40. Quarterfinals, Defeating Pipi Elephant.

Martial Soul Department Dean Yan Shaozhe sat upright in the center, his graying hair combed with meticulous precision.

To his left sat Vice Dean Cai Mei'er, wearing a long purple dress and possessing a stunning appearance.

To his right, Academic Director Du Weilun leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed.

What was even more eye-catching were the other seats.

Xian Lin'er, Dean of the Soul Guidance Department, had also arrived, with Vice Dean Qian Duoduo seated beside her.

In the furthest corner sat an old man whose face was obscured, holding a wine gourd and a chicken leg.

Xuan Zi of the Sea God Pavilion.

This Chicken Leg Douluo rarely appeared at public academy events. His presence today indicated that the academy's top brass placed far more importance on this year's freshmen than usual.

Yan Shaozhe scanned the four arenas below, his gaze finally settling on Exam Hall One.

"Dai Huabin and Xie Huanyue ended up in the same bracket?"

Du Weilun nodded. "Correct, the first match of the round of eight."

Cai Mei'er crossed her legs, her tone carrying a hint of amusement.

"A level 34 White Tiger Soul Elder paired with a level 27 Hell Spirit Cat Soul Grand Master, taking on three opponents. The other side has a level 32 Pipi Elephant. This match should be interesting."

Yan Shaozhe stroked his chin.

"I'm actually more curious to see if they'll use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

Du Weilun recalled the self-righteous look on Dai Huabin's face when he applied for a single dormitory, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"Given that brat's personality, he won't use it unless he has to. He's far too calculating; he'll never reveal his trump card unless he's backed into a corner."

Exam Hall One.

Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu stood side by side at the southern end of the arena.

Opposite them, Xie Huanyue stood in the center, his sturdy frame at least twice the size of his peers.

To his left and right stood two robust youths with nearly identical faces: Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba.

The twins with the Mantis Blade Martial Soul.

The referee walked to the center of the arena, confirmed both sides were ready, and raised a hand to signal.

"Exam Hall One, round of eight! Class Nine's Dai Huabin team versus Class Two's Xie Huanyue team. Both sides, prepare!"

Xie Huanyue rolled his thick neck, his joints popping with a crisp sound.

He glanced at Dai Huabin and grinned.

"The direct descendant of the White Tiger Duke. I've wanted to face you since the round-robin. You two have guts to sign up for the assessment with only a pair."

Dai Huabin took off his school uniform jacket and tossed it to the side of the arena.

Underneath was a form-fitting black combat suit, outlining the youth's lean yet sturdy physique.

"Whether I have guts or not, you'll find out once we fight."

"Begin!"

The referee's arm dropped.

Xie Huanyue's reaction was lightning fast.

Three soul rings—two yellow and one purple—flared to life around him.

His first soul skill, Elephant Body, activated instantly. His physique expanded rapidly, his skin turning a deep brown, making him look like a moving wall of flesh.

At the same time, Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba both released their Martial Souls. Silvery-white mantis blades extended from their arms, and the two slender figures split to the left and right flanks, preparing to pincer.

Standard tactics, just as expected.

The corner of Dai Huabin's mouth lifted.

"Luolu, it's yours."

Zhu Lu didn't offer a redundant response; her body was already in motion.

Her Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul Possession was completed in an instant. Translucent soul-powered claws flickered at her fingertips as she transformed into a gray-black afterimage, lunging straight toward Luo Tianlong on the left flank.

Luo Tianlong was startled; he hadn't expected the opponent to ignore the frontal threat of Xie Huanyue and charge directly at him.

"Big brother!" Luo Tianba immediately changed direction, circling from the right flank toward Zhu Lu's side in an attempt to form a pincer attack.

The twins' coordination was indeed seamless. Both raised their mantis blades simultaneously, closing in on Zhu Lu from left and right.

But Zhu Lu was simply too fast.

She came to a sudden stop in front of Luo Tianlong, her body sinking low to narrowly dodge the mantis blade slashing toward her head, and her right-hand claws swept upward in one fluid motion.

The armor-piercing effect of Hell Stab created a violent screech of metal against metal upon contact with Luo Tianlong's blade.

Luo Tianlong's arm went numb, a sharp pain shooting through the web of his hand, and he nearly dropped his blade.

Luo Tianba arrived from the side, both blades slashing down at once.

Zhu Lu didn't even look back at him. She spun her body halfway around, simultaneously unleashing her second soul skill, Hell Hundred Claws.

Dense claw shadows exploded within a one-meter radius around her, each one carrying precise soul power penetration.

Luo Tianba was struck head-on by three claw shadows, staggering back four or five steps as his school uniform was shredded in several places.

On the other side, Dai Huabin and Xie Huanyue collided head-on.

The impact force of Xie Huanyue in his Elephant Body state was terrifying.

He lowered his head, charging toward Dai Huabin like a runaway chariot.

Dai Huabin did not take the hit head-on.

He dodged to the side, avoiding the direct impact, and unleashed a White Tiger Intense Light Wave at point-blank range into Xie Huanyue's flank.

The light wave exploded, causing Xie Huanyue's massive frame to sway, but he did not fall.

Only a faint white mark remained on his dark brown skin.

"Is that it?"

Xie Huanyue turned around, his smile widening.

"White Tiger Intense Light Wave? Are you tickling me?"

Dai Huabin's mind raced with calculations.

The power of the White Tiger Intense Light Wave was insufficient.

