Just as Ma Xiaotao unleashed her Phoenix Meteor Shower, Zhou Sichen had already reached the edge of the poison mist. Beyond the roughly ten meters of spreading toxic fog in front of him stood Dai Yueheng and the others.
Ye Guyi broke free from the poisonous fog. After using her first and fourth soul skills to slow the spread, she immediately charged at Zhou Sichen.
She would never allow Zhou Sichen to break through the poisonous mist. If he succeeded, Dai Yueheng and his teammates would lose all combat capability.
It wasn't that Zhou Sichen, with only five soul rings, could overwhelm all five of them through sheer power.
Rather, it was certain that he would find a way to poison them.
Although the poison mist's expansion had been slowed and the five were not yet poisoned, if Zhou Sichen passed through the mist, his body would be covered in deadly toxins. Anyone who touched him would be done for.
As for why Zhou Sichen wasn't affected by the Emerald Phosphor Five Poisons—aside from his naturally poison-immune body—every member of his team had also taken the Hundred Treasures Detoxification Pill, provided by their teammate Dugu Xianmeng.
Compared to the custom detoxification pills Ye Guyi's group had, Zhou Sichen's team was completely immune to the poisonous fog after taking their pills.
At this moment, Ye Guyi, wielding the Holy Angelic Sword and the Angel's Shield, slashed toward Zhou Sichen, who was just about to cross the mist.
However, at this critical juncture, Xu Sanshi activated his fourth soul ring with a sly smile on his face.
In the next moment, Ye Guyi vanished from her charge at Zhou Sichen—replaced by an utterly smug-looking Xu Sanshi.
His fourth soul skill, Mysterious Nether Swap, allowed him to switch positions with another person within a certain range.
Xu Sanshi, having swapped places midair, appeared in a falling posture—only to be caught around the waist by Zhou Sichen, who then immediately hurled him straight into the poisonous fog.
Xu Sanshi didn't even have time to enjoy his clever move before his face filled with horror.
"Brother Zhou, are you screwing with me?!"
The next second, Zhou Sichen also dove headfirst into the poison mist.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ye Guyi's expression darkened. Facing the descending Phoenix Meteor Shower, she raised her Angel's Shield.
Dugu Xianmeng grabbed her around the waist from behind.
"Big Sis, you're the best! You knew Xu Sanshi couldn't block Ma Xiaotao's sixth soul skill, so you came here just to save me!"
Cao Jinxuan clung to Ye Guyi's legs, lying on the ground.
"Big Sis Guyi, the three of us live and die together!"
Ye Guyi: "…"
She never expected these two to pull something like this.
In fact, after Zhou Sichen had laid out their tactics, they anticipated the opposing team would attempt to preemptively counter them—and so, they too tried to predict that prediction.
As a result, they decided to base their tactics around improvisation, each using their best skills freely as the situation evolved.
After sharing and understanding each other's soul skills, Xu Sanshi's Mysterious Nether Swap became the perfect countermeasure against their enemies.
The opposing team had two Soul Sages and one Soul Emperor. Even though the two Soul Sages were restricted to their first six soul rings and sixth-level soul tools, their soul power was still of genuine Soul Sage level.
Truth be told, even with a perfectly balanced team, Zhou Sichen's group had very little chance of winning in a straight-up fight.
But with well-executed tactics, they had room to maneuver strategically.
Thanks to Dugu Xianmeng's Emerald Phosphor Five Poisons, even someone like Dai Yueheng—a level 64 Soul Emperor—would be crippled on contact, let alone the others.
At this moment, although Ye Guyi was entangled by Dugu Xianmeng and Cao Jinxuan, she could easily block Ma Xiaotao's sixth soul skill—even though Ma Xiaotao had only used thirty percent of its power.
After using her sixth soul skill, Ma Xiaotao raised an eyebrow when she saw the unexpected switch between Ye Guyi and Xu Sanshi.
She hadn't anticipated such a soul skill from Xu Sanshi, but even so, it couldn't save Dugu Xianmeng and Cao Jinxuan.
Her phoenix wings flapped fiercely as she flew after the retreating Gongyang Mo.
Meanwhile, Gongyang Mo, after the position swap, applied four buffs—Strength, Soul Power, Defense, and Attribute Enhancement—to Zhou Sichen and Xu Sanshi.
He also gave a Speed Buff to Jiang Nannan, Wang Dong, and himself.
After this burst of soul skills, Gongyang Mo was nearly drained of soul power. His job was done—now he only needed to delay Ma Xiaotao for as long as possible.
With his Speed Buff active, Gongyang Mo zigzagged through the air, flying directly toward the poison mist.
