At this moment, the thick red mist of the Martial Soul Fusion Technique — Enchantress — filled most of the battlefield in front of the Supreme Pontiff's Hall.
Everyone watching was a Soul Master, but apart from a few top experts, no one could clearly see what was happening inside the mist.
Very soon though, six figures burst out of the swirling red haze.
It was Xiao Wu and her five teammates, all bearing golden wings thanks to the Golden Wing Flying Sausages, and Ma Hongjun, who could fly on his own.
Enchantress had incredible control power, but it came with a huge weakness: while it could suppress opponents' movements, it couldn't completely restrict them — and the red mist only covered a limited area. As long as you left the mist's range, the visual blocking and suppression effect vanished.
The simplest and most effective countermeasure? Fly. Just soar out of range.
Seeing his teammates escape the red fog, Chu Chengzhou's hand shone with golden soul power as a brilliant golden longbow appeared in his grasp. He crooked his finger toward the distant Enchantress, who was readying a sneak attack.
The rest of the Spirit Hall team was left to Xiao Wu and the others — as for him, all he needed to do was deal with Enchantress himself. He had to leave a little spotlight for the others, after all.
"How can you possibly see us?"
A voice, oddly neither male nor female, rang out. Seeing Chu Chengzhou beckon like that, Hu Liena — who was currently leading the Enchantress fusion — couldn't help but ask in shock.
"You wanna guess?" Chu Chengzhou smiled.
"I bet your summoned beasts can't see us too!" Hu Liena snapped back, a bit more confident as she noticed the golden light gleaming in his eyes.
Maybe Chu Chengzhou himself could see through the mist with those eyes — but his summoned beasts definitely couldn't!
Hearing that, Chu Chengzhou raised an eyebrow — she'd hit the nail on the head. Xiong Da and the others really couldn't see Enchantress at all.
Plus, the red mist suppressed their senses by 50%, so his beasts' reaction times were much slower — a huge advantage for an agile opponent like Enchantress.
Of course, if Xiong Da actually landed a claw, even two Soul Kings using a transformation-type Fusion Technique would be toast.
Golden light flared from his hand. Three faint cracks split the air as three soul power arrows shot out, turning into golden streaks that exploded toward Enchantress.
"Clang, thud, thud—!"
The arrows flew at incredible speed, crossing dozens of meters in an instant. Enchantress only managed to deflect one with its blood-red moon blade; the other two slammed into its chest armor, punching through with enough force that the arrowheads lodged inside the fusion's body.
But because the red mist suppressed the arrows' power, they didn't cause too much damage — just a partial penetration.
'Brother, your turn!'
Taking those two arrows, Hu Liena knew that Enchantress couldn't handle Chu Chengzhou like this. She immediately handed control over to Xie Yue.
She was a mental-type Soul Master — in a fight, if Xie Yue was gold, she was stubborn bronze. Same Fusion Technique, completely different performance depending on the pilot.
With her in control, Enchantress could bully weaklings and even take down an ordinary Soul Emperor. But with Xie Yue in charge, Enchantress could easily crush Soul Emperors and even wrestle with a Soul Sage for a while.
In the blink of an eye, Xie Yue took over.
At the same time, three more golden soul power arrows shrieked through the air.
Xie Yue had far more combat experience than Hu Liena — he was an up-close power-attack Soul Master, born for this. The moment the arrows came, Enchantress pivoted, slipping past two, and used its blood-red moon blade to block the third.
"Oh ho~ You've got moves?"
Chu Chengzhou's eyes flashed with surprise. It was rare for someone to dodge or block his arrows so cleanly!
The difference from the first clash was obvious — same Fusion, but clearly a new pilot. He could tell that Xie Yue had taken over.
Of course, he also knew it wasn't just Xie Yue's skill — being in the red mist slowed Chu Chengzhou's reactions too. It was like dodging a bullet — you didn't need to be faster than the bullet, just faster than the gunman's aim.
But three arrows were easy to dodge. What about six? Nine? A whole barrage? Let's see how you handle that!
