Justsky Advanced Soul Academy was actually quite strong, fully capable of contending for a spot in the top eight. It was just their bad luck; first, they encountered Shrek Academy and were defeated by an underdog victory, and then they unluckily ran into St. Freya Academy.
"My name is Lu Jingming. Let's be friends. You're exceptional. Have you considered developing in Hǎiyuān City?" Lu Jingming smiled, extending his hand towards Ye Wuqing. He truly admired Ye Wuqing. Ye Wuqing showed promise of breaking through to the Soul Emperor level before the age of twenty, which meant he could at least become a Titled Douluo. If not for Zhengtian Academy's limited resources, he would have been even more outstanding. Hǎiyuān City didn't lack high-end combat power; rather, it needed pillars like Ye Wuqing. If Ye Wuqing was willing to come to Hǎiyuān City, Lu Jingming wouldn't mind establishing another commander position beyond the five Golden Guard commanders, or even forming an entirely new soul master legion.
In fact, Lu Jingming had recently been considering forming a new soul master legion. The Golden Guards were responsible for maintaining order in Hǎiyuān City, primarily handling defensive duties. He needed to forge an unbreakable blade, an invincible soul master legion, distinct from the Golden Guards. He had even thought of a name for the legion: The Fatui. If Ye Wuqing was willing to join, Lu Jingming wouldn't mind grooming him and giving him an Executive position.
Ye Wuqing and the others were momentarily stunned. They had expected Lu Jingming to challenge them with a condescending, arrogant demeanor, but instead, they received a friendly invitation. Recalling everything they had seen and heard in Hǎiyuān City during this time, Ye Wuqing clasped Lu Jingming's outstretched hand and said calmly, "Thank you. I'll consider it."
"Then I'll await your reply!" Lu Jingming said with a smile, then looked at Yu Mengdi, Tang Xiaolei, and the others. "The same goes for you all. Hǎiyuān City's gates are always open to you." Justsky Advanced Soul Academy was different from Dou Ling Royal Academy. Justsky Advanced Soul Academy was not exclusive to the royal family; after graduation, the academy didn't interfere with their students' futures. However, students of Dou Ling Royal Academy were obligated to serve the Dou Ling Empire after graduation. Therefore, even though Gu Zhu Jian and the others were equally outstanding, Lu Jingming hadn't presumptuously extended an invitation.
Lu Jingming's friendly attitude almost completely dispelled the initial hostility of Yu Mengdi and the others. Dan Heng pretended not to notice Lu Jingming's act of recruiting talent on the stage, and the audience wasn't aware of what they were discussing. They simply saw Lu Jingming shaking hands with Ye Wuqing and felt the atmosphere wasn't tense.
On the arena, although the atmosphere seemed harmonious, the battle still needed to happen, and the audience couldn't be kept waiting. After all, if they could thoroughly defeat Justsky Advanced Soul Academy in this contest, it would be much easier to bring them over later. Both teams quickly spread out a hundred meters apart on the arena. Dan Heng's gaze calmly swept over the opposing sides, then he declared, "Begin!"
At this command, both teams simultaneously unleashed their soul rings. The glow of soul rings instantly lit up the arena. Ye Guyi and Yu Mengdi, almost at the same instant, shot towards each other like arrows released from a bow. Two beautiful and sacred angelic phantoms slowly appeared behind them. The angelic phantom behind Ye Guyi was breathtakingly beautiful, radiating a pure and sacred aura. In comparison, while Yu Mengdi's angelic phantom was also extraordinary, it seemed slightly inferior when contrasted with Ye Guyi's. Although Yu Mengdi's soul power level was higher than Ye Guyi's, in terms of initial momentum, she was actually suppressed by Ye Guyi, who was merely a Soul Sect.
Following this, a sacred and stirring battle hymn seemed to come from the depths of distant void, echoing in every corner of the arena. A platinum-white holy sword and golden twin swords collided fiercely, erupting in dazzling sparks. White and golden wings violently intertwined and tumbled in the air, like two warring divine birds. This thrilling duel between the two female angels provided an unparalleled visual feast for the live audience from the very beginning. The audience's emotions were instantly ignited, excited shouts rising and falling, reverberating throughout the arena.
"Are Angel Martial Souls all this cool? They even come with their own background music?" March 7th's eyes were filled with envy. She secretly thought how impressive it would be if she also had her own exclusive background music when fighting. As she spoke, a delicate pink longbow appeared in her hand. Accompanied by faint soul power fluctuations, an ice arrow radiating a chilling aura quickly formed. March 7th pulled the bowstring taut, and the arrow whistled through the air, precisely intercepting a purple light arrow mid-flight. Tang Xiaolei, who had just fired an arrow from his Purple Splendor Bow, couldn't help but be stunned. He never expected that this pink-haired girl from St. Freya Academy was also a master archer. However, he quickly noticed the difference between them: the bow in March 7th's hand was a soul tool, while his Purple Splendor Bow was a manifestation of his martial soul.
