Champion

Huo Yuhao varied his footwork, avoiding entanglement with the Nine Cloud Bodies.

Just then, a great cauldron descended to suppress them, its vibrations dispersing one cloud illusion body with perfect precision.

Xiao Xiao said, "Leave them to me. Class monitor, you and Wang Dong take on Jiang Hai together!"

Huo Yuhao nodded and charged alongside Wang Dong toward Jiang Hai, who emerged dragging the Bronze Coffin.

Facing Jiang Hai, they finally understood what helplessness meant. After Spiritual Detection predicted several of his attacks, Jiang Hai's strikes also became elusive and unpredictable. The heavy Bronze Coffin smashed down. Dai Huabin had the strength to contend with it, but although Wang Dong's martial soul was a top-tier beast martial soul no inferior to the White Tiger, it was not a strength-based martial soul, and her soul power was lower than Dai Huabin's. Against the Bronze Coffin, they could only rely on speed to dodge.

However, the cloud illusions shrouding Jiang Hai were easily countered by Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes and proved of little use.

Attacks that seemed inscrutable and bizarre to ordinary people were stripped back to their true nature in Huo Yuhao's eyes.

In the stands, several experienced teachers, along with Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo, had figured out Huo Yuhao's soul skill. Du Weilun could not help nodding. "So Huo Yuhao's soul skill is a detection-type skill. At the very least, it can see through illusions. That ability is a natural counter to the boy with the Cloud martial soul!"

Yet they did not underestimate Sun Yunhai's Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion because of this. Instead, they admired it even more. Illusionists were not particularly uncommon, but they had never heard of an illusionist with a Cloud martial soul. More importantly, there was Sun Yunhai's control over his cloud illusions.

Clouds had no fixed form, so they could undergo countless transformations. Clouds had color, allowing them to depict every phenomenon beneath heaven. His destructive power was not particularly strong, but his support abilities were in no way inferior to those of soul masters who directly enhanced others' attributes. More importantly, an illusionist's greatest power lay in illusions: truth mingled with falsehood, granting unparalleled means of survival, far beyond those of conventional support-system soul masters.

More importantly still, Sun Yunhai's innate soul power was rank nine. This meant that he was almost certain to reach a very high level. If his Cloud Illusion Technique could acquire a high-level spiritual soul ring, spiritual abilities would no longer counter him.

Qian Duoduo's face twisted with jealousy despite himself. "Now I understand why these two teams made it to the end! The Martial Soul Department really has produced some talents this year!"

Qian Duoduo was practically drooling over Sun Yunhai as well. Who said an illusionist could not train with soul tools? His illusions combined with soul tools would also make for an unimaginably terrifying weapon of mass destruction.

In fact, if Sun Yunhai had some talent for soul tools, he could fully qualify for the ultimate soldier plan.

Unfortunately, a support-system soul master with rank-nine innate soul power? Yan Shaozhe would never let him go.

The Martial Soul Department valued its finest geniuses above all else. He could only pick up whatever slipped through the cracks. At this thought, Qian Duoduo looked at Huo Yuhao again.

There was no denying that Huo Yuhao's side was already at a disadvantage.

With Spiritual Detection's assistance, the cloud illusion bodies quickly dissipated under Xiao Xiao's attacks. However, Chen Yong had already reached her. It was power attack against control. Although the control system had flourished as early as Shrek Academy's first generation, the strength of the power attack system was beyond question, and it could even counter control-system soul masters. With little difference between Chen Yong's and Xiao Xiao's soul power, Sun Yunhai needed only to spare a sliver of attention from assisting Jiang Hai with Seven-Colored Cloud Illusion to give Chen Yong the advantage.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong exchanged a glance and nodded lightly.

"Xiao Xiao!" Huo Yuhao shouted.

Xiao Xiao nodded, and the three Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons merged into one again!

Seeing Xiao Xiao's movements, Chen Yong felt a flicker of foreboding. He growled, and another tremendous roar burst from his mouth. "If you want to help them, you'll have to get past me first!"

Having experienced that helplessness once, he never wanted to leave his boss to shoulder the pressure alone again. Whatever trump cards Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong possessed, whether they truly had a Martial Soul Fusion Skill or not, Xiao Xiao would not take a single step past his defensive line.

His beastly roar shook heaven and earth. An aura of dominance over the world rose through Chen Yong's surging emotions as he punched toward the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron formed by Three Cauldrons United.

At this sight, even Yan Shaozhe was moved, a trace of admiration appearing in his eyes.

There was only one word's difference between a bear dominating the world and a sovereign dominating the world, yet their underlying spirit was entirely different.

Facing Chen Yong's full-powered eruption, even Xiao Xiao felt helpless. She cast a powerless glance at Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, who had already embraced, and determination flashed in her eyes. As Chen Yong's fist hurtled toward her, the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron vanished instantly. In its place, the Nine Phoenix Ceremonial Flute appeared in her hands. Its sole soul ring lit up, and Group Slowdown descended upon Jiang Hai once more.

Jiang Hai's movements slowed, while Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were already locked in an embrace. A heart-palpitating power burst forth.

"A Martial Soul Fusion Skill!" In the stands, everyone except Wang Yan and Zhou Yi, who had known beforehand, paled involuntarily.