The next second, Chu Chengzhou unleashed the full speed of someone who'd been single for fifteen years — a rain of soul power arrows screamed through the air, wave after wave.
If he didn't just have five fingers, four gaps, and a tricky thumb grip, he could've fired even more each time!
Honestly, he didn't have to use archery. Among his four summoned beasts, Xiao Qing, Xiao Bai, and Xiao Hong weren't threats to Enchantress. Xiong Da was way too strong — but he couldn't risk hurting his 'little fox' in the pond by letting Xiong Da flatten them.
Illusion arts wouldn't work either — a dual-user Fusion Technique had two minds. Even if he beat one, the other would keep fighting. And with the Fusion's massive mental boost, Hu Liena's spirit might even surpass his right now.
Also, in Fusion mode, they couldn't use soul or bone skills — otherwise, he'd probably already be locked in a mental prison by now.
Faced with this downpour of arrows, Xie Yue broke out in cold sweat.
Dodging three was doable. Duck, pivot, block with the moon blade — no problem. But dozens at once? Forget it! I'm strong, but not that strong!
"Thud, thud, thud, thud—!"
It didn't take long for Enchantress to end up like a giant porcupine, bristling with soul power arrows.
"How about surrendering?"
Chu Chengzhou paused, looking at the pincushion Enchantress and asked mildly.
"Damn it…!"
Xie Yue cursed inwardly as he felt his soul power drain away.
Enchantress wasn't real flesh and blood — as long as the wounds weren't fatal, it could heal by burning through the Soul Masters' soul power. But now, shot full of holes like this, their energy was draining far faster than he'd expected.
And he realized something else too: against Chu Chengzhou's rain of arrows, they were totally helpless — forced to just take the hits.
A single arrow might not do much, but a thousand cuts could bleed a tiger dry. If this kept up, their soul power would be drained completely and they'd be forced to drop out of Fusion.
'Brother, stop stalling. Use the finisher!'
Hu Liena spoke through their mental link.
'No choice!' Xie Yue replied grimly.
In the next instant, Enchantress's eyes flared with a demonic light. "Chu Chengzhou! You're strong — but I, Xie Yue, am no pushover! Take this: Full Moon!"
With a shout, Enchantress leapt into the air. Its eerie form twisted like a whirlwind, the twin blood-red moon blades spinning so fast they became a massive blood-colored disc.
There was no sound of scraping metal or rushing wind — as if all noise had been swallowed by that spinning blood moon. The swirling red mist around it spun like a vortex, drawn toward the deadly disc.
To beat Chu Chengzhou and win the championship, Xie Yue finally unleashed his strongest self-created skill.
In terms of raw soul power, Xie Yue was about equal to Hu Liena and Yan — maybe even weaker without a skull soul bone, since Hu Liena's mental control completely countered brute strength. But what made Xie Yue the strongest of the Golden Generation was this very move.
Self-created skills were different from ordinary soul and bone skills — if the Fusion's form was suitable, they could still be used. Before Hu Liena got her skull bone and jumped leagues ahead, Xie Yue once used this move in Fusion form to defeat his 68th-rank Soul Emperor teacher, becoming the undisputed best among Spirit Hall's young elites.
Besides his own cheat-level illusions, Chu Chengzhou had only seen one other true self-created soul skill like this: Feng Xiaotian's famous Gale Demon Wolf Thirty-Six Successive Slashes. Feng Xiaotian had even used it to claim Xiao Bai's first kill!
But compared to Xie Yue's Full Moon, Feng's thirty-six slashes just didn't stack up — not in power, not in frequency. In Fusion form, Xie Yue's strength far surpassed Feng's.
That spinning blood moon in the sky looked like it was standing still — if not for Chu Chengzhou's sharp eyes, he'd never have seen its rotation. This was the strongest self-created soul skill he'd ever witnessed among peers.
Of course, Tang San's Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique was probably stronger — maybe he could even hammer out a black dragon by now. But Tang San had never used it in the tournament to avoid exposing his second Martial Soul.
The next moment, the massive spinning blood moon shot down like a guillotine.
Chu Chengzhou's expression hardened. Under his control, Xiao Qing's vines lashed upward to block the blow.
