Spirit Hall.
After Hu Liena and the others left the competition arena, they went straight to a garden, where a healing-type Soul Douluo worked at full strength to restore all seven of them, ensuring they could compete tomorrow in peak condition.
This was why they dared to use the heavily draining Seven-in-One Fusion Skill today.
With Spirit Hall's immense backing, every member of Spirit Hall Academy could fight without reservation, knowing they had the best healing team behind them.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. When the morning sun spilled across the land, the grass on the lawn glistened with life, bringing with it a sense of new hope...
In front of the Pope's Palace, on the competition field, the fourteen members of Shrek Academy and Spirit Hall Academy faced each other, separated by thirty meters.
Today would determine the champion of this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
Aside from these two teams, no other teams were qualified to spectate. In the VIP seats, the high-level representatives of Spirit Hall and the two empires were seated one by one, becoming the witnesses of this final battle.
On the raised platform, Bibi Dong sat at the center, with Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo on her left and right, as well as Yu Xiaogang. Beside them sat Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and the Fifth Elder of the Sword Sect.
In the VIP seats, Xue Qinghe calmly observed the two teams facing off in the arena. The Shrek Academy lineup had changed , the vice-captain, Dugu Yan, who had never appeared before, stood at the center of the formation next to Oscar.
Xiao Wu and Tai Long were not present. Shrek Academy's battle lineup was as follows:
- Captain Oscar, Martial Spirit: Sky Blue Spirit Jade Sword, Level 55 Assault System Battle Soul King
- Vice-Captain Dugu Yan, Martial Spirit: Jade-Scaled Dragon Emperor, Level 55 Control System Battle Soul King
- Ma Hongjun, Martial Spirit: Evil Fire Phoenix, Level 55 Assault System Battle Soul King
- Dai Mubai, Martial Spirit: White Tiger, Level 55 Assault System Battle Soul King
- Zhu Zhuqing, Martial Spirit: Nether Civet, Level 46 Agility Attack System Battle Soul Sect
- Ning Rongrong, Martial Spirit: Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Level 46 Support System Soul Sect
- Tang San, Martial Spirit: Blue Silver Emperor, Level 45 Control System Battle Soul Sect
Spirit Hall Academy's lineup remained unchanged:
- Xie Yue, Martial Spirit: Moon Blade, Level 52 Agility Attack System Battle Soul King
- Yan, Martial Spirit: Flame Lord, Level 52 Assault System Battle Soul King
- Hu Liena, Martial Spirit: Demon Fox, Level 51 Control System Battle Soul King
- Sun Chuantao, Martial Spirit: Ringed Great Blade, Level 48 Assault System Battle Soul Sect
- Li Kai, Martial Spirit: Black-Horned Boar, Level 47 Defense System Battle Soul Sect
- Zhang Ping, Martial Spirit: Golden-Waist Swallow, Level 46 Agility Attack System Battle Soul Sect
- Xu Yu, Martial Spirit: Radiant Golden Scepter, Level 45 Support System Soul Sect
At the referee's signal, both sides released their martial spirits.
Soul rings shone brilliantly as dazzling martial spirits appeared. Dragon roars, phoenix cries, and tiger howls echoed to the sky.
As her martial spirit was released, five soul rings suddenly rose around Dugu Yan , two yellow, one purple, and two black. As the rings appeared, her body became covered with jade-green scales arranged in neat rows. Her long legs were also covered with scales.
Both of her arms transformed into a pair of jade-green dragon claws. Two delicate dragon horns sprouted from her forehead, and a slender two-meter-long dragon tail swayed gently behind her, its tip ending in a sharp, icy spike.
A streak of icy blue appeared in her jade-green hair, and the corners of her eyes carried an icy-blue glow. Faint frost crystals seemed to flicker on her skin.
After absorbing her fourth soul ring, Dugu Yan's martial spirit had gained an ice attribute. Though ice was not considered a top-tier attribute, it greatly boosted her strength.
After her martial spirit possession, her originally mature and dignified appearance now carried a touch of cuteness, creating an oddly charming mix of elegance and playfulness.
But in the eyes of the spectators, this sight was nothing short of shocking.
They had thought Oscar's soul ring configuration was already shocking enough, but now the vice-captain Dugu Yan , who had never fought before , actually possessed the same terrifying soul ring configuration as Oscar?
A ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring , in the entire soul master world, this was almost unheard of. If only Oscar had it, people might dismiss it as a rare exception.
But now there were two such people. This naturally sparked suspicion and deep thought.
Could it be that the Sword Sect had mastered some secret technique for absorbing soul rings beyond their level?
The members of Spirit Hall Academy couldn't help but stare at Dugu Yan's soul ring configuration. With the same soul ring levels combined with a top-tier dragon-type martial spirit, Dugu Yan's strength was likely not much weaker than Oscar's.
And with Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda providing support, Shrek Academy had now revealed their full strength , and brought unprecedented pressure to Spirit Hall Academy.
Too strong. Ridiculously strong.
No, not just strong , this was not the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, but the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Previously, few had noticed Ning Rongrong's martial spirit. But now that everyone's attention was focused on the two teams, every detail was magnified, and it was impossible to hide the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was already so terrifying, what about the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?
Except for the two teams and a few high-ranking officials, everyone present was at least a Soul Emperor. Naturally, they knew the significance of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda , the top-ranked support-type tool martial spirit.
With just the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had become one of the top three clans. Now that a Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had appeared, what position would it elevate the clan to?
Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes slightly and said to the Fifth Elder beside her, "Elder Gai, it seems the Sword Sect has really invested everything in this generation. Two geniuses with ten-thousand-year fourth soul rings , this is a first on the continent."
The Fifth Elder chuckled. "It is all thanks to the sect."
Chrysanthemum Douluo could not help but turn to Ning Fengzhi and say, "Clan Master Ning, with the appearance of this Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, your sect's future is sure to rise to even greater heights."
Ning Fengzhi smiled in reply. "Rongrong's talent is the greatest in our sect's history. Even we never expected she would have such a fortuitous opportunity, allowing her martial spirit to evolve into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."
It had to be said, the appearance of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda filled Bibi Dong with deep apprehension. If a single Ning Fengzhi could double the combat power of Sword Douluo, then what about a Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?
And martial spirits are inherited from parents , in the future, Ning Rongrong would have descendants, and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could be passed down. That would be too great a threat.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had already reached their current status with just the seven-level pagoda. No one dared to imagine the shockwaves an entire generation of Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda holders would bring.
The match began, and all eyes focused on the arena.
Shrek Academy's formation was clear. Oscar, Dugu Yan, Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, and Zhu Zhuqing stood in a line, Tang San stood in the center, and Ning Rongrong stood behind him.
At the referee's command, the five in front charged toward Spirit Hall Academy.
Spirit Hall Academy's members did not split up as expected because they knew that with such a huge gap in individual strength , combined with Shrek's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda support , fighting separately would only get them crushed.
So as Oscar and the others charged, Hu Liena immediately lit up her second, fourth, and fifth soul rings.
These three skills respectively used vision, hearing, and mental power to charm and control the enemy.
Though Hu Liena was only level 52, using three soul skills at once forced Oscar and the others to stop in their tracks, close their eyes, and avoid approaching rashly.
At the same time, Yan used his fourth soul skill, Magma Surge, instantly creating a massive lava field in the middle of the arena. His first soul ring lit up as well, sending pillars of flame shooting skyward to block Shrek Academy's advance once more.
Meanwhile, the other members of Spirit Hall Academy began preparing the Seven-in-One Fusion Skill. Against Shrek Academy's current lineup, this was their only way to turn the tide.
But was Shrek Academy really so easy to stop? Of course not.
Ma Hongjun suddenly spread a pair of fiery wings behind him, letting out a sharp phoenix cry before soaring into the air, bypassing the lava and flame pillars. His fourth soul ring lit up.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Phoenix Meteor Shower!"
Countless fireballs formed and rained down, locking onto Spirit Hall Academy's members.
Yan snorted coldly and immediately used his fifth soul skill to defend. Meanwhile, Xu Yu had already begun channeling the soul power of Li Kai, Sun Chuantao, and Zhang Ping.
After Yan blocked Ma Hongjun's skill, he stood in front of Li Kai, receiving the soul power concentrated from the four behind him.
Oscar's fifth soul ring shone as countless sky-blue jade swords appeared in the air, again locking onto Spirit Hall Academy's members.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Myriad Swords Return to the Sect!"
