Huo Yuhao Was Still Far Too Overpowered!

The loss of a teammate singled out by Huo Yuhao completely ruined Ma Rulong's plan to use high-altitude Soul Tools to kite their opponents and drag out the fight.

And Ma Rulong and his remaining teammate had only one Invincible Shield left.

To pile frost on the snow, Meng Hongchen adopted a guerrilla approach in close combat: when you advance, I retreat; when you retreat, I advance.

She sought not to inflict heavy damage, but to harass them as much as possible.

Ma Rulong proved himself worthy of being the main team's captain.

Faced with such a dire situation, he timed his move with the second Thunder Punishment's target acquisition and first deployed a Level Six mental barrier Soul Tool with a built-in mental screening effect.

He boldly enveloped Meng Hongchen within it.

With Spiritual Detection's assistance to Meng Hongchen cut off,

Ma Rulong took Mi Jia's Invincible Shield as though staking everything on a desperate last stand and activated it himself, enveloping Meng Hongchen once again.

While blocking Meng Hongchen's second Clustered Soul Guidance Rays, he created a two-on-one situation within the Invincible Shield.

Ma Rulong held the Level Seven close-combat Soul Tool, the Demon-Breaking Greatsword, while Mi Jia wore a full-body armor Soul Tool and wielded a soul guidance greatsword. Terrifying fluctuations of Soul Power radiated from both of them.

Meng Hongchen did not panic. Rather than engage the two, she activated her Invincible Shield outright!

Ding!

Another layer of Invincible Shield expanded from within, and Ma Rulong roared:

"Hit her with everything!"

The two swung their swords with all their might, sending streak after streak of sword shadows slashing precisely against Meng Hongchen's Invincible Shield.

Feeling the Soul Power in her body evaporate rapidly, Meng Hongchen watched them calmly.

Was an Invincible Shield truly invincible?

Once it was activated, how much Soul Power it consumed was no longer up to its user.

The stronger the attacks it endured, the more fiercely it consumed Soul Power.

In just three seconds, her Soul Power had nearly bottomed out. But was the same not true of Ma Rulong and Mijia?

Ma Rulong had used two Invincible Shields in succession.

Moreover, he had attacked at full power throughout, holding nothing back.

What could the two rely on to face Huo Yuhao and Xiao Hongchen's next attacks?

The instant the Invincible Shield vanished, Huo Yuhao fired a spirit-nourishing cast iron bullet that tore through the mental barrier and destroyed the Level Six mental barrier Soul Tool itself with perfect accuracy.

Almost in the next instant, he activated his head lock-on, marking every movement Ma Rulong and Mi Jia made.

And he guided Xiao Hongchen's Red Clustered Soul Guidance Ray.

It struck the two directly!

Boom!

This Soul Guidance Ray erupted for the first time on the Soul Fighting Platform in an explosion with power at the Soul Saint level.

Ferocious waves of air churned. Even with the linked barrier protecting them, the students below the stage involuntarily held their breath.

The outcome was decided!

Xiao Hongchen glanced at the crater several meters deep left by the explosion, then turned to face Feng Tingting's camera head-on. With his hands behind his back, he intoned:

"In youth, I toiled to melt gold and cast the soul, daring to ride a steel phoenix through the cloud-crowned heights.

A thousand mechanisms, a hundred temperings-my body became a blade; amid ten thousand weapons' rise and fall, I alone led the way.

Burning heart and tempering bone, I cast an iron courage; exhausting wit and melting soul, I forged a chisel of stars..."

Hmm? Junior brother, where are my special effects? Xiao Hongchen waggled his eyebrows at Huo Yuhao.

The corner of Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched. The gasps and cheers below the stage were simply too noisy, so he used Spiritual Sharing to set up a temporary mental conversation channel.

Xiao Hongchen: Junior brother, what's going on? The battle isn't over yet.

Huo Yuhao: *?*

Xiao Hongchen: Isn't fighting all about taking out your opponent, then showing off?

Huo Yuhao: Senior Brother Xiao, my Spiritual Power...

Xiao Hongchen: Your senior brother will tell you which brand of stockings Xiao Meng likes best!

Huo Yuhao: Huh? Well...

Afterward, watching the dazzling special effects reappear around him, Xiao Hongchen found his rhythm again and recited the final line of his scene-setting poem:

"Today I smile and point where the defeated horse fell, refining tools, refining spirit, refining the heavens themselves!"

"Tingting, cut out the bit without the special effects later!"

Huo Yuhao took this opportunity to stand on the stage and rapidly read the thoughts of the students below.

"Ah! Senior Sister Meng's icy demeanor is killing me! I want to have her babies!"

"Can you put my face on him?"

