Practical Combat Duel

"You still haven't released your Spirit?"

After looking around, Lu Song noticed that Yan had not released his Spirit, and a trace of displeasure appeared in his eyes. Did his words carry no weight now?

Yan did not compromise because of Lu Song's displeasure. Instead, he moved behind the chubby Tuo Ba Hong and looked toward Lu Song. "Teacher, you never said we had to release our Spirits at the very start of the test, did you?"

"I indeed didn't make that clear."

Lu Song gave Yan a deep look, then suddenly clenched his right hand. A scythe over a meter long appeared in his palm. With three ringing chimes, three Soul Rings—one white, one yellow, and one purple—circled around his body.

"For this test, if you can force me to summon my Spirit back, you win."

Lu Song swept his gaze over the group, then casually tossed his scythe Spirit onto the ground. He took a step forward, making as if to head toward Yan and the other five.

Bang!

The moment Lu Song's foot touched down, the sandy ground beneath him split apart. His body shot forward like an arrow, his target clearly Yan and Tuo Ba Hong, who stood in a straight line.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

Unexpectedly, Tuo Ba Hong's reaction was not slow at all. At some point, large amounts of sand had gathered beneath his feet. With a flying kick, he sent the sand spraying outward, blanketing the charging Lu Song.

At the same time, Tuo Ba Hong and Yan swiftly changed positions and moved rapidly in opposite directions.

"I underestimated you. You're slippery enough."

Lu Song landed where they had been standing five seconds after they left. Looking at Yan and Tuo Ba Hong moving separately, his gaze shifted as he quickly changed targets.

Bang!

Sand flew up from beneath Lu Song's feet again. He launched himself from the spot, shooting directly toward the other student.

Roar~~~

The student with the Blue Tiger Spirit tried to resist. After letting out a tiger's roar, he slashed forward fiercely with both claws. Yet in the next instant, he was sent flying like a cannonball.

After casually eliminating one student, Lu Song called out, "Here's your first lesson after enrollment. The most basic rule of a Soul Master battle is to learn how to probe and maneuver. Don't blindly charge in before you've figured out the situation."

As he spoke, his gaze suddenly shifted and locked onto the student with the White Bear Spirit not far away. He stomped down again and shot forward.

Bang! Bang!

This time, however, he did not succeed. Two balls of mud flew in from afar and intercepted him midway, forcing him to alter his trajectory slightly and giving the White Bear Spirit student a chance.

Yan had already reached the edge of the square, where the crowd was dense. Yet he still did not dare stop. He kept moving, maintaining the greatest possible distance from Lu Song, then shouted at the White Bear Spirit student, "Run already!"

"Ah... right, right..."

The student snapped out of his daze and tried to flee, but when he turned, his unguarded back was completely exposed. Wasn't that simply handing Lu Song an opportunity? Naturally, Lu Song would not let it pass. He pushed off the ground to accelerate and caught up behind him in just a few seconds.

"Attack together."

Yan had already arrived beside the student with the Azure Wolf Spirit. Seeing the excellent opportunity they had created, he shouted and launched the attack. Tuo Ba Hong immediately charged forward in response, while the other two instinctively followed, closing in around Lu Song.

Bang!

Lu Song grabbed the White Bear Spirit student by the shoulder and threw him aside with force. As expected, another student was eliminated. Yet this move also left him in the brief gap between expending his old force and generating new force. At that moment, the remaining four students, including Yan, had surrounded him at once.

"You're good at creating opportunities, but selling out your teammates like this isn't a good habit."

Lu Song gave Yan a deep look, then planted his feet firmly and prepared to meet the attack.

Lu Song's words did not change Yan's expression in the slightest. As he ran, Yan suddenly slapped the Azure Wolf Spirit wielder on the back, then used the momentum to fling him toward Lu Song.

Lu Song had originally twisted backward, intending to deal with the Black Panther Spirit and Tuo Ba Hong's White Armor Earth Dragon first. Those two were faster and closer, so they should have arrived sooner.

However, just as he turned his head, a sharp rush of wind came from behind him. He instinctively turned back and saw the Azure Wolf Spirit student who had been thrown at him, nearly within arm's reach. His sharp claws, wreathed in a cyan glow and a light breeze, tore viciously toward Lu Song's back.

"A coincidence? It's clearly their first time working together. How could their coordination be this precise?"

He was about to turn back again and face the wolf claws first when he suddenly sensed the howling gale stirred up by the Black Panther rushing toward him. Panther in front, wolf behind, and their timing was so perfect. He simply could not believe that this was their first time cooperating.

Bang! Bang!

Lu Song was caught between the Black Panther and Azure Wolf Spirit students, about to suffer badly. Yet he was a battle-hardened Soul Elder, and his reaction was exceptionally quick. Rather than prioritizing either direction, he raised one foot in a crane stance, then spun and kicked out fiercely.

With two muffled impacts, the Black Panther and Azure Wolf Spirit students were each sent flying. Though they were not knocked out directly, their condition had clearly been affected. But by now, Yan's goal had already been achieved, and their usefulness was limited.

While standing on one leg, Lu Song suddenly felt his foot sink. Losing his balance nearly made him fall on the spot. He quickly looked down, then locked his gaze on Tuo Ba Hong again.

The foot he had planted to exert force had sunk entirely into the ground. It was unclear what exactly had happened.

"Your control over the earth element reaches that far?"

Lu Song looked at Tuo Ba Hong in disbelief. He had dealt with the powerful White Armor Earth Dragon Soul Master family within Spirit Hall before, so he naturally knew some of this Spirit's characteristics.

The chubby Tuo Ba Hong had not yet obtained his first Soul Ring, so his combat strength should have been limited. That was what puzzled Lu Song. Since he had been assigned to Class Three, he clearly did not possess the top-tier talent to control earth elements within a dozen meters. So why had Lu Song fallen for it?

But at that moment, he had no time to figure it out. Just as he was kneeling awkwardly with one knee sunk into the ground, two figures rolled to their feet and charged at him again even faster.

Because his brief predicament had kept him from finishing them off, the Black Panther and Azure Wolf Spirit students had been given a chance to counterattack.

"You're still a little too impatient."

Lu Song planted his other foot and steadied himself. Looking at the other two charging toward him, he kicked off, twisted his waist, and pulled the trapped foot free. Then powerful Soul Power erupted instantly.

Bang bang...

The two students who had charged in again were sent flying at even greater speed. A Soul Elder's frontal burst, even without using a soul skill, was not so easy to withstand. This time, no miracle occurred. They lost their combat ability and were eliminated.

Boom~~~

Just as Lu Song was preparing to make another move, a figure suddenly shot out from his blind spot. Powerful flames immediately rushed toward his face.

At some point, Yan had already moved close to him. Taking advantage of Lu Song's unstable footing, he immediately unleashed a rapid barrage of attacks.

Threads of reddish-gold flames spilled from his body, while pale red outer flames swayed in the wind like a lion's mane, wildly flowing. Wrapped in blazing fire from head to toe, he resembled a god of war forged from flame, unleashing his strength and ferocity at that moment.