Heavenly Fiend Douluo Huang Jinxu had reappeared at the center of the competition stage at some point, his gaze slightly narrowed.
With his Titled Douluo-level cultivation and such close proximity, he keenly noticed that the falling raindrops in the air carried a faint white and cyan hue.
Moreover, it wasn't just the raindrops; every part of the competition stage and the space within the soul tool barrier was permeated with traces of this cyan-white airflow. It was subtle, nearly imperceptible without meticulous observation.
At this moment, Heavenly Fiend Douluo vaguely guessed the ability Meng Hongchen had just used.
A poison-attribute soul master?
His thoughts raced, but his actions were swift. Using a gentle stream of soul power, he lifted Xu Sanshi's body and sent it slowly toward the Shrek team.
Xu Zihuang and Beibei hurriedly stood to receive Xu Sanshi.
At this moment, Xu Sanshi's face was deathly pale, and more bizarrely, his skin was visibly turning white at a rapid pace, resembling the snowy white of Meng Hongchen's skin but lacking its translucent, jade-like quality.
His breathing had also grown faint.
However, Xu Zihuang, sensitive to life energy due to the Gold of Living Beings, could sense that Xu Sanshi's life force showed no signs of fading.
In other words, the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad's poison within Xu Sanshi wasn't lethal. This wasn't because the poison lacked potency, but because Meng Hongchen had shown restraint.
After all, this was just a competition, not a life-or-death battle. With Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, two formidable Soul Emperor-level powerhouses, still on Shrek Academy's side, killing or crippling Xu Sanshi would only make the Sun Moon team's situation more precarious.
Meng Hongchen's goal was simply to ensure Xu Sanshi couldn't participate in the subsequent 2-2-3 battle format, but that hinged on the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy winning the individual elimination matches to push the competition to the next round.
Of course, Xu Sanshi was still bound to suffer considerably.
In this brief moment, Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Chen Zifeng finished their meditation one after another. Their soul power had nearly fully recovered, and they would soon reach peak condition without further meditation.
This was the foundation of Shrek Academy's inner courtyard disciples, far surpassing the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy's soul engineers, whose cultivation was artificially boosted by various pills and potions.
Soul masters, when meditating, could typically sense changes in their surroundings.
Thus, upon learning that Xu Sanshi had lost so quickly, they awoke with surprised expressions.
The Shrek Academy team gathered around Xu Sanshi, and Wang Yan was frowning as he examined his condition.
As comrades who had fought side by side, everyone's eyes were filled with concern.
Even Jiang Nannan, who usually treated Xu Sanshi coldly, softened her expression upon seeing his wretched state.
Beibei asked gravely, "Teacher Wang, how is Sanshi doing?"
"Sanshi seems to have been poisoned, but his vital signs are stable. He should be in no danger of dying," Wang Yan said, his brows tightly knit.
The silhouette of the martial soul that had appeared behind Meng Hongchen, combined with Xu Sanshi's symptoms, felt oddly familiar to him. He was certain he had read about something similar in an ancient text, but he couldn't recall it at the moment.
At that moment, Elder Xuan's voice suddenly sounded from behind the group.
"That girl's martial soul is the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad. Sanshi was poisoned by its venom."
The group respectfully parted to make way for Elder Xuan, who stepped forward and patted Xu Sanshi's body a few times with his grimy right hand.
Wang Yan murmured in sudden realization, his expression grim.
"So her martial soul is the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad. This is going to be troublesome."
"The Vermilion Clear Ice Toad—does that mean Sanshi was poisoned with cold venom?" Ma Xiaotao raised an eyebrow.
"Elder Xuan, my soul power—"
Before Ma Xiaotao could finish, Wang Yan hurriedly interrupted her.
"Xiaotao, no! Though the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad is primarily ice-attributed, its eyes are fire-attributed. Its venom is a special cold poison generated by the interplay of ice and fire attributes. The fire-attribute soul power cultivated by your Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul is too domineering. If injected into Sanshi's body, it might instantly trigger this special cold poison."
"Little Wang is right. The Vermilion Clear Ice Toad's poison is tricky. Even I can't fully neutralize it in a short time. I'll first stop the poison from spreading in Sanshi's body, and we'll deal with it after the tournament ends," Elder Xuan said calmly, nodding slightly.
Hearing Elder Xuan's words, the group felt reassured.
His implication was clear: he could resolve the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad's poison, but it would take time.
The individual elimination matches could not be paused, and Heavenly Fiend Douluo Huang Jinxu was already urging them to continue.
