第28章 半决赛

The twelve freshmen who made it to the final four stood in formation.

Everyone noticed that the person in charge of the draw today was no longer Du Weilun, the director of the Martial Soul Department of the Outer Court.

Replacing him was a figure all three of them were incredibly familiar with—Yan Shaozhe.

Seeing the teacher, Ma Xiaotao's spirit became excited.

Director Du Weilun stood respectfully by his side at this moment.

Yan Shaozhe nodded gently toward Yue Ling's side before looking at the group.

"Greetings, young soul masters. I am Yan Shaozhe, the 261st dean of Shrek Academy." The white-robed old man said with a smile.

His temperament was very gentle, giving people the feeling of being nothing more than an ordinary old man.

None of the freshmen had expected the dean to appear here in person.

They dared not whisper, instead subconsciously straightening their backs and standing at attention.

The dean of Shrek Academy—what kind of status was that? As the dean of the continent's premier academy today, he held the qualifications to stand on equal footing with the emperors of any nation.

Moreover, the dean of Shrek Academy was inevitably a super powerhouse at the Title Douluo level! He was a truly top-tier existence on the Douluo Continent.

"I know you are curious as to why I have appeared here."

"That's right, generally speaking, even when the freshman assessment reaches its final stage, the presence of a vice dean is enough to show the academy's regard for you."

"But I must say, the performance of this freshman class has left me very satisfied."

"It is also the freshman class with the best talent in Shrek Academy in recent years."

"I became very interested in you after hearing about it, so I came here."

"Furthermore, I will watch all of your matches today. I hope you can show me some surprises. Alright, let the drawing begin."

Naturally, the dean could not host the drawing himself. Du Weilun hurriedly took over the task, but Dean Yan insisted on holding the drawing box for the freshmen himself. This immediately made every freshman feel their blood boiling.

This was a legendary super-expert! The dean of Shrek Academy! He was actually holding the drawing box for the freshmen.

The spirits of the students present were instantly ignited.

Yue Ling and his team were the last to draw.

It was not until everyone had finished that Du Weilun's voice was heard.

"Freshman Class One, Yue Ling's team, come up to draw."

Hearing this, Yue Ling walked up slowly, took a slip from the box, and handed it to Du Weilun.

"Freshman Class One, Yue Ling's team, draw number, two." He announced loudly.

Hearing the answer, Dai Yueheng could not help but give a bitter smile.

"Has it finally come? A civil war within Freshman Class One."

"Indeed, get ready. Don't let me take you down too easily." Yue Ling's team walked slowly toward the second area.

"Freshman Class One, Yue Ling, Power Attack System Tool Soul Grandmaster."

"Freshman Class One, Ma Xiaotao, Power Attack System Battle Soul Grandmaster."

"Freshman Class One, Gongyang Mo, Agility Attack System Battle Soul Grandmaster."

By the semifinals, the proctor had been replaced by an even older man. This person's aura was steady, and his strength was clearly not to be underestimated. He had obviously been sent as a powerful teacher specifically to prevent any errors during the match.

"Freshman Class One, Dai Yueheng, Power Attack System Battle Soul Grandmaster."

"Freshman Class One, Xixi, Agility Attack System Battle Soul Grandmaster."

"Freshman Class One, Shishi, Support System Tool Soul Grandmaster."

"The match begins!"

As the proctor's voice fell, the semifinal battle erupted immediately.

The moment the sound faded, soul rings lit up on Xixi instantly, and blue electric sparks crackled around her.

Her eyes turned into cold, leopard-like vertical pupils. Her figure sank, and her ten fingers instantly transformed into sharp leopard claws. Without the slightest pause, she lunged straight for Gongyang Mo in the back row.

Yue Ling's pupils shrank suddenly.

So fast!

He understood the opponent's tactics at this moment.

Dai Yueheng and Xixi had definitely studied their team's playstyle thoroughly in advance.

Don't touch Ma Xiaotao at the start, ignore Yue Ling, and make sure to take out Gongyang Mo in the first instance.

As long as he was knocked out of the arena, without his buffs, the combat power of the three of them would be cut in half, and the rest could be picked off one by one.

