.
After all, she was a spirit-type soul master, and her soul power had reached the Soul King level. Her spiritual strength alone could rival that of an ordinary Level 60 soul master, and with the addition of the sixty-thousand-year Mind Condensing Wisdom Skull she had absorbed, her spiritual power should have been comparable to that of an ordinary 70-level soul master.
But even in her strongest area—spiritual power—she still couldn't match up to Chu Chengzhou, who wasn't even a spirit-type soul master? Was the gap between them really this vast?
"Guess?"
Chu Chengzhou smiled as he walked toward Hu Liena.
"W-What do you want? Don't come any closer!"
Seeing Chu Chengzhou approaching step by step, Hu Liena recalled the scene from the earlier illusion outside Tian Dou City.
"This."
Chu Chengzhou spoke succinctly, then stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her slender waist, leaned in, and kissed her sensuous red lips.
After what seemed like an eternity, the illusory space shattered, and their consciousnesses returned to the outside world.
Savoring the lingering warmth of the kiss from the illusion, Chu Chengzhou winked suggestively at Hu Liena from afar.
"Hmph!"
Thinking of how thoroughly she had been teased just moments ago, Hu Liena's cheeks flushed slightly. She quickly composed herself, put on a stern expression, and huffed before walking out of the rest area.
Don't misunderstand—she wasn't heading to Lan Ba Academy's rest area to confront Chu Chengzhou. Instead, overcome with embarrassment, she couldn't bear to stay there any longer, fearing that Chu Chengzhou might do something even more outrageous to her in the illusory realm.
After all, the incident had occurred within the illusory realm, and it was quite… embarrassing. She certainly didn't feel comfortable asking her teacher to intervene on her behalf.
"Hey, Nana, are you not going to watch the next match?"
Seeing his goddess seemingly upset, about to leave without watching the upcoming match, Yan—the number one bootlicker and simp of Hu Liena—hesitated for a moment before quickly chasing after her.
Xie Yue: ??? What's going on?
The finals didn't feature the grand opening ceremony one might expect. Everything was simple. A red-robed bishop of the Spirit Hall took the stage, announced the start of the finals, and revealed the lineup for the matches and the list of teams receiving byes.
Lan Ba Academy's match against Sky Water Academy was scheduled as the third bout of the day.
Under the direction of a specially selected referee from the Spirit Hall, the first match began.
The strength of both teams in the first match wasn't particularly impressive. If placed in the Tian Dou Division preliminaries, neither team would have secured one of the top five spots.
The entire match was rather dull and uneventful, leaving the audience feeling somewhat bored.
After seven or eight minutes of "chickens pecking at each other," the first match ended. A minor academy representing a kingdom under the Tian Dou Empire narrowly defeated its opponent.
Although the performance was somewhat painful to watch and failed to reach the expected standard for the finals, they still managed to secure an opening victory. On the judges' platform, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, representing the Tian Dou Empire, nodded approvingly with a faint smile.
In the second match, God Wind Academy faced off against Longkui Academy from the Star Luo Empire. (T/N: 'Longkui' translates to the plant Black Nightshade, specifically the Solanum nigrum)
Perhaps aware that they stood no chance against the great demon Chu Chengzhou and had no hope of winning the championship, the Blazing Fire Academy and God Wind Academy didn't pull the stunts seen in the original storyline. The participants from Blazing Fire Academy hadn't joined God Wind Academy.
Feng Xiaotian's strength was nothing to scoff at, and given that his opponent wasn't one of the stronger teams from the Star Luo Empire's participating academies, he decisively defeated Longkui Academy within three minutes of the match starting.
The third match was an internal battle between teams from the Tian Dou Empire: Lan Ba Academy versus Sky Water Academy.
"The first round of the finals, third match—Lan Ba Academy versus Sky Water Academy. Please send your teams onto the field."
The red-robed bishop of the Spirit Hall overseeing the finals announced.
