"Hey-hey-hey! Here we go!"
The moment he stepped onto the stage, Zheng Xiaolong's face broke into an indescribably smug grin.
Why?
Just look at the three beauties walking up from the opposite side of the stage.
Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Nanmen Yun'er.
The semifinals had turned into an internal battle between two classes—Class 8's Lin Yun team versus Class 8's Ning Tian team, and Class 4's Wang Dong team versus Class 4's Dai Huabin team.
Unbelievable.
"Long time no see," Lin Yun grinned, letting out a sinister "Jiejiejie!" laugh as he unceremoniously pulled Qing'er out from his collar and held her up, her stinger pointed directly at Wu Feng, whose expression was rapidly crumbling.
This venerable one, Hun Yun, invites fellow cultivator to enter my Human Emperor Banner for a chat!
"Can you be any less of a human?!" Wu Feng completely lost it, cursing Lin Yun for his shamelessness.
The last time she'd been frozen by Qing'er was… well, the last time. Though she'd known her team would eventually have to face Lin Yun, she never expected him to be this ruthless—pulling out the Ice Jade Scorpion before the referee even announced the start of the match!
Ning Tian and Nanmen Yun'er could only exchange exasperated glances before shaking their heads in unison.
Ning Tian knew exactly how deep Wu Feng's trauma with Qing'er ran—after all, they shared a dorm. The night Wu Feng had been frozen, the girl who usually slept with just a thin blanket had piled on three thick, fleece-lined quilts.
And even then, she'd still been shivering.
That's how devastating Qing'er's Ultimate Ice had been to Wu Feng's psyche.
Now, facing the Ice Jade Scorpion again, Wu Feng's PTSD flared up instantly. How was she supposed to hold it together?!
The referee, of course, couldn't care less about Wu Feng's mental state. The moment he announced the start of the match, he swiftly retreated from the stage, leaving the battlefield to the competitors.
"Alright, Qing'er, see that hot-tempered girl over there? Hit her with Frost King's Wrath!" Lin Yun thrust his right hand forward.
And Qing'er?
Obedient as ever.
To her, aside from the Ice Empress, Lin Yun's commands were absolute. Freezing some human girl? She wouldn't hesitate for a second.
A cyan-green light instantly gathered around Qing'er's body before concentrating at the tip of her stinger.
Frost King's Wrath!
A dazzling beam, thin as a pinky finger, shot out like lightning, crossing the stage in an instant and striking Wu Feng—who had just opened her mouth to curse—freezing her solid in mid-rant.
The frozen Wu Feng remained in a pose of pointing accusingly at Lin Yun, her mouth wide open. Though no words escaped, her expression said everything—and it was filthy.
"Alright, Lin Yun, please unfreeze Xiaofeng. We concede," Ning Tian said with an elegant smile, her tone soft and composed.
She might have lost the match, but she refused to lose her dignity!
Grace. Must maintain grace.
Lin Yun nodded and walked over to Wu Feng with Qing'er. The scorpion leapt from his hand onto Wu Feng's chest, her sharp stinger pressing against the girl's "treasure storehouse" as she withdrew the Ultimate Ice energy from Frost King's Wrath.
This wasn't Lin Yun or Qing'er being perverts—since the attack had hit Wu Feng's chest, this was simply the most efficient way to retract the frost.
Which, of course, led to…
That night, when Wu Feng took a shower and looked down, she saw two very distinct red marks on her snow-white chest, one on each side.
After giving Lin Yun a polite nod, Ning Tian—under Xiao Xiao's watchful glare—helped the still-shivering Wu Feng off the stage.
Of course, the stubborn Wu Feng couldn't resist throwing out one last, utterly toothless threat.
"Lin Yun! This isn't over between us!"
"Achoo!!"
Meanwhile…
Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin's battle had also begun.
Before this, aside from a select few, no one would've believed that a team with a "ten-year soul ring" trash-tier soul master could make it to the semifinals.
If this had been a betting match, those who'd wagered on Huo Yuhao's team would've made an absolute killing.
Stonks to the moon!
And Huo Yuhao?
Seeing his enemy face-to-face, his blood boiled.
After enduring Dai Huabin's bullying for over two months, Huo Yuhao hadn't just gone mad in silence—he'd gone feral.
His obsession with defeating Dai Huabin had reached unimaginable depths. If not for the last shred of rationality reminding him that he couldn't expose his identity to Dai Huabin—that he had to endure—he might've already self-destructed.
This battle?
This was the first step in his righteous revenge against Dai Huabin!
With their Martial Soul Fusion Skill unusable, Zhu Lu could only fight as a standard Agility-type soul master, engaging in a clumsy skirmish with the control-type Great Soul Master girl from Wang Dong's team.
Meanwhile, Cui Yajie, the fox spirit soul master, locked onto Huo Yuhao—the weakest link—planning to eliminate him first with her mental control skills.
But Huo Yuhao had no patience for her games.
No matter how pretty Cui Yajie was, in Huo Yuhao's eyes right now, she was just another obstacle on his path to vengeance.
"Brother Skydream, help me!" Huo Yuhao's gaze was icy as it met Cui Yajie's, but in his spiritual sea, he called upon the Heavenfiend Ice Silkworm.
"Yaaawn~ You're bothering me with something this small?" The Ice Silkworm stretched lazily. But having seen Huo Yuhao's memories, it understood his burning desire for revenge—so it didn't slack off.
One of the ten seals in Huo Yuhao's body cracked open, just a hairline fracture, allowing a wisp of golden-orange origin energy to seep through.
Guided by the Ice Silkworm, this energy surged into Huo Yuhao's eyes, flashing gold within their deep blue depths.
Soul Impact!
Cui Yajie's seductive smirk froze.
Then—CRACK!
Her head snapped back as if struck by a hammer, blood trickling from her nose and mouth like tiny snakes before she collapsed, unconscious.
Battles between spiritual-type soul masters were the most dangerous—no bloodshed, just a silent, invisible war.
And against Huo Yuhao, backed by the Heavenfiend Ice Silkworm?
Cui Yajie stood no chance.
But Huo Yuhao wasn't done.
Channeling the sliver of origin energy, he unleashed another Soul Impact—this time, aimed at Dai Huabin!
The White Tiger Duke's son, locked in combat with Wang Dong, suddenly clutched his head in agony, veins bulging in his eyes before Wang Dong's Wingblades smacked him across the face, sending him flying.
EVERYBODY STAND UP!
With this, Huo Yuhao proved once and for all—he wasn't deadweight.
He was the real deal.
And his legend was only just beginning.
(End of Chapter)
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