Wang Feng vs. Dai Mubai

The next day, the inner court's first assessment officially entered the top eight of the individual assessment.

The eight were divided into two groups: one consisting of Tang San, Zhu Zhuqing, Xue Yu, and Liu Minghan, and the other of Dai Mubai, Wang Feng, Ma Hongjun, and Lu Zhaoguan.

Tang San faced Xue Yu, a royal disciple of the Heaven Dou Empire, while Zhu Zhuqing faced Liu Minghan, who had been born a commoner but was very strong.

Dai Mubai faced Ma Hongjun, while Wang Feng faced Lu Zhaoguan.

At first, all four matches were extremely fierce.

But once the eight had finished warming up, the four matches took on two distinct styles.

The Tang San and Wang Feng matches were remarkably alike: both pitted physical strength against Martial Souls, making them the two highlights of the arena.

As for the other two matches, they had largely ceased to be entertaining.

In Tang San's match, no one could figure out Xue Yu's approach. From all the information available beforehand, Xue Yu was not weak and could not possibly have let Tang San handle the match so easily. Yet from the very beginning, the match had gone in Tang San's favor.

This made many people suspect that something was going on behind the scenes, or that Xue Yu was deliberately doing this to win Tang San over.

Wang Feng's match, on the other hand, was entirely genuine. Wang Feng displayed even more brutal strength than before, beating Lu Zhaoguan down without letting up.

"First Soul Skill, Thrust!"

Lu Zhaoguan seemed to have been beaten into a rage and immediately used his First Soul Skill. His Martial Soul was also a spear, and his First Soul Skill was extremely similar to Wang Feng's, though its effect was worlds apart.

Lu Zhaoguan charged over with his spear. His First Soul Skill compensated for his lack of speed, bringing him before Wang Feng almost instantly.

But Wang Feng was still extremely fast. With a turn of his body, he dodged the Soul Skill that had seemed nearly impossible to evade.

Wang Feng immediately followed up with a flurry of punches. Lu Zhaoguan reacted just as quickly, turning and raising his spear to block. Every one of Wang Feng's punches struck Lu Zhaoguan's spear.

But this also pinned Lu Zhaoguan down, preventing him from using another Soul Skill.

Bang!

With a muffled impact, Lu Zhaoguan finally could hold on no longer and was blasted backward by one of Wang Feng's punches.

Lu Zhaoguan staggered back more than ten steps. Just as he was about to fall off the platform, he managed to stop by the narrowest of margins.

"Oh, I underestimated you." Wang Feng smiled faintly. He had thought Lu Zhaoguan would lose, but had not expected him to hold on.

"Damn it! Second Soul Skill, Earth Fissure!"

Enraged, Lu Zhaoguan gripped his spear with both hands. Soul Power surged forth, and a yellow Soul Ring emerged. He then thrust the spear straight into the platform.

With a rumble, the platform split in two. The crack spread beneath Wang Feng's feet, and a powerful presence suddenly surged from it as spike after spike of earth shot out.

Wang Feng immediately retreated, but the earth spikes were too fast and had already reached him. Just then, however, his body suddenly swayed, and he fell.

As Wang Feng fell flat on the ground, he actually succeeded in dodging the earth spikes.

"What? That works too?"

"Was that luck, or did he do it on purpose?"

Everyone was stunned by Wang Feng's fall. No one would have imagined that, at such a critical moment, there was a way to dodge an attack like that.

Wasn't Wang Feng afraid that the crack would spread beneath him and skewer him clean through?!

By then, Wang Feng had rolled over, leaped to his feet, and charged at Lu Zhaoguan again.

This time, Lu Zhaoguan was not so lucky.

He was already at the edge of the platform, and after taking a punch from Wang Feng, he fell straight off. The match was over.

"Platform one, Wang Feng wins!"

"Platform three, Tang San wins!"

The two referees' voices rang out almost simultaneously, and Wang Feng and Tang San both looked at each other at the same time.

