"Wang Dong, get your second soul skill ready—finish off Wu Feng."
"Xiao Xiao, sync your cauldrons with my hidden weapon strikes. Don't worry about disrupting my rhythm."
Even as he spoke, Huo Yuhao's hands moved in a blur, launching waves of hidden weapons while mentally calculating stamina and soul power consumption.
Both Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao nodded quickly. Wang Dong gathered power for her second soul skill, while Xiao Xiao's Three Lives Town-Sealing Cauldrons continuously emitted rhythmic pulses, keeping Wu Feng trapped at the center.
Under the combined precision of the Eye of Truth and Spiritual Detection, every projectile Huo Yuhao threw curved perfectly through the cauldron's vibrations, striking exactly where he intended.
On the viewing platform, the teachers murmured in awe.
"Teacher Zhou, your student is… something else. He's listed as an agility-type, right? But this looks more like a power-type master—no, worse, a monster."
"Right? I've never seen an agility-type soul master suppress a power-type enhanced by a Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Soul Elder!"
"Not even normal power-types at one or two rings could pull that off."
"Exactly. The White Tiger Meteor Shower—one of the strongest area-control skills—is a four-ring ability. And this kid's doing this with one ring."
"I didn't think Teacher Zhou had been hiding such a talent."
Off to the side, Mu Jin's expression had turned green—not just from frustration, but bitter disbelief. She could already tell she'd lost their wager. One spirit bone, gone. But worse was losing to Zhou Yi.
The other teachers continued whispering excitedly.
"This boy's hidden weapon mastery surpasses even Tang Ya's back in the day."
"Maybe the Tang Sect really will rise again in his hands. Though… sigh, hidden weapons…"
"Don't underestimate him. His technique is impressive, yes—but even more terrifying is his calculation. Watch carefully: his barrage seems chaotic, yet it's mathematically perfect. That level of predictive fire control could rival a soul engineer!"
"Indeed. With this level of awareness and coordination, he could serve as the core of an entire battle unit."
"But why isn't he targeting the support-type? That would be the logical move."
"True. If he took down the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda user, Wu Feng's buffs would disappear, and this fight would end even faster."
Their questions went unanswered, for the scene unfolding below spoke for itself.
Huo Yuhao's battlefield control was terrifying.
Though each hidden weapon carried limited force, the sheer volume of them created a dense storm of death. And every single one had a purpose.
Each projectile was precisely aimed—not for lethality, but to disrupt, obstruct, and control. Strikes hit tendons, joints, and meridians, cutting off movement without killing.
Wu Feng could do nothing but endure, her scales ringing with constant impacts, her every motion predicted and countered.
Meanwhile, Ning Tian in the rear realized just how powerless a support-type truly was. She had already cast all her buffs; now, she could only watch helplessly as her teammates were overwhelmed.
Though the Glazed Pagoda clan had techniques for crisis management, none could stop this.
Soul tools were banned in the assessment, and she lacked any combat training beyond the basics.
Even as she repeatedly cast her Dispel soul skill to remove Xiao Xiao's suppression, the endless storm of hidden weapons nullified her efforts.
"Argh!" Wu Feng roared inside the barrage, frustration and humiliation twisting her face. Yet she didn't dare lower her guard—one wrong move, and a single iron dart could disfigure her.
Each time she tried to push forward, the cauldrons pulsed again, harmonizing perfectly with Huo Yuhao's attacks rather than disrupting them.
She was like an insect caught in a web, struggling futilely as the threads tightened.
No… I can't lose! I refuse to lose! she thought desperately, but the outcome was already sealed.
Her last resistance collapsed as Wang Dong's wings flared. The thousand-year ring on her second soul skill blazed to life.
Butterfly Goddess's Radiance!
Wu Feng's scream was lost in the blinding burst of blue-gold light.
When it faded, she was down—severely injured, unconscious.
The audience fell silent. The entire flurry, from start to finish, had lasted less than twenty seconds.
Though it had felt endless, the storm of weapons had numbered only about a thousand projectiles.
Ning Tian sighed softly. Raising one hand, she conceded. A support-type soul master standing alone had no chance; she wasn't about to fistfight a Tang Sect disciple.
As the referee announced, "Victory to Team Wang Dong!", Huo Yuhao used Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon to retrieve all usable weapons from the ground, then exited with his teammates.
From the stage, Ning Tian's gaze followed him—complicated, thoughtful. Huo Yuhao met her eyes briefly and gave a polite nod before leaving.
