Hehe, Xie Yue!

"Trying to trap me? Not so easy!"

Zhang Hao's Soul Power surged, and his Blazing Sun Bird let out a piercing cry.

The flames around him suddenly exploded outward, forming a scorching ring of fire that tried to burn away the approaching wooden vines.

Sizzle-

The wooden vines sizzled in the fire, but they did not wither as quickly as Zhang Hao had expected.

Instead, more fresh vines sprouted from the burned sections, displaying astonishing resilience.

Su Yu twitched his fingertips, and the outermost vines suddenly bent.

Their tips no longer stabbed toward Zhang Hao, but plunged into the ground instead.

The wooden vines instantly grew into an impenetrable wooden wall, confining the spreading flames firmly within.

Zhang Hao looked at the tightening net of vines, then at the wooden walls closing around him. His expression finally changed.

"What are you... Just declare yourself the winner. What's the point of fighting anymore?"

A faint smile played on Su Yu's lips. With a light flick of his fingertips, the ring of wooden walls contracted again, and the firelight shining through the gaps visibly dimmed.

"Don't be so quick to concede," he said, his voice carrying an easy composure.

"Your Blazing Sun Bird martial soul is a fire-type martial soul, after all. Try again? You might actually burn a way out."

Zhang Hao looked at the vine net tightening around his body, then glanced at the impenetrable wooden walls, his cheeks flushing crimson.

The flames still flickered faintly, but they could not even burn through the vines beside him, let alone break out.

"Try what?" He gave a muffled snort, his tone tinged with awkward frustration.

"These damn vines are like forged iron. Even fire can't burn through them. All that burning was a complete waste of effort."

With that, he simply withdrew his martial soul. The flames around him instantly went out, leaving only the beads of sweat at his temples glistening in the sunlight.

"I concede." Zhang Hao turned his head away. His voice was muffled, but his earlier defiance was gone.

"I'm convinced. Your Wood Release really is impressive. It doesn't just tie people up-you can play tricks with it, too."

Su Yu smiled and raised his hand. The wooden walls and vine net instantly vanished from the platform.

"Thanks for the match."

Seeing this, the referee announced loudly, "Su Yu wins!"

Laughter and cheers immediately erupted below the platform, and someone teased:

"Zhang Hao just got 'penned up' by wooden vines!"

Zhang Hao's ears burned. He shot the speaker a fierce glare, then turned and walked off the platform.

After Su Yu stepped down, Hu Liena hurried to his side and gently massaged his shoulders.

"Brother Su Yu, you won your first battle!"

"Mm, Nana, the draw for the second round is about to begin. Give it your best, too!"

"Mm! I think I won't disappoint Teacher!"

While the two were happily chatting, a student was knocked straight out of the Martial Arts Arena.

Su Yu followed Hu Liena's gaze toward the raised platform, his brows lifting slightly.

An adorable boy stood there with his hands lowered, but the ruthlessness of his attack just now had been utterly at odds with that adorable appearance.

The pressure from his White-Armored Earth Dragon martial soul had yet to dissipate completely, and faint tremors seemed to linger in the ground.

"A White-Armored Earth Dragon-a top-tier beast martial soul with astonishing explosive power. He's a formidable opponent!"

"His control is pretty good, too. That blow sent his opponent flying with just enough force. He didn't strike to kill."

At that moment, the referee loudly read out the second round's matchups, and Hu Liena's name was among them.

Hu Liena took a deep breath and turned toward the Martial Arts Arena. As she passed the boy, he raised his eyes to her, his clear gaze holding a barely perceptible trace of fighting spirit.

Hu Liena's opponent was a girl whose martial soul, the Star Spirit Staff, was also a control-type martial soul.

After neatly defeating the Star Spirit Staff Soul Master, Hu Liena left the arena with a relaxed smile still on her face.

Two hours passed in a flash. With the final qualifying match over, the top ten were decided.

Su Yu, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, Yan, and the boy with the White-Armored Earth Dragon martial soul were all among them, each an outstanding member of the new students.

The referee read out the matchups for this stage of the competition, and Su Yu's heart leaped with joy when he saw his opponent!

His opponent was Xie Yue!

Hehe, Xie Yue! I can finally beat him up!

Su Yu jumped straight into the Martial Arts Arena and looked excitedly at Xie Yue below.

Standing below the platform, Xie Yue saw Su Yu's expression, which all but said he could hardly wait to beat him up. His brows rose slightly, and a cold fighting spirit flashed in his eyes.

His Soul Power stirred, and his Moon Blade martial soul quietly appeared, its silvery-white blade gleaming coldly.

He stole my little sister away, and now he wants to beat me up? Today, I'll make sure to teach Su Yu a proper lesson!

Xie Yue snorted coldly and pushed off with his toes, sweeping onto the platform like a phantom to face Su Yu from a distance.

Neither had made a move, yet invisible sparks already seemed to clash in the air.

On the raised viewing platform, Golden Crocodile Douluo stroked his beard as he watched the two.

"One has an unpredictable Wood Release, the other a swift Moon Blade. This match will be worth watching."

Holy Dragon Douluo nodded as well. "Xie Yue's Moon Blade martial soul has already begun to grasp the essence of the agility attack system. He's extremely fast. If he gets close to Su Yu, there may be trouble."

Bibi Dong's gaze rested on Su Yu. Her fingertips tapped lightly against her armrest, her expression as calm as ever.

On the platform, Su Yu rolled his wrists and smiled. "Don't hold back. Let me see how fast your Moon Blade is."

Xie Yue's gaze sharpened, and his first soul ring suddenly lit up. "As you wish!"

Before his words had faded, his figure had already become an afterimage. With a piercing shriek that tore through the air, his Moon Blade lunged straight for Su Yu's face!

"Wood Release: Uchihagaeshi!"

Unhurried, Su Yu abruptly crossed his arms before him. Several thick wooden vines shot from his sleeves, weaving into a sturdy vine shield.

Clang!

The Moon Blade slashed hard against the vine shield with a grating metallic clash, sending sparks flying.

Xie Yue felt a firm, steady force surge back at him. His Moon Blade was actually jolted into a slight rebound.

"Interesting."

Xie Yue's gaze turned sharp. He twisted in midair and swung his Moon Blade again.

This time, rather than cleaving straight down, he aimed tricky slashes at Su Yu's wrists and waist, trying to bypass the vine shield's defense.

Su Yu shifted his footwork, dodging as nimbly as a willow swaying in the wind.

At the same time, the vine shield on his arms turned with him, always blocking the Moon Blade by a hair's breadth.

He even had enough strength to spare to send two slender vines whipping at Xie Yue's lower body, forcing him to bring his blade back to block.

"Is dodging all you can do?"

Xie Yue snorted coldly. His second soul ring suddenly lit up, and the Moon Blade's glow grew even more chilling.

"First Soul Skill: Moon Wheel Dance!"

His figure abruptly accelerated, leaving several afterimages across the platform.

Every afterimage held a Moon Blade, attacking Su Yu simultaneously from different directions to form an impenetrable net of blades.

"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"

Su Yu clapped his hands together. Several wooden pillars burst from the ground, forming an arched wall around him.

Shhk, shhk, shhk-

Xie Yue's Moon Blade afterimages struck the Wood Locking Wall one after another, producing a dense chorus of slicing sounds as sparks scattered like a sudden downpour.

Yet those sharp Moon Blades left only shallow white marks on the wall, unable to cut even a fraction deeper.