Second Soul Skill: Fear Boiling!

"Aaagh!"

"Huo Yutong's team wins!"

The battle began, and the battle ended.

In the blink of an eye, Wang Yan announced the victory of Huo Yutong's trio.

Honestly, the three students he had specially selected could hold their own against a team of Soul Elders, and even defeat them.

With two Soul Grandmasters who possessed thousand-year second rings facing an ordinary team, victory was theirs for the taking. The fight ended in an instant.

The terrifying support offered by Huo Yutong's skill was practically no different from having X-ray vision.

"Teacher Wang, we'll head back first."

Huo Yutong and her teammates nodded to Wang Yan. Rather than watch the remaining two matches, they headed straight back.

"An easy victory!"

Once they were out of the assessment area, Xiao Xiao stopped holding herself back. She made a V with one hand and raised it high above her head.

"We really are the strongest team!"

Wang Dong'er, meanwhile, still wore an expression of utter shock.

"Whoa, Yu Tong, isn't your Soul Skill way too amazing?!"

After fighting side by side, the three of them had clearly grown much closer.

"It's practically all-around X-ray vision with no blind spots!"

Spiritual Detection Sharing could even provide Soul Masters with quantified feedback on changes in their surroundings.

With support of that caliber and the advantage of high ground, Wang Dong'er was confident she could defeat an opponent an entire cultivation rank above her!

...Of course, a certain freak didn't count.

"Pretty powerful, right?"

Seeing the shock on Wang Dong'er's face, Xiao Xiao raised her head proudly, as though she were the one being praised.

"That's what makes spiritual-type Soul Masters so terrifying."

"Then, Yu Tong, what's your second Soul Skill?"

If her first Soul Skill was already so powerful, what about her purple second ring?

This was the first time Wang Dong'er had seen someone other than herself with a Soul Ring color that exceeded the normal limit.

...Of course, once again, a certain freak fell outside her frame of reference.

"It's Simulation."

Faced with Wang Dong'er's curiosity, Huo Yutong smiled faintly and, following El's earlier instructions, claimed that her second Soul Skill was Simulation.

With spiritual-type skills, there was no way to tell whether the Soul Ring and Soul Skill actually matched anyway.

"Look."

Huo Yutong beckoned with her hand, and two white Soul Rings appeared around her.

"Huh?!"

Both girls cried out at the sight.

Then, in the next instant, the colors of the two white Soul Rings began rapidly deepening.

White, yellow, purple, black...

Finally, they turned the red that signified Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings!

A terrifying pressure instantly filled the entire space. Shock covered Wang Dong's and Xiao Xiao's faces, and almost instinctively, both released their Soul Rings.

"H-hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings?!"

The terrifying pressure left their minds blank for a moment, but as Huo Yutong withdrew her Soul Rings, they quickly recovered.

"That's Simulation?!"

Wang Dong'er's eyes shone.

"What an awesome Soul Skill!"

"That's not all it can do, is it?"

Xiao Xiao calmed herself down and asked.

"Right."

Huo Yutong nodded. "Essentially, Simulation lets me use spiritual fluctuations to distort space, taking myself as the foundation to simulate all sorts of forms."

As she finished speaking, Huo Yutong released her Soul Rings again.

The next moment, she transformed into Xiao Xiao right before their eyes.

"Wow!"

Seeing another version of herself, Xiao Xiao exclaimed.

Then Huo Yutong turned into Wang Dong, followed by El.

As she transformed, she explained:

"Of course, these are only visual changes. I can't actually change my build, and the effect only extends through an area five meters in diameter around me."

Finally, as though wiped away by an invisible eraser, Huo Yutong vanished from their sight, leaving only her voice audible.

Only after a while did she reappear.

"So strong!"

"With this Soul Skill, as long as we don't run into any large-area Soul Skills, we'll be standing on unbeatable ground from the start."

Xiao Xiao spoke happily.

Even Wang Dong'er, who had always seemed rather proud, felt the same.

The championship will be ours for the taking!

Soon, the third day arrived.

The round-robin stage of the Freshman Assessment lasted three days in total.

There was one match on the first day, four on the second, and five on the third.

As the steamroller team Wang Yan had painstakingly selected, Huo Yutong's trio tore through all their opponents at a terrifying speed on the second day.

Not a single battle lasted longer than one minute from start to finish.

Only on the third day did they encounter opponents who could just barely put up a fight.

"Freshman Class One's Huo Yutong team versus Freshman Class Seven's Huang Chutian team!"

Wang Yan announced solemnly.

"Begin the assessment!"

The burly Huang Chutian swiftly activated Martial Soul Possession. His height shot up by thirty centimeters to around one hundred eighty centimeters, muscles knotted all over his body, and his skin turned completely iron-black. His defenses looked formidable.

Two yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.

Huo Yutong exchanged glances with Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong, then deployed Spiritual Detection.

Clearly, this was a Soul Grandmaster who specialized in strength.

"Wang Dong, don't fight him head-on."

Wang Dong'er spread her beautiful, dazzling butterfly wings, captivating enough to draw every eye in the arena, as two Soul Rings, one yellow and one purple, rose around her.

She rose into the air with them.

"Heh, heh. You want this young master to avoid his edge?"

Ever since she had gained a clear understanding of her two teammates' strength, Wang Dong'er had started getting a little carried away.

She felt that as long as the opposing team had no Soul Elder, their team could toy with them outright.

As the two made their moves, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo, the identical twins standing behind Huang Chutian, also completed their Martial Soul Possession.

Two yellow hundred-year Soul Rings appeared beneath each of their feet.

