Chapter 80: Battle Against Huo Yuhao, Revealing Hidden Skills
"Oh, it's an old acquaintance!" On the other side, Xiao Xiao laughed, her green side ponytail swaying cutely.
Back when they were in Class One, aside from being close to Lin Yun, the only other person she could speak a few words with was Huo Yuhao.
Always keeping an eye on Lin Yun, Xiao Xiao naturally remembered this plain-looking boy, and of course Wang Dong—whose looks were nearly on par with Lin Yun's—was also unforgettable to her.
After all, she was a face-value believer.
Though Lin Yun had already captured her heart, she had to admit that Wang Dong was still a "handsome guy," enough to remain in her memory.
And now, before even reaching the ranking tournament, she had already run into her former classmates?
"Both teams, enter the arena!" The referee repeated loudly, seeing Lin Yun's group unmoving.
Xiao Xiao, who had wanted to say something more, only stuck out her tongue playfully. She then hooked her arm through Lin Yun's and walked onto the stage. Behind them, Zheng Xiaolong followed with a grin, his face full of glee.
Shipping confirmed.
Indeed, nothing was sweeter than the "candy" their leader fed.
On the stage, the two teams took positions at opposite ends, separated by dozens of meters, staring across at each other.
"Begin!"
Faced with Lin Yun's suffocating presence, Huo Yuhao no longer held anything back. From the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges at his waist, gifted by Tang Ya, he pulled out an array of cold-glinting hidden weapons.
Naturally, these weapons had also been given by Tang Ya.
Before the assessment, she had told him that while soul tools were forbidden, Tang Sect hidden weapons, being purely mechanical, were allowed.
Until now, Huo Yuhao had never used them in battle, no matter how difficult things became. But against an opponent like Lin Yun—one nearly impossible to defeat—he could no longer care.
He… had to win!
At his side, Wang Dong cast a sidelong glance at the hidden weapons in his hand. In his pink-blue eyes flickered a trace of strange familiarity.
These hidden weapons gave him a sense of closeness.
As though they were something he too should be using, the same way he felt when looking at his own martial soul.
The thought startled him. He quickly shook his head, forcing away the strange notion.
Impossible. They were nothing more than lumps of metal forged into weapons. How could they be compared with his martial soul?
What he failed to notice was that a seed had already been planted in his heart. When the time came, it would lead him to the sect he was destined to join.
Lin Yun, on the other hand, laughed outright when he saw Huo Yuhao pull out those Tang Sect hidden weapons—old antiques by his eyes.
"Yuhao, are those Tang Sect hidden weapons?" Lin Yun asked with interest.
"That's right. These are unique to my Tang Sect." Huo Yuhao raised his right hand, several Bone-Piercing Needles and throwing darts glinting between his fingers. "I'm sorry, Lin Yun. I didn't wish to rely on external tools, but since the assessment rules forbid only soul tools and not hidden weapons, I had no choice."
"Tch…" Xiao Xiao snorted, displeased, about to say something when Lin Yun raised his hand to stop her.
"You're right. Since the assessment doesn't forbid them, as a disciple of the Tang Sect, you are naturally free to use hidden weapons." Lin Yun nodded approvingly, then his smile turned faintly strange.
Seeing that smile, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong both felt their hearts skip a beat, for reasons they could not explain.
That smile… something was wrong!
Thinking back, when Lin Yun had knocked Zhou Yi senseless with a single punch, he had worn the very same smile.
"As a disciple of the Tang Sect, it is natural for you to use hidden weapons. Then as a disciple of my sect, it should be equally natural for me to use the secret techniques of my sect, don't you think?" Lin Yun said with a faint smile. He lightly patted his chest, then stepped his left foot back, extending his right hand straight forward, palm open and upward.
At this action, Xiao Xiao and Zheng Xiaolong's faces tightened instantly. They retreated several steps in alarm, nearly backing into the edge of the stage before stopping.
Neither of them had forgotten what happened the last time Lin Yun assumed this stance—Wu Feng had been beaten half to death!
Across from them, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and the agility-type girl beside them looked bewildered, utterly unsure of what Lin Yun was preparing.
Even beyond the stage, the referee and the resting students in the stands turned their eyes toward him.
The next moment, a rustling sound rose from Lin Yun's body—the sound of countless legs, sharp claws scraping across fabric.
At the same time, an invisible pressure spread outward. Everyone suddenly felt as though their throats had been gripped tight.
Their breathing hitched!
A glimmer of emerald green appeared at Lin Yun's collar. A scorpion, beautiful like a work of art, slowly crawled out. As it made its way along Lin Yun's extended arm and came to rest upon his palm, its full form was revealed.
It was slightly larger than his hand, its entire body a translucent green, with crystalline blue eyes. Its small pincers gleamed with frost, and its nine-segmented tail arched high behind it.
"That's… a soul beast?" Huo Yuhao's eyes widened in shock.
"Yes, a soul beast." Lin Yun nodded with a smile. "You, as a disciple of the Tang Sect, can use hidden weapons. So I, as a disciple of the Beast-Taming Sect, can command soul beasts. Isn't that just as reasonable?"
Reasonable… my ass!
The referee's face almost cracked apart. These kids might not understand, but how could he not?
Though he lacked the encyclopedic knowledge of Wang Yan, and couldn't name the exact species of scorpion, the aura radiating from it was undeniable. This creature was at least three thousand years old.
Even as a Soul Emperor, he could feel the danger emanating from it. How could these children, with only one or two rings each, possibly stand against it?
He nearly called for the match to be stopped—until Lin Yun's words echoed in his mind.
That's right!
The rules of the freshmen assessment forbade a team from having more than one assault-type soul master and banned the use of soul tools, but… there was no explicit rule against commanding a soul beast.
Realizing this, the referee could only stare in disbelief.
Just what kind of sect was this Beast-Taming Sect, that even a three-ring disciple could command a three-thousand-year soul beast?
In the next instant, emerald light flashed. On the opposite side, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and their teammate were instantly frozen into ice sculptures—experiencing exactly what Wu Feng had suffered only days before.
(End of this chapter)
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