Wang Feng smiled faintly. Tang San tried to squeeze a smile onto his somewhat stiff face, but Wang Feng had already looked away and jumped down from the platform.

Before long, the matches on platforms two and four also ended. Nothing unexpected happened: Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing won and advanced to the top four.

An hour later, the assessment resumed.

Tang San vs. Zhu Zhuqing.

Wang Feng vs. Dai Mubai.

"Go, Young Master Dai! Defeat Wang Feng!"

"Young Master Dai is mighty! Young Master Dai is domineering!"

Below platform one, the students' cheers were deafening. Perhaps because there was little to see in the match between Tang San and Zhu Zhuqing, most of the students' attention was on platform one.

The two men on the platform stood at opposite sides, looking at each other.

"Wang Feng, there's no need for us to probe each other, is there? Let me see your full strength!" Dai Mubai said in a low voice, staring intently at Wang Feng.

Wang Feng smiled faintly. You think one sentence will make me reveal my strength? You're asking too much.

"Dai Mubai, Young Master Dai, third prince of the Star Luo Empire, with the Evil Eye White Tiger Martial Soul. I heard you fought your way from the Star Luo Empire all the way to the Balak Kingdom. You're strong. Tell me, will I have to use a Soul Skill to defeat you?"

Dai Mubai frowned. This was a provocation.

"Hmph! It seems your victories these past two days have really gone to your head. I know you're strong, but I'm not as weak as you think."

"Then let's fight!"

Wang Feng let out a cold shout and suddenly attacked, bursting forward with all his Soul Power concentrated in his fist.

"White Tiger Possession!"

Dai Mubai shouted, releasing and immediately using his Martial Soul.

He knew full well that Wang Feng's strength was not to be underestimated. Besides, Wang Feng had already mobilized his Soul Power, so this was no longer a contest of physical strength alone.

After using his Martial Soul, Dai Mubai's physical attributes multiplied. Facing Wang Feng's attack without the slightest panic, he moved his right leg half a step back, crouched slightly, and raised his fist to meet it.

With a muffled bang, the Soul Power around their fists collided violently with a crackle, showing just how terrifying their strength was.

That punch ended in a draw.

The next moment, Wang Feng raised his leg and stomped down toward Dai Mubai's chest.

"First Soul Skill, White Tiger Protective Barrier!"

Dai Mubai's reaction could hardly have been faster. In that nearly unavoidable instant, he managed to react and release his First Soul Skill.

Wang Feng's foot struck the white barrier surrounding Dai Mubai. The rebounding force made his own leg go somewhat numb and forced him back two steps.

But Dai Mubai was clearly not having an easy time either. His body swayed, and though he did not move his feet, surprise appeared on his face.

The White Tiger Protective Barrier was a skill that enhanced his own abilities, and its defense was undeniably formidable. No one in the academy had ever been able to shake his defense directly as Wang Feng had.

Very strong!

That was Dai Mubai's heartfelt assessment of Wang Feng, but he did not say it aloud. His goal was not to find out how strong Wang Feng was, but to defeat him.

"Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Fierce Light Wave!"

Dai Mubai seized the opportunity with precision. Just as Wang Feng steadied himself, Dai Mubai activated his Second Soul Skill.

A ball of white light burst from Dai Mubai's mouth. Wang Feng did not dare be careless. He hurriedly retreated while summoning his Martial Soul, the Black Feather Ink Dragon Spear, then raised it and thrust as he continued to back away.

He did not use a Soul Skill, instead pouring Soul Power into the spear to withstand Dai Mubai's Second Soul Skill.

Upon reaching the edge of the platform, Wang Feng abruptly stopped. Soul Power surged through the Black Feather Ink Dragon Spear, its shaft gleaming black, and a sharp presence erupted from it as it met the White Tiger Fierce Light Wave head-on.

With a boom, the ball of light struck the Black Feather Ink Dragon Spear. Under everyone's tense gazes, the spear suddenly erupted with an intense black radiance that eclipsed the ball of white light.