Their long blue hair unfurled in the wind, growing to more than ten meters in length and floating through the air, nearly covering the entire arena.

"Two body Martial Souls?!"

Below the platform, Wang Yan froze.

On the platform, the pupils of Huo Yutong and her teammates also contracted.

As beneficiaries of Spiritual Detection, they knew just how powerful body Martial Souls could be.

Even if Lan Luoluo's and Lan Susu's hair Martial Souls were inferior in quality to Huo Yutong's Spirit Eyes, they absolutely could not be underestimated!

Twins, both with hair Martial Souls...

Remembering what El had taught her, Huo Yutong immediately understood.

We can't give them a chance to show their abilities!

"Xiao Xiao, hold Huang Chutian back!"

Huo Yutong shouted, simultaneously giving Wang Dong an order.

"Wang Dong, eliminate either one of them immediately! Hurry!"

Everyone present was taken aback.

Although Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao didn't know why Huo Yutong had chosen to focus all their efforts on the two supports first, they still obeyed.

Just follow Big Sister Huo's lead!

Already halfway toward Huang Chutian, Wang Dong decisively changed course and flew toward the twins.

With Spiritual Detection's assistance, Xiao Xiao controlled the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron and blocked Huang Chutian, whose eyes were panicked as he tried to turn back and reinforce his teammates.

"Cauldron's Tremor!"

Three enormous black cauldrons shook together. A massive shock wave enveloped the Great Strength Divine Ape, temporarily pinning him in place.

At the same time, Wang Dong appeared above Lan Luoluo and her sister. The butterfly wings behind her flashed, and small spheres emerged from their golden patterns.

Thousand-year Soul Skill: Butterfly God's Light!

Its target was the pair of twin sisters below.

Having only just completed Martial Soul Possession, with no time yet to activate their Soul Skills, they had practically no chance of blocking this lethal strike in their haste!

The match had only just begun, yet it seemed about to end.

"Power Cannon Hammer!"

At this hairbreadth moment, resolve flashed in Huang Chutian's eyes. Gritting his teeth, he actually ignored the Cauldron's Tremor right in his face and instead unleashed his Soul Skill at the distant Wang Dong with all his might!

Seeing the opening, Xiao Xiao decisively followed up with her second Soul Skill.

"Cauldron's Surge!"

"Aaagh!"

With no defense whatsoever, Huang Chutian screamed as the three enormous cauldrons pinned him to the ground, leaving him unable to move.

Still, as a Soul Master with the Great Strength Divine Ape Martial Soul facing a control-type Soul Master, even taking two Soul Skills head-on wasn't enough to eliminate him immediately. He could barely hold on for a little longer.

Wang Dong frowned and shifted slightly, intending to dodge the yellow sphere of light hurtling toward her, only to discover that it was a lock-on skill!

Moreover, Huang Chutian hadn't locked onto her, but onto her thousand-year Soul Skill, Butterfly God's Light!

Boom!

Their Soul Skills collided with a deep, thunderous crash.

Huang Chutian's all-out, self-sacrificing strike actually canceled out Wang Dong'er's thousand-year Soul Skill.

What was that supposed to mean?

What good did that do?

Her butterfly wings beat behind her as confusion filled Wang Dong's mind.

Even if he blocked that attack, I could launch another.

But Huang Chutian really was about to be eliminated by Xiao Xiao.

All that for two supports?

"Tch!"

Watching this unfold, Huo Yutong's expression darkened.

"Wang Dong, get out of the way!"

She shouted.

But it was too late.

With Huang Chutian's support, Lan Luoluo and Lan Susu had already reacted.

They exchanged a glance, determination shining in their eyes.

Avenge Huang Chutian!

Each read the other's intent in her eyes.

Their Soul Rings vanished, and they spread their arms and hugged each other tightly.

Martial Soul Fusion Skill: Heavenly Net!

Immense Soul Power erupted instantly. The sisters' blue hair became crystalline and translucent, transforming into a vast net, like a cluster of willow branches fluttering in the wind, that swept toward Wang Dong, who was closest to them.

Oh no!

Wang Dong could sense that the Spiritual Detection shared with her was struggling to penetrate the strands of hair, as though its signal had been blocked, turning patchy and intermittent.

Her expression changed, and she tried to retreat. But she was too close, and in an instant she was bound tightly, her butterfly wings pressed firmly against her back, unable to move. Even using a Soul Skill was difficult.

She was like a butterfly caught in a spider's web.

"That idiot..."

Huo Yutong slapped her forehead and sighed.

Beside her, Xiao Xiao cried out at the same time as Wang Yan below the platform.

"A Martial Soul Fusion Skill!"

This is trouble.

It looks like this team is also a seeded team from Class Seven...

They're probably aiming for the top three too.

Wang Yan rubbed his chin.

Judging by Wang Yan's knowledge, this Martial Soul Fusion Skill was powerful enough to restrain even a Soul Ancestor with relatively weak offensive power!

And however exceptionally gifted Huo Yutong and her teammates were, they were still only Soul Grandmasters.

To make matters worse, Wang Dong, the strongest attacker on their team, was already trapped and had all but lost her ability to fight.

How will you respond next?

Xiao Xiao was still suppressing Huang Chutian, and Wang Dong was restrained. Huo Yutong was now the only one who could act to counter this Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Seeing the glistening strands of hair sweeping toward her, blotting out the sky, Huo Yutong sighed softly.

I hadn't wanted to use this move.

A veil of deep violet light instantly shrouded her azure eyes.

The purple Soul Ring beneath her feet flashed with a barely perceptible glimmer.

Second Soul Skill: Fear Boiling!!