At that moment, with everything hanging by a thread, a figure suddenly appeared in the arena.
Yan Shaozhe had arrived at the edge of the arena unnoticed. He reached out and firmly caught Dai Huabin just before he hit the ground, his Soul Power surging to dissipate most of the impact.
"Enough." Yan Shaozhe looked at Wang Dong, a trace of helplessness in his voice.
"You've already won. If you keep throwing him, he really will die."
Yan Shaozhe had never expected Wang Dong to be so ferocious. If he hadn't intervened, something truly disastrous would have happened.
Wang Dong stopped, glanced at Dai Huabin in Yan Shaozhe's arms, then looked at the dumbstruck spectators in the stands. A smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
The stands were deathly silent.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at Dai Huabin, who lay sprawled on the arena floor in utter disarray, their minds buzzing. That was Dai Huabin!
The newcomer with the highest Soul Power in their year, a rank-thirty-four Soul Elder, almost universally acknowledged as the strongest of all the new students! And what had happened?
He hadn't even lasted thirty seconds from the start of the match. Before everyone's eyes, Wang Dong had battered him senseless with the Eight-Stage Throw, leaving him no room to fight back.
"He... he lost just like that?"
"I didn't even see what happened, and the fight was already over?"
"Dai Huabin got wrecked... A rank-thirty-four Soul Elder, taken down in seconds by someone at rank twenty-nine?"
"What kind of monster is that Wang Dong? Twin Martial Souls are one thing, but that throwing technique was terrifying!"
Zhu Lu stood in the arena, looking at Dai Huabin lying motionless on the ground. Her eyes reddened, and she nearly burst into tears. She hurried over and crouched beside him, her voice trembling. "Huabin! Huabin, are you all right?"
Dai Huabin lay on the ground without even the strength to lift his head. His lips parted as he tried to say something, but all that came out was a muffled groan of pain.
Every one of those seven throws had carried terrifying force. He felt as though every bone in his body was about to shatter.
Yan Shaozhe stood at the edge of the arena, watching the scene with a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. He had just assured Xuan Zi with absolute confidence that Dai Huabin was the most likely student in this year's intake to win the championship.
And the result? He had been taken down in seconds in the very first round. Yan Shaozhe walked over, crouched, and examined Dai Huabin's injuries, his brow furrowing more deeply by the moment.
"Three broken ribs, a fracture in his left arm, and varying degrees of damage to his internal organs..." Yan Shaozhe drew in a sharp breath. "With injuries like these, he'll need at least six months to recover."
He raised his head and looked at the boy with long pink-and-blue hair in the arena, a complicated look in his eyes.
This kid had been far too ruthless. The Eight-Stage Throw consisted of eight throws in total. He had stopped after seven, with Yan Shaozhe intervening to prevent the last one.
Had that final throw landed, Dai Huabin might have been bedridden for years. It could even have killed him. Was this really a two-ring Soul Master?
Yan Shaozhe sighed, stood, and announced loudly, "Wang Dong's team wins this match!"
Zhu Lu bit her lip, glanced at Wang Dong, then looked back at Dai Huabin on the ground. In the end, she helped Dai Huabin up and left in dejection.
There was simply no way to fight. She and Dai Huabin had planned to make a stand with their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, but Wang Dong hadn't given them the chance. He had taken Dai Huabin down in seconds.
Continuing would only bring more humiliation. She was no match for him.
Their other teammate had lost all desire to fight as well and followed them out of the arena.
Xiao Xiao stood in the arena, watching the three opponents slink away, still feeling somewhat dazed. "We... we won just like that?"
She looked down at her hands, then at Wang Dong, her face full of disbelief. "I don't think... I did anything?"
So this was what it felt like to be carried to victory? It felt amazing!
"You did plenty." Wang Dong smiled. "If you hadn't kept Zhu Lu and the others occupied, I wouldn't have been able to focus on Dai Huabin so easily."
Xiao Xiao blinked, suddenly feeling that Wang Dong's face looked especially handsome in the sunlight. She patted her cheeks, silently muttering to herself, Oh no, oh no. Why do I feel like he's getting more handsome by the moment?
Huo Yuhao stood to one side without speaking. He looked down at his hands, an indescribable emotion welling up inside him.
He had actually... beaten Dai Huabin? That older brother who had disliked him since childhood and suppressed him at every turn-he had actually defeated him?
Although Wang Dong had been the one to fight, Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection Sharing had provided him with vision and awareness of the entire arena.
Without his support, Wang Dong could never have seized Dai Huabin's openings with such precision. For the first time, Huo Yuhao felt that he could contribute to the team, that he wasn't just useless dead weight.
He raised his head and looked at Wang Dong's back, his eyes stinging slightly. It was him again... Wang Dong again. Ever since their first day at the academy, Wang Dong had been helping him.
He had stood up for him, helped him cultivate, helped him find a master, and helped him grow stronger. Huo Yuhao didn't know how to repay him. He could only silently resolve to become stronger and never let down his expectations.
The competition soon continued, and Wang Dong's team stepped forward again for the draw in the round of thirty-two. Wang Dong reached into the box, pulled out a slip of paper, and unfolded it. His eyebrows rose.
"Xie Huanyue's team?"
Another stir swept through the stands.
"Damn... What the hell is going on with this draw? Another clash between strong teams?"
"Xie Huanyue is a Soul Elder too! Wang Dong's team has terrible luck!"
"No, Dai Huabin was the unlucky one. He ran into Wang Dong in the first round. At least Xie Huanyue made it to the second before facing him."
"Do you think Wang Dong can win again?"
"Hard to say. Xie Huanyue's Martial Soul is the Rubber Elephant, and its defense is incredible. He's different from a power attacker like Dai Huabin. Wang Dong's Eight-Stage Throw might not work against the Rubber Elephant."
Amid the discussion, Xie Huanyue entered the arena with his two teammates.
His teammates were both Soul Grandmasters above rank twenty, one from the Power Attack System and one an agility attacker, making for a well-balanced lineup. Xie Huanyue himself was tall and burly, looking like a small mountain, pale and plump.
He took his place in the arena, looked at Wang Dong opposite him, and grinned.
"You're Wang Dong, right? Your offensive power really is impressive, I admit. But..."
He slapped his chest with a dull thud. "Defense is my greatest strength! You can't counter me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he unleashed his Martial Soul. Rubber Elephant! An enormous elephant-shaped phantom appeared behind him. His body instantly swelled to several times its size, his muscles knotted, and his skin grew coarse and thick, making him look like a moving wall of flesh.
He stood there, radiating a heavy, steady presence, seemingly indestructible.
Many spectators in the stands frowned.
"How do you fight that? The Rubber Elephant's defense is absurd. Ordinary attacks can't even break through."
"Wang Dong won't be able to use his Eight-Stage Throw either. That technique has limited effect on opponents with such a huge difference in size."
"Exactly... This guy is Wang Dong's natural counter."
"Wang Dong's in trouble now."
Before you continue