Meng Hongchen, unhurried, took out a delicate bracelet-shaped level-five soul power storage device to restore her soul power, clearly preparing for a prolonged battle.
Wang Yan and Beibei exchanged a glance, and Wang Yan said gravely, "Thunderous Might."
Beibei, understanding the implication, nodded solemnly and stepped onto the competition stage. Gone was his usual gentle and refined demeanor; his gaze turned sharp and domineering, as if blue-purple lightning was gathering in his eyes.
In the preparation area, noticing the seriousness in Xu Zihuang's eyes, Wang Yan asked gravely, "Tianhuang, what's wrong?"
He knew his student well—or so he thought. For Yu Tianhuang to show such an expression, he must have noticed something.
Xu Zihuang shook his head helplessly. "I'm afraid Senior Brother Bei won't be able to unleash a thunderous assault. The weather today is too favorable for Meng Hongchen."
This time, not only Wang Yan but everyone from Shrek Academy looked at Xu Zihuang in confusion.
Xu Zihuang explained, "The Vermilion Clear Ice Toad's poison has permeated the rainwater and humid air."
The group's expressions grew heavy, and none doubted him.
Yu Tianhuang's martial soul was the Golden Pupil, and his observational acuity was unmatched among them.
It was common for a soul master's martial soul abilities to be influenced by the environment, as seen in martial soul mimicry cultivation. But for Meng Hongchen to integrate her martial soul's abilities into the environment to enhance herself and keep the poison lingering without dissipating, it indicated her profound control over the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad's venom.
Elder Xuan, sitting back on the sofa, gave Xu Zihuang an approving glance.
With his transcendent cultivation, he had naturally noticed this as well but chose not to point it out. This All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament was a trial for the team. Overcoming setbacks and obstacles was essential for growth.
Moreover, he believed Shrek Academy's students were second to none. Though the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad's poison was troublesome, it wasn't invincible.
"Match, begin," Heavenly Fiend Douluo announced.
Beibei immediately released his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul, blue-purple lightning crackling around him as he charged toward Meng Hongchen at top speed.
Having learned about Meng Hongchen's martial soul abilities, he knew the best approach was to unleash his full power in the shortest time possible. Prolonging the fight would only put him at a greater disadvantage.
As he closed in on Meng Hongchen, he activated his third soul skill, Thunderous Fury.
Having advanced to the Soul Ancestor level, Beibei's dragon transformation now extended beyond his right arm to both arms. His dragon arms, covered in blue-purple scales, gathered and surged with lightning.
With the formidable nature of his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul, amplified by Thunderous Fury, his aura was imposing.
Without hesitation, he lit up his fourth soul ring.
From the start, he unleashed his strongest attack, short of awakening his Light Holy Dragon bloodline.
The Thunder Dragon Head under the amplification of Thunderous Fury was no less powerful than an attack from a Soul King.
Meng Hongchen, of course, didn't sit idly by. Her second soul ring glowed, and an ice-blue halo spread outward from her feet, instantly enveloping the entire stage.
Vermilion Clear Ice Toad martial soul, second soul skill: Ice Poison Ring.
Within the Ice Poison Ring's range, the potency of her Vermilion Clear Ice Toad's poison was amplified.
She didn't use her first soul skill, Ice Toad Poison, again, as it was unnecessary. Wherever the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad passed, it left lingering poison.
Meng Hongchen, with the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad as her martial soul, carried this trait in her poison.
From the moment Beibei stepped onto the stage, the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad's poison, infused in the rain and air, had begun affecting him.
This was an inherent part of her martial soul's abilities, and the rules of this All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament didn't explicitly prohibit soul masters from influencing the environment with their martial soul abilities.
Shrek Academy could only swallow this bitter pill.
Amplified by the Ice Poison Ring, the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad's poison within Beibei erupted instantly, its toxicity intensifying.
The half-formed Thunder Dragon Head was abruptly interrupted, and like Xu Sanshi, Beibei's eyes dimmed as he lost consciousness.
Shrek Academy's outer courtyard twin stars had bothಸ
System: both been defeated by Meng Hongchen in a single exchange.
This underscored the terrifying nature of a poison soul master.
However, under certain conditions, poison soul masters could be heavily countered, such as by martial soul or attribute suppression. Unfortunately, neither Xu Sanshi nor Beibei possessed such abilities.
