"Who is it?!"
In the middle of the wilderness, a sudden voice startled Shi Nian.
It was no wonder he was frightened. As a Soul Saint, he had personally chosen this secluded spot, yet someone had been watching him for so long without him noticing. This spoke volumes about the intruder's cultivation level.
"Who I am is not important. What matters is that you've committed a crime," Poison Douluo said with a smile, slowly descending from the sky.
"Greetings, Your Excellency Dugu," Shi Nian said, his heart tightening as he respectfully bowed to Dugu Bo. "I recall that you have no ties with the Blue Lightning Tyrant School, do you?"
"You know me?" Dugu Bo looked at Shi Nian with some surprise.
"Your Excellency, as a royal appointee and a frequent presence at the Heavenly Dou Royal Academy, I once saw you from afar during an academy exchange," Shi Nian forced a smile.
"I didn't expect such a coincidence. Very well, I'll make sure your death is painless," Dugu Bo said, his playful demeanor fading as he nodded calmly.
"Do you have a history with the Blue Lightning Tyrant School?" Shi Nian's face changed, his expression filled with fear as he looked at Dugu Bo.
"No," Dugu Bo shook his head, and his Jade Phosphor Serpent Spirit suddenly exhaled a dark green mist toward Shi Nian.
"Your Excellency, if you have no ties with the Blue Lightning Tyrant School, why do you seek to kill me? Is it merely out of a sense of justice?" Shi Nian was horrified. He summoned his Martial Soul, ready to resist, but the sudden overwhelming pressure slowed his movements.
"If it were just a matter of justice, I would have intervened earlier," Dugu Bo chuckled. "You've simply violated the empire's laws."
"Cough... Your Excellency, the empire's laws mostly govern civilians. In the world of Soul Masters, conflicts are always a matter of life and death. I merely killed a minor Soul Honour. Even if he was the heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant School, shouldn't it be up to the Blue Lightning family to judge me?"
"This law is newly revised, and it applies to everyone. It's still imperfect, and we may change it at any time. Hmm, there really is a Head Soul Bone here."
The next morning.
"Third Brother, we've searched the left street, but there's no sign of him," Xiao Wu panted as she ran up to Tang San.
"Nothing on West Street either."
"Couldn't find him..."
"This match is against the Canghui Academy. Even without Tianheng, they shouldn't be a match for us."
Tang San looked solemnly at his teammates as they returned one by one. "Our match is about to start. We can't keep searching. Let's finish the match first."
The Shrek Academy team nodded and quickly ran toward the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.
As it was the final ten days of the preliminary rounds, the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena was packed with people.
"The next match will be between Canghui Academy and Shrek Academy," the announcer declared, and the Canghui team slowly entered the arena.
To their surprise, the Shrek Academy team had not yet arrived. This not only puzzled them but also left the referee and the audience confused.
After waiting for a while, just as the referee was growing impatient, the Shrek Academy team finally rushed into the arena, panting heavily.
"Haha, I thought you were scared," the captain of the Canghui team sneered.
The others joined in with mocking remarks. "Yeah, if you're too scared to fight, just admit defeat early. Don't waste everyone's time."
"Just wait, I'll wipe those smiles off your faces soon enough," Ma Hongjun's eyes flashed with cruelty, a cold smirk playing on his lips.
He hadn't been able to fight recently due to the need to suppress his Evil Fire, but today, with Yu Tianheng absent, he was ready to have some fun.
"Don't get too eager; we'll show them what's what soon," Xiao Wu glanced at the Canghui Team and snorted lightly.
Both sides released their Martial Souls, and the match began.
At the referee's signal, all fourteen participants on the field revealed their Spirit Rings.
Ma Hongjun let out a disdainful whistle as he observed the Canghui Team's Spirit Ring configuration. "Oh? I thought you were supposed to be strong. Turns out only your captain is a Soul Honour. What's there to be so arrogant about?"
"Exactly, I thought they were a strong team, but they're even using members without optimal Spirit Ring configurations," Xiao Wu added with a sneer.
"Heh, enjoy your laughter while it lasts," the Canghui Team's captain sneered, quickly positioning himself within a hexagram formed by his teammates. The seven of them raised their gemstone Martial Souls, and a dazzling light instantly illuminated the entire arena.
"What are they doing?" Dai Mubai frowned, ready to charge forward.
"Don't act rashly, Mubai. If they're so brazenly charging up in front of us, they must have something up their sleeve. Be careful not to fall into their trap," Tang San said, his eyes fixed on the blinding light.
Just as Tang San finished speaking, the hexagram formation formed by the Canghui Team suddenly erupted with a radiant, multicolored light.
The light, centered around the captain's Martial Soul, shot up into the sky, forming a massive pillar that enveloped the entire arena in an instant.
The crowd at the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena erupted in shock at the sight of the pillar, as it reminded them of Li Xun's towering vine.
Of course, some knowledgeable spectators recognized it as a fusion skill and were immediately awestruck.
Li Xun, seated in the audience, couldn't help but show a strange expression when he saw the massive light pillar.
"Brother, what skill are they using? Why can't I see anything?" Ning Rongrong frowned, looking at the foggy arena.
"That's their Seven-in-One Fusion Skill. Think of it as a budget version of our Martial Soul Fusion Skill," Li Xun mused, stroking his chin as he recalled the effects of the skill.
"Huh, if they experience this, will they become immune to our Martial Soul Fusion Skill later?" Ning Rongrong asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
Zhu Zhuqing also leaned over curiously. She only knew the name of Li Xun and Ning Rongrong's Martial Soul Fusion Skill but not its effects.
Seeing their curiosity, Li Xun pondered for a moment. "The reason I call their Seven-in-One Martial Soul Fusion Skill a budget version is based on the effects and rules of Martial Souls."
"Rongrong, the strongest aspect of our Martial Soul Fusion Skill is that everything originates from real events, including the degree of occurrence and the flow of time."
"Unlike illusions conjured out of thin air, those who enter our illusion will instantly experience the real journey of growing up from infancy, and then enter the required time node within the illusion."
Li Xun grinned and said, "Take this competition for example. If Shrek Academy is left with lingering shadows by Canghui Academy, then when they enter our illusion, they will relive the entire process leading up to this match, and based on this point in time, a new branch will emerge."
"Since everything is derived from the deduction after real events, it's not easy for them to break free. Moreover, our Martial Soul Fusion Skill can complete a cycle in just one second."
Within the pillar of light, on the arena, Tang San and the others had already entered the illusion created by Canghui Academy's members.