Bang!
Ye Wuqing crashed to the ground from a height of one meter. Supporting himself with his golden left hand, he stood up slowly, his face contorted with anger as he glared at Xu Sanshi, still standing atop the stage.
He was furious.
Ye Wuqing was normally calm and composed, but now, for the first time, he experienced the frustration felt by those who had previously been toyed with by Xu Sanshi's fourth soul skill. His mental state was no longer stable.
"Shrek Academy… and you didn't even dare to fight me head-on?!"
But he quickly calmed down.
After all, soul skills were part of a soul master's strength.
And what he had just faced was merely the preliminary team of Shrek.
Although he had been knocked out of the ring by Xu Sanshi's annoying skill, a loss was still a loss.
As he recalled Beibei's Thunder Overlord: Thunder Domain, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"That... seemed like a domain, didn't it?"
If Beibei had managed to get close, could he have withstood that power?
In the resting area of Zheng Tian Academy, the team's instructor let out a long sigh.
They had thought this would be a rare opportunity to defeat Shrek and gain fame, but now it seemed…
On the stage, Blood Wolf had already been carried away for treatment by a referee. Xu Sanshi, limping, walked over to support the nearly unconscious Beibei.
The two brothers exchanged a glance, then looked over at their teammates in the waiting area—Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue—who were already excited and raring to go. They smiled.
They had just taken down Zheng Tian Academy's strongest member, Ye Wuqing. Even if they hadn't done it through a traditional frontal clash, they'd still won!
Seeing them stand, the referee finally stepped forward and declared the result.
"Shrek Academy versus Zheng Tian Academy, 2v2-3 mode, first match: Shrek Academy wins!"
As the words fell, the crowd, still recovering from Beibei's dazzling Thunder Domain, erupted into thunderous cheers.
In the Sun-Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy's rest area, Elder Ma frowned slightly.
"A Bright-attributed Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon… and a domain-like ability? It seems that Beibei's background isn't as simple as it appears."
The others also cast sidelong glances at Zhou Sichen, seated at the front.
After all, wasn't he the possessor of a pure Light-element Holy Dragon?
Could there be a connection between him and Beibei?
Xu Sanshi carefully helped Beibei off the platform and approached Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue.
"We'll leave the rest to you."
Without wasting a second, both of them popped open recovery bottles, drinking down their soul-replenishing fluids.
The referee's voice rang out again:
"Will the second set of fighters from both teams please enter the stage."
Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue exchanged a glance and stepped forward side by side.
As they walked, Long Xiangyue chuckled:
"Don't worry. You've already taken down their strongest guy—Ye Wuqing. The rest shouldn't be a problem."
Back in the Zheng Tian waiting area, Ye Wuqing spoke gravely to his teammates Yu Mengdi and Yang Yifan:
"I lost. That means this round is critical—you must win."
The two looked at him blankly, expressions somewhere between annoyance and disbelief.
"You're already a Rank 58 Soul King, and you got played off the stage like that. Now you realize this round is important?"
Of course, Ye Wuqing knew exactly what they were thinking. Embarrassed, he tried to explain:
"Who could've expected Shrek to use such a disgusting trick? They didn't even fight me head-on! If they had, I wouldn't be afraid of a 2v1 at all!"
Yu Mengdi didn't contradict him—she knew he had the strength to back up those words.
Yang Yifan leaned over and whispered:
"Vice-captain, now that Xu Sanshi is done, we don't have to worry about Shrek pulling any underhanded moves."
Ye Wuqing nodded approvingly.
"Just hold out against Cao Jinxuan's control skills. With your strength, I believe you can handle this."
Yu Mengdi smiled confidently.
Indeed, the responsibility of defeating Shrek now fell on her shoulders.
Once the referee's call rang out, Yu Mengdi and Yang Yifan stepped onto the stage.
Ye Wuqing stared daggers at Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue, willing Yu Mengdi to end the match quickly.
And yet, a sudden sense of unease settled in his chest.
Something about Long Xiangyue unnerved him. In all previous matches, he had never revealed anything noteworthy—not even a single second soul skill.
"Don't tell me this guy is hiding something disgusting too…"
Both teams stepped onto the platform, and the referee wasted no time:
"Match—begin!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Yu Mengdi released her martial soul.
Twin-Winged Angel.
Her martial soul was also an Angel.
A burst of radiant Light energy surged around her. Pure white angel wings unfurled from her back, and a ring of soul rings rose around her body—two yellow, two purple, one black.
In the Shrek rest area, Ye Guyi narrowed her eyes at the sight.
She had never paid much attention to other academies or their students, but seeing another Angel Martial Soul gave her a strange feeling of familiarity.
Ma Xiaotao gasped:
"She's an angel too? Little Martial Aunt, is she from your angelic lineage?"
Ye Guyi shook her head softly:
"The martial souls are related, but I grew up in Tianyuan City. I don't know her."
Zhou Sichen smiled:
"Want me to introduce you after the match?"
Ye Guyi shook her head again:
"No need. The past is the past. If fate wills it, we'll meet again."
