Chapter 417: Cai Mei'er's Judgment
Cai Mei'er's expression showed helplessness as she sighed and said, "Xiao Xiao, do you really think Huo Yuhao reached the Soul Sage level naturally? It's obvious that the short sighted high officials of the Sun Moon Empire fed him large amounts of medicinal pills to secure the championship. They sacrificed his potential for short term gains, which is why he was able to break through to Soul Sage."
"After all, those with Ultimate Martial Souls have notoriously slow cultivation speeds between Rank 30 and Rank 70 it's practically like a turtle crawling! There's no way Huo Yuhao could have reached Soul Sage so quickly otherwise."
"I acknowledge that his talent is exceptional, but even he cannot defy this fundamental rule. Xiao Xiao, remember, here in Douluo Continent, our Shrek Academy has extensive experience in nurturing Ultimate Martial Soul users, so my assessment cannot be wrong."
Xiao Xiao still had doubts. "Dean Cai, then how do you explain Huo Yuhao's hundred thousand year soul ring?"
She had seen Soul Masters whose ninth soul ring was at the hundred thousand year level, but a seventh soul ring being hundred thousand year old? That was something she had never encountered before.
Of course, during her training near the Sea God's Pavilion, she had heard about Elder Mu, who was known to possess three hundred thousand year soul rings. This meant that Shrek Academy's strongest powerhouse also had a hundred thousand year seventh soul ring!
But absorbing a hundred thousand year soul ring is extremely difficult, and for Huo Yuhao, who was only a Soul Emperor before absorbing his seventh ring, it should have been even harder.
Typically, Soul Masters carefully gauge their limits when choosing soul rings. Absorbing a soul ring beyond one's capacity could have devastating consequences.
Cai Mei'er pondered for a moment before saying, "First, I must state that under normal circumstances, Huo Yuhao's seventh soul ring could not possibly be a hundred thousand year ring. He may be talented, but by choosing to join the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, he was destined to receive inferior training."
"Of course, if he had joined Shrek Academy, that would be a different story."
"There are two possible explanations for his hundred thousand year soul ring. The first possibility is that his ring is fake he might be using a special soul skill to temporarily change the color of his soul ring."
"The second possibility, if his soul ring is indeed real, is that a hundred thousand year soul beast willingly sacrificed itself for him. However, this is extremely unlikely."
"Humans and soul beasts are fundamentally different species. Because Soul Masters must hunt soul beasts for their soul rings, the relationship between the two has always been hostile. For a soul beast to willingly sacrifice itself for a human, only Tang Hao and Tang San's ancestors have ever achieved such a feat!"
"Historical records show that both Ah Yin and Xiao Wu were soul beasts who took human form and chose to sacrifice themselves for love. But where would Huo Yuhao find a hundred thousand year old soul beast, in human form, who loves him enough to sacrifice itself?"
Xiao Xiao listened to Cai Mei'er's reasoning and found it extremely logical. No wonder she was Shrek's Vice Dean she wasn't just strong but also incredibly insightful.
She then curiously asked, "Dean Cai, who do you think will win this semifinal match?"
Cai Mei'er deliberated for a moment before stating, "I believe the Body Sect's Soul Sage will win this match. Huo Yuhao's loss will be due to the poor education he received at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy!"
"The blame falls entirely on their flawed system! If Huo Yuhao had studied at Shrek Academy and received our superior training, he would have undoubtedly defeated this Body Sect Soul Sage!"
The Battle Begins
By this time, Long Aotian had already stepped up to face Huo Yuhao. His aura had reached its peak, yet Huo Yuhao remained calm and unfazed.
Long Aotian was surprised among all the opponents he had encountered, Huo Yuhao was the first to remain completely unaffected by his pressure.
Without a doubt, Huo Yuhao was a formidable opponent.
"State your names," declared the referee, Zheng Zhan.
"Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, Huo Yuhao."
"Snow Demon Sect, Long Aotian."
After hearing their names, Zheng Zhan announced, "Both sides, step back to the edges of the stage and prepare for battle."
Huo Yuhao and Long Aotian quickly retreated to their respective sides.
Zheng Zhan swept his sharp gaze over both fighters and couldn't help but feel a sense of inferiority.
Even at the age of twenty, he had only been a Rank 61 Soul Emperor.
Yet these two, both under twenty, were already Soul Sages.
They were undoubtedly true geniuses!
Raising his right hand, Zheng Zhan brought it down sharply and declared: "Begin!"
The Clash of Powerhouses
In an instant, Long Aotian launched himself into the air, soaring toward Huo Yuhao.
At the same time, his first soul ring lit up, emitting a yellow glow. His muscles swelled, making him appear even more massive, and his speed increased significantly.
Within moments, he was right in front of Huo Yuhao.
His sixth soul ring glowed, and his clawed hand swiped forward.
Dark golden energy claws materialized, distorting the air itself, aiming to tear Huo Yuhao apart.
Huo Yuhao's Counterattack
Huo Yuhao was already surrounded by golden light.
A majestic emperor's pressure radiated outward, causing Long Aotian's heart to tremble as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss.
Snowflakes filled the sky, swirling toward Huo Yuhao.
Then, with a single glance, the snowflakes absorbed the ice elements in the air and instantly expanded into a colossal ice wall between them.
The dark golden claws struck the ice wall, producing cracking sounds as ice shards flew everywhere.
However, the wall quickly regenerated, morphing into razor sharp ice spikes that surged toward Long Aotian like an unstoppable tide.
Long Aotian's Countermove
Long Aotian was far stronger than Wang Yan Feng.
He quickly snapped out of his shaken state, his gaze sharp as he unleashed two powerful white energy punches.
Boom!
The ice spikes shattered upon impact, but new ones rapidly grew in their place, sealing off the path his attacks had carved.
Long Aotian's eyes narrowed. If this continued, he would be at a disadvantage.
Huo Yuhao had remained stationary the entire time, unleashing only one self created soul skill, yet he already had the upper hand.
Realizing this, Long Aotian retreated and gathered his strength.
His arms swung in a circular motion before his entire body turned silver white, radiating a blinding glow.
Behind him, a massive silver humanoid figure took shape
His Silver Tier Second Awakening!
At the same time, a dark golden light shot out from his body, rapidly materializing into a ferocious Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear Soul Spirit!
The battle had just begun.
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