By noon, all the partitions in the assessment area had been removed, making the venue larger than ever before.
The competition for third place had concluded, and as expected, Wang Dong's team emerged victorious, securing the third spot. Now, the much-anticipated finals were about to begin.
At Yan Shaozhe's signal, Du Weilun entered the field to replace the referee and began calling the participants to enter.
The fact that Du Weilun, the director of the outer courtyard, was personally serving as the referee for this match demonstrated just how much Yan Shaozhe valued the finals.
With the aid of soul power, Du Weilun's voice, though not particularly loud, was clearly transmitted to everyone present.
"I will be the referee for this match, and I will oversee everything. You are free to unleash your full strength and go all out without holding back. However, once I intervene to rescue someone from the field, they will be considered out. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
Huo Yuhao looked at Dai Huabin with calm composure. Although he was facing the "enemy" from the original story, his mood wasn't as heavy as he had imagined. In fact, he felt a slight urge to laugh, especially when he saw the tasks refreshed by the opposing side.
[Dai Huabin]
[Relationship: Acquaintance]
[Achievement Mission: Recast the Glory of the Netherworld White Tiger!]
They had already reached the finals, yet this guy seemed to lack self-awareness. He would soon learn his lesson.
As for the grievances between the people of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and himself, Huo Yuhao planned to settle them slowly.
After all, he also carried the blood of the White Tiger, and it would be a waste not to use it. For now, he would collect some interest.
Although Huo Yuhao had never considered Dai Huabin a true rival, that didn't mean he wouldn't completely shatter the other's pride. It would be interesting to break the so-called genius's Dao heart.
Dai Huabin, noticing Huo Yuhao's indifferent demeanor, felt a cold glint flash in his eyes.
Huo Yuhao wasn't taking him seriously at all! Despite his anger, Dai Huabin didn't lose his composure.
As the son of the White Tiger Duke, the commander of the three armies of the Star Luo Empire, Dai Huabin had been groomed as the future heir from a young age.
His talent was the best among the Duke's sons, and he had been trained in the arts of war and combat since childhood. By the age of five, he had already killed a small soul beast with his own hands, cultivating a decisive and ruthless character.
With his prominent background and exceptional talent, Dai Huabin had always looked down on his peers, his pride even surpassing that of Wang Dong.
When he was recruited into Shrek Academy as a Soul Elder, he believed his talent surpassed even Dai Yueheng's, and he was destined to be the leader among the freshmen and one of the most outstanding talents in Shrek's history.
However, Dai Huabin never expected to encounter a formidable enemy on his very first day at the academy.
That day, in the fighting soul arena, Huo Yuhao had defeated Xu Sanshi with just three punches. At that moment, Dai Huabin had to admit that he was no match for Huo Yuhao and even relinquished his title as the strongest freshman.
(Xu Sanshi: "No, little brother, I was able to withstand several punches back then. Why is the whole school spreading rumors about this?")
Now, as the three-person team battle loomed, despite Huo Yuhao's soul power reaching the Soul Elder level and his strength ascending to new heights, Dai Huabin believed he still had a chance. He was, after all, the son of the White Tiger Duke! Though not the eldest, he had received the best education and top-tier training since childhood.
Dai Huabin had never been lax in his cultivation. He hadn't reached the Soul Elder level at the age of twelve by slacking off!
Moreover, he had Zhu Lu, his martial soul fusion partner. So, it all depended on the Netherworld White Tiger! In the past, his ancestor Dai Mubai had relied on the Netherworld White Tiger to fight across levels.
Now, Dai Huabin was confident he could take on a Soul Master of the same level without issue.
Thinking this, Dai Huabin subconsciously tightened his grip on Zhu Lu's hand, causing her to let out a dissatisfied exclamation.
At this moment, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu were ready to activate their martial soul fusion skill at any moment, fearing that Huo Yuhao might not give them the chance.
Their class teacher had warned Dai Huabin beforehand: Huo Yuhao's third soul skill appeared to be teleportation, so they had to be cautious.
Their teammate, Cui Yajie, a girl with long pink hair, appeared much more relaxed.
Though young, her large pink eyes were full of charm. She smiled and nodded at Huo Yuhao, even blinking playfully.
To her, the outcome of the match wasn't as important as getting to know Huo Yuhao. Compared to Dai Huabin, who was already taken, the wild genius was far more intriguing.
"Both sides, exchange names."
"Huo Yuhao."
"Dai Huabin."
"Zhu Lu."
"Cui Yajie."
Du Weilun stretched out his arms to both sides and declared, "Everyone, move to the edge of the arena. The match will begin once I give the signal."
Dai Huabin's eyes flashed with a murderous light, his aura sharp and menacing.
Huo Yuhao, on the other hand, remained calm from start to finish, his majestic aura suppressing all three opponents.
