Perfect Coordination, Yan Eliminated

The answer was no!

Although on the surface, Xu Huxiao seemed to have broken away to face seven opponents alone, because the other side was in a straight-line formation and all of them were assault-type Soul Masters who had possessed their martial souls—

It created a problem: due to the distance, they could not focus fire and instantly defeat everyone in a short time.

In other words, Xu Huxiao was actually only facing Yan and the Niu Hu Brothers.

And in a one-against-three head-on clash, even if Xu Huxiao's Soul Skills were sealed, with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and his abundant Soul Power comparable to that of a mid-level Soul Ancestor, his victory was assured.

But because killing was not allowed on the Soul Fighting Arena, although he could reliably defeat three alone, if he was delayed, his teammates would very 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 could not be counted as combat power, while Hu Liena was a level-twenty control mage who had yet to obtain her second Soul Ring, so her combat strength 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 best outcome Xu Huxiao had anticipated.

At this moment.

The Niu Hu Brothers charged at him from the left and right, while Yan's flaming fist followed close behind.

Enemies stood before him, teammates behind him. There was no route of retreat in any direction.

But before the pincer attack from both sides could close in, Xu Huxiao vanished. Two body lengths behind where he had been, Hu Liena's fiery red fox tail swayed as her first Soul Ring lit up.

A semi-area control-type Soul Skill, Charm Light Wave!

Hu Liena swept her right hand sideways, sending out a pink arc of light 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 if they had actively rushed into the light wave.

Their bodies stiffened, and all three were stunned for one second.

After releasing the Charm Light Wave, Hu Liena quickly retreated.

One second was very short. Yan quickly regained consciousness, but it was only a one-second stun without any substantial damage. What was the point?

And where had Xu Huxiao gone?

Just as Yan's second question surfaced, what happened in the next instant answered both of his questions.

Roar!

A low dragon's roar sounded behind him, accompanied by a shockwave of force rippling through the ground.

Before Yan could even turn his head, another wave of vibration and dizziness surged up from beneath his feet, cutting off his train of thought.

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 remained in the posture of striking the ground. The reason this palm strike had not landed on Yan—

Was because the control from this strike had not only stunned Yan, but also the Niu Hu Brothers beside him.

As Hu Liena calmly retreated, Xu Huxiao shouted, "Xie Yue, catch him!"

The moment his words left his mouth, Xu Huxiao's first Soul Ring flashed rapidly. Then he lifted himself and swept out a kick carrying faint dragon-shaped force at incredible speed.

Bang!

God Dragon Wags Its Tail!

His kick struck Yan's lower back. It was both fast and powerful, directly kicking the still-stunned and rigid Yan into the air, in the very direction Hu Liena had retreated.

But what awaited Yan was not a pink Charm Light Wave, but Xie Yue, who had leaped into the air with his first Soul Ring shining.

First Soul Skill, Half Moon Slash!

The two enormous Moon Blades in Xie Yue's hands moved as naturally as his arms, slashing out one after another in a cross formation, sending two distant strikes shaped like solid crescent moons.

The target of the Cross Half Moon Slash was Yan, suspended in midair with his head still spinning.

With the attacks linked so tightly, Yan had no way to respond. Just as he broke free from the control, the two fierce slashes, howling through the air, had already reached him.

He could not dodge!

He did not even have time to raise his hand. Yan's pupils contracted. Under normal circumstances, with his level-twenty Soul Power and Flame Demon Vajra Body, he would have had no problem taking the attack head-on.

But he could feel that his first Soul Skill, Flame Demon Vajra Body, showed signs of shattering and dissipating!

The flames surrounding his Flame Lord possession had long since been scattered by the vibration. Even the thick earthen-yellow light shield around Yan's body was covered in cracks.

It was that kick, but how could it have been so strong?!

What he did not know was that Xu Huxiao's kick had not only relied on his strength, which far surpassed that of others his age. It had also been unleashed with Divine Dragon Wags Its Tail, the fastest and most explosive technique among the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.

The secret of exerting force with Divine Dragon Wags Its Tail lay in making heavy force seem light. Its lightness was the lightning-fast, unpredictable speed, while its heaviness was the terrifying force unleashed in that burst.

Moreover, the force of that kick had been amplified twofold by the Martial Dao Essence Realm.

Therefore, if he had not been forbidden from seriously injuring his opponent, then with Xu Huxiao's exquisite control over force, that kick at full strength would have been enough to severely injure Yan's internal organs.

It would have left him with aftereffects that he could never recover from for the rest of his life.

This was already the result of Xu Huxiao holding back.

Crack!

Before Yan could finish his thought, the first Half Moon Slash had already shattered the cracked layer of golden light covering his body.

