Hell White Tiger

"My heavens! A three-ring Soul Elder with a Mental Attribute, and nearly level forty at that! With soul rings configured like that too! Old Yan, the academy really recruited a once-in-a-century genius this time!"

"He defeated the team led by a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Elder so easily. It seems it isn't just his talent that's outstanding; even the quality of his martial soul is extremely high."

"Stop looking. No matter how long you stare or how envious you are, that student will never be given to you."

"No, did I show that I wanted that freshman? Was there any need to be so absolute?"

"Hmph. Whether you have your eye on him or not, he absolutely cannot be given to you. Give up on that idea!"

"Fine. Then give me that kid whose martial soul is an eye, and I'll turn around and leave immediately. I guarantee I won't lay a finger on those core disciples of your Martial Soul Department."

"I said no, and I mean no. If you hand over all the Main Team and Reserve Team slots from your Soul Guidance Department for this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament to our Martial Soul Department, then I might consider it."

"Fuck off! Yan Shaozhe, aren't you being shameless? You want our Soul Guidance Department's Shrek Seven Monsters slots for two tournaments just because of a Mental Attribute soul master at a dozen-something levels? What do you need so many slots for?! Aren't the six slots your Martial Soul Department already has enough for you to play around with?!"

"Yan the Skinflint! You're dreaming too big! You want our Soul Guidance Department's slots for two tournaments? Then give me that freshman on the stage whose martial soul is a sword! Just so happens that he has a Mental Attribute too."

Qian Duoduo had only blurted those words out in anger and had not given them much thought himself. Yet after hearing him, Yan Shaozhe actually lowered his head and fell into deep thought, seemingly seriously considering whether Qian Duoduo's suggestion was feasible.

Seeing this, Du Weilun could not help growing extremely nervous, afraid that Yan Shaozhe would make some outrageous decision.

Others might not know, but Du Weilun knew very well that Yan Shaozhe had a disciple who had failed to participate in the previous Reserve Team selection for some unknown reason. Judging by his age, that disciple happened to meet the requirements for this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament.

The seven members of this generation's Shrek Seven Monsters, the Main Team, had worked together for a long time. It would not be easy to remove any one of them, and six of them were genius disciples from the Martial Soul Department's Inner Court. If someone truly had to be removed, it would certainly be the sole student from the Soul Guidance Department.

On Douluo Continent, the relationship between teacher and student was not something formed casually. At times, the bond between disciple and teacher could be even closer than that between parents and children.

So Du Weilun was genuinely afraid that Yan Shaozhe would hand Jiang Yue over to the Soul Guidance Department for the sake of his own disciple, sending the top freshman to another department. No matter how he thought about it, it sounded utterly absurd.

"Dean..."

"That's enough, Weilun. I can still tell what matters more."

Yan Shaozhe interrupted Du Weilun before he could say anything else. He could still see the pros and cons of this matter clearly.

For every young soul master, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament was the best stage to display themselves before the entire continent. It was also where they could meet all kinds of geniuses from every corner of the land, an event that young soul masters absolutely could not afford to miss.

Naturally, his disciple Ma Xiaotao did not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity either. However, the participants for every tournament had already been decided five years earlier during the Reserve Team period. Even if there were later changes, they would never be major ones. If Ma Xiaotao wanted to compete, she would have to squeeze someone out of their slot.

Leaving aside how much objection the Soul Guidance Department would have if Yan Shaozhe openly gave his own disciple special treatment, Ma Xiaotao's current condition alone made it impossible for her to participate.

The Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul was undeniably powerful. Ma Xiaotao's talent was exceptional as well; despite the fatal flaw of evil fire, she had cultivated to the rank of a high-level Soul Emperor before turning twenty. Yet it was precisely because of that evil fire that she could not focus wholeheartedly even on cultivation now, let alone battle.

The tournament would begin around this time next year. Unless they found an ice-attributed soul master whose martial soul quality approached Ultimate Ice within this near year, or Ma Xiaotao evolved into Ultimate Fire, she could not possibly represent Shrek in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament.

"Our Martial Soul Department has six whole slots. We do not need your Soul Guidance Department's slots, and I hope your Soul Guidance Department will stop setting its sights on our Martial Soul Department's students."

"Even if you have your eye on that freshman whose martial soul is an eye and want him to join the Soul Guidance Department, you'll have to wait until after his third year."

After saying this, Yan Shaozhe waved for Du Weilun to follow him, leaving Qian Duoduo and Fan Yu behind in the stands.

The Freshman Assessment finals were about to begin. Yan Shaozhe still had plenty to handle. Aside from the four Soul Elder students who had already been designated as core disciples, he still needed to carefully consider the remaining core disciples and prospective core disciples. He did not have the time to argue with Qian Duoduo here.

That afternoon, at the assessment area's final Freshman Assessment venue, the two teams from Class Five successfully met in the finals. If anyone in the Outer Court was happiest now, it was undoubtedly the homeroom teacher of Freshman Class Five.

The champion and runner-up of an entire Freshman Assessment both came from his class. That would add a bold and brilliant stroke to his record.

