Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian, one a control-system soul master, the other a support-system soul master, and with only the two of them working together, there was clearly no need for any special discussion of tactics.
In the coming spar, Xu Zihuang would naturally handle the frontal confrontation, while Ning Tian would assist from the side using her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul.
The tactical discussion that Han Ruoruo had mentioned earlier was actually aimed at Wu Feng, Xiao Xiao, Xie Huanyue, Nanmen Yun'er, and Dai Huabin.
Among these five, there were two assault systems soul master, one defense-system soul master, and one agility-attack system soul master, plus Xiao Xiao, a unique support-control-system soul master. Compared to a standard complete soul master team, they only lacked a food-system soul master capable of providing logistical supplies for prolonged combat.
Their abilities complemented each other, making them quite a well-rounded team. If they could coordinate with perfect tacit understanding, they would be capable of facing several opponents whose soul power rank was one tier higher than theirs.
After all, they were all elite disciples of Shrek Academy's inner courtyard, and every single one of them possessed the potential to become a Titled Douluo.
A gentle breeze blew past, lightly lifting the hem of Ning Tian's skirt and revealing a small section of her fair, straight calves beneath the pure white long dress. The corners of her mouth curved into a faint arc. This spar would be the perfect opportunity to test the results of her cultivation over the past years; she wanted to prove that she had the ability to accompany Yu Tianhuang as he reached the pinnacle of the soul master world.
As the sole heir to the sect master of an ancient sect like the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, how could she not have a trace of pride in her heart? From childhood to now, she had always been a heaven-blessed, proud daughter who looked down upon her peers; only in front of Yu Tianhuang, the one who had captured her heart, would she willingly set aside that pride.
Xu Zihuang bent down and tugged at the hem of Ning Tian's skirt that was fluttering in the wind. His warm fingertips brushed against her calf, causing Ning Tian's body to tremble slightly and her pretty face to flush hot. In the past, when they were alone together, Yu Tianhuang would often show a particular fondness for her long legs, and directly touching them was not uncommon.
In private, she did not mind it at all, but doing so now in front of everyone inevitably stirred some unusual feelings in her heart. Amid the shyness, there was also a strange sense of excitement.
Fortunately, Yu Tianhuang only briefly helped her adjust the hem and did not do anything too out of line.
Ning Tian's red lips parted slightly.
"Tianhuang."
"Hm?" Xu Zihuang straightened up again. Perhaps his feelings for Ning Tian were not as pure and sincere as those for Ye Guyi, but it was undeniable that Ning Tian, who had accompanied him through most of his youth, had touched him in some way. And his subconscious action just now was precisely a manifestation of his possessive desire toward Ning Tian.
Even the sight of Ning Tian's calves he did not like other men seeing.
The intelligent Ning Tian naturally understood this. At this moment, with her chin resting on Xu Zihuang's shoulder, her water-blue eyes were filled with sweetness and tenderness.
"Before the spar begins, I should still tell you about my fifth soul skill and the skill attached to the Mirror Illusion Realm wisdom skull bone."
"Sure." Xu Zihuang smiled faintly.
Ning Tian slightly restrained her emotions and said, "My newly acquired fifth soul skill provides an amplification to attack power. Now that I am at the Soul King level, all five of my soul skills can achieve a sixty percent amplification effect. As for the skill attached to my Mirror Illusion Realm head soul bone, it is called Mirror Illusion Realm, just like the name. It is a domain-type mental illusion soul skill that can confuse opponents. In addition, this soul skill has another effect: within its range, I can connect the seas of consciousness of my companions, establishing a mental network that allows us to communicate telepathically and prevents us from becoming lost in the Mirror Illusion Realm."
As he listened to Ning Tian's explanation, a trace of surprise appeared in Xu Zihuang's eyes.
As expected of a top-quality soul bone produced from a 70,000-year Mirror Shadow Beast. This Mirror Illusion Realm appeared to have no offensive power, but it was extremely suitable for Ning Tian. With such a domain-type mental illusion skill, the overall combat strength of a team would undoubtedly receive a tremendous boost.
If Ning Tian were part of Wu Feng and the others' team, just relying on the effects of this soul skill would not make their coordination flawless, but it could at least reach a very high level of tacit understanding.
Moreover, there were no thresholds for this; even a temporarily assembled team could achieve the same effect. The specific results would depend on the execution ability of each team member.
