It was the first time Tang Xiaolei had encountered a peer so skilled that they could catch an arrow with their bare hands, and it sent a shock through him.
He didn't use a Martial Soul Skill, nor a Soul Guided Device, to catch my arrow. Only teachers who are Soul Sages or above at the academy can do that. How is it possible for him?
Aren't Soul Engineers from the Sun Moon Empire generally weaklings with poor physical conditioning? How can there be such a strong person? Did he use some Soul Guided Device that I couldn't perceive?
Seeing that the other party wasn't making a move, Xu Tianxi calmly looked up and said,
"You can choose not to attack, but if you do, I'll have to send you off immediately, and your appearance on stage will have been meaningless. Or... are you afraid to attack?"
"Don't look down on me! I'll show you my strength!"
Every contestant harbored pride, and Tang Xiaolei was confident enough to shoot his arrows even against the experts from Shrek Academy. He simply couldn't tolerate Xu Tianxi's provocation.
"If a Hundred-Year Soul Ring isn't enough, then I'll use a thousand-year one! I don't believe you can block them all!"
Tang Xiaolei drew his bow for a second time, and the thousand-year third Soul Ring on his body suddenly vanished, transforming into a purple light that shot out.
In the waiting area, Xiao Hongchen yawned, "It looks like this guy's Martial Soul has piqued Old Xu's interest, otherwise Old Xu wouldn't be playing with him for so long."
Ma Rulong looked relaxed, playing cards with his teammates, and casually remarked, "How long do you think it'll take him to knock out all seven opponents?"
"How would I know? Depends on his mood," Xiao Hongchen grabbed a glass of juice and slurped a few mouthfuls, his expression easygoing and unconcerned.
"I have to say, Tang Xiaolei's Martial Soul has a pretty strong offensive power, surpassing many Fifth Level Soul Engineers. Old Xu isn't coming up with new ideas again, is he?"
Just as Xiao Hongchen was pondering, Tang Xiaolei's second arrow had already entered three feet of Xu Tianxi's personal space. A Moon Shadow appeared on Xu Tianxi's brow, emitting a silver stream of light that shattered the arrow.
"You have one last chance to attack."
After neutralizing Tang Xiaolei's second arrow, Xu Tianxi gained more insight from it. His calm voice echoed across the Competition Stage, as if announcing the opponent's fate.
Having integrated the Gold of Life for the second time, Xu Tianxi's Eye of Life in his brow had been modified twice by Electrolux. Deep Meditation had allowed his Spiritual Power and Soul Power to merge more deeply, enabling him to now utilize the power of the Eye of Life's Second Sea of Consciousness for his own use.
Although he hadn't merged with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion to form the Eye of Destiny, his Eye of Life was originally developed based on the Moon Shadow mark. As long as he could harness the Spiritual Power and Soul Power within it, he could unleash considerable combat power.
And Xu Tianxi's own Spiritual Power had already reached a level comparable to some Soul Douluo. Vaguely, he even felt he could attempt to touch the realm of unity with heaven and earth.
"How is that possible? Is that his Martial Soul?"
Tang Xiaolei hadn't detected any trace of Soul Skills being used by this unfathomable opponent, yet his own attack was dispersed. This was a crisis he had never encountered before.
In Shrek's waiting area, Bei Bei looked at Zhang Lexuan in surprise, "Senior Sister, how is his defense somewhat similar to yours?"
Zhang Lexuan's expression was grave: "My Martial Soul is the moon, and so is his. That was probably a special Soul Skill or combat technique just now."
"That Tang Xiaolei's attack isn't weak; it's top-tier among five-ring Soul Kings. Yet he could easily block it. It seems he truly is a Soul Emperor, no doubt about it. None of you are his match."
Wang Yan's expression was conflicted for a moment. He stood up and made a pleading gesture:
"Then, Lexuan, could you tell us about the Moon Martial Soul? Since you both have Moon Martial Souls, I don't think he could have cultivated it more profoundly than you. Everyone will definitely keep it a secret for you too."
What he said was presumptuous, tantamount to asking Zhang Lexuan to reveal her combat weaknesses. But he had no choice. Up until now, Kong Tianxi had remained hidden, proving to be unfathomable.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen had already displayed the powerful combat capabilities of Soul Emperors in previous battles. Kong Tianxi was bound to be even more terrifying, possibly surpassing Dai Yueheng and approaching Ma Xiaotao.
