Fusion Ascension!

Eastsea Academy's gymnasium was packed to capacity.

News of the Promotion Tournament finals had spread like wildfire through the intermediate division. Every seat in the venue was occupied, and even the aisles and steps were crammed with students who had rushed over after hearing the news. Several teachers had already taken their seats in the center of the front row, conversing in low voices.

Several banners had been hung across the stands.

"Class One, Grade One, the strongest kings!"

"Class One will win! The light of Eastsea!"

Everywhere were slogans cheering for Class One.

It couldn't be helped. Class One was the strongest class, filled with geniuses, so naturally it had the most supporters. Although Class Five, the bottom-ranked class, had somehow made it into the finals, most people saw them as nothing more than a dark horse. They had already exhausted everything just getting this far. Against Class One's all-star lineup, their chances of winning were infinitesimal.

Ouyang Zixin and Mu Xi had arrived early and claimed excellent seats in the middle of the third row, with a broad view directly facing the arena.

"Did you bring water?" Ouyang Zixin asked softly.

"I did, I did." Mu Xi pulled out a bottle of sports drink from her bag and handed it over, not forgetting to grumble, "You know what your status is now. An ex-girlfriend bringing water to her ex-boyfriend—if people see it, there'll be more gossip."

"It's fine." Ouyang Zixin hugged the drink to her chest and said quietly, "He'll need water after the match."

Mu Xi rolled her eyes, already too tired to persuade her.

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose from the entrance to the venue.

Class One, Grade One had entered.

At their head was Wu Siduo.

The girl was tall, with long reddish-brown hair flowing down her back and delicate features. Between her brows was the pride unique to a favored daughter of heaven.

Behind her, Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, Wei Xiaofeng, and the rest of Class One's main lineup filed in. Each of the young men had a condensed, steady aura, and standing together, they gave off an overwhelming sense of pressure. Many in the stands unconsciously held their breath.

"Wu Siduo!"

"Go for it!"

"Crush Class Five!"

The cheers from the stands rose wave after wave.

Wu Siduo walked to the center of the arena and stopped, sweeping her gaze around. Her eyes did not linger on any spectator. Instead, she stared straight at the entrance on the other side of the venue.

Behind her, Zhang Yangzi lowered his head and asked, "Sister Duo, how are we playing today?"

Without turning around, Wu Siduo gave only two words. "End it fast."

Zhang Yangzi nodded and asked no more.

Class One's momentum was overwhelming, and the students in the stands were almost unanimously convinced that Class One would win.

Ye Yingrong, Class Three's homeroom teacher, and Kong Hanwen, Class Four's homeroom teacher, had both come as well.

Kong Hanwen leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over Class One's lineup as they warmed up on the field. A meaningful smile hung at the corner of his lips.

"Teacher Ye, do you think there's any suspense left in these finals?"

Ye Yingrong sat beside him, looking down as she flipped through the rulebook in her hands. Hearing him, she looked up at him. "Teacher Kong, Class Five did make it here by winning all the way."

"Winning all the way?" Kong Hanwen snorted and lowered his voice. "Teacher Ye, we both know what's what. There's no need for polite talk. Of the classes Class Five has faced, which one compares to Class One? Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, Wei Xiaofeng—pick any one of them, and he's material for the school team's main roster. Not to mention Wu Siduo."

Ye Yingrong raised an eyebrow. "So Class Five really has no hope at all?"

Kong Hanwen said confidently, "I'll tell you in the most straightforward, direct, no-nonsense, objective, accurate, systematic, truthful... least suspenseful way possible."

"Not a chance."

"But what if Class Five wins?" Ye Yingrong asked.

"Impossible." Kong Hanwen shook his head. "If Class Five can win, I'll livestream myself doing a fan."

Ye Yingrong: "..."

Before long, Wu Changkong entered with Class Five.

He was still dressed in white, his face expressionless. But aside from the other students of Class Five, the ones following behind him were Lin Xun's group of four.

