Xu Sanshi froze for a moment, then laughed in disbelief. "Kid, is something wrong with your head? You want to challenge me?"
Huo Yuhao stepped out of the crowd. People moved aside in unison, making way for him as they watched with curious expressions.
"Are you going to accept or not?" Huo Yuhao stared intently at Xu Sanshi.
Xu Sanshi nodded reluctantly. "Fine! For the sake of your courage, I'll see you in the Soul Dueling Arena!"
The Soul Dueling Arena stood in the northwest corner of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul System. It was specially built for students to spar with one another, with full facilities, teachers on hand to referee, and prompt medical treatment after matches, among other services.
Huo Yuhao made his way toward the Soul Dueling Arena, followed by a large crowd. Most had come over from the East Gate to watch the commotion, while others had heard about it along the way.
"As expected of an academy founded by the swindler Flender. They charge you for everything." Huo Yuhao shook his head.
Tang Ya and Bei Bei joined the crowd as it headed toward the Soul Dueling Arena.
Tang Ya pointed at her head, looking bewildered. "Bei Bei, do you think Huo Yuhao's brain is fried? Of all the people he could challenge, why pick Xu Sanshi?"
Bei Bei shook his head. Xu Sanshi was walking ahead without a care, but a cold smile tugged at the corner of Bei Bei's refined face. "Xu Sanshi's in for a rough time."
Bei Bei had brought Huo Yuhao to Shrek Academy, and he had personally experienced Huo Yuhao's Time Freeze. Back then, even he hadn't been able to break free.
Huo Yuhao entered the Soul Dueling Arena. It could seat three thousand spectators, covering roughly the same area as Shrek Plaza. The hexagonal structure stood on the ground.
At that moment, quite a few students were seated around the arena. A quick glance suggested there were three or four hundred of them.
"Entry to a Soul Fighting match costs ten Gold Soul Coins."
Xu Sanshi paid the fee, and Huo Yuhao followed right behind him, pulling out a large gold brick. "I don't really understand money. Could you cut this up for me, please?"
Xu Sanshi was at a loss for words. He was already considered wealthy at the academy, but he had never seen anyone show off like this.
The teacher collecting the fees twitched at the corner of his eye. He gave Huo Yuhao an irritated glance, then hurried backstage to find a tool for cutting the gold.
"Kid, you can still back out. Once you're on the platform, it'll be too late." Xu Sanshi smiled confidently. On this little patch of the Outer Court, everyone showed him some respect.
"Got it." Huo Yuhao smiled faintly, took the gold brick back from the teacher, and slowly walked onto the platform.
"This kid really won't listen to reason. Fine, I'll just go easy on him later." Xu Sanshi headed toward the platform as well.
In the spectator stands, Bei Bei spotted the woman beside him. She was beautiful, and had been part of his life since childhood. Four young women followed her, each one breathtakingly beautiful.
"Eldest Senior Sister, what brings you here?" Bei Bei asked quietly. His gaze instinctively flicked toward Tang Ya, and he only relaxed when he saw that she hadn't noticed.
"The four of us just got back from handling some paperwork in the Soul Tool System with Xiao Xue. On the way, we heard Huo Yuhao had challenged Xu Sanshi to a match in the Soul Dueling Arena, so we came over. What's going on with them?" Zhang Lexuan pointed at the two people on the Dueling Platform.
Bei Bei then recounted everything that had just happened.
Wu Ming pressed her lips together, smiling. "Xu Sanshi really is devoted. I heard he deliberately stayed back a year for Jiang Nannan. If he weren't one of the Inner Courtyard Designated Students, he'd probably have been expelled long ago."
Zhang Lexuan frowned. "Xu Sanshi's really gone too far. As for Huo Yuhao, I understand that young people can be impulsive and reckless, but Xu Sanshi's Mysterious Nether Turtle has incredible defensive power. Still..."
Zhang Lexuan trailed off. With Huo Yuhao's Second Spirit having the Extreme Ice Attribute, and both him and Xu Sanshi being Soul Elders, it was hard to say who would win.
"Look! That's my younger brother, Huo Yuhao! He's an eleven-year-old Soul Elder. I wonder if he'll catch your eye, little sister."
At that moment, Qian Renxue had become a matchmaker, rattling off all of Huo Yuhao's virtues. Ma Xiaotao, sitting beside her, felt like she was on pins and needles.
After being surrounded by the four women that morning, Ma Xiaotao hadn't said a word since waking up. She still couldn't stop seeing herself hugging Huo Yuhao in her mind. Their bodies had been pressed so close together. It was mortifying.
Ever since arriving ten thousand years later, Qian Renxue had cast off the constraints of Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, and become much more open. She had made some close friends and gathered the Latest Soul Master Cultivation Methods and Soul Master Theories from Ten Thousand Years Later into a collection. She planned to take it back to Spirit Hall ten thousand years in the past once the term ended.
Just then, the Soul Fighting match was about to begin.
The referee walked up. After giving Huo Yuhao a long look, he announced solemnly, "New student Huo Yuhao challenges fifth-year Xu Sanshi. Since Huo Yuhao is a new student, I'll step in if anything unusual happens during the match. I expect both sides to show restraint. Are you both ready?"
Huo Yuhao and Xu Sanshi nodded at the same time.
"Begin!" The referee announced the start and quickly retreated. Huo Yuhao and Xu Sanshi released their Martial Souls almost simultaneously.
Xu Sanshi's body swelled, stretching his well-fitted uniform taut. A Turtle Shell Shield appeared in his right hand, and two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring emerged.
Huo Yuhao's eyes filled with gray. The instant three Soul Rings lit up beneath his feet, the referee froze for a moment, while Xu Sanshi's expression turned serious.
"One ten-year, one thousand-year, and one ten-thousand-year Soul Ring. What a bizarre Soul Ring Configuration. I have to admit, you've got my attention!"
Xu Sanshi's Mysterious Nether Turtle had incredible defensive power, and his body also carried a trace of the bloodline of the Divine Beast Xuanwu.
Huo Yuhao strode forward, his right hand turning palm-up. Xu Sanshi sneered. His Mysterious Nether Turtle was the Outer Court's Number One Defense. He hadn't earned the nickname Eternal Lord for nothing.
Huo Yuhao pressed his palm against the emerald-green turtle shell. To Xu Sanshi's surprise, Huo Yuhao didn't exert any force. In other words, Huo Yuhao was simply stroking his Mysterious Nether Turtle Shell Shield.
But in the next instant, tremendous force burst from Huo Yuhao's palm. Xu Sanshi's entire right arm went numb, and his expression changed. Realizing he had underestimated his opponent, he hurriedly raised his Tortoise Shell Shield high and planted it upright on the ground. Only then did he keep himself from being knocked off the platform.
Qian Renxue smiled at the sight. Her little brother's right arm was actually a seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Right Arm Bone. Even Bibi Dong, who possessed a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, would probably covet a Soul Bone of such quality.
Huo Yuhao had been holding back from the start. He wanted to test his true strength and find out how powerful he was without using his Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion Martial Soul.
"Kid, you've got me taking this seriously now!" Xu Sanshi exclaimed, fired up. A gigantic Tortoise Shell Shield Phantom appeared in midair and bore down on Huo Yuhao.
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