"Let's watch the match first. I hope they can win this fight."
At the District 13 arena.
Yue Ling's team and Ling Luochen's team stood on opposite sides.
Their formation looked ordinary: Ma Xiaotao stood at the front, with Gongyang Mo and Yue Ling at the two corners.
Yue Ling had a trick up his sleeve. His Martial Soul was the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, so the opposing team would surely mistake him for a Control Type Spirit Master and misjudge him.
The other side, by contrast, had clearly discussed its formation in advance.
Chen Zifeng stood in the front row, facing Ma Xiaotao. Ling Luochen and Yao Haoxuan stayed close together, allowing them to protect their support teammate while coordinating control and attack.
Across from them stood Ling Luochen, Chen Zifeng, and Yao Haoxuan of Freshman Class 2.
Ling Luochen drew the eye most. Tall and slender, with snow-white skin and long black hair falling over her shoulders, she had icy-blue eyes so cold that a mere glance at her sent a chill through anyone who looked.
Chen Zifeng was lean, nowhere near as burly as Dai Yueheng. He was handsome, but his cool expression made him look difficult to deal with.
Of the three, only Yao Haoxuan looked easygoing. He smiled and waved at Gongyang Mo.
Gongyang Mo raised a hand in reply.
Seeing that both sides were in position, Zhou Yi nodded lightly. "The assessment begins!"
As her words fell, both sides released their Martial Souls.
A blooming Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum appeared in Yue Ling's hand, but the Spirit Rings lighting up beneath his feet instantly drew every gaze.
"Purple! A Thousand-Year Soul Ring for his second ring! A Soul Elder!" Zhou Yi's pupils contracted. Only two words remained in her mind: A genius!
Ma Xiaotao completed her Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul possession. Scorching flames surged around her and blasted outward, making even Chen Zifeng frown.
Gongyang Mo's Martial Soul was the most dazzling.
Seven-Colored Dragon Wings spread behind him. His long hair shimmered with seven brilliant colors, fine white dragon scales appeared across his skin, and the phantom of a seven-colored dragon circled him.
The sight was breathtaking. His opponents and even Zhou Yi, the referee, froze. For a moment, he even stole Yue Ling's thunder, but no one dared underestimate their team.
Two yellow Spirit Rings and one purple Spirit Ring slowly rose.
The watching students soon realized the crucial point: all three members of this team were Soul Elders!
Ling Luochen and Yao Haoxuan went pale when they saw the opposing lineup.
Their entire team did not have a single Soul Elder.
With such a huge gap in Soul Power, they could only rely on tactics and Soul Skills to find an opening, lure their opponents into exposing a weakness, and defeat them one by one!
Ling Luochen thought quickly: The orange-gold-haired boy is holding a flower. He should be a Control Type Spirit Master. I'll keep him in check!
The thought had barely formed when Ma Xiaotao charged straight at Chen Zifeng, both fists wrapped in blazing fire.
The battle began in earnest.
"First Soul Skill: Sharp!"
A yellow Spirit Ring coiled around the Soul-Chasing Sword. The blood-red blade's edge surged, becoming a crimson streak that stabbed toward Ma Xiaotao.
Fist and blade collided again and again. With the boost from his Soul Skill, Chen Zifeng barely held his ground despite his disadvantage in Soul Power.
"Yao Haoxuan, help Chen Zifeng!"
"Got it! First Soul Skill: Battle Intent!"
Yao Haoxuan activated his Martial Soul. His body abruptly swelled to over four meters tall, his shoulders spanning a full three meters. His muscles bulged, heavy iron-gray hornlike armor covered him from head to toe, and his eyes turned dark green. He looked like a giant ape looming over the arena.
Yue Ling was mildly surprised. A Beast Martial Soul with such a ferocious presence was actually Support Type.
Pale red halos enveloped Chen Zifeng and Ling Luochen. Chen Zifeng grew visibly more excited under the boost, and his sword strikes became markedly faster.
