Does This Count as an Indirect Hug?

As the words fell, under Ling Yun's manipulation, green vines erupted violently from the arena floor, encircling Shui Bing'er and her six teammates, with some vines already coiling around the girls' calves.

It was a pity that the Divine Wood Ape could not share tactile sensations with its vines; otherwise, Ling Yun might have found the feeling of touching the girls' calves quite enjoyable...

"To think you aren't a pure fire-attribute Soul Elder, and can even transform into a monkey—is this a soul skill similar to a Martial Soul Avatar?"

Despite being surrounded by vines, Shui Bing'er remained remarkably calm, speaking only in a faint tone.

"Yue'er, use your third soul skill to tear these vines to shreds!"

"No problem."

Although Shui Yue'er had a carefree personality, there was no denying that she was a genius; at only twelve years old, her soul power had already reached level thirty-two.

As her third soul ring flickered slightly, a cold aura suddenly radiated from her as the center, enveloping the entire arena.

"Third soul skill: Extreme Cold Tornado!"

In an instant, Shui Yue'er parted her lips and exhaled a biting, frigid ice storm that swept outward, completely freezing Ling Yun's vines.

She then exerted a slight force, and those vines shattered into fragments in the blink of an eye.

"To think you could destroy my vines so easily!"

Ling Yun frowned slightly. He had not yet consumed the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, so the vines he created had no immunity to ice or fire.

It seems I must obtain the immortal herb from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well as soon as possible, Ling Yun thought to himself.

At the same time, Shui Bing'er gave a sharp cry: "Sisters, attack together! Let's eliminate that soul master named Ling Yun first."

"Understood!"

Following Shui Bing'er's command, everyone except Xue Wu swarmed forward, charging directly toward Ling Yun.

"Heh, if you want to eliminate Ling Yun, you'll have to ask me and my brother if we agree. Huo Yun, Huo Yu, remember to cover us!"

"Understood!"

In an instant, Huo Yun and Huo Yu soared into the air, their soul rings flickering as they spat out scorching fireballs, firing them toward the female soul masters of Skywater Academy.

However, facing the fireballs raining down from above, Shui Yue'er and the others showed no fear, instead charging toward Ling Yun with reckless abandon.

At this moment, the corners of Shui Bing'er's mouth curled up as she laughed: "Shooting fireballs? A mere parlor trick. Second soul skill: Ice Ring Armor!"

Suddenly, Shui Bing'er activated her soul skill, blue light flashing in her hands as she shot out ice-blue orbs that struck the bodies of Shui Yue'er and the others.

As the orbs entered their bodies, a layer of hard ice armor instantly manifested over Shui Yue'er and her teammates.

When the fireballs from Huo Yun and Huo Yu struck that armor, they were extinguished in an instant, and Ling Yun was completely surrounded by the five female soul masters.

Just as Shui Yue'er and the others swarmed in, Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang suddenly arrived. The hot-tempered Huo Wu threw a punch directly at Shui Yue'er, her soul ring flashing abruptly.

"First soul skill: Flame Fist!"

Flames surged, whipping up a heatwave as Huo Wu's scorching fist struck out toward Shui Yue'er.

After three months of cultivation, Huo Wu's soul power had reached level thirty-nine, and her punch was incredibly intense.

Just from the wind of the punch, Shui Yue'er felt as if she were about to be roasted. Just as she prepared to retreat, she saw a sexy figure appear before her.

"Hehe, Seventh Sister, don't be afraid, you still have your big sister here! Second soul skill: Cold Water Body Protection!"

"Sister Hairou!" Shui Yue'er exclaimed.

The newcomer was Yu Hairou, whose martial soul was a Coral Barracuda. She was a level thirty-eight assault-system battle Soul Elder, and her strength was no less than Huo Wushuang's.

Furthermore, within Skywater Academy, her cultivation was second only to Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu.

As Yu Hairou activated her soul skill, cold soul power permeated her body, forming a shield of cold water.