Dai Huabin stood with Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie behind him, the two girls watching Jiang Yue across from them intently.

Lu Bei and Zuo Fan had the lowest cultivation among those present. Neither Cui Yajie nor Zhu Lu considered them worthy opponents, so they were somewhat casual.

Unlike the two girls on his team, Dai Huabin looked at Jiang Yue with anger, resentment, and, more than anything else, wariness.

Dai Huabin found it impossible to forget everything that had happened in Dormitory 208 last time. He simply could not understand why he had been completely unable to fight back against Jiang Yue.

Even now, he had not figured out why the amplification effects of his first and third soul skills had transferred onto Jiang Yue. He had not understood it even after watching Jiang Yue's match against Ning Tian and the others yesterday. He could only attribute it to Jiang Yue's ability.

Normally, an amplifying soul skill, especially one from a beast martial soul master, should only be able to affect the martial soul's owner no matter what. Yet Jiang Yue before him seemed to have turned that rule into a joke.

This ability was exactly what made Dai Huabin so wary, because the White Tiger Martial Soul relied heavily on its own amplifying soul skills to display its strength.

"State your names!"

"Freshman Class Five, Jiang Yue, Lu Bei, Zuo Fan."

"Freshman Class Five, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Cui Yajie."

The referee spread his arms, signaling both sides to retreat to the edges of the arena.

Because the final arena was so large, both sides quickly appeared somewhat small in each other's eyes.

"The match begins!"

As the referee lowered his right arm, his announcement reached everyone present.

After activating their martial souls, Zuo Fan and Lu Bei charged rapidly toward Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie. Dai Huabin's team did the same. As he ran, Dai Huabin saw Jiang Yue's completely relaxed expression and felt his anger flare. The White Tiger Martial Soul instantly possessed him, and with two yellow and one purple soul rings behind him, he charged at Jiang Yue.

Cui Yajie completed her Nine-Tailed Fox Martial Soul Possession. In an instant, she seemed several years older, her aura becoming incomparably seductive. Her first soul ring flashed, and she cast a flirtatious glance at Lu Bei and Zuo Fan.

Red appeared in the two boys' eyes. Just as Zhu Lu thought Cui Yajie's charm skill had taken effect, Zuo Fan and Lu Bei tensed every muscle in their bodies and boldly attacked the two beautiful girls before them.

As the one who had cast the charm, Cui Yajie could see that the two before her differed from those she had charmed in the past. They did not have that strange, soul-stolen look. Instead, they seemed to radiate killing intent, as though they wanted to chop her into pieces.

The moment she realized something was wrong, Cui Yajie immediately activated her second soul skill. Two tails extended behind her, stabbing toward Zuo Fan's neck, only to be easily blocked by the round shield in his hand.

By the time Zhu Lu realized something was wrong, it was already somewhat too late. She could only rely on the speed of the Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul to hastily adjust her body, her sharp claws stabbing toward Lu Bei's hands, which had transformed into hooves.

Cui Yajie's martial soul was the Nine-Tailed Fox. Though her spiritual power could not compare with that of a Mental Attribute soul master, charming Zuo Fan and Lu Bei should not have been a problem.

Unfortunately for her, Zuo Fan and Lu Bei had Jiang Yue behind them, someone capable of controlling emotions. Before rage, what was that little bit of charm worth?

Facing the tiger paw swinging at him, Jiang Yue suddenly thrust out his right hand and collided with Dai Huabin's paw. They only held for a moment before Dai Huabin staggered backward several steps uncontrollably, his entire arm going numb.

Jiang Yue pressed his advantage. The sword light of the Passionate Sword grew ever larger in Dai Huabin's eyes, sending a chill through his entire body. Only when the blade was less than a meter away did he realize he could not let it hit him.

Dai Huabin immediately activated his first soul skill. Hastily mobilizing his Soul Power forced him to expend even more Soul Power to activate the White Tiger Protective Barrier.

Remembering what had happened last time and realizing that the White Tiger Protective Barrier before him might be turned into Jiang Yue's soul skill, Dai Huabin did not dare remain where he was. The moment the Passionate Sword struck the White Tiger Protective Barrier, he stomped hard on the ground and rapidly retreated.

Unlike Jiang Yue, who had steadily gained the upper hand, Zuo Fan and Lu Bei could not make up for the gap in Soul Power between the two sides even after Jiang Yue had provoked their rage.

Seeing his two teammates fall into a disadvantage, Jiang Yue pointed at Cui Yajie and Zhu Lu from afar. The Anger Sword and Sorrow Sword immediately flew out from the soul rings behind him, blocking Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie and deflecting all their attacks.

The flying swords that had suddenly appeared before them left Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie at a loss. The two swords seemed to possess minds of their own. Though no one held them, they could block the girls' attacks at the most suitable moments and from the best angles, even launching counterattacks.

In an instant, the tides of offense and defense reversed. Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie could only retreat continuously, barely protecting themselves from harm.

Rage. Unprovoked rage suddenly surfaced in Cui Yajie and Zhu Lu's minds. It was not their emotion, but Dai Huabin's!