"Shhk-shhk-shhk—!"
The dense vines were shredded instantly, like blue silver grass beneath a mower's blade. The blood moon cut straight through and plummeted toward Chu Chengzhou.
Seeing that, he tapped his foot lightly. His movement technique, Earth-shrinking Divine Light, activated. He left behind only an afterimage as he blinked behind Xiong Da.
"I've got Xiong Da to cover me — let's see what your big fancy skill can do about that!"
Two five-ring Soul Kings using a Martial Soul Fusion Technique — even with the addition of a self-created soul skill — still couldn't possibly overpower a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear with over twenty thousand years of cultivation. Unless they were cheating, it was hopeless!
Seeing Chu Chengzhou hiding behind Xiong Da, Xie Yue ground his teeth in frustration — but the arrow was already nocked and had to be loosed. He could only grit his teeth and go head-to-head with Xiong Da.
In an instant, the blood-red crescent moon slashed through the air, falling toward Xiong Da.
Although Xiong Da's vision was obscured, his senses were still sharp. He bared his huge fanged maw, and his innate skill, Dark Gold Dreadclaw, activated. His single claw — bigger than Chu Chengzhou's entire body — gleamed with dark gold light as he swiped up to meet the falling blood moon.
It was like a grinding wheel striking a steel blade: the high-speed spinning blood-red moon met Xiong Da's terrifyingly sharp, incredibly tough giant claw.
"Boom — Zzzzzt — Crack!"Sparks flew wildly. In less than three seconds, the blood moon blade shattered into pieces under the overwhelming force, then vanished completely. Blood sprayed from Xie Yue's mouth as he and Hu Liena, pale as death, fell from midair and crashed to the ground.
Force always acts in pairs. The spinning crescent blade clashed with Xiong Da's incomparably sharp, solid claws — but it was the moon blade that couldn't endure the impact. When the fused form's soul weapon shattered, Xie Yue immediately suffered soul backlash. With him wounded, Hu Liena alone couldn't maintain the Martial Soul Fusion Technique.
If you want to know what "overestimating yourself" looks like — this is it!
Once the Fusion Technique broke, the thick red mist that had covered most of the arena began to rapidly disperse.
"Tch~"Watching his dear brother-in-law's sorry state, Chu Chengzhou clicked his tongue and shook his head.
The next second, a streak of emerald light surged from Xiao Qing's body, sinking into Xie Yue's wounds. As for Hu Liena, she wasn't physically hurt — the backlash from the forced exit only affected her mentally, so Xiao Qing's healing talent couldn't help. She'd just have to rest.
Chu Chengzhou swept his eyes around the battlefield and found that Xiao Wu and the others had already ended their fights — they were just waiting on him to finish up.
Of course — with the strength of Xiao Wu's squad, once Xie Yue and Hu Liena were down, the rest of the Spirit Hall team wouldn't last long. Xiao Wu's second soul skill, Charm, alone was an unsolvable threat for Yan and the other teammates.
'So in the end, we still lost, huh…'
On the dais in front of the Supreme Pontiff's Hall, Bibi Dong's face darkened as she sighed inwardly.
Though the referee hadn't yet made it official, anyone with eyes could see that Spirit Hall's team had lost.
In fact, the moment Xiong Da's power was revealed in yesterday's singles knockout, Bibi Dong had already realized that this year's championship would probably slip through Spirit Hall's fingers.
It wasn't that her team was weak — on the contrary, this Spirit Hall squad was the strongest they'd fielded in decades. They simply ran up against an even stronger opponent.
Who in any Soul Master Tournament could beat Chu Chengzhou and his Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, a beast with cultivation of at least ten thousand years? And the competition limit was under 25!
Regaining her composure, Bibi Dong transmitted a message to the referee:
"I declare that the Blue Tyrant Academy team has defeated the Spirit Hall Academy team. Congratulations to the Blue Tyrant Academy for winning this Soul Master Tournament!"
Hearing the Pontiff's order, the referee quickly stepped forward and announced the final result.
"You won — but next time, we won't lose again!"
