Last Preparations

Under Xiao Hongchen's direction, the reserve team held several more practice matches.

Xiao Hongchen had come up with a very unusual format: everyone would take turns partnering with Huo Yuhao. They would win either by defeating the other five people or by keeping Huo Yuhao from being eliminated for the duration of one incense stick.

Huo Yuhao was at a loss when he heard the rules. "Brother Xiao, what are you trying to accomplish?"

"Help everyone get familiar with your abilities," Xiao Hongchen said. "Haven't you figured it out yet? You're already the reserve team's main controller. As a Soul Engineer team, we're actually short on control and support types. That's also a limitation imposed by the quality of everyone's Martial Souls. Excellent control and support types often rely on powerful Martial Souls."

"I see." Huo Yuhao understood. He was already familiar with this kind of strategy. Back during the freshman assessment at Shrek, no one else on the team had been a control and support type, so Chi Qiu and Wang Dong had built their strategy entirely around him. Huo Yuhao was well practiced in this style of fighting.

Meng Hongchen was naturally the first to try it. In addition to activating Spiritual Detection Sharing, Huo Yuhao used Ultimate Ice to greatly strengthen the ice attribute in Meng Hongchen's Martial Soul.

A flash of inspiration struck Meng Hongchen, and her fourth Soul Ring lit up. The skill was called Ice Feedback. It converted the poison attribute in her body into pure energy, which then fed back into her, greatly enhancing her ice attribute.

Using this skill meant she couldn't use poison for a short time, but there was no need for poison in this sparring match. Instead, it was the perfect opportunity for her to make full use of the skill. With the two boosts combined, she could now unleash power on the level of a Soul Emperor.

In less than half an incense stick, Meng Hongchen had knocked everyone else out of the arena. Huo Yuhao had also predicted the landing points of every one of Xiao Hongchen's cannon shots with pinpoint accuracy. Xiao Hongchen had just gotten to enjoy himself, and now he was paying it all back—and had four more miserable rounds to endure.

Next came the other pairs with Huo Yuhao. The two reserve Soul Engineers who went afterward both struggled to perform well. With Qiu'er, Wang Dong, and the Hongchen siblings working together against them, neither could protect Huo Yuhao. The moment Huo Yuhao used Ice Emperor's Protection to defend himself, they were declared the losers.

Wang Dong, on the other hand, didn't have the strength to knock the Hongchen siblings out of the arena, but she lasted for a whole incense stick by relying on her agility. When she finally ran out of energy to fly, she used Wing Guillotine as a shield and blocked several of Xiao Hongchen's shots.

What surprised everyone most was the pairing of Huo Yuhao and Chi Qiu.

When Chi Qiu stood beside Huo Yuhao, the other four all looked stunned. Only Wang Dong was unfazed. The moment the two stood side by side, the aura around them seemed to change completely. Anyone they looked at couldn't help feeling as though their fate had come under their gaze.

"Would using the Eye of Destiny count as cheating, Qiu'er?" Huo Yuhao asked with a quiet laugh.

"Would using a Martial Soul Fusion Skill count as cheating?" Chi Qiu looked at him, the faintest smile on her lips.

"According to the rules, I'm not allowed to do anything except use Spiritual Detection Sharing."

"That's fine. I should be enough on my own."

With that, Chi Qiu stepped forward and stood in front of Huo Yuhao. A few strands of her golden hair brushed lightly across the tip of his nose, carrying the faint scent of pine.

"Then of course I trust you." Huo Yuhao smiled slightly, a touch of green joining the golden light in his eyes.

Even without deliberately using the Eye of Destiny, the close connection formed by their two rounds of attribute channeling had left a trace of the Power of Destiny lingering around them. It wasn't easy to rein in.

A dignified dragon's roar rang out from Chi Qiu. The Golden Dragon phantom behind her instantly became solid, as though it might come to life at any moment. Huo Yuhao recalled how Chi Qiu had hurried over to upgrade his Eye of Destiny that day, and guessed this form of her Martial Soul was the result of Yu Rufeng's enhancement.

Chi Qiu still hadn't told him about the Golden Dragon King.

Now, the first and second Soul Rings beneath her feet lit up once more, but her aura was completely different from what it had been in the previous matches. As both enhancements settled over her, an unrestrained force erupted from her, sending her beautiful long hair flying in the wind.

Huo Yuhao instinctively wanted to dodge the force, but in the end, he stayed still. It didn't suppress him at all. It merely swept gently past his side, like Qiu'er herself walking beside him on campus as she usually did.

Across from them, Wang Dong watched Chi Qiu's aura, as mighty as a true dragon's, and complained to her teammates, "Miss Chi just said she'd let loose if Yuhao wasn't on the other side. Looks like she meant it..."

"Are you afraid of her?" Xiao Hongchen retorted. "What do you think the thruster on your back is for? Move!"

"How do you know I have a Soul Guidance Thruster?"

"Didn't I make it?"

"Oh." Wang Dong nodded. She'd forgotten about that. She immediately poured Soul Power into the thruster and darted forward. Her third Soul Ring lit up, and she headed straight for Huo Yuhao. By now, she was very familiar with the fighting style of an agility type, and her speed was much greater than it had been when she first arrived at Shrek.

