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The emerald-green healing soul skill of the Holy Spirit Douluo enveloped Tang Wulin's team, rapidly restoring their soul power, healing their injuries, and even replenishing their stamina.
Gu Yue's eyes burned with determination. She had already discussed their battle strategy against Bai Xu with Tang Wulin. As they observed Bai Xu, standing poised and brimming with fighting spirit, the group exchanged glances and nodded—everything would proceed according to plan!
Gu Yue, Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Xu Xiaoyan, and Xu Lizhi locked eyes in silent understanding before turning their gazes toward Bai Xu.
The Holy Spirit Douluo rose and declared, "Your injuries have been healed, and your soul power has been fully restored. Now, let the final battle commence."
One against five—would teamwork prevail, or would a lone powerhouse stand undefeated at the pinnacle of the first grade? The audience waited in anticipation.
Bai Xu remained calm from start to finish, his gaze indifferent as he settled into his stance. Words were unnecessary.
"Final match—begin!"
At Wu Zhangkong's command, Tang Wulin and his team swiftly arranged themselves in formation. Surprisingly, Xie Xie did not charge forward to attack. Instead, he positioned himself defensively near Xu Xiaoyan, Xu Lizhi, and Gu Yue. Right from the start, Xu Lizhi, as a food-type soul master, conjured two buns and handed them to Gu Yue.
Given this setup, it was clear that Gu Yue was preparing to unleash her strongest offensive barrage.
The surrounding elemental energy surged rapidly, converging before Gu Yue like a tidal wave. If this energy expanded beyond a certain threshold, it would spiral out of control and trigger a massive explosion.
Seeing that Tang Wulin also held back from attacking, Bai Xu understood—they were betting their first wave of offense on Gu Yue's explosive strike.
"Not so easy." Bai Xu shook his head. His Heavenly Eye martial soul activated, revealing his soul rings—purple, purple, purple, black. A ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring!
A mental assault struck instantly. The elemental tide Gu Yue had painstakingly gathered dispersed with a snap.
She clutched her forehead, wincing in pain.
"A mental attack?" Xie Xie gasped, not even sensing it. Xu Xiaoyan was equally stunned. In a battle of this level, they were struggling to keep up.
However, the moment Bai Xu revealed his soul power fluctuations, Tang Wulin moved. His right arm was clad in spirit alloy battle armor, his blood essence surging as a draconic roar erupted from him.
His unyielding fighting spirit manifested as golden scales flickered across his body. Crouching slightly, he shot forward like a cannonball, his explosive speed rivaling Xie Xie's.
A trace of solemnity flashed across Bai Xu's face. His right arm, too, was enveloped in golden light. Without its usual sharpness, the metal element transformed into an impenetrable shield—Bai Xu's interpretation of its defensive potential. He lunged forward like a projectile, meeting the Golden Dragon Claw with his fist.
BOOM!
A deafening collision erupted, flooding the battlefield with blinding golden light. The spectators could not discern the outcome.
When the smoke cleared, a massive crater marked the center of the arena. Both combatants had been forced back, but neither had been knocked out.
Tang Wulin's heart pounded. Back at Eastsea Academy, Bai Xu had been unable to withstand the Golden Dragon Claw. Now, he faced it fearlessly—even the claw's unique shattering effect had failed to injure him. Though the golden barrier around Bai Xu had been breached, it regenerated instantly.
Strong.
Unbelievably strong.
This was the first time Tang Wulin had encountered someone his age who could match him in raw power.
"Not bad. Your strength is impressive," Bai Xu remarked coolly.
At that moment, Xu Xiaoyan activated her soul skill. Her third soul ring glowed as the temperature on the stage plummeted, and a blizzard materialized out of nowhere.
If only it were night, she thought. Then I could freeze Bai Xu for at least a second—even that would give Wulin an opening.
But it was not night.
Beside her, Gu Yue gathered another elemental tide, this time composed of six elements. Though the mental assault had been painful, she endured it. They had only one shot—they had to give it their all.
"When I say 'hold onto me,' place your hands on my shoulders. I'll use spatial movement to evade Bai Xu's mental attacks!" Gu Yue instructed.
