One-on-One Duel

After speaking, he strode toward Huo Yuhao. Despite his seemingly careless exterior, he was extremely cautious inside.

He kept his first soul skill activated, a three-meter-diameter golden light surrounding him as he advanced.

However, as he walked, he noticed something was wrong; his soul power consumption seemed to be increasing rapidly. Even though it was only his first soul skill, it was draining him as much as a thousand-year soul skill would.

Seeing the slight curl of Huo Yuhao's lips, he knew immediately who was behind this.

Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth and snarled, "Cunning brat, even your skills are so insidious."

With a flash, he lunged toward Huo Yuhao. His second soul ring flickered, and his hands transformed into massive bear paws, slamming toward Huo Yuhao's chest.

Huo Yuhao acted just as he had when facing Xiao Wu earlier, neither dodging nor evading, which startled Zhao Wuji into pulling back some of his strength.

A strike like this was no joke; even a Soul King would be left half-dead by it.

But when his palm passed through the target as if hitting thin air, Zhao Wuji realized he had been tricked.

"Teacher Zhao, you really are a caring teacher, but if this continues, the time will be up in no time."

Huo Yuhao's teasing voice rang in Zhao Wuji's ears, his flippant tone constantly grating on his nerves.

With a sudden roar, his third soul ring erupted with purple light, and Huo Yuhao suddenly felt a crushing weight descend upon his limbs.

He was slightly surprised; being able to come up with a countermeasure so quickly, the man who was a legend since the founding of Shrek truly lived up to his reputation. He certainly had some tricks up his sleeve.

Zhao Wuji constantly shifted the gravity within his domain, scanning his surroundings until he noticed a spot where the space was slightly distorted, clashing with the gravity-crushed environment around it.

He let out an angry laugh and immediately unleashed his second soul skill again, striking at that discordant position. "Found you!"

The sensation of hitting something solid brought him joy, and as the Simulation soul skill shattered, the object inside appeared before everyone.

It was indeed Huo Yuhao, but he had a golden shield in front of him, blocking Zhao Wuji's strike.

Seeing ripples spread across the surface of the shield, Huo Yuhao sighed slightly. It seemed a Level 4 Soul Guidance Shield was still pushing it; that last strike had nearly reached its critical threshold.

It seemed he couldn't drag this out any longer. Huo Yuhao's hands moved across his belt, and under the shocked gazes of the onlookers, his figure instantly became terrifying. Various long and short cannons covered his body, their dark barrels gleaming with a metallic luster under the sunlight.

This was the first time Huo Yuhao had fully armed himself. Facing a Soul Saint like Teacher Zhao, he could finally unleash the terrifying suppression power of a Soul Engineer.

The corner of his mouth curved slightly. "Teacher Zhao, be careful."

He poured his soul power into the various soul guidance cannons on his body. In an instant, all the barrels began to glow. Zhao Wuji's pupils constricted, and he abruptly raised his arms to protect his face.

The spectators were blinded by the massive cloud of dust, and the roar of explosions echoed incessantly.

"This..."

Only Tang San, who was watching, could see the situation through the smoke, his eyes filled with horror.

Xiao Wu turned her head and asked anxiously, "How is it? Tang San, tell us quickly!"

Tang San's pupils trembled, and he spoke somewhat incoherently.

"Teacher Zhao is currently... being suppressed to the point where he has no room to fight back..."

"..."

"Are you sure you didn't get that backward? Teacher Zhao is being suppressed by Huo Yuhao??"

Dai Mubai, standing nearby, was stunned. What kind of monster was this!

It seemed his own defeat was not unjust. Recalling what happened that day, Dai Mubai felt a bit of relief; he didn't have the terrifying defensive power that Teacher Zhao possessed.

It was fortunate that Huo Yuhao had held back... if he had pulled out those metal contraptions, he would have likely lost a layer of skin at the very least.

Just as everyone was staring at each other in disbelief, a roar echoed across the field, drawing everyone's attention back.

A massive blast of air blew away all the dust, and everyone was stunned by the scene revealed within.

Before Huo Yuhao stood a nearly five-meter-tall Vajra Bear; it was Zhao Wuji, who had activated his Martial Soul Avatar.

"To actually force Teacher Zhao to this extent..."

