At that moment, the two teams on the field could both clearly see what the other looked like.
All three girls facing Huo Yuhao were familiar to him. He recognized two of them from their last encounter at the Treasure Pavilion: Ning Tian and Wu Feng.
Their other teammate had light green hair and dark green eyes that seemed to brim with gentleness, making people instinctively feel protective of her.
All three were beauties in the making, rare to find.
Huo Yuhao's expression shifted slightly when he saw Ning Tian and Wu Feng.
When Ning Tian and Wu Feng realized that the person facing them was Huo Yuhao, they both froze, then wore expressions that said, "It's him!"
Wu Feng snorted at Huo Yuhao. "Never thought I'd run into you here. You got lucky at the auction last time and snagged a bargain. This time, we'll beat you fair and square."
"At the Treasure Appraisal Conference, we were all relying on our own abilities. As for whether you can beat me, you'll just have to try and see."
Huo Yuhao said with a smile.
Just then, Ning Tian held Wu Feng back, then bowed to Huo Yuhao. "We offended you at the Treasure Pavilion last time. I'm sorry, Yuhao. Our Nine Treasures Glazed Sect greatly admires people with potential like you. Would you be interested in joining our Nine Treasures Glazed Sect?"
At that, Wu Feng's face changed at once. "Young Mistress!"
Ning Tian shot Wu Feng a stern look. Wu Feng immediately deflated like a punctured ball and fell silent, crestfallen.
"I'm not interested in joining a sect or anything like that." Huo Yuhao waved his hand and declined.
Ning Tian showed no sign of displeasure. Still smiling, she said, "In that case, if you ever change your mind, Huo, our Nine Treasures Glazed Sect will always welcome you."
Ning Tian had just extended a formal invitation for Huo Yuhao to become a guest elder, speaking in her capacity as the young sect master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect.
The Nine Treasures Glazed Sect had been passed down for tens of thousands of years, making it a major sect on the continent. It was nothing like some roadside Tang Sect.
Ordinary people would have struggled to find a way in, yet Huo Yuhao had brushed the offer aside with barely a thought.
Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng, standing beside Huo Yuhao, were stunned.
Just then, the invigilating teacher shouted, "The match is about to begin. Both teams, get ready."
The meaning was obvious: this was a competition arena, not a place for chitchat.
At that, Huo Yuhao and his two teammates resumed their usual formation. Huo Yuhao stood at the back, with Ouyang Junyi and Chen Junfeng side by side in front.
As Huo Yuhao's team shifted formation, the three girls opposite them moved as well. Ning Tian retreated to the rear while the other two girls stepped forward together to shield her.
Seeing that both sides were ready, the invigilating teacher shouted, "Begin!"
As soon as the invigilating teacher's voice rang out, everyone on the field released their Martial Souls at the same time.
Huo Yuhao closed and reopened his eyes. His pupils turned into scarlet Sharingan, and the striking black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring appeared beneath him once more.
Ning Tian and the other two were somewhat surprised to see Huo Yuhao's striking black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring. However, they had gathered information on his team before the assessment began, so they weren't overly shocked.
Instead, they all felt that Huo Yuhao's strange, sinister eyes were captivating, as though they could draw people right into them.
But during the match, the three girls had no time to dwell on it.
"Martial Soul Possession!" Wu Feng roared first. A powerful wave of fire-attributed Soul Power erupted from her. Every exposed patch of skin was covered in fine scales, and both her hands transformed into fearsome dragon claws.
At the same time, two yellow Spirit Rings rose beneath her feet.
At first glance, her Martial Soul bore some resemblance to Zhou Yi's.
Before her teammates could give the order, Wu Feng had already charged forward. In a flash, she was right in front of Huo Yuhao and his two teammates.
Wu Feng's figure looked slender and beautiful, but once she moved, the muscles throughout her body seemed to brim with explosive strength. Surprisingly, she didn't go straight for Huo Yuhao. Instead, she swept out her left leg, aiming for Chen Junfeng, the smallest of the three, who stood in front of Huo Yuhao.
Chen Junfeng's expression changed, but he didn't panic. After his Martial Soul Possession, he raised his longsword to block Wu Feng's attack, and the two collided.
Their collision rang out like metal striking metal. Chen Junfeng staggered back several steps. He was clearly no match for her in strength.
Seeing his teammate pinned down, Ouyang Junyi possessed his Sword-Beak Hummingbird Martial Soul and moved to flank Wu Feng.
Just then, a pair of wings appeared behind the light-green-haired girl, and both her hands turned emerald green, as though carved from jade.
The little girl's wings were small, yet they drove her to incredible speed. In the next instant, she was already in front of Chen Junfeng.
At the same time, Ning Tian, standing some distance away, raised her right hand and called out, "Seven Treasures, shine with glazed light!"
Brilliant seven-colored light burst from her body, forming a seven-tiered pagoda in the palm of her hand.
Two yellow and one purple Spirit Rings rose beneath Ning Tian's feet.
"Seven Treasures Famous, first: Speed; third: Strength!"
Ning Tian's clear voice rang out. The first and third Spirit Rings on the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda in her hand lit up together, sending two dazzling beams of light shooting out. Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er were both empowered by the two Soul Skills.
With their Strength and Speed boosted, Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er grew far more powerful. The first Soul Skill on each of their bodies lit up at the same time.
"First Soul Skill, Crimson Blade!"
"First Soul Skill, Dragon Fire!"
A jade-glowing palm and a dragon claw wreathed in blazing flames slammed into Chen Junfeng's longsword together.
Chen Junfeng couldn't possibly withstand such a powerful attack. He was flung away like a sandbag, sent flying off the arena in an instant.
The whole sequence sounded long when described, but it happened in the blink of an eye.
From the moment the referee called for the match to begin to Chen Junfeng's elimination, only two or three seconds had passed.
It was as if Ning Tian and the other two had rehearsed it in advance. Their teamwork was incredibly smooth.
Only now did Ouyang Junyi and Huo Yuhao seem to react. Their faces changed, and they charged toward Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er.
But Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er now had a forty percent boost to both their speed and strength. The two of them were practically equivalent to Soul Elders.
They were far faster than Huo Yuhao's team.
Nanmen Yun'er in particular was incredibly fast. Her Martial Soul was called the Jade Bluebird, one of the Beast Martial Souls renowned for its speed.
In a blur, Nanmen Yun'er appeared in front of Ouyang Junyi. She joined her hands above her head, and emerald light gathered there, forming a crescent-shaped blade of light that shot toward him.
"Second Soul Skill, Jade Slash!"
At such close range, how could Ouyang Junyi possibly withstand a full-strength attack equivalent to that of a Soul Elder?
It was simple: Ouyang Junyi was sent flying off the arena too.
Only Huo Yuhao remained on the arena.
Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er slowly came up to Huo Yuhao, their expressions brimming with interest. "Heh heh, Huo Yuhao, didn't see this coming, did you? We came prepared. So what if you have a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring? It's three against one now. Tell us, how are you going to beat us?"
At that moment, Ning Tian stood at the back, frowning.
What was going on? She couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Could it really be going this smoothly?
No, something was definitely wrong!
Ning Tian was just about to tell Wu Feng to stay alert.
But in the next moment, when she looked up, she saw Huo Yuhao—who had been standing there with a bewildered expression—wearing a smile that was hard to read.
Before you continue