Impossible to Target! Martial Soul Fusion Skill

Compared with Cui Yajie, who had trained since childhood, Lu Yi was clearly less skilled at close-quarters combat.

But after he absorbed his Second Soul Ring, the Lion Mastiff's energy had given him more than Soul Power. His shortcomings in strength, defense, and physical constitution had all improved dramatically.

At first, Lu Yi thought the improvement was a one-time benefit. The same thing had happened when he absorbed his first Soul Ring, though on a much smaller scale.

Yet after he took the Soul Ascension Pill and gained two levels of Soul Power, his constitution improved a little more. It was like a passive boost, bringing his physique close to that of an ordinary Beast Martial Soul Soul Master.

And once he activated his second Soul Skill, Berserk, he could overpower an opponent with a Beast Martial Soul like the Nine-Tailed Fox, whose physique was not particularly strong.

That was an unexpected delight.

But he did not let his guard down. He was consuming Soul Power at twice the usual rate and had to end this quickly.

After blocking one of Lu Yi's heavy punches, Cui Yajie pretended she could not withstand it and retreated. Then she turned, raising the fluffy fox tail behind her.

Seeing her pull away, Lu Yi summoned his Wand again.

"Second Soul Skill, Fox Tail Needle!"

"Protego!"

Metal rang against metal once more. This time, the sharp Fox Tail Needle bounced away and embedded itself deep in the hard ground.

Lu Yi seized the moment when Cui Yajie could not move easily and struck back with his Wand.

"Stupefy!"

The referee, who had been watching the fight closely, recognized Lu Yi's familiar opening motion and rushed to Cui Yajie's side in an instant.

He thought Lu Yi was about to break his earlier promise and stood ready to take Cui Yajie out of the arena. But the expected red current never appeared.

Only a seemingly harmless white ray shot from the Wand's tip toward Cui Yajie. The referee's mind went into overdrive.

Save her? Or not?

In the end, he held back, and the white light struck Cui Yajie.

Thud!

Cui Yajie fell face-first to the ground and lost consciousness at once. Her adorable fluffy fox tail vanished, revealing a different view.

[Perfect defensive counterattack]

[Protego Lv. 3 (4/4) → Protego Lv. 4 (0/8)]

[Stupefy Lv. 2 (2/2) → Stupefy Lv. 3 (0/4)]

[Shield Charm can be upgraded, +1 academic credit]

[Stunning Charm can be upgraded, +1 academic credit]

The string of notifications did not relax Lu Yi in the slightest. He had no time to admire Cui Yajie's shapely figure, either.

Looking past the referee's conflicted face, Lu Yi saw that Zhu Lu had already driven Cao Jinxuan to the edge of the arena.

As the wielder of the Hell Spirit Cat, a top-tier speed-type Martial Soul, Zhu Lu had formidable attack power as well. Her extraordinary speed gave her the upper hand.

Under her relentless assault, Cao Jinxuan fought back with everything he had, but the nature of their Martial Souls left him steadily losing ground. She gave him no time to use a Soul Skill.

When Zhu Lu happened to notice that Lu Yi had subdued Cui Yajie in a single move, urgency gripped her.

She had driven Cao Jinxuan to the boundary, but he stubbornly guarded his vital points with both arms and held out. To eliminate him quickly, Zhu Lu changed her approach.

She leaped high, twisted her agile body, and coiled like a taut spring.

Her powerful kick slammed into Cao Jinxuan's chest, sending him flying toward the area outside the arena.

Without a backward glance, Zhu Lu turned toward the danger prickling at her back and found Lu Yi aiming his Wand at her.

"Heh."

Zhu Lu's lips curled in triumph. "Trying to catch me off guard? Too late!"

A faint glow shot toward her, and she sidestepped it with effortless ease.

Cui Yajie had also been eliminated, but she had bought Zhu Lu enough time to eliminate Cao Jinxuan. Her mission was complete.

It was now two against two. But without Cao Jinxuan's reliable control, their all-ranged lineup was on the verge of collapse.

From here on, no one could hold her back.

Zhu Lu dodged another attack from Lu Yi, and her first Soul Ring lit up. "First Soul Skill, Hell Stab!"

Just then, Cao Jinxuan's voice rang out behind her. "First Soul Skill, Time Flies!"

"What?!"

The moment she slowed, Zhu Lu looked back in disbelief.

Cao Jinxuan was outside the arena. A half-meter-tall clock floated above his head, his first Soul Ring giving off a faint glow. The hand on the dial ticked forward, and its slowing effect settled over her.

Cao Jinxuan dared to break the rules in plain sight!

Zhu Lu was stunned.

Lu Yi, meanwhile, shamelessly took advantage of his teammate's restraint from outside the arena and attacked her again and again.

Fortunately, Zhu Lu had already activated her first Soul Skill. With her speed greatly increased, she kept evading Lu Yi's attacks.

As she dodged, she instinctively looked at the referee. When he showed no sign of intervening, she could no longer hold back.

"Referee, they're breaking the rules!"

The referee gave Cao Jinxuan another barely perceptible glance. In the interest of fairness, he replied simply, "No rules have been broken!"

By then, the students watching from outside had gathered on Cao Jinxuan's side of the arena.

They saw him floating in midair, legs held rigid as he tried his hardest not to touch the ground. His backside was still a foot above it.

The students looked at one another.

"Shit, you can do that?"

In fact, when Zhu Lu had kicked Cao Jinxuan out of the arena, she, Cao Jinxuan, and Lu Yi had happened to line up.

Lu Yi had not wasted the chance. He cast an ordinary Levitation Charm.

If it hit Zhu Lu, all the better. If she dodged, it would still hit Cao Jinxuan as he flew out of the arena.

As long as Cao Jinxuan did not touch the ground, he was not out.

And to Zhu Lu, who had no means of attacking at range, Cao Jinxuan in that state was untargetable.

Zhu Lu did not know the whole story. She assumed the referee was openly favoring them.

Her first Soul Skill had worn off. She dodged in a panic and cursed inwardly.

Once this assessment was over, she would report him to the Academy's higher-ups, get that old geezer fired, and have him thrown out of Shrek.

But she could not wait any longer. Cao Jinxuan had already begun chanting his second Soul Skill.

She made up her mind and shouted a signal to Dai Huabin, only to find herself frozen in place.

Lu Yi seized the brief opening. "Stupefy!"

"Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Fierce Light Wave!"

Dai Huabin broke away from the two Beast Spirits. Light spilled from his mouth, and a white wave shot toward Zhu Lu before he sprinted after it.

The faint white light of Stupefy merged with the blazing White Tiger Fierce Light Wave and vanished without a trace.

By then, both of Zhou Sichen's Beast Spirits had grown translucent from fighting Dai Huabin.

They could not be injured, but they would grow weaker and weaker until they disappeared completely. It would take days for them to recover.

Zhou Sichen was nearly spent. When he realized what Dai Huabin intended, he remembered Lu Yi's warning from the previous day and hurriedly sent the Blazing Flame Tiger to stop him. It failed.

Just then, Lu Yi's Levitation Charm on Cao Jinxuan and Cao Jinxuan's Time Lock both ended. Cao Jinxuan and Zhu Lu landed.

The referee immediately announced Cao Jinxuan's elimination. At the same moment, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu clasped hands.

Lu Yi knew they were about to reveal their trump card, but he felt no panic.

A smile curved his lips, as if he had been waiting for this moment all along. He pointed his Wand at Zhu Lu.

"Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Hell White Tiger!"

"Confundo!"