The Finals (Part Two)

Qian Duoduo chuckled, his expression unfathomable. "Guess whether it's him! I'm not telling you!"

Behind Yan Shaozhe, Ma Xiaotao seemed to remember something and said quietly, "Teacher, this person might be my junior brother! He's very interested in Soul Tools, but he probably hasn't contacted anyone from the Soul Tool Department yet. Teacher Zhou Yi said she would only consider introducing him to the Soul Tool Department after he took first place in the Freshman Assessment!"

"Your junior brother? Jiang Hai?" Yan Shaozhe rubbed his temples, his head aching. "Why would that brat be interested in Soul Tools?"

Yan Shaozhe looked at Qian Duoduo and said flatly, "Don't even think about it. Jiang Hai is the disciple I've chosen. If you dare bring him into the Soul Tool Department, I'll dare turn your entire department upside down!"

Qian Duoduo chuckled. "I know. That's why I'm telling you openly. If I really wanted to approach him, couldn't I do it in secret? Once the raw rice was cooked, what could you do? By telling you now, aren't I showing my sincerity?"

Yan Shaozhe's expression eased considerably. He snorted. "At least you know what's good for you. I'll take that bet. And even if you lose, I'll let you choose one student like that, so you can't say I don't support your work. But if you lose, you have to give me a hundred fixed Soul Tool shells to play with. High-explosive ones, too!"

Qian Duoduo rejoiced inwardly, but his face showed the pain of parting with his treasures. "No. Fifty at most!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Yan Shaozhe said, "Deal!"

Qian Duoduo said indignantly, "You old scoundrel! You tricked me again!"

Inside, however, his heart blossomed with delight. They're only fifty Soul Cannon shells. You'll have your turn to regret this, you brat.

On the arena.

The arena for the finals combined all the competition grounds into one, making it especially spacious. Such a broad battlefield also meant that either side would be far less likely to lose by being knocked out of bounds. This would be a true contest of strength.

The referee beckoned, signaling both sides to enter the arena.

Once both teams had gathered, the referee said, "You will now compete in the finals. Some rules have changed, so listen carefully. You may move freely throughout the arena, but those with flying Martial Souls must not fly higher than ten meters. To allow you to demonstrate your full strength, you may go all out without holding back. I will keep the situation under control. Anyone I rescue will be considered eliminated. Understood?"

"Understood," both sides answered in unison.

Compared with the earlier matches, Shrek Academy placed greater importance on the finals and on the true standard of the contest. The broader stage and more relaxed rules served a single purpose: to let the two finalist teams display their abilities to the fullest.

After introducing themselves, both sides withdrew to the edges of the arena and faced each other across it.

"Begin!"

As the referee's command rang out, his gaze swiftly focused on the six Soul Masters in the arena. He concentrated completely, without the slightest lapse. The finals demanded a great deal of the referee as well.

At the same moment, all six Soul Masters moved.

Jiang Hai took the lead, a body length ahead of Chen Yong and Sun Yunhai, but he did not break away from the team. He deliberately restrained his speed to keep from becoming separated from them.

Their opponent in the finals was Huo Yuhao, who possessed the Spirit Eyes Martial Soul. Others would only regard Huo Yuhao's First Soul Ring as a white Ten-Year Soul Ring, but Jiang Hai alone knew that it was a Million-Year Soul Ring, something never before recorded in the history of the Douluo Continent. It had granted him no fewer than four Soul Skills. Though most were support skills, they were still immensely powerful.

With those four Soul Skills, the three members of Huo Yuhao's team had an almost unimaginable grasp of the battlefield.

Across from them, Huo Yuhao's trio also charged forward. Spiritual light flickered in Huo Yuhao's eyes, faintly tinged with purple, while Wang Dong had already released her spectacular Light Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul. Amid its dazzling radiance, her purple Second Soul Ring shone with a brilliance that seized the senses.

Yet the first to act was Xiao Xiao, who possessed Twin Martial Souls. She stepped forward, shielding Huo Yuhao with her body, and unleashed the first Soul Skill of her Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute. Beneath a shroud of yellow light, a slowing field fifty meters in diameter took shape.

As the distance closed, Jiang Hai stepped into the slowing field, and his speed plummeted. Even the air seemed to turn viscous. Chen Yong's speed was suppressed to an extreme, while Sun Yunhai let out a muffled grunt. His physique was not particularly strong, and he was even slower than Chen Yong.

All three were hindered by the slowing effect. Xiao Xiao gave a low cry and switched her Martial Soul to the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. Three great cauldrons immediately surged toward them, pulsing with vibrations.

First Soul Skill, Cauldron's Tremor!

As the great cauldrons flew, an invisible shock wave spread outward. Facing it, Jiang Hai's expression remained unchanged. His body abruptly accelerated, tearing through the slowing field's restraints, and he vanished from his original position. Meanwhile, illusory clouds gathered, forming nine phantoms identical to Jiang Hai, which charged forward unhindered by the slowing effect.

Nine Cloud Illusions.