Just then, the situation on the arena suddenly shifted. A black shadow flashed swiftly like a phantom; it was Yang Yifan, wielding his Shadow Blade. His second soul ring abruptly shone, and the soul skill "Shadow Swift Slash" instantly activated. In a flash, his speed surged, and he transformed into a streak of light. The Shadow Blade in his hand also became a sharp light blade in his high-speed movement, slashing horizontally towards Castorice. At the same time, Xue Lang was not to be outdone. He activated his martial soul possession, instantly dropping to all fours like a fierce beast, pouncing towards Castorice from another direction with astonishing speed. His blood-red hair wildly danced in the strong wind, emitting a crazed, bloody aura. The dark shadow blade's strike and the blood-colored claw strike attacked Castorice almost simultaneously.
Clearly, Zhengtian Academy's members had considered the situation and believed that Lu Jingming, Gu Yue, and Firefly, whose strengths had already been exposed, were too powerful for them to confidently handle. March 7th was being contained by Tang Xiaolei, and Ye Guyi was engaged with Yu Mengdi. As for Robin, they didn't dare to easily attack her. After weighing their options, they chose Castorice as their breakthrough point.
Facing the incoming attacks, Castorice remained as bewildered as ever, merely blinking her eyes gently. Then, she gracefully waved her right hand, and dark energy rapidly converged. A strikingly ornate purple scythe instantly appeared in her hand.
Swoosh!
Two streaks of purple blade light flashed like lightning. The dark blade's edge and the blood-colored claw's gleam instantly shattered under this sharp blade light. In Castorice's hands, the massive purple scythe seemed like a light toy, wielded effortlessly. The scythe slashed out horizontally, and a huge blade of light ripped through the air, emitting a harsh, piercing sound. Yang Yifan and Xue Lang's expressions changed drastically; they realized they had perhaps bitten off more than they could chew.
Lu Jingming watched this scene, chuckling and shaking his head. In his opinion, Zhengtian Academy's members would have been better off challenging Gu Yue than going after Castorice. If Castorice wasn't inherently kind, these two would have likely been enveloped by the shadow of death the moment they got close. Even so, with their strength, they were far from Castorice's match. Under the relentless assault of the purple blade light, like a torrential downpour, the two found themselves in desperate straits, barely escaping danger.
Though Castorice usually seemed rather oblivious, once she entered combat, her agility was beyond normal imagination. In the eyes of the spectators, Castorice wielded her purple scythe, her movements light and graceful, like a dancing purple butterfly. However, beneath this beautiful facade lay a deadly danger; her immense strength left Yang Yifan and Xue Lang in a terrible state. To escape Castorice's pursuit, they consecutively unleashed several soul skills, but it was still futile.
Seeing her teammates in such peril, Yan'er was frantic. Flames coiled around her body, her first and second soul rings shining simultaneously. She instantly unleashed her first soul skill, "Fireball Spell," and her second soul skill, "Fireball Array." Five fiercely burning fireballs intertwined, carrying heat capable of melting steel, whistling like meteors towards Castorice, attempting to rescue her teammates.
However, Castorice was not without help. Gu Yue's eyebrow subtly raised, and with an elegant, unhurried motion, her right index finger gently curled. In an instant, the water-blue orb of light around her flared brightly, followed by a deafening dragon roar. A lifelike water dragon materialized out of thin air. The water dragon roared as it charged towards the five blazing fireballs.
Boom!
The fireballs and the water dragon collided violently, triggering a fierce explosion. A vast cloud of steam rapidly diffused, transforming into a thick mist that enveloped more than half of the arena.
Just then, a blue lightning bolt exploded out of thin air within the mist. On the back of Lu Jingming's left hand, a blood-colored stigmata quietly emerged. The powerful lightning energy contained within the stigmata surged into his body like a raging torrent, stimulating every cell and propelling his speed to an incredible extreme. In the blink of an eye, he crossed a hundred meters like a black lightning bolt. The black long spear in his hand gleamed with a cold, sharp edge, thrusting fiercely towards Ye Wuqing. The spear tip cut through the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound.
Ye Wuqing's expression changed drastically. He hastily activated his first soul ring skill, "Golden Barrier." A golden light shield instantly appeared before him. At the same time, Shangguan Can beside him was not idle. He quickly shook the Soul Seizing Bell in his hand, activating his third soul skill, "Soul Thorn." The bell's ringing carried a subtle yet powerful spiritual force, like an invisible sharp blade, silently piercing directly towards Lu Jingming's glabella.
Lu Jingming's gaze was like a torch. He merely glanced, and lightning flashed in his eyes, as if two bolts of lightning shot from them. An invisible spiritual impact, imbued with black-red lightning, burst forth. The sound waves from the bell instantly disintegrated before this powerful spiritual impact, like fragile bubbles. The spiritual impact continued unabated, directly hitting Shangguan Can.
Pfft!
Shangguan Can's face instantly turned ashen, completely drained of color, and he violently spat out a mouthful of fresh blood that splattered in the air. His eyes were filled with terror and shock. In that instant, he felt as if he had been stared at by a lofty, untouchable deity. That terrifying sensation, like facing divine might, made his very soul tremble.
Lu Jingming shook his head. Shangguan Can dared to use a spiritual soul skill on him; it was practically a death wish. After all, within his stigmata space, a goddess who commanded lightning slept! If he hadn't actively isolated the stigmata space, what Shangguan Can was facing right now would not have been merely spiritual injury. His soul might have been obliterated by divine power, vanishing into thin air without a trace.