Xuan Zi thought it over, then felt reassured.
Although Bei Bei and the others had lost, the academy had Huo Yuhao, a once-in-a-millennium prodigy, and the equally unfathomable Jin Nier. The next tournament was in the bag!
"Come here!" Xuan Zi barked, his voice carrying across the arena.
Xuan Yuan left dejectedly after being eliminated. The other seven stood in a line.
"Starting today, you seven are the Shrek Seven Devils Reserve Team."
At that, everyone except Huo Yuhao and Jin Nier was overjoyed. They hadn't expected that the purpose of the selection was to form the Shrek Seven Devils Reserve Team.
Xuan Zi took a swig from his gourd, his eyes turning sharp. "But don't get too excited. This position isn't guaranteed. For the next five years, you'll be under review at all times. If anyone holds the team back, or another core disciple performs exceptionally well, you could be kicked out at any moment!"
His words made everyone sober up. They immediately felt the pressure.
Huo Yuhao only smiled faintly. The old man still hadn't given up; he wanted to leave a back door open for Bei Bei and the others.
But with him around, that door had already been welded shut.
"Dismissed! Special training starts tomorrow morning!"
Night fell, and an enticing aroma drifted along the shore of Sea God Lake.
"Huo Yuhao, thank you so much! We'd never have made the Reserve Team without you." Ning Tian's pretty face flushed, her eyes full of gratitude.
The Lan Sisters nodded again and again, looking at Huo Yuhao with admiration.
"We're teammates. What's there to thank me for?" Huo Yuhao deftly flipped the grilled fish in his hands.
His grilled fish seemed to have a kind of magic. It won over not only everyone's stomachs, but the girls' hearts as well.
Even Jin Nier, who was usually so quiet that she seemed out of place, had a gleam in her usually indifferent golden eyes after tasting the fish. Without a word, she held out her hand to Huo Yuhao—another one.
Everyone was curious about Jin Nier.
She seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. She was immensely powerful, yet no one had ever seen her in the outer court.
"I was admitted through a special recruitment."
Jin Nier was a woman of few words, and it seemed she would only explain herself to Huo Yuhao.
The next morning, the mist had yet to lift.
At the Soul Fighting Arena, Xuan Zi looked over the seven energetic young people before him. His gaze finally settled on Huo Yuhao and Jin Nier.
"Before the special training..." Xuan Zi pointed at the two of them. "You two, have a match. Let me see which is stronger: Ultimate Ice or the legendary Golden Dragon!"
The entire arena fell silent.
Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao both stared wide-eyed.
Jin Nier's Martial Soul was the ancestor of strength—the Golden Dragon?!
"Fine."
Jin Nier didn't waste words. She stepped forward, and a terrifying surge of Bloodline Power erupted from her. A flash of light appeared in her hand, and a golden spear with sharp points at both ends materialized.
The Golden Dragon Spear!
With the appearance of this divine weapon, the air around them seemed to grow heavy.
A glint of fighting spirit flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes. He didn't release his Martial Soul. Instead, with a turn of his wrist, a black, heavy, Level Five Soul Tool greatsword appeared in his hand.
At the same time, nine thin, cicada-wing-like throwing knives floated around him.
"Please, teach me."
"Boom!"
Before the words had even left her mouth, Jin Nier was already moving. She used no fancy techniques, only a simple straight thrust.
Yet that single thrust carried an unstoppable force, as if it could pierce space itself!
Huo Yuhao unleashed his full Psychic Power. The nine knives turned into streaks of light, striking at the spots Jin Nier had to defend from extremely tricky angles.
At the same time, he gripped the greatsword with both hands and charged forward instead of retreating, choosing to meet her head-on!
"Clang—!!!"
The shrill clash of metal rang through the skies.
Huo Yuhao felt an overwhelming force surge through the greatsword. His palm went numb.
Jin Nier also paused for the briefest moment, surprise flashing in her eyes.
"Again!" Jin Nier shouted. The Golden Dragon Spear swept out, filling the air with golden afterimages that engulfed Huo Yuhao like a storm.
Huo Yuhao seemed like a leaf caught in the eye of the storm. Though his position looked perilous, he always dodged the spear's edge by the narrowest margin.
His Spiritual Detection had already analyzed Jin Nier's every move. Guided by his formidable Psychic Power, the nine knives were like nine master assassins, constantly harrying and restraining her.
For a time, golden light and cold flashes crisscrossed the arena, and neither fighter could gain the upper hand.
Xuan Zi watched in stunned silence, forgetting even to raise his wine gourd.
"This kid... He can control Soul Tools with his Psychic Power? You can do that?" Xuan Zi was rocked to his core.
The combat skills Huo Yuhao displayed were simply unbelievable.
He wielded Ultimate Ice and possessed Psychic Power so immense that he could precisely control nine knives in coordinated attacks, all while wielding a greatsword in close combat.
The ability to multitask like this made him a machine born for battle!
"In all the ten thousand years of Shrek's history, there's never been a monster this well-rounded!" Xuan Zi gave him his highest praise.
On the arena, the battle reached its boiling point.
Jin Nier was clearly fighting in earnest now. She hadn't expected the strength she prided herself on to be unable to suppress Huo Yuhao.
"Roar!"
A dragon's roar rang out. The Soul Rings around Jin Nier blazed, and the Golden Dragon Spear erupted in brilliant golden light. Her strength doubled in an instant!
"Break!"
She swept the spear sideways. The terrifying blast of air sent Huo Yuhao's nine knives flying. Then the spearpoint darted forward, striking the greatsword he had raised to block with pinpoint accuracy.
"Crack!"
The sturdy Level Five Soul Tool greatsword shattered piece by piece beneath the edge of the Golden Dragon Spear!
With his weapon broken, the spearpoint aimed straight at Huo Yuhao's throat.
At that critical moment, Huo Yuhao's eyes changed.
His golden eyes turned ice-blue, and a freezing aura that seemed capable of changing the heavens and earth erupted, dropping the temperature throughout the Soul Fighting Arena by dozens of degrees.
"Snow Empress Three Absolutes—Emperor Sword: Ice Extreme Peerless!"
Huo Yuhao used his hand as a sword and swept it out gently.
There was no earth-shaking sound, only the cold of Ultimate Ice.
Jin Nier felt an irresistible chill invade her body. Even the surging Golden Dragon Bloodline within her seemed about to freeze.
A thick layer of frost instantly coated the Golden Dragon Spear in her hand, bringing her attack to a halt.
Huo Yuhao's hand came to a steady stop an inch from the spearpoint.
The victor was decided.
Jin Nier withdrew her spear, and the golden light around her slowly faded.
She gave Huo Yuhao a long look. There was no defeat in her eyes—instead, a more intense fire burned there.
"You weren't using your full strength." Jin Nier's voice was cool, yet certain. "Your weapon was too fragile and limited what you could do. If you'd used Ultimate Ice from the start, I couldn't have held out this long."
Huo Yuhao dispelled the chill in his hand and smiled. "It was only a spar. The main point was to hone our skills. Your strength is incredible. You're invincible among those at your level."
"A loss is a loss." Jin Nier turned away, her back proud and unyielding. "But sooner or later, I'll win next time."
Xuan Zi watched the scene with satisfaction, grinning from ear to ear.
One possessed Ultimate Ice, the other Ultimate Strength.
The students in the next Soul Master Tournament were going to be wailing for their parents!
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