"Let's go!"
In Sky Water Academy's rest area, Shui Bing'er extended her right hand, her lovely face full of determination as she addressed her teammates.
"Defeat the great demon! Sky Water Academy will prevail!"
The girls of Sky Water Academy all raised their right hands, stacking them atop Shui Bing'er's, boosting their team's morale.
Shui Bing'er: "..."
Needless to say, the "great demon" referred to none other than Chu Chengzhou, the infamous tree-hanging specialist on the battlefield.
With that, the members of Sky Water Academy left their rest area and stepped onto the competition platform.
On the expansive arena, one hundred meters in diameter, the Lan Ba and Sky Water teams stood fifty meters apart.
Once both teams were in position, the referee announced, "Please release your martial souls. The match will officially begin in one minute!"
The next moment, martial souls materialized, and numerous yellow and purple soul rings illuminated the rows of both teams. However, among Lan Ba Academy's lineup, a striking black ten-thousand-year soul ring appeared.
Amidst the many hundred-year and thousand-year soul rings, the sudden appearance of a black ten-thousand-year soul ring was impossible to miss.
"A ten-thousand-year soul ring?!"
Instantly, the members of Sky Water Academy's team widened their eyes in disbelief, staring at Xiao Wu, whose disguised aura now radiated five soul rings: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black.
Not only the members of Sky Water Academy were stunned; even the numerous participating teams outside the arena and the judges on the review panel were astonished.
Following the "Golden Generation" trio of the Spirit Hall team and Tang San of Tian Dou Imperial Academy, another participant with a soul power level reaching that of a Soul King had emerged!
Gazing at Xiao Wu's ten-thousand-year fifth soul ring, Dai Feng—an elder of the Star Luo Royal Family, deputy principal of the Star Luo Imperial Academy, and representative of Emperor Dai Yutian overseeing academy affairs, with a soul power level of 89—furrowed his brows.
In this year's Soul Master Tournament, the Spirit Hall team had produced three Soul Kings, and the participating academies of the Tian Dou Empire had successively revealed two Soul King-level participants. Yet, among the numerous teams from the Star Luo Empire, not a single Soul King had appeared.
What did this signify?
It undoubtedly meant that in terms of young soul masters, the Star Luo Empire had not only fallen behind the Spirit Hall but also lagged behind the Tian Dou Empire, which in the past could only be bullied by the Star Luo!
As the deputy principal of the Star Luo Imperial Academy, Dai Feng was essentially the pinnacle of soul master education in the Star Luo Empire. Seeing his empire's young soul masters lose to the Tian Dou, it was no wonder his expression darkened.
Though displeased, Dai Feng was powerless against the lackluster performance of the empire's youth.
After all, the Spirit Hall presiding over this year's finals wouldn't allow him to step onto the platform and compete on behalf of the Star Luo Imperial Academy team.
Seeing the shocked gazes from Sky Water Academy's team, Xiao Wu felt delighted. She loved seeing such astonished expressions directed at her.
After recovering from their shock, Shui Bing'er's expression grew even graver.
Originally, the great demon Chu Chengzhou wasn't someone to be trifled with. Even if they used their Spirit Fusion Technique, victory wasn't guaranteed. But to think that Lan Ba Academy now had another Soul King—the balance of power was clearly tilting further in Lan Ba Academy's favor.
Of course, Shui Bing'er was no quitter. Even if their opponent was the great demon Chu Chengzhou, and even with another Soul King added to the mix, surrender was out of the question.
Unlike the preliminaries, where they surrendered knowing their academy could secure one of the top five spots regardless of losing a match, the finals operated on an elimination system. Aside from the individual battles in the first half of the fifth round, losing a single match meant their tournament journey was over. Bearing the honor of their academy, they couldn't afford to concede so easily.
The one-minute preparation time wasn't long, and the match officially began.
"Summon: Sky Azure Tree!"
