In the arena, Nanmen Yun'er's body was also radiating the glow of her first and third soul rings.
First soul skill: Emerald Jade Blade. Third soul skill: Emerald Jade Shadow. After the Emerald Demon Bird bloodline within her was triggered and her Jade Green Bird martial soul evolved, her soul skills naturally changed accordingly.
Both her hands simultaneously turned emerald green, as if carved from jade, possessing the translucent texture of fine emerald gems, with an extremely sharp aura condensing within. Her own speed also suddenly soared under the amplification of her third soul skill, Emerald Jade Shadow.
Dai Huabin's third soul skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation, provided a comprehensive boost to attack, strength, and defense, while Nanmen Yun'er's third soul skill, Emerald Jade Shadow, focused its amplification on speed and attack.
Dai Huabin, facing her head-on, felt this most profoundly. Zhu Lu's Nether Civet martial soul was already outstanding among agility-attack type martial souls, but he could confidently say that even if Zhu Lu broke through to the five-ring Soul King realm, her speed still couldn't compare to Nanmen Yun'er's. This was the gap in martial soul quality.
Zhu Lu's Hell Spirit Cat martial soul could not yet be considered a top-tier martial soul; at best, it was only in the category of high-level martial souls. But after Nanmen Yun'er's Jade Green Bird martial soul evolved into the Emerald Demon Bird, it became an undisputed top-tier martial soul.
Elder Song of the Sea God's Pavilion, who was also the mother of the Soul Guidance Department Dean Xian Lin'er, possessed a soul power cultivation of level 97, making her the second strongest in the current Sea God's Pavilion, beneath Elder Xuan. Elder Song's martial soul, the Greenshadow Godly Eagle, as a top-tier agility-attack martial soul, shared many similarities with Nanmen Yun'er's Emerald Demon Bird martial soul.
Both were wind-attribute flying martial souls renowned for attack power and speed. The reason Elder Song valued Nanmen Yun'er so highly was not only because their martial soul abilities were similar, but also because she affirmed Nanmen Yun'er's potential.
If the former Nanmen Yun'er had found it somewhat difficult to even reach the Title Douluo realm in the future, now she possessed the potential to become a Super Douluo.
In the blink of an eye, the distance between Nanmen Yun'er and Dai Huabin rapidly closed, and their figures were about to overlap.
Dai Huabin was naturally tall and imposing. After releasing his White Tiger martial soul, his height reached at least two meters. In contrast, Nanmen Yun'er, who had just reached a height of 1.7 meters and possessed a lithe and graceful figure, created a stark visual contrast when standing with Dai Huabin.
Nanmen Yun'er's speed was simply too fast; all Dai Huabin could see was an afterimage.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he crossed his tiger claws in front of him for protection. The illusory shadow of the White Tiger martial soul behind him let out a low tiger roar.
Dai Huabin's soul power rank was one level higher than Ning Tian's, reaching level 55. His combat experience was even richer. The defensive posture he adopted was very sophisticated; it allowed him to launch a ferocious attack if the opportunity arose or to protect his vital points if needed.
At the exact moment their figures crossed, Nanmen Yun'er's figure suddenly vanished from Dai Huabin's sight.
A piercingly sharp aura assaulted the top of his head, making his scalp tingle. Dai Huabin abruptly raised his head, his heart filled with alarm.
He saw a pair of small emerald-green wings trembling slightly behind Nanmen Yun'er, propelling her body as she descended from the sky. Her right hand, transformed into an Emerald Jade Blade, aimed straight for the crown of Dai Huabin's head. While maintaining flight, Nanmen Yun'er's speed increased yet another notch.
Nanmen Yun'er's speed was so extreme, and the distance between them so short, that she arrived almost instantly. Dai Huabin simply had no time to use any other soul skills. In this situation, he precisely controlled his first soul skill, White Tiger Protective Barrier, expanding it outward in an attempt to repel Nanmen Yun'er.
The white light barrier enveloping his entire body blazed brightly, giving off a feeling of thick solidity. Over the years, he had also cultivated diligently, and his mastery over his own soul skills had reached the level of perfection.
Yet in the next instant, Dai Huabin's pupils suddenly contracted.
The translucent emerald-green light condensed on Nanmen Yun'er's right hand only paused briefly before piercing straight through his White Tiger Protective Barrier.
Immediately afterward, among the five soul rings circling Nanmen Yun'er, the second yellow ring lit up. She retracted her right hand, clasped both hands together above her head, and the same emerald-green light condensed above her into a crescent-shaped blade of light that slashed down toward Dai Huabin.
