The air in the Soul Fighting Arena warped as Soul Power churned. The light of the three rings circling Xu Sanshi made his tortoise-shell shield look black as ink.
Though his Martial Soul was renowned for defense, the youth, usually known for charging recklessly ahead, struck first, shaking loose stones from the ground. Veins bulged on his right arm, and ancient patterns emerged across the tortoise-shell shield, as if an ancient Black Tortoise had awakened.
"First Soul Skill-Xuanming Shock!"
Black light, thick as ink, burst outward from the shield, forming a semicircular barrier three meters across. Strange ripples flowed over its surface, and wherever it passed, the air gave an ear-piercing shriek. The blast even sent spectators in the front rows staggering backward.
Xu Sanshi concealed himself behind the shield, revealing only a pair of blood-red eyes, full of provocation and smugness.
Huo Yuhao's expression remained unchanged as bone-white mist suddenly rose from his fingertips. "Ice Spike Technique!" At his soft shout, twelve ice spikes shot through the air, trailing piercing cold as they traced frigid arcs overhead.
The instant the ice spikes struck the Xuanming Shield, they shattered with crisp cracks, sending fragments flying like stardust. Yet they failed to budge even the patterns on the shield's surface.
"You're good at hiding in your shell like a turtle, at least!" A contemptuous smile curved Huo Yuhao's lips as golden light surged around him. The next second, he vanished from the spot like a ghost, leaving only a faint afterimage in the air.
The instant the hairs on the back of Xu Sanshi's neck stood on end, Huo Yuhao appeared behind him, sweeping his Soul Power-infused right leg toward his lower body like an iron whip.
"Again!" Xu Sanshi bellowed, whipping his tortoise-shell shield around. The black light formed by a second Xuanming Shock crashed into Huo Yuhao's attack, and the violent surge of energy blasted spiderweb cracks across the Soul Fighting Arena's protective barrier.
Startled cries rose and fell throughout the stands. No one had expected this seemingly slight freshman to cause such a stir in the domain of a defense-type Soul Elder.
"Break!" Golden light blazed in Huo Yuhao's eyes as fine Soul Power patterns formed over both fists. Like a berserker on a battlefield, he abandoned all technique and relentlessly hammered the Xuanming Shield in the most direct manner.
Every impact boomed like muffled thunder. Xu Sanshi's feet plowed two deep furrows into the ground as blow after blow drove him backward, and fine cracks began to appear in the patterns on his shield.
"Junior Yuhao is no ordinary fighter. He actually forced Xu Sanshi back with physical combat alone?!" Bei Bei sprang to his feet, his eyes full of shock.
Beside him, Tang Ya was already beside herself with excitement, oblivious to her disheveled hair. "Did you see that? Did you see? Just as I thought, we really should bring him into the Tang Sect. Such a wonderful junior, so strong, and his grilled fish is delicious too. It would be such a waste if he didn't join the Tang Sect."
"I think you're after his grilled fish, aren't you?" Bei Bei shook his head, caught between laughter and tears.
Tang Ya stuck out her tongue and grinned. "The grilled fish is just an extra perk! A talent like Junior Yuhao only comes along once in a century. We have to bring him into the Tang Sect!"
The air in the Soul Fighting Arena had been scorched and warped by Soul Power. Huo Yuhao's bloodstained fists gleamed coldly amid the shifting light and shadows, and every punch sent tiny droplets of blood flying.
Across from him, Xu Sanshi knelt on one knee, his tortoise-shell shield covered in spiderweb cracks. His bangs, damp with cold sweat, hung over his forehead, making his blood-red eyes look even more ferocious. "I've never seen a monster like you!"
With a roar, Xu Sanshi sent the Soul Rings around him flashing wildly, and his second Soul Skill, Mysterious Underworld Shield Formation, erupted into action! His pitch-black tortoise-shell shield transformed into twelve floating shields that orbited him like planets, each one shimmering with a dark glow. The instant the formation took shape, even the Soul Fighting Arena's protective barrier hummed under the strain.
