The Unexpected Outcome

Xiao Hongchen's pupils shrank. His entire body went rigid, and he did not dare move a muscle.

In the VIP seats below, Jing Hongchen's face went pale. Afraid something might go wrong, he barked, "Enough! Xiao, concede at once and leave the arena!"

Xiao Hongchen was bitterly unwilling, but he knew the match was lost. Gritting his teeth, he withdrew his Martial Soul, conceded in a low voice, and walked off the arena.

Xu Sanshi, on the other side, was far more composed.

He had activated Dark Nether Swap himself and had long been ready for what came next.

The instant the swap was complete, Xu Sanshi seized the moment while the entire Sun Moon Team was stunned. Bolstered by Dark Nether Power, he slammed a Dark Nether Shock into the ground.

A black halo instantly engulfed the other Sun Moon Team members, leaving them all sluggish once more.

After unleashing Dark Nether Shock, he wasted no time. He slid sideways out of the encirclement, and his fourth Soul Skill lit up again.

White light flashed from Dark Nether Swap. In the next instant, Xu Sanshi and Song Que traded places.

The Sun Moon Team members had only just steadied themselves. At the sight of Song Que right beside them, their faces changed with shock.

Song Que remained calm and murmured, "Bakudō #21, Red Smoke Escape!"

Red smoke burst out where he stood.

The Sun Moon Team members reacted quickly. Countless Soul Guidance Rays and Soul Cannon shells poured into the red smoke.

The barrage of explosions kicked up a cloud of dust that blotted out the sky.

"Where are you looking?"

Song Que's voice suddenly came from the air off to one side.

A moment later, Chen Fei, the Sun Moon Team's agility-type Soul Master, screamed. Covered in blood, he flew backward. The Referee immediately stepped forward and escorted the badly wounded Chen Fei from the arena.

The remaining team members' faces changed, their nerves stretched taut.

Song Que's unpredictable fighting style had left them unable to adapt, much less defend against him.

With no time to regain their composure, the remaining members opened fire again. A storm of Soul Tool fire rained down on Song Que.

Just as the barrage was about to hit, the Cherry-Blossom Petals filling the air stirred.

Countless petals divided into small clusters and flew toward the Hovering Soul Tool Cannons.

Clusters plastered themselves over the muzzles. Others slipped straight into the barrels, their sharp edges slicing through the Soul Tools' internal arrays.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Muffled explosions sounded one after another.

Fire spat wildly from the muzzles of the Hovering Soul Tool Cannons, and many burst apart on the spot.

Countless petals shredded the shells already in flight, detonating them in midair.

The other six members of Just Sky Academy seized the chance to attack.

Countless blue-silver vines erupted from the arena floor and spread wildly, wrapping around the legs and torsos of the five remaining Sun Moon Team members.

Their faces changed, and they hurried to dodge.

"It's just Blue Silver Grass!"

Mi Jia snorted and tossed several balls of lightning at the approaching vines. "Break!"

But things did not go as he expected.

In the next instant, the mutated Blue Silver King vines closed in and bound his limbs. The lightning balls were nowhere near powerful enough to destroy them.

"How is that possible?!"

His limbs firmly trapped, Mi Jia's eyes widened. He channeled his Lightning Soul Power at full strength and struggled frantically, but it was no use.

Before he could break free, a massive Thunder Dragon Head tore through the air and swallowed him whole!

Boom!

A thunderous blast rang out. Mi Jia was badly wounded by the lightning and lost all ability to fight.

Ma Rulong's expression darkened. He immediately raised his hand and activated a Level Seven Soul Tool, aiming at Bei Bei and Tang Ya as he prepared to force a breakthrough.

But as he charged it, the scene before his eyes warped and shifted again.

Dark Nether Swap again!

Ma Rulong was transported straight to the edge of the arena, far from the fight.

In his place stood Xu Sanshi, wearing a wicked grin.

Xu Sanshi wiggled his backside at Ma Rulong in mockery, then turned and joined his teammates in surrounding Meng Hongchen and the others.

Watching from below, Xiao Hongchen's face turned livid, his teeth grinding together.

"Damn it! Xu Sanshi again!"

"How can a Soul Skill be this unfair?!"

Having already fallen victim to Dark Nether Swap once, he seethed with hatred but could do nothing about it.

In the VIP seats, Jing Hongchen's expression was darker than ever. "We lost this match entirely because we lacked information."

"Xu Sanshi and Song Que threw every one of your tactics into disarray."

"They led you by the nose from start to finish. Your Team Battle was a complete mess!"

Elder Ma gave a bitter smile. He had no answer.

The Sun Moon Team had fought a disastrous Team Battle, overwhelmed and suppressed from beginning to end.

Equipped with high-level Soul Tools, they had never managed to put their coordinated firepower tactics into action. It was an infuriating loss.

Jing Hongchen sighed helplessly. "Concede. Fighting on will only mean more injuries. If that leaves us unable to field anyone in the individual matches, it won't be worth it."

Elder Ma nodded. Under Xiao Hongchen's deeply frustrated gaze, he stood and signaled their surrender to the Referee.

"Just Sky Academy wins this Team Battle!"

The Referee announced the result in a ringing voice.

Ma Rulong and the others left the arena with grim faces, full of frustration, and returned to the preparation area.

On Shrek Academy's side, everyone looked solemn.

Mu Jin frowned. "I didn't expect Just Sky Academy to win, much less win so easily."

"Xu Sanshi's Dark Nether Swap was the key," Dai Yueheng analyzed gravely. "Without him constantly swapping positions and disrupting their formation, the Sun Moon Team's concentrated firepower wouldn't have been so easy to break."

Ma Xiaotao nodded slightly in agreement.

There was no denying the immense strategic value of Xu Sanshi's Soul Skill in a Team Battle.

"What a shame," someone murmured. "Xu Sanshi was so talented, yet he chose to leave school. Otherwise, he would have become a core fighter for Shrek."

Yan Shaozhe waved a hand. "Everyone chooses their own path. He left, and that's that. Shrek has never lacked talent."

"Dark Nether Swap may be powerful, but its success ultimately depended on catching them off guard."

"Now that everyone has seen it, they'll be prepared. It won't be so easy to win with that trick again. There's no need to fear it too much."

The others nodded in agreement.

Then Jiang Nannan suddenly spoke. "Did any of you notice that Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass is completely different from before?"

Everyone thought back over what they had just seen.

"It is," Ma Xiaotao said with a nod. "Its form has changed. The vines are much thicker and tougher, and its control is stronger."

"But it's still Blue Silver Grass. Even mutated, it's nothing before my Phoenix Flame."

Then her tone shifted, and her gaze grew more serious.

"What really surprised me was Song Que."