The ice-fire power of the Scarlet-eyed Ice Toad quickly condensed on the soul tool battle saber in Meng Hongchen's hand. The red and blue glows fused together, surprisingly forming a sacred jade-white brilliance.
But hidden within that glow was a terrifying cold poison—enough to kill a Soul Douluo!
The Scarlet-eyed Ice Toad, a soul beast, produced this special cold poison by alternating its ice and fire powers. It was said to be the poison formed from the coldest air, rare and lethally toxic.
When this cold poison was applied to a weapon through a combat technique, the resulting strike became a terrifying attack that combined overwhelming force and venom.
Jiang Nannan felt a bone-piercing chill—this was the aura of death!
As Meng Hongchen's soul tool saber came down, Jiang Nannan instinctively tried to dodge. As an agility-attack type soul master, her combat style was not about direct clashes.
However, a jade-white blade aura unexpectedly detached from the saber as it was swung, flying toward Jiang Nannan. This caught everyone completely off guard.
Jiang Nannan didn't have time to react and was struck directly, sent flying while spitting blood.
At the same time, the sixth-level soul tool armor she wore shattered midair, scattering to the ground.
Destroying sixth-level armor in one strike clearly showed how terrifying the attack was.
You must know—normally, sixth-level armor could withstand a full-force blow from a Soul Sage. And Shrek Academy, being wealthy, had supplied its students with high-quality soul tools.
"Nannan!!" Xu Sanshi cried out in panic, eyes bloodshot. His vision was dyed red with the blood from Jiang Nannan's mouth.
In the next moment, he erupted with strength, enduring soul tool beam attacks, disregarding his own injuries, and charged out alone.
Seeing this, Cai Meier and Xian Lin'er both showed slight changes in expression. Cai Meier even let out a cold snort.
Xu Sanshi was from the Martial Soul Department. His actions in the match made Cai Meier, the department's deputy dean, especially displeased.
Fortunately, both women knew Huo Yuhao's strength. Though they were dissatisfied, they said nothing. But in their hearts, their opinion of Xu Sanshi dropped significantly.
Even Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao frowned slightly.
Your love may be moving, but doing this during a crucial battle against the Sun Moon Empire's representative team won't make people sympathize—it only shows you're unfit for the role.
Xu Sanshi, are you even thinking clearly?
Did you drink too much before the match?
Zhang Lexuan felt like she was watching another Xuan Zi
Due to Xu Sanshi breaking ranks, Huo Yuhao and Vena were exposed to the soul tool beams. Laughing Hongchen's eyes lit up and he immediately ordered all team members to focus fire on Huo Yuhao and Vena.
Thankfully, Huo Yuhao raised a transparent ice wall that blocked all incoming beams.
Under the concentrated attack, the ice wall didn't even crack.
Vena stood calmly beside Huo Yuhao, without a trace of fear.
Having failed, Laughing Hongchen snorted and didn't order further soul tool attacks—because their enemies had closed the distance and melee combat was imminent.
Xu Sanshi quickly reached Jiang Nannan's side, wanting to pick her up—only for Jiang Nannan to slap him across the face.
Her gaze was cold as she stared at him, "Why are you here? Who told you to come? Why didn't you follow orders and acted on your own?!"
"I…" Xu Sanshi was speechless.
Ignoring him, Jiang Nannan glanced anxiously at Huo Yuhao and Vena. Seeing they were unharmed, she sighed in relief.
If not for Huo Yuhao, Vena would've surely been injured, maybe even eliminated.
Jiang Nannan knew she was Xu Sanshi's weakness, but never imagined he would abandon the battle plan and his teammates for her!
Regardless of whether Huo Yuhao could cover for him, it was no excuse to abandon his teammates!
A sense of guilt grew in Jiang Nannan's heart—not toward Xu Sanshi, but toward the rest of the team.
Without another word, she tore off the remaining fragments of her soul tool armor, to avoid hindering her movements, and charged at Meng Hongchen again with her soul tool daggers.
Though her armor had been destroyed, Jiang Nannan wasn't seriously injured—she had only coughed up a mouthful of blood.
She was a bit surprised herself, but not confused—Huo Yuhao's soul power had protected her at the last moment.
This made Jiang Nannan feel an unmatched sense of security from Huo Yuhao—something she'd never felt before.