His Soul Skill was forcibly broken, and the conflicting backlash of Soul Power within Yan's body sent a spasmodic stabbing pain through his chest. It was unbearably unpleasant.

He was now fully awake, but he could not resist at all. A suffocating sense of danger came from the second Half Moon Slash that followed immediately after.

Yan opened his mouth. The words I surrender had just reached his mind, but before he could shout them, the Half Moon Slash had already torn through his team uniform and carved a long bloody gash across his chest.

Ah!

Overwhelming pain struck, and Yan let out a miserable scream.

Xu Huxiao frowned and glanced at the referee and host. Seeing that she had not declared Yan eliminated, he immediately followed Yan as he fell, and the dragon claw of Hidden Dragon Does Not Use appeared again.

His second Soul Ring flashed once.

He grabbed Yan's lower leg, dragon-shaped force flickering around him, and swept his right leg sideways, 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. There were opportunities for a killing blow, yet he was forbidden from killing or crippling his opponents. It created far too many restraints and concerns in battle.

He had informed Xie Yue beforehand about that final slash, telling him to pay attention to the angle.

Otherwise, if the second Half Moon Slash had cut Yan's neck rather than his chest, Yan would already be dead.

In a lightning-fast exchange like this, when the opponent had no opportunity to surrender, he still had to calculate the damage inflicted by his own and his teammates' attacks to avoid death or crippling injuries.

What a... hassle.

But from another perspective, wasn't this kind of restrained battle also a form of training in precisely controlling his attacks?

Thinking so, Xu Huxiao immediately dispelled the slight displeasure in his heart at not being able to go all out.

He focused even more intently on the precise control of his combat strength.

At this moment, Luoli came back to her senses and saw the noble Prince Yan unconscious with blood staining his chest. Only then did she cry out:

"Medical rescue team, get up there! Treat him immediately and carry Prince Yan off the Soul Fighting Arena!"

At the side of the Soul Fighting Arena, a rescue team clad in white work robes immediately and carefully received the injured Yan.

Luoli, who also served as the referee from the host platform, finally recovered from her shock. A wave of lingering fear washed over her. If that slashing soul skill had landed even slightly higher, she did not dare imagine the consequences.

But her failure to immediately declare him eliminated had not truly been her mistake, because everything had happened too quickly.

Luoli truly had not expected that just two or three seconds earlier, she had thought Yan would crush the opposing side. Yet in the blink of an eye, the battle had completely reversed.

She was not the only one who had not expected it. Meriel's group in the VIP seats had not expected it either. Their leading teacher, Gu Meng, still wore a frozen expression.

Such perfect coordination, with timing as precise as the marks on a clock face.

It was simply unimaginable!

After crying out in alarm, Meriel and Hua Yuerong each patted their full breasts lightly as the lingering fright gradually faded.

The two women had been so startled partly because Yan's situation at that moment had indeed been dangerous, and partly because neither Meriel nor Hua Yuerong was a combat-type Soul Master. They leaned more toward support and control.

How could they have expected a Soul Fight involving merely Soul Masters and Soul Grandmasters to contain such a perilous moment?

In stark contrast to Meriel and the others was Xu Bayan, who had remained calm throughout. Given his realm, although 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 predicted this entire chain of attacks. Though he had expected it, that did not stop him from admiring his son.

This brat truly was worthy of being my son!

He also vaguely guessed that what his son wanted was the most perfect team battle:

To bring out every team member's strengths and advantages, winning this battle at the smallest possible cost in team combat.

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 carried Yan away, Luoli also announced that Yan of the Hundred Beasts Team had been eliminated.

At this point, less than a minute had passed since the team Soul Fight began.

The battle continued.

The Hundred Beasts Team's straight-line collective charge formation had already been split apart by the perfect coordination of Xu Huxiao's group of three.

Seeing Yan eliminated so quickly, the equally tall and burly Niu Hu Brothers, their thoughts in sync, immediately turned their attention to Xu Huxiao, who was closest to them.

As for the four Soul Masters on the Hundred Beasts Team's left and right flanks, 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, who had completed their chain of control and attacks, rapidly retreating, 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 absolutely could not make another mistake. They had to end the match with overwhelming force in order to recover their honor.

Their Hundred Beasts Team was the kingdom's pride!

They had to win beautifully!

But was it really that simple?

After their strike, Xie Yue and Hu Liena continued retreating. Fortunately, the Soul Fighting Arena was large enough to give them sufficient room.

Just as Peng E and the other three began charging forward, at the very rear of the Spirit Hall team, Yun Ji's first Soul Ring lit up as 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 assault-type Soul Grandmasters' attack at all. The blue bubbles only stalled them for an instant before shattering all at once.

But in that instant.

The Ao Siblings and the Hu Liena siblings, one charging forward and the other retreating, completed a crossing of positions.