"Oh, Sister Rongrong, it's our turn!"
"Mm..."
Chen An had thought he would be warming the bench for ages, but they got matched instantly.
Speaking of the Three-Five Combination, was that name really so straightforward?
Chen An suddenly thought the combination's name sounded very familiar, but he couldn't remember why right away.
On the Soul Fighting stage.
Countless fervent enthusiasts filled the surrounding seats. Some were gamblers, while others simply enjoyed battles between Soul Masters.
The big screen displayed the two teams participating in the fight: the Three-Five Combination versus the An You Glazed Tile Combination.
"It's you?"
When Chen An saw that the people coming out were Tang San and Xiao Wu, he was astonished.
He finally remembered-didn't the Three-Five Combination mean Tang San and Xiao Wu?
Beside him, Ning Rongrong covered her mouth, finding it just as unbelievable.
"So the An You Glazed Tile Combination means you and Ning Rongrong?" Tang San was equally shocked, though not quite as shocked as when Xiao Wu had asked him to team up.
Xiao Wu's expression was calm, as though she didn't care at all.
While they were talking.
In the highest stands above the Soul Fighting stage.
Flender adjusted his glasses and said gravely to Dai Mubai, "Mubai, bet all this money on Chen An winning!"
Yu Xiaogang also produced a small pouch from somewhere and handed it to Dai Mubai. "Mubai, help me bet on Tang San!"
"Huh?"
Dai Mubai felt a little muddled and advised quietly, "Dean, the academy has no money left!"
Flender thumped his chest and declared confidently, "Trust my judgment. A small investment for a ten-thousandfold profit!"
"Fine!" Dai Mubai couldn't be bothered to keep persuading him. He had barely left when Ma Hongjun secretly followed, prompting him to ask curiously, "Fatty, you want in too?"
Ma Hongjun mumbled indistinctly, shaking his head and nodding.
Back on the Soul Fighting stage.
Tang San was the first to awaken his Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass, and three Soul Rings-yellow, yellow, and purple-slowly rose beneath his feet.
Xiao Wu followed immediately, her three Soul Rings slowly lighting up as well.
"Tang San, Control System Soul Master, rank thirty-two Soul Power!"
"Xiao Wu, Power Attack System Soul Master, rank thirty-one Soul Power!"
Although the fight had already begun.
Chen An was in no hurry whatsoever.
He even waited until Ning Rongrong had summoned her Martial Soul before slowly awakening his Lone Bamboo.
"White? Three Ten-Year Soul Rings? Who is this guy? Is he a shill the Soul Fighting Arena sent specifically to fleece us?!"
"Have you heard? That guy was running all over the place with his Martial Soul out ages ago. Tons of people bet on the Three-Five Combination winning. The odds have reached 1:10!"
"Fuck your mother! You blind bastard! May your whole family die for rigging matches and scamming money!"
The gamblers in the stands had gone completely wild. Their shouts were incredibly loud, and they all hoped the Three-Five Combination would win, though there were a few exceptions.
"Sister Rongrong, I'll protect you from the front. Just focus on support!"
Chen An's tactics were extremely crude: take on two by himself.
Tang San first activated his First Soul Skill, Entanglement, to interfere and restrict his paths.
Xiao Wu swiftly approached Ning Rongrong.
Their tactics were clear too: first eliminate the Soul Master with the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, hailed as the strongest support Martial Soul, then concentrate on dealing with Chen An.
"It's fine! Sister Rongrong, just focus on support!"
Chen An took in Xiao Wu's every movement.
He swung the bamboo sword his Martial Soul had transformed into, sending streaks of freezing sword Qi hurtling toward Xiao Wu.
Seeing this, she used Teleportation to dodge them with ease.
To allow Xiao Wu to approach Ning Rongrong.
Tang San used almost every control Soul Skill he had to distract Chen An.
"Heh..."
"It's not like I go easy on everyone!"
