Battle in Exam Hall Two

Exam Hall Two.

Cui Yajie, Wang Dong'er, and Xiao Xiao stood at the north end of the arena. Opposite them were Huang Chutian, Lan Susu, and Lan Luoluo from Class Seven.

The two sides had just finished their first probing exchange.

Huang Chutian retreated to the center of the arena, lingering heat from the surge of Soul Power still radiating from his right fist.

That punch had been a tentative strike aimed at Cui Yajie, but it had landed squarely on Xiao Xiao's Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron.

The vibration across the cauldron's surface had nearly split the web between his thumb and forefinger.

"This cauldron really is tough."

Huang Chutian shook his numb wrist and quietly instructed the Lan sisters behind him.

"The plan remains unchanged. I'll charge the fox girl head-on. You two keep the butterfly-winged one occupied."

Lan Susu nodded gently, her blue hair fluttering lightly in the wind.

She was a little taller than Lan Luoluo, but their faces were nearly identical—both delicate and youthful-looking.

"What about that cauldron, Brother Chutian?" Lan Luoluo asked softly, nervousness evident on her flushed little face.

"I'll handle the cauldron."

Huang Chutian rolled his shoulders as the Soul Power of the Hercules Ape surged over his body.

"As long as I take out their captain, that cauldron will be nothing but decoration."

Lan Susu asked no further questions. Holding her sister's hand, she moved to one side of Huang Chutian while Lan Luoluo moved to the other.

Meanwhile, Cui Yajie was rapidly processing the information she had gathered during the earlier probing.

Ever since cultivating the Purple Demon Eye, her perception had improved by a great deal.

Although she had only reached the most basic realm of Panoramic Vision, she could now see the other team's positioning habits, attack rhythm, and even the subtle fluctuations in their Soul Power circulation far more clearly than before.

"Dong'er, Xiao Xiao." Cui Yajie lowered her voice. "Whenever Huang Chutian threw a punch during his test, his right foot stepped forward half a pace first. He'll definitely come for me next."

The wings of Wang Dong'er's Light Goddess Butterfly opened slightly, and her pink-blue hair streamed backward in the airflow.

"Coming for you? Then I'll stop him."

"No." Cui Yajie shook her head.

"You can't stop him. The Hercules Ape's burst power is too strong. You'll be at a disadvantage if you take him head-on. Your job is to deal with those Lan Family twins."

Wang Dong'er wrinkled her nose, clearly unconvinced.

"Don't let their age fool you. Once their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Heavenly Net, unfolds, all three of us will be stuck."

Cui Yajie stared at the Lan sisters' positions across from them.

"They're standing very close together, which means they could activate their fusion skill at any moment. Before they merge, you have to force one of them back."

"What about you?" Xiao Xiao clutched the hem of her clothes, concern in her voice.

Cui Yajie smiled.

"I have a way. Xiao Xiao, don't worry about me with your cauldron. Protect Dong'er with everything you have."

Xiao Xiao froze for a moment, then nodded firmly.

Huang Chutian's response was exactly as Cui Yajie had predicted.

His right foot stepped forward half a pace, and his First Soul Ring lit up.

First Soul Skill, Vajra Hercules Fist.

His right fist became wrapped in a heavy layer of golden Soul Power, and he charged straight toward Cui Yajie.

Huang Chutian was extremely fast.

Although the Hercules Ape was not an agility-type Martial Soul, its explosive charge was exceptionally fierce.

At the same time, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo split off to the left and right. Their blue hair instantly grew from waist-length to three or four meters long.

First Soul Skill, Hair Net.

Their long hair extended and intertwined through the air, forming a giant blue net that descended over Wang Dong'er.

This was their usual opening: first use the Hair Net to restrict their opponent's movement, then look for an opportunity to unleash their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Some might ask, why not use the Martial Soul Fusion Skill right from the start?

Nonsense!

Would you throw out both jokers at the start of a round of Dou Dizhu?

"Dong'er!"

Xiao Xiao cried out as the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron instantly split into three. The three smaller cauldrons spun through the air toward the space above Wang Dong'er.

Second Soul Skill, Cauldron Defense.

Three-Cauldron Form activated. A faint golden glow emerged across the surface of every cauldron, increasing both their defense and power by sixty percent.

The three spinning Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons slammed into the blue Hair Net, producing a series of dull impacts.

Half the net was knocked away, but the other half still swept toward Wang Dong'er.

Lan Luoluo's hair was incredibly resilient. Even after being deflected by the cauldrons, it changed direction and continued its pursuit.

"So annoying!"

Wang Dong'er retreated while spreading her wings.

First Soul Skill, Wing Blade Guillotine.

The leading edges of the Light Goddess Butterfly's forewings lit up with golden radiance, becoming incomparably sharp.

She swung her wings, and the golden blades sliced through three strands of hair that had wrapped toward her.

The severed blue hair fell to the ground, still wriggling faintly.

Lan Susu let out a muffled groan of pain.

Those strands of hair were connected to her Martial Soul, and the sensation of them being cut made her face turn pale.

"Big Sister!" Lan Luoluo cried out nervously.

Lan Susu bit her lip and shook her head, signaling that she was fine.

But Wang Dong'er gave them no chance to catch their breath.

The instant the Wing Blade Guillotine cut through the Hair Net, Wang Dong'er used her butterfly wings' gliding ability to pounce directly toward Lan Luoluo.

Lan Luoluo was the younger sister. She looked younger and more nervous as well. Cui Yajie had specifically told them before the match: if they were going to attack, they should target the weaker one.

