Huo Lei Overwhelms Tang San with Mental Control, Reassures the Academies

Tang San stared intently at Huo Lei, gritting his teeth as he said, "You are indeed very strong, but you are at your limit right now. In a moment, I will make you wish you were dead."

Huo Lei glared fiercely at Tang San and said coldly, "Tang San, I see you have quite a temper! How dare you talk to me like that? It seems I should teach you a lesson about this bad habit. I'll show you what's what later."

"Both sides prepare, the match begins," the referee's voice rang out.

Huo Lei and Tang San were very close, only about five meters apart. Neither of them chose to increase the distance, and they both activated their Martial Soul at this close range.

"Fifth Soul Skill: Mental Control!"

The moment Huo Lei released his Flame Martial Soul, he channeled all his Soul Power to activate his fifth Soul Skill. Because he was pushing it with all his might at all costs, the fifth Soul Skill was activated even faster than usual.

A black Soul Ring instantly appeared, and Huo Lei's golden eyes turned golden-red, the dazzling light emanating from them striking Tang San directly. He paid no attention to the Blue Silver Grass that had already Entanglement around his shoulders.

Tang San was also very fast, launching his attack almost simultaneously with Huo Lei. He chose his First Soul Skill, Entanglement. He was indeed slightly faster than Huo Lei. However, his Blue Silver Grass bound him from his feet, while Huo Lei's Mental Control started from his eyes. Therefore, Tang San was still controlled by Huo Lei.

As Tang San was controlled by Huo Lei, the Blue Silver Grass stopped Entanglement around Huo Lei's shoulder.

"Hmph! After consuming the Seven-Colored Illusion Chrysanthemum, I was able to control Lin Yin, who was at the Soul Emperor realm, for three seconds. By extension, I could control Soul King for at least four seconds. You, a mere Four-Ring Soul Ancestor Master, could be controlled for at least five seconds. Even if Tang San has strong mental power, he could still control you for at least four seconds. At this close range, four seconds is more than enough." A thought flashed through Huo Lei's mind.

Huo Lei used his remaining Soul Power to forcefully shatter the Blue Silver Grass on his body and charged towards Tang San.

At this moment, Tang San seemed frozen in place, his expression and body completely still. His reaction puzzled all the academy members in the stands; they couldn't understand why Tang San was standing there in a daze during the competition.

In a battle between strong opponents, every second counts; even a single second's delay could allow the opponent to turn the tide of the battle.

By the time Yu Xiaogang and the Shrek Academy students realized this, Huo Lei had already knocked Tang San to the ground with a single punch.

Tang San remained unresponsive, lying motionless on the ground, staring blankly at the sky.

Although Huo Lei had very little Soul Power left, he still had plenty of strength. He went up and unleashed a flurry of whirlwind punches at Tang San's face.

Huo Lei his fists with lightning speed, shouting, "I'll teach you to be angry, you'll pay a heavy price, I'll make you arrogant..."

Ning Fengzhi, sitting in the VIP section, seemed to have noticed something amiss. He instantly stood up, his expression filled with shock. "Tang San seems to be under control, offering no resistance whatsoever. Could it be that Huo Lei's fifth Soul Skill is related to mental attacks?"

The Xue Ye smiled but remained silent.

Platinum Bishop Salas revealed a sly smile, "Sect Master Ning, why are you so surprised? The Soul Master Tournament is full of talented people. It's not surprising that Huo Lei has a mental-type Soul Skill. Didn't Tang San from the Shrek Academy also have such an incredible existence as the fourth ring at ten thousand years old?"

The students of the Blazing Fire Academy were also surprised and overjoyed at the same time.

In the Promotion Round, if the opponent is not knocked unconscious and the opposing academy does not voluntarily concede, the referee will not intervene.

From the moment Huo Lei landed his first punch on Tang San until the end, three seconds had passed. Three seconds is neither a long nor a short time.

Huo Lei threw more than twenty punches, leaving Tang San's face bruised and swollen like a pig's head.

At this moment, Yu Xiaogang finally snapped out of her shock, "Oh no! It's Mental Control type Soul Skill. Referee, we concede."

As Yu Xiaogang's voice reached the arena, Huo Lei unleashed his final punch, knocking Tang San unconscious.

"Stop!" The referee immediately stepped forward to stop the proceedings upon hearing Shrek Academy's surrender.

Huo Lei plopped down on the ground, panting heavily, but his face was full of smiles.

"It is now officially announced that a student from the Blazing Fire Academy has defeated seven students from the Shrek Academy. This is the highest record since the start of the Promotion Round —a one-against-seven victory. This achievement was created by the Huo Lei student from the Blazing Fire Academy." The referee's excited voice resounded throughout the entire arena.

"We won!" The Blazing Fire Academy students cheered wildly in the stands.

The faces of everyone from the Shrek Academy were extremely grim.

When Yu Xiaogang and Oscar rushed onto the competition stage and saw Tang San's bruised and swollen face, their faces were filled with rage, and their bloodshot eyes seemed to spit fire. With Yu Xiaogang's help, Oscar was able to carry Tang San back.

The crowd in the stands cheered and talked incessantly, all speculating about what the fifth Soul Skill of Huo Lei could be.

At this moment, Huo Wushuang walked onto the competition stage, helped Huo Lei up from the ground, his face beaming with joy. He excitedly hugged Huo Lei and said, "Huo Lei, you did it! You defeated seven Shrek Academy students in one go! That's amazing! You are the pride of the Blazing Fire Academy!"

A moment later, the two brothers separated from their embrace.

Huo Lei looked at Huo Wushuang and smiled, "Brother, please wait a moment, I still have something to say to everyone."

Huo Lei swept his gaze across the various academy students in the stands, finally settling on Xue Ye in the VIP section. "Your Majesty, may I say a few words?"

Xue Ye looked surprised; he didn't know what Huo Lei was planning, but he still replied, "Alright."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Huo Lei bowed in gratitude.

Huo Lei spoke loudly, "My performance today will likely put pressure on some academies, and they might choose to forfeit when they are drawn to fight against the Blazing Fire Academy. I can give you all a clear answer here: the Promotion Round are a stage to showcase individual talent. I can't let everyone lose the opportunity to interact with our academy because of me. My partners are also eager to learn and exchange skills with students from other academies. Therefore, I have decided that in the upcoming matches, I will only participate if the first six students from the Blazing Fire Academy all lose. Otherwise, I will not participate. Do you agree?"

"Agree."

Huo Lei's remarks instantly won the approval of all the schools and earned applause. Because no one wanted to encounter a freakish opponent like Huo Lei right from the start.

Huo Lei smiled and looked at Huo Wushuang beside him, "Brother, let's go back to the competition stage."

Huo Wushuang's eyes were full of approval. He nodded and helped Huo Lei walk off the field.

Inside the Shrek Academy barracks, Jiang Zhu packed up her Healing Scepter and looked at Yu Xiaogang, "Grandmaster, don't worry, Tang San's injuries aren't serious. He'll recover in a few days."

Yu Xiaogang waved to the Shrek Academy students in the room and said, "Alright, everyone else go and rest. There's a competition tomorrow. Teacher Erlong and I are fine here."

The group then quietly left the room, relieved that Tang San was alright.

Liu Erlong looked at Yu Xiaogang and said angrily, "That kid named Huo Lei is really despicable. He beat our students so badly and even humiliated Shrek Academy. I will definitely get rid of him when I get the chance."