Xu Jiujiu struggled to her feet. Her golden gown fluttered in the breeze, and her usually elegant, dignified face was now filled with unwillingness and dejection.
"We... concede."
Those four words seemed to drain every last ounce of strength from her.
She was a princess of the Star Luo Empire, captain of the Star Luo Royal Academy, and one of the favorites to win this tournament.
She had the Star Crown Martial Soul, with its Absolute Defense, and her tactics were exquisite. Even a Power Attack System Spirit Saint like Ma Xiaotao had struggled against her defenses.
Yet all of that had become a joke in front of that young man.
Huo Yuhao, the seemingly harmless boy, had needed only a single Spiritual Shock to bypass every defense she took pride in and strike directly at her Spiritual Origin, instantly rendering her unable to fight.
The agonizing sensation of her brain being torn apart still haunted her.
"Huo Yuhao... you really are a monster." Xu Jiujiu watched the young man laughing and chatting with his teammates not far away, her expression complicated. "I lost, and I accept that defeat wholeheartedly."
Huo Yuhao turned at her words and gave her a polite smile. "You flatter me, Your Highness. It was just luck."
There was no harm in exchanging pleasantries. After all, the Star Luo Emperor still had the Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone, and Huo Yuhao was determined to get it. It wouldn't do to offend the princess too badly and have the emperor make things difficult for him later.
"Luck?" Xu Jiujiu gave a bitter smile, shook her head, and led her teammates away.
Huo Yuhao had no desire to linger, either. He had something more important to do—put out a fire.
During the team battle, Ma Xiaotao had deliberately triggered the Evil Fire in her body to end the fight quickly. Though her combat power had soared, the Evil Fire had gone completely out of control.
Now she was barely keeping herself upright, but her crimson eyes and scorching body temperature said everything.
"Yuhao... hurry..." Ma Xiaotao rasped, her voice threaded with barely restrained panting.
Without a word, Huo Yuhao helped Ma Xiaotao up and rushed her to their hotel room.
The top-floor suite at the Star Emperor Hotel.
"Boom—!"
The moment they stepped inside, the Evil Fire in Ma Xiaotao's body erupted completely. Terrifying heat swept through the entire room. If Huo Yuhao hadn't prepared in advance and set up a barrier to contain it, the whole hotel might have gone up in flames.
"Hot... give me..."
Ma Xiaotao had completely lost her reason. Like an octopus, she wrapped herself around Huo Yuhao, desperately drawing in that cool energy.
"Ah, I really am indebted to you."
Huo Yuhao sighed as his Ultimate Ice erupted in full.
However, this time, the treatment became a shadow that Ma Xiaotao couldn't shake.
She had always thought that losing control of her Evil Fire was terrifying. Now she realized that Huo Yuhao suppressing it was even more terrifying!
That boy was an absolute monster!
The clash between Ultimate Ice and the Evil Fire, the shock of alternating between ice and flame, and Huo Yuhao's seemingly endless stamina...
"No... no more... Yuhao... please..."
"We've barely started, senior. Your Evil Fire hasn't been suppressed yet. Just bear with it."
"Waaah... I was wrong... I'll never do it again..."
That night, Ma Xiaotao went from hell to heaven, then fell from heaven back into hell, over and over again.
It wasn't until the next morning that sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains and spilled across the bed.
Ma Xiaotao lay sprawled across the bed like a limp rag. Purplish-blue marks covered her body, her eyes had rolled back, and she didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.
She swore that even if she were beaten to death, she would never deliberately trigger her Evil Fire again! That had been pure torture!
Huo Yuhao emerged from the bathroom looking refreshed. Seeing Ma Xiaotao in such a sorry state, he felt a little guilty.
"Senior, should I carry you in for a bath?"
At those words, Ma Xiaotao, who had been pretending to be dead, suddenly widened her eyes in terror. She shook her head frantically and instinctively burrowed under the covers. "No! Don't! Stay away! I'm not bathing! I'm not bathing!"
She was truly frightened, afraid Huo Yuhao would use the excuse of helping her bathe to start all over again.
Huo Yuhao chuckled and shook his head helplessly. "Don't worry. It's only a bath. I won't touch you."
It took a long while to calm her down. Only then did Ma Xiaotao finally relax and let Huo Yuhao carry her into the bathroom.
Over the next two days, the other semifinal match went ahead as scheduled.
The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy faced Di'ao Academy.
The match could be summed up in four words: utterly overwhelming.
For the first time, Sun Moon Team captain Ma Rulong displayed his terrifying strength. The moment he brought out two Level 7 Soul Tools, their firepower blanketed the arena. His six teammates became mobile artillery platforms, unleashing a dense barrage of Soul Guidance Rays like a downpour.
Di'ao Academy was a seasoned powerhouse, too, but against such unreasonable firepower, they couldn't even get close. They were blasted right off the stage.
In the individual matches the next day, Di'ao Academy fought back desperately, but the overwhelming advantage of the Soul Tools still left them with no choice but to accept defeat.
With that, the finalists of this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament were decided:
Shrek Academy VS Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy!
A fated showdown was about to begin.
On the day of the finals, Star Luo Plaza was packed with people.
The two teams entered the arena.
On the Sun Moon Team's side, Xiao Hongchen still had his nose in the air. When he saw Huo Yuhao approaching, he even tauntingly drew a finger across his throat.
Huo Yuhao ignored him completely.
His gaze passed over Xiao Hongchen and landed on the silver-haired girl—Meng Hongchen.
Huo Yuhao's lips curved into a bright smile. He even playfully winked at her, sending her a little flirtatious look.
"Zzz—"
Meng Hongchen had been pretending to be reserved, but at the sight of that, her pretty face instantly turned red and her heart began to pound.
"He... he smiled at me! He even winked at me!"
A young girl's heart was always sensitive and romantic. Ever since Huo Yuhao had taken the initiative to greet her last time, the outstanding young man had taken root in her heart. He was two years younger than her, had Twin Martial Souls, was powerful, and was so handsome...
"Grandpa probably won't object, right..." Meng Hongchen lowered her head, already imagining what she would name their future children.
Seeing this, Xiao Hongchen was so furious he nearly ground his teeth to dust. "Damn Huo Yuhao! How dare he flirt with my sister!"
Huo Yuhao looked away and, almost without thinking, glanced up at the city wall.
There, Xu Jiawei, the Star Luo Emperor, sat on his throne. Standing beside him was Princess Xu Jiujiu.
Xu Jiujiu's gaze remained fixed on Huo Yuhao, her expression exceedingly complicated. There was some unwillingness, some curiosity, and even... a hint of shyness?
Huo Yuhao looked utterly baffled. What was with the princess? Her gaze was strange.
He had no idea that after the match, the Star Luo Emperor had taken Xu Jiujiu aside for a heartfelt talk.
"Jiujiu, this young man has monstrous talent and will surely achieve great things. If we can bring him over to the Star Luo Empire, I'd even be willing to let you marry him..."
Remembering her brother's words, how could Xu Jiujiu's gaze not be complicated as she looked at Huo Yuhao?
Just then, the referee's booming voice rang across the arena, interrupting everyone's thoughts.
"The finals of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament officially begin!"
"The rules for the finals are as follows: the competition consists of three formats—the team battle, the individual elimination matches, and the Two-Two-Three Battle Method. The first team to win two of the three matches takes the victory!"
"Both teams, take the field!"
The atmosphere instantly grew taut.
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