From afar, Ye Yingluo, Class One's homeroom teacher, looked at the still aloof and icy Wu Changkong, narrowing her eyes slightly.

Class One's formation had already been set.

Wu Siduo stood at the very front with her arms folded across her chest. Today, the girl had tied her long hair into a high ponytail, revealing her slender neck and slightly upturned eyes.

Wang Jinxi stood to her left with his arms crossed, silent as a mountain. Zhang Yangzi loosened his wrists on her right, while Wei Xiaofeng stood on the outermost edge, arrogantly surveying his opponents.

"Captains of both sides, step forward." Long Hengxu, serving as referee in his role as director of discipline, made the announcement.

Wu Siduo stepped out, and Lin Xun walked forward as well. The two stood face-to-face in the center of the arena, less than three steps apart.

The clamor in the stands quieted somewhat, and everyone craned their necks.

Wu Siduo raised her chin slightly. Her reddish-brown ponytail swayed gently behind her, and the smile at the corner of her lips deepened. Lowering her voice, she said, "The White Tiger Pill, and you leaving without a word—we'll settle both today. Which beating do you want first?"

Lin Xun looked back at her, still wearing his lazy expression. "Can't I avoid both beatings?"

"No."

"Then I choose the White Tiger Pill. At least the pill was only bitter. Your eyes are fiercer right now."

Wu Siduo snorted coldly.

The referee raised his hand. "Bow to each other."

The two bowed at the same time.

As they straightened, Wu Siduo spoke one final sentence in a voice only Lin Xun could hear. "What you owe me, you'll repay in the ring today. Let me beat you up once, and we'll put the pill behind us."

Lin Xun raised an eyebrow slightly. "What if I win?"

"You win?" Wu Siduo turned and walked back to Class One's formation, leaving behind only one sentence. "Win first, then talk."

Proud as Wu Siduo was, she had never even considered the possibility of losing.

As both sides prepared, the shouts below grew lively again.

"Friendship first, competition second, Wu Siduo is the prettiest! Who agrees? Who objects?"

"That's debatable. Gu Yue is clearly prettier. But Lin Xun is the biggest scumbag! Who agrees? Who objects?"

"Just got online. Go, Spirit Hall!"

"Trident warning!"

Long Hengxu raised his arm high, then swung it down sharply.

"Begin!"

The instant the match began, Class One exploded into action at full strength.

Wei Xiaofeng made the first move. His two-ring Soul Power erupted, and Shadow Snakes filled the sky.

Countless blue-green snake phantoms spread across half the arena, densely packed, sealing off every route Class Five could take. They moved at extreme speed, lunging in for the kill from every direction.

The Shadow Snakes were incorporeal by nature. Cutting them apart did not destroy them, and once they coiled around someone, there was no escape.

At the same time, Zhang Yangzi's second soul ring lit up.

The Dark Illusion Demon Eagle soared into the air. Its wings spread wide as dark-purple Soul Power surged, turning it into a bolt of black lightning that shot straight toward Xie Xie.

His target was clear.

First tear apart Class Five's roaming fighter and cut off their support.

Xie Xie reacted quickly. His body flickered as the Light Shadow Dragon Twin Daggers crossed before him in a block.

Bang!

The eagle claw slammed into the daggers with a piercing explosion.

Xie Xie was sent staggering backward, white streaks scraping beneath his feet. Both arms went numb, but his footing remained steady. He locked down Zhang Yangzi's aerial route and dragged him into a stubborn melee.

The endless tide of snakes pressed down from the front.

Tang Wulin stepped forward. Blue Silver Grass exploded from her right arm, vines spreading wildly and stretching across the front of the team, weaving into a thick wall of grass.

The dense snake phantoms crashed into the Blue Silver Grass, exploding and regenerating without end. They clung tightly to Tang Wulin, draining her Soul Power.

In an instant, Class One had completely locked down the battle.

Battlefield control, aerial combat, suppression—the three fronts worked in perfect coordination.

Cheers exploded from the stands.

"Class One's rhythm is too steady!"

"Class Five is getting crushed! They can't hold on!"

