Though Qian Duoduo's movements were subtle, how could they escape Yan Shaozhe's notice?
Outwardly he appeared calm, but inwardly he remained cautious.
He must not fall for this man's tricks.
At the center of the arena, Xu Zihuang, who had been focused on the distant stands, slowly withdrew his gaze. Meeting his eyes was Dai Huabin's cold and icy glare.
In Dai Huabin's view, Yu Tianhuang was completely disregarding him.
Yet at this moment, he did not let anger cloud his judgment.
Born to a prestigious family and gifted with extraordinary talent, he had always looked down on his peers. His arrogance still surpassed Wang Dong's. He was proud, but not a fool.
He had deliberately observed Xu Zihuang's previous assessments. He could sense that Xu Zihuang's soul power was not inferior to his own.
And then there was that powerful and strange second soul skill, as well as the other two thousand-year soul skills that had never been used during the tests. All of this made him feel a great threat.
Thus, before this battle, he had prepared thoroughly. He had even sought out those who had fought Xu Zihuang before to carefully learn about the abilities of Xu Zihuang's team.
It was precisely because he had gathered this knowledge that his wariness of Xu Zihuang only deepened.
Could he really break free from Xu Zihuang's second soul skill's restraint?
Even he had no confidence in that. But his pride would never allow him to admit he was inferior to Xu Zihuang.
At Dai Huabin's side, Zhu Lu shared nearly the same thoughts. Her strange vertical pupils locked on Xu Zihuang like a bristling cat, radiating extreme danger.
Meanwhile, Cui Yajie seemed far more relaxed. Though still young, her pink eyes already carried traces of allure. She smiled sweetly and nodded slightly at Xu Zihuang.
Tuoba Yu and Nanmen Yun'er, on the other hand, wore solemn expressions. Dai Huabin's team truly gave them heavy pressure.
But to say they lacked confidence would not be accurate.
Yu Tianhuang was their confidence.
For today's semifinals, all the partitions had been removed, making the arena larger than ever.
The referee stepped to the edge of the field and signaled both sides to retreat. Once they stood several hundred meters apart, he spoke in a deep voice:
"From the semifinals onward, the rules change slightly. Listen carefully. You may move freely within the field, but those with flying-type martial souls cannot fly higher than ten meters off the ground. To let you display your full strength, you may go all out against your opponents. Do not hold back. I will control the match's intensity. Anyone I rescue out of the arena will be considered eliminated. Do you all understand?"
"Understood." Both teams answered in unison.
"State your names."
"Dai Huabin." His voice was cold, and a faint killing intent burst from him.
As the direct son of the White Tiger Duke, he had always received the best education. He was taught not only to cultivate his martial soul, but also how to wage war and kill enemies.
In the White Tiger Duke's line, the capable inherited the title. This upbringing had forged Dai Huabin's decisiveness and ruthlessness from childhood.
"Zhu Lu."
"Cui Yajie."
Xu Zihuang's gaze rested indifferently on Dai Huabin, his voice utterly flat, matching his current mood.
"Yu Tianhuang."
He had never regarded Dai Huabin as his true opponent. But that didn't stop him from utterly crushing Dai Huabin's pride.
Back then, his father, the Purple Sovereign King, had made Dai Hao, the White Tiger Duke, dare not step into the Sun Moon Empire for decades. Likewise, Xu Zihuang could completely suppress Dai Huabin.
"Your father was not as great as mine. And you are even less qualified to be my opponent."
If Dai Huabin's pride was displayed outwardly, then Xu Zihuang's arrogance was hidden deep within.
"Tuoba Yu."
"Nanmen Yun'er."
The referee extended both arms wide. "The match begins only when I announce it. Then you may attack."
Dai Huabin's twin pupils flickered with murderous light. Xu Zihuang remained calm, yet in terms of momentum he completely suppressed Dai Huabin.
Standing quietly, he seemed to merge with everything around him.
It was a profound and indescribable feeling.
The teachers in the stands had already fallen silent, as had the two other teams waiting for their matches. Even Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo had their eyes fixed intently on the field.
