"Wang Dong, come down." Wang Yan waved and called out.
Although Wang Dong hadn't completely satisfied himself in the fight, he didn't argue with Wang Yan's words. After notifying the referee, he directly stepped down from the competition stage.
Upon hearing this, the referee immediately announced, "Shrek Academy has chosen to substitute. In the second round of the individual match, Yunluo Advanced Soul Master Academy wins."
Below, Ma Yingjun, lying on the ground, was being treated by a healing soul master. Looking around at the teammates circling him, he subconsciously asked, "Does this count as Shrek Academy's first loss?"
Hearing this, everyone from Yunluo Academy reacted instantly, their expressions changing dramatically.
Of course, Shrek Academy made the substitution, but that still implied that they had at least won once, right?
In the resting area, all the other academies looked at them with envy. Even though Shrek Academy voluntarily substituted, Yunluo Academy had clearly gotten a huge advantage.
Later on, they could boast about it without any shame: You know Shrek Academy? We beat them once in the Douluo Contest!What? How did you beat them?Hehe, we won while lying down.
The thoughts of these people were naturally unknown to those still waiting in the Shrek standby area. Wang Yan looked at Huo Yuhao and instructed, "Yuhao, it's your turn next."
"Me?" Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned. He glanced at He Caitou and Beibei.
"Go ahead." Beibei smiled. "The audience has been eagerly waiting for you."
Huo Yuhao turned and saw countless gazes focused on him—some from the audience, some from other academies.
"Alright, I'll go up," Huo Yuhao agreed.
"Just don't lose, or I'll laugh at you forever." Wang Dong folded his arms and teased Huo Yuhao as he walked onto the stage.
Huo Yuhao waved his hand in response but said nothing.
"Swish."
As Huo Yuhao stepped onto the competition stage, tens of thousands of eyes instantly focused on him. Those gazes were filled with various emotions: excitement, doubt, and expectation.
Excitement from the audience, anticipating Huo Yuhao to once again unleash astonishing power.Doubt from the other elite academies, unable to believe that a Soul Lord could instantly manifest Soul Emperor-level power.Expectation from certain elders who favored Huo Yuhao, such as Xu Jiawei and his companions, Xuan Lao, or a certain hidden Cihuo elder in the audience.
"Shangyue, it's your turn."
Over at Yunluo Academy, the captain with a build comparable to He Caitou said to a female teammate, "Leader, why don't you go yourself?"
The girl, called Shangyue, glanced at her captain. "Leader, why don't you go yourself?"
"Ahem." The captain coughed, "Hurry, the referee is waiting."
"Pfft."
Watching the captain's cowardice, several teammates couldn't help but laugh.
"Don't laugh," the captain scolded jokingly. "You didn't see that Shrek Academy is just practicing? As the captain, I'll stay behind to face their main team."
"Ah, yes, yes, yes." Shangyue nodded lightly and walked onto the stage with a faint smile.
Facing Huo Yuhao's gentle smile, Shangyue became cautious.
At the same time, Huo Yuhao was observing her. She stood about 1.75 meters tall, with a lean, athletic build—a clear sports enthusiast. Her face wasn't extraordinarily beautiful, only delicate, but her legs were particularly eye-catching. As some LSPs on Blue Star might say, these legs could entertain for a whole year.
"Really envy Yuhao," Xu Sanshi muttered unconsciously from the resting area.
"Huh?"
Everyone turned to look at him. Realizing his slip, Xu Sanshi quickly added, "Being able to compete on stage… that's wonderful."
"You'll get your turn later," Zhang Lexuan comforted him.
"Alright, senior sister," Xu Sanshi obediently nodded.
Everyone then focused back on the stage.
Xu Sanshi took a breath, subconsciously wiping the sweat from his forehead. Damn, almost let it slip.
"Both sides, register."
Cheng Gang first explained the rules to the two contestants, then said:"Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao.""Yunluo, Shangyue."
"Don't hold back. I want to fight seriously and find my weaknesses," Shangyue suddenly said as Huo Yuhao stepped back.
"I'll try my best," Huo Yuhao nodded.
Soon, both approached their sides of the stage. With countless eyes watching, Cheng Gang announced, "Begin!"
"Whoosh."
The moment the word "match" fell, Shangyue, still as a maiden but moving like a mad rabbit, charged at Huo Yuhao. Four soul rings rose beneath her: three yellow and one purple. She drew two broad swords from her back, each about 1.3 meters long, radiating faint white light enhanced by soul power.
"Close-combat soul master?" Many viewers thought.
