First victory in the knockout rounds

Chen Yong, who faced Liu Gang's sword head-on, felt its threat even more keenly. He knew Liu Gang's sword was fast, making it especially effective against a Soul Master like him, whose strength far outstripped his speed. That was why, under the cover of Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion, he had chosen not to attack Zhao Zhi, the seemingly more vulnerable Control System Soul Master, but Liu Gang, who posed the greater threat to him.

But Liu Gang's decisiveness had caught him off guard. The instant he sensed trouble, he unleashed two major Soul Skills in succession without the slightest hesitation. His Soul Power was lower than Chen Yong's; although he, too, was a Soul Grandmaster, he had only just broken through to rank twenty-one, still two ranks behind Chen Yong.

And it was precisely Liu Gang's decisiveness that had forced him into such an awkward position. He simply did not have the speed to evade this sword strike.

Meanwhile, Wang Cheng swiftly charged out of Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion, thrusting his ancient lance, nearly eight feet long, toward him.

If I can't dodge it, then I won't!

Chen Yong let out a low roar and made his decision immediately. Soul Power surged out as he clenched his sandbag-sized fist, driving an arm as thick as an ordinary person's thigh toward Liu Gang.

Liu Gang was weaker than him physically. As long as he took Liu Gang out, Wang Cheng, whose attacks were likewise broad and sweeping, would be no cause for concern.

As he swung his fist, the cloud illusion gathered around it. His fist seemed to swell until it was the size of a human head, making it impossible to tell where Chen Yong's real fist actually was!

Liu Gang gritted his teeth and thrust the Green Steel Sword straight into the center of the fist.

Pfft!

The blade pierced empty air. Chen Yong's fist slammed into Liu Gang's shoulder, and the tremendous force nearly made him lose his grip on his Martial Soul, the Green Steel Sword.

His sword strike had been dazzling, but it had lost to Sun Yunhai's Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion.

Even without schemes or tricks, Sun Yunhai's Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion was dazzling enough in a team battle.

"Limitless Lance Light!"

A low shout rang out as Wang Cheng arrived just in time. A brilliant beam of energy shot from his eight-foot lance, forcing even Chen Yong to retreat.

In terms of penetrating power, Wang Cheng's first Soul Skill, Limitless Lance Light, surpassed even Liu Gang's Sword Qi and Eight Directions.

And the eight-foot lance followed close behind, its blade alone measuring four feet. If that thrust struck him, even his first Soul Skill, Black Iron Body, would not be able to stop it.

Chen Yong retreated, dodging Wang Cheng's thrust, and Liu Gang finally had a chance to breathe. Even now, his right arm was numb and tingling, making it difficult to exert any strength. The force of that punch had been more than he could bear!

At lower ranks, the greatest difference between tool Soul Masters and beast Soul Masters lay in how Martial Soul Possession tempered and enhanced a beast Soul Master's physique.

By this point, Zhao Zhi had finally escaped Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion as well. Colorful ribbons danced before him, and he was about to send them to bind Chen Yong when Liu Gang immediately called out in a low voice, "Don't worry about us! Go restrain Sun Yunhai!"

Zhao Zhi gritted his teeth and sent his ribbons toward Sun Yunhai without hesitation. Of the three, Liu Gang was superior in both strength and judgment, and he was also their commander. Faced with Liu Gang's decision, Zhao Zhi had chosen to obey at once.

At the sight, Du Weilun could not help giving a slight nod. The youngster with the Sword Martial Soul had judged correctly. Without the support of Sun Yunhai's illusions, Chen Yong would have had little fighting strength left by now, even if he had not been eliminated. That was what made Soul Masters of special types so frightening.

He had originally thought Sun Yunhai's development of the Cloud Illusion Technique was still lacking, but this scene made him understand completely. It was not that Sun Yunhai had failed to develop it; the opponents he had faced earlier simply had not been strong enough to make him reveal all his abilities.

Then how much strength was that other youngster still hiding?

Du Weilun cast a curious glance at the boy standing motionless on the platform. How could he not know about someone blocking the senior students' dormitory on his very first day as a freshman? No matter how he looked at it, that youngster's strength ought to be even more terrifying.

The ribbons flew toward Sun Yunhai. Having reached two rings, Zhao Zhi was no poor student either: he had teamed up with Liu Gang and Wang Cheng to achieve nine wins and one loss. His ribbons concealed firmness within their softness, moving nimbly through the air while possessing considerable offensive power. Under their interference, Sun Yunhai could no longer control Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion precisely, nor could he help Chen Yong.

Without the support of Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion, Chen Yong understood perfectly well how dangerous it was to face Liu Gang and Wang Cheng together. Just now, Liu Gang had nearly made him suffer a major setback simply by drawing on his knowledge of him.

With that thought, he did not hesitate. His second soul ring suddenly flared with light. Although it, too, was a hundred-year soul ring, its yellow was much deeper than that of his first soul ring.

Roar!

Chen Yong opened his mouth wide. Accompanied by a deafening roar, waves of invisible ripples poured from his mouth. A savage, primeval aura swept outward, and a terrifying pressure erupted from him. Even the students fighting on the neighboring platforms were disturbed by the roar, their movements slowing for a moment.

