Xuan Zi sneaked over to Ji Siyuan and the others' hideout.
"Well, would you look at that? These boys didn't even set up a barbecue. What a waste of the wine I brought." He took a sip. "Let's see what they're up to."
There were eight Soul Masters gathered at the hideout. They had decided to have an exciting four-on-four Soul Fight.
Xu Sanshi stepped forward first. "I want to team up with my Nannan."
"Get lost! I don't want to be on your team!" Jiang Nannan immediately shot him a look of disgust.
Bei Bei, the more reliable one, decided to organize things a little. "First, let's go over the special circumstances. Siyuan counts as a Soul Ancestor in terms of combat strength. Second, you two can't use your Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Remember, we don't have a teacher to referee, so we need to hold back."
As soon as he finished, Xuan Zi realized he had a use here. He jumped out from a shadowy corner. "Hey, I'll do it. With me here, you can go all out!"
"Elder Xuan?" Bei Bei was astonished. What was Xuan Zi doing here?
Tang San said, "Whoa, they really take you seriously. They've even sent a Titled Douluo at level 98 to train you."
"He might be here to help, but it's not very likely." Ji Siyuan immediately guessed why Xuan Zi had come. "He's here for the food."
After some deliberation, Bei Bei, Tang Ya, Jiang Nannan, and Wang Dong'er formed one team; Ji Siyuan, Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, and Xu Sanshi formed the other.
Xuan Zi looked around but couldn't find a barbecue grill.
"Elder Xuan?" Bei Bei urged him to announce the start.
Xuan Zi hurriedly said, "The match begins!"
Both sides immediately summoned their Martial Souls. After spending so much time together, they no longer paid much attention to the colors of each other's Soul Rings.
Bei Bei charged ahead. As the strongest Power Attack System on their team, he had to take the lead.
Xu Sanshi didn't want to face Jiang Nannan, so he immediately went to meet Bei Bei.
Wang Dong'er looked at Ji Siyuan as he approached. "I'm a girl. Could you go a little easy on me?"
"Hm? In a fight, I've never distinguished between male and female." Ji Siyuan gave Wang Dong'er fair warning, then raised his hand and unleashed two Flame Vortices of different Ultimate Attributes.
Wang Dong'er couldn't possibly beat Ji Siyuan on her own.
Normally, she would team up with a control-type Soul Master. But while that might work with someone else, Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass couldn't even get close to Ji Siyuan's flames.
Tang Ya could only help Wang Dong'er escape. The Light Goddess Butterfly soaring into the air looked like a kite.
Bei Bei couldn't break through Xu Sanshi quickly. After all, Xu Sanshi's side had Spiritual Detection Sharing.
They could only hope Jiang Nannan would pull off a surprise.
"Nine Phoenix Flute, First Soul Skill: Slow!"
Xiao Xiao's Twin Martial Souls weren't a secret; they all knew about them. Jiang Nannan had clearly come prepared. She almost immediately used Instantaneous Movement and appeared beside Xiao Xiao.
"Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, Cauldron Shock!" Xiao Xiao released her giant cauldron to shield herself.
A smile appeared at the corner of Jiang Nannan's mouth. Xiao Xiao wasn't her target at all. She pushed off and shot straight toward Huo Yuhao.
"Second Soul Skill: Mental Interference!" This wide-area weakening skill slowed Jiang Nannan's attack considerably.
"Senior Jiang Nannan, watch out." Huo Yuhao switched Martial Souls, and his two Soul Rings became one. The temperature, raised by Ji Siyuan, had fallen quite a bit, and the closer Jiang Nannan got to Huo Yuhao, the colder it became.
The other five cried out in surprise at the same time. "Twin Martial Souls?"
Xuan Zi's expression suddenly turned serious, too. "As expected, Ultimate Ice. That chill is powerful."
The icy aura of the snow and frost made it difficult for Jiang Nannan to use Waist Bow.
The cold was even more powerful than she had imagined.
"Senior, let me!" Wang Dong'er flew high into the air and took aim at Huo Yuhao. "Second Soul Skill: Butterfly Goddess Light!"
"Keep your eyes on me. I'm your opponent." How could Ji Siyuan let Wang Dong'er attack freely? Blazing Fire Lotus immediately spread out, and a pillar of flame shot skyward, blocking Butterfly Goddess Light.
"Hmph, I know you're my opponent. Take this!" Wang Dong'er summoned the Clear Sky Hammer and brought it crashing down. The others stared in shock. How was there another person with Twin Martial Souls? They also looked at Ji Siyuan. Don't tell me you have them, too?
Ji Siyuan wasn't sure he could block the attack, but he didn't want to risk it. He stepped back a few paces and ignited a Fire Demon Vortex around himself.
Tang Ya immediately pulled Wang Dong'er back, tightening their formation.
