Freshman Tournament

Lan Xuanyu's confidence wasn't without reason.

First of all, in his previous life, he had fought the Emotion God King Huo Yuhao and knew his fighting style very well.

He was nothing more than a God King who was somewhat skilled in spiritual power. To put it bluntly, that guy's attacks were about as threatening as a tickle...

Although Huo Yuhao in this life was a Soul Elder, so was he! In Lan Xuanyu's eyes, there was no reason he should lose to someone like that.

During these three months since enrolling, he had focused more on stabilizing the bloodlines within his body and preventing them from clashing. His Soul Power hadn't increased much; after taking the Soul Ascension Pill the academy gave him as compensation, he had only advanced two levels, reaching level thirty-four.

Cultivation rank was just a number. Just as his level-ninety-nine self in his previous life had been able to fight on par with a Demigod King, what truly mattered was always one's actual strength!

As for his aunt Wang Dong, after three months of arduous training and a tiny, insignificant amount of cultivation resources, her Soul Power Level had soared from twenty-one to a terrifying twenty-six. She had gained five levels in just three months.

See? That was the power of spending money... the power of a genius.

Although that girl Xiao Xiao seemed like nobody special, she was at least one of the Shrek Seven Devils from the same generation as Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong. She was a rare wielder of Twin Martial Souls, so she had to have a few tricks up her sleeve.

Tell me in four loud words: what did you call this kind of situation!

The following afternoon, at the Shrek Outer Court examination area.

After the teams had been drawn that morning, the arena had been divided into sections. The teachers from each class had already led their students to their seats in the stands.

In a rather secluded corner, a red-clad figure silently watched the arena.

Of course, she was only watching one person.

Unfortunately, Huo Yuhao had been assigned to the first group—and he was the first to compete.

As for his opponents...

A striking head of pinkish-blue hair, and a hairstyle that looked like dog ears. The petite girl beside him, meanwhile, didn't exactly stand out.

They were none other than the seed team from Class One, the much-anticipated Lan Xuanyu team.

The academy took this competition very seriously. This match was also a test for Huo Yuhao, so the referee had been changed from Wang Yan to Du Weilun, the Outer Court's head of department and a Soul Douluo.

Although Huo Yuhao stood all alone, strangely enough, no one thought he was at a disadvantage.

The four entered the arena and took their positions on one side of the platform.

Lan Xuanyu looked at Huo Yuhao with a hint of disdain. As far as he was concerned, he didn't need any help to beat Huo Yuhao. He could handle it by himself. Bringing the others along was completely unnecessary.

Xiao Xiao: He's so handsome...

Wang Dong's gaze flickered as she looked at Huo Yuhao's handsome, picture-perfect face, devoid of expression. For some reason, she felt especially miserable.

It was as if... as if she should be standing beside him...

No, no. What about Xuanyu, then...

Just as Wang Dong's left and right brains were fighting, Du Weilun's voice rang out. "Let's not waste time. We'll begin the match now. Give it your all, and I'll keep the match under control. Anyone I rescue from the arena will be considered defeated. Is that clear?"

All four nodded.

"First round, first match. Freshman Class One: Lan Xuanyu, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao; Freshman Class Ten: Huo Yuhao. You may release your Martial Souls only after I announce the start of the match."

Du Weilun raised his right hand, then brought it down with force.

"Begin!"

Wang Dong was the first to release her Martial Soul. A pair of azure-blue wings burst open behind her, and a yellow Soul Ring and a purple Soul Ring appeared beneath her feet. She rose into the air, taking the high ground first.

Beside Lan Xuanyu, three Soul Rings appeared: one yellow and two purple. His Soul Ring Configuration was extraordinary, and great swathes of Blue Silver Grass vines sprouted around him.

There was no mistaking it: this was the continent's most common Blue Silver Grass.

Huo Yuanyu's eyes flickered. Just as when he'd sensed something off about Lan Xuanyu last time, strange elemental reactions surrounded him. There were at least three elements: water, fire, and earth.

Using the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul to control the elements?

What was this guy thinking? Wasn't he afraid that losing control of the elemental reactions would make him explode?

Lan Xuanyu used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and charged at Huo Yuhao without hesitation. With a casual wave of his hand, he sent a crystal-clear ball of ice flying toward him.

Blue and red intertwined across the icy sphere, giving off an eerie aura.

"...!"

Huo Yuhao had to admit he'd underestimated this Lan Xuanyu.

That icy sphere alone was enough to make him take this seriously. At the very least, he would have to use his Soul Bone Skill, Earth Core, or directly unleash his Second Martial Soul, the Deep Blue Glazed Dragon, to stop it.

[It's not that I'm lowballing Xiao Huo's strength. First, the number-one slacker is reborn, and in his previous life he was at least a Supreme God King, with maxed-out combat experience and elemental control. Xiao Huo has only trained in the Douluo World for a few years, so there's no way his combat experience can compare. Second, Xiao Huo's Spirit Eye Martial Soul leans toward control and doesn't have many offensive abilities.]

This icy sphere was a Self-Created Soul Skill from Lan Xuanyu's previous life, called the Ice-Fire Dual Instrument Orb. In essence, it was a combination Soul Skill that controlled water and fire elements. But thanks to the elemental affinity of his Silver Dragon King Bloodline, Lan Xuanyu could control it perfectly, turning it into his ultimate weapon.

Back in the Star Dou Great Forest, this was the move that let him break through the defenses of the Young Rock Dragon Lizard, which was exceptionally skilled at defense. He absorbed its bloodline and gained control over the earth element.

Xiao Xiao's Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron was also going all out. She used her ultimate move at once: Cauldron Oscillation.

Wang Dong didn't hold back either. She knew that Huo Yuhao had beaten her up with his bare hands before. If she didn't use her full strength, she wouldn't last more than a few rounds against him. So she immediately used her second Soul Skill, Butterfly Goddess Light.

This was Lan Xuanyu's battle plan: hit them with everything right from the start, give Huo Yuhao no chance to react, and take him down at once!

Watching the three members of the Lan Xuanyu team charge at him in a triangular formation, Huo Yuhao twitched the corner of his mouth, speechless.

What on earth had I done to you? Was this really necessary...

Looks like I'll have to get serious.

Golden light flickered in his eyes, rippling with faint nine-colored waves as the first Soul Ring of his Spirit Eye shone.

Spiritual Detection Sharing, Spiritual Interference Domain.

The Spiritual Interference Domain swept across the entire arena. With his spiritual power at the Spirit Abyss Realm, even Du Weilun, a Soul Douluo standing nearby, felt dazed for a moment, as if he could no longer make out the movements of the four people on the platform.

If even a Soul Douluo like Du Weilun couldn't see clearly, the teachers and students with weaker cultivation were even worse off.

But at that moment, Huo Yuhao shared his Spiritual Detection with every member of the Lan Xuanyu team.

Just like anyone who received Spiritual Detection Sharing, who would invariably be caught off guard for a moment by this powerful utility Soul Skill, the three members of the Lan Xuanyu team were also unable to react right away.