Cooperation, Eliminating He Caitou

Xuan Zi did not stop until he reached the center of the Soul Fighting Zone. Under the guidance of their teachers, the core disciples also took their positions.

Xuan Zi said in a muffled voice, "Listen up, you little brats. The core disciple assessment you're about to undergo is very simple. I call it the Collective Melee. Within the bounds of this Soul Fighting Zone, attack however you like, fight however you want. There are no rules.

"Anyone who admits defeat or is rescued out will be eliminated. The last seven people standing will be the winners. All right, teachers, get out. Once I shout start, you can begin fighting."

Upon hearing Xuan Zi's words, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng all exchanged surprised glances with Huo Yuhao.

On the way here, Huo Yuhao had casually revealed to the four girls how this assessment might be conducted. Now, he had predicted every word perfectly. The four girls could not help marveling at Huo Yuhao's grasp of the situation.

Huo Yuhao merely smiled and shook his head before asking Ning Tian in a low voice, "Want to cooperate?"

Ning Tian nodded. If there had only been one or two advancement slots, competition would have been necessary. But there were seven slots now, leaving plenty of room for cooperation.

Other than Huo Yuhao's group of five, the remaining students all widened their eyes and looked at one another. They had never seen an assessment method like this before. There were more than twenty people here! Everyone had different cultivation levels and specialties. What could such a chaotic melee possibly assess?

Naturally, the teachers did not dare disobey Elder Xuan's orders and withdrew from the Soul Fighting Zone.

Before the students in the Soul Fighting Zone could react, Elder Xuan suddenly raised the wine gourd in his hand and shouted, "Start!"

With a whoosh, Elder Xuan vanished, leaving only twenty-six Outer Court core disciples in the arena.

Huo Yuhao and the other four girls reacted the fastest. They quickly gathered together, then leaped backward toward the edge of the field.

Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao, and Ning Tian stood at the rear of the group, while Wu Feng and Wang Dong, the two assault-type soul masters, held the front.

The five did not act immediately. Under Huo Yuhao's command, they guarded the edge of the platform and observed the remaining twenty-one people.

The second-year group was formed almost exactly like the teams from the Freshman Tournament. Only, with Dai Huabin absent, Zhu Lu and Xie Huanyue had joined Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, and Huang Chutian's team, forming a five-person group that was not weak either.

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi naturally chose to join forces with Jiang Nannan. There were only three fifth-years, and all of them had four Soul Rings. Though few in number, they formed an exceptionally solid unit.

Among the remaining twenty-one, the only one without a team was He Caitou from the Soul Engineering Department. Relying on his Soul Tools and his sturdy build, he stood in the middle of the platform and began extending his soul tool weapons.

Huo Yuhao said softly, "Take out the lone ones first. Ning Tian, boost me."

With that, Huo Yuhao pushed off the ground and charged toward He Caitou.

Ning Tian raised the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda and simultaneously bestowed speed and strength enhancements upon Huo Yuhao.

During the registration process, Huo Yuhao had switched to the Titan Profound Ice King martial soul. Using Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's ability, he concealed the color of his first Soul Ring and swung his hand directly at He Caitou.

He Caitou abruptly raised his arm, attempting to block Huo Yuhao's attack with the metal cannon barrel on his hand. Meanwhile, icy blue frost mist had already spread from Huo Yuhao's hand.

Under Huo Yuhao's control, the frost mist instantly seeped into He Caitou's metal cannon barrel.

He Caitou's expression changed sharply. He immediately flung his arm, throwing the Soul Cannon barrel away.

The Soul Cannon barrel froze rapidly and shattered into fragments the moment it hit the ground.

This was the martial soul Huo Yuhao had gained after fusing and evolving with the Titan Snow Demon King: the Titan Profound Ice King's tyrannical power of Ultimate Ice.

The power closest to that of the Ice God.

Sweat had already begun to form on He Caitou's face. The metal tubes on his body had yet to fully extend, and he had not entered his peak state. Even the four Soul Rings beneath his feet, signifying his status as a Soul Ancestor, made him seem somewhat miserable.

"For someone like you, those four Soul Rings are wasted." As Huo Yuhao wielded the power of ice to interfere with He Caitou's Soul Tools, he also attacked his opponent psychologically, making him even more flustered.

Huo Yuhao struck wherever it hurt most. Whenever one of He Caitou's Soul Tools had just extended, Huo Yuhao would forcibly freeze part of it with ice element power and tear it off.

It was like pulling quills from a hedgehog. Before long, He Caitou had been stripped of everything. Then, a punch infused with the power of ice slammed into him, and He Caitou immediately felt as though he were floating into the clouds as he flew backward.

"You've been eliminated." The smell of alcohol hit him, and only then did He Caitou come to his senses. To his shock, he discovered that they were already in midair, right beside Xuan Zi, with a faint white glow enveloping their bodies.

Xuan Zi looked at Huo Yuhao with slight surprise. He already knew that Huo Yuhao possessed Twin Martial Souls, but this was the first time Huo Yuhao had truly displayed his second martial soul in full.

This special martial soul, which resembled a Titan Snow Demon yet differed from one fundamentally, thoroughly aroused Xuan Zi's curiosity. After watching Huo Yuhao for a while, he cast a disdainful glance at He Caitou. "This is the highest level your Soul Engineering Department has produced this year? What a complete disappointment."

From the Martial Soul Department's perspective, Soul Engineers below Rank Seven were generally stronger than soul masters of the same level. Yet Huo Yuhao, with only Three Rings, had defeated He Caitou, a fourth-rank Soul Engineer. The gap between them was far from ordinary.

In gaming terms, it was like a speed-type fighter trading blows head-on with a strength-type fighter—and actually winning.

After hearing Xuan Zi's criticism, He Caitou could not keep his face straight. He lowered his head, his expression dark as he wondered who knew what.

"Elder Xuan, you flatter me. I merely relied on the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda's enhancement." Not wanting to draw too much attention, Huo Yuhao looked up at Xuan Zi in the sky and said this.

Xuan Zi snorted, casually set He Caitou on the ground, and then said to Huo Yuhao, "Cut the act. I can naturally tell whether you relied on enhancements or not. Your match isn't over yet. Hurry up and get serious."

Huo Yuhao said nothing further. He put away his second martial soul and once again activated the Ice Spirit Eye martial soul.

Three Soul Rings reappeared beneath Huo Yuhao's feet. Looking at the second-year group with the most people, he continued formulating the next step of his strategy...