Second soul skill: Emerald Jade Slash!
Thanks to the brief resistance offered by the White Tiger Protective Barrier, although Dai Huabin felt shocked and doubtful, his outstanding combat instincts allowed him to react quickly.
He retreated at once and spat a concentrated blast of White Tiger Intense Light Wave from his mouth toward the emerald-green blade in the air.
"BOOM—"
The shockwave from the collision of soul power swept up the surrounding sand and gravel. This clash was evenly matched.
Nanmen Yun'er's Emerald Demon Bird martial soul quality surpassed Dai Huabin's White Tiger martial soul by a notch, but her soul power was only level 51 after all. Using the same second soul skill under the amplification of their respective third soul skills, Dai Huabin's higher soul power cultivation was enough to compensate for the slight gap in martial soul quality.
The reason Nanmen Yun'er's Emerald Jade Blade had been able to pierce Dai Huabin's White Tiger Protective Barrier earlier was purely due to the natural counter between their soul skills, one specialized in breaking protective skills and excelled at single-point penetration, while the other provided overall defense.
It was perfectly normal for Nanmen Yun'er's first soul skill, Emerald Jade Blade, to hold the advantage.
At the edge of the arena, a brilliant light flashed in Wang Yan's eyes.
It was a publicly acknowledged rule in the soul master world that assault-system soul masters countered agility-attack soul masters, yet Dai Huabin had not gained the slightest advantage in these exchanges. This already spoke volumes.
"Tianhuang, your current generation really is overflowing with talents," Wang Yan couldn't help but sigh lightly, his gaze growing increasingly fervent. This new disciple who had just entered the inner courtyard, Nanmen Yun'er, had given him yet another pleasant surprise.
Xu Zihuang merely smiled without speaking, continuing to observe the confrontation between Dai Huabin and Nanmen Yun'er in the center of the arena. His eyes had already turned brilliant gold, with rings of light circulating within.
Unlike Wang Yan, he possessed the innate ability Golden Eyes, allowing him to see far more detailed aspects. Among everyone present, the only other person with such observational power was naturally Han Ruoruo, the Soul Douluo-level powerhouse known as the number one control-type student in the inner courtyard.
At this moment, Han Ruoruo also keenly noticed the change in Xu Zihuang's eyes. Normally, control-type soul masters possessed the strongest spiritual power among soul masters of the same level, and an elite inner courtyard disciple like Han Ruoruo was naturally no exception. Although she was not a spirit-attribute soul master, her spiritual power was already very close to the Tangible-Intangible realm.
Yet even so, when she looked directly into Xu Zihuang's eyes, she felt her mind being drawn in.
"What powerful spiritual force," Han Ruoruo silently praised in her heart, gradually beginning to understand the intentions of Elder Mu and Zhang Lexuan.
The others were completely focused on watching the battle. Not only Dai Huabin, but the usually low-key Nanmen Yun'er had also brought them enormous pressure. Just as Wang Yan said, their generation truly was filled with outstanding talents.
The one most affected was Wu Feng. She lowered her head, her expression unsightly. Ever since entering Shrek Academy, her pride had been trampled time and time again.
At first, it was Yu Tianhuang, then after Yu Tianhuang went to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy for exchange studies, she had always been suppressed by Dai Huabin. Compared to Xie Huanyue and Xiao Xiao, she held no advantage either. And now there was another Nanmen Yun'er.
With her current self, what right did she have to snatch Ning Tian away from Yu Tianhuang's side? This reality filled her with oppressive despair.
Nanmen Yun'er's figure constantly shifted in the air, resembling an emerald-green phantom as she evaded Dai Huabin's successive White Tiger Intense Light Waves. Relying on her flight ability and superior speed, she temporarily stalemated with Dai Huabin.
Although it was said that assault-system soul masters countered agility-attack soul masters, that referred to confrontations and close-quarters combat. Under those circumstances, as long as the strength gap wasn't too large, assault-system soul masters could rely on amplification and protective skills to withstand attacks from agility-attack soul masters, while the latter's defenses were always weak. Once struck by an assault-system soul master, it was difficult for them to preserve themselves.
However, soul masters possessing flying-type martial souls could, to a certain extent, counter non-flying martial soul users.