Chen An circulated his Ultimate Ice, condensed it along the bamboo sword's edge, then delivered a heavy slash.
Like an enormous wave, the Ultimate Ice surged viciously toward Tang San, led by the sword Qi.
Sensing the immense Soul Power and the chill radiating from the Ultimate Ice, Tang San inwardly sensed trouble.
He had intended to dodge using the Tang Sect Secret Art, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
But against that absolute pressure and extreme speed, he had no chance whatsoever.
Seeing that he couldn't dodge.
He planned to activate Entanglement to block most of the force, then use his Third Soul Skill, Spider Web Restraint, to wear it down further.
But his hopes were shattered.
The instant the sword Qi formed from Ultimate Ice touched the Blue Silver Grass, it pierced straight through, as easily as breaking a thin sheet of paper.
In the end, Tang San took it head-on with Mysterious Jade Hand.
After roughly three seconds, he was blasted out of the match.
When he hit the ground, his face was pale and his body shook continuously, with cold visibly rising from his clothes.
"Ah!"
"What's wrong with Chen An? They're classmates, yet he hit him so hard!"
In the stands.
Yu Xiaogang abruptly shot to his feet.
He furiously cursed Chen An for showing no regard for his classmate, and he didn't believe three white Soul Rings could defeat the optimal Soul Ring Configuration. Chen An must have used prohibited means.
Beside him, Flender didn't care about any of that.
His eyes shone as he thought that, once Xiao Wu was dealt with, he would win more money than he could count.
As for why he had bet on Chen An winning.
Back when the new students entered Shrek, Chen An had saved Zhao Wuji, and Flender had known this person's future prospects were boundless.
After all, a rank seventy-eight Soul Saint had far better judgment than a rank twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster, especially a Soul Grandmaster who only liked boasting about theories.
"Xiaogang, relax!"
"Whichever side wins, Shrek wins!"
Flender offered his well-meaning advice.
At that moment.
Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tight.
He had already decided how to give Tang San extra training when they returned.
On the Soul Fighting stage.
While Chen An's attention was still on the fallen Tang San.
Xiao Wu had already activated her Third Soul Skill, Teleportation, and appeared beside Ning Rongrong.
"Chen An, save me!"
Hearing Ning Rongrong's cry for help, Chen An reacted extremely quickly.
He activated his Third Soul Skill, Teleportation.
Seeing that she was close enough, Xiao Wu intended to kick Ning Rongrong straight off the Soul Fighting stage.
Just as she was about to strike, Chen An suddenly appeared before her.
"Oh no!"
Thinking Chen An would use another underhanded trick, Xiao Wu immediately switched from attacking with her foot to using her hands.
"Second Soul Skill, Charm!"
The corners of Xiao Wu's mouth lifted slightly.
She knew Chen An inside out. Charm was one hundred percent effective against him!
She successfully got in close to Chen An.
Xiao Wu first grabbed both his hands, then stepped up onto his shoulders, locking her legs tightly around him.
She had thought everything would go smoothly.
Yet unexpectedly, Chen An said only one thing: "Ice, come!"
In an instant, cold rapidly poured out of his body.
Xiao Wu was blasted away by that overbearing force and slammed heavily onto the ground, unable to get up.
At such an outrageous sight.
The spectators were too astonished to speak. The entire Soul Fighting Arena was so quiet that even a falling needle could be heard, and they only recovered when the host announced the An You Glazed Tile Combination's victory.
"Chen An, did... did we win?"
Ning Rongrong's little face was bright red. She wished she could find a hole to crawl into. She hadn't even had time to activate a single Soul Skill, yet they had somehow won just like that.
Xiao Wu slowly rose and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. She stared fixedly at Chen An, as though saying, "You're dead."
Chen An now clutched his head with both hands, his eyes filled with fear.
He was still caught up in the Charm skill Xiao Wu had just used on him.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"How... how could I be afraid of Xiao Wu?!"