"It seems this Mirror Illusion Realm head soul bone should be a gem-type soul bone."
Ning Tian smiled and nodded.
The so-called gem-type soul bones were primarily characterized by the soul bone emitting a treasure-like glow. Compared to other types of soul bones, many gem-type soul bones would radiate light in multiple colors.
But that was not always the case. In fact, the higher the quality of a gem-type soul bone, the more likely it was to emit only a single color of light.
Gem-type soul bones were most suitable for support-system soul masters like Ning Tian, as well as soul masters who possessed illusion-type abilities.
The interaction between Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian was all observed by Wang Yan on the opposite side. Seeing the two, whose feelings remained so deep after two years apart, he felt immensely gratified.
It could be said that he had personally witnessed their emotional journey. Besides Wang Yan, Han Ruoruo's pretty face also bloomed with a gentle smile.
Feeling something in their hearts, Wang Yan and Han Ruoruo's gazes inadvertently met. Han Ruoruo remained calm, but Wang Yan's face grew a little hot.
To his shame, during these months when the academy had assigned Han Ruoruo, this inner courtyard disciple who also served as an inner courtyard teaching assistant, to help him with daily teaching duties, it had been the period when he was least focused.
Wu Feng and Xiao Xiao's expressions were also somewhat unnatural. Only Xie Huanyue seemed to turn a blind eye to it, though in his heart, he was secretly complaining.
Yu Tianhuang's attractiveness to the opposite sex, he could understand that. But Wu Feng was truly abnormal. Trying to come between Yu Tianhuang and Ning Tian was one thing, but the key was that her target was not Yu Tianhuang, but Ning Tian.
It was really too strange.
This clearly exceeded his normal understanding.
The allotted quarter of an hour passed, and Dai Huabin and Nanmen Yun'er successively recovered their soul power and regained consciousness. Soul masters could perceive the outside world while meditating and cultivating, so they naturally knew about the upcoming spar.
Wang Yan said, "I'll give you another three minutes to discuss and familiarize yourselves with tactics. The spar will begin in three minutes."
Dai Huabin's expression stiffened as he glanced at Xiao Xiao, then said in a deep voice, "Xiao Xiao, your abilities are similar to a control-system soul master. You'll take main control later."
"...Okay." Xiao Xiao was slightly stunned, then quickly reacted and agreed. She had not expected the usually cold and proud Dai Huabin to lower his stance like this.
Battle intent burned in Wu Feng's eyes, but it was mixed more with grief and indignation.
"Dai Huabin and I will handle the main attack!"
Although Xiao Xiao, Nanmen Yun'er, and Xie Huanyue did not show as much excitement as Dai Huabin and Wu Feng, they would all undoubtedly give their full effort in this spar. They were all proud sons and daughters of heaven from various parts of the continent, who would willingly taste defeat?
Especially in a five-against-two situation.
The five quickly discussed, stood up, entered the training field, and lined up in formation.
Wu Feng, Dai Huabin, and Xie Huanyue stood at the very front, Nanmen Yun'er hid behind the tall and sturdy Dai Huabin, and Xiao Xiao fell to the rear. A neat 3-1-1 formation. The instant the five took their positions, an oppressive aura immediately arose.
On the other side, Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian held hands and leisurely stood opposite the five led by Dai Huabin.
Wang Yan revealed a helpless expression. From Yu Tianhuang's appearance, it seemed he did not believe at all that Dai Huabin's group of five could bring him any pressure.
At the same time, he felt intense curiosity about Yu Tianhuang's current true strength.
"Both sides, prepare!" Wang Yan shouted. Dai Huabin's group of five almost simultaneously released their martial souls. All of them had the standard optimal soul ring configuration of two yellow, two purple, and one black. Dazzling light bloomed intensely on the hilltop. The violent soul power fluctuations even caused the air above the entire training field to distort slightly.
However, to the astonishment of everyone present, even after Wang Yan shouted "Begin," Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian showed no intention of releasing their martial souls.
Suddenly, a cold and serene deep blue light shone at Ning Tian's brow, giving a feeling of profound depth and silence. Deep blue peculiar patterns extended from her brow toward the surrounding areas of her forehead, condensing into a magnificent crown that resembled a mirror surface, somewhat similar to the Star Crown martial soul once used by the Star Luo Empire's princess Xu Jiujiu.
