Huo Yuhao was the first to speak. "Freshman Class One, Huo Yuhao, rank seventeen control-type Battle Soul Master."
"Freshman Class One, Xiao Xiao, rank twenty-two control-type Battle Soul Grandmaster."
"Freshman Class One, Lin Mo, rank twenty-nine assault-type Battle Soul Grandmaster."
That was right. Lin Mo had taken the field.
Watching Huo Yuhao and the others fight to their hearts' content that morning had left Lin Mo itching for a turn himself, so over lunch, he had asked the three to let him take part in the afternoon match.
Wang Dong'er had agreed immediately upon hearing Lin Mo's proposal.
She had already had her fill of stomping noobs these past few days anyway.
When they first heard the words "Soul Elder," Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao both jolted, but the sight of Lin Mo standing at the very front soon put them at ease again.
After all, both knew that although Lin Mo was only rank twenty-nine, he could wield the combat strength of a Soul Elder.
Proud by nature, Wu Feng could not even be bothered to look at Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she focused all her attention on Lin Mo, who stood before her at the same rank as herself.
With his left hand behind his back, Lin Mo made a gesture to Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao.
Both immediately understood.
Then they reached out together, each placing a hand on Lin Mo's shoulders.
Both girls possessed Martial Soul Fusion Skills with Lin Mo, and Martial Soul Fusion had primary and secondary partners. The two were clearly secondary, while the Mystic Bird was primary.
Thus, the two could amplify his Soul Power through physical contact with Lin Mo.
Just then, the supervising teacher shouted:
"Begin the match!"
The words had barely fallen when-whoosh!
Dark cyan wings abruptly unfurled from Lin Mo's back. Azure-gold radiance flowed down every feather, stirring up a fierce wind as the first Soul Ring beneath his feet instantly lit up.
Whoosh!
An azure-gold talisman feather shot through the air and sank into the space between his brows.
"First Soul Skill, Azure-Gold Blessing!"
Lin Mo's presence surged, all his attributes increasing by thirty percent!
And that was not all.
Almost simultaneously, Xiao Xiao's and Huo Yuhao's Soul Power began flowing into Lin Mo's body through the points where their palms met his shoulders.
In an instant, Lin Mo's presence soared once more!
An almost tangible azure-gold wave of air erupted outward in every direction, with him at its center.
Across from him, the expressions of Wu Feng and her two teammates changed at once.
Before the wave even reached them, all three raised their arms in front of their faces in unison. Their clothes snapped in the wind, their hair whipping wildly.
Ning Tian's expression was the gravest.
As the only Soul Elder present, and a support-type Soul Master who had invested mainly in spiritual power, she had the keenest perception of Soul Power. Precisely because of that, she could sense more clearly than anyone else-
At that moment, the presence radiating from Lin Mo had already far surpassed hers, even though she was a Soul Elder!
This person... just what kind of monster was he?
As the wave of air eased slightly, Nanmen Yun'er had yet to lower the arm shielding her face when she suddenly felt a shadow obscure her vision once more.
The next instant, her pupils contracted sharply.
At some point, Lin Mo had actually appeared right before her!
"Yun'er!"
Ning Tian reacted fastest. The first and third Soul Rings beneath her feet lit up almost simultaneously as she chanted rapidly:
"Seven treasures turn, revealing glazed tile; first comes, spee-"
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain deep in her brain, as though a silver needle had been driven viciously into it. She gave a muffled groan of pain, her face instantly paling as her unfinished soul incantation was cut off in her throat.
Beside Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao's eyes shone with pale golden light.
Spiritual Shock + Spiritual Interference!
His strike directly interrupted Ning Tian's soul incantation and sealed off any possibility of Nanmen Yun'er dodging.
Meanwhile, staring at Lin Mo so close before her, Nanmen Yun'er paled, instinctively leaning backward in an attempt to evade him.
Golden light flashed through Lin Mo's azure-gold, diamond-shaped pupils.
Mystic Bird's Heavenly Might!
Unfortunately, Nanmen Yun'er's Martial Soul was the Jade Phosphor Bird.
Both belonged to the feathered race, and the latter was even a descendant of the same lineage. The Mystic Bird's suppression of the Jade Phosphor Bird could hardly have been more innate.
Under this heavenly might, the Jade Phosphor Bird Martial Soul could not muster even a trace of resistance. It could only tremble and bow in submission, freezing in place along with its master.
Nanmen Yun'er's legs began to weaken uncontrollably.
Lin Mo swept his right wing across like a slashing blade.
The power of this strike already approached that of a thousand-year Soul Skill!
Completely unguarded, Nanmen Yun'er took the wing slash squarely and flew backward like a kite with its string cut. The agonizing pain of azure flames scorching her soul made her whole body tremble incessantly.
She was still in midair when blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.
Then her vision went black, and she slammed heavily into the ground, making no further sound.
It had all happened far too quickly.
So quickly that before Wu Feng could even figure out what was happening, Nanmen Yun'er had been sent flying out of the arena, completely unable to fight.
"Wu Feng, watch out!"
Ning Tian's startled cry pierced the silence of the arena.
"You dare let your mind wander on the battlefield?" A casual voice suddenly sounded beside Wu Feng's ear. "Kid, you've got some nerve."
Wu Feng snapped back to her senses, only to find that Lin Mo had flashed before her at some point. The wing slash that had left Nanmen Yun'er unable to fight was descending straight toward her head, trailing azure-gold flames!
At this critical moment, flames erupted around Wu Feng almost instinctively.
Crimson dragon flames surged skyward and collided thunderously with the azure flames!
Yet it took only three seconds.
The red flames touching the azure flames rapidly dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Their vivid red faded completely as they were dyed azure inch by inch.
The flames had been converted.
Although they had held out for only three short seconds, that was enough for Wu Feng to react.
Both Soul Rings beneath her feet lit up simultaneously.
"First Soul Skill, Dragon's Fire!"
"Second Soul Skill, Dragon's Fury!"
Wu Feng's left hand instantly transformed into a dragon claw. Fierce-looking dragon scales spread from the back of the claw all the way up her arm to her shoulder. Roaring dragon flames rose from the claw, scorching the air until it warped.
With both Soul Skills empowering her, the dragon scales on Wu Feng's arm thickened again, while the temperature and power of Dragon's Fire likewise soared.
Facing Lin Mo's attack, Wu Feng neither dodged nor retreated. Her dragon claw, brimming with dragon flames, met it head-on.
Bang!
Wing and dragon claw collided, and a muffled boom erupted.
The air shuddered violently as a visible shock wave rippled outward in every direction.
Wu Feng's body lurched violently in midair, the impact sending her more than five meters sideways.
Lin Mo, meanwhile, remained steady in midair.
His wings spread slightly, he did not budge an inch.
As soon as Wu Feng landed and steadied herself, she discovered to her shock that the Dragon's Fire on her dragon claw was also turning azure little by little!
Waves of searing pain came from the left arm of her soul body.
She could not suppress these flames!
"Seven treasures have their names; second comes-release!"
Just then, Ning Tian's voice rang out. The second Soul Ring beneath her feet lit up, and a dazzling ray of light shot from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda in her hand, landing precisely on Wu Feng.
Unfortunately, the second Soul Skill of her Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda primarily removed control effects rather than purifying.
Thus, it could not erase those azure flames, which clung like maggots to bone.
Seeing the azure flames still spreading over Wu Feng's arm, Ning Tian was startled. At the same time, she realized that these azure flames were anything but ordinary!