Yue Ling watched the two locked in combat, his heart tightening. Ma Xiaotao's Soul Skills favored long-range attacks. Trading barehanded blows with a blood-red sword put her at a severe disadvantage. Making her hold the front line really was asking a lot of her.
He turned and shouted, "Gongyang Mo, support Xiaotao!"
"On it!"
"First Soul Skill: Crimson Power! Third Soul Skill: Yellow Speed!"
Two support halos descended on the arena, boosting both Yue Ling and Ma Xiaotao. She smiled faintly. Her flames blazed fiercer, her punches sped up dramatically, and she fought Chen Zifeng to a standstill.
Although Chen Zifeng was behind Ma Xiaotao in Soul Power, and both were Power Attack Type, their roles within their teams were quite different. His Soul-Chasing Sword was a deep blood-red from end to end, not the red of fire. It carried a dense, bloody killing aura, like mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
His swordsmanship was formidable, too. Even against an opponent with clear advantages in Soul Power and support boosts, he could hold out for a while.
"Come on! Again!"
Fire surged around Ma Xiaotao, and she opened her mouth to unleash a rolling wave of heat.
"First Soul Skill: Phoenix Fireline!"
Ling Luochen's pupils contracted. We can't stay locked in a stalemate!
"First Soul Skill: Ice Staff! Second Soul Skill: Ice Shield Wall!"
A crystal staff formed, and a thick wall of ice rose from the ground. Scorching flames struck the wall, and dense white mist instantly spread across the arena.
Using the thick mist to hide her movements, Ling Luochen swiftly condensed several ice crystals and shot them straight at Yue Ling.
Zhou Yi's heart leaped into her throat. The white mist blocked his view, and the ice crystals were so fast they would be hard to dodge. But she had underestimated Yue Ling's vigilance and mental strength.
"First Soul Skill: Heavenly Chrysanthemum Body Protection."
Yue Ling spoke in a low voice. The phantom of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum appeared behind him, and his Martial Soul glowed gold. A protective barrier wrapped tightly around his entire body. The incoming ice crystals struck it without leaving so much as a crack.
Ling Luochen seethed with frustration, and a trace of despair rose in her heart.
Damn it! We're both twelve. Why is his Soul Power Level so much higher?
But she had no intention of giving up.
Yue Ling remained calm. He did not underestimate his opponents because of his Soul Power advantage, and his eyes stayed fixed on Ling Luochen. Taking down their support first was his team's tactic.
"Xiaotao!"
"Got it!"
Ma Xiaotao's eyes lit up, and the Evil Fire Phoenix behind her let out a long cry. Dark red flames rose around her and wound about her body. Her pale pink eyes deepened to scarlet.
A pair of enormous phoenix wings spread from her back, formed of fire with blazing red light flowing along their edges. Behind her, the huge phantom of a dark red phoenix appeared and circled.
"Third Soul Skill: Phoenix Wings Soaring to the Heavens!"
"A flying Soul Skill! This is bad!"
"First Soul Skill: Phoenix Fireline!"
Scorching flames swept toward Ling Luochen and Yao Haoxuan. Though the strike was only a test, it was still nothing they could take lightly.
"Second Soul Skill: Ice Shield Wall!"
The towering, blazing flames met the ice wall once more, producing a thick cloud of white mist.
Yue Ling had to give them credit. The Class 2 teacher had divided the team's roles with great precision. Chen Zifeng and his Soul-Chasing Sword led the attack, Yao Haoxuan and his support-type Beast Martial Soul backed him up, and Ling Luochen controlled the field while defending with her second Soul Skill. It made for a remarkably clever lineup.
But their luck is terrible. Too bad they ran into us.
White mist spread across the arena, giving Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo natural cover.
Under these conditions, Yao Haoxuan let out an angry roar.
"Second Soul Skill: Mental Shock!"
His second yellow Spirit Ring lit up. Yao Haoxuan growled, and a ring of faint, translucent sound waves rippled outward. An invisible mental impact swept over his opponents, making their heads throb and their minds tremble. Their movements slowed against their will.
Yue Ling was startled. He could not just sit there and wait to be beaten!
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