The teachers watching from the high platform had also quieted down, with even the two deans, Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo, focusing their attention on the competition.
Soon, both sides reached the edge of the field. The assessment area was vast, and at this moment, the opposing side seemed very small in their eyes.
As Du Weilun raised his right hand and then swiftly dropped it, a clear "start" echoed across the field.
Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu sprinted side by side, shouting as they ran, "White Tiger, possess!" A layer of intense pale light burst forth as Dai Huabin stretched out his arms, his chest expanding, bones crackling, and muscles bulging, straining against his clothes.
His golden hair turned black and white, with white dominating and a few strands of black standing out.
Four faint lines appeared on his forehead—three horizontal and one vertical—forming the character for "king."
His hands grew twice their original size, covered in white hair, and from his palms, dagger-like claws extended and retracted, each blade-like claw gleaming coldly.
Dai Huabin leaned forward, his deep blue eyes and four pupils giving him the appearance of a killing machine. Beneath his feet, two yellow and one purple soul rings rose in succession, their surging soul power creating a wave-like pressure that rushed outward.
However, this pressure dissipated the moment it touched Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao's physical changes after activating his Spirit Eye were far less dramatic than Dai Huabin's, but his purple-gold eyes, adorned with intricate patterns around the pupils, exuded a noble and extraordinary aura that was both awe-inspiring and intimidating.
The three soul rings that rose—one yellow and two purple—caused Dai Huabin and his teammates to pause, the pressure instantly overwhelming.
Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie also underwent transformations as their martial souls were released.
Zhu Lu's heterochromatic eyes deepened, her ears perked up, and her body became more slender and agile, with sharp blades extending from her fingers. She wasn't as physically imposing as Dai Huabin, but her movements were swift and illusory.
Zhu Lu stayed close to Dai Huabin, her figure flickering and leaving behind a series of afterimages.
Cui Yajie, after releasing her martial soul, seemed to age three or four years, her youthful appearance now exuding a mature charm. Her long pink hair grew longer, cascading down like a pink waterfall. Her stunning face, paired with her clear, bright eyes, was enough to captivate anyone who looked at her.
Most peculiarly, two long tails, each about a meter long, extended from behind her. The thick, pink hair glistened in the afternoon sun, tempting one to reach out and touch it.
Her martial soul, the Nine-tailed Fox, was a high-level beast martial soul. With each additional soul ring, the fox would gain another tail, increasing its power.
In the short time it took for these transformations, the distance between the two sides had closed to within fifty meters.
Cui Yajie immediately locked eyes with Huo Yuhao, smiling at him with her pink eyes. Her first soul skill, Charm, activated quietly, its light barely noticeable unless one paid close attention.
Huo Yuhao's purple-gold eyes flickered, but he remained unmoved. Instead, Cui Yajie, who had been targeting Huo Yuhao with her soul skill, suddenly paled, groaned, and blood trickled from her nose and mouth. She collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.
Cui Yajie was out!
Du Weilun appeared instantly, officially eliminating her from the match.
Huo Yuhao: "Why do I feel like someone just tried to scam me?"
Fortunately, the opponent didn't have three pigeons to use hidden weapons for an explosion. Otherwise, he might have had to let the mandarin ducks live together and fly away.
The field erupted in exclamations. In everyone's eyes, Huo Yuhao had eliminated Cui Yajie with just a glance—an utterly outrageous feat!
Dai Huabin, snapping out of his daze, was visibly shaken. Where was his teammate? Just like that?
He glanced at Zhu Lu, fear in his eyes, but her resolute expression reassured him. They still had their martial soul fusion technique!
The reason Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu hadn't used the martial soul fusion technique at the start was that the initial distance was too great. They were also wary of Huo Yuhao avoiding direct combat.
After all, their soul power levels weren't high, and sustaining the martial soul fusion technique for long would be difficult.
But now, with the distance reduced to fifty meters, it was feasible.
Dai Huabin roared like a tiger, his body swelling once more as white hair mixed with black tiger stripes surged from his skin.
Zhu Lu bit her lip lightly, her body enveloped in a faint black light, her form becoming almost transparent. She opened her arms and pounced on Dai Huabin.
At this moment, their eyes were only on each other. Dai Huabin's pupils merged into one, the coldness in his gaze unwavering, while Zhu Lu's eyes softened, as if she wanted to melt into him.
The auras of the White Tiger and the Hell Civet completely merged, the surge of soul power erupting from their fused bodies like a geyser. The black and white lights blended into one, radiating a golden halo.
Huo Yuhao watched the fusion calmly, making no move to interrupt. Originally, he had thought he could fight Dai Huabin directly. Unexpectedly, the other had resorted to the martial soul fusion technique so quickly.
Well, today he would completely crush the pride in Dai Huabin's heart.
…
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