But the strange crown on Ning Tian's head was pieced together from silver scales like small mirrors, emitting a faint, deep blue halo. If she stood still, it could reflect the surrounding environment, making it impossible to see clearly without close inspection. A piercing chill assaulted them, causing angular ice crystals to form on the crown.
Yes, this was precisely the Mirror Illusion Realm wisdom skull bone that Ning Tian had fused with, obtained from a 70,000-year Mirror Shadow Beast. Some head soul bones differed from those of other parts in that they could manifest an external form. This characteristic had nothing to do with the soul bone's quality; it was entirely due to the special nature of the soul beast that produced it.
Ten thousand years ago, the Elephant Armor Sect's Huyan Li had possessed a head soul bone; when using it, he could release a yellowish-brown helmet. But that head soul bone had merely come from an 8,000-year mammoth, and compared to Ning Tian's Mirror Illusion Realm wisdom skull bone from a 70,000-year Mirror Shadow Beast, the difference was like heaven and earth.
"A head soul bone?!" Except for Xu Zihuang, everyone's gaze sharpened.
Even Wu Feng had not known that Ning Tian possessed such an outstanding head soul bone.
Deep blue halos bloomed on the silver scales pieced into the crown, instantly enveloping the entire training field. From Wang Yan and Han Ruoruo's perspective, the space before them was completely dyed deep blue. Countless lights and shadows flickered and overlapped within this space, making it impossible to see clearly.
Within the domain, however, Dai Huabin, Xiao Xiao, Wu Feng, Nanmen Yun'er, and Xie Huanyue saw a massive silver mirror suddenly appear before them. Figures emerged from it, one after another, identical to the five of them.
Appearance, figure, martial soul, soul ring configuration, and even every movement were the same.
"Get lost!" Ferocious light flashed in Dai Huabin's eyes as he punched toward his mirror self. But the result was not what he had expected: the mirror Dai Huabin made the same move. Intense pale white soul power exploded between their fists, evenly matched. Both figures staggered backward, their blood and qi surging within.
The situations of Xiao Xiao, Nanmen Yun'er, Wu Feng, and Xie Huanyue were the same as Dai Huabin's; they engaged in combat with their mirror selves, their consciousnesses lost and sinking into the Mirror Illusion Realm.
Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian quietly watched the five whose bodies remained stiff in place, then simultaneously turned to look at each other, both feeling some surprise at this.
After Ning Tian's Mirror Illusion Realm head soul bone connected their seas of consciousness, their mental power turned out to be shareable.
The reason the Mirror Illusion Realm was so powerful was precisely that it had incorporated a portion of Xu Zihuang's tangible mental power. Unfortunately, Ning Tian's mental power level was limited; she was still a considerable distance from the tangible-intangible realm and could only accept a very small portion of his mental power.
But as long as it possessed the characteristics of tangible mental power, the power of the Mirror Illusion Realm, when unleashed, was completely different.
Ning Tian tacitly canceled the release of her head soul bone skill. The silver-white crown dissipated into specks of light, and the deep blue space returned to its original appearance.
Dai Huabin's group of five remained with blank eyes and trembling bodies.
"A mental illusion-type domain skill?" Wang Yan looked incredulously toward Ning Tian on the other side of the field.
Han Ruoruo also showed shock on her face, her brows slightly furrowed as she murmured, "But this mental illusion-type domain skill is a bit too powerful."
Ning Tian smiled without speaking, clinging to Xu Zihuang's arm and not answering Wang Yan or Han Ruoruo's questions.
Regarding the abilities of her head soul bone, she did not wish to explain in detail to others for now; this was a secret that belonged only to her and Yu Tianhuang.
Xu Zihuang brushed aside a strand of hair on Ning Tian's forehead, then turned with a smile amid her affectionate gaze and said, "Teacher Wang, Senior Sister Han, this spar should be considered over, right?"
However, before Wang Yan or Han Ruoruo could speak, a deep voice suddenly rang out.
"Yu Tianhuang, I admit I am indeed no longer your opponent right now, but I want to know the true gap between us." The speaker was Dai Huabin, who had recovered from the Mirror Illusion Realm, breathing heavily. Xiao Xiao, Nanmen Yun'er, Xie Huanyue, and Wu Feng also successively awoke, feeling lingering fear.
