Catching Them Off Guard

"The Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Blade soul bone is the core. It relies on the soul bone to raise its quality, then stacks a bunch of sixth-grade formations to become an eighth-grade Soul Tool."

"This Fixed Soul Guidance Shell is different. The formations layered inside are all sixth-grade Core Arrays, and they may all be of relatively high quality. They are extremely difficult to inscribe, but their power is also obvious."

Fixed Soul Guidance Shells pursued the absolute limit of destructive power, so as long as a formation was powerful, it could simply be stuffed inside.

All a Soul Engineer needed to do was make sure it did not explode.

Once a Core Array like that detonated, the Soul Engineer might be finished as well.

"I think that what can be researched in the short term is the structure connecting these formations. If we figure that out, you'll be able to use it during the tournament."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Elder Yi."

The formations inside a Fixed Soul Guidance Shell were like a single thread running through a large amount of explosives. They were not merely connected physically; they could also combine the force of every explosion into one.

What Electrolux meant was analyzing the principles behind that thread.

As long as it was deciphered, Su Fan could replicate such a thread within his own body.

That would bring a qualitative leap to his explosive power.

Time passed.

As Su Fan intensified his cultivation, the tournament finally reached its final stage.

In the quarterfinals, the Dou Ling Team encountered the Di'ao Team.

That team was truly formidable. Among its seven members, one was a Soul Emperor and six were Soul Kings.

The Dou Ling Team was inferior in terms of lineup. They only had five Soul Kings, Su Fan, and one Soul Ancestor.

Su Fan had already reached level fifty, but he had not rushed to hunt souls for a Soul Ring, hoping to obtain a better one.

Director Chi stood in the preparation area with a solemn expression, his fists clenched.

Reaching the semifinals this year would already count as a victory.

"Di'ao Academy actually cultivated a Soul Emperor. The Star Luo Team also has a Soul Emperor, while Dou Ling has fallen behind this time."

Director Chi looked toward Su Fan on the arena.

Now, they could only rely on Su Fan.

Although Guzhu Jian was quite strong, he had not yet reached the level where he could fight above his rank.

Besides, everyone who could stand on this arena was a genius. Who would be so easily defeated by someone of a lower rank?

Su Fan was different.

His fifty-thousand-year soul skill was the key to confronting a Soul Emperor.

"Su Fan, show them your true strength. This time, at the very least, make your peers tremble beneath your pressure for five years!"

Director Chi silently cheered Su Fan on.

They stepped onto the arena.

Su Fan looked seriously at his opponents.

"Match begin!"

At the host's command, both sides unleashed their martial souls.

Beneath Su Fan's feet, four Soul Rings emerged in sequence: yellow, purple, black, black.

After Huo Yuhao had shown off with five fake Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings, Su Fan's Soul Ring configuration was easier for everyone to accept.

However, after nearly a month of competition, everyone understood the true value of Su Fan's four Soul Rings.

Huo Yuhao's five Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings were fake.

But Su Fan's two Ten-Thousand Year Soul Rings were real!

The Di'ao Captain's expression turned heavy as he looked at the two black Soul Rings beneath Su Fan's feet.

He also had two black Soul Rings beneath his feet.

Yet he could sense that his sixth Soul Ring was not as imposing as Su Fan's fourth Soul Ring.

How had this guy absorbed Soul Rings beyond his rank?

The Soul Master world had long developed theories on absorbing Soul Rings beyond one's rank.

But normally, the limit was a thousand-year second ring and a ten-thousand-year fourth ring.

There had never been a ten-thousand-year third ring.

Su Fan was the first case.

How had he endured that Soul Shock?

A genius like him could not have been very old when he absorbed his third Soul Ring. He definitely had little life experience, and his spiritual power should have relied almost entirely on natural growth.

Even if he possessed spiritual-attribute talent, it should not have been possible!

The shock in his heart surfaced once more.

It had already been nearly a month.

Yet every time the Di'ao Captain saw Su Fan's Soul Rings, his heart remained full of confusion.