Xu Sanshi's Mysterious Underworld Turtle bloodline couldn't yet be freely controlled, and even if Beibei awakened his Light Holy Dragon bloodline, it wouldn't change the outcome. At best, the Light Holy Dragon could enhance resistance to poison, not grant immunity.
"The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy wins. Shrek Academy, please send your next participant," Heavenly Fiend Douluo announced, waving his hand to send Beibei, supported by soul power, to Shrek Academy's preparation area.
This time, Xu Zihuang and He Caitou stepped forward to receive him.
Beibei's symptoms mirrored Xu Sanshi's—completely unconscious, his skin turning snowy white.
Wang Yan's face was filled with shock.
What a powerful poison.
No matter how well he had planned his tactics, he was at a loss. Who could have anticipated the Sun Moon team would have such a terrifying poison soul master?
They had been defeated without even a proper fight.
All eyes turned to Jiang Nannan, the next participant.
Jiang Nannan's expression faltered, not out of fear but from the realization that if she fell like Xu Sanshi and Beibei, Shrek Academy's situation would become even more precarious.
Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Chen Zifeng wanted to take her place, but the individual elimination match order was fixed and couldn't be changed.
"Next," Meng Hongchen's voice rang out again. Having defeated two Shrek Academy members in succession, a confident, radiant smile spread across her beautiful face.
In the Sun Moon team's preparation area, Xiao Hongchen's smile grew wider. Everything was unfolding as he had anticipated.
Seeing Jiang Nannan ascend the stage, his eyes lit up, followed by a sigh and a shake of his head.
"What a pity for this beauty."
In her previous matches, Jiang Nannan's standout performance was against Zhengtian Academy, where her Invincible Golden Body soul skill left a deep impression on Xiao Hongchen.
The Invincible Golden Body was incomparable to soul tool shields or invincible shields—it was true invincibility. Without god-level power, it was impossible to break through in those three seconds.
Even so, he believed Jiang Nannan was still no match for his sister.
"Both sides, retreat," Heavenly Fiend Douluo instructed formally.
"Match, begin."
The rain and humid air served as conduits for Meng Hongchen's Vermilion Clear Ice Toad poison.
Jiang Nannan's martial soul quality and foundation were inferior to Xu Sanshi and Beibei's. Bathed in the fine rain, her slightly curled golden hair became wet, and despite her soul power protection, she began to feel numbness in her body.
But she had an advantage over Xu Sanshi and Beibei: her fourth soul skill, Invincible Golden Body.
Her fourth soul ring lit up, and her body radiated dazzling golden light, completely blocking the pervasive Vermilion Clear Ice Toad poison.
The Invincible Golden Body was activated with full force.
Immediately after, her third purple thousand-year soul ring flashed repeatedly.
Her teleportation soul skill activated, and in a few flickers, she appeared before Meng Hongchen.
With only three seconds of invincibility, her actions depended entirely on this window.
Facing Jiang Nannan's assault, Meng Hongchen let out a disdainful snort.
In Shrek Academy's previous matches, Jiang Nannan had revealed both her Invincible Golden Body and teleportation soul skills, and Meng Hongchen had been prepared for them.
At this moment, she finally used her first thousand-year soul ring skill.
Under the glow of a luxurious purple halo, a mirror-like sheet of ice, about five meters in diameter, appeared beneath her feet. The ice reflected her image, creating a striking visual.
The moment Jiang Nannan was about to reach her, two Meng Hongchens appeared on the ice.
The Meng Hongchen in front of Jiang Nannan became an illusion, while the real Meng Hongchen appeared behind her.
This was her third soul skill, Ice Refraction, allowing her to shift positions on the ice mirror through light and shadow.
Though not as powerful as Jiang Nannan's teleportation, it made it difficult for Jiang Nannan to close in and attack with her Waist Bow.
Meng Hongchen leaped back, quickly widening the distance.
At that moment, Jiang Nannan's face paled.
Her movements slowed significantly.
It wasn't just the heavy soul power consumption from using her third and fourth soul skills; the Vermilion Clear Ice Toad's poison had begun to take effect.
The three seconds passed quietly, and Jiang Nannan, unsurprisingly, followed in the footsteps of Xu Sanshi and Beibei.
Thus, Meng Hongchen had single-handedly eliminated three Shrek Academy members.
Let Meng Hongchen shine for a bit, then have the protagonist take her down with some interaction to set the stage, and later crush Xiao Hongchen. The tournament is almost over, ready for a new storyline. Many of the book's plotlines unfold in the midsection, so we're probably only about a fifth of the way through. At this pace, it could easily hit two or three million words.
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
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