Home Run

Both sides arrived on the arena early, and only then did Du Weilun fly down from the spectator stands.

The two sides announced their names.

"Yao Shi, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao."

"Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Cui Yajie."

He stood between the two teams and said gravely, "You will now proceed to the finals. The rules have changed somewhat. To allow you to display your full strength, you may go all out during the match. There is no need to hold back. I will personally control the extent of the battle. Do you understand?"

"Understood."

Both sides answered in unison, followed immediately by Du Weilun declaring the match had begun.

The two sides instantly widened the distance between them as all six released their Martial Souls.

Cui Yajie was the first to attack. Under Martial Soul Possession, a pair of fox ears grew from her head, and she used her spiritual soul skill, Charm, on Wang Dong. Unfortunately, before the attack could reach Wang Dong, it was dispelled by the energy radiating from Yao Shi's body.

"What? My attack just vanished like that?"

Seeing her Charm disappear several meters away from Wang Dong, Cui Yajie cried out in shock.

"Be careful. Any opponent who reached the finals with an undefeated streak like ours can't be weak."

Zhu Lu reminded the other two to be wary of their opponents. Cui Yajie took the warning to heart, but Dai Huabin, the son of the White Tiger Duke, was far too proud.

Three soul rings—two yellow and one purple—appeared beneath his feet. With a roar of "White Tiger Possession," he lunged at Yao Shi's group. Seeing that she could not stop him, Zhu Lu, in her Hell Civet state, hurried after Dai Huabin and fought alongside him.

How could Yao Shi allow the two of them to get close? After telling Wang Dong to deal with Cui Yajie first while he and Xiao Xiao temporarily held back Dai Huabin, he acted.

A wall of vines woven from several thick tendrils instantly rose up. Dai Huabin's claw only left several marks on it, while Xiao Xiao seized the chance to use her first and second soul skills, blasting the two of them away.

Taking advantage of the brief moment when the two were stunned, Wang Dong swiftly flew toward Cui Yajie. The battlefield was immediately divided into a one-on-one and a two-on-two.

Cui Yajie's fox Martial Soul possessed traits of both spiritual and assault types, but she was not particularly fast. Wang Dong, though an assault-type soul master, was extremely swift in flight and reached Cui Yajie in an instant.

Her Wing Guillotine was about to slash down when Cui Yajie desperately launched Charm at Wang Dong. Since Yao Shi was too far away to dispel it, the skill unexpectedly succeeded.

Cui Yajie also used Wang Dong's brief daze to evade the attack.

"Huabin, get back and defend! Cui Yajie is in danger."

Zhu Lu and Dai Huabin had already recovered. Seeing that Cui Yajie was no match for Wang Dong, Zhu Lu hurriedly called out to Dai Huabin, who had been about to attack Yao Shi again.

"Tch, annoying pest."

Dai Huabin muttered a curse at Yao Shi's wall, then obediently followed Zhu Lu's words and turned back to support Cui Yajie.

"Wang Dong, come back!"

Seeing Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu rushing back, Yao Shi immediately called Wang Dong back. After their repeated battles over the past few days, Wang Dong now obeyed Yao Shi's words without question. Hearing him call, she immediately gave up on continuing her attack, circled around Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, and returned to Yao Shi's side. The battlefield shifted back into a three-on-three.

"Huabin, the enemy's defensive line formed by their support and control-type soul masters is difficult to break through. If we let Cui Yajie fight one-on-one, she'll definitely end up at a disadvantage. Then it will become three against two, and we'll have a high chance of losing. Should we use that move?"

After Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu returned to Cui Yajie's side, Zhu Lu analyzed the earlier situation and spoke to Dai Huabin.

Dai Huabin hesitated. As the dignified son of the White Tiger Duke, a three-ring Soul Elder, he actually had to use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill against three Soul Grandmasters.

But he only hesitated for an instant. With Cui Yajie still here, they could at least buy time to activate the fusion skill. If she were eliminated, they might truly lose.

Dai Huabin nodded and said, "All right. Cui Yajie, help me hold them off first."

Cui Yajie stepped forward to shield the two of them, while Dai Huabin pulled Zhu Lu over, retracted his Martial Soul, and slowly embraced her.

Seeing the formation on the other side, Yao Shi inwardly cursed.

"Xiao Xiao, Wang Dong, use all your soul skills to interrupt them! We can't let them complete the Martial Soul Fusion!"

"Wing Guillotine, Butterfly God's Light."

"Cauldron Shock, Cauldron's Swing."

Along with the thorns Yao Shi controlled as they thrust forward.

Cold sweat continuously trickled down Cui Yajie's forehead as she stood before Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu.

No, are you people seriously attacking like this? Am I supposed to risk my fucking life to buy you time?

Cui Yajie was not a defense-type soul master, so she did not dare use her body to block the skills. As a result, all those attacks struck Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, who were in the middle of using their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Three thunderous booms rang out, kicking up a cloud of dust.

When the dust dispersed, a towering white tiger appeared before everyone.

Damn it, transformation invincibility frames, no damage through smoke, every buff maxed out. Is that how it works?

Watching them successfully complete the fusion despite everything, Yao Shi grumbled inwardly.

The battle between both sides had now entered its fiercest stage.

Outside the arena, Du Weilun saw this and hesitated over whether to intervene. After all, the Hell White Tiger had appeared. Those three Soul Grandmasters were certainly no match for it.

Roar—

The Hell White Tiger's roar made many students with low Soul Power cover their ears, while Cui Yajie jumped off the arena to avoid being caught in the aftermath.

The enormous white tiger flashed forward and pounced at Yao Shi's group. The vine wall Yao Shi had erected earlier was effortlessly smashed apart.

"Xiao Xiao, Wang Dong, get behind me!" Yao Shi shouted. Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao immediately ducked behind him.

"Cauldron Shock."

Xiao Xiao used her soul skill in an attempt to stop the white tiger's advance, but it was sent flying away at once.

Meanwhile, Yao Shi continuously summoned vines and thorns, like a sovereign of plants.

Ten, a hundred, a thousand...

The vines and thorns continuously intertwined and coiled around one another, layer upon layer, compressing without end. They became increasingly dense and sturdy, gradually forming an enormous vine club dozens of meters long and four meters wide, covered in sharp hooked thorns like a spiked mace.

Everyone stared in stunned disbelief. Could a two-ring soul master control so many vines? And those vines had been summoned from thin air. Could the Soul Power possessed by a mere two-ring soul master truly accomplish this?

Yao Shi's lips curled slightly. "If I can't beat you, can't I still swat you away?"

"Take this!"

As soon as he spoke, Yao Shi swung the enormous spiked club at the Hell White Tiger. It was neither fast nor slow, but the vine club was massive enough.

Faced with the giant vine club covered in sharp spikes, even the Hell White Tiger did not dare meet it head-on and was forced to retreat again and again. But the arena was only so large, and Yao Shi soon forced them to its edge.

Seeing that one more step back would send it off the arena, the Hell White Tiger steeled itself.

I'll go for it!

It immediately prepared to counterattack, leaping into the air and pouncing toward Yao Shi.

Yao Shi could not help laughing when he saw this. "I never expected you to dare jump into the air. That really is a wonderful surprise."

The Hell White Tiger, suspended in midair, still did not understand what Yao Shi meant when the vine club appeared before it.

Unable to evade in midair, the Hell White Tiger was struck heavily by the thorn-covered club. Its hooked spikes dug into its fur, and its body was sent flying like a baseball.

"Home run!!"