Two Against One

Gu Qingbo lowered her head and said softly, "Thank you, Teacher."

"Yu Hairou, your Coral Fish Wall is an extremely practical defensive skill, and your defensive awareness is very solid. You didn't panic when facing Gu Qingbo's three-stage clone ambush, and you were able to identify the real body in the shortest time possible."

"But you have one fatal problem."

"Please tell me, Teacher."

"That problem is that you're too passive. Throughout the entire battle, you were defending from start to finish. Your only proactive attack was the pursuit after blocking the Water-Splitting Thorn, but the follow-up was clearly lacking in force."

Yu Hairou scratched the back of her head and grinned. "Teacher's criticism is right."

"Mm. Next group."

Half an hour later... the previous one-on-one and two-on-two battles had gradually concluded.

Ling Shuang's evaluations were concise and sharp, every sentence striking at the heart of the matter.

As the final two-on-two battle between an auxiliary-type Soul Master and a battle Soul Master came to an end, Ling Shuang's gaze passed over the crowd and settled on the three people in the waiting area.

"Alright, all the previous groups are finished."

"Next comes the main event."

The atmosphere across the entire training ground abruptly changed.

The students, who had grown somewhat relaxed after watching battle after battle, all straightened up and turned in unison toward the three figures in the waiting area.

"Let's go up."

With that, Wu Changkong strode toward the Spirit Battle Platform.

Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu followed behind him, one on each side.

Wu Changkong stopped at the center of the Spirit Battle Platform, then turned to face the two girls opposite him.

He raised his right hand, his fingers slightly spread, and released his Martial Soul, the Skyfrost Sword.

The blade was entirely snow-white, its edge razor-sharp and gleaming with biting cold.

Three Millennium Soul Rings lit up beneath his feet in succession.

The entire training ground gradually fell silent.

Those students who had seen Wu Changkong instantly defeat Yu Tianxin a few days ago were better off, but nearly half the class had never personally seen him release his Martial Soul.

They had only heard that Wu Changkong possessed three Millennium Soul Rings. But that had only been hearsay—now, the truth stood right before them.

"Three Millennium Soul Rings... it really is true..."

"I thought people were exaggerating before. How could a Soul Master's first Soul Ring possibly be a millennium-old one? The body simply couldn't withstand it."

"But look at him. They're really Millennium Soul Rings. All three of them."

"How did he even do it? My first Soul Ring was only four hundred years old, and it nearly hurt me to death..."

"No wonder Yu Tianxin got taken out in one strike. With a Soul Ring configuration like that, he could probably win even against opponents above his rank, let alone those at the same level."

Startled exclamations spread through the students one after another.

Xue Wu stood opposite Wu Changkong with her arms folded. Her gaze swept over the students below who were chattering excitedly, and a sour feeling rose in her heart.

"He's stolen all the attention. The two of us are standing here like we're invisible."

Shui Bing'er curled her lips, a flicker of fighting spirit flashing through her eyes.

"Then we'll take the attention back. Ice Phoenix!"

At that moment, a phoenix cry rang throughout the entire training ground.

Behind Shui Bing'er, an ice-blue phoenix with a crystalline body spread its wings.

Its crest stood tall, its tail feathers were long, and when it spread its wings, it stirred up a cold wind before circling once above the Spirit Battle Platform.

Two Century Soul Rings and one Millennium Soul Ring lit up beneath her feet in succession.

The pressure of a top-tier ice-type beast Martial Soul was released without restraint, colliding in the center of the Spirit Battle Platform with the chill of Wu Changkong's Skyfrost Sword.

"So beautiful..."

"The Ice Phoenix is really gorgeous. Those feathers look real."

"The vice class monitor's Martial Soul is so magnificent. No wonder it's a top-tier beast Martial Soul. Just looking at it makes it feel incredibly powerful."

Just as everyone's attention was drawn to the Ice Phoenix, Xue Wu also released her Martial Soul.

Unlike Shui Bing'er, she did not make a grand display. She merely raised her right hand, palm facing upward.

A hexagonal snowflake spun as it rose from her palm.

"Snowforged Silken Dance... Xue Wu's Martial Soul is that snowflake?" someone below asked softly.

"It's a tool Martial Soul—a hexagonal snowflake. I've seen it once before."

"It isn't as magnificent as the Ice Phoenix, but it's so exquisite. And it has this indescribable sharpness to it."

"One Ice Phoenix, one snowflake Martial Soul, and one Skyfrost Sword. The three strongest people in our class are all ice-type. What kind of immortal battle is this?"

The discussion among the students below grew more and more animated.

Then Ling Shuang frowned and rebuked them, and the previously excited students immediately fell quiet.

"Are you three ready?"

"Ready."

At Ling Shuang's command, Wu Changkong moved first.

He didn't use any unnecessary tricks. He simply gripped the Skyfrost Sword and charged straight at the two girls opposite him, moving as fast as lightning.

Xue Wu's third Soul Ring lit up beneath her feet. "Third Soul Skill, Ice and Snow."

In an instant, a biting cold wave swept outward in all directions with Xue Wu at its center.

The temperature across the entire Spirit Battle Platform plummeted by at least thirty degrees in a single moment, and thick ice mist filled the air.

The watching students below all shuddered. Several girls standing closer instinctively pulled their academy uniforms tighter around themselves.

This was an exceptionally rare auxiliary Soul Skill.

Ordinary auxiliary-type Soul Masters generally had Soul Skills focused on strengthening their teammates.

For example, increasing attack power, boosting speed, restoring Soul Power... but Xue Wu was completely different.

Her third Soul Skill weakened the enemy's condition over an area.

Within the range covered by this Ice and Snow Domain, the enemy's movement speed, attack speed, and Soul Power circulation efficiency would all be heavily suppressed. The cold would also continuously erode the opponent's Soul Power protection.

Wu Changkong immediately felt countless streams of extreme cold surging in from every direction, trying to burrow into his meridians and bones.

But for Wu Changkong, who was also ice-type, the effect was far less pronounced.

The cold invading his body was drawn by his sword intent into the blade instead, making the Skyfrost Sword even stronger.

"As expected, the ice attribute's effect on him is greatly reduced," Xue Wu murmured from behind.

Her Ice and Snow Domain was already partially resisted by ice-type Soul Masters, and Wu Changkong's ice attribute was clearly no ordinary ice attribute.

Wu Changkong gave them little time to think.

"First Soul Skill, Frostmark."

A crescent-shaped ice-blue sword aura tore through the air. Thin as a moonlit arc and swift as a flash, it swept horizontally toward Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu.

"Watch out."

Wu Changkong said this at the same time he swung his sword.

It wasn't a provocation, but a sincere warning.

Shui Bing'er stood before Xue Wu. Her first Soul Ring lit up at the same time, and her wings snapped open.

"Don't underestimate us."

"First Soul Skill, Ice Seal."

The Ice Phoenix's right wing violently swept toward Wu Changkong.

That single sweep could already freeze everything within several meters, but under the enhancement of Xue Wu's Ice and Snow Domain, both the speed and range of Ice Seal were strengthened to the extreme.

The cold wind unleashed by the phoenix's wing merged with Xue Wu's icy environment, forming a visible ice-blue shockwave that met Wu Changkong's Frostmark sword aura head-on.

The two attacks collided in midair with a thunderous boom.

The Frostmark sword aura was forcibly stopped by the Ice Seal shockwave, while Ice Seal's remaining force continued unabated, flowing back along the path of the sword aura and freezing the air before Wu Changkong.