After the result was declared, Xie Yue was dejected, but his fighting spirit reignited immediately. He looked at Chu Chengzhou with an unconvinced glare.
"Mhm, mhm, Big… Xie Yue, keep working hard!"
Chu Chengzhou grinned, barely stopping himself from calling him "Big Brother-in-law" out loud.
'Big Xie Yue?'
Xie Yue was momentarily confused — but didn't think too much about it. Supporting his sister Hu Liena, he limped off the field.
'Nana, this time I won — but I promise, next time you can pin me under you~'
Chu Chengzhou teased Hu Liena through a voice transmission. Hu Liena froze in her tracks, then spun around to glare at him fiercely.
"We did it! Haha! Boss Chu, we're champions!"
An excited voice rang out. Turning around, Chu Chengzhou saw Ma Hongjun running over, arms wide open for a hug.
But Chu Chengzhou had no interest in hugging the fat guy. He sidestepped instantly and went to Xiao Wu and the girls instead.
After hugging his three teammates one by one, he turned to Ma Hongjun with a face full of disdain:
"Fatty, I understand you're excited, but I have zero interest in hugging your rolls of fat!"
Ma Hongjun: "…"
Half an hour later, the Soul Master Tournament finals awards ceremony began.
Led by Spirit Hall personnel, the three final teams — twenty people in total, minus Xie Yue who was too injured — lined up neatly in front of the Supreme Pontiff's Hall.
Unlike the original timeline, this awards ceremony was actually being held — probably because Xiao Wu's identity as a hundred-thousand-year soul beast hadn't been exposed, so there was no chaos with Tang Hao smashing up the hall.
Soon, the twenty young soul masters stood at attention on the plaza.
Seated in the golden chairs above, Bibi Dong stood and announced:
"In this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, the champions are — the Blue Tyrant Academy! Congratulations to these young soul masters!"
She then looked to the other two teams:
"Though you didn't win, you're all still outstanding. You're young — the future of the continent's glory rests on you!"
After a few words of encouragement, Bibi Dong nodded at the red-cloaked cardinal who had served as referee.
"Each team, send your representative to receive your prize!"
The cardinal proclaimed loudly.
Chu Chengzhou raised an eyebrow: 'Everyone gets a prize?'
Actually, he'd forgotten — the preliminary and promotion rounds always had multiple teams rewarded; it made sense for the finals to as well. Otherwise, the second and third place teams would end up worse off than early-round dropouts who still got prizes.
First up was Yu Tianheng from the Emperor Battle Team — he received a gold card worth 10,000 gold soul coins.
Then Hu Liena stepped forward for the Spirit Hall team — her card was even bigger: 30,000 gold soul coins for second place.
"Now, the champion team — Blue Tyrant Academy, please send your representative!"
The cardinal called.
'How much is ours? Fifty thousand? Or maybe even a hundred thousand?'
Chu Chengzhou mused as he stepped forward.
When he saw the amount on the gold card — 100,000 gold soul coins — he nodded in satisfaction.
Compared to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's bottomless wealth, it wasn't much, but it equaled the price Tang San got in the original story for ten sets of hidden weapons.
In the Douluo Continent, where a three-person household's living expenses for months might be just one gold soul coin, this was an incredible sum for a team of teenagers.
At that moment, Bibi Dong glanced at Ning Fengzhi, then turned to Chu Chengzhou. A flicker of admiration crossed her eyes.
"Chu Chengzhou, I saw your performance throughout the tournament. Would you consider joining Spirit Hall?"
The special reward she'd promised for the champions would not be forgotten. But to keep her pride, she didn't outright say 'be my disciple' — after all, Chu Chengzhou was very close to Ning Fengzhi and practically his future son-in-law. He probably wouldn't agree. But if he was willing to join Spirit Hall, then she could talk about accepting him as her student later.
As soon as Bibi Dong spoke, Ning Fengzhi's expression shifted slightly, and everyone turned to Chu Chengzhou.
Everyone knew what she meant. The champion's special reward was up for grabs — it all depended on how this 'Little Demon King' would choose.
T/N: For up to 30 chapters ahead on most of my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle