The battle on the other side.
Instead of charging straight at Xiao Xiao as she had last time, Wang Dong lit up her second Soul Ring once she came within range.
"Last time, I let my guard down and you ambushed me up close. This time, I'll let you taste the power of a thousand-year Soul Skill."
Butterfly God's Light!
The golden patterns on her butterfly wings fired countless little balls of light at Xiao Xiao from every direction.
"A thousand-year Soul Skill? As if you're the only one with one."
A purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring also lit up behind Xiao Xiao.
Cauldron's Weight: weight, defense, hardness, and attack power increased by one hundred percent!
The three Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons glowed with a dense black light. With the boost from Huo Yutong's Spiritual Detection Sharing, the trajectories of Butterfly God's Light were clearly visible to Xiao Xiao, and the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron kept moving, intercepting every last ball of light.
The balls exploded against the reinforced Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons without leaving a mark. All they produced was noise.
"How is that possible!"
Wang Dong stared at Xiao Xiao's Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons in disbelief. She was confident that her Light Goddess Butterfly was no worse than Xiao Xiao's Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. She had only lost last time because, as a flying unit, she had insisted on clashing head-on with an offensive Martial Soul.
But this time, she had executed her Second Soul Skill perfectly, yet she had failed to scrape off even a speck of the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron's bronze skin.
Should I use my Third Soul Skill? Wang Dong hovered in the sky, looking at Xiao Xiao's smug smile down below.
What a joke. If I have to use my Third Soul Skill just to fight a shorty, wouldn't that mean I'd be worse than her without my higher level? Besides, this Third Soul Skill is the surprise I saved for Lu Yu. If I reveal it early, someone with his sneaky fighting style and love of ambushes will definitely prepare for it.
Wang Dong hovered in the sky, her First Soul Ring and Second Soul Ring lighting up together behind her.
"Oh, a fusion Soul Skill? As if you're the only one who can do that."
Xiao Xiao's first and second rings also began lighting up together. Lu Yu had not taught her this move; it was a secret technique passed down exclusively within her family's cauldron Martial Soul lineage.
A dozen seconds later, Wang Dong finished charging up. An enormous golden blade of light flared from her wings and slashed toward Xiao Xiao!
That blade was so sharp that merely looking at it felt as though it would slice away one's vision!
On the other side, Xiao Xiao's three Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons simultaneously shone with black light and vibrated. The force of those vibrations collided with Wang Dong's blade of light, creating enormous energy fluctuations across the arena.
"Are students these days all this terrifying?"
The Soul Emperor referee, who stood beside the spectator stands ready to rush in and rescue them at any moment, trembled. Even he would inevitably suffer injuries if an attack that powerful struck him.
The two immensely powerful fusion Soul Skills collided, and what emerged at the end was the completely unscathed Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron!
"Impossible! You even blocked that move. I have to admit it, shorty-you're stronger."
Wang Dong flew straight toward Xiao Xiao. Above the two glowing Soul Rings behind her, a third purple Soul Ring gradually appeared!
"A three-ring Soul Elder! How is that possible!"
Not only Xiao Xiao, but even Wang Yan in the spectator stands was stunned.
As her homeroom teacher, he knew Wang Dong had been a level twenty-one Soul Grandmaster at the start of the term. How had she become a Soul Elder after taking three months off?
"The Clear Sky Sect really does have deep reserves. I thought she was a spoiled young master just eating her fill and waiting to die. Who knew she was playing the pig to eat the tiger?"
Du Weilun nodded as well. Indeed, who would believe that the Clear Sky Sect's young master, with her Twin Martial Souls, had only possessed level twenty-one Soul Power when she enrolled? How much of a lazy dog would the Clear Sky Sect's young master have to be to remain at level twenty-one at her age? A level thirty-one Soul Elder was much more fitting for a secluded sect.
"Just a Soul Elder. It's not like I can't beat one."
Xiao Xiao was utterly confident. She had beaten the two-ring Wang Dong when she only had one ring. Now that she had two rings, beating a three-ring Wang Dong should be something anyone with hands could manage.
Wang Dong charged toward Xiao Xiao, only to have her path blocked by a Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. Her Third Soul Ring lit up behind her, and a hundred and eight golden slashes flew from her butterfly wings.
Butterfly God Slash!
Her Third Soul Skill was another damage-dealing skill!
Xiao Xiao glanced at Wang Dong's Soul Skills and could hardly bear to look. Her First Soul Skill dealt melee damage, her Second Soul Skill dealt ranged damage, and she had picked another melee damage skill for her Third Soul Skill. What was that supposed to mean?
Still, this high-age thousand-year Soul Skill was certainly formidable. Although it was far from Xiao Xiao, its terrifying aura was beyond what an ordinary thousand-year Soul Skill could compare to.
But I'll suppress it with a casual wave.
Three cauldrons as one! Cauldron's Weight!
Weight, defense, hardness, and attack power increased by two hundred percent!
First- and second-ring fusion Soul Skill: Cauldron's Weight Tremor!
Every last slash was shattered by Xiao Xiao's Cauldron's Weight!