The sword rain fell like a flood. At the same time, Dugu Yan's purple third soul ring lit up, and she spat out a dense jade-green poison mist.
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing fused together, transforming into a winged Hell White Tiger, and charged straight toward Spirit Hall Academy's team.
Ning Rongrong's two yellow and two purple soul rings lit up in sequence, boosting power, speed, soul power, and defense by fifty percent for every teammate.
Tang San's purple fourth soul ring shone as countless Blue Silver Blades shot from his hands, targeting each member of Spirit Hall Academy, with Xu Yu as his main focus.
The combined assault was overwhelming. In response, Xie Yue and Hu Liena fused together into Yaomei, whose figure now looked like a long-haired, androgynous beauty. Yan transferred all his soul power to Yaomei.
In an instant, Yaomei's body swelled to five meters tall, like a true martial spirit avatar. Thick red mist spread out, instantly suppressing Shrek Academy's senses, movements, and soul power. The mist even negated Ning Rongrong's powerful boosts.
Her efforts were nullified. Without her buffs, Shrek Academy would be suppressed by Yaomei's mist, so she had no choice but to continue providing support despite the drain.
Yaomei's dual moon blades slashed out, leaving countless afterimages that blocked the sword rain and Blue Silver Blades, even forcing the Hell White Tiger back.
Yaomei had turned the tide , but even such power could not stop Dugu Yan's poison mist from spreading.
Seeing they could not hold off the poison mist, Xu Yu made a swift decision and shouted, "We cannot block the poison! Transfer all soul power to Yaomei! Now!"
As he shouted, his purple fourth soul ring lit up again, and the already soul-power-infused Yaomei became even more solid , almost like a true Soul Saint using Martial Spirit Avatar.
When the poison mist was about to reach Yan and the others, Yaomei swept them off the stage with the flat of the moon blade, pushing them out of the arena.
The fusion pair now had not only the Martial Spirit Fusion Skill but also the soul power of all five teammates. Though still weaker than a real Soul Saint, they were now at a pseudo-Avatar level.
Unless faced with a true Soul Saint using Martial Spirit Avatar, they were nearly impossible to defeat.
But this state could only last five minutes. They had to finish the fight within that time.
"Oscar, prepare to face defeat!" Yaomei's voice rang out, indistinguishable as male or female, before vanishing into the red mist.
Inside the mist, even Tang San with his Purple Demon Eye could not follow Yaomei's movements , he was simply too fast.
But the Hell White Tiger and Ma Hongjun could fly, unaffected by the mist.
Yaomei locked onto Ning Rongrong. Defeating her would strip Shrek Academy of their strongest advantage.
Just as Yaomei moved, Ma Hongjun sneered, "Trying to escape?"
"Fifth Soul Skill: Phoenix Heart-Devouring Chains!"
Flaming phoenix chains shot out from all directions, binding Yaomei in place and burning both him and the endless red mist.
But Yaomei was no ordinary opponent , he swung the moon blades and cut through two of the chains.
At that moment, a silver-white beam of light shot over. Before Yaomei could break free completely, his body began to turn to stone.
This was Dugu Yan's fifth soul skill: Medusa's Gaze.
Her fifth soul ring came from a thirty-five-thousand-year-old Medusa Queen. Though it did not yield a soul bone, it granted her this defense-piercing control skill.
Whether energy-based or physical, anything struck by Medusa's Gaze was turned to stone.
As Yaomei was petrified, the Hell White Tiger dove down from the sky, unleashing a brilliant flash of light.
"Hell White Tiger Break!"
At the same time, Oscar slowly raised his left hand. A massive sky-blue sword appeared, not using any soul skill , but his spiritual power and soul power fully merged into this one strike.
"Sword Dao , Peerless Emperor Sword!"
Oscar swung down. A sky-splitting sword light burst forth as if to shatter the heavens, about to cut down the petrified Yaomei.
The terrifying sword intent made everyone turn to look. Chen Xin, in particular, was moved, feeling the majestic and domineering sword intent contained in this strike. His eyes flashed with brilliance.
"How old is he? He has already begun to comprehend his own sword intent? So this is the young sect master of the Sword Sect?" Chen Xin murmured in his heart, "If only this boy were my son…"
Follow me on my patreon for 60 Advanced chapters and 3 chapter daily updates pat*eon.com/GodofTranslation889