"All right!" Huo Yuhao spun around and spread his hands with a flourish, a challenging gleam in his eyes. "We're all at the same level, so let's see just how big the gap between us really is!"
Tang San and the others exchanged glances. After a brief silence, a flicker of eagerness appeared in each of their eyes. Compared to challenging Zhao Wuji, a Soul Saint, this seemingly arrogant man in black was clearly a more suitable opponent.
Tang San nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Since you're in the mood, brother, we would be discourteous to refuse. But before we spar, may I ask your name?"
The people around them chimed in, their voices full of mockery. "Hiding your head and showing your tail, dressed in a black robe with a hood on-are you too ashamed to show your face?"
A teasing smile curved Huo Yuhao's lips. Deliberately drawing out his words, he said, "Listen carefully. My name is... Wo Niba."
"Wo Niba?" Tang San frowned deeply, turning the strange name over and over, but he couldn't make any sense of it.
Ning Rongrong, the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, was exceptionally clever and saw through Huo Yuhao's little trick at once. She leaned close to Tang San, covered her mouth, and giggled. "Tang San, he's taking advantage of you. 'Wo Niba' sounds like 'I'm your dad.'"
"Heh, finally, someone clever." Huo Yuhao sneered and casually pulled back the hood of his black robe.
In an instant, everyone's eyes were drawn to him. Huo Yuhao revealed an extraordinarily handsome face. The last rays of the setting sun fell across his sharply defined features, and even Ning Rongrong couldn't help exclaiming, "What a beautiful young man!" Even the usually aloof Zhu Zhuqing had a strange gleam in her eyes.
Xiao Wu, however, was red-faced with anger. Hands on her hips, she snapped, "What good are your looks when you have such a poisonous mouth? Today I'm going to teach you a proper lesson on Xiao San's father's behalf!"
Tang San's face instantly darkened. He stopped Xiao Wu with one hand and said coldly, "Sir, isn't it going too far to make jokes about someone's father?"
Huo Yuhao shrugged, looking unconcerned. "Sorry, my friend. I do have a bit of a poisonous mouth. I wasn't being considerate, so I hope you won't take it to heart."
Seeing that his attitude was reasonably sincere, Tang San's expression eased slightly. "I hope you won't make jokes like that again, brother. Otherwise, even if it costs me my life, I won't let the matter rest!"
A sly gleam flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes. Then he changed tack. "But I really do want to see your true strength. You look much stronger than the others, and I like challenging the strong! Only the strong are qualified to stand in front of me and criticize me. Of course, I wouldn't listen anyway. You don't look qualified."
This provocation thoroughly enraged Dai Mubai. The roar of his White Tiger Martial Soul made the ground tremble slightly as his Soul Rings slowly rose. "Count me in! This brat is far too arrogant! If he really gets admitted, he'll turn the heavens upside down!"
Huo Yuhao sneered inwardly. His so-called "challenge to the strong" was just a pretext; his real goal was to give these people a proper lesson. He had originally only wanted to make trouble for Tang San, but now his goal had become "scooping them all up in one pot."
In his eyes, the line between the strong and the weak was clear. Before absolute strength, the weak were nothing more than ants.
"Since you've all come crowding over, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
Tang San and the others watched the three people in the arena, though the arena was really just a patch of open ground that had been cleared for them. Zhao Wuji shouted in a deep voice, "Begin."
"Seven treasures turn, and glazed tiles appear!" Tiny lights shone at Ning Rongrong's silvery-white fingertips as the crystal-clear Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda slowly formed in her palm. Two bright yellow Soul Rings rose from her feet, casting a faint glow over her delicately sculpted face.
"Seven Treasures Have Names, First: Strength!" At her clear call, the first Soul Ring suddenly spread open, and brilliant multicolored light wrapped around Zhu Zhuqing like silk. Immediately afterward came the command "Second: Speed," and another streak of light swept over her, pushing the agility-type Soul Master's speed to its limit.
"Handsome brother over there, don't blame us for using numbers to win~" Ning Rongrong playfully stuck out her tongue, the tassels in her hair swaying with the movement. Before her voice had faded, Zhu Zhuqing had already become a dark blue afterimage.
Possessed by her Nether Civet Martial Soul, the girl's pupils became a pair of magnificent mismatched eyes. Her claws gleamed with a chilling light as she closed in on Huo Yuhao's side like a ghost. Her sharp cat claws went straight for the vital point at his wrist, cutting through the air with a fierce agility unique to a young girl.
A calm smile curved Huo Yuhao's lips. His well-defined hand shot out like lightning and caught Zhu Zhuqing's fair wrist with his bare palm. "Your speed is passable, but your strength is lacking."
With a faint smile, he gave a casual flick, releasing a deft burst of force. Zhu Zhuqing cried out as she flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily into a building more than ten feet away.
Before Zhu Zhuqing could catch her breath, Huo Yuhao had turned into a streak of black light and charged straight at the pale-faced Ning Rongrong. His fist, imbued with powerful Soul Power, came at her with a fierce wind, moments from striking her delicate face.
