"Stop wasting your effort. Inside the Mist Arena, anyone with less soul power than me doesn't get to use their martial soul."
Huo Yuhao emerged from the mist and spoke as he looked at Ning Tian.
Ning Tian narrowed her eyes and said to Huo Yuhao,
"That ability of yours really is sinister."
Huo Yuhao smiled, then walked toward Ning Tian.
By the time Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er had been driven into a corner, they saw Huo Yuhao emerge from the mist, dragging an unconscious Ning Tian.
"Ning Tian!"
Wu Feng immediately tried to rush forward in alarm, but after her head-on fight with Wang Dong, she no longer had the strength for another bout. All she could do was glare hatefully at Huo Yuhao, as though she wanted to slice him into a thousand pieces with her eyes.
"Do you concede?"
Huo Yuhao calmly asked the two of them. After a brief silence, they replied,
"We concede. You win."
As soon as she conceded, Wu Feng stepped forward and spoke to Huo Yuhao like a little beast whose food had been stolen.
"Give Ning Tian back to me!"
Huo Yuhao pushed Ning Tian toward Wu Feng and said,
"Please don't talk about Ning Tian as though she's an object. It's very unbecoming."
Wu Feng rolled her eyes and called Huo Yuhao a lunatic. Just then, the referee raised his hand and announced,
"I now declare the winner of the second quarterfinal match: Huo Yuhao's team."
The next day's semifinal was quite easy. Xie Huanyue's team faced Dai Huabin's team this time, while Huo Yuhao's opponents were a team that had made it this far through sheer luck.
Naturally, Huo Yuhao's team eliminated them with ease. After spending the midday break resting and recovering, they arrived at the final match.
Dai Huabin still hadn't recognized Huo Yuhao and merely stared fixedly at him. Once both sides had introduced themselves, Dai Huabin spoke.
"Huo Yuhao, right? Do you dare make a bet with me?"
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes. Leaving talent aside, Dai Huabin's temperament and brains really are miles behind his brother's.
He called me a little bastard every day when we were kids, so he doesn't even remember my name.
Even Dai Yueheng remembered my name when he saw me at the military camp. Dai Huabin simply never bothered.
Just then, Wang Dong's words interrupted Huo Yuhao's thoughts.
"Quit trying to act mysterious. Spit it out. What do you want to bet on?"
Every last one of them crawled straight out of a casino. A bunch of hopeless gambling addicts, Huo Yuhao grumbled inwardly. Still, he didn't undermine Wang Dong in front of everyone. He simply looked at Dai Huabin, waiting to hear exactly what he wanted to say.
Dai Huabin pointed at Huo Yuhao and said,
"Want to make a bet? Zhu Lu and I against you alone. Nobody else gets involved. The three of us decide who wins this match."
Wang Dong objected almost immediately, snapping at Dai Huabin,
"Why should he? How can you propose two against one with such a straight face?"
Dai Huabin couldn't be bothered to answer Wang Dong. He merely looked at Huo Yuhao and said,
"Just give me a straight answer. Do you dare or not? You should know why it's two against one. You're a Soul Ancestor, after all. You have two more soul rings than we do."
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, then sneered.
"If your brain isn't working, find some time to get it checked. Why the hell should I bet with you? My cultivation is higher than yours, and that somehow makes you right? We all carry one head on two shoulders. If your cultivation is lower, that just means you're trash."
Dai Huabin's face flushed with pent-up anger. Just then, Xiao Xiao stepped forward and said,
"Brother Yuhao and I against you two. Do you dare?"
Huo Yuhao glanced back at Xiao Xiao and saw her wink at him. Forget it. If they unleash their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, I'll have to handle it myself anyway.
If they really use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong are nothing but speed bumps at their current level. With this arrangement, I'll have fewer people to look after.
Just then, Wang Dong grew a little unhappy and said to Xiao Xiao,
"Hey, Xiao, you're pretty crafty! You stole the chance to show off without missing a beat?"
Huo Yuhao waved a hand and said,
"All right, all right. Then let's agree on this. Wang Dong, you fight Cui Yajie. Xiao Xiao and I will take Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu. We'll split into two groups and fight our respective opponents. Nobody interferes with the other group."
Dai Huabin immediately nodded and said,
"That's a good idea."
The referee standing nearby spoke up.
"Are you two sides done talking? I'm still breathing over here. Hurry up and move apart to either side. Especially Dai Huabin's team—I can't even be bothered to chew you out. You really need to get your brain checked. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the Soul Ancestor. If I called start right now and Huo Yuhao attacked with zero windup, could you react in time? Whatever tricks you have would be useless."
Dai Huabin's face alternated between green and white under the scolding. He shot the referee a vicious glare before moving off to one side.
The teacher cursed inwardly, then raised his hand and said,
"Ready? Begin!"
The instant the command rang out, Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao split off from Wang Dong. Wang Dong released her light goddess butterfly martial soul and charged toward Cui Yajie.
Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao exchanged a glance. Xiao Xiao playfully raised her hand, but instead of releasing the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, she summoned the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute. Blue-green soul power swept toward Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao suddenly realized that his soul power seemed faintly compatible with Xiao Xiao's. As surprise rose within him, Xiao Xiao gave a mischievous little laugh and said,
"I've been paying attention ever since the day we fought Huang Chutian's team. I could sense a connection between the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute's soul power and your martial soul. After talking to the sisters Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo, I confirmed that we have some compatibility too."
Huo Yuhao slowed his steps a little. Dai Hao had also told him about Martial Soul Fusion Skills, but the Zhu Family's martial soul had no compatibility with his. Otherwise, he would have had a female companion surnamed Zhu by his side too. He carefully sensed his connection with the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute.
Then he shook his head and said,
"It's not quite there. Even if we can develop a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, it won't happen today. They have one called Hell White Tiger. The original Shrek Seven Devils had it ten thousand years ago. It's the sort that appears in one or two pairs from the Dai Family and Zhu Family every generation."
A flash of astonishment crossed Xiao Xiao's eyes, and she said,
"I was too hasty. I wanted to use this actual battle to trigger a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. I didn't expect our opponents to have one instead..."
Huo Yuhao smiled, then said to Xiao Xiao,
"How the hell does this count as an actual battle when a referee's here to keep things in check? Don't let it weigh on you. Your timing has always been good. Just do your thing."
As he spoke, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu held hands, preparing to unleash their Martial Soul Fusion Skill right in his face. Huo Yuhao abruptly stamped his foot and activated his Spiritual Sharing and detection.
He wasn't as fond of cheating as the original Huo Yuhao. Since they had agreed that neither group would interfere with the other's fight, he only shared his Spiritual Sharing and detection with Xiao Xiao...
Before you continue