If they took even one hit, they'd likely collapse instantly.
"Got it!"
"I told you—it's useless." Bai Xu's voice was calm as another mental strike lashed out. But this time, Gu Yue's spatial displacement allowed them to evade, reappearing behind Tang Wulin.
"Captain, don't give him a chance to use mental attacks!" Xu Xiaoyan shouted, using her blizzard to hinder Bai Xu's movements.
Tang Wulin roared in response. A crimson-gold radiance burst forth from him, its overwhelming aura causing even some dragon-type soul masters in the audience to tremble.
Bai Xu, too, seemed to see a ferocious golden dragon glaring at him. Yet, such intimidation could not shake his focus.
"Illusionary Gaze." Bai Xu's eyes shifted in hue—not targeting Tang Wulin, but the others preparing their assault.
Gu Yue, as a silver dragon, instantly recognized it as a charm-type soul skill capable of invading the minds of those who met his gaze. She turned urgently to her teammates. "Don't look—"
SLASH!
Xie Xie stabbed Xu Lizhi in the side with his dagger.
Xu Lizhi staggered back, his face a mask of shock. "You—you…?!"
Two seconds later, Xie Xie snapped out of it. Horrified by his actions, he nearly collapsed.
"Lizhi! You bastard!" Ye Xinglan screamed from the sidelines.
BOOM!
Tang Wulin and Bai Xu clashed again, fists against claws. Shockwaves rippled outward from their collisions, their power defying their age.
Green soul energy enveloped Xu Lizhi. The food-type soul master, who hadn't even had the chance to showcase his Tang Sect secret techniques, was escorted off the stage.
"Xie Xie, don't dwell on it—focus on the fight!" Gu Yue was in the midst of her crucial buildup, while Xu Xiaoyan continued to unleash her icy blizzard to impede Bai Xu.
But as Xie Xie watched the battle unfold, he realized he couldn't intervene. His soul skills couldn't penetrate Bai Xu's golden barrier.
The blizzard wasn't just ice—it carried wind blades that slashed at Bai Xu, only to dissipate harmlessly against his defenses.
This was a high-level battle, and they were outmatched.
Their contributions were negligible.
But that was reality.
Once Bai Xu had perfected the Five Viscera Realm, his body had undergone a minor rebirth. Matching the Golden Dragon Claw was no longer a challenge. With the Five Elements techniques at his disposal, Bai Xu's versatility in skill, strength, speed, and spells far surpassed Tang Wulin and his team.
This was the flaw of the soul master system—if one couldn't leverage their martial soul's advantages, defeat was inevitable.
"Let's end this."
Bai Xu sighed softly. A faint crackle of electricity reached Tang Wulin's ears—but when he looked again, Bai Xu had vanished.
"Gu Yue!" Tang Wulin whirled around in alarm.
Bai Xu's speed was inhuman. Tiny arcs of lightning flickered around his nose and mouth, concealed within his body to avoid detection.
His speed and strength surged. In the span of a second, he appeared before the three. His hand eclipsed Gu Yue's vision as he said, "You won't finish that attack."
WHOOSH!
Gu Yue had no time to worry about her teammates. Activating spatial displacement again, she vanished, reappearing on the opposite side of the stage.
Bai Xu wasn't surprised. He glanced at Xu Xiaoyan, who promptly forfeited and jumped off the stage. Xie Xie, drenched in sweat and panting heavily, refused to yield despite the overwhelming pressure.
"Even if I end up bedridden, I'll create an opening for Wulin!"
His figure blurred as he executed the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. The Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger crossed before him, his eyes glowing red as his aura intensified. Spinning rapidly, he unleashed Twin Dragon Storm—his strongest attack.
Like a tornado, he surged toward Bai Xu, perfectly synchronized with Tang Wulin, who struck from behind. The Twin Dragon Storm and Golden Dragon Claw arrived simultaneously.
Bai Xu expanded his golden barrier into a shield. Xie Xie was willing to trade injuries for a chance at victory.
CRACK!