If they didn't adopt a targeted strategy against such an opponent, Shrek wouldn't stand a chance of winning.
Zhang Lexuan furrowed her brows, pondered for a few seconds, then nodded. "I'll think about it now and tell you later."
"Senior Sister, Tang Xiaolei has released his last three arrows!" Ling Luochen exclaimed.
Tang Xiaolei used his Soul Rings as arrows. With five Soul Rings on his body, it meant he could only launch five attacks, and these five attacks would drain all of his Soul Power.
In a sense, his Martial Soul was somewhat similar to a Soul Guided Device, exchanging Soul Power for incredibly powerful attacks. The explosive power of his last arrow could reach the Soul Emperor level, and Ling Luochen privately admitted she couldn't easily block it.
Now, with three arrows on one string, all three shot out at once. He was clearly putting everything on the line, determined to pose a threat to Xu Tianxi. Even his own body went limp and collapsed to the ground from the exhaustion of his Soul Power.
"I refuse to believe you can easily block this one too!" Tang Xiaolei, sprawled on the ground, turned his head, staring intently at the three arrow trails he had painstakingly unleashed.
"Then let's find out."
The Moon Shadow on Xu Tianxi's brow glowed brightly. With a flick of his sleeve, he cast out a swath of moon-white Soul Light. His Spiritual Power and Soul Power converged to form a Clear Radiance Barrier, blocking the arrows in front of him.
At the same time, his fourth Soul Ring quietly lit up beneath his feet, causing countless people to sigh in relief—Xu Tianxi hadn't used Moon God's Protection, but if he didn't activate a Soul Skill in this situation, it would have been too terrifying.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
Two purple and one yellow, three arrows shot out simultaneously, piercing into the Clear Radiance Barrier. The arrows hissed through the air, but they couldn't penetrate.
In the blink of an eye, the bright yellow arrow shattered.
The next moment, a full moon appeared behind Xu Tianxi's head. Its light radiated outwards, spraying two beams of moonlight that cleanly shattered the two purple arrow shadows.
Seeing this scene, Tang Xiaolei completely despaired and slumped his head down.
Having cultivated until now, this is the first time I've encountered such a powerful opponent. And the other party didn't even use a Soul Guided Device. What's going on?
After blocking Tang Xiaolei's last three arrows, Xu Tianxi retracted his Martial Soul and aura, acting as if nothing had happened. "Please, next contestant."
He had already memorized the Soul Power Circulation process of Tang Xiaolei's five arrows just now; it was excellent research material. Even if he didn't need it himself, he could try to develop secret techniques or Soul Guided Devices from it.
His voice was calm and indifferent, but to the people of Zheng Tian Academy, Shrek Academy, and even the entire audience, it carried a different weight.
In the Shrek Academy's area, Hu Yanbashan, the defensive battle Soul King, had a very grim expression. Tang Xiaolei's three arrows were extremely powerful. He privately admitted he couldn't have handled them as effortlessly as Xu Tianxi, and getting injured would have been inevitable.
Everyone else's faces were as grave as still water. Xu Tianxi's casual ease was probably only achievable by Ma Xiaotao among the competing team members.
At Zheng Tian Academy, Ye Wuqing, Yu Mengdi, and the others wore grim expressions. Xu Tianxi's move was too stunning, leaving no trace.
"Captain, should I go..." Yu Mengdi began, preparing to stand up.
"No! Let's wait and see." Ye Wuqing stopped Yu Mengdi, giving a look to his teammates behind him.
"As we discussed, Yifan, Blood Wolf, Yan Er, all of you go up and test his abilities. Do your best."
Among the seven members of the Zheng Tian team, there was one auxiliary Soul Master. It would be pointless for that person to go on stage, and sending a substitute would be like sending them to their demise. Ye Wuqing had already decided to fiercely challenge Xu Tianxi in the sixth round.
"Alright."
Yang Yifan was the first to agree. He swept forward and ascended the Competition Stage.
Seeing a Soul Ancestorwith only forty-two or forty-three levels of Soul Power, Xu Tianxi furrowed his brow slightly.
"While I'm very interested in combat, shouldn't you at least send a Soul King to fight me? Someone of your strength won't be able to resist me at all. You might as well step down early."
