Putting Learning into Practice

The thousand-year soul skill Wrath of Thunder and the boost from Dragon Transformation took effect at the same time, greatly increasing Yu Chenyu's imposing aura. Facing such an opponent, Gongyang Mo, standing behind Wang Nan, also revealed his Martial Soul.

"Take this!"

Wang Nan shouted.

Yu Chenyu looked over at the sound. First, several ice walls rose around him, followed by a dazzling burst of color.

Who said something pretty couldn't fill your stomach? Seven-colored light shimmered from Gongyang Mo's Wings and reflected off the ice walls created by Ling Luochen, instantly dyeing half the arena in rainbow hues. Yu Chenyu's vision blurred for a moment, and his opponents had already vanished.

Already thrown into disarray by the earlier effect, Yu Chenyu lost all sense of order when he saw the Maze-like Ice Walls around him. He flailed his arms and attacked wildly.

Without the enhancement of soul skills, ice walls formed solely through ice control naturally were not very sturdy. Yu Chenyu's random attacks actually smashed open a path.

But that brief delay was enough.

The light of Gongyang Mo's first and third soul skills descended, enveloping Wang Nan. At the same time, Wang Nan lowered his body, held the Coiling Dragon Staff level in both hands, pressed his upper arms tightly to his sides, and sank his awareness into his Spiritual Sea. The instant Yu Chenyu appeared, Wang Nan pushed off with his right foot, twisted his waist with the motion, and swept the Coiling Dragon Staff in a semicircle.

As Yu Chenyu broke through the ice wall, he saw a massive tail whipping toward his waist. Even stranger, two Yellow Soul Rings—one dark and one light—were nested around the tail, both blazing brightly.

Tong Lan's view from the other end of the arena had been blocked by the ice walls. Her Support Soul Skill had long since lost effect after losing its target. Without his teammates' support, how could Yu Chenyu possibly withstand Wang Nan's Tail Sweep, enhanced by four soul skills?

With one staff strike, before Yu Chenyu even had time to feel the pain shooting through his wrist, his entire body was sent flying into the air and out of the arena.

Tong Lan, who had rushed over from the other side of the arena, had just passed through the ice wall when she saw Yu Chenyu fly past her. Then, seeing Wang Nan's gaze settle on her, she could only concede in helplessness.

As the ice walls dispersed, Xixi, now alone, did not struggle any further. She nodded at Wang Nan and jumped off the arena.

"Wang Nan's Team wins!" As soon as the Proctor's words fell, several teachers responsible for treatment hurried into the arena and carried Yu Chenyu away.

Defeating a Champion Favorite Team with a Soul Elder in just a few minutes immediately sparked a wave of discussion around the arena. There was doubt, there was shock, but most of all, there was praise for Wang Nan's team.

Of course, while this match had appeared short, the real contest had actually begun yesterday. After the previous two days of Elimination Rounds, some of the better-performing teams had already become well known among the New Students. It did not take much effort to find out how those teams had performed in the assessments.

As the core of his team, Yu Chenyu possessed the top-tier Martial Soul, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, as well as the cultivation of a Soul Elder. Thus, in every previous match, he had launched a Direct Attack, crushing his opponents through his strength alone and securing victory.

That gave Wang Nan an opening. During the pre-match name introductions, they had deliberately appeared weak to lure the enemy in. At the critical moment, they used Gongyang Mo's Martial Soul Characteristic together with Ling Luochen to create obstacles, creating an Attack Opportunity while cutting off the opponent's support. Then they seized that fleeting Battle Opportunity to join forces and take down Yu Chenyu. Even if they could not defeat him in one blow, they would still gain an enormous advantage in the battle that followed.

The tactics Sun He had once taught—learning about one's opponent in advance, setting traps during battle, luring enemies into ambushes, and Outnumbering the Enemy—had all been applied by Wang Nan in this match. Though he had only used them on a basic level, they were more than enough to deal with eleven- and twelve-year-old children.

The remaining matches that morning were much easier. Although nearly all the teams that had entered the Elimination Round were Seed Teams, there were still differences between Seed Teams. Relying on their advantage in Soul Power Level, Wang Nan's group crushed their way through the competition and advanced to the Final Match.

It was worth mentioning that after their first match, nearly every arena saw contestants announce their Soul Power Level when reporting their names. Likewise, almost none of those announced levels were accurate. As a result, Soul Masters with level twenty-one soul power chased those with level twenty-nine soul power all over the arenas, while Support Types pinned down Assault Types and beat them senseless. Such scenes became common.

Rather than stopping it, the academy added a new rule requiring contestants to report their Soul Power Levels to each other before matches. After all, promptly judging an opponent's Martial Soul inclination and Soul Power Level was also part of combat, and it was good to start cultivating that skill from the New Student stage.

The Final Match was scheduled for the afternoon. Since there was only one match that afternoon, Wang Nan had plenty of time to rest. On his way back to the Dormitory Building, Mu En, who had been sitting beneath it the whole time, unexpectedly spoke first.

"You fought well in the first match this morning."

Wang Nan froze upon hearing that.

With a Level 99 Limit Douluo right beside him, it would have been a lie to say he had no thoughts about it at all. What if he could receive a word or two of guidance from Mu En? Though he had transmigrated here, he had never cultivated in his previous life either. Receiving guidance from a Limit Douluo would be of considerable help to him.

Still, he had not gone out of his way to ingratiate himself. Whenever he saw Mu En, he would merely greet him briefly. Mu En would always respond with a kindly smile or repeatedly say a few words of praise.

But this was the first time Mu En had taken the initiative to speak.

"Thank you. It was all right, I suppose." Wang Nan answered modestly.

"Mm. Was that final move something you comprehended yourself, or did someone teach it to you?" Mu En asked.

"The final move?" Wang Nan thought for a moment. Mu En was definitely not referring to a soul skill, but rather the tail-swinging strike that had knocked Yu Chenyu out of the arena. "I learned it from Soul Beasts."

Mu En's eyes brightened slightly.

"You found a method to use soul power and Spiritual Power together merely by observing Soul Beasts?"

Wang Nan knew that Mu En possessed a supreme technique capable of combining Spiritual Power with soul power. It seemed that the skill he had learned from Soul Beasts resembled Mu En's technique, which was why Mu En had taken the initiative to ask.

Wang Nan's process of comprehending that skill from Soul Beasts had involved some trickery, but he certainly could not reveal the truth. So he shamelessly accepted the credit.

"Good. Very good." Mu En smiled and nodded. He examined Wang Nan carefully once more. "That's all. Go prepare well for this afternoon's match."

Huh? Wang Nan was puzzled. That's it?

Though confused, Wang Nan was not the sort to insist on getting something. After saying goodbye, he turned and left.

Watching Wang Nan's retreating figure, Mu En nodded again.

Outstanding talent and excellent temperament. Looks like I'll have to send Shao Zhe on a trip. At that thought, Mu En silently sighed again. Sigh. A top-tier Martial Soul, fame... even the clan juniors are burdened by such things.