The golden shield shattered—after all, Bai Xu's mastery of this metal-element variation was still new. Unlike its offensive form, this was a versatile defensive application, akin to the Golden Light Curse, and he hadn't perfected it yet.
In the next instant, the metal element shifted. A razor-sharp intent erupted as countless golden swords materialized around Bai Xu, filling the air.
A white light enveloped Xie Xie, rescuing him from the battlefield. Tang Wulin, protected by his golden dragon scales, emerged with only minor cuts. The defensive prowess of the dragon scales was undeniable.
He retreated swiftly. On the other side of the stage, Gu Yue held an unstable sphere of elemental energy aloft. "Bai Xu, I've done it!"
This was Elemental Fission—a technique she shouldn't have mastered until much later. The unstable fusion of multiple elements triggered a catastrophic explosion, its power incalculable.
"That girl… the energy in that sphere could obliterate half the stage," the Holy Spirit Douluo murmured in awe. This year's batch of students was truly extraordinary.
She turned to Wu Zhangkong. "Reinforce the stage's barrier. We can't let the explosion harm the spectators."
"What about them?" Wu Zhangkong asked.
"I'll handle it."
"Understood."
On the stage, Bai Xu acknowledged, "An impressive soul skill. Its power is undeniable. But whether it can defeat me remains to be seen."
Golden energy surged from his body, coalescing into countless flying swords that filled the air behind him.
"Let's settle this!"
WHOOSH!
Gold clashed with elemental fury. The two forces collided at the center of the stage, erupting into a blinding radiance. The sheer intensity of the battle left the audience breathless.
Gu Yue, with her last reserves of soul power, teleported to Tang Wulin's side and pulled him away from the blast radius. "I'm spent. It's up to you now."
Tang Wulin, bearing the hopes of his team, activated Golden Dragon Shocks the Heavens, bracing against the shockwaves at the edge of the stage to avoid being blown off. Gu Yue, having spoken her piece, stepped down, enveloped in white light.
Hiss…
When the smoke cleared, Bai Xu stared at his right arm—his sleeve was gone, and his skin was laced with cuts. For the first time, his defenses had been breached.
His previously pristine appearance was gone. His robes were tattered, his aura slightly diminished.
"That was an impressive move. I won't forget you, Gu Yue," he joked.
The wounds on his arm lasted only moments before the wood element activated, healing them completely.
"The injuries… vanished!" Gu Yue gasped from below the stage.
"How…? Even that wasn't enough to hurt him?" Xu Xiaoyan felt a flicker of despair.
Outside, the commotion had drawn the attention of the outer academy's dean, Elder Cai. Descending gracefully, she nodded to the Holy Spirit Douluo before observing the two youngsters on stage with satisfaction.
"It seems this year's outer academy has produced some little monsters!"
Bai Xu's metal energy was nearly depleted. Had he not mastered the Five Elements, he might have lost. But before he could dwell on it, Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon Claw was upon him. Without his golden barrier, he had to rely on pure physical defense.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Flesh met claw. Though Tang Wulin couldn't match Bai Xu's raw strength, the Golden Dragon Claw's unique properties seeped into Bai Xu's body—his bloodied fists were proof.
"We can win!" Tang Wulin saw hope.
Since Bai Xu couldn't use his other elemental abilities, he smirked. "Then let's end this like men."
The two engaged in a brutal melee, pushing their limits. Fist against fist—this was the purest form of combat.
Tang Wulin was nearing his limit. He could no longer maintain the Golden Dragon Claw. Why… can he still heal?
"His body is already formidable. Does his metal attribute grant him regeneration too? But I… can't fall here. Before I lose consciousness, I have to make sure he goes down first!"
Through sheer willpower, Tang Wulin remained standing.
Gu Yue watched the figure on stage—dominant, unrivaled. Even the golden and silver dragons paled in comparison. Could a human truly be this powerful?
Surpassing dragons, surpassing soul beasts, unparalleled in body and technique.
If you do not cultivate, you see me as a frog in a well gazing at the moon.
If you cultivate, you see me as an ant beholding the heavens.
In the end, Tang Wulin collapsed. Bai Xu stood victorious.