Hu Liena and Yan activated their martial soul possessions. Xie Yue summoned his twin crescent blades.
Hu Liena's magnificent fox tail emerged, swaying hypnotically behind her. The strange light of her martial soul made her beauty intensify into something almost supernatural—dangerously alluring.
Yan's Flame Lord possession covered him in reinforced armor that blazed with inner fire. His posture straightened, his physique swelled with power, and his overall presence surged dramatically.
All three displayed their soul rings—the standard two-ring configuration, one yellow and one purple.
"First Soul Skill: Fox Charm!"
Hu Liena's eyes locked onto Huang Wei, lips curving into a seductive smile. Her gaze glowed with purple light as heart-shaped energy gathered before her.
"Black Turtle—possess! Defense!"
Huang Wei's soul power erupted instantly. The massive Black Turtle materialized above him, majestic and imposing.
A thick turtle shell encased his entire body in layers of impenetrable emerald armor.
The pink-purple heart-shaped fox charm shot forward—
DING!
It struck the turtle shell and bounced straight back at Hu Liena.
"Ngh—!"
Hu Liena gasped, stumbling backward as her own charm technique rebounded straight at her. Shock flooded her features.
Bibi Dong moved like lightning, her soul power flaring out to intercept and neutralize the reflected skill before it could fully strike.
The healing soul master immediately channeled her abilities, the Void Mulberry's restorative energy washing over Hu Liena in soothing waves.
"Nana! Are you alright?!" Yan and Xie Yue rushed to her side, voices tight with concern.
Under the healer's treatment, Hu Liena's dizziness gradually cleared. She stared at Huang Wei's turtle shell with wide-eyed disbelief. "His shell can actually bounce back my Fox Charm?! How is that even possible?!"
"That's ridiculous—let me try!" Yan's competitive fire blazed. He whirled around, activating his first soul skill without hesitation.
"Infernal Lava Surge!"
The ground cracked beneath them. Pillars of magma and flame erupted from the fissures, roaring toward Huang Wei like angry serpents.
"I'm coming too!" Xie Yue wasn't about to be left behind. His first soul ring blazed as his twin crescent blades gleamed with deadly light.
"KILL!" he roared, his blade strike combining with Yan's lava pillars in a devastating coordinated assault.
BOOM!!
The combined attack struck Huang Wei's turtle shell with explosive force—
CRACK—ZZZZZZZT!!!
A bolt of lightning erupted from the point of impact, branching out in every direction like a vengeful god's judgment. The electricity didn't discriminate—it arced toward every living target within range.
Xie Yue, Yan, Hu Liena, Bibi Dong, even the healing soul master—all seven people in the vicinity were struck simultaneously.
The Statikk Shiv's chain lightning ignored levels, ignored defenses, struck directly at their physical bodies.
But the worst victims were Xie Yue and Yan.
"AHHHHHHH!"
Their screams tore through the courtyard as critical hit damage multiplied the backlash. The two Soul Elders were launched backward, crashing into the ground with bone-rattling force.
Blood sprayed from their mouths. Their bodies convulsed violently, muscles spasming as if being torn apart from the inside. Every nerve ending screamed in agony.
"No—this is bad! Very bad!"
"Heal them! NOW!"
Bibi Dong channeled her soul power desperately, purging the paralysis effects from herself and Hu Liena as quickly as possible.
The healing soul master fought to do the same, her own body still trembling from the electrical assault.
All three women were stunned that the counter-effect had reached them despite standing well away from the actual combat.
I've experienced this twice before, Bibi Dong thought grimly, and I hoped never to feel it again.
The healer rushed to Yan and Xie Yue's sides, her face pale with shock at the severity of their injuries. These were life-threatening wounds—internal damage, ruptured meridians, catastrophic trauma.
She immediately activated her eighth soul skill—her most powerful healing ability—pouring everything she had into saving their lives.
Slowly, agonizingly, the two young men's conditions stabilized. Color returned to their ashen faces. Their breathing steadied.
They'd survived. Barely.
When consciousness finally returned, both Xie Yue and Yan stared at Huang Wei's turtle shell with expressions of pure terror. They scrambled backward on unsteady legs, putting distance between themselves and that demonic defense.
Holy shit. We only used our first soul skills. If we'd unleashed our second or third skills at full power, we'd have been blown apart from the inside out.
The realization sent ice through their veins.
Both silently swore identical oaths: If we ever attack this monster again, we're complete idiots.
But... with someone like this on their team? They'd be truly invincible.
Huang Wei released his martial soul possession, the emerald armor dissolving as the Black Turtle faded back into his body.
He scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I can't really control the counter-damage intensity. It's kind of... luck-based."
Then he added with a bright smile, "But hey, you guys only used your first soul skills at level thirty power, and you weren't even going full strength! If you'd really unleashed everything, you might have actually lost two teammates. You got really lucky just now~"
Is this what people say?! Everyone felt the urge to cough up blood.
"W-welcome... to the team..." Yan, Xie Yue, and Hu Liena all forced smiles onto their faces, voices shaky but genuine.
[Ding! Mission complete. Reward distributed.]
Huang Wei felt a surge of warmth flood through his body—his martial soul's turtle shell enhancing itself dramatically.
Doubled defense. On top of everything else.
His mind raced through the calculations. Before possession, my shell's already incredibly tough. After possession, it doubles. Now with this reward... it doubles AGAIN?
The implications were staggering.
I'm already borderline invincible in the early game. In the late game? There won't even be a question.
He pulled up his character interface to confirm:
[Turtle Invincibility System]
Host: Huang Wei
Martial Soul: Black Turtle
Talent: Turtle Longevity
Lifespan: 500 years
Soul Power: Level 14 (Rank 1 Soul Master)
Soul Skill: Defense (Passive: Counter-Damage Critical Hit Lv.1, Turtle Shell Enhancement Lv.1)
Equipment: Thornmail, Defensive Statikk Shiv
Counter-Damage Rate: 100%
Critical Hit Rate: 50%
Perfect.
Though he'd been satisfied before, now he was thrilled.
During the attack just now, even with his enhanced shell, he'd felt something pierce through—not enough to hurt, but enough to register. If all three had unleashed their absolute maximum power in a full-strength coordinated strike, they might have been able to temporarily force his Black Turtle state to deactivate, preventing him from re-summoning it for a period.
But the cost? All three would suffer catastrophic injuries. Possibly death.
A true mutual destruction scenario. Nobody wins.
But here in Spirit Hall, with Sister Dong backing me and my ridiculous defense... I can basically do whatever I want.
As long as his opponents didn't exceed his defensive threshold by too much, he was essentially untouchable.
Huang Wei stepped forward and shook hands with all three Golden Generation members, sealing their new partnership.
Though the healer had saved them, Yan and Xie Yue were still in rough shape. They needed proper rest to fully recover.
And Huang Wei's defense had left a permanent psychological shadow on both of them.
Soon after, Yan and Xie Yue excused themselves to recuperate. The healing soul master followed, just in case complications arose.
Once they'd departed, Huang Wei took both Bibi Dong and Hu Liena's hands with an innocent, hopeful expression.
"Teacher, Senior Sister—since you rarely visit my courtyard, why don't you stay for lunch? I'll have the servants buy ingredients, and I'll cook something delicious for you personally! I guarantee you've never tasted anything like it before!"