"Pathetic trick." Huo Yuhao's pupils contracted sharply, and crimson-gold flames instantly ignited around his right fist. With a low roar of "Flame Fist!" he punched out, unleashing a blast of heat that could burn everything to ashes.
The gold-and-red fist light struck like a falling meteor. The twelve Xuanming Shields shuddered violently on contact, their surfaces cracking inch by inch before the shields themselves burst into fragments that filled the sky.
Xu Sanshi staggered backward, and fear finally appeared in his eyes as he stared at his Soul Skill, now reduced to powder. He instinctively looked toward Jiang Nannan in the stands. Thinking of how she was still watching him, How can I lose face in front of Nannan? he hesitated no longer and roared, "You forced me to do this!"
His third Soul Ring erupted with blinding purple light. "Third Soul Skill-Xuanming Power!"
Soul Power burst forth like a tsunami, and Xu Sanshi's body began to undergo a bizarre transformation: his already burly frame swelled further, his short hair turned green and lengthened to his waist, and the phantom of a Black Tortoise ten meters across appeared behind him.
Tortoise-shell patterns spread across his entire body, and his eyes turned an eerie green. He looked like an ancient Ferocious Beast descending upon the world.
"Xuanming Shock-!"
This time, the black shield of light carried the force to destroy heaven and earth. Wherever it passed, even the air was compressed into solid form, and spiderweb cracks instantly spread across the ground. The blast sent spectators in the front rows flying, and even the referee had to activate a personal protective barrier.
Huo Yuhao, however, smiled, his expression defiant. Golden light surged around him, and the phantom of a hundred-meter-long golden dragon appeared behind him. Its roar shook dust loose throughout the Soul Fighting Arena. "Good! Try this-Golden Dragon Explosive Fist!"
This was a new move Huo Yuhao had created while absorbing the Golden Dragon King's origin.
The two enormous beast phantoms roared in competition, creating a tremendous spectacle.
The golden dragon phantom spiraled out from his arm, its claws tearing through the air with a piercing sonic boom. When it crashed into the Black Tortoise phantom, the entire Soul Fighting Arena fell briefly silent.
Then blinding light swallowed everything. A violent energy storm tore the protective barrier to pieces, and seats from the stands whirled through the air like scraps of paper.
When the dust settled, Xu Sanshi flew backward like a kite with its string cut and slammed heavily into the edge of the Soul Fighting Arena. His Martial Soul form had completely dissipated, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, yet he still stared fixedly in Huo Yuhao's direction.
Though the Black Tortoise possessed a divine beast bloodline, it was still not enough to contend with the Golden Dragon King, much less when the one wielding the Golden Dragon King's power was Huo Yuhao, who had captured it alive. The gap between the two was far too great in both Martial Soul and strength, though Xu Sanshi might have had a slight edge in apparent combat power.
But who could know how many trump cards Huo Yuhao had? The Xuanming Shock and the Xuanming Shield-no, the Black Tortoise Shield, rather-had been broken in an instant, and Xu Sanshi had been sent flying by that move as well.
That was the final outcome of the battle.
Dead silence fell over the arena. Only the sound of Huo Yuhao's footsteps crushing loose stones could be heard clearly. In the stands, some spectators gripped the railings until their knuckles turned white, while others instinctively covered their mouths. Even the normally composed teachers could not help leaning forward. At last, Bei Bei was the first to break the silence: "How is he a freshman? He's clearly a monster with talent of the most terrifying kind!"
Tang Ya gazed at the youth's back in the arena, her eyes shining with fervor. "Did you see that, Bei Bei? I have a good eye, don't I? I have to bring him into the Tang Sect. His talent is enough to rival Ancestor Tang San's!.."
"A monster of Shrek?" someone murmured, yet the voice carried throughout the arena. "No, he's practically a future Titled Douluo!" "Too strong." "Terrifying to such an extent." Those words spread like sparks setting a field ablaze, instantly igniting a storm of discussion.
At last, people understood why this freshman had caused such an uproar in so little time-his very existence defied common sense. No wonder he was called a supernova. If a monster truly existed in Shrek Academy, then, without question, it was Huo Yuhao.