As long as he reached the mist, his survival chances would soar!
While Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao were still on the offensive, Xu Sanshi—now inside the poisonous mist—activated Mysterious Nether Swap again.
This time, his target was Dai Yueheng.
Dai Yueheng and the others were stuck outside the mist. The emerald-green fog blocked their vision completely. With overlapping effects of holy light and ice, even their spiritual senses struggled to penetrate the fog.
When Dai Yueheng noticed someone rushing toward them through the mist, he immediately vanished from his original position.
As a top genius of the Inner Court, his battle instincts were sharp. He instantly sensed something was wrong.
"Not good!"
Before the words even left his mouth, he had swapped places with Xu Sanshi—and appeared directly inside the poisonous fog.
He reflexively held his breath, but the toxic mist already clinging to his skin had begun taking effect, making him feel unwell.
He instantly activated three of his amplification soul skills to resist the poison at full power:
First Soul Skill: White Tiger Body Barrier
Third Soul Skill: White Tiger Vajra Transformation
Fifth Soul Skill: White Tiger Devilgod Transformation
With all three amplifications active, he felt he could barely resist the poison for a short while. He prepared to force his way through the mist and eliminate at least two enemies while he could still move.
But the next moment, a golden dragon claw shot out toward his face, slamming into his forehead with terrifying force and smashing him head-first into the ground.
Dai Yueheng only felt an overwhelming force hit him, stars exploding in his vision.
Had he not activated his three soul skills, he would have lost consciousness instantly.
But even with all three buffs active, the poison had already taken hold—and Zhou Sichen's physical power was monstrous.
Zhou Sichen had already activated his own buff skills, and with the four amplifications from Gongyang Mo, his stats had been boosted by sixty percent across the board.
Under this overwhelming force, Dai Yueheng struggled to rise from the ground, only to collapse again as the poison continued to ravage his body.
Fortunately, Elder Xuan arrived just in time and pulled him out of the thick fog, preventing him from remaining poisoned any longer.
Elder Xuan casually tossed him to the side of the arena.
"Dai Yueheng—eliminated."
Hearing Elder Xuan's calm declaration, Ye Guyi's expression shifted slightly. She had just blocked the Phoenix Meteor Shower and thrown off Dugu Xianmeng and Cao Jinxuan.
She glanced at the battlefield, then flapped her Angel Wings, flying directly toward Jiang Nannan and Wang Dong.
The two were also dashing toward the poison mist. With Gongyang Mo's speed buff, they were less than five meters from it.
Ye Guyi wanted to intercept them, but it was already too late.
Ma Xiaotao continued her relentless pursuit of Gongyang Mo. He pulled several black spheres from his soul tool and hurled them at her.
The spheres exploded, but their power was far too weak to harm Ma Xiaotao. They did, however, slow her pursuit slightly.
By the time Ma Xiaotao and Ye Guyi caught up again, Jiang Nannan, Wang Dong, and Gongyang Mo had already entered the poison mist.
The two women exchanged a glance and tried to fly over the mist from above.
But just then, a thunderous dragon roar echoed through the air, filled with terrifying pressure and a powerful mental shockwave that made both women stagger slightly.
Though they recovered quickly, they couldn't help but twitch at the corners of their mouths when they saw what awaited them beyond the poison mist:
Zhou Sichen, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Wang Dong, and Gongyang Mo stood ready, smiling calmly at their opponents.
Just then, Elder Xuan's indifferent voice echoed through the air:
"Du Gu Xianmeng and Cao Jinxuan, eliminated."
"Ling Luocheng, Bei Bei, He Caitou, Long Xiangyue, eliminated."
Ye Guyi looked at the smiling Zhou Sichen and let out a silent sigh.
It had been less than two minutes since the battle started—Zhou Sichen had only been inside the poisonous mist for under a minute—and yet he had already taken down Dai Yueheng and the other four!
In truth, this wasn't solely Zhou Sichen's doing, but the result of his coordination with Xu Sanshi.
After Zhou Sichen smashed Dai Yueheng headfirst into the ground, Xu Sanshi had swapped places with him, taking on the combined assault of Ling Luocheng, Bei Bei, He Caitou, and Long Xiangyue.
Xu Sanshi immediately activated his strongest defense and even used a Grade-4 defensive soul tool.
But even with those, he lasted barely three seconds under the ferocious assault of the four.
Just as he was about to be eliminated, a radiant golden dragon claw burst forth, shattering all of their attacks in an instant.
At the same time, Zhou Sichen leapt from the poisonous mist. Between the claws of both hands, he held six emerald-green orbs.
