"Go to hell!"
Behind Gu An, Huo Yuhao raised his arm, aiming a Level 1 Fixed Soul Guidance Cannon.
The muzzle pointed straight at Gu An's back, right where his heart was.
This Level 1 Fixed Soul Guidance Cannon wasn't a complete model, but it was Fan Yu's specialty.
Its power far exceeded that of an ordinary Level 1 Soul Tool, already brushing against the threshold of Level 2.
It was only good for one shot, then it was scrap.
But in Huo Yuhao's eyes, at this distance and with this timing, the outcome was already set in stone.
The next second, he'd see Gu An's chest pierced by the cannon blast.
"Let's see how you block this!"
He roared viciously in his heart and pulled the trigger.
A blinding ball of white light flared at the muzzle. A beam as thick as an arm shot out.
It was as powerful as a full-strength strike from a Soul Grandmaster—and far stronger than an ordinary Soul Grandmaster's full-strength attack!
The energy cannon ripped through the air with a piercing shriek, streaking straight toward Gu An's back and aiming for his heart.
It looked ready to pierce right through him!
Only then did Gu An turn around.
As if he'd only just noticed the commotion behind him.
His face showed alarm, but his eyes remained perfectly calm.
Deep in his pupils, there was even a hint of amusement.
The people from Shrek Academy only saw the panic on his face.
No one noticed his eyes.
Xuanzi burst into gleeful laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha! Die, you little brat!"
Fan Yu wore an equally triumphant expression, his grin nearly reaching his ears.
So what if they couldn't beat Leng Yaozhu? At least they could enjoy seeing this little brat get wrecked.
Even Mu En's lips curled slightly, and the others smiled along with him.
So what if it was a sneak attack?
It was two against one: two new students from Shrek Academy against one new student from Spirit Transmission Academy.
If Huo Yuhao had found the chance to circle behind Gu An, that was because Gu An had failed to notice him.
Whose fault was that?
As long as Shrek Academy won, then they had won.
No one would remember what had happened along the way, or whether they'd won by a sneak attack or a frontal assault.
Everyone would remember only one thing: Shrek Academy had won.
The light blazing from the Level 1 Fixed Soul Guidance Cannon had already struck Gu An.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out.
A huge cloud of dust billowed up across the Soul Fighting Platform!
Gray-white smoke burst from the point of impact and spread in every direction, swallowing the entire area where Gu An stood.
The Blue Steel Rock beneath him had been blasted into a crater the size of a washbasin, and shattered fragments flew everywhere.
Everyone from Shrek Academy craned their necks, staring unblinkingly at the cloud of dust.
They eagerly awaited the sight of Gu An's miserable state emerging from the smoke.
Bloodied from head to toe, his chest pierced, sprawled on the ground and moaning in pain.
Anything would do, as long as it was gruesome.
But before they could make out what had happened in the arena...
Wang Dong's shrill cry rang out, brimming with disbelief.
"This is impossible!"
"How are you completely unharmed?!" Her voice was piercing.
It was almost a high-pitched feminine voice, but no one cared about that right now.
At her scream, the others from Shrek Academy could hardly believe their ears.
That attack had hit him head-on, and it hadn't even hurt a One-Ring Soul Master?
Was this some kind of joke?
The crowd below erupted at once.
"How is that possible? I clearly saw the shot hit him!"
"Completely unharmed? Wang Dong said he's completely unharmed?"
"That kid's a One-Ring Soul Master, right? How could a One-Ring Soul Master withstand an attack like that?"
"Cheating! He must have cheated!"
The voices rose and fell like water boiling in a pot.
Huo Yuhao couldn't believe it either.
He stared wide-eyed at Wang Dong in the distant sky. She'd more or less escaped, but she was in terrible shape.
Her school uniform had been slashed in several places by Wind Blades, and her hair was a mess.
But her eyes were fixed fiercely on one spot.
"Impossible!"
Huo Yuhao forced the words out through his throat, his voice hoarse with disbelief.
"Wang Dong, what are you talking about? How could he be fine?!"
Wang Dong didn't answer.
She stared at Gu An, who was looking at her with a smile.
From where she stood, Gu An had been struck squarely in the back by the cannon blast.
But he hadn't moved an inch.
It wasn't that he'd taken the hit without flinching. It was as if he hadn't been struck at all.
It seemed something behind him had blocked all the damage.
Could it be...
That Limit Douluo had stepped in to protect Gu An?
Once the thought occurred to Wang Dong, the more she considered it, the more likely it seemed.
Yes, that had to be it.
How could a One-Ring Soul Master withstand a Soul Cannon attack?
That red-haired woman was sitting in the stands. With her strength as a Limit Douluo, she could easily protect Gu An from afar.
Young and hot-blooded, Wang Dong couldn't tolerate an outsider interfering in the match.
She abruptly raised her hand, pointed at Leng Yaozhu in the stands, and glared at her.
"You!"
"You interfered, didn't you?"
"Otherwise, why would he look like he'd been protected? He hasn't suffered a single injury, and it's as if the attack didn't even hit him!"
Leng Yaozhu's expression instantly turned cold.
A flash of icy light crossed her phoenix eyes, and the air around them seemed to drop several degrees.
A mere Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster dared to point at her and question and slander her.
Under normal circumstances, Wang Dong would already be lying on the ground.
But to avoid disrupting Gu An's plan, Leng Yaozhu suppressed the murderous intent in her heart and held back from acting.
She knew Wang Dong carried a wisp of Great God King Tang's divine consciousness.
Great God King Tang's daughter was untouchable.
At least for now.
Leng Yaozhu held back.
But Gu An wasn't about to let anyone point at Leng Yaozhu and insult her, either.
His scornful voice rang out, clear as day to everyone present.
"So this is all Shrek Academy can do?"
"Can't win, so you accuse someone else of interfering?"
"Are the champions Shrek Academy wins at the Continental Elite Tournament all won by slandering your opponents?"
His voice grew louder, spreading from the Soul Fighting Platform and echoing throughout the Soul Fighting Zone.
"Open your damn eyes and look!"
"Look at why I haven't been hurt!"
The dust finally settled.
Gu An's figure emerged once more in everyone's sight.
He stood in the same spot, without having moved a single step.
His clothes were spotless, without even a speck of dust on them.
And behind him stood a raptor covered in dark teal feathers, though no one could say when it had appeared.
Its beak was sharp as a blade, and its amber eyes watched Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong coldly.
The Green Blade Falcon's wings were slightly spread, faint wisps of smoke still clinging to their tips from the blast.
It had blocked the full force of that Level 1 Fixed Soul Guidance Cannon with its wings.
Not a single scorch mark marred its dark teal feathers.
A thirty-thousand-year Soul Spirit blocking a Soul Cannon that hadn't even reached Level 2.
It was child's play.