They were still in the middle of a Soul Fight. They could wait until later to be surprised.
Xuan Zi said, "With a Titled Douluo here, are you still going to fool around?"
Bei Bei replied, "Got it! Third Soul Skill: Thunder Fury!" His offense and defense both surged.
Xu Sanshi also had a strengthening skill, Mystic Power, but Bei Bei had no intention of getting tangled up with him.
"Hey, Bei Bei! Don't run!"
Tang Ya said, "Xu Sanshi, I'm your opponent! Third Soul Skill: Shara Snake Net!" She couldn't possibly beat Xu Sanshi, so her only task was to hold him up for a few seconds.
Wang Dong'er couldn't figure out what Bei Bei was thinking at first, but when she saw him go after Ji Siyuan, she realized they were switching opponents.
With Ji Siyuan no longer her opponent, the pressure on her immediately eased. She took aim at Huo Yuhao.
"Let's see how you block this Butterfly Goddess Light!" Just as Wang Dong'er was about to attack, Xuan Zi rescued her. A red lotus was blooming beneath her feet.
Jiang Nannan's brief Invincible Golden Body let her evade Xiao Xiao's Cauldron Tremor. Then she used Waist Bow, seized her chance, and sent Xiao Xiao flying out of the fight.
After eliminating two opponents, Xu Sanshi immediately found an opening and broke free of the spiderweb. Tang Ya's Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track couldn't block Mystic Tremor.
Jiang Nannan needed to fight at close range, and Ji Siyuan and Huo Yuhao weren't worried about her. Naturally, Bei Bei couldn't take on all three of them.
Wang Dong'er said, "That's ridiculous! How can your red lotus bloom in two places at once, Ji Siyuan?"
While facing Bei Bei, Ji Siyuan hadn't just used Blazing Fire Lotus to protect himself. He'd also spared a moment to get Wang Dong'er out of the fight, creating an opening in the opposing team's formation.
Xu Sanshi said, "That's not the most ridiculous part, is it?"
Xiao Xiao chimed in. "Yeah! How come you two have Twin Martial Souls, too? You didn't bring them out during the Freshman Assessment!"
The five who hadn't known about it immediately started asking what their Second Martial Souls were.
Wang Dong'er's was easy enough to understand. They knew about the Clear Sky Hammer. Huo Yuhao's Ice Jade Scorpion, though, was a different matter.
"Ultimate Ice? Another Ultimate Martial Soul." Tang Ya couldn't hide her envy.
Xuan Zi said, "The Soul Fight is over, so why haven't you started cooking? Review the fight while you cook!"
Ji Siyuan wore an expression that said he'd known it. "I knew it."
"Come to think of it, now that Yuhao is an ice-attribute Soul Master, does that mean he can mix more kinds of drinks?" Xu Sanshi immediately looked at Ji Siyuan, his eyes full of longing.
While Xu Sanshi had at least asked, Xuan Zi simply brought out several bottles of wine he'd brought along. "Kid, mix me plenty."
"Don't say I'm freeloading. I refereed for you, after all."
"Hmph, I'm going to swipe two of your bottles later."
They set up the barbecue grill, celebrating Huo Yuhao's return and the awakening of her Martial Soul.
Xuan Zi stayed off to the side. "Ultimate Attribute, but its quality is inferior to Ji Siyuan's. No signs of a Body Martial Soul awakening, and she may have a Soul Bone. Her Soul Power is close to level 26. She really is a genius." Since Mu Xuan had taken her as a disciple, Xuan Zi couldn't investigate her further.
He drank on his own and didn't get involved in the youngsters' affairs.
"By the way, what do you four think of this year's tournament? Aren't you going to give it a shot and make a name for yourselves as the youngest team ever to win?"
Xiao Xiao said, "Wouldn't that be a little difficult?" After hearing about the competition, even with Twin Martial Souls, she thought it would be hard to make the reserve team.
Wang Dong'er and Huo Yuhao immediately looked to Ji Siyuan, waiting for his answer.
"We've got the next few months to find a way to reach level 30 and get our third Soul Rings. I'm aiming for a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring. It'll make it easier to compete for a spot later."
"Huh?" Xiao Xiao hadn't expected Ji Siyuan and the others to already have a plan.
Xuan Zi listened from the side. Counting the levels they'd gained before, they'd advanced at least fifteen levels in a year. He looked at Ji Siyuan. "You're not normal, either."
Wang Dong'er said, "A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring? That'll kill you. I'm not aiming that high. I'll try for one with my fourth Soul Ring."
Huo Yuhao said, "I want to try for a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, too. Siyuan said we'll exchange our earlier rewards for resources tomorrow. I want to trade for some rare treasures that can improve my physical constitution."
"So you're planning to go to the Treasure Appraisal Fair? Do you know there are different levels of Treasure Appraisal Fairs?"