Four agility attackers-this was the most aggressive lineup they had encountered so far.
The academy only restricted the number of power attack system and defense system members. Their martial souls generally gave Soul Masters comprehensive improvements to their offense and defense.
They were tanky as hell and hit hard, too.
But agility attack system Soul Masters were different. They were more like assassins, trading durability for extreme speed and explosive power. Risk and reward went hand in hand.
In this team's matches, the opposing support system and control system Soul Masters in the back line often failed to withstand the four attackers' dives and were eliminated almost as soon as the match began.
Even against a tightly guarded defensive formation, they could use their superior speed to draw out openings.
"Nanmen Yun'er, Yuan Xiaozhao, Luo Tianlong, Luo Tianba."
After a brief exchange of names, the quarterfinal match officially began.
Nanmen Yun'er's martial soul, the Jadeite Bluebird, naturally possessed the wind attribute, giving her tremendous speed and making her the team's primary spearhead.
Yuan Xiaozhao's was the Blue-and-Cyan Petrel. Although she was slower than Nanmen Yun'er, her dual wind and water attributes gave her some battlefield control.
Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba possessed the Gale Mantis and followed the two girls like shadows.
They actually intended to use their superior speed to bypass Qi Xuan and strike straight at the back line.
"Woo..."
A plaintive flute note sounded. Xiao Xiao simply brought out her second martial soul, and the melody of the Nine Phoenixes Saluting Flute immediately slowed all four opponents a fraction.
Compared to the heavy Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, intangible sound waves were more effective here.
Their original plan had been to burst into top speed at the start and attack together before Qi Xuan's team could react, eliminating Huo Yuhao in an instant.
But now their rhythm had been disrupted, and the most immediate consequence was-Qi Xuan's fist was coming!
Nanmen Yun'er gritted her teeth and ordered, "I'll hold him off. Stick to the original plan."
As the team's highest-level member, she was the only one who could use her speed to keep Qi Xuan occupied for a while.
Both soul rings on her body lit up simultaneously.
She unleashed Jadeite Blade and Jadeite Slash in succession, forming a blue-jade blade of light in the air that flew straight at Qi Xuan.
The attack was a feint; providing cover was her real goal.
The three figures behind her swept around Qi Xuan and lunged straight for the back line.
Lightning flickered over Qi Xuan's right hand-Five Thunders Orthodox Method: Crimson Palace Thunder Variation-Thunder Serpent!
This was a new soul skill variation he had learned after mastering Crimson Palace Thunder, allowing him to freely manipulate its shape.
The Thunder Serpent collided with the jade blade. A second later, it surged forward, annihilating the Jadeite Slash and flying toward Nanmen Yun'er.
But Nanmen Yun'er narrowly dodged the strike with her incredible speed.
There's a chance.
Sweat beaded on Nanmen Yun'er's forehead, but her eyes brightened.
She really could just barely use her speed to keep Qi Xuan in check.
Behind Qi Xuan, the fighting was just as fierce.
Xiao Xiao's Nine Phoenixes Saluting Flute had no soul rings attached to it yet, after all, so she switched back to the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron.
It split into three, doing its best to hold the opponents off in three directions.
Wang Dong spread her wings as well. Dazzling Butterfly God's Light blossomed, and the exploding balls of light actually engulfed all three opponents at once.
Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba exchanged a glance, then unleashed their second soul skills without hesitation. Their arms each transformed into a mantis blade, locking against Wang Dong's Butterfly Wing Guillotine.
Generally speaking, agility attack system Soul Masters were the most decisive.
In their eyes, every second of hesitation could let an opportunity slip away. Thus, Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba's forceful charge pinned Wang Dong down completely, leaving her no time to attend to what was happening behind her.
Even at the cost of injury, the two intended to create an opening for Yuan Xiaozhao.
Yuan Xiaozhao's light-footed figure swept past, her first soul skill flashing-Flowing Water Arrow!
After these past few days of competition, Huo Yuhao was already accustomed to surprise attacks. He stepped back, placing Xiao Xiao protectively in front of him.
Xiao Xiao coordinated perfectly, unleashing Cauldron's Swing to block Yuan Xiaozhao head-on.