After the initial probing, Nanmen Yun'er decisively changed her strategy, refusing to give Dai Huabin any chance to close in. After her martial soul evolved into the Emerald Demon Bird, flight became an innate ability that consumed almost no soul power. Under this give-and-take, she was the one holding the advantage and initiative.
She could even continue ascending until she was beyond the range of Dai Huabin's White Tiger Intense Light Waves, but that would defeat the purpose of the spar.
Nanmen Yun'er shuttled between the waves of White Tiger Intense Light Waves while simultaneously unleashing her second soul skill, Emerald Jade Slash, to attack Dai Huabin, forcing him to continuously maintain his White Tiger Vajra Transformation and White Tiger Protective Barrier.
Dai Huabin's eyes were bloodshot; he felt extremely stifled. Although he had become much more composed over the years, how could the personality ingrained in his bones change so easily?
It was one thing to be inferior to Yu Tianhuang, but being unable to surpass even a woman was what he found most unacceptable.
With an angry roar, his fourth and fifth black soul rings flashed one after another. Circles of intense golden light continuously rose from beneath his feet. With each circle that rose, his aura swelled further, and a ferocious, murderous pressure began to radiate outward. Even the illusory White Tiger martial soul behind him completely turned golden.
Fifth soul skill: White Tiger Devilgod Transformation. The effect of Dai Huabin's fifth soul skill was similar to his third soul skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation, but the amplification was far stronger, and the effects of the two skills could stack.
Immediately afterward, a dazzling golden pillar of light shot skyward behind him. Within the pillar, crescent-shaped rays of light flashed, transforming into over a hundred falling balls of light.
Under the dual amplification of his two great boosting skills, Dai Huabin unleashed his fourth soul skill, White Tiger Meteor Shower, instantly sealing off the entire area where Nanmen Yun'er was located.
Nanmen Yun'er's figure flickered, splitting into three. This was her fourth soul skill, a clone-type skill that was quite common among agility-attack soul masters.
Three emerald-green figures broke out in different directions, trying their best to slip through the gaps between each ball of light in the White Tiger Meteor Shower, but all three clones were inevitably struck.
Each time a white ball of light passed through a clone, that clone became more illusory. It seemed none of the three was Nanmen Yun'er's real body.
However, both Xu Zihuang and Han Ruoruo noticed a crucial detail: the three clones had never been hit at the same time. Toward the end, one clone always remained particularly solid and constantly switched positions among the three.
The three clones broke through Dai Huabin's White Tiger Meteor Shower and merged back into one. The two illusory clones fused into the final solid one.
Nanmen Yun'er slightly regulated her breathing, her chest gently rising and falling. Although her fourth soul skill didn't consume much soul power, due to one of its characteristics, it was extremely taxing on the mind and spirit.
She didn't know whether Dai Huabin still had enough strength under his third and fifth soul skill amplifications to use White Tiger Meteor Shower again to restrict her movement, but she definitely couldn't afford to use her fourth soul skill again to evade it.
Therefore, she decided not to drag things out any longer.
The emerald-green wings behind her flapped, keeping her suspended in the air. Then emerald-green light gathered at her right fingertip, and her pitch-black fifth soul ring finally lit up.
The emerald-green light converged, not becoming denser but gradually turning semi-transparent, as fine as silk threads. It looked like a jade needle carved from pure emerald.
The faintly discernible semi-transparent emerald-green light flashed past. It appeared silent, yet the condensed and rich wind attribute, elemental power contained within, was enough to shock everyone present.
Dai Huabin naturally sensed it as well, but with his personality, how could he possibly retreat at this moment? On the contrary, he had actually been forcing Nanmen Yun'er into a confrontation.
His expression turned cold. He raised his right hand in a grasping motion, and an incomparably intense pale-white light surged in his palm, instantly transforming into a beam far thinner than the White Tiger Intense Light Wave but countless times more condensed, shooting toward that semi-transparent emerald-green light.
Blazing Light Cutting Line.
This was the fruit of Dai Huabin's many years of bitter cultivation. In a certain sense, the Blazing Light Cutting Line could be considered a self-created soul skill. It was based on the White Tiger Intense Light Wave but was many times more powerful.
However, the Blazing Light Cutting Line was not a completely original self-created skill from scratch; rather, it was a technique passed down through generations in the White Tiger lineage that Dai Huabin had fortunately mastered, a feat that neither Duke White Tiger Dai Hao nor Dai Yueheng had accomplished.
