Quick Victory

"Wang Dong, get your Second Soul Skill ready and take out Wu Feng."

"Xiao Xiao, coordinate with my hidden weapon strikes. Don't worry about disrupting my attack rhythm."

As he fired his hidden weapons, Huo Yuhao spoke to Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao while calculating his stamina and Soul Power.

Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao hurriedly nodded. Wang Dong began preparing her Second Soul Skill, while Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron periodically released tremors that hindered Wu Feng at the center of the encirclement.

Under the close monitoring of the Eye of Truth and Spiritual Detection, the hidden weapons Huo Yuhao threw had their trajectories analyzed through the Eye of Truth. Even amid the tremors released by Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron, they continued striking Wu Feng with precision.

The teachers watching from the spectator platform were still clicking their tongues in amazement.

"Teacher Zhou, that student you taught is no joke. Wasn't he registered as an Agility Assault Type Soul Master? Why is what he's showing even more outrageous than an Assault Type Soul Master?"

"We've never seen an Agility Assault Type Soul Master pin down and beat up an Assault Type Soul Master enhanced by a Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Elder."

"Even ordinary Assault Type Soul Masters couldn't achieve this kind of suppression with one or two rings, could they?"

"Forget one or two rings. Don't forget how many rings the White Tiger Meteor Shower has—the most representative area-suppression Soul Skill among Assault Type Soul Masters. That's a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor! Four rings!"

"Exactly, exactly. Who would have thought Teacher Zhou had been hiding so much?"

At those words, Mu Jin's face turned green with anger. Yet more than anger, she was shocked, and a trace of bitterness rose in her heart.

It looked as though she was certain to lose this wager with Zhou Yi. A Soul Bone—even an ordinary one—would be a major loss for her. More importantly, she would be losing to Zhou Yi again.

"Remarkable, remarkable. This little fellow's hidden weapon skills are far beyond that little girl Tang Ya's."

"It seems the Tang Sect may have a chance to rise again in this little fellow's hands someday. But hidden weapons are still, ah..."

"Not necessarily. In my view, his technique is secondary. What's truly astonishing is his perception and calculation ability."

"Look at his hidden weapon barrage. It appears chaotic, but it's actually perfectly organized. He'd be quite suitable for using some long-range Soul Tools as well."

"He could absolutely be groomed as the core of a team. But why isn't he directly attacking the Support Type Soul Master in the rear?"

"Indeed. Wu Feng is already powerless to resist. Wouldn't taking out the Support Type Soul Master in the back first be the optimal solution? Then the buffs on Wu Feng would disappear, and her defeat would come even sooner."

Leaving aside the discussions among the spectators, the battlefield suppression and dominance Huo Yuhao displayed were truly terrifying.

Although each hidden weapon he threw did not carry much force, there were simply too many of them. The barrage formed by hundreds of hidden weapons was enough to dazzle anyone.

Even more incredible was that these countless hidden weapons had not merely been scattered at random. Every one of them seemed precisely calculated, allowing Huo Yuhao's next attack to strike his opponent even more effectively.

Joints, acupoints, meridians—none of the targets were fatal, but every hit effectively obstructed movement. After being struck repeatedly in those areas, Wu Feng no longer had any ability to fight back.

And aside from Wu Feng, who was still desperately holding on beneath the hidden weapon barrage—

Ning Tian, standing behind her, finally realized just how powerless she was as a Support Type Soul Master. After applying every enhancement to her teammate, all she could do was watch her fight alone.

Although the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had taught its Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Masters methods for handling unexpected situations, Ning Tian had no way to intervene now.

After all, the Tang Sect that produced hidden weapons had long declined, and Shrek Academy's Freshman Assessment prohibited the use of Soul Tools. She had learned some hand-to-hand techniques, but they were clearly no match for Wu Feng, an Assault Type Soul Master.

Even though she repeatedly used her Second Soul Skill on Wu Feng to remove the control effects from the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron, it was useless. The unceasing hidden weapons drowned Wu Feng again the very next moment.

"Ah!" Wu Feng roared in frustration amid the storm of hidden weapons, yet she did not dare strike out recklessly. If she carelessly lowered the arm shielding her head, she could already imagine Huo Yuhao beating her face into that of a pig.

