The qualifying rounds have entered the second half, and Godwind Academy has been on a winning streak. Shi Yan, Zhong Yue, Lu Hanxiao, Ji Ning take turns playing, using only two or three players per match, and steadily defeating all their opponents.
Both Blazing Fire Academy and Skywater Academy knew that Godwind Academy had hidden the Soul King and hadn't sent him out, but seeing how steadily Shi Yan and the others were fighting, they didn't ask any further questions.
On the day that Godwind Academy was drawn against the Thunder Academy, Shi Yan found Feng Xiaotian before the competition.
"Captain, it's a one-year agreement. The Elephant Armor game is over, but Thunder Academy still owes me. I want to be the first one on this game."
Feng Xiaotian glanced at him and nodded.
As Shi Yan stepped onto the stage, Lei Dong, the vice-captain of the opposing Thunder Academy team, was also warming up. The two exchanged a glance; Shi Yan remained silent as always, while Lei Dong grinned.
When they challenged each other in the Five Elements Exchange Tournament, they were both only around level 30. Now, one is level 47 and the other is level 46, and neither of them has fallen behind.
Thunder Academy's first Agility Attack System player was very fast, but their attack power was insufficient to break through Void Resonance Bell's defense. Shi Yan withstood three rounds of attacks and blasted Konglingzhong off the stage with a sonic shockwave.
The second Power Attack System Lightning Attribute Soul Skill struck Shi Yan head-on. Shi Yan took two steps back, steadied himself, and countered with a sonic wave, forcing his opponent to the edge of the arena before finishing him off with a final blow.
Lei Dong was the third to enter the arena. The two attacked simultaneously the moment the referee's whistle blew. Lei Dong's Lightning Attribute attack was significantly stronger than the previous two, and Shi Yan's Void Resonance Bell defense began to crack after continuous blocking.
However, the characteristics of the Void Resonance Bell are not only defensive—sonic vibrations also have a restraining effect on Lightning Attribute. The third round of Lei Dong strikes was broken through by Shi Yan with a sound wave, and the two forces exploded in the center of the arena, causing both of them to retreat simultaneously.
Shi Yan took five steps back, Lei Dong took six. Lei Dong's heel touched the edge of the ring.
The referee raised his hand to signal that Lei Dong was out of bounds.
Silence fell over the Thunder Academy Rest Area. Lei Dong got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and gave Shi Yan Shi Yan a thumbs-up, expressing his approval. Shi Yan nodded and turned to walk back to the Godwind Academy Rest Area.
His breathing wasn't quite steady yet, but his steps were firm. Zhong Yue handed him a towel, which Shi Yan took, and sat back down amidst pats and nods from his teammates. The year-long promise had been fulfilled perfectly.
The subsequent matches remained largely unchanged until Godwind Academy faced their tenth opponent – the second-place team from the Star Luo Division, Star Luo Empire Rock Academy.
This team advanced to the next round in second place in the Star Luo Division. The captain is a level 52 Power Attack System Soul King with the Martial Soul Rock-Shattering Bear, known for his strength.
The other six were all elites at level 45 or above, and their overall strength was far superior to all the opponents that Godwind Academy had encountered before.
Godwind Academy's rest area before the match.
"I heard that the Rock-Shattering Bear Soul King swept through four opponents in the Star Luo Division before." Lu Hanxiao leaned back in his chair, looking at the rest area of the Rock Academy across the way, "Level 52 Power Attack System, strength-based, not on the same level as the opponents we encountered before."
" Power Attack System are harder to fight than Defense System," Ji Ning added. " Feng Lingtian is Agility Attack System, so he'll be at a disadvantage in terms of strength. I wonder..."
Ji Ning was speaking, Feng Lingtian stood up, and the rest area fell silent.
Feng Xiaotian opened one eye, glanced at his younger brother, and then closed it again. Su Mei'er sat in the back row, resting her chin on her hand as she watched his back, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Feng Lingtian calmly walked onto the arena, and the referee announced, " Feng Lingtian, level 52, Peregrine Falcon Martial Soul, Agility Attack System." On the opposite side, the Rock-Shattering Bear Soul King also stepped up.
The two faced each other from ten meters apart. One was surrounded by light blue Wind Attribute Soul Power, while the other had dark gray rock armor covering his arms. Just by standing there, it seemed as if the arena had been split in two.
The Rock-Shattering Bear Soul King was the first to unleash his Soul Skill. Dark gray Soul Power exploded from his body, and several cracks appeared in the bluestone slabs on the arena beneath his feet.
Rockified Skin – the signature ability of the Rock-Shattering Bear Martial Soul, covering the entire body in rock armor, with defensive capabilities comparable to Defense System Soul Master. He clenched his fists, condensing dark gray Soul Power into two orbs of light, and went all out from the start.
Feng Lingtian did not unleash Soul Skill. With the Peregrine Falcon Martial Soul Possession, pale blue Wind Attribute Soul Power flowed around him, and his figure disappeared the moment the Rock-Shattering Bear Soul King made his move.
Wind Blade Consecutive Slash – Three cyan wind blades precisely sliced into the waist of the Rock-Shattering Bear Soul King, a spot not covered by its Rockified Skin.
