One of the Soul Ancestors saw how brazen Yang Ziyuan was and was instantly overcome with anger. He was about to attack!
But Huang Tao stopped him.
He knew that people often lost their reason when they were angry.
"Stick to the plan. Give it everything you've got!"
"Understood!"
At Huang Tao's command, the Blazing Fire Team quickly took their positions and surrounded Yang Ziyuan.
Yang Ziyuan, meanwhile, remained calm, as if he didn't take their threat seriously at all.
As soon as the referee announced the start of the match, the Blazing Fire Team launched a fierce attack.
"Fourth Soul Skill, Raging Flame Storm!"
"Fourth Soul Skill, Blazing Wind-Chasing Slash!"
"Fourth Soul Skill, Flowing Flame Flying Fire!"
In an instant, everyone on the Blazing Fire Team unleashed their strongest Soul Skills, determined to take Yang Ziyuan down in one fell swoop!
Shui Wuyue furrowed her brows at the sight.
She hadn't expected the Blazing Fire Team to act so decisively.
Still, she wasn't worried.
She believed attacks of this caliber couldn't hurt Yang Ziyuan.
Sure enough, just as the attacks were about to hit him, Yang Ziyuan's figure suddenly flickered strangely, and he dodged them all.
Then he knocked out the people around him, one punch at a time.
"Impossible! There's no way!"
Yang Ziyuan's move on the Soul Fighting Arena left everyone there utterly shocked.
They could hardly believe that this young man was so terrifyingly strong!
The members of the Blazing Fire Team were all elite among elites! The weakest among them was at least a Soul Elder! Yet now, Yang Ziyuan had beaten them all with a single punch apiece.
They hadn't even managed to touch his clothes!
"You've lost!"
Looking down at the Blazing Fire Team members sprawled across the ground, Yang Ziyuan spoke coolly.
At last, the team captain, Huang Tao, couldn't help asking, "How did you do that?"
They had lost this match so miserably!
He desperately wanted to know how Yang Ziyuan had done it.
Yang Ziyuan paused, taken aback.
He honestly didn't know how to explain it.
Even if he told Huang Tao, he doubted Huang Tao could do it himself!
The key was his Self-Created Soul Skill—Warp!
He had comprehended the skill under the gravity of his Black Hole Domain. It worked somewhat like teleportation, allowing him to move instantly within a certain range!
That was how he'd been able to dodge Huang Tao and the others' attacks so quickly.
Then, with his abundant Soul Power, he'd knocked out the entire Blazing Fire Team one punch at a time!
But how could he reveal a secret like that?
So he simply turned and left.
Huang Tao and the others could only watch him go, helpless.
In the stands, the Shui sisters also looked utterly stunned.
They hadn't expected Yang Ziyuan to be so powerful.
He'd beaten everyone without even using a Soul Ring. It was incredible.
"Big Sis, how do you think our cousin got so strong? I thought he'd at least have to use a Thousand-Year Soul Ring!"
Shui Bing'er could only give a wry smile.
Only Yang Ziyuan himself knew the answer.
But she'd never be able to reach that level of strength in her lifetime!
As for Shui Wuyue, she was naturally thrilled to see Yang Ziyuan win so easily.
The Blazing Fire Academy's team instructor standing beside her, however, felt quite differently.
His expression was ugly, and the veins on his forehead bulged!
The scene had clearly gotten under his skin.
"Dean Shui, we have other matters to attend to, so we'll take our leave!"
"Of course. Go ahead!"
At that, the Blazing Fire Academy party slunk away.
Only after they had left Skywater City did their instructor ask, "What was that all about? All of you couldn't beat one person? And he even gave you time to recover your Soul Power, but you refused to listen! Now look at you—you got knocked down one punch at a time and disgraced yourselves."
"Instructor, what were we supposed to do?"
Huang Tao explained bitterly in response to the instructor's scolding.
"You can't blame anyone for this. If anyone's at fault, it's that guy for being far too strong! With someone like him around, Skywater Academy is bound to win this Soul Master Tournament."
"Not necessarily! That kid isn't even wearing Skywater Academy's uniform. Shui Wuyue must have brought him in as an outsider. Once the time comes, he'll leave on his own!"
At that thought, he suddenly realized he needed to bring this news to the dean!
With such a powerhouse on their side, winning the championship would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?
Three days later, at Skywater Academy's Council of Elders.
A group of elderly women sat around a long table, discussing an issue.
"Have you heard? There's a boy among this year's new students at Skywater Academy!"
"Everyone's been talking about it. How could we not know?"
"I hear he's Little Wuyue's grandson. Nishang, Wuyue is your disciple! What do you think about this?"
When everyone turned to look at her, Li Nishang pondered for a moment before replying slowly, "I don't think Wuyue did anything wrong! Blazing Fire Academy came right to our doorstep and bullied us during this exchange match. Without that boy's help, Skywater Academy would have been utterly humiliated! Besides, he's quite strong. I believe he can win the Soul Master Tournament two tournaments from now and make Skywater Academy famous! So I support Yang Ziyuan joining us!"
"What about the rules our predecessors left behind?"
"Rules are dead, people are alive. We can make exceptions in special circumstances! If Skywater Academy really declines, that would be a case of losing sight of the bigger picture. I believe our predecessors would agree with what we're doing!"
"Fine! But this must not happen again."
"Understood!"
Half a year later, in Sunset Forest.
"Grandpa, how many years are you aiming for with your ninth Soul Ring?"
Seeing Yang Wuhui looking so carefree, Yang Ziyuan asked curiously.
After six months of cultivation, Yang Wuhui had reached level 90!
They had come to hunt for Yang Wuhui's ninth Soul Ring.
"As for its age, the higher the better, of course. If I get the chance, I'd like to absorb a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring!"
Yang Wuhui smiled at Yang Ziyuan, his eyes full of longing and anticipation.
Yang Ziyuan's mouth twitched.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring?
Was it something you could just absorb whenever you felt like it?
Yang Wuhui's body was strong enough to withstand a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, but Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were hard to find!
Still, given the size of Sunset Forest, there might really be a fire-type Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast there!
"Grandpa, do you have a target in mind? We can't just search aimlessly, can we?"
"Don't worry. Since I brought you here, of course I've already picked a target! There's a dormant volcano in the heart of Sunset Forest. Many powerful fire-type Soul Beasts live nearby. I'm sure we'll find a suitable one there!"
Yang Wuhui said with a beaming smile.
Seeing how confident Yang Wuhui looked, Yang Ziyuan nodded.
"All right, Grandpa! Let's go now!"
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