At the very start, Chu Chengzhou waved his flag, and his first soul ring lit up. The towering figure of Little Qing, the Sky Azure Tree summon, began to materialize.
"First soul skill, Ice Seal!"
However, just as Chu Chengzhou summoned Little Qing, Shui Bing'er's first soul ring also lit up, and four consecutive Ice Seal soul skills shot out.
A flash of icy blue light, and Chu Chengzhou suddenly felt an intense chill. His flag-waving motion ground to a halt as his entire body froze solid, encased in a thick block of ice.
Also frozen were the nearby Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun.
Though it was only a first soul skill, being able to instantly freeze four people demonstrated Shui Bing'er's remarkable control over her own soul skills.
However, while their movements were restricted, Shui Bing'er's Ice Seal skill hadn't interrupted Chu Chengzhou's soul skill activation. Little Qing's massive form appeared on the competition platform.
Simultaneously, Chu Chengzhou exerted a burst of force, shattering the ice encasing his body into countless glittering shards of frost that scattered in all directions, freeing himself from the restraint.
Chu Chengzhou hadn't yet advanced to a Soul King, though his soul power had reached Level 50. In terms of levels, he hadn't pulled ahead of Shui Bing'er by a significant margin. However, since Shui Bing'er's Ice Seal was merely a hundred-year first soul skill, its limited power couldn't restrain someone with Chu Chengzhou's physical resilience.
In reality, the specific effect of the Ice Seal skill was to encase the target in a layer of ice to restrict movement—it wasn't just cold air. It was a physical restraint. Otherwise, Chu Chengzhou's immunity to ice gained from consuming the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass would have rendered Shui Bing'er's control ineffective.
After Chu Chengzhou broke free from the Ice Seal, Xiao Wu and Ma Hongjun almost simultaneously escaped their restraints.
Xiao Wu's high soul power level made it impossible for Shui Bing'er to restrain her, while Ma Hongjun, despite having a lower soul power level than Shui Bing'er, had his Molten Lava Phoenix martial soul activated. The scorching molten phoenix flames melted the ice encasing his body.
Zhu Zhuqing, however, as an agility-type attacker, took much longer to break free compared to Chu Chengzhou and the others.
Meanwhile, as Chu Chengzhou was breaking free from the ice, Shui Bing'er's second soul ring lit up immediately after the first. Five icy rings were released, each enveloping one of her teammates.
A miraculous sight unfolded: the five girls enveloped by the icy rings instantly gained a layer of sparkling blue armor.
At the same time, Xue Wu, the vice-captain of Sky Water Academy positioned at the rear, began to move.
With four soul rings alternating and glowing on her body, waves of blue light spread outward as she danced gracefully.
As she moved, a small patch of dark clouds appeared in the sky, covering most of the competition platform.
Soon after, large raindrops began to fall, turning into a torrential downpour.
These raindrops avoided Sky Water Academy's members, sliding off harmlessly as they approached their bodies. However, for Lan Ba Academy's team, the situation was different.
In just a short while, aside from Ning Rongrong and Oscar standing at the back, unaffected by the clouds, and Zhu Zhuqing, who hadn't yet broken free from the Ice Seal, Ma Hongjun and Tai Long, who had just escaped their restraints, were drenched to the bone. Tai Long even started shivering uncontrollably from the cold.
As for Chu Chengzhou and Xiao Wu?
Sensing the intense chill carried by the raindrops, they relied on their exceptional control to activate defensive soul power, isolating themselves from the freezing water.
The next moment, seven emerald streaks surged forth from Little Qing's massive tree form. Including the two support members at the back, a layer of emerald light shields materialized around all seven members of Lan Ba Academy.
Subsequently, Chu Chengzhou's second and third soul rings lit up consecutively. Amidst the surging soul power, Little Bai, the Light Lion summon, and Little Hong, the Fire Phoenix summon, materialized beside him.
