The answer was no!
Although it looked like Xu Huxiao had broken away to face seven opponents alone, the enemy's straight-line formation and their all-out, possession-based assault created a problem.
Because of the distance between them, they could not focus fire and take him down instantly in a short time.
In other words, Xu Huxiao was actually facing only Yan and the Niu Hu Brothers.
And in a one-against-three head-on clash, even with his Soul Skills sealed, Xu Huxiao was certain to win with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and his abundant Soul Power, already comparable to that of a mid-level Soul Ancestor.
However, killing was not allowed on the Soul Fighting Arena. So although he could certainly win one against three, if he was delayed, his teammates would likely be dealt with by the other four Soul Grandmasters.
After all, Xie Yue was level nineteen, the Ao Siblings were only level seventeen, Yun Ji and Bao Jingjing were support types and did not count as combat power, while Hu Liena was a level-twenty control-type mage who had yet to obtain her second Soul Ring, so her combat ability was likewise limited.
Then he would be the only one left, just in time to turn the tide and show off his might?
No, no. That was not the outcome Xu Huxiao had hoped for.
At that moment.
The Niu Hu Brothers charged savagely from the left and right, while Yan's flaming fist followed close behind.
Enemies stood before him, teammates behind him, and there was nowhere to retreat in any direction.
Yet before the pincer attack from both sides could close in, Xu Huxiao vanished. Two body lengths behind where he had stood, Hu Liena's fiery fox tail swayed as her first Soul Ring lit up.
A semi-area control Soul Skill, Charm Light Wave!
Hu Liena swept her right hand horizontally, releasing a pink crescent-shaped light wave that perfectly struck all three at the very limit of its range.
At that distance, with the sudden light wave and their forward momentum, Yan and the Niu Hu Brothers had no chance of dodging. Instead, it was as though they had deliberately rushed into it.
Their bodies stiffened, and all three were stunned for one second.
After releasing the Charm Light Wave, Hu Liena swiftly dodged back.
One second was short. Yan quickly regained consciousness, but it had only stunned him for a second without causing any real damage. What was the point?
And where had Xu Huxiao gone?
The instant Yan's second question arose, what happened next answered both questions.
Roar!
A deep dragon roar sounded behind him, accompanied by a wave of force rippling through the ground.
Before Yan could even turn his head, a tremor and dizzying sensation surged up from beneath his feet again, cutting off his thoughts.
Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, Shocking a Hundred Miles!
Using that one second of control, Xu Huxiao had already leaped behind the three of them and was still in the motion of striking the ground. The reason this palm strike had not hit Yan directly—
Was because its control effect had stunned not only Yan, but also the Niu Hu Brothers beside him.
As Hu Liena calmly retreated, Xu Huxiao shouted, "Xie Yue, catch him!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Xu Huxiao's first Soul Ring flashed rapidly. Then he lifted himself and swept out a leg carrying faint dragon-shaped force at incredible speed.
Bang!
Divine Dragon Wags Its Tail!
His kick struck Yan in the lower back. It was fast and powerful, sending the still-stunned and rigid Yan flying into the air, directly toward Hu Liena's retreating direction.
But what awaited Yan was not another pink Charm Light Wave. It was Xie Yue, who had leaped forward with his first Soul Ring glowing.
First Soul Skill, Half Moon Slash!
The two enormous Moon Blades moved in Xie Yue's hands as easily as his own arms, slashing out one after another in a cross formation, sending tangible crescent-shaped attacks flying into the distance.
The target of the Cross Half Moon Slash was Yan, suspended in midair with his mind still reeling.
With the attacks linked so tightly together, Yan had no way to respond. The moment he broke free of the control, two fierce slashes howling through the air had already reached him.
He could not dodge!
He did not even have time to raise his arms. Yan's pupils contracted. Under normal circumstances, with his level-twenty Soul Power and Flame Demon Vajra Body, taking the attack head-on would not have been a problem.
But he could feel it—his first Soul Skill, the Flame Demon Vajra Body, was showing signs of shattering and dissipating!
The flames surrounding his Flame Lord possession had long since been scattered, and even the thick earthen-yellow barrier covering Yan's body was covered in cracks.
It was that kick, but how could it have been so powerful?!
What he did not know was that apart from Xu Huxiao's strength, which far surpassed that of his peers, the kick had been performed with Divine Dragon Wags Its Tail, the fastest and most explosive move in the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.
The essence of Divine Dragon Wags Its Tail was to lift heavy weight as though it were light. Its lightness lay in its lightning-fast, unpredictable speed, while its heaviness lay in the immense force unleashed in that instant.
Moreover, the force of that kick had been doubled by the Martial Dao Essence Realm.
Therefore, if he had not been forbidden from seriously injuring his opponent, Xu Huxiao's precise control over force meant that a full-powered kick would have severely damaged Yan's internal organs.
It would have left him with permanent aftereffects that would be difficult to heal for the rest of his life.
This was already the result of Xu Huxiao holding back.
Crack!
Before Yan could finish processing his thoughts, the first Half Moon Slash had already shattered the cracked layer of golden light covering his body.
His Soul Skill had been forcibly broken. The conflict and backlash of Soul Power inside Yan's body caused a spasmodic pain to tear through his chest, leaving him in extreme agony.
He was fully awake now, but he could not resist at all. A suffocating sense of danger came from the second Half Moon Slash following close behind.
