One Man, One Blade
Aor Bai quickly stabilized his Martial Soul.
He dared to provoke Yuan Yu at the camp entrance, which meant he had already anticipated encountering Yuan Yu on the field. With a thirty-four-level difference in Soul Power, a head-on confrontation offered no chance of victory. All he could do was try to wear Yuan Yu down and create opportunities for the two behind him.
The Referee's hand fell.
"Start!"
Aor Bai's four Spirit Ring lit up almost simultaneously.
Dozens of roots spread out along the ground, and sharp thorns emerged continuously from Yuan Yu's feet. These thorns were not aimed at vital points; they specifically targeted the corners of his clothes, the soles of his shoes, and the scabbard, only wanting to force Yuan Yu to use his Soul Power more often.
Yuan Yu did not draw his sword.
Wind Pattern lit up beneath his feet as he stepped on the slight gust of wind before each spike rose, walking step by step toward Aor Bai.
The first spike pierced through from behind.
The second one grazed the hem of the White-Clad.
The third shoot had just emerged when Yuan Yu stepped on it with the sole of his shoe, forcefully pressing it back into the ground.
With a change Aor Bai gesture, the Groundspike Flower fully bloomed before him.
The purple fourth Spirit Ring burst forth with a bright light, and all the roots of the entire area were turned up from the ground, forming a cage woven from sharp spikes.
"Groundspike Flower Prison!"
The cage closed in from all sides, even the top of its head was sealed off by roots.
Yuan Yu then gripped the hilt of the sword.
The Sun Wheel Blade was drawn less than a foot from its sheath.
Golden sunlight streamed down the blade, causing the roots that touched it to wither and turn yellow. Yuan Yu gripped the still-sharp blade and thrust it forward, pushing open a gap in the roots blocking his path. He stepped over the severed roots and out of the cage.
The Sun Wheel Blade was fully drawn.
A vertical, circular blade of light swept upwards from below.
"Sun Breathing, Second Form: Azure Sky".
The entire Groundspike Flower Prison was split in two by a circular blade of light. The severed roots were flung to both sides, and Aor Bai's protective Soul Power was also lifted up along with them.
Yuan Yu stopped the blade and used only the back of the sword to strike his chest.
Aor Bai's feet left the ground, and he flew off the field above the red flag.
One cut.
After landing, Aor Bai staggered back several steps and looked down at his chest. There were no knife marks on his school uniform, and his ribs were unharmed, but the tightness in his chest left him speechless for a moment.
Yuan Yu had already stopped using his strength.
If it had been a blade that had fallen just now, he wouldn't even have a chance to stand right now.
The two teammates behind Barak exchanged glances. Before the previously agreed-upon wheel-wearing exercise could even begin, level 41 Aor Bai was sent back.
While things remained relatively calm at Shrek, whispers and murmurs had already begun to circulate among the other academies.
Yuan Yu did not use his Martial Soul Avatar, nor did he launch a direct attack with his level 75 Soul Power. He simply used a newly unlocked sword technique to break the strongest Soul Skill of a four-ring control-type Soul Ancestor.
Barak quickly entered the game as the sixth man.
He didn't give Yuan Yu much time to rest. As soon as his Martial Soul possessed him, more than ten blue petals flew out. The petals could change direction in the air, half of them blocking Yuan Yu's steps, and the other half shooting towards his shoulder and back from behind.
Rosy Cloud Pattern rose from behind the knife.
Yuan Yu's figure split into three amidst the petals. Barak's team members couldn't determine his true form and could only have all the petals close up simultaneously.
Petals pierced through two lingering Mist.
The third one also dispersed in the next instant.
Yuan Yu himself had already appeared behind his opponent.
The scabbard lightly touched his shoulder, and Wind Pattern burst forth. The team member, along with the flower petals, was sent off the field, landing steadily with a grim expression.
Another stab.
Barak Academy is now left with only Captain Luofuji.