In the teachers' section, Kong Hanwen's lips curled upward. "It's only a matter of time before it ends."

Just when everyone believed Class Five would be slowly worn down to death.

Class One's true killing move took shape.

Wang Jinxi, who had been defending steadily without moving, lit up both soul rings.

"Zhang Yangzi! Fusion skill!"

Zhang Yangzi, who was tangled in aerial combat, immediately broke away and returned to position.

The Soul Power of the two great two-ring Soul Masters connected in an instant!

Jet-black eagle-wing Soul Power and ghastly white bone-dragon Soul Power fused with a thunderous crash. Black-and-white Soul Power exploded into the sky as a massive phantom condensed into form.

Dragon head, eagle wings, demonic dragon-bone body!

Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Dark Hawk Dragon!

The four-meter-tall phantom hovered over the arena, its ferocious might soaring to the heavens as its pressure instantly blanketed the entire venue.

The entire audience fell silent.

A Martial Soul Fusion Skill from two two-ring Soul Masters.

They had used it right at the start.

Class One's strategy was laid bare.

Wei Xiaofeng controlled the entire field to lock down movement, Zhang Yangzi entangled and restrained their opponents, then Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi would use their fusion skill for a focused explosive strike, instantly taking down Gu Yue!

As long as Gu Yue fell, Class Five's elemental system would collapse immediately, and the other three would be powerless to turn things around.

This was Class One's strategy. They had not underestimated Class Five, because Class Five with Lin Xun and Gu Yue was actually very formidable. Even though the Martial Soul Fusion Skill carried tremendous costs and risks, it was well worth it if it could instantly shatter Class Five's formation.

The Dark Hawk Dragon's scarlet eyes locked onto Gu Yue. With a beat of its wings, it dove down with crushing force!

Its speed, strength, and oppressive presence all surged to their peak!

Tang Wulin's expression changed drastically. Blue Silver Grass surged forward at full force to intercept it, but she was far too late.

Everyone believed this attack would instantly defeat its target.

In the arena, Gu Yue finally raised her eyes.

The six elements around her awakened at once.

Wind, fire, space, light, earth, water.

The six elements flowed around her in an instant, merging together.

They formed only a dazzling elemental barrier before her.

The next moment.

The Dark Hawk Dragon came crashing down!

Boom!

Violent black-and-white Soul Power battered the barrier furiously, making the shield tremble violently.

Yet it would not break.

The six elements reinforced and countered one another, perfectly dispersing force, balancing it, and cushioning the impact.

A top-tier two-ring Martial Soul Fusion Skill was firmly endured by Gu Yue alone!

Every spectator was dumbfounded.

The smile on Kong Hanwen's face froze instantly.

At the moment when the fusion skill was locked in a stalemate and Class One's two main fighters were completely tied down.

Gu Yue moved again, breaking the deadlock. Green wind-element energy erupted beneath her feet, and a powerful current of air lifted her steadily into the sky.

Heavy earth-yellow Soul Power surged from her left hand, while deep-blue, bone-chilling ice gleamed in her right.

Azure wind, thick earth, frigid ice.

The three colors of elemental power intertwined in an instant.

Centered on Gu Yue, an elemental storm several meters wide abruptly took shape.

Broken rocks and shards of ice were swept up by the wild wind, spinning and slicing at high speed within the storm, their shrill whistles tearing through the air.

Above the arena hung what looked like a gigantic, crazily rotating storm of slaughter.

On the other side, the Dark Hawk Dragon came diving down with violent Soul Power, smashing into it.

Its massive dragon head plunged straight into the heart of the storm.

Hard dragon bones and sharp bone spikes collided madly against high-speed shards of stone and ice.

The Dark Hawk Dragon's impact was immensely powerful, forcefully warping the storm again and again.

Countless ice crystals shattered and scattered, while chunks of stone exploded across the ground.

But Gu Yue yielded not an inch.

Whenever a gap was broken through, new earth and ice elements immediately filled it.

Back and forth, they bit into each other without letting go.

