Don't Say I Didn't Give You a Chance
The next day, a new round of qualifiers quickly began.
However, unlike the opening match, five arenas have now been set up inside the main venue, and battles are taking place on each of them.
Su Cheng directly handed over the command and dispatch authority, allowing the team members to allocate tactics independently based on intelligence from other teams.
He wandered around and went to watch the matches outside the arenas of the Element Academy teams.
The audience was naturally somewhat disappointed that they couldn't spot Su Cheng in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team.
There's not much that can be done about it. This isn't a performance; each academy has its own tactical arrangements, so this kind of situation is perfectly normal.
The other teams, however, secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.
They didn't intend to eliminate the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, mainly because they feared serious injuries during the battle would affect their future matches. If Su Cheng were to fight, they would have no choice but to forfeit to ensure everything went smoothly.
During this period, Shrek Academy's competition went smoothly, and they won a lot of points.
After all, Zhu Zhuqing's strength is undeniable. Without the Five Element Academy's intervention, the other weaker teams are not particularly strong, and many of them don't even have a single Soul Ancestor.
Moreover, Tang San and his group are not weak either; it is difficult for most academies to gain an advantage with their cooperation.
Furthermore, unlike in the original timeline, the Shrek Team did not face the extremely strong Elephant Armor Academy in their second match under Salas's "special treatment."
Otherwise, given their current strength, they would most likely be unable to defeat those turtle shells.
However, in their subsequent battle against the Blazing Fire Academy, the Shrek Team nearly suffered a defeat.
Because he didn't use any immortal Immortal Herb to resist ice and fire, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was completely countered by fire attacks.
Fortunately, Zhu Zhuqing had already used the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot her body, so she was able to handle the attacks from the Blazing Fire Academy with ease and single-handedly carried the entire team.
It was precisely because this battle had almost no effect that Tang San became even more determined to switch to training the Clear Sky Hammer.
A few days later, it was finally Su Cheng's turn to play.
This time, the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team's opponent is the Godwind Academy Team.
He certainly couldn't miss it.
Of the seven team members from the Godwind Academy, six were around the same age, in their early twenties. Only the support-type Soul Master standing at the back of the team looked much younger, seemingly even younger than Su Cheng.
The person walking at the front was tall and handsome, with a smile on his face, and looked very carefree.
This person is none other than Feng Xiaotian, the captain of the Godwind Academy Team and a level 44 Power Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor.
Although still young, he already exudes the air of a strong person, showing no trace of his usual sycophantic behavior.
Besides him, there were two other people whose Soul Power Level exceeded forty: one was an agility-type Soul Master with the Shadow Leopard Martial Soul, and the other was Power Attack System Soul Master with the Wind Blade Martial Soul.
With three Soul Ancestor and four Soul Elders, they truly deserve to be the strongest team in this year's Five Element Academy.
However, the support-type Soul Master at the very back, who looked very young, was someone Su Cheng had never seen before when watching the competition.
As for the other matches, because Godwind Academy maintained a winning streak and easily defeated its opponents, the type of this person's Martial Soul was never revealed, making it somewhat mysterious.
After the two teams stood facing each other, the referee quickly walked to the center of the ring and announced loudly, "Both sides, line up and salute."
Looking at the other party's current aura, Su Cheng nodded to himself; this was exactly the effect he wanted.
The Element Academy of today is different from the past. Although the elements are still singular, the development directions are very diverse.
Taking Godwind Academy as an example, the team members in front of us are all wind attribute Soul Master, but they are also divided into different positions such as strong attack, agile attack, control, and support.
How these people tactically combine is not important to Su Cheng. After all, they are still young, and their number of Soul Ring and Soul Skill is limited. Even if they play their tactics in a fancy way, it's still just so-so.
However, the combinations of these people's Soul Ring and Soul Skill, and the effects they produce, are worth his reference and learning.
Especially the Soul Ring.
Having grasped the essence of Soul Ring, Su Cheng had even higher expectations for the research results of these academies.
Considering the effects of True Sight Eye, today's match is less of a battle and more of a learning experience.
"It's you!"
When Feng Xiaotian saw that Su Cheng was the one leading the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team today, his expression immediately became serious.
