Martial Soul Fusion Skill / Bloodlust?

For all the reasons above, Shui Bing'er, who had just returned from leave, didn't go to class. Instead, she went to watch Thunder Academy's match.

Zhen Ji and Wang Zhaojun exchanged a glance, then followed her to Thunder Academy in perfect unison.

All three were talented students at academies affiliated with Skywater Academy. Since this was the sort of event that could broaden their horizons, their teacher didn't give them much trouble.

Spirit Hall had already won two matches in a row, and everyone in Element City, Soul Masters and civilians alike, was paying attention to the exchange competition.

The crowds grew larger with each match.

The three little girls—Shui Bing'er, Zhen Ji, and Wang Zhaojun—blended in without drawing much notice.

Zhen Ji and Wang Zhaojun nodded to Sikong Zhen, who was some distance away, greeting him.

They all lived in Element City, and the Four Element Academies were on close terms. They often met at various drills and competitions.

The three of them occasionally exchanged information and gained some benefits from it.

As soon as she entered the stands and sat down, Shui Bing'er fixed her eyes on the stage, eager to see what the genius their teacher had told them about was like.

She didn't believe an eight-year-old Soul Elder at level thirty-eight could really exist.

Even her Ice Phoenix Martial Soul wasn't that outrageous.

People didn't like believing in things beyond their understanding.

When the Martial Soul Hall Team came onto the stage,

Shui Bing'er propped her chin on her hand and watched the little blond boy standing at the very end of the line. She couldn't take her eyes off him.

His soft golden hair curled slightly, and his smile was sunny and warm. With fair skin and a handsome, pretty face, he looked just like a little prince.

This was clearly Thunder Academy's home ground, yet some of its students couldn't help sneaking glances at the pretty young geniuses from Spirit Hall Academy!

Shui Bing'er didn't know why, but she kept finding herself looking at the blond boy.

If the other heroes had known, they probably would have explained the meaning of a leader's aura and charisma to her.

If Arthur's Martial Soul was a Beast Martial Soul, it was very likely an Imperial Martial Soul.

That had to do with the Soul Master's own qualities.

Even among the heroes, Arthur could be called a "chosen one"!

Xiang Yu possessed the courage of a conqueror, and Dongfang Jing had the heart of a strong warrior. Arthur alone was a born king!

Neither the newly recruited Dugu Yan and Huyan Brothers nor the cold, strength-focused Dongfang Jing and domineering, self-willed Xiang Yu had ever come into conflict. They all tacitly let Arthur take the lead.

Not once had anyone questioned him or shown any dissatisfaction.

Arthur wasn't the highest-ranked among them, yet he'd achieved this entirely through his own abilities and presence.

When he grew serious, no one else on the team would dare speak out of turn.

Martial Soul Fusion Skill

Yu Tianxin was sitting in the stands too. He was only fifteen that year. Though talented, he hadn't officially joined Thunder Academy's team yet.

His father, Yu Chengwu, seemed to have been busy with something mysterious lately. Even Yu Tianxin wasn't allowed to know what it was. The strange goings-on in the family left him feeling anxious and uneasy.

This exchange competition was a rare chance for him to relax.

He'd heard that the Martial Soul Hall Team had won two matches in a row, but he didn't take the reports seriously. An eight-year-old Soul Elder, a Soul Grandmaster who'd fought seven opponents alone, and a Jade Phosphor Snake Soul Master who'd won without fighting by releasing poisonous mist...

Only the last one sounded somewhat believable. The first two seemed like wildly exaggerated rumors.

It was then that the match officially began.

The Thunder Academy team had watched the previous two exchange matches, so they didn't rush in recklessly.

Skywater Academy and Blazing Fire Academy had already shown them what to expect.

The Blazing Fire Academy match in particular had convinced them they had to be careful of the Jade Phosphor Snake's poison.

To deal with that Soul Master, they'd even replaced their original support teammate with a temporary substitute: a support-type Soul Master at level thirty-five who could mitigate poison.

Qian Renxue and Xiang Yu were puzzled when their opponents stood there without making a move for so long.

The Huyan Brothers, at the front, took defensive stances, ready to use their Soul Skills to block any attack.

Neither side made the first move, leaving the spectators in the stands looking at one another in confusion.

The stalemate made everyone wary of acting rashly.

At last, Arthur completed the Martial Soul Fusion Skill. His opponents still hadn't conceded, so he could continue his attack!

The clouds overhead parted. Arthur raised a golden greatsword that shone so brightly it was impossible to look directly at it. The mere shockwaves kicked up a gale, tossing his teammates' hair and whipping their clothes.

The Huyan Brothers moved aside and took cover behind the others, out of range of the massive attack.

Feeling the immense fluctuations of Soul Power and the overwhelming pressure, the Huyan Brothers' legs went weak. They looked again toward Arthur, the source of the pressure.