Against three Soul Ancestors and four Soul Elders, Chu Chengzhou naturally didn't need such an elaborate setup. With a single use of his illusion mastery, he could instantly deal with Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu, who were in the midst of preparing their Spirit Fusion Technique.
However, considering that Sky Water Academy's team consisted entirely of delicate young ladies, Chu Chengzhou decided to let them showcase their abilities.
Based on Sky Water Academy's overall strength, they should have achieved better results in the tournament. Though they might not have reached the final rounds, with their Spirit Fusion Technique, they had the potential to reach the fourth round's top six.
In fact, aside from Lan Ba Academy, the Spirit Hall team, Tian Dou Imperial Academy (with Tang San, who likely possessed domain powers), and the Star Luo Imperial Academy team (which also had a Spirit Fusion Technique), none of the other participating teams could withstand Sky Water Academy's Spirit Fusion Technique: Drifting Snow.
Unfortunately for the young ladies, their luck wasn't good—they faced Lan Ba Academy in the very first match of the finals, facing the cruel prospect of a one-day elimination.
If they didn't let Sky Water Academy's young ladies fully display their abilities and unleash their Spirit Fusion Technique, only to have their trump card remain unused until the end, wouldn't that be a shame?
Seeing the emerald light shields materialize around Lan Ba Academy's members, the infamous "green turtle shell" that had caused so much frustration during the preliminaries, Shui Bing'er's expression grew even more solemn.
Immediately, she unleashed several more Ice Seal skills, slightly delaying Lan Ba Academy's movements, before swiftly retreating through the icy rain toward Xue Wu at the back. Meanwhile, the remaining five members of Sky Water Academy quickly gathered together, forming a protective barrier in front of the two.
The next moment, the two figures merged into a dazzling blue-white pillar of light that shot into the dark clouds above. Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu's bodies disappeared from the competition platform as their Spirit Fusion Technique: Drifting Snow finally erupted.
This Spirit Fusion Technique had already been in preparation since the start of the match when Shui Bing'er was restraining Lan Ba Academy's members.
When that blue-white pillar of light entered the clouds, unless a high-level soul master intervened, there was no way to stop the release of the Spirit Fusion Technique.
"Is this... a Spirit Fusion Technique?"
Watching the towering blue-white pillar of light, Xiao Wu's beautiful eyes widened in astonishment.
A Spirit Fusion Technique~ She had only heard of it before and never truly witnessed one!
"You retreat to the edge of the platform. If you can't hold on, leave the field!"
Chu Chengzhou instructed the others.
With Little Qing's innate soul skill, Guardian, active, the defensive capabilities of the emerald light shields were comparable to a Soul King's ten-thousand-year defensive soul skill. Chu Chengzhou wasn't worried about any danger befalling Lan Ba Academy's members.
Even if they couldn't hold out in the end, the shields would at least buy enough time for everyone to retreat from the competition platform and ensure their safety.
Immediately, aside from Chu Chengzhou, the six members of Lan Ba Academy all retreated to the edge of the platform.
As for the remaining five members of Sky Water Academy, they directly exited the competition platform, leaving the match to Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu, who were in the midst of executing their Spirit Fusion Technique.
They understood that if even Drifting Snow couldn't secure victory, staying on the platform would be futile. Rather than waste effort, it was better to retreat and avoid distracting their captain, Shui Bing'er, who was leading the Spirit Fusion Technique.
Soon, the rain falling from the sky changed. Countless icy raindrops transformed into snowflakes, each the size of a palm, sharp as blades, swirling downward to form a massive icy vortex that swept toward Lan Ba Academy's team.
"If you can't endure Drifting Snow, then concede. We'll stop!"
Shui Bing'er's voice echoed from midair.
Chu Chengzhou didn't respond. He simply crooked a finger toward the sky and dismissed Little Bai, the Light Lion summon, to prevent it from perishing on the competition platform. After all, with Sky Water Academy's Spirit Fusion Technique already revealed, there was no further need for Little Bai in this match.