"This hurts! How can someone really get to hold Miss Meng's slender waist?"

"Let's go. This is no fun."

"This feels worse than being killed."

"That brat Huo Yuhao has nothing but the trivial advantage of shooting accurately. Why should he get to fawn his way into winning Mingdu's most dazzling gem?"

Huo Yuhao reaped a hefty harvest of chaos qi from the many awestruck, envious students whose composure had shattered.

At that moment, Wang Shaojie excitedly said to Zimu beside him below the stage:

"Wasn't I right? Huo Yuhao really did get close to Miss Meng by fawning over her!"

Meng Hongchen, the Hongchen family's young lady with top-tier wealth, talent, and looks, was in a sense even more famous than Xiao Hongchen.

Her fame had long since spread beyond the academy and resounded throughout Mingdu.

Yet this beautiful young genius, known as Mingdu's most dazzling gem, had always kept to herself and rarely ventured out.

Rumor had it that she was cold and aloof, and had never had much contact with any boy besides her brother.

Zimu had previously refused to believe that, as Wang Shaojie claimed, simply being a lapdog could win over a girl of that caliber.

Wang Shaojie struck while the iron was hot:

"Don't doubt it. I've made quite a bit of progress just by putting the principles Huo Yuhao taught me into practice!"

"If you learn these principles, you'll definitely win Ju Zi over."

"Oh?" Slightly surprised, Zimu said skeptically, "Tell me more."

He knew whom Wang Shaojie was pursuing: a female Sea King who kept fish on the hook everywhere. Previously, Wang Shaojie had made no progress at all.

"Hu Mei gave me her leftover breakfast today!" Wang Shaojie said proudly. "Well? Pretty big progress, right?"

Zimu said speechlessly, "Where's your backbone as someone with a quarter of royal blood?"

"What good is backbone?" Wang Shaojie laughed. "Sure, you have backbone, but does Ju Zi give you the time of day?"

Zimu's brows furrowed slightly, but inwardly, he was already wavering.

Wang Shaojie's words were crude, but his reasoning was sound. Ju Zi really did treat him as nothing more than an ordinary classmate.

Being a lapdog was far too humiliating. Without seeing concrete results before, Zimu would never have readily followed suit.

But now, Zimu glanced at Meng Hongchen on the Soul Fighting Platform as she walked lightly over to Huo Yuhao, her face beaming.

Fuck it. A lapdog it is!

This is love!

The rest area.

"Huo Yuhao was still far too overpowered!"

Covered in dust and looking thoroughly bedraggled, Ma Rulong walked over gloomily and reiterated:

"Meng Hongchen's Ice Refraction couldn't possibly be that strong. There's definitely something fishy about Huo Yuhao!"

"Without him, you two definitely couldn't have won!"

Although Ma Rulong was puzzled, he also felt a little relieved.

At least Xiao Hongchen was already a Level 5 Soul Engineer. Otherwise, this would have been utterly humiliating!

Perfectly composed, Xiao Hongchen said, "Senior Ma, once the tournament's over, just head off to the Illustrious Virtue Hall with peace of mind!"

"Stop being a sore loser. It's about time I had a turn at being the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's strongest student."

Ma Rulong rolled his eyes and ignored Xiao Hongchen:

"In this fight, I'd already estimated Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Power as highly as I could, but it still wasn't enough."

"Otherwise, you think you could have done it just by carpet-bombing with your Soul Guidance Rays?"

Ma Rulong then looked at Huo Yuhao and suggested:

"Yuhao, with over two months left before the tournament, hurry up and become a Soul Elder. Your cultivation is already limiting your skill at operating Soul Tools."

"If you become a Soul Elder, with your Spiritual Power far exceeding that of mental-type Soul Engineers at the same level,"

"even a Level Six Marking Light will have trouble posing much of a threat to you."

"Also, ahem, if there are any breakthroughs in the rapid-fire technology for the Live Ammunition Soul Guidance Sniper Rifle,"

"well, you could ask, uh, your elders or someone for help. Have them rush the development of a Level 5, or even a Level Six Live Ammunition Soul Guidance Sniper Rifle."

That was as far as Ma Rulong could go.

His grandfather was, after all, Jing Hongchen's staunch confidant, and with Elder Ma deliberately or otherwise asking him to build a good relationship with Huo Yuhao,

he had already vaguely guessed who stood behind Huo Yuhao.

If Huo Yuhao, armed with a Level 4 Live Ammunition Soul Guidance Sniper Rifle, could only serve to supply crucial damage in battle,

then what about Huo Yuhao armed with a Level 5, or even a Level Six Live Ammunition Soul Guidance Sniper Rifle?

He would absolutely be a weapon of mass slaughter on the battlefield!