Zhou Sichen nodded in understanding and turned his attention back to the match.
Alongside Yu Mengdi, Yang Yifan also released his martial soul.
His was a Dagger, and his soul rings also rose—two yellow, two purple, totaling four.
Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue weren't surprised. They had already studied their opponents' profiles.
They had even fought a seven-ringed Seraphim Angel in the past—what was a five-ringed Twin-Winged Angel to them?
The two glanced at each other and calmly activated their martial souls.
Cao Jinxuan raised his right hand slowly, light glinting off his fingers as a delicate, ornate pendulum appeared in his palm.
Long Xiangyue raised his hand, summoning a massive dragon bone shuriken as tall as himself, which embedded itself into the ground in front of him.
Both of them bore the same configuration of soul rings—two yellow and two purple.
And despite facing a Soul King-level Angel martial soul, neither of them looked even remotely afraid.
Yu Mengdi immediately activated her first soul ring, and in her hands appeared two slender blades of light—her first soul skill: Holy Twin Blades.
All her subsequent soul skills could be channeled through these swords, amplifying their power significantly.
With the blades in hand, Yu Mengdi's wings flapped as she ascended and dashed toward Cao Jinxuan and Long Xiangyue.
At the same time, Yang Yifan charged forward, gripping his dagger tightly.
But both were confused.
In previous matches, Cao Jinxuan's opponents never had time to activate any soul skills—they were always locked down by his brutal crowd control right from the start.
But now?
Not only had they both released their martial souls, but they had already started attacking—and yet Cao Jinxuan hadn't moved at all.
Even Long Xiangyue simply leaned on his absurdly large shuriken, smiling casually with Cao as the two of them watched their enemies advance.
Yu Mengdi couldn't make sense of it. So she stopped thinking altogether.
Mid-air, she crossed her twin blades. Her second yellow soul ring lit up, unleashing a mighty cross-shaped slash.
"Second Soul Skill: Holy Cross Slash!"
"If you're not going to move, then get off the stage!"
Right as her attack launched, Long Xiangyue finally moved.
He grabbed the massive dragon bone shuriken, activating his first yellow soul ring.
"First Soul Skill: Alloyed Dragon Bone!"
This was a pure amplification skill that enhanced his martial soul only. Once activated, the weight of the shuriken tripled, along with its hardness, impact, and destructive power.
While the weapon normally weighed around 50 jin (about 25 kg), now it reached a staggering 1,500 jin (750 kg).
The giant weapon, now heavy enough to crush steel, flew from Long Xiangyue's hands like an extension of his body. It shattered Yu Mengdi's second soul skill mid-air and continued its arc straight toward her.
Yu Mengdi was stunned.
That a single first soul skill could neutralize her second soul skill—powered by her first skill's channeling effect—was almost unbelievable.
She felt the pressure in the air as the shuriken closed in and immediately aborted a direct clash, using her wings to dodge.
But the shuriken seemed to lock onto her, relentlessly tracking her movement no matter how she twisted and turned.
Just then, Cao Jinxuan's second yellow soul ring lit up. The small pendulum in his hand expanded until it was as tall as a person, floating behind him like a guardian relic.
Two beams of light shot out from the pendulum, and Yu Mengdi and Yang Yifan's movements suddenly slowed, like someone had turned their bodies to molasses.
"Second Soul Skill: Temporal Deceleration."
The strange sensation that overtook their bodies made both of them panic.
"So this is the other ability Cao Jinxuan has besides crowd control?"
Next, Cao's third soul ring lit up. Another stream of energy surged from his pendulum—this time embedding into Long Xiangyue's flying weapon.
"Third Soul Skill: Temporal Acceleration!"
The dragon bone shuriken suddenly accelerated like a missile, closing the gap to Yu Mengdi in the blink of an eye.
Despite being a Level 53 Soul King, Yu Mengdi found her body reacting slower than usual. She sensed something was wrong the moment her soul abilities were delayed and quickly attempted to activate her third soul skill: Angel's Blessing.
But everything, from movements to soul skill release, was caught in the temporal delay.
Her third skill didn't even fully activate before the 1,500-jin shuriken, now moving at a speed enhanced by time manipulation, struck her with explosive force.
Even though she had crossed her blades in front of her, the sheer impact sent her flying backward.
Long Xiangyue then directed the shuriken to curve midair, hurtling toward Yang Yifan next.
Yu Mengdi's delay had bought him just enough time to unleash his second soul skill, forming a one-meter-long shimmering blade from his dagger.
He swung the blade in a sweeping arc toward the incoming shuriken.
But then—another temporal beam struck him. Time sped up.
His blade slashed too early—the shuriken hadn't arrived yet.
Then, Cao Jinxuan slowed the shuriken down again. The disruption in timing ruined Yang Yifan's calculated counterattack.
Another time beam hit Yang Yifan—this time slowing him again. His body suddenly moved like molasses while soul power surged and stalled awkwardly within him.
It wasn't painful, but it was deeply uncomfortable—like his very body rejected his will to move.