Xiao Xiao and the others were somewhat better off, but Wu Feng was filled with indignation. That had clearly been Ning Tian's soul bone skill; how could she possibly accept it?
Xu Zihuang's gaze shifted to Dai Huabin, and the smile on his face gradually faded. He held no ill will toward the current Dai Huabin, only pity.
People were born unequal, and if Dai Huabin wanted to chase him, he was destined to face a cruel reality.
"Tianhuang, Ning Tian. Since this is a spar, it should reflect the meaning of a spar. How about you have another round without Ning Tian using her head soul bone skill?" Wang Yan said with a wry smile, trying to smooth things over.
Xu Zihuang withdrew his right hand from Ning Tian's embrace, stepped forward a few paces, and smiled indifferently.
"Teacher Wang, I don't mind."
"Then there's no time to delay, let's continue now. This time, I'll act as referee." Han Ruoruo said with a smile full of interest. Having vaguely discovered something, her curiosity toward Yu Tianhuang was no less than Wang Yan's.
At Han Ruoruo's signal, both sides took their positions again. Dai Huabin's group maintained their original formation, while Ning Tian stood behind Xu Zihuang, ready to release her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul for support at any moment.
"Begin!"
Dai Huabin's group of five released their martial souls once more. Only Xiao Xiao, the support-control-system soul master, remained still. Dai Huabin, Wu Feng, Xie Huanyue, and Nanmen Yun'er rapidly closed in on Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian.
This time, Wu Feng, filled with indignation, rushed to the very front. With a delicate shout, dark red flames covered her entire body, fine dark red dragon scales appeared on her surface, and her first, second, and third soul rings lit up simultaneously.
Dragon Fire, Dragon Fury, Dragon Explosion, the three soul skills fully displayed the power of her Red Dragon martial soul. The scorching heat radiating from her body made even Dai Huabin and Xie Huanyue wary of getting too close.
Just as Ning Tian was about to release her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul, she felt an indescribable oppressive pressure from Yu Tianhuang's body, and her movements paused.
Purple! Purple! Purple! Black! Black! Red!
Six soul rings rose from beneath Xu Zihuang's feet. Especially when that demonic blood-red sixth soul ring appeared, everyone present felt their breathing stop, as if an invisible hand had gripped their throats.
The blood-red 100,000-year soul ring was filled with terrifying, violent ferocity. Among all 100,000-year soul beasts, the bloodline nobility of the pure mental-type Evil Eye Tyrant could rank near the top.
Even after becoming Xu Zihuang's sixth soul ring, it still retained the dominance it possessed in life.
The blood-red soul ring slowly pulsed around Xu Zihuang's body, an unparalleled aura mixed with mental pressure instantly assaulting everyone.
"A 100,000-year soul ring?!" Wang Yan cried out in shock.
Han Ruoruo's expression was equally vivid. She was no stranger to the aura of a 100,000-year soul ring. Zhang Lexuan, who was close to her, had successfully fused one.
What shocked her was that Yu Tianhuang had actually absorbed a 100,000-year soul ring at level sixty. What kind of monstrous physical quality was this? Back then, Zhang Lexuan had risked her life, narrowly escaping death, to fuse her 100,000-year soul ring, and afterward had to lie in bed recovering for a full half year.
And Zhang Lexuan had possessed level eighty soul power at the time.
No wonder Elder Mu chose you as the Poseidon Pavilion's successor across generations, and no wonder Lexuan values you so highly.
The five led by Dai Huabin, facing Xu Zihuang's aura directly, fared even worse; their legs went soft, their speed plummeted, and even the circulation of soul power within their bodies became sluggish.
The oppressive aura of a 100,000-year soul ring was undoubtedly astonishing; the combined momentum of Dai Huabin's group of five was instantly suppressed by Xu Zihuang alone.
Xiao Xiao even directly knelt on the ground, her eyes filled with terror. She once again recalled the feeling of being overwhelmingly crushed by Yu Tianhuang during the freshman assessment years ago. And this time, it was even stronger than before.
After a brief daze, Ning Tian's eyes grew misty with emotion, and she smiled radiantly.
The youth she adored had once again created a miracle; for this, she could only feel genuinely happy and proud from the bottom of her heart.
At that moment, the blood-red halo expanded outward from Xu Zihuang's sixth-position 100,000-year soul ring, mysterious and oppressive. This meant that Xu Zihuang had activated his 100,000-year sixth soul ring skill in front of everyone.