His fifth soul ring—black—lit up on his body as he transformed into the visage of a radiant dragon's head, unleashing a deafening roar.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Ten Thousand Dragons' Roar!"
The dragon's roar carried immense draconic might and spiritual pressure—commanding all beasts to kneel and driving away all evil!
Ling Luocheng, Bei Bei, He Caitou, and Long Xiangyue all froze in place, forcibly stunned by the roar before they could release any soul skills.
Zhou Sichen's hands danced, and the six emerald spheres shot forth, striking each of them directly in the face.
Bei Bei and He Caitou were hit by two of the orbs each—the intense poison immediately invaded their bodies.
Their lips turned black as they collapsed, unable to get up, staring in a daze at Zhou Sichen.
How was he able to condense the Bi Phosphorus Quintuple Venom?
In truth, Zhou Sichen didn't actually control the Bi Phosphorus Quintuple Venom. He had only used his Light attribute to wrap and manipulate portions of the poisonous mist.
After he finished off the four, Jiang Nannan, Wang Dong, and Gongyang Mo each emerged from the mist, gathering around Zhou Sichen.
They only saw Elder Xuan appear and remove the fallen four. They hadn't seen how Zhou Sichen had dominated them.
Even though the dragon's roar hadn't directly targeted them, it still left their hearts trembling.
That was the supreme pressure of the Holy Light Dragon!
Now gathered together, the five of them looked up at Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao hovering in the sky before retreating slowly back into the poisonous mist.
Ma Xiaotao sneered. "You think hiding in there will save you?"
Her fifth soul ring—black—lit up, and boundless phoenix flames coalesced into a massive Fire Phoenix, locking onto the five figures concealed within the mist below.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Phoenix Cloud Piercer!"
So far, the poisonous mist had only spread about ten meters. Even if they hid inside it, a high-level fire-type attacker like Ma Xiaotao had no shortage of options.
Ye Guyi also raised her Angelic Holy Sword. A divine glow radiated from her body as her second soul ring lit up, slashing forth a brilliant arc of golden light.
Though only two of them remained, what threat did Zhou Sichen's group really pose?
Gongyang Mo and Xu Sanshi had exhausted most of their soul power and were incapable of much more.
Jiang Nannan was only a Soul Ancestor, and Wang Dong couldn't withstand even a single strike from either of them.
The only one worth their attention was Zhou Sichen.
If it weren't for Du Gu Xianmeng's Bi Phosphorus Quintuple Venom being so terrifying, they would've already steamrolled the match from the start.
Inside the mist, as the Fire Phoenix and golden sword light descended, the team formed a line of defense.
Jiang Nannan stepped to the front with a solemn expression. Her fourth soul ring—purple—lit up.
"Invincible Golden Body!"
Gongyang Mo took out a defensive soul tool. Xu Sanshi raised his Black Tortoise Shield.
Wang Dong's three soul rings lit up as he began charging his attack.
At the back, Zhou Sichen summoned all five of his soul rings and gathered them into his fourth ring.
His fourth ring—deep black—shone with brilliance. The [Holy Dragon Phenomena] soul skill was pushed to its limit, forming a massive golden dragon claw.
Zhou Sichen closed his eyes slightly, and with the full force of his spirit, will, and soul power, he infused it into the golden claw.
As the phoenix cry and sword hum echoed in the air, a faint dragon roar reverberated softly. The enormous golden claw reached forward.
"Dragon Emperor's Evilbreaker Rend!"
One of Elder Mu En's three ultimate techniques erupted—its power tore through the Fire Phoenix and shredded the golden sword light. Without losing momentum, the claw surged toward Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao in midair.
Ma Xiaotao's expression remained calm—she had anticipated this.
Her fourth soul ring—purple—lit up, activating Phoenix Howling Skystrike instantly.
A louder phoenix cry rang through the sky, carrying an unstoppable force, and collided with the golden dragon claw.
Ye Guyi withdrew her Angelic Holy Sword. Her right arm radiated golden light as she activated her Holy Dragon Form, a soul bone ability from the Radiant Dragon Turtle.
A ten-meter-long golden dragon coiled around her body and fused into her right arm, forming a massive golden claw of her own.
With her will, spirit, and body unified, another thunderous dragon roar erupted as Ye Guyi struck out with her claw.
"Dragon Emperor's Evilbreaker Rend!"
Also one of Elder Mu's ultimate skills—and with her immense soul power and spiritual strength backing it—its force even surpassed Zhou Sichen's.