He stared at Su Cheng and said in a deep voice, "I am twenty-four years old this year. I have awakened the Innate Full Soul Power Mutated Spirit, Gale Twin-Headed Wolf, and my current cultivation level is forty-four. I know you are very strong, but our team may not necessarily lose to you."
"Feng Xiaotian, I know you." Su Cheng nodded. "Let's fight first."
In the past few days, he had watched many battles of the Element Academy from the audience and was quite optimistic about Feng Xiaotian's talent, but it was a pity that he chose the wrong growth path.
However, there's no point in saying more now; many things can only be discussed after the competition is over.
"You can release your Martial Soul now."
The referee's voice rang out again. In an instant, light flashed across the arena.
A series of Martial Soul, such as Wolf Shadow, Leopard Shadow, Wind Blade, Phoenix Butterfly, have appeared one after another.
The last support-type Soul Master seemed to only experience a gentle breeze, with no other unusual phenomena.
A glint flashed in Su Cheng's eyes, and he immediately understood, "It's this kind of Martial Soul, interesting."
After summoning their Martial Soul, the members of the Godwind Academy Team quickly formed a battle formation.
Two Power Attack System Soul Master stood at the front of the group, their figures slightly offset from each other.
The control-type Soul Master with the Wind Soul Grass stood in the middle, the three agility-type Soul Master stood on both sides, and the support-type Soul Master remained at the back of the group.
Then, Feng Xiaotian, who was standing at the very front, let out a sharp, long howl, and a faint blue light surged out from his body.
As the blue light surged, his body underwent a noticeable change. Accompanied by cracking sounds from his bones, his muscles and bones expanded simultaneously, and his physique became significantly larger.
His long hair was also dyed blue, and a wolf's head emerged from his left shoulder.
The blue wolf's head stared intently at Su Cheng, its gaze chilling, and Sisi chilling aura emanated from its mouth.
On the other hand, the scene on Su Cheng's side was the same as before. The other six people released their Martial Soul and retreated quickly, while only Su Cheng stepped forward with his long sword in hand.
But this time the others retreated even further, almost to the edge of the ring.
"The match begins!"
At the referee's whistle, both teams moved simultaneously.
Su Cheng's teammates did not hesitate and jumped off the stage, quickly leaving the competition area, which left Feng Xiaotian and the others stunned.
Su Cheng didn't actually want things to turn out this way either.
But there was no way around it; having these teammates on stage would only get in the way and create chaos, affecting his ability to understand the combinations of other people's Soul Skill.
However, this is not the first opening match after all, so there are many things that don't need to be considered too much.
Fortunately, the members of the Godwind Academy were highly skilled in combat and did not experience any mental fluctuations due to this unexpected situation. Instead, they became even more cautious.
They had witnessed the outcome of the first match and dared not be careless in the slightest.
The next moment, fine blades of grass quickly covered the ground.
A gentle breeze swept through the swirling yellow sand, instantly disrupting and scattering the airflow around Su Cheng's body.
It subtly affected his perception and speed.
Su Cheng's eyes flickered; it was the control-type Soul Master in the center.
This wind-attribute crowd control skill is quite interesting; it's somewhat similar to a domain.
Although its current ability to limit its capabilities is not very strong, it has great potential for future growth.
There are experts in the development and use of Soul Skill at the Godwind Academy.
After thinking for a moment, Su Cheng also released the Five Elements Domain, but did not use its suppressive effect.
It serves merely as a sensory aid, helping him to perceive the effects of the opponent's Soul Skill more clearly.
At the same time, a faint golden light emanated from the vertical lines between his eyebrows.
True Sight Eye begins to operate inefficiently, adding the effect of Insight through illusions and a portion of True Vision.
This state consumes very little of his Spiritual Power, and with his current Spiritual Power strength, he could maintain it for several hours without any problems.
"Field?!"
Feng Xiaotian and the others immediately sensed the subtle change in the environment and were startled.
However, it was soon discovered that although this was a domain, it did not suppress their attributes or status. It seemed to only enhance their perception, which was equivalent to suppressing the control effect of the Wind Soul Grass.
Su Cheng's domain energy fluctuations were minimal, and the phenomenon of his External Soul Bone was also inconspicuous. Apart from the people on the arena, most of the audience were completely unaware of it.
It's just strange that Su Cheng didn't use that terrifying sword move from before this time.
But the powerful figures in the VIP seats all looked serious at this moment.
"Such mature control over the domain." Ning Fengzhi narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a low voice.
"He has already completed at least two advancements." Chen Xin, sitting next to him, nodded confidently. "It's almost comparable to the domain bonus in the Martial Soul Avatar state."
This time he didn't miss it and came to watch the competition, since it wasn't far from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's mountain gate.
Moreover, even if we can't see Su Cheng's battle, it's still quite good to see Ning Rongrong's current performance.
"Let's wait and see. Cheng'er probably won't finish the battle anytime soon."
On the arena.
As the battle began, Feng Xiaotian's body accelerated almost instantly, rushing straight towards Su Cheng.
The azure light left a long trail of light behind him, moving at an incredible speed, even surpassing the speed-attack type Soul Master behind him.
At the same time, his First Soul Ring lit up, sharp wolf claws popped out from his palms, and his sharp and ruthless gaze locked onto Su Cheng.
Before the man even arrived, the wolf's claws had already been swung out.
Ten semi-circular wind blades, accompanied by a piercing sound, blocked Su Cheng's escape routes.
The First Soul Skill of the Gale Demon Wolf Martial Soul is usually Wind Blade, but Feng Xiaotian, who possesses the Gale Twin-Headed Wolf Martial Soul, has Wind Blade Array as his Soul Skill.
The fact that the number is ten times greater shows how much stronger his First Soul Skill is than that of an ordinary Gale Demon Wolf Martial Soul. This is the innate advantage of a high-level Martial Soul.
The moment he lunged out, the other members of the Divine Wind Team also moved.
The Element Academy now possesses a rich array of tactics for dealing with enemies, making them no less capable than typical balanced teams.
With the Wind Chime Bird Martial Soul Possession, the agility-type Soul Master, hovering in the sky, unleashed gusts of wind, further compressing Su Cheng's movement space.
The strongest Shadow Leopard Soul Master lingered on the outer edge of the team, near the edge of the arena, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
With the enhancement of his domain, Su Cheng could see all the movements of the opposing team, and all external interference had no effect on him.
Indeed, as Chen Xin said.
This time, he didn't immediately zoom in.
His goal was to observe how the other party used their Soul Ring and Soul Skill, especially the intricacies of combining laws and attributes when constructing Soul Ring, so he wasn't in a hurry.
The Third Soul Ring lit up beneath his feet, and the Soul Ring skill Fractal Shadowing.
After upgrading his Soul Ring and improving his own cultivation, this Soul Skill can now split into seven sword shadows, and each sword shadow has 90% of the original power of the Longevity Sword.
"Sword Six, Sword-Controlling Stance."
Under the control of the secret technique, five sword shadows slashed out from different directions, intercepting the five people except for the control-type Soul Master and the support-type Soul Master.
The remaining two stood guard beside him, staring intently at Feng Xiaotian directly in front of them.
If nothing unexpected happens, the other party should have further actions to take.
Seeing his response, the audience couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
Logically, the first targets to be dealt with at this point should be the control-type Soul Master can control the battlefield and the support-type Soul Master who can provide buffs.
Since they possess such powerful Soul Skill, and those sword shadows are so strong, why give the opponent another chance to use their Soul Skill?
The first day was the same; the last one left on stage was the support-type Soul Master from the Shrek Academy.
Is this confidence or arrogance?
Whether it was confidence or arrogance, the audience couldn't be sure, but Feng Xiaotian, facing Su Cheng directly at this moment, felt a chill run down his spine.
Before those eyes that shimmered with a faint golden light, his every move seemed to be completely transparent, and he felt that his actions had been Insight.
It's important to know that the Gale Twin-Headed Wolf Martial Soul is no ordinary weapon.
The advantage of having two heads is that it allows him to balance strong attacks and agile attacks, with no weaknesses in speed, offense, or defense.
Even so, he also had a premonition that this attack would likely end in failure.
Sure enough, Su Cheng made no attempt to dodge his wind blades.
The sword strike arrived before it could strike, and in a single slash, it had already shattered the opponent's defenses.
Feng Xiaotian gritted his teeth and charged forward despite the onslaught of the sword blade, preparing to try the same attack again at close range.
At that moment, a soft voice suddenly reached his ears.