Lan Luoluo hurriedly pulled back her hair to defend herself and activated her Second Soul Skill, "Hair Spike." Her soft blue hair instantly hardened like iron needles and shot toward Wang Dong'er.

One of Xiao Xiao's Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons promptly flew in front of Wang Dong'er, blocking most of the Hair Spikes.

Several hardened strands that slipped through struck the cauldron's surface, producing clear metallic clinks.

"Thanks, Xiao Xiao!" Wang Dong'er circled around the side of the cauldron, her golden wings slicing toward Lan Luoluo with a fierce howl of wind.

Lan Luoluo's face turned white as she desperately retreated.

Although her Martial Soul had many variations, her close-combat ability was practically nonexistent.

Once a power-type Soul Master closed in on her, she basically had no room to fight back.

Lan Susu wanted to rush over and help, but Xiao Xiao's remaining two Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons blocked her path.

The two cauldrons continuously spun and moved in front of her, forcing her to stay far away from her sister.

On the raised platform.

Cai Mei'er raised her brows slightly. "That little girl is using her cauldrons quite intelligently. She split them into three—one to protect someone, two to stop someone."

Du Weilun nodded.

"After the Second Soul Skill's enhancement, the defense of those three cauldrons is no longer something the Lan sisters' Hair Net can easily penetrate."

Yan Shaozhe did not comment on Xiao Xiao. He was watching someone else.

Cui Yajie.

At the center of the arena, Huang Chutian's Vajra Hercules Fist had already reached Cui Yajie.

Cui Yajie did not dodge.

Her First Soul Ring lit up.

First Soul Skill, Charm.

When Huang Chutian was still two steps away from Cui Yajie, his body suddenly stiffened.

His fist stopped in midair, and his entire body froze as though someone had pressed a pause button.

The Nine-Tailed Fox's Charm effect, released at close range, acted directly upon the mind.

Although Huang Chutian's Soul Power was stronger than Cui Yajie's, his spiritual power was far inferior to hers.

That stiffness lasted less than a second.

But one second was already enough.

Cui Yajie twisted aside, slipping past Huang Chutian's frozen fist and gliding along his flank.

She was not particularly fast, but she was agile and precise in her movements.

When Huang Chutian regained his senses, a wave of lingering fear swept through him.

For that instant, his mind had gone completely blank. The sensation was too strange, as though he had suddenly forgotten what he was doing.

"Damn it!"

He turned to give chase, but Cui Yajie had already opened the distance.

Cui Yajie had no intention of confronting Huang Chutian head-on.

Her strategy had been clear from the beginning: stall.

Although the Nine-Tailed Fox's Charm had a very short duration against opponents with higher Soul Power, its cooldown was short.

As long as she maintained distance and threw out a Charm every dozen seconds or so, Huang Chutian would never reach her.

Huang Chutian realized this as well, and his expression became ugly.

"Lan Susu! Lan Luoluo! Stop dragging this out! Use the fusion skill!"

Lan Susu was being forced back again and again by Xiao Xiao's two Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons. Hearing Huang Chutian's shout, she gritted her teeth.

"Luoluo!"

"Mm!"

Lan Luoluo desperately shook off Wang Dong'er's pursuit and ran toward her sister.

Wang Dong'er chased after her for two steps, then suddenly heard Cui Yajie's voice.

"Dong'er, stop chasing! Fall back and stand beside Xiao Xiao!"

Wang Dong'er was startled and instinctively stopped.

The instant the Lan sisters reunited, they activated their Martial Soul Fusion Skill together.

"Heavenly Net!"

Their blue hair crazily extended and wove together in the air, forming a massive Hair Net.

The entire net glowed with faint blue light as it pressed down from the sky, covering nearly half the arena.

Xiao Xiao's three Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons swiftly returned and merged into one enormous cauldron above her and Wang Dong'er.

Three Cauldrons Unite, Defense!

Defense and power increased by ninety percent.

Heavenly Net pressed down on the merged cauldron. The tremendous force made Xiao Xiao's legs tremble slightly, but the golden glow on the cauldron's surface did not waver in the slightest.

The quality of the nine-hundred-and-ninety-year Thousand Jun Ant Soul Ring was fully displayed at this moment.

Although the Lan sisters' Martial Soul Fusion Skill had a wide control range, it could not penetrate the cauldron's absolute defensive power.

"What a tough cauldron..." Fine beads of sweat appeared on Lan Susu's forehead.

Heavenly Net was continuously draining both her and her sister's Soul Power, yet the cauldron across from them remained as steady as if it had been nailed to the ground.

Lan Luoluo's little face had turned bright red, and her Soul Power output was already nearing its limit.

"Big Sister, I can't hold on much longer..."

Huang Chutian anxiously stomped his feet around the edge of the battlefield.

He wanted to rush over and help, but Cui Yajie kept circling around him. Every time he tried to approach Xiao Xiao, another Charm came flying at him.

He did not dare take the gamble.

The last time Charm had frozen him was too disgusting. If he were immobilized in the middle of a charge, it would be completely over.

On the raised platform, Xuan Zi lowered the chicken leg in his hand.

"That Nine-Tailed Fox girl fights dirty."

Yan Shaozhe could not help laughing. "She's smart. From start to finish, she hasn't exchanged a single head-on move with Huang Chutian, but she has him completely tied down. He can't support his teammates at all."

Cai Mei'er rested her chin on her hand.

"The key is that little girl named Xiao Xiao. Her cauldron is too ridiculous. A nine-hundred-and-ninety-year Second Soul Ring? Who got that for her?"

Du Weilun replied in a muffled voice, "Who else could it have been?"