Worse yet, the massive shuriken was closing in.
"Move, damn it! MOVE!" Yang Yifan screamed internally.
But the weapon's speed ramped up again—and it hit him square in the back.
Bang!
The shuriken landed like a meteor. Yang Yifan staggered forward, nearly vomiting blood from the sheer impact. The blow knocked him into a tumble.
But he wasn't done rolling yet—Cao Jinxuan switched the temporal state again to acceleration, sending him tumbling forward in high-speed somersaults seven or eight times until he was almost out of the ring.
The crowd watched in stunned silence.
Cao Jinxuan's non-stop temporal toggling was horrifyingly precise. Anyone caught in it would suffer—badly.
The worst part? There was no way to interrupt him. Nobody could even get close enough.
Yu Mengdi, having stabilized herself, realized her flight speed was still cut in half—thanks to the lingering Temporal Deceleration.
She shook out her wrists, surprised by the power behind the bone shuriken. But what shocked her more was that Cao Jinxuan could do so much more than freeze time.
"This is worse than time freeze," she thought. "This is a nightmare."
But there was no time to complain.
The shuriken chased Yang Yifan again. He had barely stopped rolling before another attack flew toward him.
Being a skilled combatant, Yang Yifan quickly tried to retaliate with another soul skill.
But Cao wasn't letting up. More time distortion.
Bang!
Again, the massive shuriken knocked him away. Acceleration kicked in, and he rolled like a ragdoll once more.
Yu Mengdi couldn't bear it anymore.
Yang Yifan was being juggled like a toy, and he was almost out of bounds.
It wasn't about winning anymore—it was pure humiliation.
Despite being hit by only a single martial soul technique, Yang Yifan was now bleeding, battered, and on the verge of collapse.
Cao Jinxuan's precise manipulation of time left him no opening for retaliation.
With a roar, Yu Mengdi activated her third soul skill: Angel's Blessing, unleashing a surge of divine light.
Her aura exploded, and—shockingly—the time-slowing effect on her was halved.
Her eyes lit up.
"So… I can break time control with sheer power?"
Without hesitation, she activated her fifth soul skill.
Her black soul ring lit up with blinding radiance as she joined her twin blades into one, forming a ten-meter-long divine greatsword.
Power surged through her as her rank-53 soul force shattered the time delay, and she swung with all her might:
"Angel's… Godslaying Slash!"
A colossal golden arc of energy tore through the air toward Cao and Long.
They didn't even try to dodge.
Cao's second and third soul rings flickered, while Long Xiangyue's bone shuriken struck Yang Yifan one last time, sending him flying off the stage.
He hadn't even managed to properly fight back. They'd played him to defeat.
As the massive slash bore down on them, Long Xiangyue didn't dodge. Instead, he hurled his bone shuriken straight back at Yu Mengdi.
She sneered.
"You think a first soul skill can stop this? Even a high-rank Soul King would struggle to block this slash!"
But Long Xiangyue's third and fourth soul rings lit up.
"Third Soul Skill: Thorn Rift!"
A spatial rift opened, and the shuriken vanished into it.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Tyrant Dragon Flash!"
Long Xiangyue teleported up to four times within 100 meters, disappearing alongside his weapon.
His blink distance and count would increase with each additional soul ring.
Meanwhile, Cao Jinxuan pulled out a massive soul tool shield from his storage device and poured all his remaining soul power into it.
It blazed with divine light—the Light Dragon Turtle Shield Zhou Sichen had originally prepared for Ye Guyi's group.
Bang!
Yu Mengdi's Godslaying Slash struck the shield, forcing Cao Jinxuan back to the very edge of the platform—but not injuring him.
It was a Level 6 top-grade defensive soul tool. Even without being fully powered, it fully protected him.
Yu Mengdi stared in disbelief.
"They're using soul tools now too?! And where the hell did Long Xiangyue go?!"
A piercing whoosh sounded from behind.
She turned just in time to see Long Xiangyue airborne, wielding his massive shuriken.
His second yellow soul ring glowed brightly.
"Second Soul Skill: Whirlwind Slash!"
The shuriken exploded with energy, smashing her midair. She had no time to defend, and with her soul power already drained, the hit sent her flying backward, blood spilling from her mouth.
But he wasn't done.
Long Xiangyue's fourth soul ring still glowed.
He teleported again, appearing behind her.
Whirlwind Slash!
Then a third blink—third strike.
A fourth blink—
By now, Yu Mengdi was completely incapacitated, her body flailing like a broken kite.
Long Xiangyue, ever the gentleman, gently angled the massive shuriken like a paddle, and with one final swing—smacked her off the stage like a badminton shuttle.
When Long Xiangyue landed back on the ground, Cao Jinxuan had just stabilized at the platform's edge, the energy from her slash now dissipated.
The two exchanged a look—and couldn't help but laugh.
They'd won again.
The match wasn't hard for them. Apart from Cao Jinxuan's soul power drain, they hadn't taken any damage.
And when it came to teamwork?
Theirs was the most maddening combo imaginable.
****
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