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance. It's best not to use the same skill twice."
Su Cheng didn't want to waste time with him.
This kind of wind blade skill is meaningless, even if it's a mutated skill.
At this moment, his attention was more focused on the control-type Soul Master and the support-type Soul Master.
He was already prepared to deal with the others.
"..."
Feng Xiaotian felt a chill in his heart, and his mental pressure increased sharply.
He felt the oppressive aura emanating from the sword shadow before him instantly intensify several times, making it impossible for him to take another half step forward.
The opponent hadn't exerted any force at all!
"Call..."
Feng Xiaotian's expression grew increasingly serious, and he abandoned his previous idea.
Then, a pair of enormous blue wings unfurled from behind.
At the same time, a cyan light and shadow gathered behind him, forming the shape of the Gale Twin-Headed Wolf.
Against the backdrop of that vast and dazzling light and shadow, Feng Xiaotian soared into the air. With just one flap of his wings, his body rose straight up to a height of fifty meters above the ground.
Su Cheng looked up and immediately understood the other party's plan.
Although flying skills were of little use to him, he never intended to interrupt the opponent's use of Soul Skill.
He then began to observe the others.
Feng Xiaotian spread his wings lightly in the air, gazing at Su Cheng below.
"I know you are strong, but I have a Self-Created Soul Skill! Soul Skill is called the Gale Demon Wolf Thirty-Six Consecutive Slashes, but I'm afraid you won't dare to let me charge it up."
He hadn't expected to be able to unleash this Soul Skill.
Based on the strength Su Cheng displayed on the first day, it would be easy to interrupt his Self-Created Soul Skill.
A 36-hit combo that cannot be fully charged cannot unleash its full power.
But judging from Su Cheng's attitude, he seems to have some other ideas, so perhaps we can give him a chance to unleash his full power.
They immediately began to probe each other verbally.
Su Cheng chuckled lightly and casually said, "A clumsy attempt at provocation. Go ahead and use it, let me see."
As soon as Feng Xiaotian uttered the words "Self-Created Soul Skill," it immediately caused an uproar in the audience.
Self-Created Soul Skill are rare, and those who can create them are all exceptionally talented. In the opening match on the first day, Su Cheng displayed a self-created sword move that amazed everyone.
And today, yet another Soul Master is preparing to unleash his Self-Created Soul Skill.
Therefore, the upcoming battle is bound to be extremely exciting.
Su Cheng ignored the commotion in the audience.
Before he could even finish speaking, he had already begun to exert his strength.
Get rid of the useless guys first.
In the blink of an eye, the other agility-type and Power Attack System Soul Master Soul Master felt that the rhythm of the sword's attack had completely changed!
The sword shadows that were previously barely manageable suddenly increased in speed several times over, making them impossible to keep up with.
Despite using all their Soul Skill, they were still slashed out of the arena by the sudden increase in the power of the four sword clones.
Subsequently, the control-type Soul Master followed suit.
In the blink of an eye, the battle scene, which had been somewhat tense just moments before, underwent a dramatic transformation.
The next moment, apart from Su Cheng, only Feng Xiaotian and the support-type Soul Master remained on the entire arena from the Godwind Academy Team.
The audience was stunned.
The entire Soul Arena fell silent instantly, leaving the other fighters still battling on the other arenas somewhat bewildered.
Interestingly, the seemingly beautiful and innocent support-type Soul Master, though pale from excessive Soul Power consumption, did not appear tense. Instead, she looked at Su Cheng with great curiosity.
I originally planned to finish writing about this match, but it looks like that's unlikely. Don't wait for the next chapter; it might not be until sometime.
——
Let me explain further.
The complaints Tang San made in the previous chapter were his exact words to Dugu Bo after his match with Shui Bing'er. This is taken from Chapter 107 of the original novel; interested readers can compare them themselves.
The analysis of Twin Martial Souls by Yu Xiaogang comes from Chapters 5 and 80, and is entirely based on the original novel's setting.
Those who insist on meticulously researching the original text can take a break; if you're going to nitpick, please compare it with the original text before commenting.
I really didn't want to add notes to this chapter, as it would affect readers who don't read comments.
But there are always people who are disgusting in the comments section, pointing out this flaw or that flaw. If you care so much about the setting, then please read the original work a few more times, okay?