As long as she could still fight, she wouldn't stay down.
Now, she was going to assist Wang Dong, who was currently confronting Meng Hongchen. Having experienced Meng Hongchen's power firsthand, Jiang Nannan knew Wang Dong was in real danger.
Xu Sanshi lowered his head, fists clenched tightly.
The audience couldn't follow everything, but they saw Jiang Nannan slap Xu Sanshi—and many cheered.
"Is Shrek Academy fighting among themselves now?"
"Why does that guy look like a dog?"
"Exactly! This is what I came to see!"
...
Meng Hongchen showed no intention of finishing Jiang Nannan off. She assumed Jiang Nannan was done for. With Wang Dong charging at her, she turned her attention to taking him out next.
One slash per person. How fun.
Wang Dong stepped in front of Meng Hongchen—partly to buy time for his teammates, and partly because Bai Shanshan hadn't sent a retreat signal through her silk thread, meaning he had to hold the line.
Meng Hongchen looked at the Haotian Hammer in Wang Dong's hands and smiled, "Is that the legendary continent's number one Tool Spirit, the Haotian Hammer? I wonder how many strikes it can take from me?"
Wang Dong snapped, "Arrogant! I'll smash your sword first!"
"Haha. If you can, come try… hmm?"
Just as she prepared to strike, Meng Hongchen noticed Jiang Nannan getting up again—her expression froze in shock.
"She's still alive? Wait, she's not even poisoned? It's your soul power glow—it blocked my cold poison and attack!"
She quickly realized what had happened, eyes flashing coldly.
Wang Dong seized her distraction and exploded with strength from his calves, swinging the heavy Haotian Hammer straight at her.
The whooshing of the air made Meng Hongchen snap back to attention. She used her Soul Sage speed to dodge at the last second.
"Tsk!" Wang Dong looked disappointed.
Meng Hongchen was furious. "Looks like I was too gentle earlier!"
With that, she drew a second soul tool saber—identical to the first in black color and design. Clearly, they were a pair.
Yes—Meng Hongchen's true fighting style was dual wielding.
These soul sabers were no ordinary tools. They were modeled after ninth-level close-combat soul tools—the Blackblade Twin Sabers, and had been refined personally by Jing Hongchen.
Though officially seventh-level soul tools, they could unleash power on par with eighth-level weapons, and could emit blade energy for ranged attacks—razor-sharp and nearly unstoppable.
Meng Hongchen named them the Ice-Fire Twin Blades.
Drawing both sabers meant she was going all out!
As she channeled her soul power, the twin sabers lit up—one red, one blue—clearly infused with fire and ice, two opposing elements.
"Ice-Fire Blade Technique, First Form: Toad Cold Poison!"
One blade of ice, one blade of fire—blended to release a chilling poison mist!
As Meng Hongchen swung her dual blades, a large wave of white, poisonous mist filled with chilling venom swept toward Wang Dong, hiding a potent threat.
Wang Dong swiftly switched to the Light Goddess Butterfly martial soul and quickly retreated into the air.
Now airborne, Wang Dong was highly agile and successfully dodged the fast-approaching poisonous fog.
At the same time, Jiang Nannan rejoined the battle. She circled around the toxic cloud, attempting to assassinate Meng Hongchen from the side.
Meng Hongchen sensed Jiang Nannan's approach and let out a cold snort, withdrawing her blades and changing tactics.
"Second style…"
Just then, Xiao Hongchen's voice called out from behind, "Meng, fall back!"
Hearing his voice, Meng Hongchen snapped back to her senses. She didn't follow through with her move, instead glaring at both Jiang Nannan and Wang Dong before swiftly retreating back to the team.
Jiang Nannan couldn't pursue and had no choice but to fall back. Immediately after, a barrage of soul tool beams rained down, forcing her to retreat further.
This was a team battle, not a duel.
Meng Hongchen's task had been to eliminate Jiang Nannan and Wang Dong if an opportunity arose. As a Soul Sage, she should have had no problem taking down two Soul Emperors.
In fact, if not for Huo Yuhao's protective soul power, Jiang Nannan would have already been severely injured and eliminated.
Unfortunately, since Meng Hongchen failed to secure a kill, she couldn't continue fighting alone, lest she give the enemy a chance to exploit her position.