The intent was ruthless and the strategy was vicious, but... it was highly practical!

"First Soul Skill, Phoenix Fireline!"

Ma Xiaotao reacted extremely quickly. Flames erupted instantly, and a wall of fire blocked the middle of the arena, attempting to force Xixi to stop her charge.

But Dai Yueheng had been watching her the whole time.

"Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Intense Light Wave!"

A pure white beam of light whistled out, colliding head-on with the Phoenix Fireline, forcefully blocking Ma Xiaotao's fiery obstruction and pinning her movements down.

"Damn it!" While being restrained, Ma Xiaotao couldn't help but try to attack Xixi.

In this split second of an opening!

"Second Soul Skill, Thunder Flash!"

Xixi was wrapped in blue electric light, her speed pushed to the limit. Her figure flashed, crossing the fire wall and Ma Xiaotao's blockade directly. She gave no one a chance to recover, rushing straight toward Gongyang Mo at the very back.

"First Soul Skill, Thunder Leopard Claw!"

Electric light coiled around her claws, and the sharp blades carried numbing electricity, possessing immense lethality.

Even though Xixi was only a two-ringed soul master, this extreme speed combined with her lightning assault posed a threat no less than that of a soul grandmaster.

She completely ignored Yue Ling, who was rushing over to provide support. She had only one target in her eyes—to instantly crush Gongyang Mo and knock him out of the arena.

Watching the electric leopard claws slashing toward him, Gongyang Mo panicked. The speed was too fast to react, and he subconsciously closed his eyes, his entire body tensing up.

Just as the killing blow against the support-type soul master was about to land!

At the critical moment, Yue Ling recovered. He gritted his teeth, having no time to hesitate.

"First Soul Skill, Heavenly Chrysanthemum Body Protection!"

A pale golden light instantly covered his entire body. A hard chrysanthemum-light protective shield formed. Ignoring the momentum of his charge, he forcefully pulled himself back, placing himself directly in front of Gongyang Mo.

Xixi's lightning-charged leopard claws slammed into the golden protective shield!

Boom!

Electric sparks exploded, and dust scattered.

The impact of the extreme speed made Yue Ling's body tremble violently. He retreated two steps, but he held firm against the fatal blow without yielding an inch.

Before Xixi could retract her move, Yue Ling's second purple soul ring lit up instantly!

"Second Soul Skill, Falling Blossom Storm!"

The Wonder-Silk Heavenly Chrysanthemum shimmered with golden light, transforming into a flurry of flower blades that tightly surrounded Yue Ling and Gongyang Mo, leaving no chance for Xixi to launch a sneak attack.

She ran around the perimeter, attempting to find a weak point in the flower blades to continue her assault.

Unfortunately, she forgot about the controllability of Yue Ling's flower blades.

Seeing the blades constantly moving toward Shishi, Xixi's expression changed drastically. She never expected the opponent to react to such a degree, forcefully cutting off her opening kill.

"Damn it! The plan has changed."

At the sidelines, Dai Yueheng's expression darkened. He immediately pressed forward, batting away the flower blades heading toward Shishi.

His third soul skill lit up instantly!

"Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"

White light flared around him, his body instantly growing a size larger, his muscles bulging, and the white tiger fur all over his body standing on end. His strength and defense doubled instantly, and his presence surged sharply.

"We can't drag this out, Shishi!"

Hearing Dai Yueheng's voice, on the other side, the last student of the opposing team, Shishi, immediately completed her martial soul possession.

Her martial soul was a lollipop, and two yellow soul rings lit up steadily.

"First Soul Skill, Sweet and Sour Power Candy!"

Xixi retreated rapidly upon hearing this.

At this moment, an orange-red lollipop appeared in Shishi's hand.

"Hey!"

She threw it with force, and the two of them reached out to catch it, popping it into their mouths without hesitation.

Their tongues licked the candy frantically, and the sweetness gradually turned into soul power, slowly spreading throughout their bodies.

As the sweetness filled them, Dai Yueheng and Xixi both received a small boost in strength, instantly stabilizing their subsequent offensive.