The last one was Arthur, who was also a Level 29 Soul Grandmaster like Dongfang Jing, but had never once made a move.
Blazing Fire Academy was in a difficult spot. They had no information on him at all, and worried that he might be another freak like Dongfang Jing, with strength far beyond what a Soul Grandmaster should possess.
The members of both teams lined up in two rows in the center of the arena and bowed to each other. Then they retreated to their respective sides and adjusted their formation, waiting for the referee to announce the start.
This time, things were unusually different.
The Huyan Brothers, who were defensive-type Soul Masters, weren't at the front.
Instead, Dugu Yan stood in the middle of the team, pumping her fist and cheering them on.
All her teammates had taken the antidote to Jade Phosphor Snake Poison.
The Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul was actually well suited to killing enemies over a wide area.
It was highly toxic and had a broad range!
Aside from the risk of accidentally poisoning your own teammates, it had almost no drawbacks.
At lower levels, it was an especially powerful way to crush weaker opponents.
High-level Soul Masters could endure it with their physiques, but low-level Soul Masters had no way to withstand it.
Although Dugu Yan had been strong enough to join the team on her own merits, she'd always been held back, unable to unleash the true power of her Martial Soul.
Every time she used a Soul Skill, her teammates would be on tenterhooks, afraid she might poison them by accident.
This was the first time anyone had let her use her Soul Skills without holding back, and Dugu Yan was moved.
She resolved not to betray her teammates' trust and to win the match.
When the referee announced the start, both sides sprang into action.
On Blazing Fire Academy's side, two flying Soul Masters took to the sky and looked down on the arena. One had a pair of wings wreathed in red flames.
The other was a rare support-type beast Soul Master. He, too, had a pair of wings, though most of his feathers were white, with red only at the tips.
His build was slender, light, and graceful, much like his Blazing Crane Martial Soul.
As soon as the two Soul Masters were airborne, they fixed their eyes on Xiang Yu and Qian Renxue.
But the two across from them didn't move at all.
Instead, a vast cloud of green poisonous fog suddenly billowed across the arena below.
The fog spread out from the Spirit Hall Academy team, gradually engulfing the entire field.
Blazing Fire Academy's members had been preparing to split up and attack, but they had no choice but to retreat in a hurry.
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
How could she dare?!
Her own teammates were in the poisonous fog, too!
Although the Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul was powerful, people had never taken it seriously, especially in team matches like this. Its Soul Masters were held back by their teammates and couldn't use their full strength.
Everyone instinctively overlooked her.
No one expected her to pull a move like this today.
"The other side must have some way to resist poison. Use your Soul Skills and see if you can blow the fog away," the Blazing Fire Academy team captain ordered.
The fog was spreading too quickly. They had already inhaled some and needed to end the match as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Dugu Yan moved through the green poisonous fog like a fish in water.
Admitting Defeat
The green poisonous fog impaired vision and inflicted a variety of other debilitating effects. Ordinary Soul Masters couldn't last long inside it.
Just how poisonous was Jade Phosphor Snake Poison?
The Soul Masters with the Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul had shown the world through personal experience.
It killed even its own Soul Masters. Poison Douluo Dugu Bo was no exception, so what chance did an outsider have?
Only Dugu Bo and his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, remained of the Dugu Family.
That alone said a lot.
So when Blazing Fire Academy's dean, Huo Rutian, saw the poisonous fog spread across the arena, his expression darkened at once.
"Your Holiness the Pope, the children are only sparring. They should know when to stop. It wouldn't be good if anyone were killed." That was also one of the rules of Soul Master Academy competitions.
Support Soul Masters stood by, ready to treat the competitors as soon as the match ended. As long as no one died on the spot, their injuries could be treated.
Poison was the exception. One small mistake could mean death, with no way to save them.
"Please don't worry, Dean. Dugu Yan is Poison Douluo's own granddaughter and has been taught by him since childhood. She knows where to draw the line," Qian Xunji said, perfectly composed.
"..." Huo Rutian looked at the green poisonous fog, which had been still for quite some time and now covered the entire arena. "Blazing Fire Academy concedes."
Even if his students were still alive, they had probably already lost the ability to fight.
The two flying overhead might have avoided the poisonous fog, but they couldn't turn the match around on their own.
He knew about Dugu Yan's Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul, but he hadn't made any preparations against it. When that Martial Soul released poisonous fog, it usually poisoned its own teammates first, so Soul Masters rarely used that move. In a direct fight, the Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul wasn't very powerful.
He hadn't expected Spirit Hall to have a way to resist Jade Phosphor Snake Poison.
The spectators were just as confused. The instant the match began, a cloud of green fog had suddenly risen over the arena.
It had engulfed both teams in a flash.
The spectators couldn't see what was happening inside at all.
Then Blazing Fire Academy's dean had conceded.
