vs. Huo Wushuang

"The next match: Su Chen versus Huo Wushuang! The match will begin in ten minutes. All contestants, please proceed to the preparation area as soon as possible."

The school required them to complete at least three matches and secure at least one victory.

Therefore, after finishing his previous match, Su Chen signed up again.

He just hadn't expected his opponent this time to be Huo Wushuang.

"Xue Wu, you're here."

Su Chen, who had arrived early and was waiting in the preparation area, looked at Xue Wu as she entered the combat zone as well.

After half a year of getting along, the two of them had developed a fairly harmonious relationship.

"Mm. Your next opponent is very strong. How well prepared are you?"

Xue Wu sat down beside Su Chen and took a deep breath.

She was a support-type Soul Master, and she had lost both of her solo matches.

If she did not come up with a solution soon, she would have no way of fulfilling the school's requirement of winning at least once.

She had originally intended to discuss possible solutions with Su Chen, but she had not expected his next opponent to be the renowned Huo Wushuang.

"I found records of his previous matches at the Soul Arena. Do you want to take them and study them?"

As she spoke, Xue Wu handed him an illustrated booklet.

Huo Wushuang came from Chihuo Academy, a prestigious school as famous as Skywater Academy.

His father was the headmaster of Chihuo Academy.

At thirteen years old, Huo Wushuang was said to be approaching the great threshold of Rank 30.

Such strength and talent might not compare to a peerless genius like Su Chen.

But he was undoubtedly outstanding among his peers.

What was more, Huo Wushuang's Martial Soul was a powerful fire-attributed beast Martial Soul.

Among all attributes, fire possessed the strongest offensive power. Combined with a violent beast Martial Soul, the result was more than the sum of its parts.

"I don't need something like that. I already have a rough understanding of his abilities. He's no match for me."

Su Chen was not worried about this match.

At most, Huo Wushuang's Martial Soul was on the same level as Yan's.

Without a major advantage in Soul Power, he was nothing to fear.

"You should still be more careful. I heard he's Chihuo Academy's number one genius. He isn't comparable to some nobody like Niu Jing."

At this point, Huo Wu had yet to make a name for herself. Chihuo Academy's nominal number one genius was still Huo Wushuang.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't say something like that if I weren't confident."

"All contestants, please take the stage as soon as possible."

The two sides' preparation areas were separate. It seemed Huo Wushuang had no intention of seeking him out before the match.

"On this side, we have Chihuo Academy's genius of this generation, Huo Wushuang! His Unicorn Fire Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul is exceptionally powerful. He previously achieved a perfect record of ten victories in ten matches at the Redfire Soul Arena."

The host's voice rose several notches as he introduced Huo Wushuang.

After all, he was the son of Chihuo Academy's headmaster, and his reputation as a genius had long spread far and wide.

While he was not quite a household name throughout the Heaven Dou Empire, he was still extremely well-known.

"Huo Wushuang, go! Take down that brat!"

"Get him, Huo Wushuang! Show that kid what you're made of!"

Over the past two years, Huo Wushuang had accumulated quite a few fans.

Even at Tianshui Soul Arena, he had plenty of supporters.

Perhaps because of the contestants, there were clearly far more spectators this time than in the previous match.

"Go, Su Chen! This is Skywater Academy's turf. We absolutely can't lose to an outsider!"

"That's right! There's no way water should lose to fire!"

This time, however, Su Chen had supporters of his own.

The five great academies almost completely controlled the cities where they were located.

And since they were in competition with one another, the residents of these cities tended to view people from other cities as rivals.

The moment many local Skywater Academy spectators saw that the opponent was Chihuo Academy's genius, they immediately began cheering for Su Chen instead.

As the commentator's voice fell, Huo Wushuang stepped onto the arena.

Though Huo Wushuang's looks were ordinary, his build was exceptionally sturdy.

The heroic air in his brow gave him a distinctive bearing.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

The instant the words Martial Soul Possession left his mouth, the flames rising all over Huo Wushuang's body faintly formed the shape of a dragon behind him.

The Unicorn Fire Tyrant Dragon, a powerful fire-type beast Martial Soul.

After completing Martial Soul Possession, Huo Wushuang's body swelled by an entire size. A layer of scorching dark-red scales covered his skin, while a short horn around three inches long protruded from the top of his head.

Likewise, this was a beneficially mutated Martial Soul.

"Only this level of purity? It's not even as good as Yan's Flame Lord."

Sensing the aura of his opponent's Martial Soul, Su Chen made his judgment.

This Unicorn Fire Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul was inferior to the Flame Lord in terms of purity. It was even weaker than Su Chen had predicted.

"And the other contestant is Skywater Academy's local contender, Su Chen!"

It was clear that, thanks to his home-field advantage, Su Chen had regained some ground in popularity.

Seeing this, the commentator chose to emphasize that point in his introduction.

"Go! Crush that Chihuo Academy bastard!"

"Charge! I bet twenty Gold Soul Coins on you!"

Clearly, this approach greatly stirred up the crowd's enthusiasm.

Amid the uproar, Su Chen stepped onto the arena.

"You're still not summoning your Martial Soul? Too much confidence becomes arrogance."

Seeing that Su Chen had no intention of releasing his Martial Soul, the flames around Huo Wushuang burned even more fiercely.

Since his debut, he had been unstoppable.

He had defeated stronger opponents despite being weaker himself more than once, yet this guy was looking down on him so blatantly.

The proud Huo Wushuang found it hard to accept.

He was the son of Chihuo Academy's headmaster, a publicly acknowledged genius.

How could he be treated like this?

"If we're talking about Soul Power, I have the advantage."

Facing the Huo Wushuang who was on the verge of erupting, Su Chen merely replied calmly.

Huo Wushuang's current Soul Power Level was Rank 27, while Su Chen had reached Rank 29 after absorbing the stone tablet.

With a two-rank advantage in Soul Power, Su Chen had absolute confidence that he would remain undefeated.

"Match begin!"

The hostility between the two sides delighted the host.

After all, from a host's perspective, the more heated the exchange, the more excited the audience would become.

And from that angle, it was naturally more beneficial to him.

"An advantage in Soul Power doesn't represent combat strength!"

With an explosive shout, Huo Wushuang began gathering his Soul Power.

His first Soul Ring flashed continuously.

Hundred-Year Soul Skill: Fireball

Huo Wushuang brought his hands together before his chest. Dark-red light surged from his palms, overflowing with Soul Power, and instantly condensed into a palm-sized dark-red orb.

This was Huo Wushuang's first Soul Skill, Fireball.

Its plain and unadorned name made it seem utterly unremarkable.

But in reality, it was deadly. After firing it at his opponent, Huo Wushuang could freely alter its flight path through Soul Power.

It was a missile with built-in guidance!