Team combat is the true strength of soul engineers—there was no need to fight one-on-one like in the arena.
By now, Xiao Hongchen had finished assembling a powerful-looking soul tool. It was composed of 108 unique orbs, each emitting fluctuations of different elemental energies.
He and the returning Meng Hongchen stood in front of a formation plate, channeling their soul power into it to control the soul tool.
The Mingdu Royal Soul Engineering Academy team changed formation. The rest of the members defended the duo, either shielding or distracting, ensuring no enemy could get close.
Additionally, to guard against Xu Sanshi's Mysterious Underworld Displacement, the five others deployed a special soul tool barrier that blocked spatial teleportation-type soul skills.
Under Bai Shan's direction, Xu Sanshi attempted the displacement—only to fail. The skill couldn't activate.
This is the power of soul tools, kid!
The 108 soul tool spheres hovered in the air, quickly encircling the platform and trapping Huo Yuhao and his team inside.
With Bai Shan's remote control, the Shrek Academy team regrouped once more. All past frustrations were cast aside as they joined forces to face the bizarre threat.
Even Xu Sanshi became more composed.
The 108 soul tool spheres floated in midair, radiating ominous auras of elemental power.
"I'll go test it out!" Wang Dong proposed. Being one of the only two who could fly, she intended to smack one of the spheres to see what would happen.
However, Huo Yuhao raised a hand to stop her. "No, those soul tools clearly function as a unit. It's definitely not that simple!"
"Damn it!" Wang Dong cursed angrily. "Soul engineers are so despicable!"
With no soul engineers on their team, she could curse all she wanted.
But Huo Yuhao knew exactly what they were dealing with.
Because he had modified the design of this soul tool himself!
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen exchanged a glance and nodded to each other.
"We must not disappoint the Third Prince. For our family, and for the Sun Moon Empire—let Shrek Academy fall under this Heavenly Array of Numbers!"
The two activated the formation plate.
Instantly, the 108 soul tool orbs lit up, releasing powers of water, fire, wood, earth, lightning, poison, metal, light, and darkness—nine elemental forces in total.
"Elemental Storm!" they declared in unison, pouring soul power into the formation without reservation.
The nine elements intertwined, forming a violent Elemental Storm that began to contract toward the center, aiming to engulf Huo Yuhao and his team.
Even before contact, their senses warned them of the storm's overwhelming power and danger.
"Let me test it!" Bai Shan extended her silk threads into the storm—only for them to be instantly shredded.
Her martial soul, though threads, was as tough as metal. Even soul tool blades found it hard to cut, yet it was instantly destroyed within the storm. Terrifying.
Fortunately, her silk could regenerate endlessly at the cost of soul power. Its destruction didn't harm her—only drained her energy.
This is one of the advantages of inherently fragile martial souls, similar to the Blue Silver Grass.
"What a terrifying elemental storm," Wei Na said solemnly. "Manipulating a single element is common—but controlling nine at once, and merging them into such destructive force? This is a first!"
Shrek's seven were now trapped inside the Elemental Storm.
Their supporters were holding their breath.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen both smirked.
"This is a simplified version of the Tier-9 soul tool Blazing Heaven's Net. How could it be so easily countered?" Xiao Hongchen thought proudly.
The Heavenly Array of Numbers, like the Icefire Twin Blades, was a simplified version of a Tier-9 soul tool blueprint handed to them by the Third Prince.
Of course, what the prince gave were the blueprints—production and enhancement were handled by Jing Hongchen with the two siblings. And the prince had given them more than just these two.
Although this array could only control 108 spheres, it was still powerful. Manipulating nine elements to generate an Elemental Storm, its power could destroy even a Soul Douluo—and threaten a Titled Douluo.
It consumed tremendous energy, requiring both Xiao and Meng Hongchen to operate together.
Even the proud Xiao Hongchen had to admit—the Third Prince's talent in soul tools surpassed his own.
Soul tool upgrading was common. Simplifying soul tools was rare.
Only a few types of special soul tools could be simplified without losing functionality.
The Third Prince not only cracked Tier-9 soul tool designs, but also simplified them. It was unheard of.
But a man capable of ruling the Sun Moon Empire naturally had such brilliance.
And since the prince had gone to such lengths to help them, Xiao and Meng Hongchen fought all the harder.
In reality, they were overestimating themselves.