Why didn't he attack me directly? she wondered. Was it arrogance? Or… something else?
Her mind spun with questions. A normal fighter would eliminate the support first. Yet Huo Yuhao had deliberately avoided her, focusing instead on total suppression.
Was he showing goodwill? Or making a statement?
As a member of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, she'd been trained to read nuance. She knew this wasn't random.
And it was true—her clan often sponsored talented commoners. Huo Yuhao, though from the Tang Sect, was clearly not of noble birth. Could he be sending a message?
"I'll have to speak to him later," she decided silently as she helped the medics carry Wu Feng and Yuner to the infirmary.
On the stands, Fan Yu—a soul engineer from the Soul Tool Department—was speechless.
To him, Huo Yuhao's performance wasn't just impressive; it was revolutionary.
That level of perception, real-time calculation, and composure under pressure was precisely what their Ultimate Soldier Project sought.
And his composure—the calm confidence of someone controlling the entire battlefield—was extraordinary.
Fan Yu burst into laughter. "Hahaha! I like that boy."
Then he turned to Zhou Yi with a grin and a sigh. "I didn't expect your student to be this exceptional. Unfortunately, with talent like that, the Martial Soul Department won't let him go easily."
Even if the Martial Soul Department dismissed hidden weapons as primitive, Huo Yuhao's tactical brilliance alone qualified him as a core team strategist.
Still, Fan Yu wasn't about to give up. As soon as the match ended, he hurried off the viewing platform, muttering, "I need to tell Qian Duoduo right away. We must recruit that boy for the Soul Tool Department—whatever it takes."
For in Huo Yuhao, Fan Yu saw the future—the hope of the Ultimate Soldier Project, and the pride of the Soul Engineering Department itself.
The next day arrived. The Round of 32 was over; now came the Round of 16.
Sitting in the prime seat at the viewing stand was none other than Elder Xuan Zi, happily drinking and eating as always.
After the draw, the arena expanded once again.
Huo Yuhao's next opponents were a powerhouse trio—Team Xie Huan Yue, one of only two teams featuring a Soul Elder-level student.
Their leader, Xie Huan Yue, was as tall as he was wide—nearly one meter seventy in both height and waistline—a walking mountain among children barely twelve years old.
The referee called, "Both sides, state your names and prepare to enter the field."
As they stepped onto the stage, Huo Yuhao frowned slightly and said to his teammates, "Get your fusion ready right away. Wang Dong, that big guy's yours. Xiao Xiao, focus on restraining him. I'll handle the other two."
"This fight—we finish fast. Go all out."
Both nodded gravely. If Huo Yuhao issued pre-battle instructions, it meant the opponents were dangerous.
When both teams were ready, the referee shouted, "Begin!"
All six students activated their martial souls simultaneously.
But instead of charging, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao swapped positions. Wang Dong leaped back, wings shimmering as both her soul rings—yellow and purple—lit up together.
Massive energy gathered along her wings.
Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao's cauldrons surged forward to meet the charging Xie Huan Yue, each impact echoing like thunder.
Hidden in the cauldron's shadow, several nearly invisible projectiles whistled past—piercing directly toward the twin brothers Luo Tianlong and Luo Tianba, who'd been attempting to hide behind their bulky captain.
"Ah! That hurt!"
"What was that!?"
The brief distraction gave Xiao Xiao time to complete her trap. Her cauldrons surrounded Xie Huan Yue completely.
This time, her fusion skill activated differently—merging all three cauldrons into one massive seal.
The strain was enormous, her face turning pale as she poured every ounce of strength into maintaining it.
Still, it worked. The immense weight of the cauldron pinned the Soul Elder in place, sealing his soul skills entirely.
Only raw soul power could resist—but even a Soul Elder could feel the pressure.
Xie Huan Yue's energy flared, his face flushing as he fought back—but it was too late.
Because above him, Wang Dong's wings had already fused into a glowing crescent of destruction.
Wing Guillotine fused with Butterfly Goddess's Radiance!
The combined light sliced through the air like divine judgment.
The shockwave alone made Xie Huan Yue's massive body tremble uncontrollably. He could sense death itself approaching.
"I… su—" he tried to shout his surrender, but Xiao Xiao's suppressive field choked off his words.
And in that frozen instant, as the crescent of light fell—
His soul power collapsed in panic, his mind screaming one last, instinctive thought:
If I don't give up now, I'll die!
(End of Chapter)