At the last possible instant, a blast of air suddenly swept up behind Ning Rongrong, knocking over nearby objects. Huo Yuhao had deliberately held back, using the force of the air to drive her away. But before she could feel relieved, a silvery-white arc flashed, and Huo Yuhao's hand struck the side of her neck with precision. Darkness filled Ning Rongrong's vision, and she crumpled limply.
"It's not over!" Clearly unwilling to concede, Zhu Zhuqing unleashed a dark blue glow from her second Soul Ring. She pounced again like an arrow loosed from its bow, her claws leaving layers of overlapping afterimages and making the air crackle faintly wherever they passed.
Huo Yuhao, however, merely dodged back and forth, moving even faster than she did with her Dark Civet Martial Soul active. He gave a contemptuous smile. "That's your attack? It's nothing more than a kitten's scratch."
Before his words had faded, he curled his fingers into a fist and sent a peerlessly fierce burst of Soul Power straight into Zhu Zhuqing's lower abdomen. The girl gave a muffled groan and was lifted off her feet. She fell into the dust, unable to rise again.
This match, too, ended in Huo Yuhao's victory.
His opponent in the second match was Dai Mubai.
Fierce Soul Power surged around Dai Mubai, and blazing fighting spirit burned in his amber eyes. His gaze cut into Huo Yuhao like a knife. "Today I'll show you that beyond heaven there are heavens, and beyond men there are greater men. Shrek Academy only recruits monsters. It's not a place where you can come and go as you please."
He turned to look at the injured Zhu Zhuqing and let out a low growl. "Besides, you'd even lay hands on a woman. Let's see what you're made of, coming here and running wild."
Huo Yuhao idly twirled the red silk at his cuff and scoffed. "Chattering away, what a load of nonsense. Are you here to fight, or to perform in an opera?"
The words were like a flame touching a powder keg. Dai Mubai roared, not caring whether Zhao Wuji had called the start, and his White Tiger Martial Soul instantly possessed him. His blond hair took on black and white stripes, and his hands swelled into tiger claws covered in spikes. Three Soul Rings surged up from beneath his feet, churning and warping the air around him.
"I refuse to believe that a mere Two-Ring Soul Master like you can defeat a three-ring Power Attack System Soul Elder like me." His second Soul Ring flared brightly, and he spat out a blazing white ball of light wreathed in lightning-White Tiger Fierce Light Wave!
The dazzling light shot straight at him, but Huo Yuhao seemed to have already seen through its path. His figure flickered into an afterimage and slipped past. Dai Mubai's attacks came like a tide, his tiger paws whipping up howling winds. Every blow was enough to give an ordinary Two-Ring Soul Master a bitter taste of trouble.
Yet no matter how swift he was, his opponent always avoided the vital blows by the barest margin, all the while edging closer as he moved.
"Dodging back and forth-don't tell me you're scared?" Anxiety crept into Dai Mubai's roar. Before his words had faded, a black shadow struck like lightning!
Huo Yuhao swept out his left leg, the fierce wind of the kick carving a piercing shriek through the air. Dai Mubai hurriedly raised his White Tiger Protection Barrier, and its silver-glimmering energy shield barely blocked the attack.
But this was only the calm before the storm. Without a word, Huo Yuhao swung his fists, bombarding the barrier in a continuous downpour of blows, each carrying tremendous force. Boom! Boom! Boom!
Under the relentless assault, spiderweb cracks spread across the shield. Dai Mubai felt his arms go numb, and the skin between his thumbs and forefingers split, beads of blood seeping out.
When the final punch landed squarely on his face, Dai Mubai flew backward in an instant, dragging a long furrow across the ground before finally coming to a stop.
He struggled to prop himself up, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth and disbelief filling his eyes. This seemingly frail youth in black had shattered the protective Soul Skill he was so proud of using nothing but physical strength!
Dai Mubai slowly rose from one knee. Beads of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth into the dust, but they could not conceal the burning fighting spirit in his eyes. He wiped the blood away, and a dangerous smile curved his lips. "You have some skill, to force me to use my third Soul Skill."
Before his words had faded, his third, purple Soul Ring suddenly lit up, its sinister light enveloping his entire body. His already fierce presence abruptly surged, and his eyes turned blood-red, like those of a Ferocious Beast ready to devour its prey.
"White Tiger Vajra Transformation!" His roar made the air hum. Dai Mubai's body swelled once more, his muscles knotting like steel. The claws on his tiger paws grew to more than a foot long, their edges shimmering with a cold silver light.
His amplified pressure spread like something tangible. The surrounding examinees all changed color and involuntarily retreated several steps.
Facing the menacing Dai Mubai, Huo Yuhao remained composed and lightly touched his slender fingertips to the center of his brow. In an instant, his concealed Spirit Eyes Martial Soul slowly began to glow gold. At the same time, a strip of vivid red silk floated in the air.
He formed a fireball in his hand, pretending the flames had appeared because of the red silk. He could now use magic without chanting a spell. This was a disguise; even in the world of ten thousand years ago, he had to play it safe.
"Try this." Huo Yuhao casually threw the fireball. The flames streaked across the sky and collided with a thunderous crash against Dai Mubai's tiger claws, which carried the force of a thousand jun. Amid the violent explosion, firelight and blasts of air intertwined. As smoke and dust filled the air, the battle had been decided.