The Great Melee (Part 1)

We made it to the finals; it's worth celebrating.

In any case, one needs a reason to be happy.

The standard barbecue grill was set up once again.

Xu Sanshi followed the scent and found his way over.

"Heh heh, who knew this little spot could smell like barbecue? I knew it was you guys the moment I caught a whiff."

It wasn't just him; Bei Bei and Tang Ya had come over as well.

Jiang Nannan didn't come, presumably because she didn't want to be around Xu Sanshi.

"Didn't we agree last time that I'd bring you guys some wine? Heh heh, this time I brought some with a very low alcohol content."

Bei Bei took the bottle: "Twenty percent isn't exactly low. It's fine for our age, but Siyuan and the others shouldn't be drinking."

A Soul Master's body is certainly stronger than an ordinary person's.

A few strands of Blue Silver Grass stretched out toward them: "If you two want to drink, don't hold us up."

"Bei Bei, look at your Tang Ya."

"Sigh, they really aren't suited for drinking; they're too young."

Ji Siyuan: "Don't say that, I can mix something."

???

"Do you have any cups? I mean normal drinking cups, preferably something sturdy." Ji Siyuan gestured in mid-air.

"I do!" Xu Sanshi immediately pulled one out: "It's a custom-made Turtle Shell from our Mysterious Underworld Sect! I use this for water every day."

Ji Siyuan looked at it with disdain: "Forget it, you keep that for yourself. Yuhao, do you have any metal scraps or anything like that?"

Huo Yuhao: "I do." He took several iron blocks from the space-type Soul Tool Qian Duoduo had given him.

With a burst of Ultimate Fire, he immediately melted them into molten iron, then quickly shaped them as the temperature dropped, saying: "The fire was too intense, I need to control it again."

In a short while, several cups were finished.

He took out some fruit and a few common beverages to prepare for mixing.

Why did he have these? He had prepared some for selling drinks earlier, and had also packed some for the trip to the Star Dou Great Forest.

He lined up the cups, heated them with a low flame, and poured in the wine Xu Sanshi had brought.

"Yi Shoots the Nine Suns is still too difficult; let's go with something simple."

The equipment on hand didn't support him attempting Yi Shoots the Nine Suns anyway.

He flipped the cups, shook them back and forth, and squeezed in fruit juice from time to time.

He poured the mixture into the cups, and the aroma of the wine wafted through the air.

"My god, Siyuan, do you actually know what you're doing?" Xu Sanshi took the drink Ji Siyuan handed him, sipped it carefully, and found it tasted much better than what he had brought.

Ji Siyuan: "Well, my old man does this for a living. Even though he doesn't teach me, it doesn't stop me from learning."

Mostly, it was because Ji Dong and Lie Yan never bothered to look after their child, only knowing how to mix drinks and drink together at home. Ji Siyuan had simply seen it enough to become familiar with it.

Huo Yuhao really wanted to ask what Ji Siyuan's parents were like, but seeing the flash of sorrow in Ji Siyuan's eyes, he knew better than to ask.

Xu Sanshi: "You can cook and you can mix drinks. The little girl who marries you in the future will be a lucky one."

The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart.

"Sigh, Yuhao, why are you blushing? Does this little bit of wine already show on your face?" Tang Ya tried to take the wine glass from Huo Yuhao's hand, but Huo Yuhao dodged: "I'm fine, Teacher Tang Ya."

His little face was bright red, looking as if he were already drunk.

Ji Siyuan handed Wang Dong'er a glass: "I used fruit juice and soda to lower the alcohol content; it's only a few percent now, so you can treat it like a regular drink. It's fine for us to have a little at our age."

Wang Dong'er took a light sip: "It's warm, and it tastes really good."

Bei Bei took a sip of his drink: "Siyuan, I recall the freshman assessment is still ongoing, right? Tomorrow is the final; are you confident?"

"Definitely. The format is a bit different this year, so by my count, we should be facing five opponents. Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu are on one team, I forgot what the third person on their team does; Ning Tian and her Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda are on another team, with two second-ring Soul Grand Masters; there's a team of twin sisters that also has someone close to a Soul Elder; a team of Soul Elders; and finally, a team with Twin Martial Souls. I don't feel like there's anything to worry about."

