One Against Seven

A fierce series of duels was underway on the training ground. Once Master finished speaking, he gave no one a chance to object, directly stepping back and leaving the center of the arena with Fu Hua.

Dai Mubai versus Ma Hongjun and Oscar, followed by Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong.

Tang San versus Xiao Wu.

Auxiliary-type Spirit Masters could only display their true strength by cooperating with others. Such groupings would also allow Master to better understand each person's traits.

Special training! Special training was about strengthening everyone's strengths while making up for each other's weaknesses.

Dai Mubai was an Assault System Battle Soul Master, and his Martial Soul was the powerful White Tiger. After Martial Soul Possession, his power and attack strength received an immense boost. On top of that, his third Soul Skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation, further increased his defense, attack, and strength.

Then there was his first skill, White Tiger Body Protection, which further enhanced his attack, defense, and strength. Combined with his second Soul Skill, White Tiger Fierce Light Wave, the damage it dealt was terrifying.

But his weakness was also obvious: speed. No matter how powerful his attacks were, if he could not hit his opponent, they were useless.

Ma Hongjun was a fire-attribute Assault System Battle Soul Master. Although his Martial Soul was the mutated Evil Fire Phoenix, its mutated flames were even stranger, possessing an irritating adhesive quality.

His second Soul Skill, Phoenix in Fire, could increase the power of his flames by thirty percent. Combined with the single-target attack of his first Soul Skill, Phoenix Fire Line, its power was astonishing. Even Dai Mubai was unwilling to engage him at range.

However, his weakness was close combat. Once Dai Mubai got close to him, it meant the end.

Tang San was a Control System Battle Soul Master, and on top of that, he possessed Twin Martial Souls. He appeared to have no weaknesses at all; neither close combat nor ranged attacks could trouble him. He was also a man of deep loyalty and affection, and that was precisely his weakness.

It had been clearly demonstrated in his battle against Xiao Wu. Because of a momentary lapse, he had been struck by Xiao Wu's second Soul Skill, Charm.

Xiao Wu's Soft Skill needed close proximity to show its full effect, leaving Spirit Masters who specialized in strength and defense with little choice. As a Control System Battle Soul Master, Tang San should have been able to restrain this type of opponent, yet his carelessness allowed her to entangle him.

As an Agility Attack System Battle Soul Master, Zhu Zhuqing would find it rather difficult to cooperate with Ning Rongrong. First, she had to protect the auxiliary; second, she had to defeat Dai Mubai. If Dai Mubai ignored Zhu Zhuqing and directly attacked Ning Rongrong, then by the time Zhu Zhuqing returned to help, both she and Ning Rongrong would have been defeated.

Unfortunately, none of those hypothetical scenarios would occur. Dai Mubai had already expended a great deal of Soul Power in his battle with Tang San, then fought Ma Hongjun and Oscar. With Oscar's third Soul Skill, Mushroom Sausage, they could fly high in the air and avoid fighting Dai Mubai at close range.

It thus became a direct contest of Soul Power. With Oscar's support, Ma Hongjun naturally had no problems, but Dai Mubai was different. His competitive nature kept him from grasping where his chance of victory lay, and in the end, the battle concluded with his Soul Power exhausted.

There was naturally no need to say much about Tang San's battle with Xiao Wu.

Although Xiao Wu's third Soul Skill, Teleport, caught people off guard, Tang San's close-combat ability was by no means weak. As for the final result... it was said to have been very awkward.

Unfortunately, Master wanted to see results. No matter what excuses one had, a loss was a loss. Being less than fully recovered was not a reason to lose.

Master's expression stiffened as he told the five of them to rest for one shichen and recover to their peak condition for the next battle.

Fu Hua would challenge Dai Mubai's group of seven.

Master also wanted to use this battle to see exactly how strong Fu Hua was and where her limits lay. He still needed to carefully consider how to conduct Fu Hua's special training.

One shichen quickly passed in meditation. Whether it was Dai Mubai or Oscar, all of them had recovered to peak condition.

With Oscar's Recovery Sausage, even exhausted Soul Power could be restored in such a short time. A level-thirty Food System Spirit Master was absolutely not to be underestimated.

While they meditated and rested, Fu Hua watched from the side, her heart growing solemn. In battle, auxiliary-type Spirit Masters truly ought to be eliminated first.

Although Ning Rongrong had not done much, Fu Hua, who had already experienced it firsthand, would naturally not underestimate her. Ma Hongjun's flames, Zhu Zhuqing's speed, Xiao Wu's Soft Skill, Dai Mubai's defense, and Tang San's control.