With the endless stream of hidden weapons and the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron, which periodically released tremors without somehow disrupting the hidden weapons' rhythm but instead complemented them, Wu Feng felt like an insect trapped in a spiderweb.

She was being devoured bit by bit, able only to face a hopeless defeat. If this continued, her loss would merely be a matter of time.

No! I can't lose! Damn it! How can I fall here? Yet no matter how unwilling Wu Feng was, she ultimately collapsed.

Because aside from Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao, one should not forget Wang Dong's thousand-year Second Soul Ring skill. How could Wu Feng, serving as a target, possibly withstand a charged Light of the Butterfly God from Wang Dong?

Seeing Wu Feng fall, Huo Yuhao stopped wasting hidden weapons. Though this burst had seemed to last a long time and had made both Wu Feng and Ning Tian suffer greatly, only twenty short seconds had actually passed.

The hidden weapons that looked like a rain of flowers filling the sky had only barely exceeded a thousand.

Looking at the heavily injured Wu Feng lying on the ground, Ning Tian silently sighed and casually raised one hand to concede. What could she, a Support Type Soul Master, do even if she stood there uninjured? Buff herself and then rush into close combat with them?

As the proctor announced Wang Dong's team victorious, Huo Yuhao first used Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to retrieve the usable hidden weapons scattered across the field before leaving with Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.

As they stepped down, Ning Tian watched Huo Yuhao, who was surrounded by Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, with a complicated gaze. Huo Yuhao nodded slightly to her before turning and leaving the field.

Ning Tian furrowed her brow. She was wondering why Huo Yuhao had not directly attacked her earlier. Did he look down on the support abilities of a Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Master? Or did he have some other motive?

As a Support Type Soul Master, and one with weak combat strength, the direct-line Soul Masters of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect tended to be more meticulous. Naturally, she had noticed that something unusual had happened during the battle.

After all, prioritizing the elimination of Support Type Soul Masters was common knowledge. There was no reason for Huo Yuhao to casually make his own battle more difficult.

And besides, it was common knowledge that the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect recruited and invested in commoner Soul Masters. Although Huo Yuhao came from the Tang Sect, he was surely a commoner student. Otherwise, the Tang Sect would not have accepted him.

Is he showing goodwill? In the final victory over Sister Feng and Yun'er, he was practically the one doing all the work. What exactly does that mean?

Is he trying to display his ability, or is there another reason? It's hard to say. Maybe it's both. I should find a chance to speak with him privately.

Ning Tian followed the proctor all the way to the infirmary, where they brought the heavily injured and unconscious Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er. All along the way, she pondered Huo Yuhao's performance on the battlefield.

Watching Huo Yuhao leave, Fan Yu stood there in a daze.

Huo Yuhao's performance had been far too dazzling to a Soul Engineer like him.

That perception and calculating ability in combat—he was practically a born combat Soul Engineer, the perfect candidate for their Extreme Individual Soldier Plan.

What stood out even more was his control and courage. Throughout the fight, he had coordinated and worked with his teammates while firmly controlling the entire battle.

And his final choice not to attack Ning Tian, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Support Type Soul Master, could only make others feel a kind of arrogance.

An arrogance as though everything were under his control. If everything was under control, there was naturally no need to attack someone who was of no use.

Fan Yu laughed. "I like this kid." But immediately afterward, he said helplessly to Zhou Yi beside him.

"I never expected this student of yours, Huo Yuhao, to be so outstanding. It's just a pity. With such an exceptional showing, the Martial Soul Department will probably be reluctant to let him go."

Although the Martial Soul Department did not think highly of Soul Masters who relied on external tools, Huo Yuhao's perception alone was enough for him to be groomed as a team's core commander. It would not matter even if his personal combat power were somewhat lacking.

Though Huo Yuhao might still not receive much attention in the Martial Soul Department, being trained as a Core Disciple would not be a problem.

Fan Yu then stopped paying attention to the wager between Zhou Yi and Mu Jin and simply said to Zhou Yi, "The match is over. I'll be leaving first."

Then he hurried off the spectator platform, heading toward the Soul Engineering Department.