To the others, a pink-and-blue streak flashed across the sky. Wang Dong was already close to Chi Qiu and Huo Yuhao.

"Cover Wang Dong with fire!" Xiao Hongchen quickly gave his orders. "Meng, go head-on and hold Chi Qiu off."

Losing Spiritual Detection Sharing made him feel as though his ability to direct the team had taken a serious hit. Still, they had managed without it before, and everyone's instincts in battle were decent. Meng Hongchen responded and sprang lightly off the ground. All the thrusters on her back activated, and she rushed straight at Chi Qiu, cold air swirling around her.

But Chi Qiu merely pointed the Golden Dragon Spear at her. A flash of fire appeared at its tip, and Meng Hongchen's speed plummeted.

Her attributes were ice and fire, and, by an unfortunate coincidence, the ultimate forms of both attributes were right in front of her—one on either side. They hadn't even begun to fight head-on, yet the pressure from those ultimate auras was already enough to keep her from bringing her full strength to bear.

Then, under Huo Yuhao's guidance, Chi Qiu calmly deflected each incoming shot. Finally, she turned her spear sideways and clashed head-on with Wang Dong's Wing Guillotine at full speed. The impact rang out with a thunderous hum.

"Is that for real...?" The other two reserve team members stared, mouths agape. "Is that the strength of a three-ring Soul Elder?"

"She seems to get stronger when she's with Huo Yuhao."

"No, it's probably just what Wang Dong said. There's no Huo Yuhao on the opposing team, so she's letting loose."

In the end, Chi Qiu knocked everyone else out of the arena. Left alone as the team's gunner, Xiao Hongchen couldn't turn the match around, so he withdrew from the arena of his own accord to save face.

"All right, all right. Take a breather." Xiao Hongchen clapped his hands and looked up at the dusk sky. "It's getting late. The tournament starts in half a month. Make sure to ask your instructors for leave during that time. The researchers at Mingde Hall won't care whether you're competing or not."

When he spoke in that tone, the two reserve team members paid him little attention. Huo Yuhao quietly looked around at everyone's expressions and thought he was beginning to understand why Xiao Hongchen wasn't popular at school.

Still, Huo Yuhao felt that even though Xiao Hongchen wasn't pleasant to talk to, he was efficient, and his nature was actually quite good.

If Xiao Hongchen hadn't reminded him, Huo Yuhao really would have forgotten to ask Xuan Ziwen for leave. That teacher wanted him in the laboratory twenty-four hours a day.

"If there's nothing else, let's call it a day," Xiao Hongchen said. "Meng, Yuhao, you two stay behind."

"Brother Xiao, is there something else?" Huo Yuhao stopped just as he was about to leave.

"What level are you?" Xiao Hongchen raised his hand and examined it, looking as though he were caring for a precious treasure.

Huo Yuhao thought for a moment. "Level 28."

"Do you want to reach the third ring before the tournament?"

"Well... gaining two levels in half a month doesn't seem very realistic."

"It's possible if you take some pills." The dusky light blurred Xiao Hongchen's expression. "That would make you younger than I was when I reached the third ring."

"Brother Xiao." At the mention of this, Huo Yuhao straightened and grew serious. "Do you know the pills you take have a strong effect? Taking too many can harm the foundation of your cultivation."

"Mm." Xiao Hongchen gave a rare, terse reply. Meng Hongchen picked up where he left off.

"Yuhao, most of the academy's Soul Emperors and Soul Saints have taken pills. The quality of everyone's Martial Souls limits them, and they simply can't break through to a higher level. For most people, forcing their way to the Soul Saint level is the only option. If they don't take anything, they might be Soul Kings for the rest of their lives."

"But Senior Meng, you and Brother Xiao should both have the potential to reach beyond the Soul Saint level!" Huo Yuhao grew a little agitated.

He gave his whole heart to the people who treated him well. He didn't want to see the Hongchen siblings sacrifice their talents.

"Heh..." Xiao Hongchen suddenly chuckled twice, his feelings hard to read. "It's fine, Yuhao. I'm the academy's top genius. I can get there on my own, so I haven't taken enough pills to damage my potential."

Meng Hongchen gave her brother a strange look, then continued, "If you don't want to take pills, we certainly won't force you. Besides, our main team is strong enough this time, so the reserve team doesn't need to force its cultivation higher."

"I'll do my best on my own." Huo Yuhao nodded to them both. "You're doing this for my sake, but once my Ice Martial Soul reaches level 30, my cultivation speed will slow down. I'd also like to build a stronger foundation before I reach level 30."

"Good." Xiao Hongchen nodded. "Then that settles it. Just pass your Level 2 Soul Engineer certification exam before the tournament starts. Make sure Chi Qiu and Wang Dong take the Level 1 Soul Engineer exam too. Without badges, they won't be allowed to use some Soul Tools in the arena. Meng and I are going to the Jingyang Mountain Range to hunt for our fifth Soul Rings. We leave tomorrow morning. See you in half a month."