"Here it comes!"
Under Long Yaochen's gaze, Huo Yuhao slowly raised his head. The trace of sea-blue in his eyes was suddenly ignited by a blue-gold radiance.
In an instant, everyone on the Soul Fighting Platform seemed to hear the low roar of ocean waves.
There was not a single drop of water, yet the charging Hell White Tiger seemed to have crashed into a boundless ocean. Its enormous body abruptly froze midair, and its black-and-white Soul Power began to tremble violently.
Dai Huabin's disbelieving voice came from within the Hell White Tiger. "Impossible!"
Huo Yuhao raised a hand and pressed it against his forehead.
At that moment, an extremely faint trident mark seemed to flash across the center of his brow.
"Vast Sea Soul-Suppressing Strike!"
Boom—!
An invisible tide of spiritual power surged toward the Hell White Tiger like a crashing wave.
A blue-gold crack suddenly appeared on the Hell White Tiger's forehead. Immediately afterward, it spread madly like a spiderweb, covering the massive tiger's entire body in the blink of an eye.
The next moment, the tiger's roar came to an abrupt stop.
The enormous Hell White Tiger exploded before everyone's very eyes!
Violent Soul Power swept across the Soul Fighting Platform. The referee's expression changed slightly, and he immediately acted to suppress the aftershock.
Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu were blasted backward from the shattered light. Zhu Lu fainted on the spot, while Dai Huabin slammed heavily onto the platform and spat out a mouthful of blood.
At that moment, the entire venue fell silent.
One ten-year Soul Ring.
One freshman whose Soul Power was barely above level ten.
And he had actually blown apart the Hell White Tiger head-on?
Was this some kind of joke?!
Quite a few students even rubbed their eyes instinctively, as if they suspected they had seen wrong.
At the highest point of the stands, Yan Shaozhe's calm expression was finally shattered. Qian Duoduo also put away his joking demeanor, and the two exchanged a glance.
Both saw the confusion in the other's eyes.
Could this power really come from a one-ring Soul Master?
On the other side, Long Yaochen's expression also turned serious.
Little Scoundrel! So it really was you!
"Was that really a spiritual attack a freshman could unleash? Are you confident you can block it?" Ma Xiaotao's voice was filled with concern. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and none of her usual fiery temper remained.
If she had not been prepared for Huo Yuhao's attack, even she might have been caught in an embarrassing situation.
"A spiritual attack?"
Long Yaochen gave a low laugh. A golden gleam flashed through his eyes. "Then he'd better dare use it again this afternoon. Perfect. I'll show him something interesting too."
On the Soul Fighting Platform, Huo Yuhao slowly lowered his hand.
His face was somewhat pale, and his chest rose and fell faintly.
But at that moment, no one dared look down on this kid with a ten-year Soul Ring anymore.
Even Wang Dong stared at him in disbelief.
This afternoon... should I just put on an act?
Yet Huo Yuhao, the focus of everyone's attention, ignored the shocked gazes around him and walked step by step toward Dai Huabin.
A glint of cold light quietly appeared between his fingers.
The referee's expression changed drastically as he shouted, "Huo Yuhao!"
The next instant, the referee moved like lightning and appeared between them, knocking the concealed weapon away with one palm.
Clang—!
A crisp metallic ring echoed across the Soul Fighting Platform.
"Enough!" The referee's voice turned completely stern. "The victor has been decided. If you attack a student who has lost the ability to resist, you will be disqualified immediately!"
Huo Yuhao's hand froze in midair.
He silently looked at the referee standing before him. The blue-gold glow in his eyes gradually dimmed.
Protected behind the referee, Dai Huabin's face was deathly pale. Yet he still bared his teeth and let out a low laugh through the blood at the corner of his mouth. "What? Too scared? Trash will always be trash!"
Huo Yuhao clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh, yet he did not loosen them.
Deep within the Sea of Spirit, that gentle voice rang out once more.
"Hold back, Yuhao."
"Now is not the time. You have already proven your worth. Shrek's higher-ups will surely think highly of you from now on!"
Huo Yuhao closed his eyes with some difficulty. When he opened them again, the blue-gold light in his eyes had vanished.
"You'd better... make sure someone is always protecting you."
After leaving those words behind, Huo Yuhao turned and walked away. The referee's voice sounded behind him. "This match goes to Huo Yuhao's team."
The moment those words fell, the Soul Fighting Zone, which had been silent for so long, erupted once again.
Amid the deafening uproar, Huo Yuhao looked up at the figure in the stands.
You weren't afraid of that attack...?
Just wait until I completely reclaim my fate this afternoon.
Long Yaochen raised a hand and gave him a thumbs-up, then slowly turned it upside down and silently mouthed several words.
"This afternoon, I'll beat you to a pulp."
That afternoon, the Soul Fighting Zone.
The spectator stands were packed to the brim.
The academy's mysterious team had already drawn plenty of attention.
Then word of Huo Yuhao's morning strike that had pierced through the Hell White Tiger spread from person to person. Nearly half the Outer Court students had come, along with even a small number of Inner Court disciples.
"Senior Sister, what exactly was that absurd spiritual attack this morning?"
In the stands, Ma Xiaotao pushed Zhang Lexuan toward a relatively central position.
"I don't know either. But..." Zhang Lexuan shook her head. The gravity in her eyes turned into resolve. "I believe Long Yaochen will not lose."
"Sigh... We've known each other for so long, but he has barely even used his soul skills." Ma Xiaotao rubbed her head in frustration. She could not even judge Long Yaochen's true combat strength.
"Let's wait and see," Zhang Lexuan said calmly.
Not far away, Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo also arrived right on time.
The moment they met, Qian Duoduo said with utmost sincerity, "Old Yan, can we change the terms of this morning's bet?"
Yan Shaozhe shot him a speechless look. Just as he was about to speak, a voice interrupted him.
"Little Yaochen can't lose." The voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable sense of conviction.
"Mu En!"
"Teacher!"
Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo spoke respectfully, their voices carrying some surprise.
Mu En had actually come too?!
"You do not understand... what a God-tier Martial Soul represents." Mu En lay quietly in his wicker chair, looking utterly unruffled.
On the Soul Fighting Platform, the referee announced for the contestants to enter.
When Long Yaochen appeared alone.
Some students had barely warmed their seats before the stands instantly exploded.
"What the hell? He's alone? Seriously?"
"One against three? But Huo Yuhao is on the other side!"
"Isn't that looking down on them too much?"
The discussion seemed ready to fill the entire Soul Fighting Zone, yet it did not affect the four people in the arena.
Wang Dong looked at Long Yaochen with a complicated expression.
At noon, she had suggested that they put on an act, only for Long Yaochen to reject it without hesitation.
Now, his expression was calm, as though he were back in Freshman Class One during their usual training.
Before stepping onto the stage, Long Yaochen suddenly asked in his heart.
"Elder Yi, if I go all out this afternoon, how long can I last?"
Within the Sea of Spirit, Electrolux fell silent for a moment.
"Three minutes.
You should know the backlash of your own soul skills.
Even in my current condition, three minutes is the most I can manage."
Long Yaochen's steps paused slightly. He nodded and softly uttered two words. "Enough."
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he walked onto the platform.
"Long Yaochen..." Huo Yuhao spoke first, his voice icy. "Are you ready to face your defeat?"
"This is... beyond ridiculous."
Long Yaochen's gaze turned even colder, golden light already creeping through his eyes.
"Begin!" the referee announced.
The moment his words fell, Long Yaochen vanished from where he stood.
The next second, a pair of fists rapidly enlarged in Huo Yuhao's vision.
"Wang Dong—!!!"
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