Yang Yifan's eyes were sharp as he retorted, "Whether I can fight or not, we'll only know after we fight!"
"It seems you're too stuck in old ways," Xu Tianxi shook his head and said.
"Let me remind you, I am both a Soul Master and a Soul Engineer. Looking at me with outdated perceptions is meaningless."
Yang Yifan summoned his Dagger Martial Soul and sneered, "Then let's see what you've got."
Before he finished speaking, his entire body transformed into a shadow, flickering and stealthily approaching with extreme speed.
Clearly, he was an agility-type Soul Ancestor.
"As you wish."
Xu Tianxi beckoned with his right hand, and a Fifth Level paralyzing Soul Guided Gun, which he had personally crafted, appeared in his grasp. Without seeming to aim, he fired a Soul Guided Ray forward.
A scene that stunned countless people unfolded on the stage: the shadow that Yang Yifan had transformed into seemed to actively move towards it, getting directly pierced by Xu Tianxi's paralyzing Soul Guided Ray.
The shadow dispersed, revealing Yang Yifan's powerless form, collapsing limply.
"Next."
Xu Tianxi's calm voice echoed.
"Damn it, our Zheng Tian Academy isn't easy to deal with."
Blood Wolf rushed onto the stage, his Wolf Martial Soul possessed him, and he unleashed an amplifying Soul Skill similar to White Tiger Vajra Transformation, pouncing with bared fangs and claws.
Whoosh—
The Soul Guided Ray directly pierced Blood Wolf's chest. The latter immediately lost the strength to move, and relying on inertia, he stumbled forward a few steps before collapsing heavily, face down.
"Just this? I feel like you're quite easy to deal with," Xu Tianxi said candidly, speaking his mind.
"And me!"
Yan Er stepped onto the stage, releasing tangible elemental fireballs from her Martial Soul. Massive fireballs floated around her feet and in her hands, causing Xu Tianxi's eye to twitch.
Are they seriously just sending themselves up one by one to deplete my Soul Power?
"Alright, as you wish."
Switching to a Fifth Level Frost Soul Guided Gun, Xu Tianxi's body flickered, firing three consecutive shots from different positions on the Competition Stage. The icy Soul Guided Rays pierced Yan Er's body, turning her fireballs into Ice Sculptures.
Pressing his brow, Xu Tianxi couldn't help but say to Ye Wuqing below the stage,
"If you keep sending these Soul Ancestors up, don't blame me for being impolite. I'm here to compete, not to practice shooting."
"Don't worry, you won't be disappointed," Yu Mengdi replied on behalf of Ye Wuqing. With a powerful push from her legs, she leaped onto the Competition Stage.
As her Martial Soul was released, a pair of pure white wings, radiating intense golden light, unfolded from Yu Mengdi's back, instantly enveloping her entire body in a soft golden glow.
Two yellow, two purple, and one black Soul Rings appeared on her body simultaneously. As her First Soul Ring pulsed, a golden light flashed in Yu Mengdi's hand, and a pair of golden longswords appeared.
"A Two-Winged Angel Martial Soul, combat power directly approaching the peak of a Soul King. Indeed, quite good." Xu Tianxi's eyes lit up.
The Angel Martial Soul has always been synonymous with power on the Douluo Continent. While Yu Mengdi's Angel Martial Soul was certainly far inferior to the Six-Winged Angel passed down by the Martial Soul Hall ten thousand years ago, and probably not as good as a certain Miss Ye of the same era, it was undeniably a top-tier Martial Soul.
Her Martial Soul could evolve into a Four-Winged Angel at seven rings, and a Six-Winged Angel at nine rings. Although it was unknown how much it differed from the Six-Winged Angel of ten thousand years ago, it was likely comparable to top-tier Body Martial Souls.
Speaking of Angel Martial Souls, I need to have someone keep an eye on the Ordinary Alliance when I get back. If they find someone, they should quickly intercept them. Sacred Angels are the best tools for dealing with Evil Soul Masters. Killing Evil Soul Masters can even upgrade them.
Having made up his mind, Xu Tianxi refocused his gaze on Yu Mengdi and smiled, "Your Angel Martial Soul is excellent. Are you interested in developing it in the Sun Moon Empire?"