Facing Huo Yuhao's Team

Meanwhile, beside Arena Five...

Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao all wore grim expressions.

They had drawn the worst of the worst possible lots-a hellish draw, even. Their opponents included an insurmountable mountain among the freshmen: Nezha.

Although Huo Yuhao was the only one of the three who had personally seen Nezha fight, rumors about him had long since set the outer courtyard abuzz.

Taking on all the boys in his class alone, driving back the third-year senior Xu Sanshi with one palm strike, possessing a spear Martial Soul with ultimate fire and a thousand-year second ring-none of those feats were remotely within their league.

Xiao Xiao crouched on the ground, hugging her knees with both hands. Looking up at the other two, she forced a smile uglier than a sob. "Looks like this is the end of the road for our team."

Huo Yuhao's expression was grave. His deep blue eyes fixed on the figure opposite them, and his lips pressed into a thin line. Thanks to Brother Sky Dream, he understood Nezha's strength better than anyone.

The sight of that spear piercing the Xuanming Turtle Shell Shield on the snack street was still etched vividly in his mind. Yet the clearer that memory was, the stronger his desire to win became. He truly wanted to win, even if his opponent was Nezha.

Wang Dong looked down at the slip marked "Class Nine" in her hand and clenched it fiercely, her knuckles turning white.

She raised her head, looked at Huo Yuhao, then at Xiao Xiao. Seeing both of them silent, she took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and gave Huo Yuhao's shoulder a firm pat.

"It's only Nezha. Don't be afraid."

Wang Dong's voice was clear and resolute, and a flame of defiance burned in her pale pink eyes.

"He's still just a Soul Elder. So what if he's a Soul Elder? If the three of us work together, we won't necessarily lose."

She clenched her fists, glanced at Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao in turn, and flashed a bold smile. Huo Yuhao lifted his head and met her gaze, his fighting spirit seeming to catch fire. He nodded firmly and stood up with Xiao Xiao.

The three walked shoulder to shoulder toward the Assessment Zone. Across from them, Nezha, Ning Tian, and Nanmen Yun'er had already taken their positions in a corner of the arena.

The knockout rounds had simple rules: one match each morning and one each afternoon. Eliminated teams went straight back to class, while winning teams stayed to continue competing. The final top three would be decided over three days.

Once the draw was complete, the round of sixty-four began immediately, with thirty-two matches taking place simultaneously. This kept the assessment as brief as possible and gave the victorious students ample time to rest before their afternoon matches.

The supervising teacher had now reached the edge of the arena. Seeing both sides in position, he called out, "Both teams, introduce yourselves."

Standing on one side of the arena, Nezha tilted his head and said:

"Freshman Class Nine, Nezha, rank thirty-seven Power Attack System Soul Elder."

Ning Tian stood beside him, her platinum-blond hair falling over her shoulders. Her tone was calm and composed. "Freshman Class Nine, Ning Tian, rank thirty-one support-type Soul Elder."

"Freshman Class Nine, Nanmen Yun'er, rank twenty-four agility attack-type Soul Grandmaster."

At the words "rank thirty-seven," Huo Yuhao and his two teammates jolted, their pupils contracting.

Rank thirty-seven? How was that possible?!

It was simply too unbelievable. That enormous gap in soul power made everyone around Nezha look at him as though he were a monster who had no business existing among the freshmen.

Huo Yuhao and his teammates remained silent for a long moment before recovering and beginning their introductions.

"Freshman Class One, Wang Dong, rank twenty-four Power Attack System Soul Grandmaster."

"Freshman Class One, Xiao Xiao, rank twenty-two control-type Soul Grandmaster."

"Freshman Class One, Huo Yuhao, rank thirteen control-type Soul Master."

After confirming that both sides were ready, the referee stepped back, raised his right hand high, then swung it sharply down.

"Begin!"

The instant his words fell, all three members of Huo Yuhao's team activated their Martial Souls simultaneously.

Butterfly wings, three cauldrons, and invisible Spirit Eyes!

Nezha's side also began activating their Martial Souls.

