A Glimpse of the Future

Before the match, Wang Chuan specifically called over Tang Wulin and his two teammates as they were preparing to step onto the competition stage.

"Wulin, your opponents today, the Hailu Academy team, have a pair of twins."

Wang Chuan reminded them.

Tang Wulin nodded, a look of confusion on his face; he clearly hadn't fully grasped the significance yet.

Xie Xie, standing to the side, had a deep family background and reacted the fastest, his expression changing instantly:

"Brother Wang Chuan, are you saying..."

"They can perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?!"

Wang Chuan nodded affirmatively.

"Ah?!"

Xie Xie's face fell immediately.

"No way!"

"Are we really going to end here?!"

Tang Wulin scratched his head, saying somewhat uncertainly:

"But..."

"When I saw Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill before, it seemed..."

"It wasn't that strong, was it?"

Gu Yue's cold, clear voice rang out.

"That is because your bloodline quality is extremely high, and it exerted a powerful suppression effect on Wang Jinxi's Bone Dragon King martial soul, which gave you a false impression."

Wang Chuan took over the conversation, adding.

"Gu Yue is right."

"Zhou Hanyou and Zhou Tian'er's martial souls are Ice Spirit and Wood Spirit respectively, and your bloodline does not exert any elemental suppression over them."

"Plus, they are biological sisters, and their tacit understanding and compatibility far exceed that of ordinary people. Once they unleash a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, its power will be incomparable to that of Wang Jinxi and the others."

"The three of you must remain vigilant on the stage and look out for each other. If you ever feel that it is unstoppable..."

"Surrender immediately, do not hesitate."

Tang Wulin's expression turned solemn, and he obediently replied.

"Alright, I'll remember that, Brother Xiaochuan."

Wang Chuan nodded slightly, watching the three of them walk onto the wide competition stage.

In the early stages of the match, relying on Gu Yue's exquisite elemental control ability, which far exceeded her apparent soul power level, the trio worked together and actually managed to faintly suppress the Hailu Academy team.

The way Gu Yue commanded basic elements like ice, fire, earth, and wind with such ease not only amazed the audience but also put immense pressure on the Zhou sisters opposite them.

Finally, as the situation became increasingly unfavorable, Zhou Hanyou and Zhou Tian'er exchanged a glance, let out a simultaneous cry, and rushed toward each other, embracing tightly.

A violent surge of soul power erupted, and ice-blue and emerald-green light mingled and rose frantically...

Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Forest of Ice and Snow, activate!

The moment that fusion radiance rose, a mysterious and unfathomable light flashed through Wang Chuan's eyes in the spectator stands.

In an instant, he seemed to pierce through the veil of time and glimpse a corner of the future.

Under his warning, Tang Wulin and his teammates felt the terrifying energy contained within the fusion skill and decisively shouted in unison, "We surrender!"

However, the referee, who should have intervened immediately to stop the match, had their movements inexplicably delayed for a split second.

At the same time, the ice and wood elements within the competition stage quietly became abnormally active and dense...

Invisibly strengthening the speed and power of the Forest of Ice and Snow!

It was this subtle change that caught Tang Wulin off guard, preventing him from fully dodging; he was struck hard by the edge of the expanding Forest of Ice and Snow and was severely injured, vomiting blood on the spot!

The vision of the future receded like a tide.

Wang Chuan's expression changed drastically; he stood up abruptly from his seat, looking at the competition stage with a grave expression.

On the stage, reality was currently overlapping with the first half of the future he had just seen...

After sensing the heart-palpitating fluctuations of the fusion skill, Tang Wulin shouted without hesitation.

"We surrender!"

However, the referee's figure did not appear between the two sides immediately as the rules dictated.

The cold, shimmering light of intertwined ice and wood, carrying a chill that could freeze the soul, had already taken shape and was enveloping Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie, moving even faster than expected!

A flash of fear crossed Tang Wulin's eyes.

But he gritted his teeth, his body instinctively lunging forward, attempting to use his own body to shield Gu Yue and Xie Xie behind him from this fatal blow.

At the most critical moment!

"Clang--!"

A clear, impassioned phoenix cry, piercing the clouds, rang out across the entire stadium without warning, majestic and vast, as if it had come from the ancient primordial era!

Immediately following, a brilliant, five-colored divine light erupted from the spectator stands, arriving before it was even expected, and slammed into the soul guidance protective barrier of the competition stage with a thunderous crash!

The barrier, which claimed to be able to withstand attacks from a Soul Emperor, was like paper in front of this five-colored divine light; it couldn't even block it for an instant before a hole was silently torn through it.

The five-colored divine light did not lose momentum, plunging straight into the center of the competition stage and brushing with pinpoint accuracy against the "Forest of Ice and Snow" that had just taken shape.

That Martial Soul Fusion Skill, containing immense ice and wood energy, instantly faded and dissipated under the scouring of this five-colored divine light, turning back into elements and returning to the heavens and the earth.

The entire process was eerily quiet, yet it only served to highlight the absolute control and power of the newcomer.

The five-colored divine light retracted slightly, and a tall, upright figure was already standing before Tang Wulin and the others, back turned to them, facing the direction of the Hailu Academy team.

It was none other than Wang Chuan.

Tang Wulin stared blankly at the familiar back before him—broad, firm, and seemingly capable of holding up the entire sky.

An indescribable warm current instantly flooded his entire body, washing away the lingering shock from just a moment ago.

When he was six years old, during his most helpless moment, it was this same back that had stood before him.

His lips moved slightly, and he murmured in a low voice, filled with immense reliance and peace of mind.

"Brother Xiaochuan..."

Gu Yue stared blankly at Wang Chuan's back, emotions surging within her purple eyes.

A complex, unspeakable warmth seeped into her heart, thread by thread, yet it was accompanied by a sharp sting.

She had clearly made up her mind to draw a line between them...

But why, every time she encountered danger, did he always appear without hesitation, using his own way to shield her behind him?

This caused the walls she had built in her heart to begin to crack.

Xie Xie, meanwhile, had his eyes wide open, his face filled with shock and admiration.

Only now did he truly understand where the almost blind trust and reverence that Tang Wulin and Gu Yue held for Wang Chuan came from.

Just by standing there, the steady, mountain-like aura radiating from Wang Chuan, as deep and imposing as an abyss, gave one an absolute sense of security capable of weathering any storm.

Xie Xie secretly swore to himself.

From this day on, I, Xie Xie, am also a loyal follower of Brother Wang Chuan!

Wang Chuan did not turn back to comfort the three of them; his gaze was as cold as frost as he slowly raised his head, casting it toward the azure sky.

Relying on the Five Virtues Phoenix Martial Soul's extremely keen perception of the heaven and earth's vital energy, he clearly "captured" that within just those one or two seconds...

A hidden yet incomparably vast power had quietly descended, interfering extremely subtly with the elemental balance of the competition stage area and affecting the referee's reaction.

If not for his extraordinary perception...

He would never have been able to detect this anomaly, as small as a speck of dust.

He already had a guess in his heart.

Was it Tang Hao?

But why would he do such a thing?

Just to let Tang Wulin get a little hurt?