And right at that moment, a golden light soared into the sky, coiling like a flood dragon between the Blazing Light Cutting Line and Nanmen Yun'er's fifth soul skill, the Emerald Jade Needle. One could see it was a golden rope. Golden rings of light flashed, forming circles that effortlessly blocked the strongest attacks from both Dai Huabin and Nanmen Yun'er.
"Alright, this spar ends here." Han Ruoruo's gentle voice rang out as the golden rope retracted and returned to her side.
The soul rings pulsing around her were a dazzling eight in number: two yellow, two purple, and four black.
Wang Yan, standing beside her, wore a thoughtful expression, but the burning passion in his gaze toward Nanmen Yun'er and Dai Huabin was impossible to conceal.
"Senior Sister Han, who won?" Xiao Xiao, still immersed in the earlier shock, subconsciously asked Han Ruoruo softly.
She knew that if it were her facing either Dai Huabin or Nanmen Yun'er, she would have no chance of victory.
Even though she possessed twin martial souls.
The advantage of twin martial souls only truly manifests in the later stages of cultivation. At present, she held little edge.
The others also turned to look at Han Ruoruo.
After Han Ruoruo intervened, Dai Huabin's gaze had remained fixed on her. With his intensely competitive nature, he clearly cared even more about the outcome of this spar than Xiao Xiao and the others.
Han Ruoruo smiled faintly and said, "Huabin's move should have been stronger in terms of raw power. Very impressive."
Dai Huabin revealed an expression that said it was only to be expected. His goal had always been Yu Tianhuang.
"However, Yun'er's fifth soul skill was far more condensed in energy and would have been enough to pierce through Dai Huabin's attack. In the end, it would have been a mutually destructive outcome." Xu Zihuang continued where Han Ruoruo left off, giving a gentle smile to Nanmen Yun'er, who had just withdrawn her martial soul and landed not far away.
"If I'm not mistaken, Yun'er, with the three clones created by your fourth soul skill, your real body can actually switch freely between them, right?"
Han Ruoruo nodded slightly, fully agreeing with Yu Tianhuang's assessment. Her current thoughts were the same as Wang Yan's; this year's new students were truly exceptional.
Nanmen Yun'er had only just nodded and walked over to the group when Dai Huabin found it somewhat hard to accept. His fists clenched and unclenched, but in the end, he said nothing.
Yu Tianhuang and Han Ruoruo had no reason to deliberately belittle him. From his former arrogance to now being able to face reality head-on, this was his greatest growth over the years.
Afterward, Wang Yan gave Dai Huabin and Nanmen Yun'er some guidance. Limited by his own strength, Wang Yan lacked certain insights, but those were pointed out by Xu Zihuang and Han Ruoruo. Combined with his rich theoretical knowledge, he was still able to provide the two with some inspiration.
Dai Huabin and Nanmen Yun'er sat down on the spot to recover their soul power. However, unlike before, Wang Yan and Han Ruoruo did not have Xiao Xiao, Xie Huanyue, Wu Feng, and Ning Tian form a team for another spar. Instead, Wang Yan smiled cheerfully and placed his right hand on Xu Zihuang's shoulder.
"Tianhuang, how about this? In a moment, you and Ning Tian will face Dai Huabin, Xiao Xiao, Nanmen Yun'er, Xie Huanyue, and Wu Feng, five against two. Otherwise, there's no pressure at all, and we won't be able to see just how much progress you've made in these past few years."
Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian exchanged a glance, both seeing the amusement in each other's eyes. The emotion in Xu Zihuang's eyes was calm confidence, while Ning Tian's was absolute trust in him.
"Teacher Wang, we have no objections."
Xiao Xiao, Wu Feng, and Xie Huanyue looked at one another.
Yet deep in Wu Feng's eyes, a spark of hope ignited. Though it was slim, if it was five against two, they weren't entirely without a chance.
At the thought of having a chance to defeat Yu Tianhuang, she clung to it like a drowning person grasping the last straw, obsessed and almost possessed. Of course, she showed none of this outwardly.
Han Ruoruo observed everyone with great interest and smiled warmly.
"Although it's just a spar, let's make it formal. Retreat to your respective sides first. While Yun'er and Huabin recover their soul power, you can discuss tactics in advance."
"Then we'll head over there." Xu Zihuang and Ning Tian took the initiative to walk to the opposite end of the training field.
Ning Tian still intimately held Xu Zihuang's arm as the two sat down on a clean, smooth rock, looking across at Wang Yan and the others from afar.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are 40 early chapters available on Patreon
[email protected]/facficmax10--------(@→a)