The Finals

Zheng Li: "..."

He didn't say anything. He knew it wouldn't help.

"Well, we were right—it was Dai Huabin and the others. But there's good news."

They continued walking, and Cui Yajie answered Zheng Li's question.

"What good news?"

Ling Nan smiled, unable to hide his delight. "First, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu really do have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, but... it's out of commission!"

"Out of commission?" Zheng Li frowned, immediately understanding what Ling Nan meant. "That is good news. But how did that happen?"

"Well... Dai Huabin's team faced Huang Chutian, Lan Luoluo, and Lan Susu from Class Nine in the semifinals. Lan Luoluo and Lan Susu are twin sisters, and their Martial Souls are hair. They have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with powerful control abilities, which made it difficult for Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu to move. With Huang Chutian constantly interfering, they had no choice but to use their own Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

Cui Yajie paused to let Zheng Li take that in, then continued, "Qing Xinyu was eliminated after using just one Soul Skill. And when both Soul Masters are still weak, a Martial Soul Fusion Skill can only be used once within a certain period. So Dai Huabin and the others definitely can't use theirs again this afternoon."

"Oh..." Zheng Li nodded.

All he could say was, Class Nine came through!

Now that the Hell White Tiger was out of the picture, their already slim chances of winning had improved considerably.

"By the way, A Li, how can your Martial Soul talk?" Ling Nan asked, curiosity mingling with surprise.

Hearing Ling Nan's question, Cui Yajie pricked up her ears as well.

They'd naturally been surprised when they heard Xiao Nai speak during the match, but they'd been in the middle of the competition and pushed it aside.

"Xiao Nai? She's always been able to talk," Zheng Li said matter-of-factly.

Ling Nan: "..."

Had he ever heard of a Martial Soul that could talk?

That was all the explanation Zheng Li gave. Ling Nan and Cui Yajie could only assume she'd been born that way, and the matter was eventually dropped.

They soon reached the dormitory. Zheng Li immediately sat cross-legged and began circulating the Spirit Sutra. The energy of heaven and earth poured into his depleted body.

At lunchtime, Ling Nan brought Zheng Li some food. After eating in a hurry, Zheng Li began recovering his Soul Power again.

Time passed, minute by minute.

"Is Zheng Li still not ready?" Ling Nan frowned. Zheng Li should have recovered his Soul Power by now, given how much time had passed. He couldn't help growing anxious.

The final was about to begin, and the students were already heading to the examination area one after another.

There were two matches that afternoon: the final, and the match between Huo Yuhao's team and Huang Chutian's team to decide third and fourth place.

Just as Ling Nan was about to call Zheng Li, he opened his eyes. A flash of golden light flickered across them.

"I didn't expect to break through," Zheng Li murmured.

"Break through?" Ling Nan was taken aback. "A Li, are you at level twenty now?"

Zheng Li nodded.

Ling Nan was delighted. It meant their chances of winning the championship had improved again.

The two hurried to meet Cui Yajie at the dormitory entrance, then headed for the examination area.

A little over ten minutes later, they were at the finals venue.

Dai Huabin stared coldly at Zheng Li and the others across from him.

"I didn't expect you to be our opponents in the final."

"I didn't expect us to make it to the final, either," Zheng Li replied with a smile.

He really hadn't expected it.

"Hmph!" Dai Huabin snorted and said nothing more.

But he privately thought Zheng Li's team hadn't faced any strong opponents. And... that morning's wardrobe malfunction had really disgraced Class Five!

At lunch, he'd gone to the cafeteria and heard plenty of students gossiping:

That guy from Freshman Class Five had actually ended up naked during the semifinals of the freshman elimination tournament...

Some curious upperclassmen had even asked him, "Hey, junior, can I ask you something?"

Dai Huabin had been mortified listening to them.

They wouldn't stop talking about that guy from Freshman Class Five...

The thought made Dai Huabin's anger flare.

Damn it! He, Dai Huabin, had a spotless reputation. Why had he been put in the same class as someone with such a bizarre Martial Soul?

In the viewing stands.

Yan Shaozhe and the others were all watching Zheng Li with curiosity.

Why? Xiao Nai had spoken at the end of that morning's match...

The teachers had been in an uproar. Some had even thought they'd imagined it—including Wang Yan, Zhou Yi, Shen Lan, and Du Weilun.

Yan Shaozhe had been astonished, too.

It was one thing to understand that a Martial Soul had intelligence; it was another to accept that it had a humanlike form. But speaking...? How was that possible?

Had the Martial Soul become a spirit?

Some of the more inquisitive teachers had been itching to drag Zheng Li over and study him.

Of course, the teachers were quite open-minded. They were all old enough to have weathered plenty of storms.

There were plenty of unusual Martial Souls that had yet to be discovered.

The proctor was the same middle-aged teacher as that morning.

They were all from Class Five, so there was no need for formalities. He simply announced the start of the match.

Shen Lan couldn't hide the delight in her eyes. She hadn't expected both finalists to be from her class.

It proved her decision back then had been right.

Finals

A low tiger's growl came from Dai Huabin. With a thud, he launched himself toward Zheng Li.

Before the match, they'd naturally gathered information about Zheng Li's team. Their plan was to take out Zheng Li, the wild card, first!

And since they were all from Class One, they knew Zheng Li better than students from other classes did.