He needed to report Huo Yuhao's situation to Qian Duoduo as quickly as possible. Before Huo Yuhao had committed to joining the Martial Soul Department, they needed to find a way for Qian Duoduo to poach him.

It would be worth it even if they had to pay a greater price. In Huo Yuhao, Fan Yu saw hope for completing the Extreme Individual Soldier Plan, as well as hope for the Soul Engineering Department to finally hold its head high.

The round of thirty-two to sixteen ended, and before long, the next day arrived.

For today's matches, Xuan Zi also came, taking the best seat in the center of the spectator platform and happily eating and drinking.

After the draw was completed, the arena was expanded once more for the round of sixteen.

Huo Yuhao's opponents were Xie Huanyue's team, the second Soul Elder team in this Freshman Assessment.

Compared to the other students, who were around twelve years old and thin and small, Xie Huanyue stood out enormously with a height of 1.7 meters and a waistline of 1.7 meters.

The proctor said, "State your names. Enter the field and prepare."

As they entered the arena, Huo Yuhao frowned slightly and said to Wang Dong beside him, "Prepare a Soul Skill Fusion Ring immediately. Leave that big fatty to you."

"Xiao Xiao, control that big fatty later. Leave the other two to me."

"This battle will be quick. Go all out."

Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao's expressions grew serious at those words, and they nodded.

If the opponents had not been difficult to handle, Huo Yuhao generally would not explain his plan before a match.

Thus, after both sides entered the arena and finished preparing, they stated their names.

"Begin!" the referee shouted.

The Soul Masters on both sides activated their Martial Soul Possessions. Yet Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao did not rush forward. Instead, they exchanged positions.

Wang Dong took a step back, and the First Soul Ring and Second Soul Ring beneath her feet lit up at the same time. A vast amount of light began gathering on her butterfly wings.

Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron surged forward, charging directly at Xie Huanyue as he strode toward them.

At the same time, several easily overlooked hidden weapons shot out from the cauldron's shadow. They curved around Xie Huanyue and accurately struck the Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba brothers, who had intended to use Xie Huanyue's large body to hide behind him.

"Ow, that hurts."

"What was that?"

The hidden weapons delayed them for a brief moment, allowing Xiao Xiao to successfully use the Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron to encircle Xie Huanyue.

Then came the Soul Skill Fusion Ring again. Compared to Wang Dong's Soul Skill fusion, Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Soul Suppressing Cauldron could form a Soul Skill Fusion Ring faster and with less expenditure.

However, unlike before, when the three cauldrons had unleashed a combined tremor, this time, to reliably suppress Xie Huanyue, a Soul Elder—

In addition to the Soul Skill Fusion Ring, Xiao Xiao used Three Cauldrons United, directly fusing the three smaller cauldrons into one enormous cauldron.

The price she had to pay, however, was several times greater than controlling the three smaller cauldrons separately.

As Xiao Xiao unleashed this trump card, even Xie Huanyue, with his thick skin and sturdy flesh, could not help stiffening in place. To his shock, he discovered that he could not use any Soul Skills and could only rely on pure Soul Power to contend against Xiao Xiao.

Wave after wave of unceasing Soul Power fluctuations suppressed Xie Huanyue, forcing him to expend a massive amount of Soul Power to resist Xiao Xiao.

But as a three-ring Soul Elder, Xie Huanyue undoubtedly held the advantage. Xiao Xiao could never outlast him.

Everyone present could see this from Xiao Xiao's increasingly pale face, but this was already enough.

With advance preparation and in perfect condition, Wang Dong completed her Soul Skill Fusion Ring in barely ten seconds.

The enormous crescent-shaped blade of light that had once appeared during the entrance examination, breaking through a Defense Type Soul Master's full-power defense head-on, appeared once more—the Wing Scythe fused with the Light of the Butterfly God!

Xie Huanyue's face changed drastically. From the terrifying Soul Power fluctuations alone, he could tell with absolute certainty that without a defensive Soul Skill active, he could never withstand this attack. His life might even be in danger!

"I con—" Suppressed by Xiao Xiao's Soul Skill, Xie Huanyue struggled to speak, wanting to utter the words of surrender, but found it difficult to do so.

At that moment, he felt as though his life would be completely reaped in the next instant.