As for Little Qing and Little Hong, Little Qing was needed to maintain the shields, and Little Hong could fly on her own. With strength rivaling that of an ordinary Level 60 soul master, Shui Bing'er's Drifting Snow posed no threat to her.
Drifting Snow—a beautiful name, but beneath its icy beauty lay endless killing intent.
While the spectators and judges saw the swirling snowstorm, what Lan Ba Academy's team heard was the teeth-grinding sound of countless palm-sized razor-sharp snowflakes cutting and grinding against the emerald light shields surrounding their bodies.
However, the defensive innate soul skill of a ten-thousand-year summon was indeed extraordinary. Despite the relentless barrage of sharp snowflakes, the emerald light shields protecting the team showed no signs of breaking.
The combined efforts of two Soul Ancestors executing the Spirit Fusion Technique Drifting Snow, bolstered by Shui Bing'er's top-tier Ice Phoenix martial soul, resulted in a power comparable to an ordinary Level 60 soul master's soul skill.
Still, the current snowstorm, though visually spectacular, lacked the concentrated power needed to break through the emerald light shields.
After all, when soul power levels and other conditions were similar, the power of area-of-effect soul skills was far inferior to single-target offensive skills.
As the primary controller of the Spirit Fusion Technique Drifting Snow, Shui Bing'er now fully grasped the defensive capabilities of Lan Ba Academy's emerald light shields.
During the preliminaries, although she had taken seriously the reports from other participants about Lan Ba Academy's "green turtle shells," she hadn't fully appreciated their strength due to Chu Chengzhou's deceptive soul ring configuration.
A defensive shield cast by a mere hundred-year first soul skill—even if effective—couldn't possibly be that strong, could it?
But now, experiencing it firsthand, Shui Bing'er could only conclude: the turtle shell lived up to its name. Its defensive power was on par with a five-ring soul master's ten-thousand-year defensive soul skill!
More importantly, she knew that once these green turtle shells were shattered, they would immediately regenerate.
During the preliminaries, without Chu Chengzhou or additional summons, Lan Ba Academy had relied on an endless stream of these regenerating turtle shells to withstand opponents' relentless attacks, focusing solely on offense and ultimately overwhelming their foes.
Faced with the utterly disgusting green turtle shells, Shui Bing'er couldn't help but feel a wave of despair.
Was Sky Water Academy's team really going to fall in the very first round of the finals?
No! For this Soul Master Tournament, the sisters had trained tirelessly day after day. She and Xue Wu carried the hopes of their teammates and their academy—how could they fall so easily?
I, Shui Bing'er, will give it my all!
"Chirp—"
The next moment, a resounding phoenix cry echoed from the soaring blue-white pillar of light. The countless razor-sharp snowflakes slicing at Lan Ba Academy's emerald light shields ascended into the air.
Above, the countless snowflakes coalesced, gradually forming a massive blue ice phoenix seven meters long.
The blue ice phoenix looked almost tangible, with bright eyes and long tail feathers. Aside from its color and size, it bore an uncanny resemblance to Chu Chengzhou's Fire Phoenix summon, Little Hong.
The dazzling blue ice phoenix descended from the sky, devoid of any fiery flair, transforming into a shimmering icy glow as it floated downward.
Its movements weren't fast, but with every step forward, the snowflakes falling from the sky amplified its presence.
Gazing at the slowly descending ice phoenix, Chu Chengzhou raised an eyebrow, dismissed Little Qing, the Sky Azure Tree summon, and gestured for Lan Ba Academy's team to retreat.
He could clearly sense that this formidable ice phoenix was still gathering strength. It was foreseeable that once it fully erupted, the instantaneous power would be such that even avoiding the epicenter, Little Qing's Guardian innate soul skill might not provide absolute protection.
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