Dai Mubai muttered to himself as he watched the two in the arena.

Zhao Wuji, having used his Martial Soul Avatar, looked at Huo Yuhao with annoyance. This time, he had lost face in a big way.

If word got out that he had been forced to activate his Martial Soul Avatar while fighting a Soul Elder, he would likely be a laughingstock for the rest of his life.

A flash of light crossed his eyes. Now that he had activated his Martial Soul Avatar, he no longer feared the light projectiles fired from those long barrels.

He flashed forward, appearing before Huo Yuhao, his second soul ring glowing brightly!

With one strike, the shield in front of Huo Yuhao shattered into pieces, scattering into a sky full of light spots.

Huo Yuhao did not panic. With a light shake of his body, the heavy equipment on him quickly fell off, dropping to the ground.

Without time to pack up, he exploded with speed comparable to Zhao Wuji's and retreated rapidly.

"Good kid, a Soul Elder with speed on par with mine? The others don't even come close to you! You are the true monster!"

Zhao Wuji laughed heartily, his previous frustration gone. He didn't pursue, simply watching Huo Yuhao from afar.

"This year's freshmen have truly given me a huge surprise. Whatever other tricks you have, bring them out!"

"Then... let's have a proper, fair fight!"

Huo Yuhao smiled happily as well; he was enjoying this hearty, unbridled battle. Facing a Soul Saint, he could finally let go and go all out.

Stomping his feet, Huo Yuhao lunged fiercely toward Zhao Wuji, his figure blurring into a mere afterimage.

Only when Huo Yuhao drew near did Zhao Wuji sense a bone-chilling cold—it was none other than the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion soul bone skill: Domain of Eternal Freeze.

Combined with the Mental Interference following his Martial Soul Evolution, Zhao Wuji felt his stamina and soul power plummeting rapidly.

"What a terrifying little monster... bring it on!"

With his Martial Soul Avatar activated, every part of Zhao Wuji's body possessed terrifying destructive power, and Huo Yuhao dared not take a hit head-on.

He could only rely on the advantage of Spirit Detection to dodge Zhao Wuji's various attacks.

Fortunately, speed was originally Zhao Wuji's weakness, and under the dual stimulation of the cold and draining stamina, his movements were not fast enough to overwhelm Huo Yuhao.

In Zhao Wuji's eyes, even with his Martial Soul Avatar active, he was locked in an inseparable struggle with Huo Yuhao, as his attacks were dodged as if they had been predicted.

While Huo Yuhao's attacks could not cause him any real damage, they still stung with every strike.

"Is this person your friend? Is he really just a Soul Elder? This is too incredible..."

Ning Rongrong turned to look at Tang San and Xiao Wu, her eyes filled with curiosity, while Zhuqing beside her watched Huo Yuhao's swinging fists with shining eyes.

Tang San scratched his head.

"We knew Yuhao was strong, but we didn't realize he had reached this level. He hasn't made a move in nearly two years; to be honest, the last time we updated our perception of him was just two days ago..."

As he spoke, he glanced at a certain someone nearby, causing Dai Mubai's face to turn shades of green and red. So, he was the first person Huo Yuhao had beaten in two years?

Xiao Wu felt a secret thrill seeing others curious about Huo Yuhao. She knew many of Huo Yuhao's secrets, and a sense of superiority washed over her.

Hearing others praise Huo Yuhao made her even happier than being praised herself, and her nose was practically pointed toward the sky.

Finally, unable to take it anymore, Zhao Wuji's fifth soul ring flashed violently, and Huo Yuhao suddenly felt immense pressure coming from all directions.

It pushed him constantly toward Zhao Wuji, and as the latter unleashed a palm strike, the scene appeared to onlookers as if Huo Yuhao were throwing himself into the blow.

With no other choice, Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth as a jade-green light emerged from his chest.

He released it the moment they were about to collide, and the extreme cold erupted from Zhao Wuji's palm, instantly freezing his hand.

The terrifying icy power continued to spread from his arm toward the rest of his body.

However, that palm strike still landed on Huo Yuhao, and the massive impact sent him flying backward to crash onto the ground. A sweetness rose in his throat, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

Seeing this, Xiao Wu's heart trembled, and she stood up abruptly from her seat, "Yuhao!"