In his Elephant Body state, Xie Huanyue's defense had increased by at least double.

Trying to wear down his defense with long-range attacks would take too long.

Then he would change his tactics.

Dai Huabin's third soul ring lit up.

Third soul skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation.

His body rapidly expanded, his muscle lines became more defined, and his fingernails transformed into sharp tiger claws.

With all attributes increased by one hundred percent, his strength and speed reached a whole new level.

Xie Huanyue's expression finally turned serious.

A level 34 White Tiger Soul Elder, with all attributes doubled by White Tiger Vajra Transformation.

This data was too terrifying.

Dai Huabin gave him no time to think. The moment the White Tiger Vajra Transformation was complete, he surged forward.

Xie Huanyue instinctively activated his second soul skill, Elephant Trunk, his right arm suddenly elongating by several meters to lash out and entangle Dai Huabin.

Dai Huabin dodged the first sweep of the Elephant Trunk, his tiger claws slicing through the air and carving a bloody gash directly into Xie Huanyue's extended arm.

Xie Huanyue let out a muffled grunt and retracted his arm.

Although the Elephant Body's defense was strong, the attack power of the tiger claws, bolstered by the White Tiger Vajra Transformation, had already broken through his defensive threshold.

"Beautiful!"

On the high platform, Cai Mei'er leaned forward slightly.

"The attack power after the White Tiger Vajra Transformation is already capable of breaking through the Pipi Elephant's defense. This Dai Huabin has very seasoned combat instincts."

Yan Shaozhe did not comment on Dai Huabin; his attention had shifted elsewhere.

"Look at that girl."

On the other side of the arena, Zhu Lu was suppressing the Luo Brothers while fighting one against two.

The twin coordination between Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba had reached a high level of proficiency.

The two attacked from left and right, their mantis blades alternating in a way that left almost no openings.

But Zhu Lu was faster than them.

The agility of the Hell Spirit Cat was pushed to the limit amidst their pincer attack.

Her figure wove between the two mantis blades, every dodge perfectly timed—not a hair too much or too little—just enough to evade the edges.

Then, she countered with a swipe of her sharp claws.

Luo Tianlong's shoulder was raked, tearing a gap in his soul power protective layer.

Luo Tianba's thigh also took a claw, causing his rhythm to falter.

"The coordination between these two children..." Du Weilun sat up straight, "is a connection of hearts."

Yan Shaozhe nodded.

"It's not just tacit coordination. Notice that every time Zhu Lu strikes, it is precisely the moment Dai Huabin draws Xie Huanyue's attention.

She is using the battlefield rhythm created by Dai Huabin to fight her own battle.

The reverse is also true; every time Dai Huabin closes in on Xie Huanyue, it is exactly when Zhu Lu is suppressing the Luo Brothers."

"This level of synergy is something that cannot be achieved through training alone."

In the corner, Xuan Zi finally spoke, his voice raspy.

"The degree of Martial Soul resonance between them is likely far beyond our estimations."

Inside the arena, the battle situation had gradually become clear.

Zhu Lu's fourth Hell Stab finally struck Luo Tianlong's back.

This time, she did not hold back her strength.

The armor-piercing effect tore through Luo Tianlong's protective soul power, and a massive wave of numbness spread from his spine to his limbs.

Luo Tianlong's body froze instantly.

"Big brother!"

Luo Tianba shouted, and in that split second of distraction, Zhu Lu appeared right in front of him.

Second Soul Skill, Hell Hundred Claws.

A dense barrage of claw shadows rained down upon him.

Luo Tianba raised his dual blades to parry desperately, but his soul power was several levels lower than Zhu Lu's, and he simply could not withstand an attack of such density.

Three seconds later, Luo Tianba's mantis blades were knocked away, and his entire body was pushed beyond the white boundary line by the residual force of the claw shadows.

"Class Two, Luo Tianba, eliminated!" the referee announced immediately.

Following closely behind, Luo Tianlong, who had yet to recover from the paralysis, was also gently pushed by Zhu Lu beyond the boundary.

"Class Two, Luo Tianlong, eliminated!"

Xie Huanyue's expression changed completely.

He was still locked in combat with Dai Huabin, and several wounds left by tiger claws had already appeared on his body.

After activating White Tiger Vajra Transformation, Dai Huabin's attack frequency was ridiculously high, leaving him no room to catch his breath.

Now, the Luo Brothers had both been eliminated.

The situation on the field had turned into him alone, facing both Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu.

"Give up." Dai Huabin stopped his assault and stood five meters away. "Your teammates are gone; you can't hold out against two."

Xie Huanyue panted heavily, his fists clenched tight.

He was unwilling to accept this.

He was the strongest freshman in Class Two, a level 32 Soul Elder.

Yet, these two opponents had not used a Martial Soul Fusion Skill from start to finish.

"Your Martial Soul Fusion Skill—you didn't use it even once?"

Dai Huabin nodded.

Xie Huanyue remained silent for three seconds before finally raising his right hand.

"I concede."

"Exam Hall One, Class Nine's Dai Huabin team wins! Advancing to the final four!"

The moment the referee announced the result, a wave of noisy discussion erupted among the spectating students.

Two people against three, with a level 32 defense-type Soul Elder on the opposing side.

They hadn't used a Martial Soul Fusion Skill from beginning to end, yet they had forcefully dismantled the core tactics of Xie Huanyue's team.

On the high platform, Yan Shaozhe's attention had already shifted to the adjacent Exam Hall Two.