They had just been struck by Jiang Yue's attacks. Although they had not suffered any serious injuries, the fact that they had been harmed was enough to fulfill the condition for them to become targets of Jiang Yue's second soul skill.

At this moment, the three of them could sense each other's emotions. Yet the rage in Dai Huabin's heart had already caused him to lose some of his reason. Coupled with the worry he already felt over how to defeat Jiang Yue, an emotion very similar to the anxiety Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie carried, he failed to notice the emotions that had suddenly appeared in his mind.

While blocking Zhu Lu's attack, the brown Nether Sword emitted waves of spiritual power that low-level soul masters could not possibly detect, influencing Zhu Lu's emotions.

If there was only one variable on the field capable of turning the situation around, it was undoubtedly the Hell White Tiger that Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu could unleash.

The power of a Martial Soul Fusion Skill was not as simple as one plus one equaling two. A Martial Soul Fusion Skill unleashed by a Soul Elder and a Soul Grandmaster would certainly be stronger than the Lan Sisters' Heavenly Net.

Martial Soul Fusion Skills were things one could encounter only by chance. Since he had never encountered or tested one before, Jiang Yue could not be certain whether his third soul skill would affect the Hell White Tiger, so he decided to act early.

"You dare get distracted while fighting me?!"

"You really don't take me seriously!"

"I've always treated defeated opponents this way."

Clang!

Before Jiang Yue, who had reached the Three Apertures Heart and could split his attention three ways at once, Dai Huabin's sneak attack was clearly useless.

Blocking Dai Huabin's attack, Jiang Yue stepped forward in a flash and drove his knee fiercely toward Dai Huabin's abdomen. Dai Huabin's third and second soul rings lit up at the same time. Seeing this, faint spiritual power spread from the Passionate Sword.

Just as expected, his third soul skill did not affect himself. Dai Huabin immediately increased the Soul Power he poured into his second soul skill.

As the milky-white sphere of light accumulated in Dai Huabin's mouth and gradually took shape, the connection between Dai Huabin and his second soul ring became increasingly clear in Jiang Yue's eyes.

The Passionate Sword swept across Dai Huabin's body, leaving orderly streaks of blood across him. With a crack, his second soul ring, which had been pulsing, seemed to jam, and the connection between Dai Huabin and it was severed.

The white orb became a wild horse breaking free of its reins. The Soul Power sphere rapidly expanded, on the verge of exploding. The Passionate Sword vanished from Jiang Yue's hand, and as he bent slightly, he pushed both flower-shaped hands toward Dai Huabin's chin.

Crack!

"Huabin!"

The crisp sound of bone breaking and upper and lower teeth colliding rang out clearly. Then, boom! The incompletely formed White Tiger Fierce Light Wave exploded inside his mouth.

Blood immediately poured from the lower half of his face. Fortunately, the White Tiger Fierce Light Wave had not finished forming. Otherwise, that blow might have blown away half of Dai Huabin's head.

Seeing her fiancé in such a miserable state, Zhu Lu ignored the wounds the Nether Sword had inflicted on her. She transformed into a black shadow and caught Dai Huabin as he staggered backward, nearly smashing the back of his head into the ground.

The moment Dai Huabin saw Zhu Lu arrive beside him, he was overjoyed. Though the explosion left him only able to make muffled noises, he still had Soul Power in his body. His injuries were not severe enough for him to be eliminated just like that.

Dai Huabin spread his arms. After the White Tiger Martial Soul Possession, the muscles all over his body swelled dramatically once more, while white fur and black tiger stripes surged wildly out from within him.

Zhu Lu's body became somewhat translucent. Covered in a faint black glow, she hugged Dai Huabin and leaned into his arms, as though she wanted to feel his heartbeat.

Zhu Lu's eyes were filled with tenderness and longing, but Dai Huabin showed no change at all. This was how they had always been whenever they unleashed their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

In the past, Zhu Lu had only thought it was due to Dai Huabin's personality, that he was simply not good at expressing his feelings. But this time, under the effect of Jiang Yue's second soul skill, Live and Die Together, she could clearly sense that Dai Huabin's heart was filled with rage and longing for power, but not even the slightest trace of love for her.

Even while he held her body in his embrace, even while their Soul Power and martial souls were merging, it was the same. It was as though Zhu Lu was merely an object for Dai Huabin to use when unleashing a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Impossible! Impossible! How could Huabin have no feelings for me?!

At that moment, it seemed as though a string in Zhu Lu's mind snapped. Her thoughts became hollow and blank, while the doubts she had once refused to believe surged forth uncontrollably. Her emotions became overwhelmed with anxiety, and she could not stop herself from overthinking.

Doubt. Refusal to believe. With such emotions, with their hearts no longer united despite their outward closeness, the fusion of their martial souls was much slower than before. Yet in the end, a gigantic white tiger over eight meters long and more than two meters tall at the shoulder still appeared in the assessment area.

Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Hell White Tiger!

However, the white tiger flickered between solid and illusory, looking extremely unstable.

A Martial Soul Fusion Skill was a fusion of both body and heart between soul masters. If there was a problem with the heart, how could the Martial Soul Fusion Skill not have problems too?