Those who didn't know about the Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul couldn't understand why the match had taken this turn.
Feng Xiaotian was one of them. He'd grown up in Element City and was still studying at an intermediate Soul Master Academy. He'd heard about the Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul, but had never looked into it in detail.
The Martial Soul was known at all mainly because of Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.
"Father, why did Blazing Fire Academy's dean concede?" Feng Xiaotian asked, puzzled.
"The poison of a Jade Phosphor Serpent Soul Master is quite something. Soul Masters of the same rank can hold out a little longer, but anyone weaker than them usually loses the ability to fight within seconds."
Feng Yang watched the green poisonous fog, which had shown no movement for quite some time.
"Blazing Fire Academy's members don't have wind-type Martial Souls or abilities, so they can't blow away the fog. And the two flying Soul Masters didn't get their teammates out in time."
"Dugu Yan is protected by her teammates on the Spirit Hall Team. The people from Blazing Fire Academy are weakened by the poison, so as long as the Spirit Hall Team holds out for a while, they're guaranteed to win."
Jade Phosphor Serpent Soul Masters didn't live long because of their Martial Souls, so people didn't pay much attention to them. It was only because of Poison Douluo that they knew much about them at all.
Previous Jade Phosphor Serpent Soul Masters had performed only so-so in the Soul Master Tournament. None of them had stood out.
To avoid poisoning their teammates, they couldn't use the poison they were best at. Most of the time, they were used as Power Attack System Soul Masters, and their performance was only average.
In a solo match, their opponent would be prepared in advance. Even if they were of the same rank or one rank higher, without teammates to protect them, a Power Attack System Soul Master could often endure the poisonous fog and defeat a Jade Phosphor Serpent Soul Master.
Spirit Hall had taken advantage of the information gap.
If Blazing Fire Academy had known from the start that Spirit Hall had a way to resist Jade Phosphor Snake Poison, and that Dugu Yan dared to use poisonous fog in a team match, they would have fielded a Soul Master with wind abilities or a support Soul Master with a detoxifying Soul Skill.
Hearing Blazing Fire Academy's dean concede, the referee immediately stopped the match and prepared to announce, "Blazing Fire Academy concedes this match. Spirit Hall Academy wins."
Inside the poisonous fog, Dugu Yan watched her opponents stagger under the effects of Jade Phosphor Snake Poison, her expression excited. The tongue she stuck out was thin and red, with a forked tip like a snake's. Her pupils narrowed into vertical slits, making her look threatening and sinister.
Her long, fair legs had become a winding, emerald-green serpent's tail. The scales overlapped one another, and in the sunlight they gleamed like countless inlaid gemstones, delicate and lustrous, radiating a captivating charm.
When Dugu Yan heard the referee announce the victory, she was actually disappointed that the match had ended so quickly.
The poisonous fog dispersed, revealing what had happened in the arena.
The five members of Blazing Fire Academy had purple lips. The weaker ones, with less Soul Power, had already collapsed unconscious.
Dugu Yan also dispelled her serpent's tail and returned to human form. Since she was wearing a skirt, the transformation hadn't caused much of a problem.
They'd won the first team match just like that.
Qian Renxue felt as though she hadn't done much at all. She'd exchanged a few blows with the opponents when they tried to attack Yan Yan, and then it was over?
The healing Soul Masters hurriedly treated the members of Blazing Fire Academy.
After quite some time, the Spirit Hall Team still hadn't seen the next solo match begin. Instead, Blazing Fire Academy forfeited the remaining solo matches, bringing the exhibition match to an early end.
As Qian Renxue left with her teammates, she spotted Feng Xiaotian in the stands. Seeing him looking as foolish as he had last time made her smile, and she waved goodbye.
She simply thought Feng Xiaotian was a lot of fun, and that being friends with him would be interesting.
Feng Xiaotian, on the other hand, lowered his head and tugged at his mask. His father smacked him on the back of the head. "Look at you, acting like you've never seen a girl before."
"Didn't you want to go to Spirit City?"
"Father, you'll let me go?!" Feng Xiaotian looked up in disbelief.
"I'm letting you transfer to Spirit Hall Academy. I've already reached an agreement with Spirit Hall. Wait a little while, and you'll go with them," Feng Yang explained.
"Why? Didn't you say Godwind Academy was the foundation of our Feng Clan? Why are you suddenly transferring me to Spirit Hall Academy?" Feng Xiaotian looked up, unable to understand why his father had changed his mind.
"But the Feng Clan can't make progress if we stay here. Xiaotian, remember this: you're the hope of our clan's rise. Once you're at Spirit Hall Academy, I won't be there to keep an eye on you, so don't slack off..." Feng Yang warned his son.
Feng Xiaotian nodded as if he understood.
Thunder Academy
Two of the Four Element Academies had already lost in a row.
The Four Element Academies' prestige was waning in Element City.
Before you continue