No one had expected Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, driven into a dead end, to still have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill as their trump card.

Several of them could not help worrying. Could Jiang Hai withstand this Martial Soul Fusion Skill?

At that moment, however, the referee moved swiftly and rescued Xiao Xiao from Chen Yong's furious punch.

Chen Yong's anger soared to the heavens, but he could only watch helplessly as Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong completed their Martial Soul Fusion Skill!

The pale-gold Golden Vertical Pupils and the magnificent phantom of the Light Goddess Butterfly drew steadily closer. As they approached, the Golden Vertical Pupils became increasingly real, while scorching blue-gold flames ignited over the Light Goddess Butterfly.

At the instant before they touched, the Light Goddess Butterfly spread its arms and vanished. Brilliant light erupted from the Golden Vertical Pupils, which blazed with blue-gold flames as a terrifying aura burst forth.

"This is bad! It's an offensive Martial Soul Fusion Skill!" Yan Shaozhe's expression changed drastically. Watching the boy in front of the Spirit Eyes, the referee was shaken, ready to intervene at any moment to save Jiang Hai. He was, after all, an agility-system Seven-Ring Soul Sage.

The vertical pupils descended, and a powerful pressure locked onto Jiang Hai.

With a rumble, the Bronze Coffin opened when no one expected it to. Within it, a Golden Coffin was faintly visible.

Once Jiang Hai stepped into the Bronze Coffin, its lid sealed shut.

At the same time, a terrifying beam of blue, purple, and gold shot like lightning from the profound Golden Vertical Pupils.

The referee had intended to intervene, but after seeing Jiang Hai open the Bronze Coffin and step inside, he hesitated and held back.

The Bronze Coffin was heavy and ancient, emanating a primordial aura from the distant past, unchanged through the ages.

Wherever the divine tricolored radiance passed, its momentary brilliance also carried an eternal, ancient quality, along with a dazzling, dreamlike splendor that distorted space.

The divine tricolored radiance intertwined with the Bronze Coffin. Shuddering violently, the Bronze Coffin disintegrated and vanished in an instant.

After the Bronze Coffin disappeared, an even more resplendent Golden Coffin appeared in its place.

Seeing the Golden Coffin remain utterly unmoved, even Huo Yuhao's eyes dimmed. We lost.

Having seen the Golden Coffin before, Huo Yuhao knew very well that it was also Jiang Hai's martial soul. If the martial soul remained, Jiang Hai must still be there too.

"What is that? Twin martial souls?" At the sight of the suddenly appearing Golden Coffin, countless people rose to their feet in astonishment, wonder flashing in their eyes.

This Golden Coffin looked exactly like the earlier Bronze Coffin, but its aura was entirely different. They could even sense a king's commanding presence within it.

Could Jiang Hai, like Xiao Xiao, also possess twin martial souls?

The next moment, the Golden Coffin vanished as though it had never appeared. Jiang Hai's swaying figure emerged in its place, his face deathly pale. He spat out a mouthful of blood.

He had used his martial soul to take a Martial Soul Fusion Skill head-on. This time, he had borrowed no one else's strength, but the price he paid was unimaginable. His soul power was exhausted, and his martial soul had suffered the impact. The backlash left him in considerable distress.

The referee glanced at Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, whose faces were equally pale, and asked, "Do you still want to continue?"

He could tell that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had burned through their last reserves by unleashing their Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Likewise, Jiang Hai could no longer fight. But Sun Yunhai and Chen Yong were still there!

Huo Yuhao shook his head bitterly.

The referee nodded. "Then I announce that the champions of this Freshman Assessment are the team of Jiang Hai, Sun Yunhai, and Chen Yong!"

They had won!

Joy and excitement shone in Chen Yong's and Sun Yunhai's eyes. They hurried to Jiang Hai's side and hugged him, exclaiming, "Boss, we won! We're the champions!"

"I know!" Jiang Hai patted their shoulders, a smile blooming on his face. Whatever the circumstances, they had won. Though victory had not come easily, this hard-earned championship brought them even greater joy and was all the more worth remembering.

"Cough, cough, cough!" Suddenly, Jiang Hai began coughing violently, blood spilling from his mouth.

"Boss, are you all right...?" Sun Yunhai and Chen Yong also realized something was wrong.

Just then, a white-robed teacher appeared beside Jiang Hai. "Let go of him gently. Don't move him too roughly!"

A golden ancient tree appeared. Countless leaves drifted down and merged into Jiang Hai's body, while others flew toward Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.

After a while, the auras of all three finally stabilized.

Zhou Yi walked over and gently patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder. "You've already done well enough. Don't grow arrogant in victory or lose heart in defeat. This is only the beginning. You still have plenty of time to catch up!"

Both the palm and the back of the hand were flesh; she cared for both sides. Zhou Yi did not want to see either team lose, but someone inevitably had to. At this moment, she chose to comfort the losing side rather than enjoy the joy of victory.

Huo Yuhao and his teammates had lost, but no one called them weak. The thirty-meter-long, half-meter-deep furrow glittering with golden light still remained in the arena. No one would consider them weak, including Dai Huabin and his teammates from that morning.

And Jiang Hai's team's victory could only be called thoroughly deserved.