Martial Soul Fusion Skill

"This woman is no simple opponent." The Ice Empress had awakened at some point and calmly observed Yan Yuyan standing opposite them through the Sea of Consciousness, giving this assessment.

"Why do you say that?"

Xue Xiao Ran asked calmly in his heart.

"Her Martial Soul is only one step away from entering the realm of an Extreme Martial Soul—that is, Extreme Fire," the Ice Empress said. "But her Martial Soul has already taken shape. She will always be short of that final step and cannot reach that level."

"Xiao Ran, be careful. She may be difficult to deal with."

"I won't expose my Twin Martial Souls. Don't worry."

Xue Xiao Ran smiled, then cupped his hands toward the referee beside him, signaling that he was ready.

Yan Yuyan released her Martial Soul. A humanoid figure appeared behind her, its body engulfed in roaring flames, as though it could burn everything to ash.

The long-haired girl beside her, who seemed as close to Yan Yuyan as a sister, made a slight motion with her hand. Thorns burst from the ground, flames burning atop them.

The remaining Food System girl summoned a steamed bun and stuffed it into her mouth.

"The finals, begin!"

The second soul ring behind Yan Yuyan flickered faintly. Flames gradually appeared around her, forming an armor-like Flame Shield that protected all three of them.

Xue Xiao Ran raised an eyebrow. This strategy was indeed not bad—using the Flame Shield to burn away the poison elements?

But were his poison elements really so easy to disperse?

While releasing poison, he continuously dodged. The Flame Thorns erupting from the ground were exceedingly troublesome, yet they caused him no harm.

The three girls could not see Xue Xiao Ran's movements clearly.

"I'm going in."

Yan Yuyan spoke calmly and stepped forward on her long legs, the flaming humanoid behind her following closely.

This could be considered a last-minute measure. She had learned that fire was capable of effectively countering poison.

Flames could burn poison elements completely away, and her flames were already very close to Extreme Fire.

But she seemed to have forgotten that Xue Xiao Ran possessed Extreme Poison. Even if her flames were more powerful, as long as they had not reached the extreme, they were still theoretically suppressed by Xue Xiao Ran.

Xue Xiao Ran's gaze flashed, and his yellow soul ring flickered faintly.

A visible cold mist instantly spread out, shrouding the entire arena.

Yan Yuyan frowned. The flames burning around her intensified, yet they could not break through Xue Xiao Ran's poison mist.

In other words, while they could effectively reduce the damage, they could not avoid it completely.

Having realized this, Yan Yuyan gritted her teeth, a trace of unwillingness appearing on her face.

Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, she quickly turned and shouted, "Watch out!"

At that moment, a pair of Jade Eyes glowing faintly appeared behind the Food System girl.

Xue Xiao Ran had concealed himself within the poison mist and charged toward the rear of their formation while Yan Yuyan was distracted.

He would deal with the Food System Soul Master first.

Xue Xiao Ran's hand clamped around the Food System girl's neck, and the cold mist immediately swallowed her.

Yan Yuyan let out a sharp cry, and a stream of flames shot straight toward Xue Xiao Ran, who stood behind her teammate.

Xue Xiao Ran sneered, threw the Food System girl to the ground, and concealed himself within the poison mist once more.

His speed had increased slightly, and his cheeks were faintly flushed. He had clearly taken a Stimulant.

Although the Paralysis Poison on his fists had caused his wounds to heal slightly, the dull stabbing pain was unavoidable.

"Are you okay?!"

The Control System Soul Master girl hurriedly ran back. When she saw the Food System Soul Master girl's face, her own face instantly went pale.

The girl swallowed by Xue Xiao Ran's Cold Poison was convulsing, clutching her arms as though she had been thrown into a ten-thousand-year ice cellar. Her face bore a faint bluish tint, while her lips were terrifyingly pale.

"Damn it." The long-haired girl gritted her teeth. Even if one of their teammates had lost her fighting ability, they would not be declared defeated. Were they really just going to waste time on the stage like this?

Seeing her classmate's painful state, the long-haired girl looked firmly at Yan Yuyan.

Yan Yuyan looked back at the long-haired girl.

Flames gradually enveloped their bodies, and their hands clasped together.

The burning thorns gently wrapped around the flaming humanoid behind Yan Yuyan. The two girls exchanged smiles, each seeing a trace of determination in the other's eyes.

"Go, Flame Demon King."

A crisp voice rang across the arena, followed by a deafening blast erupting from its center.

Flames, flames, flames began to burn, colliding fiercely with the cold mist.

The flaming humanoid that had originally hovered behind Yan Yuyan seemed to have grown larger. It held a Flame Great Blade wrapped in thorns, its entire body covered in thorns like a suit of armor. Beneath its helmet burned two brilliant flames, as if the humanoid possessed consciousness.

At that moment, the red flames blew away some of the cold mist, allowing the students in the audience to see the towering Flame Giant.

"As expected, a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

Gu Tian Yuan muttered to himself. Ignoring the triumphant look cast his way by Class B's Homeroom Teacher, he curled his lip.

Xiao Hong Chen narrowed his eyes and stared at the Flame Giant while Meng Hong Chen remained silent beside him.

"Ours or theirs—which is stronger?"

Meng Hong Chen asked softly.

The question was abrupt and missing many words, but Xiao Hong Chen clearly understood it.

"Ours," Xiao Hong Chen said calmly. A thoughtful glint flashed through his eyes before he nodded, confirming his own judgment.

"That's good." Meng Hong Chen patted her developing chest, her worried eyes fixed on Xue Xiao Ran, who stood at the edge of the arena with both hands in his pockets.

Elsewhere, Nana Senior Sister also clenched her hands tightly and anxiously watched the scene in the arena. The junior who had piqued her curiosity still wore the same calm, unreadable expression, and she could not help praying for him.

"What do you think of this soul skill?"

Yan Yuyan stared coldly at the unruffled Xue Xiao Ran. Seeing that his hands were still in his pockets, she snorted disdainfully. Was he planning to keep putting on airs even at death's door?

"Is a mere Martial Soul Fusion Skill all you have to rely on?"

Xue Xiao Ran acted as though the Flame Giant before him did not exist. The arrogance in his voice was heard not only by the two girls, but also by the students and teachers around the arena.

"Flame Demon King, let's go."

Yan Yuyan's chest heaved with anger, revealing enticing curves, but no one was looking at her now. Every gaze was fixed on the Flame Demon King engulfed in fire.

In the end, she still did not say the words, "Kill him."

The Flame Demon King silently raised its great blade. The two girls behind it clasped their hands tightly, clearly exerting all their strength.

The great blade pointed toward the calm-faced Xue Xiao Ran.

His ice-blue short hair was swept up by the heatwave. In a low voice, he murmured words only he could hear.

"I really don't like fire."