The sixth round of the preliminaries between Wuji Academy and Blazing Fire Academy soon began. Both teams had entered the arena and taken their positions.
Wuji Academy's lineup included four Soul Ancestors: Feng Xiaotian, Yang Tai, Niu Tian, and Oscar. Supporting them were Soul Elders: Huang Weiyuan, Li Mengqi, and Qiu Wuji.
Their formation was well-balanced:
2 Assault-type Soul Masters
2 Agility-type Soul Masters
1 Control-type
1 Defense-type
1 Support-type
"Hmph!" As expected, Feng Xiaotian was among Wuji Academy's fighters. Huo Wu let out a cold snort upon seeing him.
In contrast, Huo Wushuang, watching from the shadows, gave Feng Xiaotian a discreet thumbs-up.
"Match... begin!"
As the referee's voice rang out through the loudspeaker, both teams activated their Martial Souls.
Blazing Fire Academy consisted entirely of Battle-type Soul Masters, and their combat strategy had always leaned heavily into offense over defense.
"Feng Xiaotian, it's been a while since we fought. Let me see how much stronger you've gotten!"
Huo Wushuang's fists ignited with flames as he led the Blazing Fire Academy team in a charge toward Wuji Academy.
Wuji Academy, however, showed no signs of urgency. After all, their opponents would need at least ten seconds to reach them.
Oscar was the first to act.
"Third Soul Skill: Frenzied Greenwing Mushroom!"
Oscar instantly created twelve glowing green mushrooms. He consumed two himself and distributed the other ten to Yang Tai, Niu Tian, Huang Weiyuan, Li Mengqi, and Qiu Wuji — two each.
Oscar hadn't used this third soul skill in any of the previous five preliminary rounds. He hadn't even appeared in two of them. One match had been overtaken by Yun Yibai's efforts, and in the remaining two, he had only used his first and second skills.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Brilliant Pure Vitalfruit!"
Oscar quickly chanted the incantation for his fourth soul skill. In the next moment, seven radiant fruits appeared in his hands.
This soul skill — known as the Vitality-Boosting Enlightenment Fruit — provided full-attribute enhancements. It originated from a 6,000-year-old soul beast: the Spiritwood King of Sunset Forest, a beast with powerful regenerative and life-nourishing abilities.
That soul beast had bestowed Oscar with this rare support-type skill.
At Oscar's current rank (Level 44), he could produce nearly 20 of these fruits before exhausting his soul power. In contrast, he could create over 60 Frenzied Flying Mushrooms — a clear sign of how much his soul power had improved since becoming a Soul Ancestor. When he was still a Soul Elder, his limit had been fewer than 30 mushrooms.
As Oscar activated his soul skills, Feng Xiaotian unleashed his own:
Third Soul Skill: Demon Wolf Twin Wings!
Food-type soul skills had the advantage of rapid casting. After the team consumed the Vitalfruit, they charged into battle, including Oscar and Niu Tian.
Feng Xiaotian soared at the front of the formation.
Spectators were puzzled: why wasn't Wuji's defense-type soul master guarding the support-type? And why was Oscar charging forward recklessly?
Then it happened.
After Oscar and the others consumed the Frenzied Flying Mushrooms, an astonishing transformation took place:
Each of them grew pale green soul power wings from their backs.
The crowd erupted in disbelief as the six members of Wuji Academy took flight, their newly sprouted wings propelling them forward with breathtaking speed. Together, they closed in on Blazing Fire Academy, storming through the air in a dazzling, unified assault.
"This is bad..." Huo Wushuang's brow furrowed tightly.
He understood the value of aerial mobility in combat, especially in team battles. He had experienced firsthand the helplessness of facing an airborne Feng Xiaotian before. But now, the entire enemy team could fly. He knew all too well what that meant.
The Blazing Fire team stared up in stunned silence as their opponents dove from the skies. Before anyone could react, Wuji Academy was already upon them.
Huo Wushuang moved to intercept Feng Xiaotian, but Yang Tai, wielding his Soulbreaking Spear, blocked him and engaged him in a fierce clash.
Meanwhile, Feng Xiaotian targeted Huo Wu and Huo Chexiang directly.
Oscar, Niu Tian, Huang Weiyuan, Li Mengqi, and Qiu Wuji engaged Blazing Fire Academy's four Soul Elders.
The two academies had officially collided in head-to-head combat, but the crowd had already exploded in chaos.
"Wait... every single one of them can fly?! That's insane!"
"Idiot! Didn't you see them all eat those soul food items made by that support-type Soul Master?"
"No way! Their food-type Soul Master has a flying soul skill?!"
Soul Masters from powerful factions stared at Oscar as if he were a rare treasure — eyes filled with greed and covetous desire, like wolves eyeing a vulnerable girl. The lecherous looks were disgusting.
Most of the audience was in awe, but a small number recognized Oscar.
These were seasoned spectators from the Great Soul Arena — cunning veterans who had already bet on Wuji Academy to win. Their profits came from leveraging their information advantage.
In the VIP stands, Emperor Xue Ye narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Interesting... very interesting. Wuji Academy truly opened our eyes today."
"Wuji Academy has gathered quite a few exceptional Soul Masters. This is a blessing to the Empire — and Your Majesty," Ning Fengzhi added politely.
"Hahahaha!" Emperor Xue Ye's emotions were unpredictable, but this time he laughed heartily.
Though the royal intelligence network had noted that Oscar — this food-type Soul Ancestor — possessed a flying soul skill, seeing it with his own eyes was still shocking.
Flying soul skills were incredibly rare. And for a food-type Soul Master to grant multiple teammates the ability to fly? If deployed on the battlefield, this would be a strategic game-changer.
After laughing, Emperor Xue Ye turned to Ning Fengzhi.
"Fengzhi, do you think it's possible to recruit such a talented Soul Master into the royal court?"
"This... Your humble servant cannot say for certain."
In truth, Ning Fengzhi was thinking the same thing — he wanted to recruit Oscar as well.
After all, in the eyes of both the royal family and powerful clans, an advanced Soul Master Academy was just a stepping stone. Its students were expected to graduate and seek out better opportunities.
———
Back on the battlefield, Wuji Academy's aerial advantage had already taken hold.
"Looks like your strategy was spot-on. With Oscar's help, our side now controls the skies," Dugu Bo said with his arms crossed, clearly impressed.
"And thanks to your mentorship, Feng Xiaotian seems to be doing quite well against Huo Wu," someone added.
Everyone could see that in their duel, Huo Wu was more focused on venting her emotions than trying to win.
"Only the one who ties the knot can untie it. They should work this out on their own — we're better off staying out of it," said Dugu Yan, spreading her hands dismissively.