The simplified blueprints were merely byproducts of Huo Yuhao's cultivation insights.
Huo Yuhao had never slacked in his study of soul tools and formations, and he had also studied Douluo Continent's soul tool technologies. These Tier-9 soul tools were naturally part of his research.
And thus, the simplified versions and soul tool hidden weapons were born.
As the Elemental Storm contracted, Shrek's team tried every method to break free—knowing they must not let it engulf them fully.
But nothing worked. Any soul skill or technique was destroyed by the storm.
In the end, all eyes turned to Huo Yuhao.
They were out of options—only the invincible Yuhao could save them.
Huo Yuhao smiled.
He raised his hand into the air and summoned a chilling spear from the void:
Frost Centipede Dragon Spear—revealed!
With a sweep of the spear, extreme ice burst forth. A giant phantom of the Frost Centipede Dragon loomed in the storm, radiating absolute cold as it looked down on all.
Then—
CRACK CRACK CRACK!!!
The 108 soul tool orbs floating midair froze solid, severing the storm at its source.
Next, a sweep of the spear shattered the entire Elemental Storm!
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen stared in disbelief.
Their trump card… just like that… was broken?!
108 frozen soul tool spheres fell from the sky, transforming into icy balls rolling across the arena.
This marked the moment that the trump card of the Mingdu Royal Soul Engineering Academy team had been dismantled.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen stared in disbelief at the scene before them.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible..." Xiao Hongchen muttered.
Meng Hongchen's mouth hung open in shock.
Their teammates were trembling from the intense cold.
Huo Yuhao stood at the front of the Shrek Academy team, clad in a clean and tidy uniform. He wore no soul tools. Holding the Frost Jade Dragon Spear in one hand, he looked calmly at Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen from afar.
When their gazes met Huo Yuhao's gentle eyes, the siblings suddenly felt as if the arena wasn't so cold anymore. Huo Yuhao looked so... innocent.
Xiao Hongchen & Meng Hongchen: He probably didn't mean it... right?
But the next moment, both quickly snapped out of it.
They realized the danger of the situation.
Soul tools capable of threatening a Soul Douluo had actually been neutralized by Huo Yuhao. What kind of monster is he?
The Heavenly Dou Formation had been their ace in the hole, yet it was broken just like that. Was there even a chance they could still win against Huo Yuhao?
Huo Yuhao stepped to the front of the Shrek Academy team and said to the siblings,
"Don't worry, I didn't destroy your soul tools. If you're up for it, let's continue. I'll be careful with my strength."
Xiao Hongchen flushed with anger. "Who are you looking down on?! Meng, let's do this!"
Meng Hongchen knew what he meant. Her face turned serious, and she nodded vigorously.
The two quickly removed all their soul tools and held hands. Their soul power fused, and a beam of golden and icy-blue light shot into the sky, enveloping them completely.
A prelude to a martial soul fusion technique!
The audience erupted in excitement.
Huo Yuhao smiled slightly and turned to reach out a hand to Wei Na. "Wei Na!"
"Yuhao!" Wei Na smiled and ran toward him. She discarded all her soul tools without hesitation and took his hand. He pulled her into his embrace.
Their soul power surged, blending together seamlessly.
Another beam of light, ice-blue mixed with white, shot skyward, swallowing their figures.
Another martial soul fusion technique!
The entire audience leapt to their feet.
"A martial soul fusion technique! It's a martial soul fusion showdown!"
"This is insane! Totally worth the trip!"
"Ribbit—I could die happy after seeing this!"
The two beams of light condensed in the sky, changing in color before transforming into two distinct figures.
First, Xiao and Meng Hongchen's fusion completed. Their soul power merged into a metallic red—more precisely, a crimson-gold color.
Amid that glow appeared a massive five-meter tall toad, dazzling in its brilliance, like a mythical beast. Its pitch-black eyes looked like abysses, and within its wide mouth, a swirling crimson-gold vortex spun violently, threatening to erupt at any moment.
This was their Martial Soul Fusion Technique: Mortal Devotion!
Next was Huo Yuhao and Wei Na's fusion. Their form wasn't grand in size. Only Wei Na emerged from the golden light, looking more mature, sacred—like a living statue.
A golden snow lotus bloomed at her chest, radiating a peaceful aura. She was cloaked in golden light like a veil of silk.
