I Thought It Was a Martial Soul Fusion Skill

By the time they reached the Final Match, even more spectators had gathered around the arena. It was not just the freshmen; even the elevated platform reserved for teachers was packed. Seated in the center was a tall male teacher in his fifties—Du Weilun, the Outer Courtyard's director of instruction for the Martial Soul Department.

The referee entered the assessment area, first recited the precautions, then gestured offstage for Wang Nan and the others to step onto the arena.

"State your names and affiliations."

"Freshman Class One, Wang Nan, Level 28 Assault Type Battle Soul Master."

"Freshman Class One, Ling Luochen, Level 24 Control Type Battle Soul Master."

"Freshman Class One, Gongyang Mo, Level 32 Support Type Battle Soul Elder."

It was not that Wang Nan did not want to give false information. He was simply the first to use that tactic, and everyone had long since thoroughly investigated his team.

"Freshman Class Nine, Ji Tongxuan, Level 29 Agility Attack Type Battle Soul Master."

"Freshman Class Nine, Ji Hui, Level 21 Agility Attack Type Battle Soul Master."

"Freshman Class Nine, Song Chang, Level 22 Assault Type Battle Soul Master."

Wang Nan had paid attention while watching earlier matches. The fighting style of the team before him was highly unusual. Ji Tongxuan, the Agility Attack Type Soul Master, was their main attacker, while Song Chang, the Assault Type Soul Master, was responsible for holding enemies back. As for Ji Hui, Wang Nan had never once seen him make a move.

"Match begin!" The referee gave Wang Nan no time to think, announcing the start of the Final Match with a shout.

At the referee's command, Wang Nan's trio quickly closed the distance. Unlike in their first match, this was not an attempt to lure the enemy in—it was a necessity.

Wang Nan's team was especially wary of opponents with one Assault Type and two Agility Attack Types. Of the three of them, only Wang Nan could fight head-on. Once he was tied down, their controller and support would have virtually no ability to resist the opposing Assault and Agility Attack Types.

Ji Tongxuan's team had clearly spotted Wang Nan's weakness as well, and all three swiftly charged toward Gongyang Mo. A pair of gray Wings appeared behind both Ji Tongxuan and Ji Hui. Though they could not let them fly, they still greatly boosted their speed.

Normally, Ji Tongxuan's group should have attacked from three directions. Then, no matter how strong Wang Nan was, he could not be everywhere at once and would inevitably struggle to protect his teammates. Yet Ji Tongxuan and Ji Hui stayed close together, and Song Chang's Soul Power Level was not particularly high. This instead allowed Wang Nan to block all their attacks.

Still, Wang Nan did not dare let his guard down. The more unusual a team was, the more cautiously he had to deal with them. The fact that they had made it to the Final Match already said plenty.

Could they have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill? Wang Nan boldly guessed.

Ji Tongxuan and Ji Hui looked quite different in build—one tall and sturdy, the other thin and small—but their features bore some resemblance. They might well have been blood brothers, and if so, possessing a Martial Soul Fusion Skill would be perfectly reasonable.

Wang Nan fought while pondering on the arena, and some in the stands had arrived at the same suspicion.

"Teacher Wang, can you tell what Ji Tongxuan's martial soul is? The two of them have stayed close together since the beginning. Could they have some kind of Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"

Another teacher sat beside Wang Yan and quietly asked him. Though Wang Yan was young, his research into martial souls was renowned among the teachers.

"Ji Tongxuan's martial soul seems to be the Fiery Spotted Sparrow. Shrek's records contain no Martial Soul Fusion Skills related to that martial soul. Still, our understanding of martial souls is only the tip of the iceberg. Given the formation they have taken, we cannot rule out that possibility."

On the arena, all three of Gongyang Mo's Soul Rings had lit up. Red, orange, and yellow halos descended upon Wang Nan. With Gongyang Mo's support, Wang Nan faced three opponents alone, and the battle briefly fell into a stalemate.

With Gongyang Mo supporting me, Ji Tongxuan, an Agility Attack Type Soul Master, can still clash with me head-on. That must have something to do with Ji Hui behind him. It has to be martial soul fusion. The question is, what exactly is their Martial Soul Fusion Skill?

If it were a transformation-type skill like the Hell White Tiger, they would have used it against me already. So does it only have the power for a single strike, and they're saving it for a crucial moment?

At that thought, Wang Nan narrowed his eyes. His first and second Soul Rings lit up simultaneously as the Coiling Dragon Staff smashed down toward Ji Tongxuan with a howling rush of wind.

As long as the Martial Soul Fusion Skill remained unrevealed, Wang Nan would have to keep part of his attention on guard against it. Rather than that, he might as well force them to act. Whatever the ability was, something known was always easier to handle than something unknown.

Yet what happened was somewhat beyond Wang Nan's expectations. As the Coiling Dragon Staff came crashing down, his opponent did not use any Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Instead, a red pattern emerged on Ji Tongxuan's Wings, while Ji Hui behind him spat out a mouthful of blood.

This was—

Du Weilun's eyes flew wide open on the platform. He was just about to rise when a hand pressed him back down.

"Dean?" At some point, an extra figure had appeared beside Du Weilun.

"Let's watch first." Yan Shaozhe spoke as he looked toward the arena. As the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, he rarely attended the freshman finals in past years. His presence this time naturally had another reason.

Wang Yan had the same reaction as Du Weilun, but he did not immediately stand. Instead, he looked toward Du Weilun in the center of the platform. Once he saw Yan Shaozhe, he said nothing more.

Naturally, Wang Nan had no idea what was happening beneath the stage. His attention was entirely on the battle before him. With the boosts from his first and second Soul Skills, he had already swung his staff several times in succession. Ji Tongxuan continued to receive them with apparent ease, but Ji Hui's complexion was growing worse and worse.

At first, Wang Nan thought that his attacks were simply too rapid, leaving them no chance to use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill. But he soon sensed that something was wrong. His attacks seemed to be landing on Ji Hui.

This was different from his fight with Chen Zifeng. Back then, Wang Nan could feel his force being redirected elsewhere, which was why Chen Zifeng had emerged completely unscathed. But now, every single strike landed solidly on Ji Tongxuan, while it was Ji Hui on the other side who was being injured.

Though he did not know what was going on with the Ji brothers, Wang Nan knew they could not remain deadlocked like this. Gongyang Mo was maintaining three Soul Skills at once behind him, rapidly draining his soul power. Even a Soul Elder could not keep that up for long. He needed to speed things up.

With that in mind, Wang Nan stopped holding back. His consciousness connected with his Spiritual Sea as he gripped the Coiling Dragon Staff horizontally in both hands.

Ji Tongxuan had made preparations before the match, so he naturally knew how Yu Chenyu had been sent flying off the arena that morning. Seeing Wang Nan's stance now, he panicked and actually pulled Ji Hui in front of himself with a backhanded motion, intending to use him to block the strike.

Ji Hui was suddenly shoved forward without any chance to prepare a defense. If that staff strike landed, it would not be a matter of mere injury. After all, this was only the New Student Assessment, not a fight to the death. The instant the Coiling Dragon Staff descended, Wang Nan had already withdrawn his force, while his gaze shifted toward the referee.

Yet before the referee could speak, Ji Tongxuan suddenly let out a loud, piercing cry. The red pattern appeared on his Wings once more, and amid a burst of light, dyed both Wings crimson. Ji Hui's soul power flowed continuously into Ji Tongxuan through the point where their bodies touched.