Wang Dong'er was furious: "Nothing to worry about? Don't make me be the one charging at the front again."

"No, no, there are so many of us. Besides, it's a melee, so I'll definitely have to go up and fight a round."

Xu Sanshi: "As long as you're confident, that's what matters. What's there to fear? If Siyuan can roast me until I'm running everywhere, do we really need to fear a few low-level Soul Elders? Keep eating and drinking."

While they were enjoying their food and drink, the people on the other side had already gathered to discuss their plans.

Ning Tian had summoned the other teams to prepare to face Ji Siyuan's team together.

Xiao Xiao's team wasn't invited due to their strength.

Dai Huabin, because his opponent was Ji Siyuan, also chose to join.

The remaining four teams reached a consensus.

Take out Ji Siyuan first, then worry about the rest.

Soul Fighting District, before the finals.

The three of them sat together.

While others were discussing how to fight, they were discussing what to eat for dinner after the match.

"We definitely need small skewers; the big ones from before were too much."

"The wine too, we need to prepare more this time."

"Should we bring a pot? Boiling some soup would be nice. Ji Siyuan, you said you knew how yesterday, no problem, right?"

The three of them discussed it enthusiastically.

Ning Tian's gaze never left Ji Siyuan; she placed great importance on Ji Siyuan, who was capable of defeating Dai Huabin across ranks.

Yet, seeing the state of the trio, she couldn't help but feel confident: "Arrogant soldiers will surely be defeated!"

Du Weilun hovered in mid-air; this was his first time organizing such a freshman assessment, so he had specifically brought in extra teachers.

"All teams, enter the arena."

The six teams entered, each occupying a corner like a hexagram.

"The final battle is a six-team grand melee. Rankings will be determined by the order of elimination. A team is considered eliminated once all its members are out, and so on. You may use your full strength; teachers will intervene to provide rescue. Rescue counts as elimination.

Otherwise, there are no rules!"

"Match start!"

As the voice fell, all 18 people on the field activated their Martial Souls.

Among the six thousand-year soul rings, the most eye-catching was Ji Siyuan's team, which accounted for three of them.

Moreover, they were not the third soul rings of Soul Elders; in particular, his own were all purple soul rings.

Ning Tian initiated first: "Seven Treasures turn out glazed, Seven Treasures have a name, first is Speed!"

Unexpectedly, Ning Tian's soul skill was not cast on her own teammates Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er, but on Dai Huabin from the neighboring team.

It was both a prior agreement and a gesture of goodwill.

Dai Huabin unleashed his soul skills at maximum speed, activating two enhancement skills simultaneously. The White Tiger Protection Barrier combined with the White Tiger Vajra Transformation, granting his offense and defense a massive boost.

He immediately charged toward Ji Siyuan's team.

"Leave this one to me." Ji Siyuan did not let Wang Dong'er go first as he had in previous matches, because he knew the combined force of two Soul Elders could only be handled by him.

"First Soul Skill, Fire Demon Vortex!"

Two vortices of different colors struck toward Dai Huabin.

The White Tiger charged toward the dimmer one without hesitation: "Ning Tian!"

The second soul ring on Ning Tian's body lit up: "Seven Treasures have a name, second is Release!" She dispelled the control effect, allowing Dai Huabin to sprint right in front of Ji Siyuan.

This was the first attempt in their tactical plan.

Ignore Wang Dong'er and Huo Yuhao, and go straight for the general. Solve the biggest problem first, then the real melee would follow.

Ji Siyuan's Martial Soul was not a particularly powerful close-combat type. As long as he got close, Dai Huabin's advantage would be much greater.

"Sigh, you never learn."

Flames ignited around Ji Siyuan, and bright fire formed a vortex around him.

It forced the approaching Dai Huabin to retreat.

The vortex, formed by the combination of two types of flames, was unleashed—the true Fire Demon Vortex.

Suddenly, the buffs from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda shifted.

"Seven Treasures have a name, third is Power!"

The speed buff changed to a power buff, allowing Dai Huabin to break through the vortex.

Ning Tian: "Plan change, clip their wings! Then checkmate!"