At the same time, Qing Xinyu lit up her First Soul Ring. Her Martial Soul was a water-blue short staff, just over twenty centimeters long. It was also a Mutated Martial Soul, and her First Soul Skill was Water Vine Binding.

The short staff glowed blue. A stream flowed out from the light and gathered into a thumb-thick rope of water, which lashed toward Zheng Li.

In the next instant, a streak of dark light flashed. Ling Nan's Cat Claws were already aimed at Qing Xinyu.

With a sharp clink, another Cat Claw met Ling Nan's. Clearly, Dai Huabin's team had been prepared.

The other Cat Claw belonged to Zhu Lu. Her ears were pointed, and her eyes were different colors. Her body seemed faint and light, almost unreal.

They exchanged a look, and their tempers flared at once. After all, they both had cat-type Martial Souls.

Clang, clang, clang! The two pairs of Cat Claws clashed repeatedly.

Were they competing to see whose claws were sharper?

Both moved incredibly fast, but Ling Nan was still a little slower. Of course, he hadn't used Godspeed.

Just then, Cui Yajie used Charm on Qing Xinyu and swung a pair of fox tails to knock away the Water Vine Binding headed for Zheng Li.

The cuter and fluffier something looked, the less you could afford to underestimate it!

The young Qing Xinyu had been startled by Ling Nan. Cui Yajie caught her gaze by surprise, and in just a second, the girl was dazed.

Zheng Li dodged Dai Huabin using his Pieb Footwork. Then a brilliant light flared between his brows, and Xiao Nai emerged. Light and graceful, she landed not far behind Dai Huabin, looking like a spirit as she calmly turned her gaze toward Qing Xinyu.

Dai Huabin's heart tightened. He cursed Qing Xinyu for dragging the team down.

How many times had this happened now?

Damn it! He should've switched teammates back then, even if it meant swallowing his pride.

He immediately tried to pull away and rush to Qing Xinyu's aid, but Zhu Lu couldn't break free.

"Think you can leave?" Zheng Li said with a faint smile. "You may be a Soul Elder, and I can't hold you back, but don't forget you still have Ya Jie to deal with!"

As he spoke, Cui Yajie flung her Second Martial Soul, the Fox Tail Needle, at Dai Huabin.

Dodge? There was no time!

A fierce glint flashed in Dai Huabin's eyes as he activated his First and Third Soul Skills. White light shimmered, and a barrier enveloped him. His body swelled, nearly doubling in size.

White Tiger Protection Barrier and White Tiger Vajra Transformation!

He didn't dare underestimate Cui Yajie's Fox Tail Needle.

A massive tiger paw struck out, faintly surrounded by a white glow.

With a resounding crash, the Soul Power in the Fox Tail Needle collided with the Soul Power in Dai Huabin's tiger paw!

Zheng Li didn't stay idle, either. Golden light blossomed in his hand and became a massive hammer, identical in appearance to Su Yunqing's Martial Soul. He swung it at Dai Huabin's head without the slightest hesitation.

Dai Huabin reacted quickly and easily caught the hammer with his other tiger paw. His cultivation was simply too high!

Ling Nan and Zhu Lu continued darting around the arena, leaving afterimages in their wake. Neither seemed willing to back down.

Ling Nan had actually wanted to find out for a long time which was stronger: his Black and White Winged Cat or the Hell Spirit Cat.

Suddenly, Zhu Lu used her First Soul Skill, Hell Stab. Her speed surged, and her Cat Claw, wreathed in purple-black light, stabbed toward Ling Nan's neck from the side.

Ling Nan was startled and hurriedly used Godspeed, barely avoiding Zhu Lu's attack. But a lock of his gray hair, which reached past his shoulders, drifted down. It showed just how dangerous that moment had been.

"That was close..." Ling Nan's forehead was beaded with cold sweat.

A flicker of surprise crossed Zhu Lu's differently colored eyes, as if she hadn't expected Ling Nan to dodge.

Elsewhere, Xiao Nai didn't hesitate. A golden longsword formed in her hand, and she thrust it at Qing Xinyu.

As the sword neared, Qing Xinyu broke free of Charm. After all, she was a girl.

But it was already too late. The middle-aged teacher intervened and rescued her.

"Damn it!"

Dai Huabin cursed under his breath. The situation was now four against two, and they were in a terrible position.

Although Zheng Li and Cui Yajie were being pushed back step by step.

What could Zheng Li say?

No wonder a Soul Elder-level Evil Eye White Tiger was so formidable.

After dealing with Qing Xinyu, Xiao Nai charged at Dai Huabin from behind, sword raised.

In the viewing stands, Wang Yan rubbed his forehead and muttered, "Is three against one really fair?"

Du Weilun, beside him, said calmly, "If Dai Huabin's team had the ability, they could do the same. That student from Class Ten can summon beast souls to fight for him. It's not much different."

Wang Yan's mouth twitched. How was that comparable? Were those beast souls really that strong?

Not a chance!

"The outcome is already clear," Du Weilun said with a shake of his head. "If Dai Huabin's team still had their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, they might have a chance."

The teachers said nothing.

On the arena, Dai Huabin had somehow smashed the hammer in Zheng Li's hand. Zheng Li formed a shield instead. He'd realized he didn't get many chances to swing an offensive weapon.

But the shield wasn't sturdy, either!

At least Dai Huabin's White Tiger Protection Barrier had collapsed.