Yan opened his mouth. The words "I surrender" had just reached his mind, but before he could shout them out, the Half Moon Slash tore open his team uniform and carved a long bloody gash across his chest.
Aah!
Blinding pain struck, and Yan screamed.
Xu Huxiao frowned at the referee-host. Seeing that she had not declared Yan eliminated, he immediately followed the falling Yan, and the dragon claw of Hidden Dragon Does Not Use appeared once more.
His second Soul Ring flashed.
He grabbed Yan by the calf. Dragon-shaped force flickered around him as his right leg swept across, directly flinging Yan out of the combat area.
Even if the referee did not announce it, after that kick and slash, Yan had completely lost his ability to fight.
This team Soul Fight was practically child's play. When there was a chance to kill with a single blow, he was forbidden from killing or crippling his opponents, leaving far too many restraints and concerns in battle.
He had informed Xie Yue in advance about that final slash, telling him to pay attention to the angle.
Otherwise, if the second Half Moon Slash had cut Yan's neck instead of his chest, Yan would already be dead.
In such lightning-fast exchanges, the enemy had no chance to surrender, yet they still had to calculate the damage their own attacks and their teammates' attacks would cause—whether it would kill or cripple.
What a... hassle.
But from another angle, wasn't this restrained form of fighting also training his ability to control his attacks with precision?
Thinking that, Xu Huxiao immediately dispelled the slight dissatisfaction in his heart at being unable to go all out.
He focused even more intently on precisely controlling his combat power.
At that moment, Luoli came to her senses and saw the noble Prince Yan unconscious, blood staining his chest. She cried out in alarm:
"Medical rescue team, get up here! Treat him immediately and carry Prince Yan off the Soul Fighting Arena!"
At the side of the Soul Fighting Arena, a rescue team dressed in white work robes immediately and carefully received the injured Yan.
Luoli, who was both host and referee, finally recovered from her shock. A wave of lingering fear swept over her. If that slashing Soul Skill had landed even slightly higher, she did not dare imagine the consequences.
But her failure to declare him eliminated in time was not really her mistake. Everything had happened too fast.
Luoli truly had not expected that only two or three seconds earlier, she had believed Prince Yan was about to crush the other side, only for the battle to reverse in an instant.
She was not the only one caught off guard. Meriel's group in the VIP seats had not expected it either, and Gu Meng, the teacher leading the team, still wore a frozen expression.
Such perfect coordination, with timing as precise as the markings on a clock face.
It was simply unimaginable!
After crying out in surprise, Meriel and Hua Yuerong each lightly patted their full chests, their lingering fear slowly fading.
The two women had been so startled partly because Yan's situation had truly been dangerous in that instant, and partly because neither Meriel nor Hua Yuerong was a combat-type Soul Master. They were more inclined toward support and control.
How could they have expected a Soul Fight between merely Soul Masters and Soul Grandmasters to contain such a perilous moment?
In stark contrast to Meriel and the others, Xu Bayan remained calm throughout. At his level, even though the Soul Fight below had unfolded in only a few seconds, it still seemed like slow motion in his eyes. After seeing the formation and recalling several words he had heard in the room earlier—
Xu Bayan had already anticipated this entire chain of attacks. Though he had expected it, that did not stop him from admiring his son.
That brat truly is worthy of being my son!
He had also vaguely guessed what his son wanted: the most perfect team battle.
To bring out every team member's strength and advantages, winning with the least possible cost in the team fight.
Rather than relying solely on his own strength, ignoring his teammates, and launching a direct assault.
On the Soul Fighting Arena.
As the rescue team received Yan, Luoli also announced that Yan of the Hundred Beasts Team had been eliminated.
Less than a minute had passed since the team Soul Fight began.
The battle continued.
The Hundred Beasts Team's straight-line collective charging formation had already been split apart by the perfect coordination of Xu Huxiao and the other two.
Seeing Yan eliminated so quickly, the equally tall and burly Niu Hu Brothers, sharing the same thought, immediately turned their attention to Xu Huxiao, who was closest to them.
As for the four Soul Masters on the left and right flanks of the Hundred Beasts Team, after a brief stunned pause, command of the battlefield temporarily fell to Peng E, who had the highest Soul Power Level.
Peng E's Martial Soul was the exceptionally powerful Golden Armored Crocodile, and his Soul Power Level was the highest present at level twenty-seven!
Seeing Hu Liena and Xie Yue rapidly retreat after completing their chain control and attack, Peng E immediately roared:
"Big Niu, Big Hu, kill that blond brat! The rest of us will eliminate these little brats as quickly as possible. We absolutely cannot disgrace the kingdom!"
The enemy's unexpected coordination had already caused them a major loss. They could not allow any more mistakes. They had to end the match with overwhelming force to recover their honor.
The Hundred Beasts Team was the pride of the kingdom!
They had to win beautifully!
But would it really be that easy?
After their strike, Xie Yue and Hu Liena kept retreating. Fortunately, the Soul Fighting Arena was large enough to give them ample space.
Just as Peng E and the other three began their charge, Yun Ji's first Soul Ring lit up at the very back of the Spirit Hall team, and her dreamlike fish tail swayed.
Mermaid First Soul Skill, Healing Bubble!
Pale-blue Healing Bubbles enveloped Peng E and the other three, but they could not stop the attacks of assault-type Soul Grandmasters. The bubbles only delayed them for an instant before all bursting at once.
But in that instant.
The Ao Siblings and the Hu Liena siblings, one charging forward and the other retreating, completed a positional exchange.
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