As dragon roars and phoenix cries clashed, the three attacks collided and exploded in a deafening boom. The massive shockwave tore apart the surrounding air, even dispersing the Bi Phosphorus Mist around Zhou Sichen and his teammates.
Zhou Sichen's final, all-out attack had been neutralized by Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao together.
With the mist cleared, Wang Dong's attack had finished charging. The Light Goddess Butterfly bloomed brilliantly—the most beautiful martial soul of their era radiating divine light.
"Divine Butterfly Slash!"
With a sharp cry, Wang Dong unleashed her strongest attack, locking onto Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao in midair.
Ye Guyi's face remained emotionless. Raising her right arm, the golden dragon claw burst forth once more, transforming into a ten-meter-long golden dragon.
The dragon roared thunderously, opening its mouth and swallowing the Divine Butterfly Slash whole.
Inside its body, 108 terrifying strikes exploded in succession like fireworks.
After a moment, the golden dragon let out a burp-like roar and exhaled a massive shockwave at Zhou Sichen's group.
Everyone was blown to the ground.
Zhou Sichen, though still standing with his robes fluttering, had clearly abandoned resistance.
He spoke calmly, "We concede. The absolute gap in soul power truly renders all other tactics meaningless."
Xu Sanshi struggled to climb to his feet and was about to help Jiang Nannan up when she shot him a glare.
Gongyang Mo supported Wang Dong, who stood trembling, her eyes wide in disbelief as she stared at Ye Guyi, still floating in midair surrounded by golden dragons and radiant aura.
She had poured all her soul power into that final blow, her strongest strike, yet it had been effortlessly neutralized.
In that moment, Wang Dong felt a crushing sense of defeat.
Even her full-strength attack hadn't been enough to force Ye Guyi to take her seriously.
The gap between them was simply too vast!
Most importantly, the two Soul Sages in the sky had only used their first six soul rings so far. In the battle just now, they hadn't even displayed their full strength.
It was hard to imagine just how terrifying their power would be in full.
Ye Guyi withdrew her golden dragon and gently landed beside Ma Xiaotao, both returning to their calm and composed appearances.
Ma Xiaotao looked at Zhou Sicheng with a mischievous grin. "You lost~!"
Zhou Sicheng let out a sigh. "If Elder Xuan hadn't insisted on arranging it this way, the outcome might have been very different."
Supporting Wang Dong, Gongyang Mo couldn't help but complain, "Didn't I say from the start that we didn't stand a chance with this setup? We had two Soul Sages on the other side, and our captain was only allowed to use limited strength. With such a gap in soul power, the odds of winning were way too slim."
Hearing this, Wang Dong couldn't help but glance up at this handsome upperclassman. "Elder Xuan's arrangement?"
Nearby, Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan both looked puzzled. "Wasn't it Zhou-dage who picked the team?"
At that moment, Elder Xuan chuckled from the sidelines. "That's the end of the first match. Let's hear what everyone thought about it."
As he spoke, he casually tossed a few students next to him straight into the battle arena and teleported over himself.
By now, Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, Bei Bei, He Caitou, and Long Xiangyue had already taken the antidote for the poison.
Cao Jinxuan lightly patted Long Xiangyue on the shoulder. "Seriously, you didn't even get to use any of your abilities before you were taken out."
Long Xiangyue looked embarrassed. "I thought with the five of us and Senior Dai on our side, we'd be able to handle big bro… who knew…"
He trailed off without finishing, but Dai Yueheng didn't seem the least bit embarrassed. He just chuckled and said, "Xian Meng's poison was far too potent. After getting poisoned, I was left with barely a tenth of my strength. It was only natural that I couldn't fight back."
As he spoke, he looked toward Xu Sanshi. "Your ability really was unexpected. You're a tricky one."
Xu Sanshi laughed sheepishly and scratched his head.
Elder Xuan interrupted the chatter and spoke slowly, "Actually, the team selections and strategy used by Sicheng and Guyi were something I instructed them on beforehand. The whole point was to give you new kids a proper lesson."
As he said this, his tone grew more serious. "Now, I want each of you to tell me what you've learned."
Xu Sanshi and Wang Dong stared at each other. "Huh?"
Bei Bei, He Caitou, and Long Xiangyue exchanged glances, all of them starting to think deeply.
A lesson? The three of them didn't even get to show off any of their strengths before they were wiped out like NPCs...
Bei Bei's strength-type assaults, He Caitou's explosive power, and Long Xiangyue's agility were all completely nullified by that wave of greenish poison fog…
Wang Dong was even more speechless. What had he learned? That even when he went all out, his attack was devoured like a candy bean by Ye Guyi's terrifying golden dragon?
****
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