Qian Duoduo stared at Xu Zihuang in disbelief, murmuring to Yan Shaozhe beside him:
"This child, at such a young age, has actually reached a state akin to unity of heaven and man. Old Yan, are you sure he's truly not from the Body Sect?"
"He absolutely cannot be from the Body Sect. That much the teacher himself confirmed," Yan Shaozhe replied instinctively, his own astonishment no less than Qian Duoduo's.
"This isn't true unity of heaven and man—it's the perfect integration of spiritual power and soul power. But for him to achieve this at his age is already remarkable."
As a rank 95 Super Douluo, Yan Shaozhe's knowledge surpassed Qian Duoduo's.
How difficult was it to reach unity of heaven and man? That very hurdle cut off the path for more than ninety percent of Title Douluo seeking to advance to Super Douluo.
To reach rank 95 soul power, enlightenment of that state was necessary.
At opposite ends of the vast arena, the combatants appeared tiny to one another.
The referee raised his right hand high, then suddenly swung it down.
"Begin!"
Both sides moved at the exact same moment. At the declaration, they charged toward each other.
This time, Xu Zihuang did not remain behind Tuoba Yu and Nanmen Yun'er as usual. Instead, he surged to the very front.
Even without unleashing his martial soul, his speed was faster than Tuoba Yu and Nanmen Yun'er after they had released theirs.
Though surprised, his teammates had no time for distraction.
Xu Zihuang charged straight at Dai Huabin, so they each sought out their own opponents.
Nanmen Yun'er went for Zhu Lu, another agility-type battle soul master, while Tuoba Yu targeted Cui Yajie.
On the other side, Dai Huabin's trio maintained their formation as they charged. At the forefront, Dai Huabin roared:
"White Tiger, possess!"
A pale light burst violently from his body. As he charged, his arms stretched wide, chest thrust forward, and bones cracked audibly. His muscles swelled, straining against his white uniform. Each muscle bulged clearly beneath the fabric, and even the air around him seemed to grow violent.
His golden hair instantly turned black and white, mostly white, with only a few black strands standing out sharply. Four faint stripes—three horizontal, one vertical—appeared on his forehead, forming the character "王" (King).
His hands changed the most, doubling in size. White fur covered them entirely, and short dagger-like claws extended and retracted with each flick of his fingers, each eight inches long, gleaming with a chilling light.
He hunched forward, all four pupils turning a deep, eerie blue. He seemed like a killing machine.
Beneath him, three glowing rings rose one after another: two yellow, one purple. Soul power surged like crashing waves.
Yet the moment it touched Xu Zihuang, it dissipated.
His dark-purple eyes shifted toward a brilliant gold as intricate patterns swirled around his pupils.
Compared to Dai Huabin, Xu Zihuang's physical changes were minimal after releasing his martial soul. But the three purple thousand-year soul rings rising around him made Dai Huabin's team falter for a split second.
Only in direct confrontation did they truly feel the crushing pressure he exuded.
Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie also released their martial souls, each undergoing a transformation.
Zhu Lu's heterochromatic eyes deepened, her pointed ears pricked up, and her slender body grew more lithe and powerful. Blades extended from her fingers, not as savage as Dai Huabin's claws but far swifter, leaving flickering afterimages.
The Netherworld Spirit Cat—the martial soul inherited through the Zhu family of the Star Luo Empire.
Cui Yajie's transformation was even stranger. Her age seemed to increase by three or four years, her youthful body turning into that of a blossoming maiden. Her long pink hair grew longer, cascading in wavy curls like a waterfall. Her eyes shone like crystal, and her radiant beauty could daze onlookers.
Behind her sprouted two long, fluffy pink tails, each about a meter long, their silky fur gleaming in the sun.
Her martial soul was also a high-level beast-type—Nine-Tailed Fox. With each soul ring, a new tail grew, increasing her power.
Within moments, the two sides closed to fifty meters.
The first clash came between Xu Zihuang and Dai Huabin, both leading their teams.