Ning Tian turned her palm upward, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda appeared. The seven-story pagoda shimmered with radiant colors as three Soul Rings-yellow, yellow, and purple-rose around her, their magnificent glow illuminating her delicate face.

Nanmen Yun'er's body grew light as the Jade Greenbird possessed her. Two yellow Soul Rings lit up beneath her feet, and her entire body became like a taut bowstring, poised to spring.

Ning Tian and Nanmen Yun'er changed little after their Martial Soul Possession, making them less eye-catching.

Nezha, however, went all out with everything except his second Martial Soul.

He closed his right hand, and the Fire-Tipped Spear materialized out of thin air. Its crimson shaft hummed, the fine flame patterns along it lighting up with dark red radiance like lava surging through iron.

The spearhead was a flame-shaped, double-edged serpentine blade, its tip slightly curved and its thin edges gleaming. Purple flames compressed into a dazzling point of white light along its edge. The fiery red tassel at its neck stirred without wind, bursting outward like a wild scarlet flower. The moment the spear appeared, the arena's temperature soared, and the air warped and twisted under its heat.

Then he stamped both feet and rose into the air.

The Wind Fire Wheels appeared out of nowhere. Two entirely crimson, wheel-shaped Soul Tools supported his feet, the soul tool patterns engraved across their surfaces lighting up in sequence. Crimson and blue-green light flowed alternately through the markings.

As the flame-shaped protrusions along their rims revolved, they stirred up two vortices visible to the naked eye. One blazed like fire, the other raced like wind. Twining together, they held him steadily three inches above the ground.

Deep within the two scarlet gems at the wheels' centers, streams of wind- and fire-colored light chased one another like two primordial ferocious beasts trapped in amber, growling and surging, ready to break their seals at any moment.

He lifted his left hand. Golden light flashed at his cuff, and a golden ring slid into his palm. The Universe Ring was cast entirely from red gold, its surface covered in intricate amplification patterns. Golden radiance flowed across it, while faint soul power fluctuations pulsed within the ring, brightening and dimming like a sleeping heart.

The Fire-Tipped Spear, the Wind Fire Wheels, the Universe Ring-Martial Soul and Soul Tools emerged together.

Nezha hovered three feet above the ground, his black hair tied in buns and his clothes snapping in the air. The twin Wind Fire Wheels floated beneath his feet, scarlet flames and blue-green winds weaving around him. The long spear in his hand pointed diagonally toward the ground, purple flames dancing at its tip.

Three Soul Rings-yellow, purple, and purple-revolved slowly around him. Their intermingling light illuminated his sharply defined face, making him look like a god of war who had stepped out of raging flames.

Every gaze in the entire Assessment Zone was drawn to him in an instant.

Students fighting in several neighboring assessment areas instinctively stopped and turned to look.

Upper-year students in the stands rose one after another, craning their necks to see. Even among the row of teachers standing outside the Assessment Zone, several unconsciously took a few steps toward Assessment Area Five for a clearer view.

"Is that... Nezha?"

"What kind of Soul Tools are those? They look way too cool!"

"Yeah, yeah! I want those Soul Tools on his feet too."

Standing opposite him, Huo Yuhao and his two teammates struggled to breathe under the heat wave and spear intent bearing down on them.

Wang Dong's butterfly wings involuntarily drew inward a little. Xiao Xiao's three small cauldrons slowed half a beat in their rotation, and the white light in Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes flickered slightly. In the images relayed by Spiritual Detection, the air within three feet of Nezha was twisting violently, like a mass of fire compressed to its absolute limit, ready to explode at any moment.

Wang Dong gritted her teeth and forced herself not to retreat, but a sheen of sweat had already formed at her temples.

Xiao Xiao swallowed and muttered under her breath, "How are we supposed to fight this..."

Huo Yuhao said nothing. He simply stared fixedly at the spear in Nezha's hand, its dancing purple flames reflected in his deep blue eyes. At that moment, the desire to win in his heart was crushed beneath such pressure that it could barely breathe.