After that brief exchange, the two had gained an understanding of Qi Ling's strength. Simply put, they had no chance whatsoever of winning head-on!
To win, they had to find another way. The best opening was naturally still Ning Rongrong behind him.
Then, within Qi Ling's perception, another figure suddenly appeared in the smoke! Two had become three.
After a brief analysis, Qi Ling immediately judged that this must be one of their Soul Skills. He just did not know whether this additional clone was merely an illusion or could attack as well.
After a brief pause, the three figures immediately sprang into action, splitting into three routes and charging out of the smoke from three directions to attack Qi Ling.
Qi Ling gave it no further thought. Even if their numbers had increased to three, it only meant striking one more time for him. He immediately moved to block all three attacks.
The instant they clashed, Qi Ling frowned and inwardly cursed that he had fallen for it. He seemed to have walked into their trap. Of the three figures fighting him, only one was solid; the other two were illusions!
That meant only one of them was fighting him, while the other had actually vanished!
Even Qi Ling could not help freezing for a moment.
And that fleeting instant was precisely the opportunity the sisters had been seeking! Qi Ling felt that Ye Mingzhu in front of him seemed to smile, and then the two clones vanished.
At the same time, Ye Mingyue's figure actually appeared out of thin air behind him. With her dagger, she launched an all-out attack at the utterly defenseless Ning Rongrong.
As she was an assassin, Qi Ling had no doubt about Ye Mingyue's ability to attack. If her strike landed, Ning Rongrong would have no chance of escaping unscathed.
The sisters worked together seamlessly, exploiting his lack of familiarity with their Soul Skills to create this opportunity. They were determined to succeed in a single strike and send Ning Rongrong out of the match first.
Yet at this critical moment, Qi Ling smiled. You little brats, you think you two little girls can scheme against me? I haven't seen your Soul Skills, but what do you know about mine?
At once, a long, resounding dragon roar rang from Qi Ling's mouth, immediately stunning both sisters around him.
Qi Ling's Nine Heavens Dragon Roar was unquestionably a god-tier crowd-control skill. Its forced stun could even decide the outcome of a battle.
However, Nine Heavens Dragon Roar could only affect the same target once within a short period, so Qi Ling also had to choose the right moment to use it. Now was undoubtedly the best moment.
Facing the stunned sisters, Qi Ling had no intention of showing tenderness toward these beauties. He immediately turned and attacked Ye Mingyue.
After all, his opponents were not simply weak women, but genuinely well-trained assassins. If he went soft on them, he might be the one to fall.
Although he did not use his second Soul Skill, Qi Ling was confident that this punch would be enough to render Ye Mingyue unable to fight without taking her life.
But when his fist touched Ye Mingyue, Qi Ling frowned again. Something on her had actually blocked his attack and protected her.
This object was undoubtedly a protective treasure that could block one attack for its owner.
With that brief opening, Ye Mingyue also recovered from the stun. She immediately abandoned her attack and retreated into the smoke with Ye Mingzhu.
The reason she did not continue attacking was that Ye Mingyue knew that even if she took out Ning Rongrong, everything would be meaningless if Qi Ling took her out as well.
Ye Mingzhu alone was absolutely no match for Qi Ling. Only by joining forces did they have a sliver of hope of winning!
It was precisely this judgment that led them to retreat into the smoke again, rally their forces, and make another plan.
After several exchanges of attack and defense, both sides had displayed their considerable strength, drawing waves of cheers from the audience below. Everyone exclaimed that their tickets today had truly been worth it.
The people from Shrek Academy were even more astonished by the fierce battle. Oscar stammered, "Th-this... Are they really Soul Grandmasters just like us? Isn't this way too absurd?!"
Flender said earnestly, "Watch carefully, all of you. Both sides are undoubtedly the most outstanding geniuses. They are both your goals and your opponents."
"It's no exaggeration to say that this is combat at the very highest level of your realm! You must learn from it. Opportunities like this don't come often."
Hearing this, they immediately focused all their attention on the match, afraid of missing even the slightest detail.
Watching the two retreat into the smoke, Qi Ling could not help frowning. After all this time, not only had the smoke failed to disperse, it was growing thicker and thicker, and looked set to spread across the entire arena!
If the entire platform became shrouded in smoke, his side would undoubtedly be forced onto the back foot. His opponents were clearly accustomed to fighting in smoke. Even with his Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils, Qi Ling had not managed to overcome them himself.
"True Dragon Martial Skill: Giant Dragon Breath!"
Qi Ling circulated true Qi through both hands and used the martial skill he had just learned. Powerful winds immediately swept from his hands, blowing away the smoke in the arena.
Once the smoke dispersed, the figure within was revealed. But where there should originally have been two people, only Ye Mingzhu remained.
At this sight, Qi Ling immediately heightened his guard, because this was exactly the same situation as before.
When Ye Mingyue had suddenly appeared behind him earlier, she had not used any sort of teleportation skill. Instead, she had concealed her figure and stealthily slipped behind Qi Ling.
Although he did not know whether this was one of their Soul Skills, since his opponent had acted, Qi Ling had no choice but to take precautions, keeping Ning Rongrong firmly protected behind him.
Then Ye Mingzhu, who remained in the arena, moved. Holding her dagger in one hand, she charged forward and engaged Qi Ling in close combat. Her attacks were crisp and seasoned, clearly the result of many years of arduous training.
Unfortunately, against a cheat-enabled player like Qi Ling, no amount of seasoned technique could help her!
The instant Ye Mingzhu struck, Qi Ling had already grasped the path of her attack, allowing him to evade it with the flow of her movement and then counterattack.
While dealing with Ye Mingzhu's attacks, Qi Ling also remained wary of Ye Mingyue's appearance. It was almost foreseeable: the sisters would surely target Ning Rongrong again.
Sure enough, just as an opening appeared in Qi Ling's movements, a figure suddenly materialized beside him, then thrust the dagger in her hand toward Ning Rongrong with incredible speed.
Just in time! Qi Ling thought. Naturally, he had deliberately exposed that opening to lure the snake out of its hole and make Ye Mingyue strike.
Now that his goal had been achieved, Qi Ling would naturally not let this opportunity slip away. He immediately abandoned Ye Mingzhu in front of him and attacked the newly appeared Ye Mingyue.
The attack went very smoothly, and Qi Ling's fist successfully struck the figure! Yet the instant his fist made contact with his opponent, Qi Ling's expression changed!
Under his fist, the figure before him actually vanished without a trace!
Of course, this was not caused by Qi Ling. It was because that figure had been nothing more than a conjured illusion from the very beginning.