Jiang Hai and Sun Yunhai had already covered their ears with their hands the moment they saw Chen Yong preparing to unleash his second Soul Skill.

Only the two of them knew about Chen Yong's second Soul Skill, Bear Dominates the World.

Liu Gang and Wang Cheng, who had closed in again, took the roar head-on. Their eardrums stabbed with pain, their minds fell into chaos, and their forward movements instinctively slowed considerably.

The instant Chen Yong unleashed his second Soul Skill, he had already anticipated its possible effects. Unless someone's Soul Power far exceeded his own, anyone struck at close range by this second Soul Skill, which carried a degree of mental intimidation, would briefly become stunned or slowed.

And the effects of his second Soul Skill went far beyond that. After he let out the roar, the imposing aura around him seemed to find release as well, and his fighting spirit soared.

With his fighting spirit bolstering him, his strength and speed became even more frightening.

Like an enormous brown bear, Chen Yong surged forward. His bear paw slammed into the stunned Liu Gang's shoulder, sending him flying off the platform, before he turned to face Wang Cheng.

By now, Wang Cheng had recovered from his brief daze. His ears were still ringing so badly that he seemed unable to hear anything, but his fighting instincts made him let out a low roar as though to bolster his courage. His eight-foot lance swept in a full circle. Through deliberate training, his arm strength had improved greatly, and paired with the broad, sweeping attacks of this cavalry lance, it was terrifying indeed.

But Chen Yong had already halted his advance, just in time to avoid the sweep. His simple prediction had paid off. Only after the lance's edge swept past did he close in and drive a fist forward, finally stopping it before Wang Cheng's face.

The light in Wang Cheng's eyes froze. After a moment, he said helplessly, "I lost!"

As someone familiar with Chen Yong, he naturally knew how much force that fist carried now. If Chen Yong's punch struck a vital point, it could even leave him seriously injured. Chen Yong had clearly shown mercy.

Looking at his good friend, Chen Yong revealed a simple, honest smile. He patted Wang Cheng's shoulder with his fist and said with a laugh, "You did really well too. I almost lost!"

Wang Cheng nodded and forced a smile. "Too bad the two of us couldn't make the boss take action!"

They had anticipated losing from the outset. They had simply thought their teamwork would be enough to force Jiang Hai to reveal his strength.

Chen Yong smiled. "Even I don't know how strong the boss really is. I wonder if anyone in this Freshman Assessment can force him to show his true strength!"

"Yeah!" Wang Cheng nodded and smiled. "Then I'm heading down. Remember to remind the boss that he has to treat us to lunch today. None of you three are getting away! If we can't beat you in a fight, we'll eat enough to settle the score!"

Chen Yong scratched his head with an honest smile. "All right!"

Wang Cheng jumped off the platform himself, and Chen Yong turned back toward Zhao Zhi, who was still locked in battle with Sun Yunhai. It had to be said that Liu Gang's team was not weak; otherwise, they would not have achieved nine wins and one loss in the round-robin stage. Zhao Zhi's control over his ribbon Martial Soul was also formidable, but with both of his Power Attack System teammates eliminated, he could no longer change the outcome alone.

"I surrender!" As Chen Yong closed in, Zhao Zhi helplessly recalled his ribbon Martial Soul and conceded.

Zhao Zhi's surrender also meant that Jiang Hai's team had claimed its first victory in the knockout rounds, advancing from the top sixty-four to the top thirty-two.

"Freshman Class One, Jiang Hai Team wins!" the referee announced expressionlessly.

"What a strong Power Attack System Soul Master. He might even rank among the top ten freshmen." At that moment, the students and teachers drawn over by Chen Yong's roar could not help discussing him.

From the moment Chen Yong revealed his second Soul Skill until the battle ended, less than a minute had passed, and his opponents had crumbled in just one or two exchanges. Everyone knew that Liu Gang and Wang Cheng, both already Soul Grandmasters, were far from weak. Chen Yong, who had defeated them both single-handedly, was even stronger.

"That big dumb bear is actually this strong?!" Wu Feng, who had fought Chen Yong before, could not help murmuring to herself. Her team's opponents had not been strong, so they had already finished their battle. Having kept their attention on the Jiang Hai Team, she and her teammates had naturally witnessed Chen Yong's performance.

"But those guys are still just as sneaky..." After a while, Wu Feng muttered another remark. She had also seen Sun Yunhai's performance. Using cloud illusions to conceal the path of an attack while attacking was simply a disgrace to Power Attack System Soul Masters.

But now, Wu Feng had to admit that even if they had not fallen for the trick before, defeating Jiang Hai's team would still have been difficult.

Beside her, Ning Tian heard Wu Feng's muttering and shook her head, an indulgent look in her eyes.

After their match ended, Jiang Hai and the others did not leave. Instead, they began studying the other teams' battles.

With the knockout rounds underway, every team's overall strength had risen a notch. Even if they had not faced Liu Gang's team, another opponent would still have forced Chen Yong to reveal his true strength.

Chen Yong and Sun Yunhai's performances also made the teachers and students of many classes take note of their team as a formidable competitor.

"Let's go. Time to treat them to lunch!" With the match over, Jiang Hai waved a hand and spoke.