But the Rock-Shattering Bear Soul King did not lose his balance when his joints were hit, unlike his previous opponents. He withstood three wind blades, and his rock armor at his waist cracked in several places, but his feet remained unmoved.
Instead, he took advantage of Feng Lingtian's close proximity to strike down with a backhand palm. Dark gray Soul Power exploded in his palm. Feng Lingtian dodged to the side, but the palm grazed his shoulder and slammed into the ground, leaving a dent the size of a washbasin in the bluestone slab.
Feng Lingtian took two steps back, Rock-Shattering Bear Soul King did not pursue him. He stood still, and the rock armor on his body reformed from the cracks, becoming as good as new.
Then he raised his right foot and stomped down hard. A dark gray shockwave exploded outwards from him, cracking all the stone slabs of the arena and covering the entire arena. This was an area-of-effect attack with no blind spots.
Feng Lingtian quickly touched the ground with his toes and took to the air. Wind Wings Soaring —a pair of pale blue wind wings unfolded behind him, allowing him to hover in mid-air for a moment. In that instant, he avoided the shockwave.
Then Feng Lingtian folded his wings and swooped down. His black Fifth Soul Ring lit up for the first time, and he activated his Soul Skill Gale Break —transforming himself into a streak of azure meteor, crashing down from above towards the head of the Rock-Shattering Bear Soul King.
The Rock-Shattering Bear Soul King met the attack with both fists. The impact of the Gale Break and the power of the Rock-Shattering Bear's fist collided in mid-air, and both figures were simultaneously blasted away.
Feng Lingtian flipped in the air and landed, while the Rock-Shattering Bear Soul King took five steps back, each step leaving a deep footprint on the bluestone slab.
As he regained his balance, the rock armor on his right arm cracked from his fist to his shoulder, revealing the skin underneath.
Feng Lingtian gave him no chance to catch his breath. The second strike of Gale Break hit his shattered right arm from the front again.
With a roar, the Rock-Shattering Bear Soul King channeled all its Soul Power into its right fist to meet the attack—but the power of the Gale Break was concentrated on one point, and the rock armor, already shattered once, could not withstand the second blow. The rock armor exploded, Rock-Shattering Bear Soul King's right arm, losing its support, hung limply down.
As Feng Lingtian landed, the Rock-Shattering Bear Soul King swiftly raised his left hand.
"Stop!" he shouted hoarsely, "I give up."
The referee raised his hand to signal, Rock-Shattering Bear Soul King glanced at his drooping right arm, then at Feng Lingtian opposite him who was retracting his Wind Wings, and remained silent for about three seconds.
Then he turned around and shook his head at his teammates below the arena. The Rock Academy team members looked at each other, but no one was surprised—their captain had lost even with his full strength, and the rest of them would just be throwing their lives away.
The referee from the Rock-Shattering Bear Soul King then waved his left hand, indicating that the rest of the match was over and they would simply forfeit it.
Therefore, the referee declared directly, " Godwind Academy —Wins!"
The audience in the stands finally realized what had happened. Feng Lingtian, a level 52 Agility Attack System Soul Master, had defeated a level 52 Power Attack System Soul King head-on, and had not been suppressed by power even once throughout the entire battle.
He didn't unleash any higher-level Soul Skill, but his Soul Ring Configuration was far more than four—he was a genuine Soul King, just suppressing his full strength.
As Feng Lingtian stepped off the arena, Feng Xiaotian opened his eyes, a smile playing on his lips, and praised, "Not bad, you used three Soul Skill, clean and efficient."
"There are four," Feng Lingtian corrected. " The Gale Break was used twice, so both count."
"Alright, alright, then let's call it four." Feng Xiaotian's tone carried a hint of indulgent amusement as he closed his eyes again. "As long as we win, that's all that matters."
Feng Lingtian's lips twitched, but he didn't refute it further. He sat back down in his seat, but the expression on his face clearly said—there were originally four.
Su Mei'er watched the two brothers from the side and couldn't help but smile. Then Su Mei'er handed them a glass of water, Feng Lingtian naturally took and drank a sip.
The other members of the Godwind Academy didn't react much either—they had witnessed Feng Lingtian's strength every day, so defeating a Soul King of the same level wasn't anything to be surprised about.
But for the teams from the Star Luo Division in the stands, this battle had a completely different meaning.
They finally realized that Godwind Academy not only had a few rotating members around level 40, but also a true core member capable of easily defeating Power Attack System Soul King.
Moreover, judging from Feng Lingtian's composure after the fight, he was clearly not the strongest of the Godwind Academy.
Godwind Academy finished all eleven matches with a perfect record.
At this point on the leaderboard, Godwind Academy is undefeated in all eleven matches and sits at the top. Blazing Fire Academy has completed all eleven matches and is currently in third place with eight wins and three losses.
Shrek has eight wins and two losses, Skywater Academy has nine wins and one loss. Both teams only have one game left – against each other.
If Skywater Academy wins, they will secure second place with a record of ten wins and one loss; if Shrek wins, both teams will have nine wins and two losses, with Shrek ranking ahead based on head-to-head record.
So on the final day of the competition, everyone's eyes were on this showdown.