Although her cultivation was not as high as Huo Wu's, water overcomes fire, and Yu Hairou easily withstood Huo Wu's attack, the two becoming locked in a stalemate.

Huo Wushuang held off two slightly weaker soul masters, but Shui Yue'er and another soul master named Shen Liuyu charged toward Ling Yun.

Shui Yue'er giggled: "Student Ling Yun, you'd better be careful, your sister here is quite formidable!"

"What a coincidence, I'm not weak either!"

Ling Yun curled his lips, his Power of Wood Spirit pouring out and transforming into thin thorns that lashed out toward Shui Yue'er and Shen Liuyu.

"Power of Wood Spirit: Thorn Lash!"

"It's useless. Third soul skill: Extreme Cold Tornado!"

Shui Yue'er activated her third soul skill once more, completely freezing the incoming vines.

But Ling Yun didn't care; his goal was merely to stall their advance to give himself time to transform into a Flame Crane. He gave a soft shout.

"Five Spirits Power, transform!"

His second soul ring lit up, and in an instant, the Divine Wood Ape vanished, replaced by the majestic figure of a Flame Crane.

After transforming into the Flame Crane, Ling Yun soared into the sky, releasing a scorching soul pressure that made Shui Yue'er afraid to approach easily.

Although both were cranes, the Flame Crane Ling Yun transformed into was far more powerful than the Fire Crane martial soul of the Huo brothers.

"Heh, so you've finally used a fire-attribute soul skill?" Shui Bing'er chuckled lightly. Without fire-attribute abilities, how could one join Blazing Academy?

At the same time, Ling Yun suddenly said to Huo Qingyang: "Senior Qingyang, please buff me!"

"No problem!" Huo Qingyang grinned, immediately unleashing his soul skill as the Fire Star martial soul in his hand flickered slightly.

"Third Soul Skill: Flame Amplification!"

As the words left his lips, a beam of red light sank into Ling Yun's body. Suddenly, Ling Yun felt his own Fire Spirit Power surge by thirty percent, allowing him to exhale even more scorching flames.

"Fire Spirit Power!"

Ling Yun spat out a raging inferno that shot toward the members of Skywater Academy like a fire dragon.

Under Huo Qingyang's amplification, his flames were incredibly intense. The female soul masters couldn't withstand the heat at all, retreating one after another as their Ice Ring Armor began to melt away.

Seeing this, Shui Bing'er frowned and thought to herself, This won't do. It seems I have to step in.

No sooner said than done, Shui Bing'er soared into the sky, whipping up an Extreme Cold Storm that headed straight for Ling Yun.

Relying on her top-tier Ice Phoenix martial soul, Shui Bing'er could easily emanate freezing cold air even without using a soul skill.

"Well come!"

Shui Bing'er's approach was fierce, but instead of retreating, Ling Yun surged forward, his wings ablaze as he flew violently toward her.

BOOM!

In an instant, ice and fire collided violently in mid-air, producing a piercing roar. For a moment, the two were evenly matched.

Seeing this, Huo Yun immediately said, "Brother, let's go help Ling Yun. As long as we defeat Shui Bing'er, we're guaranteed to win!"

"Right!" With that, the two flew toward Shui Bing'er.

However, Shui Bing'er merely sneered, "Naive. First Soul Skill: Ice Seal."

As Shui Bing'er activated her soul skill, the two were instantly frozen into ice sculptures and plummeted from the sky.

"Senior brothers, go deal with the others. Leave Senior Sister Shui Bing'er to me."

As he spoke, Ling Yun ignited the Fire Spirit Power within him and accelerated toward Shui Bing'er.

"Flame Crane Ultimate Move: Fire Crane Sky Fall!"

"Well come. Third Soul Skill: Resist Light!"

At the same time, Shui Bing'er also charged toward Ling Yun, carrying a biting chill.

Watching the two collide in mid-air, Shui Yue'er suddenly had a bold thought.

Does this... count as an indirect hug?