Wei Na stood suspended in the air—without any flying equipment.
This was Huo Yuhao and Wei Na's pseudo martial soul fusion technique—Golden Lotus Manifestation!
Though "pseudo," it functioned just like the real thing. In essence, Huo Yuhao had merged with and empowered Wei Na from within her body. Most of the time he let her fight independently, but the effect was just as strong—if not stronger—than a true martial soul fusion.
Now, her Snow Lotus martial soul brimmed with life, and its ice attribute was elevated to an extreme level.
"Huo Yuhao! This is our Martial Soul Fusion Technique—Mortal Devotion! If you can defeat it, we'll admit defeat in this team battle!" Xiao Hongchen shouted from within the fusion form.
Huo Yuhao's voice echoed from Wei Na's body, "Brother Hongchen, I can feel it—your fusion is strong! It's a pity we didn't get to know each other better when you studied at Shrek Academy... but it's not too late now!"
"Come then! Let's see whether our Golden Lotus Manifestation or your Mortal Devotion is stronger!"
"W-Who wants to get to know you better?!" Xiao Hongchen stammered, suddenly flustered. "Also, stop calling me 'Brother Hongchen'! Who's your brother?! Focus! We're opponents now!"
It's hard to stay composed when a respected rival praises you again and again...
Meng Hongchen: ???
"Wait... shouldn't I be the one saying that?! Brother, we're in a match—focus! Huo Yuhao is not only a man, he's our opponent! Wake up!"
Fortunately, Xiao Hongchen didn't mess up. In fact, he seemed inspired by Huo Yuhao's words. The power of Mortal Devotion surged dramatically.
The massive toad opened its mouth. A spiraling crimson-gold beam surged out like a torrent, heading straight for Wei Na.
The mix of metallic gleam and icy chill somehow generated blistering heat. The force was devastating, twisting the space it passed through. The clash of opposites threw the entire arena into chaos.
The stage was now engulfed in crimson-gold light, as if it had turned into a sea of molten lava.
And in that moment, Wei Na moved.
Time seemed to slow. The attack crept toward her, but she remained unaffected. She spread her arms like a mother welcoming her child.
The golden snow lotus before her bloomed with radiant brilliance.
Golden light spread outward and met the crimson torrent.
There was no deafening explosion. The attack from Mortal Devotion seemed... soothed. It was quietly neutralized, without causing a ripple.
In the end, golden light covered the entire arena, completely swallowing the crimson glow. It looked as though a magnificent lotus bloomed upon the battlefield.
The martial soul fusion technique Mortal Devotion dissolved inside the lotus' glow. Xiao and Meng Hongchen reappeared, falling to the stage.
"Such... warmth." Meng Hongchen whispered, basking in the lotus' light. Her exhaustion melted away. She closed her eyes with a smile.
She wasn't the only one.
The blooming golden lotus wasn't an attack—it was a healing ability. It soothed and neutralized conflict, invoking the life-nourishing properties of the Snow Lotus martial soul.
This technique was called—Life Bloom!
Xiao Hongchen stared blankly at Wei Na in the sky. "We... lost."
Then, letting go of all resistance, he slowly closed his eyes, peacefully enjoying the calming aura of Life Bloom.
As the golden snow lotus faded and the Life Bloom effect ended, everyone on the stage still felt a sense of lingering reluctance.
Even the two Title Douluos, Shadow Douluo and Celadon Douluo, were affected by the skill. Their exhaustion from presiding over the Soul Master Tournament was swept away. They had to admit — this was the best life-type soul skill they had ever experienced.
Veena released the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, clearly exhausted, and was gently caught by Huo Yuhao as they floated back down to the arena. Then, Huo Yuhao turned toward Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen with a smile.
Xiao Hongchen, meeting Huo Yuhao's gaze, sighed helplessly and said, "We admit defeat for this round."
"Thank you for the match," Huo Yuhao replied with a smile.
Thus, Shrek Academy won the first round.
But the Mingdu Royal Soul Engineering Academy team did not give up on the following matches. They immediately began preparing for the 2v2v3 round.
Though their team had consumed a lot of energy in the group battle, no one had been injured. Under the effect of Life Bloom, even Xiao and Meng Hongchen, who had expended the most soul power, had recovered significantly.