It was not just him. Everyone in the audience, the preparation areas, and everywhere else shared the same thoughts.

That was what true shock meant.

They were stunned every time they saw it.

The more knowledgeable they were, the more clearly they understood its value.

After lingering on Su Fan's fourth Soul Ring for a moment, the Di'ao Captain took a deep breath and adjusted his state.

Today was the semifinal match.

The Di'ao Team could not fall here.

"Attack!"

Though many thoughts flashed through his mind, they took only an instant.

As he charged forward, the other Di'ao Academy members rushed out as well, forming an encirclement to wipe out the Dou Ling Team in one sweep.

Su Fan signaled for Guzhu Jian to retreat.

The Di'ao Captain's gaze narrowed slightly.

He was wary of Su Fan's fourth soul skill.

Su Fan had not used that soul skill even once so far, so the Di'ao Captain was naturally highly vigilant.

However, when Su Fan's Soul Ring lit up, his train of thought stalled for an instant.

"Why is it this soul skill?"

"No, Su Fan hasn't used this soul skill before either."

"First soul skill, Space Jump!"

A smile appeared on Su Fan's face.

He had never used this soul skill precisely so he could catch them off guard at a moment like this.

He did not want to reveal his true trump card in today's match. Yet without revealing it, this battle would be difficult, so he could only resort to some tactics.

Aperture projections emerged one after another.

At first, Su Fan's Apertures had only been the size of thumbs.

As he obtained Soul Rings, the maximum size of those Apertures had gradually increased.

After acquiring his fifty-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring, his Apertures had expanded enough to accommodate a person.

And as long as an Aperture could contain something, he could use it to activate Space Jump and teleport that person away as well.

Aperture projections appeared before the Di'ao Team members one after another.

Several charging opponents had already unleashed their soul skills.

The next instant, they felt space shift, and the people before them had somehow become their own teammates.

In Shrek's preparation area.

Xu Sanshi abruptly rose to his feet.

"What a filthy soul skill!"

The others around him also wore solemn expressions.

Su Fan had hidden this move far too deeply.

No one had expected him to possess an ability similar to Xu Sanshi's Spatial Displacement.

Xu Sanshi's Spatial Displacement had ruthlessly tricked a wave of opponents and helped the Shrek Team win a match.

Now Su Fan had displayed a similar ability, one even more outrageous. He did not need to exchange places with an enemy to shift the enemy's position.

"This is a little troublesome. I hope we don't run into him in the upcoming semifinal."

Huo Yuhao sounded somewhat worried.

Su Fan's ability was too terrifying. He held an absolute advantage when it came to dividing the battlefield.

Once he separated the battlefield, the ensuing fight would become extremely passive.

The Shrek Team was already undermanned.

If they were split apart again and all their tactics were rendered useless, they would be no different from lambs awaiting slaughter.

The others also realized the problem after Huo Yuhao's reminder.

Wang Yan looked at Xuan Zi.

This was troublesome now.

Xuan Zi's gaze was profound.

"Don't panic. You have already displayed Shrek's spirit. All you need to do next is give it your all. As for your semifinal opponent, leave that to fate."

His final words carried deep significance.

Having received his affirmation, Huo Yuhao and the others were brimming with fighting spirit.

Only Wang Yan glanced at Xuan Zi, seeming to understand something.

On the arena, Su Fan had jumped the Di'ao Captain directly in front of the opposing support-type Soul Master.

Even though he had held back, the Di'ao Captain still knocked down his own support with a single strike.

The other team members were not doing much better. Their charged soul skills struck their own bodies, leaving them badly battered in an instant.

"Brother Jian."

Su Fan called softly.

Guzhu Jian understood and had already finished charging his attack.

Purple Bamboo stalks emerged above his head one after another, transforming into chilling bamboo swords wreathed in sword light.

More than a hundred bamboo swords fell like raindrops.

Before those bamboo swords, Apertures appeared one after another, swallowing the swords before jumping them to all directions around the Di'ao Team members.