Finals

In the dormitory.

"Xiao Yuan, this Soul Bone is steeped in resentment, and its origin is an utter mess. If you forcefully use it to bear the backlash of the Great Tortoise Shell Technique, something unexpected might happen!"

After briefly examining the Secret Art Soul Left Arm Bone in Lu Yuan's hand, Electrolux came to that conclusion.

It was largely the same as Lu Yuan's own assessment. The moment he obtained this Soul Bone, his Ultimate Light had sensed a thick aura of resentment within it.

However, Lu Yuan had never intended to use this Soul Bone as expendable material to offset the Great Tortoise Shell Technique's backlash. What he valued was its fusion property.

After simply purifying the resentment on the Soul Bone with Holy Fire, Lu Yuan put it back into his leather pouch and began meditating, preparing for tomorrow's finals.

After all, Ma Xiaotao had said before that, at his request, Yan Shaozhe had changed the Freshman Assessment reward into a Left Arm Soul Bone. That Soul Bone would be the main expendable material for his experiments with the Great Tortoise Shell Technique.

The next day, the finals, assessment area.

As this was the final match, all the barriers in the assessment area had been removed, revealing its original spacious expanse.

On the spectator stands, quite a few busy academy higher-ups had appeared. Even some elders could be seen in corners of the stands.

"Old Yan, what do you think of this match? How about we make another bet?" Ever since Qian Duoduo had been tricked by Yan Shaozhe into giving up a high-explosive fixed soul tool shell yesterday, he had felt uncomfortable all over and was trying every possible way to make up for his loss.

Fan Yu, sitting beside Qian Duoduo, helplessly held his forehead when he heard his dean's words. Knowing the full story, he hurriedly took Huo Yuhao to sit elsewhere, lest Qian Duoduo ruin the Soul Tool Department's image in Huo Yuhao's eyes.

Although eliminated teams did not need to take part in the remaining Freshman Assessment matches and could attend class as normal, once Huo Yuhao learned that Lu Yuan's team would be facing Dai Huabin today, he specifically begged Fan Yu to ask Zhou Yi for leave so he could come watch from the stands.

Fan Yu had already informed Huo Yuhao that he had been internally designated as a Core Disciple of the Soul Tool Department. Naturally, Huo Yuhao no longer had much obsession with becoming a Core Disciple of the Martial Soul Department. He merely stared fixedly at the tall figure on the arena below, his hands nearly sinking into the cold railing.

You have to win, Brother Yuan!

Meanwhile, in the assessment area, referee Du Weilun was giving the two teams their pre-match instructions.

"The finals you are about to enter will have slightly altered rules. Listen carefully. You may move freely throughout the field, but those with flying Martial Souls may not fly higher than ten meters above the ground. In order to let you display your full strength, you may attack with everything you have during the match. There is no need to hold back; I will control the match myself. Anyone whom I rescue from the competition area will be considered to have withdrawn. Do you understand?"

"Lu Yuan, you're strong," Dai Huabin said abruptly after Du Weilun finished explaining the rules, standing with his arms folded and an aloof expression. "But I will defeat you and prove who is truly the number one freshman of this class!"

"A championship won only by sticking together has no value at all! After all, cattle and sheep move in herds, while fierce beasts walk alone!" He cast a meaningful glance at Wu Feng and Ning Tian beside Lu Yuan. Then, without waiting for anyone to respond, he led his two teammates toward the edge of the field to await Du Weilun's command.

Even LeBron got dragged into this?

Hearing Dai Huabin's words, Lu Yuan wore a strange expression as he walked toward the other end of the arena. He had not expected to encounter a callback to LeBron's story even in another world.

Was Dai Huabin trying to say that he won through team play, that he was some brotherhood Soul Master, and use that to affect his mentality?

"Is Dai Huabin an idiot?" Wu Feng, walking beside him, spoke bluntly and voiced her opinion. "How can someone have such low emotional intelligence? What normal person offends all of us, including his own teammates, with a single sentence? Is he competing alone?"

"Ahem." Wu Feng's words made Ning Tian struggle to keep a straight face. After exchanging a knowing glance with Lu Yuan, she silently turned her gaze toward Wu Feng.

When it came to emotional intelligence, Feng, you weren't much better.

"What is it? Why are you all looking at me? Was I wrong?" Wu Feng, who only had the vaguest sense of her own limits, remained completely unaware and looked at the two of them in confusion.

"It's nothing, Feng. You were right. Don't let his words affect your mentality. Focusing on the match is what matters most," Ning Feng hurriedly patched things over while forcefully maintaining his composure.

As they spoke, the two teams had already reached opposite ends of the arena. At such a great distance, the opposing team had become no more than a few tiny figures.

"Then I announce that the match begins!" Once both sides were in position, Du Weilun's voice, infused with Soul Power, rang clearly in everyone's ears.

"Seven Treasures, Glazed Radiance Unleashed! Seven Treasures Have Names: first, speed; third, strength!" / "White Tiger, Martial Soul Possession!"

At Du Weilun's command, both sides made their respective moves.

Second Soul Skill—Light Blade Storm!

Since the two teams were far apart and flying height was restricted, Lu Yuan chose to use light blades to wear them down first.

"White Tiger Shield!"

Dai Huabin, charging at the front, bore the brunt of the attack. After his Martial Soul Possession, an intense pale-white radiance abruptly erupted from his body. His bones crackled, and his entire physique swelled by a full size.

His head of golden hair instantly turned black and white, with white taking up the greater part while several strands of black stood out sharply. Four faint markings appeared on his forehead—three horizontal and one vertical—forming the character for king.

His hands underwent the greatest change, becoming more than twice their previous size. White fur covered his palms, and with every flex of his fingers, dagger-like claws continuously extended from and retracted into his hands. Every claw was like a blade, eight inches long and gleaming with a sinister, icy light.

As his first yellow Soul Ring lit up, a protective shield formed from Soul Power covered Dai Huabin's entire body. He fiercely swung his paws apart several incoming light blades while using his broad body to block most of the light blades from reaching Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie behind him.

First Soul Skill—Charm!

As the distance between the two sides steadily closed, Cui Yajie of Dai Huabin's team was the first to strike. Her Nine-Tailed Fox Martial Soul, which stood somewhere between assault and spiritual types, made her first Soul Skill, Charm, the longest-ranged ability among the three. Two pink fox tails about a meter long swayed gently behind her, and Cui Yajie, now more mature after her Martial Soul Possession, exuded a bewitching allure capable of toppling nations.

After her first Soul Ring flickered faintly, she lightly placed a finger against her lips and gave Wu Feng, who had undergone Dragon's Wrath Possession, a gentle wink.