When Luofuji walked onto the field, the arrogance he had shown yesterday was gone from his face.
He released his level 42 Soul Power, and a dark red Overlord Flower bloomed behind him. The flower was over two meters in diameter, with serrated edges, and its rich, sweet scent quickly filled the arena.
Upon smelling the fragrance, Tang San immediately warned, "The floral scent has hallucinogenic effects!"
Yuan Yu held her breath, and Wind Pattern pushed away the floral fragrance that was close to her body.
Luofuji's second and third Spirit Ring lit up one after another, and dozens of dark red flower vines shot out from under the Overlord Flower, forming a large net that hugged the ground.
Just as Yuan Yu was about to go around him from the side, Luofuji suddenly pressed his hands to the ground.
Half of the vine twined around Yuan Yu, while the other half crossed the boundary of the arena and headed straight for Tai Long, who was receiving treatment outside the arena.
Jiang Zhu's Healing Scepter was still pressed against Tai Long's knee.
She hadn't expected the attack to suddenly break out of the arena, and it was too late to retreat.
Salas stood up from the podium, and the Referee rushed to the sidelines.
This strike had already crossed the boundary of the match. Even if the Referee immediately ruled that Luofuji had lost, it wouldn't have been enough time to stop all the vines before they fell.
Yuan Yu's Seventh Spirit Ring lit up first.
"Myriad Phenomena True Body".
The Seven-Pattern Dharma Wheel unfolds behind him, with the Sun Wheel Blade standing in Wheel center. Rock Pattern sink to the bottom of the wheel, and heavy, Four-Sided Seal carrying gravel rise from the ground.
"Wheel Rock Aspect."
The shadow fell forward.
A muffled tremor resounded from the ground, and the vines that had crossed the red flag were all pinned beneath its shadow. Rock Pattern extended forward along the earth, fixing the remaining vines to the center of the arena as well.
Yuan Yu drew his Sun Wheel Blade.
His figure moved forward along the gaps between the flower vines, and in one step he was in front of Luofuji.
The back of the knife landed on the rootstock of the Overlord Flower.
Rock Pattern and Wind Pattern erupted simultaneously, the giant crown of the Overlord Flower was pushed backward, and Luofuji was also pushed out of the Red Flag along with his Martial Soul.
The third cut.
Luofuji collapsed off the field, trying to get up, only to see all his flower vines pressed into the soil by that shadow.
Yuan Yu sheathed the Sun Wheel Blade, and Myriad Phenomena True Body also dissipated.
From the moment the true form was revealed to the moment it was finished, it only took four breaths.
The Referee's expression softened slightly after confirming that neither Jiang Zhu nor Tai Long had suffered any further injury. He walked back to the center of the arena and announced loudly, "All seven members of the Barak Academy have left the field. Shrek Academy is the winner of this round!"
The sound of lances striking the ground rang out in unison from the Royal Knights.
The Xue Ye looked down from the platform at the deep marks left by the Wheel Rock Aspect, the astonishment in his eyes still lingering.
Salas then personally summoned the recorder and instructed him to add the phrase "seal emerging from the wheel" to Yuan Yu's file.
Yuan Yu returned to the Shrek team and took the Wine Gourd from Xiao Wu.
Tai Long's right leg had regained feeling, and he limped over. "Brother Yu, did you only make three strikes just now?"
"One person, one knife; it's fair."
Jing Ling touched the wound on her shoulder. "If I had known you could go up and collect the people so quickly, I should have fought a little longer."
Tang San walked over and said, "You and Tai Long together took down four people; this victory is half yours."
Yuan Yu nodded. "I just finished the other half faster."
After all the afternoon matches concluded, the second-round opponents were delivered to each team's camp.
Shrek's opponent is an academy whose seven members all possess plant-based Martial Soul.
Plant Academy.
After looking at the list, Ma Hongjun raised his hand.
"I'll start this game."
Xiao Wu shoved his hand down.
"Get in line. The first two are mine."