Chapter 80: Lei Ying and Shi Nuo Win One After Another
The moment Lei Ying released her Martial Soul and soul rings, the surrounding crowd instantly erupted into an uproar.
Everyone was stunned, wondering who she was and why they had never seen her at the academy before.
A girl around fifteen would normally be in her second or third year. With talent like this, she should have already become famous throughout the academy.
Standing opposite her, Li Si trembled with rage. Inwardly, he cursed this woman for being unbelievably crafty—like a mighty lion pretending to bark among huskies.
To be fair, it wasn't entirely Li Si's fault.
Shi Nuo's trio had such overwhelmingly "weak chicken" reputations that simply standing beside them made Lei Ying automatically blend into that category.
"You… where did you come from? Why haven't I seen you at the academy?"
"Huh? I don't attend the Advanced Soul Master Academy. I only came because Beiya asked me to join the team."
"..."
Li Si forcibly swallowed all the words that absolutely shouldn't be said and looked toward Lin Beiya with a very serious expression.
Under the contemptuous gazes of everyone present, he said:
"Junior… I'd like to request a change of opponent."
The moment he said that, Lin Beiya almost burst into laughter.
"Sure, Senior. Then let me be your opponent."
"Uh…"
Li Si felt like he had swallowed poison. He was certain Lin Beiya was even stronger than Lei Ying. Switching opponents now was equivalent to courting death.
"No… forget it. No need to switch."
With a dry smile, Li Si turned once again to meet Lei Ying's gaze. She already looked visibly irritated.
"Hey, are you fighting or not? You picked me, and now you want to switch? What do you think this is, grocery shopping?"
"Haha… the atmosphere was tense. I was just trying to lighten things up."
"Li Si, Rank 41 Control-Type Battle Soul Ancestor, Martial Soul: Pit Demon Spider. Please advise."
"Lei Ying, Rank 44 Attack-Type Battle Soul Ancestor, Martial Soul: Flame Lion. Let's go."
The moment Lei Ying revealed her soul power rank, Li Si's heart sank straight to the bottom. He inwardly wailed at his own misfortune.
Lin Beiya wasn't about to waste time. Now that both sides were ready—and his big sister was impatient—he immediately announced the start of the battle.
Even though Li Si felt like crying, he still reacted the moment Lin Beiya gave the command.
His second soul ring lit up behind his massive purple spider form. With a hiss of sprayed mist, he dove straight into the arena floor.
"Ah?"
Watching this pathetic display, Lei Ying's face immediately darkened. She had been about to loosen her joints a little—yet this weakling wanted to waste her cultivation time?
"Third Soul Skill — Infinite Fire Pillars!"
The third purple ring on the Flame Lion blazed to life, and the entire arena trembled violently.
Seeing this, Lin Beiya couldn't help but smile knowingly. He knew exactly how powerful this ability was. Most importantly, these fire pillars erupted from underground.
Just as expected, Li Si, hiding beneath the ground, was blasted into the air almost instantly. Seven of his eight spider legs were set ablaze as he screamed miserably.
"Roooar-roar-roar-roar!!!"
Lei Ying clearly had no desire to drag out the fight. Before Li Si even hit the ground, she dashed forward and activated her first soul skill—Scarlet Flame Claw—slamming him off the arena.
Li Si lay unconscious below the stage, black smoke puffing from his mouth. His injuries were clearly severe.
Fortunately, Lin Beiya had already communicated with Dean Wei Ming ahead of time. A healing soul master immediately rushed in and carried Li Si off for treatment.
Thus, the first match ended abruptly and anticlimactically. Lei Ying withdrew her Martial Soul, clapped her hands cleanly, and shot Lin Beiya a "done" gesture.
Lin Beiya returned the smile, then turned to Shi Nuo and Qian Yu and announced the start of the second match.
"The second match: Shi Nuo versus Qian Yu. Both sides, take your positions."