Yuan Xiaozhao lightly pressed against the cauldron and flipped, intending to vault over it. But a sudden suction force emerged from within the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, pulling at her and preventing her escape.
Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Xiao immediately merged the three cauldrons into one-Cauldron's Tremor!
She intended to chain her control skills together and lock Yuan Xiaozhao down completely.
Meanwhile, purple light flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes as he activated his only offensive skill, Soul Impact!
But both Cauldron's Tremor and Soul Impact struck empty air.
Yuan Xiaozhao's figure vanished into thin air, then reappeared less than five meters in front of Huo Yuhao. Her second soul ring was still flashing.
Swallows Fly in Pairs.
Who moved the jade bridges of the ornate zither? Through the curtain, sea swallows flew away in pairs.
Just as the verse described, Yuan Xiaozhao's second soul skill created a decoy in place while granting her real body a brief burst of invisibility and increased speed.
As opponents, how could Yuan Xiaozhao's team have failed to study Huo Yuhao? From Long Xiangyue, a fellow agility attack system Soul Master, they had learned that Huo Yuhao might possess a spiritual attack skill.
That was also why Yuan Xiaozhao had been assigned the assassination task. None of the others could withstand Soul Impact.
Only then did Huo Yuhao understand why Yuan Xiaozhao had seemed a little strange in his Spiritual Detection just now. It had merely been a decoy.
Yuan Xiaozhao continued charging toward Huo Yuhao without hesitation. Blue soul power flickered between her palms; she was clearly preparing another Flowing Water Arrow.
Alarmed, Xiao Xiao hurriedly recalled her great cauldron and split it into three, sending them circling around Huo Yuhao.
Protecting Huo Yuhao was the task the team had entrusted to her. As a Soul Master with twin martial souls, Xiao Xiao had pride of her own. Before she left the field, Huo Yuhao would not suffer so much as a scratch!
No.
The danger warning in Huo Yuhao's mind had not subsided. His instincts told him that Yuan Xiaozhao's assault was not over yet.
Watching Yuan Xiaozhao draw closer and closer, the meticulous perception granted by his Spirit Eyes allowed him to notice that her figure was gradually turning illusory.
"Xiao Xiao, watch out!"
As though realizing something, Huo Yuhao shouted at the top of his lungs.
"What?" Xiao Xiao froze, but there was no time for her to think any further.
Howling wind and rain rushed straight at her face, while Yuan Xiaozhao, who should have been attacking Huo Yuhao, appeared at her side instead.
Thoughts flashed through Xiao Xiao's mind, and she understood Yuan Xiaozhao's strategy.
She had used Swallows Fly in Pairs twice in succession. The first use had baited out Cauldron's Tremor and Soul Impact, then she had quickly used it again to create a decoy that feigned an attack on Huo Yuhao.
Meanwhile, her real body had stealthily approached Xiao Xiao under cover of invisibility, waiting for her to move the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron away from herself.
With a fully prepared agility attack system Soul Master right in the face of a wide-open control system Soul Master, the outcome was already decided.
Xiao Xiao was eliminated.
Huo Yuhao was now in imminent danger. Yuan Xiaozhao's invisibility countered Spiritual Detection to some extent, and he certainly lacked the ability to confront his opponent head-on. That left him with only one option.
Even before her elimination, Xiao Xiao had desperately drawn Yuan Xiaozhao away from Huo Yuhao, giving him some time to reposition.
Five seconds.
With Spiritual Detection, Huo Yuhao calculated precisely that, at their current speeds, Yuan Xiaozhao would need another five seconds to catch him.
Bang! A violent explosion rang out from the center of the arena.
Wang Dong stopped wrestling with the Luo brothers and chose to take a hit, sending herself flying backward.
She paid for it with an injury, but rapidly closed the distance to Huo Yuhao.
With Xiao Xiao eliminated, she was the only one who could keep Huo Yuhao safe.
Thanks to the Light Goddess Butterfly's powerful bloodline, she righted herself in midair.
As she wrapped both arms around Huo Yuhao's waist and took off with him-
A strange sensation spread through her entire body, nearly making her let go.
Wang Dong glared fiercely at Huo Yuhao and demanded:
"What did you do?!"
Before you continue