The bricks beneath Arthur's feet had been crushed into a crater by the pressure. The golden greatsword pierced the sky and cleaved through the clouds before swinging down at the opposing team.

As the golden greatsword came down, the energy that had been held back for so long poured out like a terrifying flood.

It surged onward in the direction of the blade.

A massive, cylindrical shockwave of energy blasted toward the Thunder Academy team.

"Stop!"

The teacher responsible for protecting the students at Thunder Academy immediately rushed forward to stop it.

He was swallowed by the golden attack as well.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!" The Soul Emperor teacher released his Martial Soul.

He used his own body to withstand the attack, and the two forces collided...

Dust billowed everywhere!

The Soul Masters in the stands couldn't see what was happening below. Only the people from Thunder Academy began rushing in to help.

Gradually, the dust settled, revealing the scene after the battle.

The arena had been ravaged by the shockwaves and reduced to ruins. The destruction spread out in a fan shape from the blond boy holding the sword.

At the very center of the Thunder Academy side, the Soul Emperor's body was covered in blue scales. He had grown taller, and his eyes had become beastlike.

Behind him, he'd managed to shield the Thunder Academy students, leaving a safe patch of ground.

Even so, the students were in poor shape. Their breathing was weak, their faces pale, and all traces of fighting spirit had vanished from their eyes.

The Soul Emperor held his hands behind his back, appearing completely unbothered. He looked unharmed, but who knew how many scales had been knocked off him?

He watched the blond boy across from him, who didn't even reach his shoulder and was only a Soul Elder, and remained on guard.

What kind of monsters were these?

The blond boy's face was no longer gentle. His golden greatsword stood planted on the ground, and he rested both hands on its hilt. Dust floated around his feet, while the wind made the white cape behind him snap and flutter. His lake-blue eyes held only a king's majesty.

His brow furrowed slightly, as though he was dissatisfied with the scene before him.

The enormous shockwave had shot straight ahead, but only traveled about two hundred meters.

I really am still too weak! At level twenty-nine, it was too much for him.

Even with the Holy Grail to push his Soul Power output to the limit, the efficiency was still that of a Soul Grandmaster. He wasn't satisfied, but Qian Renxue behind him wore an envious expression.

She really wanted to learn that move. It was powerful and incredibly cool, but it was a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, so she couldn't learn it!

On the raised platform

Yu Yuanting had originally wanted to discuss the matter of their Thunder Douluo with Qian Xunji, so he hadn't been paying attention to the match.

The sudden appearance of the golden greatsword startled Yu Yuanting, who was still carefully choosing his words.

Fortunately, their Soul Emperor had managed to block it in time.

Yu Yuanzhen let out a sigh of relief, but at the same time, anger welled up in him.

"Your Holiness, using such a method in a mere exchange match is going too far." Yu Yuanting thought Spirit Hall must have cheated, using some special means to let its student unleash such tremendous power.

"That was merely this student's Martial Soul Fusion Skill. If they can't bring their own strength to bear, what's the point of this exchange competition?" Qian Xunji estimated the time. Just right—lunchtime.

"Martial Soul Fusion Skill?" Yu Yuanzhen paused. A Martial Soul Fusion Skill could indeed let a Soul Master display strength far beyond their level, but...

"Isn't he alone? How did he use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?" He hadn't seen any of the Spirit Hall students help him perform it!

"Doesn't he have two Martial Souls of his own?" Qian Xunji said, then turned to ask his next question. "Will the solo matches continue?"

"..." Yu Yuanting glanced down at the Thunder Academy students. They weren't seriously injured, but their spirits were crushed, and they'd lost all will to fight. He shook his head.

"Forget it. Thunder Academy will forfeit the remaining matches."

"Very well. Then we'll take our leave—"

Before Qian Xunji could finish, Yu Yuanting cut in. "I have one more matter I'd like to discuss with Your Holiness. Would you be willing to hear me out?"

Suppressing his earlier anger, Yu Yuanting smiled as he stated his purpose. He still knew which matters were more important.

Killing Intent?

In the Heaven Dou Empire's capital, Heaven Dou City, inside a grand and lavish mansion at the city center,

a middle-aged man with an ordinary face, a hard expression, and a weathered air paced back and forth in his study.

This man was none other than Yu Xiaogang!

Ever since receiving his father's letter, he'd traveled through the night to Heaven Dou City and had been waiting eagerly for his father to arrive.

But to his disappointment, he'd already been in Heaven Dou City for seven days—well past the time he and his father had agreed on.

His anxiety and frustration had made him completely forget about his disciple, Tang San. He hadn't even mentioned the Mimicry Cultivation Ground that he'd used to coax Tang San into coming.

He was only a Soul Grandmaster. Though he had the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan behind him, Heaven Dou Royal Academy also had the imperial Xue Family as its backer.