The two walked onto the stage and faced each other. In each other's eyes, they saw nothing but boundless fighting spirit.
"Qian Yu, Rank 42 Attack-Type Battle Soul Ancestor, Martial Soul: Silverback Gorilla. Please advise."
"Shi Nuo, Rank 29 Attack-Type Soul Grandmaster, Martial Soul: Vigorous Demon Bull. Please advise."
This time, Shi Nuo did not immediately put on the Gold Cloth. After all, doing so might only invite unnecessary criticism toward his brothers. Besides, he genuinely wanted to test how far he could go without relying on the Gold Cloth's assistance.
The moment Lin Beiya announced the start of the match, the arena filled instantly with the snorting of a wild bull and the enraged roars of a giant gorilla.
A pure battle of brute strength had begun.
Facing a disadvantage in age, soul power, and without wearing Gold Cloth, Shi Nuo unleashed both of his soul skills immediately.
"First Soul Skill — Stonehide Skin!
Second Soul Skill — Vajra Strength Transformation!"
His muscles, already impressive, bulged further until they looked like hardened granite. His clasped hands moved into an Iaijutsu stance reminiscent of a martial artist preparing for a lightning-fast strike.
"Giant Horn!"
In just half a month, Shi Nuo had already mastered using his Cosmo directly to release combat techniques. A golden wild bull phantom surged forward with thunderous might, drawing gasps from the crowd.
Someone in the audience even slapped their companion across the face with a loud smack.
"Idiot! Who said these guys got in through connections? You wouldn't last one move against that!"
"How would I know they were this strong?! Everyone else said so!"
"..."
In just two matches, Lei Ying and Shi Nuo shattered all the rumors accusing Lin Beiya of favoritism. Their strength was the clearest proof that they were fully deserving of their places on the team.
Back in the arena, Qian Yu stared at the charging wild bull phantom in shock.
He had already suspected Shi Nuo wasn't nearly as weak as rumors claimed—but he never expected him to be this strong.
If anyone else dared say Shi Nuo was a nepotism pick, Qian Yu would fight them personally.
Connections? Try taking a hit from a five-meter-tall golden bull first!
Even so, having made it this far, Qian Yu had no intention of standing still and accepting defeat.
The second and third soul rings on the Silverback Gorilla lit up one after another.
His entire body hardened like an indestructible fortress. With a furious roar, he slammed his fists directly toward the charging wild bull.
BOOM!
A massive explosion shook the stage.
The golden bull phantom shattered into stardust.
But Qian Yu hardly came out unscathed. His muscular body flew backward like he'd been hit by a truck, skidding across the arena for dozens of meters before barely stopping.
He struggled to rise, his expression twisted in pain.
His arms trembled uncontrollably, and blood streamed from his cracked palms—the clash had already injured him severely.
"Such terrifying strength… but defeating me won't be that easy!"
"Fourth Soul Skill — Thunderous Vajra Fist!"
"Take this!"
Charging straight toward Shi Nuo, Qian Yu's fist crackled with violent thunder, aiming directly at Shi Nuo's chest.
But Shi Nuo had prepared for this the moment Qian Yu stood up. He shifted into his Iaijutsu stance once more.
"Iai Barrier!"
The lightning-charged punch collided where Shi Nuo's crossed arms met.
For a brief moment, the two forces struggled.
Then—under Qian Yu's horrified gaze—his punch suddenly veered off, diverted toward the ground beside Shi Nuo.
Seizing the moment of rigidity that followed, Shi Nuo ignited his newly awakened Cosmo.
"Total Concentration — Straight Punch!"
His waist dipped, his fist drew back, his body arched like a bow— and before Qian Yu could react, Shi Nuo's fist had already slammed brutally into his abdomen.
BOOM.
The dull thud echoed across the arena.
Qian Yu's eyes bulged outward as the force emptied the air from his lungs.
Three seconds later, his vision whitened, and he collapsed onto the arena floor.
Unconscious.
—
End of Chapter