"Alright, it's time to end this!" Lu Jingming stretched inside the golden cube. Then, the Abyssal Spear materialized in his hand.
A dark spear gleam rapidly condensed at the tip, and the dissolution power belonging to the Abyssal White Flower quickly gathered at a single point.
The next moment, his gaze sharpened abruptly, his aura burst forth instantly, and he thrust his spear forward fiercely. The spear tip collided heavily with the golden protective shield.
In an instant, black and red lightning exploded in the void, radiating dazzling light.
"Crack!"
Accompanied by a crisp sound like shattering glass, black cracks appeared on the surface of the golden cube.
From within the cracks, dark light continuously emerged, as if the power of darkness was breaking free from its restraints.
Meanwhile, outside the Star's Guardian, Jinhsi floated quietly in mid-air. Her hands elegantly clasped together, forming a seal, and her fourth soul ring shone with black light.
"Fourth Soul Skill, Heavenly Abode Radiance!"
As she softly uttered the name of the soul skill, a platinum divine dragon phantom slowly emerged behind her.
At the dragon's head, the ultimate light power furiously converged and compressed, as if intending to gather all the light in the entire world.
"Hiss!"
A golden beam of light, like a sharp sword cleaving the heavens, streaked across the sky.
This dragon's breath, formed by the ultimate light, carried sacred and powerful purification energy, striking the Star's Guardian like a surging torrent.
The next moment, the eight remaining golden stars instantly dimmed, losing their former brilliance.
The light shield formed by the Star's Guardian shattered like fragile glass, instantly transforming into countless fragments that scattered everywhere.
"Pfft!"
With the Star's Guardian broken, Xu Jiujiu suffered a powerful backlash and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Her figure, carried by the shockwave, flew backward like a kite with a broken string.
Lu Jingming's figure flickered, instantly appearing behind Xu Jiujiu. He extended his arm and wrapped it around her slender waist, steadily catching her.
Seeing the blood at the corner of Xu Jiujiu's mouth, a hint of pity welled up in Lu Jingming's heart.
He gently reached out, grazed her lips, tenderly wiped away the blood, and said helplessly: "Why push yourself so hard, Sister Jiujiu!"
"After all, I can't let you underestimate me!"
Xu Jiujiu leaned her head gently against Lu Jingming's chest. Due to the immense consumption of soul power and some physical injuries, her voice was slightly weak, yet it carried a hint of stubbornness.
"Then you succeeded. I've witnessed the power of the Star Crown Martial Soul," Lu Jingming said sincerely, without any intention of lying.
The Star Crown Martial Soul was indeed very strong. Just the "Star's Guardian" alone, with its attribute isolation ability, was enough to establish its position as a top-tier support-type martial soul.
What's more, the Star Crown Martial Soul also possessed decent offensive power, which was truly impressive.
"I shall ignite the Star Sea!"
After repelling Huang Heyun once more, Yingliu's body was ablaze with fierce flames. Carried by these surging flames, the silver-white mecha soared into the sky.
After a brief hover, she used the momentum of her descent, combined with the powerful thrust of the flames, to launch a flying kick towards Huang Heyun.
The blazing flames, moving at high speed, violently rubbed against the air, producing a "whooshing" sound.
The spectators only saw a dazzling fire meteor, striking downwards with almost lightning speed.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion, like a clap of thunder, reverberated, causing the entire competition stage to tremble violently.
At the center of the explosion, a massive fireball, carrying waves of intense heat, rose slowly like a newly born miniature sun.
A powerful shockwave, carrying scorching air currents, swept outwards like a tide.
This hot current instantly permeated the entire venue, raising the temperature of the arena by several degrees in a short period, making everyone present truly feel the terror of this power.
As the dazzling firelight gradually dimmed and the sky-high smoke and dust slowly dispersed, a scene of devastation appeared before everyone's eyes.
Huang Heyun, Dugu Shangshan, and the other three lay motionless amidst the rubble.
They all had varying degrees of injuries and had clearly lost the ability to continue fighting.
"Sigh, we still lost!" Xu Jiujiu sighed softly, a hint of unwillingness in her eyes.
She was actually quite competitive. Otherwise, knowing the immense strength of Lu Jingming and the others, she wouldn't have continuously brought out incredibly precious soul tools, nor would she have exhausted all her strength, unleashing all her strategies and hidden techniques without reservation.
However, even though she had pushed herself to the limit, she still lost this match.
Although she felt deeply unwilling, Xu Jiujiu had to admit that St. Freya Academy's strength was indeed superior, so she accepted her defeat gracefully.
Just then, Dan Heng's figure had quietly appeared on the stage without anyone noticing.
He solemnly announced: "Quarterfinals, Star Luo Royal Academy versus St. Freya Academy. St. Freya Academy wins."
As the match results were announced, the audience's applause surged like a tide.
For them, this match was undoubtedly a feast for the eyes and senses, truly spectacular.
Throughout the match, unexpected twists and turns and fierce confrontations frequently occurred, captivating them and leaving them thoroughly satisfied.
The quarterfinals lasted a full two days.
In the individual elimination round, Star Luo Royal Academy, after careful consideration, directly chose to concede.
Having experienced the fierce confrontation with St. Freya Academy in the previous match, Xu Jiujiu was well aware of the clear gap between them and Lu Jingming's group.
Moreover, St. Freya Academy also represented the Star Luo Empire to some extent. Considering various factors, they decided not to cause any more trouble for St. Freya Academy.
Of course, in Lu Jingming's mind, Star Luo Royal Academy wasn't really much trouble.
However, he wouldn't say such a thing in front of Xu Jiujiu; he had that much emotional intelligence.
With the end of the quarterfinals, the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition was gradually drawing to a close.
After multiple rounds of fierce competition, the teams that successfully entered the semifinals were St. Freya Academy, Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Shrek Academy, and Diao Academy.
The audience generally believed that these four academies deserved their spots.
Throughout the long competition, the strengths of the various academies were basically revealed without reservation to everyone.
Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had a powerful Soul Emperor, Diao Academy also had a Soul Emperor overseeing them, and the strength of Shrek Academy and St. Freya Academy was beyond doubt.
It could be said that the academies that reached the semifinals this year possessed the strength and potential to win the championship in any previous Soul Master Competition—except, of course, the last one.
In a room at the Daydream Hotel, Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged, his expression focused. In front of his chest, a dark red gem radiating spiritual fluctuations floated.
This gem was the spiritual soul tool gem he had asked Wang Yan to bid for at the auction house earlier.
Since acquiring this gem, Huo Yuhao's cultivation path had been smooth sailing.
With the help of the gem's power, his spiritual power continuously soared, and his soul power cultivation speed also greatly increased.
This cultivation effect was no less impressive than when he cultivated the Haodong Power with Wang Dong.
And Electrolux, who had been residing in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, also benefited greatly from the nourishment of this gem.
The gem continuously provided him with gentle spiritual energy, ensuring that Electrolux's divine consciousness received ample replenishment.
To better recover his own strength, Electrolux chose to enter a state of slumber.
This gem undoubtedly brought great help to Huo Yuhao. However, everything has two sides, and this gem also brought some troubles to Huo Yuhao.
For some unknown reason, whenever he cultivated with the help of this gem, his mind would involuntarily recall the unbearable life at the Duke Baihu's mansion.
Those painful memories flooded in like a tide. He seemed to see his mother, Huo Yun'er, being persecuted in every way by the Duchess and ultimately dying from exhaustion.