A golden pupil illusion flickered behind Xu Zihuang, and circles of strange, twisting golden light patterns spread outward, causing everything around to become distorted and illusory.
This feeling of distortion and illusion instantly enveloped the entire Poseidon Island, even covering a large portion of Poseidon Lake.
From afar, it appeared as if a massive golden light membrane had covered a space with a diameter of ten kilometers centered on Poseidon Island.
All living beings within this area were affected. Passing birds directly lost consciousness and fell from the sky; the mysterious turtle with over 5,000 years of cultivation raised in Poseidon Lake weakly flipped onto its back on the lake surface; countless silver fish floated on the water.
The inner courtyard disciples on Poseidon Island also suffered various negative effects: dizziness, paralysis, confusion, sluggishness, fatigue, despondency, weakness, and so on. Even the elders of the Poseidon Pavilion were alerted and looked toward the training field. Relying on their powerful cultivation, the impact on them was limited.
Mental Force Field. This was one of the skills attached to Xu Zihuang's 100,000-year sixth soul ring, a powerful control-type innate soul skill from the Evil Eye Tyrant lineage. This soul skill encompasses nearly all effects of mental control-type soul skills.
Any opponent whose mental power was weaker than his would be suppressed by the Mental Force Field. Depending on their cultivation and mental power, the suppressed would experience the various states mentioned earlier.
For inner courtyard disciples at the Soul King level, like Dai Huabin's group of five, under the suppression of the Mental Force Field, they suffered various negative states and essentially lost all combat ability.
Inner courtyard disciples between level sixty and seventy fared slightly better, but could at most exert about fifty percent of their usual strength. At least Soul Sage cultivation or above was required to gather soul power and mental power to resist the suppression of the Mental Force Field, though they still suffered considerable impact.
Xu Zihuang only maintained the Mental Force Field effect for a few seconds before withdrawing it.
After condensing a mental-attribute soul core, although the Mental Force Field consumed a large amount of soul power, it remained within an acceptable range for him.
If he wished, he could even expand the coverage of the Mental Force Field to a terrifying thirty-kilometer diameter; this was the limit of his mental power projection. However, the effects would undoubtedly weaken considerably, to the point of only affecting ordinary people and soul masters below level thirty, while the consumption of soul power and mental power would increase geometrically.
It was said that when the Evil Eye Tyrant Ruler personally used this soul skill, it could easily cover an entire large city. Even the largest city on the continent, Mingdu, could be mostly encompassed.
The reason Xu Zihuang stopped the soul skill was to avoid affecting the cultivation of the inner courtyard disciples on Poseidon Island. This was his first time using the soul skill, and he still needed time to familiarize himself with it; for now, he could not precisely prevent the Mental Force Field's effects from impacting every inner courtyard disciple on Poseidon Island.
Xu Zihuang thoughtfully sensed the characteristics of this 100,000-year soul skill, the Mental Force Field. Although its coverage range was astonishing, it was far less powerful than the other skill attached to the 100,000-year soul ring.
However, all of this required him to test them one by one and temper them in actual combat to achieve perfect mastery. This was also the reason he had decided to go out for training in a while.
Just the Mental Force Field alone had affected everyone on Poseidon Island; there was no need to mention the other offensive-type 100,000-year mental-attribute soul skills.
Dai Huabin, Wu Feng, Xie Huanyue, Nanmen Yun'er, and Xiao Xiao, the five stared blankly. Xu Zihuang had long since stopped releasing the Mental Force Field soul skill, but they remained slow to recover. Having suffered the various negative effects brought by the Mental Force Field earlier, their spirits continued to linger in a daze.
This was the might of a 100,000-year soul skill, and that was with him deliberately holding back.
Sounds of breaking air arrived as the elders of the Poseidon Pavilion finally reached the training field. Closely following them were the inner courtyard's eldest senior sister Zhang Lexuan, Wu Ming, and other inner courtyard disciples above Soul Sage cultivation who could fly. After them came people Xu Zihuang was more familiar with: Chen Zifeng, Gongyang Mo, Ling Luochen, Xixi, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and others.
Nearly all of Shrek Academy's inner courtyard disciples had gathered here.
And everyone's gazes were fixed upon Xu Zihuang's shocking soul ring configuration.
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