The Martial Soul Fusion Skill Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi had pushed with all their strength was locked in the air by Gu Yue alone.

It could not break through the storm by advancing, yet retreating would mean surrendering its offensive momentum. It was completely trapped in an impossible position, locked in a stalemate with its opponent.

The aerial battlefield had been completely stabilized.

On the ground, the battle had already reached a fever pitch.

The Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul fully erupted!

Her dark-red hair flew wildly in the fierce wind. The girl suddenly lowered her center of gravity, afterimages flickering continuously around her as her speed instantly surpassed the limits of what the naked eye could track.

Instant dash!

Wu Siduo knew clearly that the only variable in the entire match, the only hidden danger, had never been Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, or even Gu Yue.

It was Lin Xun, who had been slacking off from beginning to end, standing motionless the entire time.

She had to break through him first!

Ghostly green claw light tore through the air, carrying a bone-piercing chill as it lunged straight at Lin Xun's face.

The entire audience saw only a blur. They could not make out her path of movement at all, only a streak of ghostly green light instantly crossing several meters.

Yet just as the wind from her claws was about to reach him.

Lin Xun, who had been standing still all along, quietly turned his right hand over. A Martial Soul capsule, entirely black and wreathed in a faint ghostly green glow, silently appeared in his palm.

Zhu Zhuqing, Hell Spirit Cat exclusive capsule!

Click.

It shattered silently.

Speed-type Soul Power from a top-tier Hell Spirit Cat instantly flooded into every limb and bone of Lin Xun's body.

His speed surged to the extreme!

Lin Xun's footwork changed in an instant, leaving only a faint afterimage where he stood.

Wu Siduo's fierce claw strike grabbed nothing but air!

Only the howl of the wind swept past as she missed completely.

Wu Siduo knew Lin Xun's one-ring abilities well, so she was not surprised. With their speeds evenly matched, it would be difficult to determine a winner in a short time.

Besides, she did not want to drag things out, much less probe him.

She had stepped onto this arena today for only one reason from the very beginning.

To beat Lin Xun up.

To settle every old score.

The next instant, the Soul Power around her suddenly went berserk.

The ghostly green Soul Power of the Hell Spirit Cat and the blazing white Soul Power of the White Tiger no longer alternated or performed their separate roles.

The two top-tier powers crashed violently against each other within her chest.

A visible vortex of Soul Power exploded around her.

Black and white halos merged together.

The girl's left eye was completely covered by a ghostly green vertical pupil, cold and uncanny. Her right eye condensed into a pure white tiger pupil, domineering and chilling.

Twin Martial Souls, self-fusion!

This was Wu Siduo's trump card. She needed no teammates and no damn compatibility—relying solely on her own extraordinary Martial Soul talent, she forcibly fused two top-tier Martial Souls.

The Dark Hawk Dragon locked in midair, the endlessly spinning elemental storm, and everyone locked in battle on the ground all seemed to be forcibly pinned down by this terrifying aura.

An enormous figure slowly raised its head. A cat's body, a tiger's skeleton, ghostly green patterns winding around snow-white fur.

A pair of mismatched eyes looked down upon the entire field.

A silent tiger's roar shook the surroundings.

Hell White Tiger!

Its true peak form!

"Did a basic attack really bait out an ultimate?" Lin Xun raised an eyebrow. Wu Siduo really wanted revenge if she was going this big right from the start.

Yet even in the face of such a powerful Martial Soul Fusion Skill, he remained standing where he was. Even the Hell Spirit Cat's power had dissipated.

His Martial Soul reverted to its gaudy pink appearance.

His second purple soul ring lit up, then instantly shattered.

But this time, it transformed into two capsules in his hands. One contained Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix, while the other contained Meng Hongchen's Vermilion-Eyed Golden Toad.

He held the two capsules between his fingers, then directly inserted them into the Sublimator.

"Ascend, fuse!"

Lin Xun shouted coldly, raising the Ex-Girlfriend Sword high.

"Combination Skill. Cold-Burning Poison-Reversal Sword!"