After stepping off the stage, they took advantage of the break to use soul power replenishment tools (milk bottles), quickly recovering up to 70% of their soul power — enough to fight again.
Finally—
"Break time is over. Round two: 2v2v3 match. Will both sides please send up your contestants!" Shadow Douluo called from the stage.
To everyone's surprise, Xiao Hongchen took the lead, bringing a teammate up with him. He shouted toward the Shrek prep area, "Huo Yuhao! Come fight me!"
Unlike the advancement rounds, in the finals, the 2v2v3 round didn't require pre-submitted lineups — players were selected on the spot.
This rule was meant to prevent strong players from being "traded" away by weaker opponents and to ensure a more exciting and competitive match.
The teammate who came with Xiao was not Meng Hongchen.
The siblings split up to ensure one Soul Sage-level fighter in each of the remaining two rounds.
Xiao Hongchen intended to draw Huo Yuhao into battle and trusted Meng and their teammates to win the other round.
After losing the team battle and unable to guarantee any victory in 1v1, they had to take a tactical approach in the 2v2v3 match.
As the representative team of the Sun Moon Empire, they refused to be completely defeated by Shrek. They aimed to at least take this match.
Naturally, Huo Yuhao saw through their plan at a glance, but he didn't care. He was ready to accept Xiao Hongchen's challenge.
Xiao was full of fortune (in terms of destiny points), and fighting him multiple times would help Huo Yuhao "milk him dry."
But just then, Xu Sanshi raised his hand, blocking Huo Yuhao. He stared at Xiao Hongchen on the stage and said gravely, "Yuhao, leave this one to me."
"Hm?" Huo Yuhao looked at him, puzzled.
The others were equally confused.
Jiang Nannan furrowed her brows and said coldly, "Xu Sanshi, follow your captain's orders!"
But Xu Sanshi shook his head firmly. He looked into Huo Yuhao's eyes and said seriously, "I want to atone for my past mistake. Yuhao — no, Captain — let me go. I will win this match!"
"Senior Sanshi, are you thinking clearly? Challenging Xiao Hongchen could be risky," Wang Dong spoke up, clearly worried.
He nearly blurted out that Xu Sanshi wasn't strong enough.
Why would a Soul Emperor want to face a Soul Sage?
"Yeah, I think Yuhao should fight Xiao Hongchen and win that round easily. Then you can lead us to win the next one, and we'll have the match secured," Xiao Xiao added, suggesting the safest route.
Veena, still recovering, continued to meditate silently.
Bai Shanshan, caring for Veena, heard the conversation but stayed quiet. She always followed orders — on or off the field.
Huo Yuhao saw the determination in Xu Sanshi's eyes and, in the end, decided to give him the chance. After all, both he and Xiao Hongchen carried significant destiny energy — a clash between them would benefit Huo Yuhao greatly.
"Senior Sanshi, I believe in you," Huo Yuhao said.
Those simple words brought a smile to Xu Sanshi's face. Tears welled up in his eyes.
The others were stunned. They hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to indulge this "madness." They all started voicing objections.
"Yuhao!"
"Captain!"
"This isn't right!"
But Huo Yuhao faced them solemnly and said, "Enough. We're the Shrek Seven Devils. We are a team. If we can't even trust each other, how can we make it to the end?"
These words struck deeply. Everyone averted their gaze in shame.
Indeed. They were teammates — yet couldn't trust each other. How could they be worthy of the title Shrek Seven Devils?
A thousand years ago, the original Seven Devils became legends not just because of power, but because of their trust, their bond like that of siblings. That's how they defeated the evil gods, Rakshasa and Angel.
Or at least, that's how the Academy told it.
Inspired by Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong was the first to step up. "I trust Yuhao. I believe in Senior Xu Sanshi."
"I do too!" Xiao Xiao chimed in.
"I've always trusted the captain's judgment," Bai Shanshan said.
Finally, Jiang Nannan looked at Xu Sanshi, her expression complex. Then she nodded silently.
At that moment, the team's cohesion soared.
Tears welled in Xu Sanshi's eyes. He vowed to Huo Yuhao, "Captain, after this match — no, after this whole tournament — whatever you ask of me, I won't refuse! As long as I'm your subordinate, I'll follow every command!"
"Senior Sanshi, just call me like before. All this 'captain' talk is making me uncomfortable," Huo Yuhao scratched his head awkwardly.