Compared to the Sun and Moon Empire, the number of close-combat soul masters in the original three nations of Douluo was not large; most were long-range like Ma Yingjun.
"Watch closely," Wang Yan in the standby area and Zhang Lexuan in the resting area both said to their team members.
Shrek Academy was undergoing a soul instrument revolution—they knew well what was coming.
Close combat?
Golden light flickered in Huo Yuhao's eyes. Invisible spirit power spread like a tide across the stage.
With the help of spiritual detection sharing, Huo Yuhao had already observed every move of Shangyue.
Shangyue, aided by her propulsion soul instruments, quickly approached Huo Yuhao. Her arms visibly infused soul power into the two broad swords. A white blade glimmer appeared, one meter long, descending straight at Huo Yuhao with tremendous force and roaring wind.
Countless people's eyelids twitched in shock.
"What is he doing?"
While everyone was puzzled that Huo Yuhao seemed frozen like a wooden puppet, he moved. A flash of ice-blue scorpion shadow passed behind him, a black soul ring rose under his foot, and his arms transformed into ice-diamond forms, faintly showing scorpion-like claws.
Like the Scorpion Emperor, sturdy and cold.
"Another twin martial soul?"
Seeing the soul rings on Huo Yuhao, many powerful soul masters gasped in surprise. Two twin martial souls in Shrek Academy now—it seemed like wholesale distribution.
The terrifying blade was met with Huo Yuhao's bare hands—completely empty-handed.
"Bang!"
The blade struck the diamond-crystal palms, but did not break them. The smooth surface reflected the white blade light. The blade dissipated; the broad sword fell into Huo Yuhao's hands.
"Impossible!" Shangyue was dumbfounded. But she reacted quickly, trying to dodge.
Suddenly, she realized the problem: when she tried to retract the sword, a terrifying binding force held both blades tightly in place.
She struggled, but Huo Yuhao's palms remained firm, locking the swords.
"Zii."
A slight cracking sound rang out. Shangyue's eyes widened in shock as fine cracks appeared at the sword tips, revealing a terrifying truth: he intended to crush her weapons bare-handed.
And indeed, Huo Yuhao did exactly that. Feeling the immense power within, his eyes calm, his hands gradually applying more force, frost spreading along the swords.
To outsiders, it looked like a tug-of-war, but the swords gradually developed cracks. Shangyue's eyes reflected distress. These weapons were gifts from the academy—if broken, gone forever.
She activated her Martial Soul Possession at the crucial moment. Her golden hair turned iron gray, her skin roughened, her body bulked up, and her muscles surged. Her lips protruded slightly, revealing canine teeth. Her appearance suffered, but her power greatly increased.
"Canine-type Martial Soul?" Xu Sanshi frowned from the sidelines, no longer envious of Huo Yuhao.
Even with Martial Soul Possession, Shangyue exerted herself but still could not match Huo Yuhao in raw strength. The Ice Emperor Scorpion Martial Soul was simply too powerful—only strength-type martial souls like the Golden Dragon could rival it.
Huo Yuhao remained still. Frost emanated from his body, covering Shangyue. Her clothes became frosted; her weapons gained a smooth icy coating, affecting the core mechanism.
"Crack!"
A crisp sound, and the sword tips shattered. The audience gasped.
A bare-handed crushing of at least grade-3 close-combat soul instruments—unbelievable. Close-combat soul instruments require high-quality materials; otherwise, a few strikes would destroy them.
Due to inertia, Shangyue stumbled backward, but her propulsion soul instruments stabilized her.
Huo Yuhao crushed the metal shards into a metallic ball, ignoring the sharp edges. Many unconsciously swallowed saliva—if it were a human head, one push could crush it.
"Still fighting?" Huo Yuhao asked.
Without weapons, a soul master was like a tiger without fangs.
Shangyue, stunned by the floating black soul ring on Huo Yuhao, shook her head. "No need, I lost."
Though her soul power was barely spent, without weapons, her combat effectiveness was null. Her soul skills were mainly strength and speed amplifications, not offensive techniques.
Cheng Gang, looking strange, stepped onto the stage and announced, "Third round, Shrek Academy wins."
Cheers erupted.
Huo Yuhao's performances always brought surprise. The last match was flashy; this one was a straightforward display of raw power.
He asked Shangyue, "Need compensation?"
Shangyue smiled. "No need. I lost, and the weapon was ruined because I greedily tried to match your strength."
On the other side, Shangyue had not yet exited the stage, but their captain leapt onto the stage.
They exchanged a glance.
Seeing Shangyue's resentful eyes, Yunluo Academy's captain, Situ Yu, awkwardly smiled.