If each person's strengths could be combined, even Fu Hua would find them troublesome.

Now that she could only use Soul Power, she had never tried to see how many levels of Spirit Masters she could contend with using Soul Power alone. Usually, she either relied on her own raw strength or Xuanyuan Sword.

Soul Power—come to think of it, she truly used it very rarely. She had basically regarded it merely as a power for adapting to this world.

"Since you have finished resting, prepare for the final match!" Master's stern voice rang out.

Everyone was already poised to strike. Led by Tang San, the seven quickly formed up.

Dai Mubai stood at the front, with Xiao Wu and Ma Hongjun on either side. Tang San stood in the middle, controlling the overall situation. Behind them, Zhu Zhuqing could launch an attack at any moment, while Ning Rongrong and Oscar were protected at the rear.

If Fu Hua wanted to knock those two out, she would have to break through three layers of defense.

Dai Mubai.

Xiao Wu, Tang San, Ma Hongjun.

Zhu Zhuqing.

She also had to ensure she would not be attacked from behind. If they directly trapped her like a turtle in a jar, Fu Hua might end up in a sorry state as well.

Fu Hua had witnessed their seamless cooperation back in the Star Dou Great Forest, so she would not let down her guard.

Before Master had even announced the start, she was already secretly gathering Soul Power.

Surging Soul Power coursed through the meridians in her body, yet it was as calm as rivers flowing into the sea, unable to stir even the slightest ripple. Specks of golden light spilled from her palms, faint as tiny ants.

Her feet stood apart in a figure-eight stance, her body erect, and her eyes tightly shut, as though she were merely dozing.

Yet none of the seven across from her believed Fu Hua was truly asleep. Perhaps she was waiting for the moment when the lion awakened.

Master's tightly pursed lips slowly parted.

That opening... had arrived.

"Begin!"

As soon as the words fell, a violent gale erupted, filling the sky with dust and sand.

A black figure flashed past, too fast to catch. Before Dai Mubai and the others could even summon their Martial Souls, two cries of pain sounded beside them.

They were Oscar's and Ning Rongrong's voices.

The dust settled.

The two figures had long since fallen a hundred li away, while a slender figure stood between them, the Golden Sword in her hand displaying its might. Surging Soul Power gathered around her, making all five of them instantly change expression.

Tang San hurriedly shouted, "Quick, defend!"

Fu Hua unleashed her Second Soul Skill, Assault Sweep.

She charged into the enemy camp with the force of a thousand troops, instantly slashing down two people before sweeping through the ranks with the force of ten thousand thunderbolts.

The second stage of the second skill—Sweep—was unleashed.

Its arc curved like a crescent moon, bright and pure as the full moon.

It swept across the heavens and earth.

Dust rose once more, accompanied by several muffled groans. It seemed they had been seriously injured.

Roar!

A beastly roar scattered the dust around them. Dai Mubai, gleaming with golden light, stepped out from within, followed by Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing.

All five of them were completely unharmed.

Fu Hua raised her brows, gripping her sword with both hands as she prepared herself.

Oscar and Ning Rongrong had already been kicked out of the match. Without their support, the five of them no longer possessed such absurd attack speed and recovery. Even if Fu Hua simply wore them down, she could exhaust them to death.

The five formed up again, with Tang San still in the center. A thin strand of Blue Silver Grass was tied around each person's waist, ready for any sudden developments on the field.

At the beginning, they had not yet reacted, but now that the five had prepared their defenses, they naturally had nothing to fear.

But... was that really so?

Dai Mubai was the first to attack, with Ma Hongjun supporting from behind. Zhu Zhuqing's figure faded away, disappearing without a trace, while Tang San continued to control the overall situation.

A beastly roar rang out as Dai Mubai activated his Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation. His enormous body bore down on Fu Hua, blocking her view of everything behind him.

Scorching heat descended from above, along with splattering adhesive flames that charred the grass black.

Fu Hua stepped sideways, dodging Ma Hongjun's First Soul Skill, Phoenix Fire Line.

Yet Dai Mubai's Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Fierce Light Wave, came at her from the side.

It arrived at precisely the moment Fu Hua sidestepped Ma Hongjun's first attack—not too early, not too late, but perfectly timed. Such control over timing was enough to drive one to despair.

Blinding white light surged toward her, rendering her eyes useless. Fu Hua raised her sword as Soul Power surged forth, part of it flowing into her eyes and the rest into the Xuanyuan Sword.

Active skill activated: Frostfall.