"Alright, alright! Little Yuhao, you have my word!" Xu Sanshi said, deeply moved.
If his affection level for Huo Yuhao could be measured, it would now be second only to Jiang Nannan.
He turned toward Jiang Nannan and promised with heartfelt sincerity, "Nannan, just watch — I'll make up for my mistakes. I'll become a man worthy of you!"
Then, he stepped onto the stage.
Huo Yuhao called out, "Shanshan, please support Senior Sanshi in this match."
Bai Shanshan nodded and followed him.
A control-type soul master supporting a defense-type one — a reasonable pairing.
On the stage.
When Xiao Hongchen saw Xu Sanshi and Bai Shanshan appear, his face darkened — like someone stole his girlfriend.
He sneered, "Why you two? Where's Huo Yuhao?"
Xu Sanshi stepped forward and said mockingly, "Dealing with you doesn't require Little Yuhao. I'll beat you myself."
"Arrogant!" Xiao Hongchen roared. Seven soul rings rose as the aura of a Soul Sage burst forth.
Xu Sanshi activated his martial soul — though he only had six rings, his aura was nearly equal.
"Shrek Academy Vice-Captain, Xu Sanshi. Rank 65 Defense-type Battle Soul Master. Martial Soul: Xuanming Turtle. Please, show me your skills!"
"Mingdu Royal Soul Engineering Academy Captain, Xiao Hongchen. Rank 72, Tier 7 Soul Engineer. Martial Soul: Three-Legged Golden Toad. Let's fight!"
As for Bai Shanshan and Xiao's teammate — they were almost forgotten, not even given a chance to introduce themselves before the clash began.
"Metal Manipulation, Golden Toad Soul Cannon!"
With a low shout from Xiao Hongchen, numerous soul tool components emerged from his storage soul tool, swiftly assembling on his right arm into a large-caliber cannon adorned with a golden toad carving.
It resembled a metal transformation—visually striking and sci-fi-esque.
The open mouth of the golden toad cannon emanated a dangerous aura. Its eyes, sculpted from ruby, locked tightly onto Xu Sanshi.
After reviewing various soul tool blueprints provided by the Third Prince, Xiao Hongchen developed a new type of soul cannon—the Golden Toad Soul Cannon.
Its design was inspired by the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon.
He discarded the scatter-fire functionality and retained a single barrel. The soul cannon covered the entire arm, allowing soul power to be injected directly via the arm—greatly improving efficiency.
This enabled the Golden Toad Soul Cannon to launch high-powered attacks at a set frequency.
As the cannon aimed at Xu Sanshi, its barrel glowed with soul power—clearly charging, ready to fire at any moment.
But Xu Sanshi advanced instead of retreating, raising his Xuanming Shield, eyes resolute, charging straight at Xiao Hongchen.
Boom!
The cannon fired first, blasting toward Xu Sanshi.
With a sharp gaze, Xu Sanshi raised his shield. A phantom of the Black Tortoise appeared around him as he successfully blocked the attack.
Then, to everyone's shock, he pressed forward step by step under the continuous barrage—like a mountain: solid, heavy, and immovable.
A Soul Emperor resisting a Soul Sage's soul cannon and still advancing—what kind of monstrous physique and strength was this?
But Huo Yuhao understood the truth: Xu Sanshi's Black Tortoise bloodline was awakening!
In his destiny, the projection of his Xuanming Turtle martial soul was slowly transforming into a true Black Tortoise phantom, while golden light within him glowed brilliantly.
This was the strength that a divine beast bloodline martial soul should possess!
"But Xiao Hongchen's Three-Legged Golden Toad martial soul isn't a simple one either."
Above Xiao Hongchen's head, in his destiny's projection, lay a phantom of the Three-Legged Golden Toad, calm and stable. Within it glowed a golden light—the latent divine bloodline of his martial soul that hadn't yet been activated.
That's right—the Three-Legged Golden Toad martial soul was also one with a divine beast lineage.
Through the Third Prince, Huo Yuhao had examined Xiao Hongchen and confirmed this.
While it might not match the Black Tortoise, the Three-Legged Golden Toad was far from ordinary.
Due to the Sun Moon Empire's flawed soul master cultivation system—which focused heavily on soul engineers—many failed to detect and develop this hidden bloodline power.