Dai Huabin was puzzled. Why would a control-type like Yu Tianhuang engage him in close combat?
As that thought flashed through his mind, his attack came instinctively.
He roared, white light gathering at his head as his second soul ring lit up. A blast of white light shot toward Xu Zihuang.
White Tiger Martial Soul, Second Soul Skill—White Tiger Fierce Light Wave!
In response, Xu Zihuang unleashed his second soul skill—Mirror Shatter.
Strange dark-red ripples spread outward. As Dai Huabin grew wary, crystalline dragon scales formed along Xu Zihuang's arms.
Thick, heavy, translucent crimson scales with sharp edges—completely unlike Tuoba Yu's fine white scales.
In the blink of an eye, Xu Zihuang's arms became crystalline dragon arms, resembling Bei Bei's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon arm after dragonization.
His right claw rose, and before the shocked eyes of all, he crushed Dai Huabin's White Tiger Fierce Light Wave barehanded.
Not a scratch appeared on the crystal dragon scales, harder than cold iron.
Both sides had been charging at full force. After that instant clash, Xu Zihuang was already upon Dai Huabin.
Dai Huabin's pupils contracted. With a roar, his claws slashed at Xu Zihuang.
A surge of humiliation burned within him. His twin pupils blazed with fury.
He finally understood Xu Zihuang's intent—this was a head-on challenge. The message was clear: I will defeat you in your own field of strength.
As the wielder of the top-tier assault-type White Tiger Martial Soul, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?
But though fierce, Dai Huabin was also experienced. As he struck with his claws, his first soul ring lit up.
White light formed a barrier around his body—his defensive first soul skill, White Tiger Barrier. It not only offered strong protection but also enhanced his combat power.
To his shock, Xu Zihuang neither dodged nor retreated. His crystalline dragon claws met Dai Huabin's tiger claws head-on.
Clashing directly? Courting death?
Dai Huabin sneered, but the next instant his eyes widened in horror.
The immense force driving through their clash sent him staggering back dozens of meters. His arms went numb, pain lancing through his nerves.
He jerked his head up, only to find Xu Zihuang gone.
In the stands, the teachers' gazes all lifted simultaneously.
Xu Zihuang was above Dai Huabin, ten meters in the air.
Crimson crystal formed beneath his feet as he borrowed force midair. The sudden burst sent shockwaves through the air.
Dai Huabin's combat instincts flared. He tilted his head back just in time to see Xu Zihuang descending. Panicked, he fired several White Tiger Fierce Light Waves upward.
In his eyes, Xu Zihuang was no flying-type and thus a sitting target in the air.
But Xu Zihuang calmly met his gaze. The golden patterns in his eyes blazed brilliantly.
With the Golden Eye's dynamic vision pushed to its limit, he twisted in midair, stepping on thin crystalline mirrors as footholds, slipping past each attack.
Dai Huabin's worldview crumbled. How could a Soul Elder walk on air?
By the time he noticed the crimson crystalline platforms under Xu Zihuang's feet, it was too late.
Xu Zihuang blurred into afterimages, moving at a speed rivaling agility-types.
Dai Huabin's instincts made him glance down—only to see Xu Zihuang's knee driving into him.
Bang! A bone-rattling impact. Dai Huabin nearly blacked out. Blood and broken teeth sprayed from his mouth as his body was hurled across the arena.
Xu Zihuang landed lightly, then dashed forward. He caught up to Dai Huabin's falling form, raised his long right leg, and stomped heavily onto his chest.
Crack! A series of bones snapped. Dai Huabin's body smashed into the marble floor, chest caving in, blood staining him grotesquely.
Arched upward, his blood-soaked body looked terrifying.
He struggled to rise, glaring venomously at Xu Zihuang.
"You… I'll kill you! I'll—"
Before he could finish, Xu Zihuang's foot sent him flying again. He crashed to the ground, limp.
The arena fell silent.
Students, teachers, even Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo stared in shock.
Crushing. Absolute crushing. A control-type soul master had dominated an assault-type in close combat.
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