Zhu Zhuqing's faded figure suddenly appeared behind Fu Hua. Martial Soul Possession: Netherworld Cat.

First Soul Skill, Netherworld Hundred Claws, combined with Second Soul Skill, Hell Stab.

Together with Dai Mubai's White Tiger Fierce Light Wave, it formed a pincer attack against Fu Hua from both front and back. A tiger before her and a cat behind her—a beautiful killing blow.

But at that moment, waves of icy cold descended, as though even the air itself had frozen. Whether people, objects, time, or energy, all of them stalled.

Her eyes slightly narrowed as she focused and held her breath.

Fu Hua suddenly turned and used the Xuanyuan Sword to touch Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Skill. In that instant, Xuanyuan's passive activated.

Three energy swords traced elegant arcs through the air, striking Zhu Zhuqing's body and sending both her and the swords flying a hundred li away.

Zhu Zhuqing was defeated.

Fu Hua's figure flickered as her Second Soul Skill activated.

Three seconds of charging—Assault began.

Target: Ma Hongjun.

Only then did Dai Mubai react. His attack had already missed, and he was unable to attack Fu Hua again. He could only follow Tang San's instructions and return to defend.

Unfortunately, speed was not his specialty. Without Ning Rongrong's speed boost, trying to surpass Fu Hua's speed was nothing more than wishful thinking.

Assault began.

"Ma Hongjun, take to the air," Tang San said calmly.

While Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing had been attacking, he had not been idle either.

Third Soul Skill, Spider Web Restraint, activated.

The instant Fu Hua prepared to charge Ma Hongjun, he unleashed it. At that moment, Fu Hua was in the gap between old strength fading and new strength not yet arising—the moment when she was easiest to hit.

Once Fu Hua was bound by the spider web, Xiao Wu could activate Teleport, close in, and use Waist Bow. Combined with the charged White Tiger Fierce Light Wave Dai Mubai had prepared while returning to support, they would definitely win this battle.

But all of that depended on Fu Hua being restrained.

The charging figure suddenly stalled, seeming to try to change direction and evade the attack. However, the momentum of her forward rush caused her to lose her balance, and the descending spider web instantly bound her.

Numbness and burning pain immediately swept through Fu Hua's body. She tried to raise her sword and cut through the web, but its binding force only tightened further and further, leaving her to fall helplessly.

Xiao Wu's figure abruptly appeared behind Fu Hua—it was her Third Soul Skill, Teleport.

With a sweep of her legs, she directly clamped Fu Hua's neck between them.

First Soul Skill, Waist Bow, activated.

Her flexible waist instantly bent into a crescent, her hands bracing against the ground as her legs exerted force, throwing Fu Hua directly toward the direction Dai Mubai was charging from.

Fu Hua, tightly bound by the spiderweb, could only watch as her body rapidly drew closer to Dai Mubai in midair. At that moment, his second Soul Ring shone with a searing white light.

It was the White Tiger Fierce Light Wave he had been charging for a long time.

He had been building up power for this strike from the start, expending a full half of his Soul Power. There could be no better finale than ending things with this attack like fireworks.

Of course, Dai Mubai also understood that this was a spar, not a fight to the death, so he kept its power within the range Fu Hua could defend against. Oscar, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing, whom Fu Hua had sent flying earlier, had long since returned to stand beside Master, watching the battle in the arena as it neared its end.

Oscar could not stop complaining, "Fu Hua really is amazing. She actually held out against Boss Dai and Third Brother for so long, while we... got knocked out in a single hit."

Ning Rongrong's expression remained fairly calm, but her chest still rose and fell, revealing the turmoil in her heart.

Zhu Zhuqing's expression was unreadable. Her eyes remained fixed on Fu Hua in the arena, who had clearly fallen into a losing position, as doubt filled her heart.

Was it really going to end like this?

"Have any of you seen Fu Hua use her third Soul Skill?" Master's stiff voice exploded beside the three of them.

They were startled. That was right! Fu Hua still had not used her third Soul Skill. That was a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring!

Both Oscar and Ning Rongrong stared at the arena in shock. Zhu Zhuqing's eyes darkened slightly, her heart equally shaken.

In midair, Fu Hua's figure was wrapped up like a rice dumpling, yet there was not the slightest sign of dejection on her face. Her expression was calm, as though she were not facing a powerful Soul Master, but an immature child.

"It's over," Dai Mubai said.

The White Tiger Fierce Light Wave shot forth.

PS: If I really did add an extra chapter for Monthly Votes, what would be a reasonable number?