Xiao Hongchen's martial soul was a mutated version of the Red Dust Family's toad martial soul, and even without divine lineage, it was exceptional.
The Three-Legged Golden Toad was a rare existence among both beast-type martial souls and soul beasts. Even in the Red Dust Family, only a few gifted individuals could awaken it.
Even Jing Hongchen only had a normal toad martial soul.
Besides its rarity, the Three-Legged Golden Toad possessed an extraordinary ability: metal manipulation.
It could control all types of metal, even absorbing energy from rare metals to aid cultivation. This trait also appeared in soul masters with the toad martial soul.
This metal manipulation was extremely useful for soul engineers. Xiao Hongchen's rapid rise to prominence as the Sun Moon Empire's top young genius was due in part to his martial soul.
In battle, this power could also give him a tactical edge—especially against soul tools, which were largely metal-based.
As long as it was metal, it couldn't escape the toad's control.
However, due to the demands of soul engineering and the Sun Moon Empire's environment, Xiao Hongchen mostly limited his control to his own weapons and nearby metals, rarely interfering with opponents' gear.
Huo Yuhao was particularly intrigued by the Red Dust Family's toad martial soul lineage, as even its base form was already high-quality.
It had mutated into both Xiao Hongchen's Three-Legged Golden Toad and Meng Hongchen's Scarlet-Eyed Dual Toad—one with a divine beast bloodline, and one dangerously powerful.
It was hard not to suspect that the toad martial soul harbored unique potential.
"I've already finished designing cultivation techniques for the Red Dust Family," Huo Yuhao mused. "After the Soul Master Tournament, it's time to start grooming them."
Once the Third Prince took the throne, Jing Hongchen's status would be fully restored—and so would his family's loyalty requirements.
The simplest way? Use "special" cultivation techniques to tie the Red Dust Family to his side.
Nobody noticed Huo Yuhao's thoughts. Like everyone else, he appeared to be attentively watching the match in the arena.
Just then, the situation changed again.
The Golden Toad Soul Cannon's fire ceased as it entered another charging phase.
Seeing that Xu Sanshi was still standing, Xiao Hongchen clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. "Next shot—I'll defeat you!"
A Soul Sage needing two hits to defeat a Soul Emperor? Embarrassing.
Xu Sanshi remained serious and silent.
Because just now, he had moved into attack range—while enduring the cannon blasts.
Now it was Xu Sanshi's turn!
His first four soul rings began to merge under a mysterious black energy—becoming a brand-new, pitch-black soul ring, pulsing as if activating a powerful soul skill.
Seeing this, Xiao Hongchen's pupils shrank in alarm. A flight soul tool emerged from his back as he instinctively tried to take to the sky and reinforced his defenses with metal.
But Xu Sanshi wouldn't let him escape.
"Black Tortoise—Roar!!" Xu Sanshi bellowed, as the Xuanming Shield on his arm enlarged. The turtle etched into the shield transformed—taking on the true form of the Black Tortoise!
Empowered by his bloodline, the shield had evolved into the Black Tortoise Shield.
The Black Tortoise image seemed to come alive—glaring at Xiao Hongchen and opening its mouth with a thunderous roar.
ROAR!!!
The sonic wave shattered Xiao Hongchen's metallic defenses. His consciousness blanked momentarily, and his body felt trapped in a viscous fluid. His flight tool still operated, but failed to lift him any higher.
"What was that?" Wang Dong exclaimed. "I've never seen Senior Sanshi use that before!"
"That's a special soul skill of the Xuanming Turtle martial soul," Huo Yuhao explained. "It can only be used by awakening the divine beast bloodline. It causes targets to lose focus temporarily and traps them in a quagmire. It also devours enemy attacks, greatly draining their soul power."
"I read about it in the inner court library," he added.
Indeed, there were records.
But Huo Yuhao knew more than the records—he had experienced it firsthand. When destroying the Xuanming Sect, two Title Douluo brothers had used this move on him.
Those two had fused six soul rings. Their Black Tortoise Roar was even more terrifying in both power and effect.
Huo Yuhao saw it clearly—Xu Sanshi had been charging the Black Tortoise Roar the entire time he was enduring the cannon's assault, quietly absorbing the energy from those blasts.
He had simply hidden it very well.