Spirit Eye

The students watching the match instantly erupted; isn't this exactly what they came to see? A grand spectacle. As for the price paid behind the scenes, that was not something they were capable of considering.

Unable to directly neutralize the opposition, Xiao Xiao retreated just like Huo Yuhao. This was their contingency plan: drag it out as long as possible. Huo Yuhao tried his best to maintain his state, waiting until there was truly no other way before using a spiritual attack to break up their formation. The number of times he could use spiritual attacks was far too limited; there was simply no other choice.

However, the opposition wouldn't give them that opportunity. A phantom martial soul manifested; although it was so blurry it seemed as if it might vanish the next second, it was still roaring, declaring its existence.

At this moment, the Nether White Tiger was utilizing three soul rings. There is a sign to judge who is in control of a martial soul fusion skill: the color and number of the soul rings. Only one person can exert influence at a time; if both were identical, there would be no way to tell. But when they are identical, it is usually because they are twins whose spirits are connected, so there is no need to distinguish who is leading.

Identifying an opponent's abilities is the next step toward handling them strategically. But there was no time to judge the situation now; the opposition had already attacked. Xiao Xiao felt what Huo Yuhao had felt before: the god-tier skill Spiritual Detection had already mapped out the opponent's trajectory, yet she had no ability to stop them.

Dai Huabin let out a tiger's roar, his clearly beast-transformed legs bending to exert force, and he lunged forward with a violent kick. The ground actually developed slight cracks; even if this ground wasn't built to the standards of a professional tournament, it wasn't something an ordinary person could handle. It was clear his power was no longer at this tier.

With the strength of three rings and the use of a martial soul fusion skill, he was effectively the top student in his grade. If no power exceeding this level appeared, he would be invincible.

Xiao Xiao exhausted every ounce of her strength to arrange the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron into a defensive formation, only just managing to keep up with the opponent's first strike. She used her first and second soul skills simultaneously, but instead of attacking as before, she engaged in an unprecedented all-out defense. One look at the opponent was enough to know this was not something they could handle right now.

In the end, it went exactly as everyone expected: their formation was shattered instantly. The opponent began preparing for a second strike, yet they were merely attacking; they hadn't even used any soul skills, and yet they had already forced out their full strength. A sense of despair couldn't help but well up inside; there was no chance of winning.

However, Xiao Xiao did not lose heart. Instead, she revealed a resolute gaze. Even if they were to lose, they would lose standing tall; surrender was absolutely out of the question. She would resist to the end.

Facing this situation, only Xiao Xiao had the ability to resist; Huo Yuhao was completely helpless. His survival skills and proficiency in Tang Sect Secret Techniques did not support him in winning a match against such a massive gap in tiers, unless he asked Tian Meng to intervene, but they weren't there right now.

For the past few days, they had been busy with some mysterious matter. At the very beginning, they had asked if they needed help, but Huo Yuhao had refused. He thought that these defeated foes had no chance of overcoming them—that was the official stance.

In truth, Huo Yuhao was very dissatisfied with them leaving him out of their actions, but he couldn't bring himself to speak up due to his pride. It is a common problem for youths: when encountering issues, they don't seek help but instead throw a tantrum and try to shoulder it alone, regardless of how big the problem is or whether they can actually handle it. They drag things out until they are unsolvable, even causing irreversible situations.

Only when it reached this point did he feel regret, but it was already too late. This might become a lifelong regret.

Huo Yuhao was still hesitating over whether to ask Electrolux for help. His interactions with Electrolux were rare, and they were not very familiar with each other. The previous time he helped, it was a promised favor, which is why Huo Yuhao hadn't hesitated. Now, there was no promise, and it felt unnecessary to bother someone just for a match. What if the martial soul fusion skill suddenly wore off?

No matter how many excuses he found in his heart, he couldn't stop Dai Huabin's attack. Xiao Xiao was already unable to hold on during the second strike; her beautiful little face turned pale, devoid of any color. Huo Yuhao was caught in an internal struggle and didn't notice. No matter how comprehensive Spiritual Detection was, it was still used by a human; if you aren't paying attention, how can you notice what is happening right under your nose?

Xiao Xiao suddenly grew ruthless. During the third strike, she called out to Huo Yuhao. Since Dai Huabin was being arrogant and not using soul skills, they would hit him with something fierce. She used her first and second soul rings in tandem again. This time, they didn't flicker one after the other; they were used simultaneously without any time interval. If you have the heritage of a martial soul fusion skill, does my family not have one as well?

A heavy weapon of the state, the vibration of the cauldron.

The moment Xiao Xiao called out, Huo Yuhao subconsciously unleashed a spiritual attack combined with his Purple Demon Eye. This was the coordination and tacit understanding born from countless drills.

The vibrating sound of the cauldron echoed across the entire arena. To prevent the watching students from being harmed, the teachers took the unprecedented step of intervening in a first-year match to mask the spread of power. However, the enthusiasm of the students who were nearly caught in the crossfire was not dampened; it only stirred them up further. The shouting in the arena grew louder and louder. Everyone was infected by the collision of such power, their blood boiling.

However, Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao's sensations were the exact opposite; coldness and powerlessness spread through their bodies. The opponent used their third soul skill followed by their first: White Tiger Vajra Transformation and White Tiger Barrier. An extreme defensive capability was unleashed; at this moment, their defense was something even Xu Sanshi could not compare to. Their strongest combination strike could not inflict any damage.

The most terrifying thing they had imagined happened: their opponent withstood the entire set, even their strongest attack that hadn't been revealed before. In truth, it wasn't that Dai Huabin and his partner hadn't taken damage; this set of skills, which also exceeded this stage, had nearly caused their martial soul fusion skill to break. But it was only "nearly"—it hadn't truly broken, which meant it was now their turn.

Second soul skill: White Tiger Intense Light Wave. A long-range attack bolstered by the third soul skill. Xiao Xiao had no strength left when she saw this attack. The extraordinary power of a combination skill requires a massive expenditure—not of soul power, but of essence, energy, and spirit. It could be said that her spiritual power was exhausted. There is a gain for every loss; that is the rule of this world.

However, she still intended to try her best. Behind her was Huo Yuhao, the support. Countless lessons had taught them that they must protect the support; they are the core of the team. So, that is what she was doing now. As long as she hadn't fallen, Huo Yuhao would be fine.

In the end, they were defeated without any surprises. Their martial soul was shattered head-on, and the backlash left Xiao Xiao's mouth filled with the taste of blood. Her body was sent flying, but she didn't leave the arena. This was the result of Dai Huabin controlling his power; he wanted to ruthlessly crush all their capabilities and bring them despair. A simple elimination was not what he wanted.

Huo Yuhao hadn't anticipated this at all because there was no such contingency in their plan. With Xiao Xiao down, what combat power did a support soul master have? He had no chance to use Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track or Mysterious Jade Hand; the opponent was too fast. He couldn't react at all before being violently knocked away, though he hadn't lost his combat capability yet.

Huo Yuhao struggled to stand up, only to be knocked down again. He had one spiritual attack left, but he couldn't concentrate his spirit to launch that final strike. His heart was already filled with despair; only the obsession not to admit defeat was supporting him.

But at this moment, Xiao Xiao, who should have been out of strength, helped.

A sound of a flute rang out: her second martial soul, the Nine Phoenix Flute. First soul skill: Slow.

But it had very little effect; a century soul ring and a support-type skill simply couldn't inflict damage. Dai Huabin was already somewhat delirious at this point; the massive consumption of a martial soul fusion skill was not something they could sustain at their current level.

Having reached an extreme state of emotion, they were furious at Xiao Xiao for slowing them down and kicked the exhausted girl away. Blood sprayed from her mouth.

Seeing all this, a certain emotion welled up in Huo Yuhao's heart: rage. He had never been this furious before. His revenge against the Duke's Mansion was a cold, methodical anger. At this moment, however, his brain was completely occupied by fury.

His Sea of Spirit underwent an unprecedented upheaval. It wasn't caused by anyone else inside; it was entirely due to his own will. The Sea of Spirit followed the will of its true master, stretching its power and then erupting.

His vast spiritual power was fully mobilized, combining with his Spirit Eye. His martial soul moved in an unprecedented way; silver light flickered within the Spirit Eye, and then, unable to contain it, it spread outward. Everyone saw this strange phenomenon, and excited cheers erupted once again.

The silver patterns were quickly stained with gray and green, forming a butterfly-like shape with different colors on each side. Anyone who looked at it would be captivated, because this was essentially composed of externalized spiritual power. The teachers noticed it too, but they had no way to resolve it; spiritual power was outside their scope of expertise.

The thoughts of outsiders could no longer stop Huo Yuhao's actions. The rage—a factor that usually causes one's abilities to decline—actually allowed Huo Yuhao to mobilize his spiritual power to attack.

And so, at this moment, Huo Yuhao was unstoppable.

The patterns began to bloom, emitting a ray. Everyone couldn't see it, but they all sensed the attack. Time seemed to slow down, leaving the teachers, who realized the intensity of this attack, unable to react in time. The absolute speed of the spiritual attack brought absolute destruction to Dai Huabin. It far exceeded his tier, unleashing power that even Huo Yuhao himself couldn't control.

He let the world see what destruction truly was.

The martial soul fusion skill disintegrated instantly, and both of them lost consciousness, bleeding from their seven orifices and remaining unresponsive. Huo Yuhao didn't fare well either; his Spirit Eye lost its vision, and two trails of bloody tears flowed down. But no matter how disheveled he looked now, the one standing here was Huo Yuhao. These were the enemies of his White Tiger Family; his path of growth would inevitably tread upon their blood as stepping stones. This was merely the interest.

The championship was unquestionable. Afterward, seeing through Spiritual Detection that Xiao Xiao was not in serious danger, he relaxed and lost consciousness.