Butterfly God Slash certainly has high stats. Too bad my Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron's stats are even higher!
Looking at Wang Dong's disbelieving face, Xiao Xiao was filled with delight. The Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron was so much fun! A tool Martial Soul that left her body, it could be controlled at range and gained additional control effects up close. Unleashing all three cauldrons together could suppress an opponent, while combining them gave it raw stats. If she really could not win, she could even play around with fusion Soul Skills!
With the micro-lock-on assistance from Huo Yutong's Spiritual Detection Sharing, Xiao Xiao did not even need to use her brain. All she had to do was move the Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons into the enemy's path and spam Cauldron's Weight and Cauldron's Tremor.
Seeing Wang Dong pressed right up against the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron to use her melee Soul Skill, Xiao Xiao split the cauldron apart, instantly surrounding her. By the time Wang Dong tried to fly away, it was already too late.
Before Wang Dong passed out, she saw Xiao Xiao give a wickedly alluring smile, raise a finger to her lips, and speak softly.
"Those I defeat are never rivals in my eyes. I'll give you time to catch up, until you can no longer even glimpse me in the distance."
Cauldron's Weight, Cauldron's Tremor-repeat!
After Wang Dong was defeated, her team, now left with only a support Soul Master, naturally had no ability to continue fighting. The referee immediately declared Lu Yu's team the winner.
"She actually defeated a three-ring Soul Elder single-handedly across a rank gap. This short student really does have the makings of a core disciple."
Du Weilun nodded. As for her other two teammates, one was a Soul Master with a white ring and the other a Blue Silver Grass Soul Master. They were nothing but deadweight riding her coattails. Even if they were carried all the way to the championship, the Martial Soul Department would not give those two core disciple positions.
Ahem. Of course, that would make the academy seem rather unfair. Fortunately, their final opponents will be Soul Elders with a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. That short student alone won't be able to carry those two burdens to victory no matter what.
"Grandmaster Lu, how did I do that round?"
Once the battle ended, Xiao Xiao stared at Lu Yu with her big, adorable eyes, waiting for praise.
"Spamming the same two Soul Skills over and over-what incredible mechanics. With the power of the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, isn't defeating a Soul Elder a rank above you only natural?"
"That's true." Xiao Xiao immediately turned and threw herself into Huo Yutong's arms. "Yutong, Grandmaster Lu won't praise me."
"There, there. Xiao Xiao is amazing. Our Xiao Xiao is the best."
Huo Yutong stroked Xiao Xiao's head, seeming to radiate a maternal glow.
"Ah, don't do that. When you act like that, you feel even more like a mother. If everyone's more like a mother than I am, how am I supposed to cultivate my Nine-Phoenix Ceremonial Flute?"
"Then Mommy Xiao Xiao, you're the best."
After thinking for a moment, Huo Yutong continued stroking the top of Xiao Xiao's head.
"Damn it, stop touching my head! I won't grow taller." Xiao Xiao gritted her teeth and tried to jump up to pat Huo Yutong's head in return, only to twist her ankle and reach no higher than Huo Yutong's nose.
"Hahaha!" Lu Yu could not hold back his laughter.
"Damn you, Lu Yu! How dare you laugh at me!" Xiao Xiao rushed over, pushing her head against Lu Yu's downward-pressing hand.
"Actually, Xiao Xiao, you were very confident fighting Wang Dong today. Maybe you were trying too deliberately before, which slowed the improvement of your compatibility with the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron."
"With your strength, fight more experts your own age. For example, beat everyone in Shrek until you have no rivals, or win the championship in a high-level Soul Fighting Tournament. Then your confidence will definitely be compatible with the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron."
Lu Yu spoke with feeling. He was just a gamer who liked studying stats; cultivating one's temperament truly was not his strong suit.
"That's right, Xiao Xiao. Not being a mother is pretty good too. Once you've grown stronger, Lu Yu and I will be relying on you to protect us."
Huo Yutong stroked Xiao Xiao's head.
"Don't worry, Yutong. From now on, leave both of your protection to me."
Xiao Xiao patted her flat chest. After doing so, she felt there was something wrong with this scene.
"Why does this look a bit like a child showing off to her parents?"
Looking at the dazed Xiao Xiao, Huo Yutong stroked the little green squash's head again. She had to admit that this height made her quite comfortable to pat. She could not help reaching out a few more times.
As for Xiao Xiao's feeling, it was correct.
Forgive me, Xiao Xiao. If you become the mother, won't I end up sandwiched between you and Master as your child? Now that you look like a child, doesn't that make Master and me look like a couple?
"Don't worry, Xiao Xiao. You really do look very dependable."
"That's wonderful, Yutong. You're my best sister."
While Xiao Xiao was immersed in her fantasy of sisterly friendship, Wang Dong, who had already regained consciousness, came up to her.
"Hmph, Xiao Xiao. I was careless this time. Next time, I'll definitely beat you."
Without waiting for Xiao Xiao to reply, she immediately turned to Lu Yu.
"A bet is a bet. Tell me what you want to know about the Clear Sky Sect. As long as I know it, I'll tell you."
Before you continue