Shangyue said nothing and soon left the stage.
Huo Yuhao was about to step down when Situ Yu shouted, "I want a battle. Don't leave yet."
Wang Yan, about to substitute He Caitou, was stunned.
Huo Yuhao turned and saw Situ Yu bowing slightly. "Yunluo Advanced Soul Master Academy, Situ Yu."
Huo Yuhao instinctively looked at Wang Yan.
He Caitou smiled. "Let Yuhao fight. I'll have chances later."
Wang Yan nodded, signaling Huo Yuhao to proceed.
Countless gazes focused again. As Yunluo Academy's captain, Situ Yu would certainly draw out some of Huo Yuhao's abilities.
"Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao."
Huo Yuhao returned the gesture.
"This round I lost; our academy will concede the rest," Situ Yu told Cheng Gang.
A one-round decision!
His words broadcast clearly via the amplifying soul instrument.
Huo Yuhao said nothing but prepared for the duel. He remembered Situ Yu used a cannon-style method—almost no agility, maybe…
His eyes brightened; he had a plan.
"Both sides, retreat." Cheng Gang instructed.
Huo Yuhao and Situ Yu moved to their designated spots.
Countless eyes watched as Cheng Gang announced, "Begin."
Huo Yuhao remained still, his eyes glinting gold, his spirit power spreading. Two purple and one black soul rings rose beneath him.
A twin martial soul, indeed—but what kind? Observers were puzzled.
"Woah, this kid is…"
A man in the audience shouted, but another, more muscular man stopped him.
Their situation drew no attention from others.
"Did you see? That's a true-body eye martial soul, and it's a twin martial soul." The first man whispered excitedly.
"I'm not blind," nodded the muscular man. "Following the sect master to Star Luo Empire, we found a treasure."
"But he seems to be from Shrek Academy. Complicated… I'm worried strong Shrek members might follow."
"With the sect master, what's there to fear?" chuckled the first.
"…after the match, we'll find the sect master."
On the stage:
Situ Yu had become a steel cannon. Under his feet were triangular metal stabilizers, embedded firmly. His body was covered with dozens of varying-length metal barrels. The largest ones on his calves and forearms.
On his chest was a dark-gold large-caliber concentrated soul cannon, 16 cm in diameter.
Covered in metal, nearly obscuring him. The rapid assembly was aided by storage soul instruments.
For many, the black, murderous barrels looked like a killing machine.
In the resting area, old-school Sun and Moon Empire academy members scoffed. This self-limiting cannon method was outdated.
On the stage, it was indeed a deadly weapon.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao eyed a fan-shaped martial soul floating behind Situ Yu. Blue-purple in color, unfolding like a certain hero from his past life's "Glory" game—the iconic Xiao Qiao, legendary skin.
As Huo Yuhao marveled, Situ Yu launched an attack. His fan radiated white light. Most barrels fired dazzling white light; the chest cannon charged.
Like his teammates, Situ Yu's soul skills were amplification type. He was using the third skill—penetration amplification.
Huo Yuhao's defense was terrifying; Situ Yu knew that.
Egg-sized light balls from the barrels shot toward Huo Yuhao, blinding the stage in white light.
The audience was shocked. Such weapons were battlefield-grade, rarely seen by civilians.
Huo Yuhao used a simple trick to dodge. White-gold wings like crystalline aurora emerged, carrying him into the air. The light balls struck his soul shield harmlessly.
Situ Yu's cannons could not adjust further—angles maxed out. If he had teammates, maybe different—but this was a solo match.
Cold sweat on his forehead, Situ Yu froze, stopping attacks. To resume, he'd need to dismantle the cannon, losing his advantage.
"What's happening?" spectators murmured.
Situ Yu, knowing when to compromise, activated storage soul instruments, retracting most heavy attachments, leaving only the chest cannon.
He tried to counterattack but sensed something off. Mist rose from beneath him. Looking down, his feet were frozen. The frost climbed to his thighs.
He swung his fist, breaking skin but not the ice. His legs remained trapped.
"Impossible?" Situ Yu, surprised, fired his soul hand cannon at the ice, ignoring potential self-harm.
Above, Huo Yuhao's left hand formed a magical array, intricate with countless threads. This was his Ice Arrow Spell, fully guided by spirit detection sharing, locking all of Situ Yu's movements.
From the start, everything about Situ Yu was exposed to Huo Yuhao.
Arrow suspended inches from Situ Yu's forehead, emitting chilling death energy. Ice frozen his hair and eyebrows.
The spectators were silent. The imagined fierce battle hadn't occurred—it ended oddly and quickly.
.................
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