"You two disgusting wretches, burn to dust in my flames!"
Wu Feng gave a savage laugh. Unleashing her full power, she was even faster than an Agility Attack Soul Master at the Soul Elder level. In the blink of an eye, she crossed dozens of meters and appeared before Wang Dong.
Her hands, transformed into dragon claws, slammed forward. The thick flames surrounding them rapidly heated the area, scorching even the air until it warped.
"Wang Dong, dodge!"
Huo Yuhao's frantic voice rang in her ears. The terrifying heat and the threat of death seeping deep into her bones made Wang Dong release her martial soul and leap backward almost instinctively. A pair of breathtakingly brilliant wings abruptly unfurled, carrying her just clear of the dragon claws Wu Feng had aimed at her head.
Unfortunately, without Spiritual Detection Sharing, Wang Dong's reaction was still a beat too slow.
Although she narrowly evaded Wu Feng's lethal strike, Wu Feng's sharp Red Dragon Claw still tore through the soft fabric of her trousers, leaving five deep, enormous wounds, each over ten centimeters long, in her jade-white right thigh.
Blood poured from the five hideous wounds as though it cost nothing, then fell from midair like a crimson waterfall.
Wang Dong's face instantly turned as white as paper.
Had her willpower not been reasonably strong, the agonizing pain might have made her pass out on the spot.
The thick smell of blood spread along with a foul odor like something burning. Even dozens of meters away, Ning Tian furrowed her brows at the smell.
Seeing Wang Dong grievously wounded, Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao, who had yet to recover from her fright, had no time to act before a streak of green light rushed toward Wang Dong from behind in midair, moving far faster than an ordinary Agility Attack Soul Grandmaster.
Only when it came within three meters of Wang Dong did that streak of green light resolve into Nanmen Yun'er's figure.
After Martial Soul Possession, her entire body seemed ethereal and elusive. The emerald-green wings on her back had the texture of jade, matching the color of her arms, which had already transformed into sharp blades.
With a sharp cry, Nanmen Yun'er swung both blade-arms down at once. Emerald-green light instantly condensed into crescent-shaped blades of light, then slashed down ruthlessly.
Nanmen Yun'er's martial soul was called the Jade Bluebird. Among Agility Attack martial souls, it ranked roughly in the same tier as the Hell Spirit Cat, renowned for its speed and powerful attacks.
Her first soul skill was called Jade Knife, and its soul power effect transformed her arms into blades.
Her second soul skill, Jade Slash, could only be activated after she used her first soul skill. Although this was a considerable drawback, its power was also quite impressive.
As the twin blades fell, Wang Dong, already grievously wounded and shaken, had no time to react. The magnificent wings on her back were severed outright by Jade Slash.
As the most essential organs and means of attack of Wang Dong's Light Goddess Butterfly martial soul, those wings accounted for nearly ninety percent of her abilities.
Having her wings destroyed inflicted trauma on Wang Dong no less severe than having her martial soul shattered.
In other words, the grievous injury to her thigh had merely affected Wang Dong's condition and judgment, but with her wings destroyed, it would not have been an exaggeration to call her a cripple now.
Watching his dear friend suffer one devastating injury after another in an instant and lose all ability to fight, Huo Yuhao's eyes nearly split with fury. But when he saw Wu Feng charging straight toward him with murder written all over her face, he immediately came back to his senses. Yet no matter how fast his mind raced, he still could not find a way out of this predicament.
There was nothing he could do. Before obtaining a second martial soul, his only means of attack apart from Soul Shock were the hidden weapons Tang Ya and Bei Bei had given him earlier.
But against soul power suppression spanning two major ranks, those hidden weapons truly were like chicken ribs-too meager to be useful, yet a pity to discard.
Leaving aside whether he had time to take out his hidden weapons and create enough distance to use them, it was questionable whether those weapons forged from ordinary iron could even leave a scratch on Wu Feng's dragon scales.
She made no effort to hide her murderous intent toward him, and Huo Yuhao knew full well that he alone could never defeat Wu Feng's trio. But Wang Dong was grievously wounded, unconscious, and unable to fight, while Xiao Xiao was being led around like a dog by the astonishingly fast Nanmen Yun'er. Facing Wu Feng head-on, his odds were one to nine at best.
One swipe from Wu Feng, and he would descend to the underworld.
Where was the opening that could break this deadlock?
Huo Yuhao looked around, his heart burning with anxiety.
Suddenly, inspiration flashed through his mind.
The way out had been in my hands all along.
The next instant, just as the flames surrounding Wu Feng's sharp claws began to scorch Huo Yuhao's cheeks, he suddenly shouted:
"Referee, I surrender!"
In an instant, a streak of light shot in from outside the arena. Black light flashed, and the faintly bloodthirsty smile froze on Wu Feng's face.
After blocking Wu Feng's powerful, heavy claw strike, the referee let out a soft breath of relief.
Even if Huo Yuhao had not called for help, he would absolutely have intervened before that blow landed.
The reason was simple. Although the freshman assessment involved real combat, student deaths were strictly forbidden. Wu Feng's murderous intent toward Huo Yuhao was almost as thick as the mist over Sea God Lake. If he did not intervene, then given her ruthlessness, he could well believe she might flay Huo Yuhao alive today.
In short, he would never allow anyone to ruin the permanent position at Shrek he had worked so hard to earn through examinations, or his generous year-end bonus.
Seeing Huo Yuhao choose to surrender and save his own life, Xiao Xiao, who had still been controlling the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron to fend off Nanmen Yun'er, also surrendered without hesitation.
The referee glanced at Wu Feng, whose eyes burned with unwillingness, then at Wang Dong behind her, who had bled all over the ground and fallen completely unconscious. Swallowing, he said:
"Student, calm down. Congratulations, your team has successfully advanced to the top sixteen."
Wu Feng clenched her teeth. She knew her plan to use the assessment as an opportunity to send the chief culprit, Huo Yuhao, to hell had fallen through completely. With a cold snort, she turned and walked away without giving the still-shaken Huo Yuhao another glance.
Only then did the Healing-Type Soul Master who had been waiting outside hurry into the arena and release their martial soul to treat Wang Dong.
Had the battle continued, the amount of blood Wang Dong was losing might even have put her life in danger.
Meanwhile, silver light flashed once more in Ning Tian's eyes. Expending so much spiritual power had left her somewhat drowsy, but defeating her opponents with her own hands also filled her with excitement. She nodded to Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er, and the three walked out of the arena together.
In the nearby stands, Mu Jin was already trembling with excitement at the sight. He abruptly turned around, unable to suppress the smile tugging at his lips.
"Teacher Zhou, your seeded team lost. As agreed, I hope to hear that you've resigned from Shrek Academy and gotten the hell out before the freshman assessment ends."
"Also, there's one more thing I want to tell you. Your students simply aren't as good as mine. And you-if you didn't have a vice dean husband willing to serve as your protective umbrella, someone like you would never deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as me!"
With that, Mu Jin paid no further attention to Zhou Yi, who was trembling all over from either fury or humiliation, or to the grim-faced Fan Yu. Laughing loudly, he strode straight toward the stairs of the stands.
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