On the other side, Chen Yong gave a low growl, and an enormous roar rang out. The sound waves of Bear Dominates the World collided with the shock wave, and both dissipated. Fighting spirit blazed around Chen Yong as Black Iron Light spread over him. He slammed a palm into one of the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons, sending it flying backward.

There was no probing at all. Chen Yong and Sun Yunhai had gone all out from the very start.

Xiao Xiao's expression changed. She strained to control the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron hurtling back toward her. It swept past her, circled once, and immediately joined the other two great cauldrons in bearing down on Chen Yong.

Sharp light flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes, revealing the true forms of the nine cloud phantoms. Yet these cloud phantom bodies possessed a measure of strength; they were not entirely illusory. One might amount to little, but with nine attacking together, any carelessness would surely exact a heavy price.

What put even greater pressure on Huo Yuhao was that slender figure charging toward them like a Primordial Beast. He also had a premonition that his Spiritual Shock would be utterly unable to affect Jiang Hai in his current state, and might even leave him severely injured by the backlash.

Haodong Power flowed continuously into Wang Dong's body. She gave a low cry, and her wings turned completely golden. Her First Soul Ring flashed, and a pair of light blades surged from her wings, slashing toward Jiang Hai.

Sensing that these light blades were scarcely weaker than Dai Huabin's Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Fierce Light Wave, Jiang Hai had no intention of taking them head-on. With a thought, he summoned a heavy Bronze Coffin from above. It crashed down in front of him.

The expected collision never came. The two light blades skimmed past the Bronze Coffin and shot toward Sun Yunhai and Chen Yong behind Jiang Hai.

"Mental Interference!" Jiang Hai glanced at Huo Yuhao beside Wang Dong. In that instant, Huo Yuhao had used Mental Interference to disrupt Jiang Hai's judgment.

They really are difficult to deal with.

Though Butterfly Wing Guillotine was powerful, it was not enough to defeat Chen Yong and Sun Yunhai.

Jiang Hai sighed and soared into the sky, gripping the rim of the Bronze Coffin with one hand and hauling the heavy coffin up with him. Using it as a weapon, he swung it down at Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao.

Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao quickly retreated, but a trace of stubbornness flashed in Xiao Xiao's eyes. As someone who also possessed a heavy Tool Martial Soul, she refused to admit that hers was inferior to anyone else's.

Her First Soul Ring and Second Soul Ring lit up in succession. The three cauldrons merged into a single immense Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, blocking the Bronze Coffin's path.

Seeing this, Huo Yuhao did not stop her. He too was curious about just how powerful Jiang Hai's attacks were. That knowledge was crucial, enough to influence his subsequent commands and judgments.

Although Jiang Hai had already demonstrated his innate divine strength that morning, without experiencing it directly, Huo Yuhao found it difficult to judge accurately.

Boom!

An enormous crash rang out, and the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron was sent flying backward. In midair, it split into three, becoming streaks of light that swept past Xiao Xiao. Her face went white, and she spat out a mouthful of blood, disbelief flashing in her eyes.

The Bronze Coffin dropped, its assault coming to an abrupt halt. Amid the violent vibrations, Jiang Hai was also dazed for an instant.

An opening!

Light flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes. Haodong Power surged back into him, and he unleashed Spiritual Shock. Yet he felt as though his Spiritual Shock had struck a mountain. His spiritual power shattered, blood seeped from all seven orifices, and his head spun.

"Whoa, Yuhao, what kind of freak have you run into? His spiritual power is actually this strong!" the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm exclaimed, hurriedly using his own power to help Huo Yuhao quell the turbulence in his Sea of Consciousness.

Meanwhile, Jiang Hai, who had taken Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Shock without any preparation, was not faring well either. His head felt ready to split.

"Yuhao, are you all right?" Concern flashed in Wang Dong's eyes. She gritted her teeth and drove her Soul Power into action. Her second, purple-tinged Thousand-Year Soul Ring suddenly lit up, and a golden sphere shot toward Jiang Hai: her Second Soul Skill, Butterfly God's Light.

As Butterfly God's Light hurtled toward him, even Jiang Hai felt the pressure. The Bronze Coffin appeared before him, and his First Soul Ring finally lit up. Golden light spread from the coffin, turning both him and the coffin gold.

Rumble!

The Bronze Coffin shuddered as a tremendous explosion rang out. Three nearby cloud phantom bodies were annihilated in the blast.

The remaining six cloud phantom bodies reached Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.

Huo Yuhao shifted his footwork, guiding Wang Dong past one cloud phantom body after another. His palms turned the color of blue-green jade, and he struck one of the phantoms. Under the suppressive force of Haodong Power, its form rippled and shifted, but it did not disperse.

The clones created by Nine Cloud Bodies were not particularly powerful, but their bodies were formed from clouds, making physical attacks largely ineffective.

The Tang Sect's secret technique, Mysterious Jade Hand, failed to destroy even one cloud phantom body. Instead, Huo Yuhao took a palm strike to the shoulder from one of them and involuntarily staggered back a step. Although he was uninjured, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder.