At this moment, a standoff had formed in the Soul Fighting Arena.
Xu Zihuang, Ning Tian, and He Caitou were on the south side of the arena, while on the north side, facing them from a distance, were Bei Bei, Xu San Shi, and Jiang Nan Nan.
Bei Bei stepped forward, stomping his right foot, causing a loud 'boom' sound. A resounding dragon's roar erupted from his body as his Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus Rex martial soul was unleashed, dispersing the last traces of dust around him.
Xu San Shi also moved forward, with intense black air swirling around his body.
Compared to Bei Bei and Xu San Shi, Jiang Nan Nan, who also released her martial soul, had a smaller transformation. Hidden behind the two, her ears seemed to elongate and stand upright, and her figure appeared more slender.
Her soul rings also followed, rising with the same optimal pairing of two yellow and two purple.
On the east side of the arena, there were Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong. They were teammates during the freshman assessment, and now, given the situation, they naturally joined forces to stay close.
A pair of blue butterfly wings unfolded behind Wang Dong, with the colors at the edges of the wings transitioning from dark blue to light blue.
The white runes on his Light Goddess Butterfly martial soul's wings resembled jewels inlaid on the wings, sparkling brilliantly.
What attracted the most attention was his unusual soul ring configuration—two purple rings and one yellow, with the second ring being a thousand-year soul ring, already beyond common expectations.
As for Xiao Xiao, her Three Life Soul Furnace martial soul made her appear rather humble. She only had a solitary yellow ring around her.
Xu Zihuang and Bei Bei were fine, but in the three-person team made up of other senior core disciples, the two in the front seemed to relax their vigilance toward Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.
They believed that with Xiao Xiao, a Great Soul Master, as a burden, even though Wang Dong had a stronger soul ring configuration, their combination would pose little threat to them.
Despite their team being temporarily assembled, their overall strength was certainly not weak.
Standing at the front, the person on the left had long orange-red hair, and his body had swelled nearly double in size. His martial soul was a lion, a top-tier beast martial soul. The person on the right held a spear, its tip exuding a sharp aura, like a snake's flicking tongue.
Their soul ring configuration was also two yellow and one purple. How could these core disciples of Shrek Academy's outer court be mediocre?
But even with this strength, it was clear that they were subtly following the lead of a blue-haired boy in purple robes behind them.
The Lion Soul Venerable and the Spear Soul Venerable were both third-year students, but the blue-haired boy, a fourth-year student, was a year below Bei Bei.
In terms of looks, he was nowhere near as good-looking as Xu Zihuang, but he was still handsome. His lips wore a faint smile, and his deep blue eyes shone with wisdom.
However, his gaze was fixed on Xu Zihuang, the only person not releasing a martial soul among the crowd.
Xu San Shi observed the standoff and, with a mischievous grin, said in a low voice.
"Could this kid, Luo Chen, be eyeing Tian Huang? The first control master of the outer court? Interesting, very interesting."
As Xu San Shi had mentioned, before Yu Tianhuang joined Shrek Academy, the title of the first control system soul master of the outer court had been held by Luo Chen.
Luo Chen was also the only genius who could be compared to Bei Bei and Xu San Shi at the time. While his foundation and strength might not match theirs, his powerful martial soul, and his unique ability to control, set him apart.
Bei Bei, now with his Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus Rex martial soul unleashed, no longer carried his previous refined aura. He seemed like a completely different person.
Both of his arms were covered in blue-purple scales, with his hands transformed into large, jointed dragon claws, also covered in blue-purple scales. Electric arcs swirled and gathered on his dragon arms.
It was a display of immense power.
As Bei Bei advanced to the Soul Master realm, the dragon transformation no longer affected just his right arm, but now both arms.
"The gap between Luo Chen and Tian Huang is still too large," Bei Bei said in a low voice. Under the influence of his Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus Rex martial soul, his voice lacked the usual warmth and carried a sharper edge.
Luo Chen's martial soul and talent were impressive, but compared to Yu Tianhuang, there was still a significant difference. Moreover, Luo Chen was only a three-ring Soul Venerable, while Yu Tianhuang was a four-ring Soul Master, not to mention Yu Tianhuang's terrifying soul ring configuration.
Even Bei Bei himself didn't think he could win in a one-on-one battle against Yu Tianhuang, unless he teamed up with Xu San Shi.
As the two were conversing, Xu Zihuang, who was staring directly at Luo Chen, made his move.
From his deep purple eyes, a brilliant golden light erupted, and intricate golden patterns began to form around his pupils. His eyes became divine, exuding an air of indifference, transcending the mundane.
Purple!
Purple!
Purple!
Black!
Four soul rings appeared beneath Xu Zihuang's feet in quick succession. The violent soul power and the oppressive aura from the soul rings instantly swept through the arena. Even though they were all at the Soul Master level, Xu Zihuang's sole martial soul release was enough to rival the three Soul Masters: Bei Bei, Xu San Shi, and Jiang Nan Nan.
Even Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, who had personally witnessed Xu Zihuang's strength during the advancement exam, felt a suffocating pressure at this moment. Especially Xiao Xiao, who had been left with a massive psychological shadow during the freshman exam by Xu Zihuang.
This time, without the soul guide shield from the previous exam, the pressure hit them directly. For Xiao Xiao, the deep-seated fear inside her was once again awakened.
Luo Chen and his two companions' faces also shifted drastically.
After a long pause, Luo Chen took a deep breath, pulling his gaze away from Xu Zihuang and turning to Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.
"Go all out. Let's eliminate them first. That way, at least one of us can secure a spot."
Luo Chen was calm and decisive, making the best judgment.
There was no need to mention Bei Bei, Xu San Shi, and Jiang Nan Nan's team, whose overall strength would certainly surpass theirs.
The combination of Yu Tianhuang, He Caitou, and Ning Tian couldn't be underestimated either.
Earlier, the core disciples who were forced out by He Caitou with a soul guide weapon were proof of this. With Yu Tianhuang's terrifying soul ring configuration and Ning Tian, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Tower soul master, their threat surpassed even Bei Bei's group.
In this core disciple selection, there were seven spots in total. Normally, Yu Tianhuang's team and Bei Bei's team would never face each other directly.
Such a strong collision would only allow them to profit from the chaos. Who would want to engage in such a thankless battle?
The most likely outcome was that Yu Tianhuang and Bei Bei's teams would join forces to eliminate them.
Rather than that, it would be better to strike first.
Luo Chen's judgment was not only accurate but also rational. No wonder he was once considered the first control-type soul master of the outer court.
Before his words even ended, the Lion Soul Venerable and Spear Soul Venerable in front of him acted simultaneously.
The Lion Soul Venerable let out a furious roar, his orange-red hair soaring like the mane of a lion, full of power.
His two yellow and one purple soul rings shimmered, and his powerful soul power surged forward.
The wild aura he exuded was very similar to Dai Huabin's White Tiger martial soul.
After all, both lions and tigers were kings of beasts.
The Lion Soul Venerable raised his massive claws and quickly lunged toward Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.
The Spear Soul Venerable followed closely behind, and they clearly had worked together before, moving in perfect sync.
At the same time, Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong prepared to respond.
Two yellow, century-old soul rings around Xiao Xiao suddenly merged into one, and the mournful sound of a flute rang out, activating a full-area deceleration effect on the Lion and Spear Soul Venerables.
"Dual Martial Souls?!" The two were shocked, staring in disbelief at Xiao Xiao's Nine Phoenix Ritual Flute.
After the deceleration from Xiao Xiao's Nine Phoenix Ritual Flute martial soul, Wang Dong had enough time to react.
With a proud expression, he passed over Xiao Xiao. The golden patterns on his Light Goddess Butterfly wings had already spread during Xiao Xiao's attack.
His first soul skill, Wing Guillotine, was unleashed with fierce force.
His arms and front wings aligned, and it seemed that Wang Dong intended to fight against two opponents alone.
With his deep soul power foundation from his dual martial souls and his extraordinary soul ring configuration, he wasn't afraid of the senior core disciples. In fact, he saw this as a chance to prove himself.
In mid-air, Wang Dong had the advantage of height. Though he appeared proud, looking down on his opponents, the tension in his eyes betrayed his true feelings.
Fighting two opponents, both with powerful martial souls and superior cultivation levels, put immense pressure on him. But he had no choice but to press on. If he backed down, Xiao Xiao would be left fully exposed.
Even though Xiao Xiao was a dual martial soul user, being faced by two strong assault system Soul Venerables would spell her elimination.
Wang Dong's plan was simple: to block their first wave of attacks and give him and Xiao Xiao some breathing room. Later, using his flight ability and Xiao Xiao's control powers, he would buy time to unleash his second and third thousand-year soul skills, which were even more powerful.
His Light Goddess Butterfly martial soul was more suited for ranged and area attacks, not close combat.
He intended to exploit his martial soul's strengths. He was proud, but not foolish.
Just as the three were about to clash, Luo Chen, standing behind the Lion and Spear Soul Venerables, made his move.
His eyes gleamed with silver light, and his two yellow and one purple soul rings pulsated in unison. His second soul ring suddenly flared brightly.
A silver flash appeared and silently landed on the Spear Soul Venerable.
In an instant, Wang Dong saw a blur, and the Spear Soul Venerable disappeared from sight.
The moment before he knew it, his right wing collided forcefully with the Lion Soul Venerable's claws. The wings and claws clashed, sending sparks flying and creating a series of metallic, clanging sounds.
Wang Dong's left hand, holding nothing, was knocked back nearly ten meters by the Lion Soul Venerable's sheer power.
His energy surged uncontrollably.
Noticing the tug of force, Wang Dong raised an eyebrow and instinctively turned his head.
He then realized that the Spear Soul Venerable, who had disappeared earlier, had crossed over several meters and appeared right in front of Xiao Xiao.
The Spear Soul Venerable, who had been targeting Wang Dong, immediately shifted to Xiao Xiao.
Without a doubt, Xiao Xiao was eliminated.
With no visible action from Elder Xuan, Xiao Xiao, still unaware, was silently drawn to him and suspended in mid-air, surrounded by a faint white light.
In stark contrast to Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong's confusion, Xu Zihuang, who had been silently watching, had sharp, gleaming eyes.
"Space Element Martial Soul?"
Shrek Academy truly lived up to its reputation as the continent's number one academy.
Elemental martial souls were generally regarded as advanced martial souls—wind, earth, fire, and ice being among the most common.
For example, the main control soul master of this year's Shrek Academy team, Ling Luocheng, had an ice-elemental martial soul.
But Luo Chen's space-elemental martial soul was much rarer and far harder to deal with. Space-type soul skills were most powerful for their instantaneous activation, leaving no room to dodge. They were locked on by mental power.
This was similar to Xu Zihuang's second soul skill, Mirror Break.
After Xiao Xiao's elimination by the Spear Soul Venerable, he quickly turned and, with the Lion Soul Venerable, started attacking Wang Dong, not giving him a single moment to breathe.
Wang Dong, still being pushed back nearly ten meters by the Lion Soul Venerable, found himself now within five meters of the Spear Soul Venerable.
In the blink of an eye, the Spear Soul Venerable aimed his spear straight at Wang Dong's chest.
Wang Dong's face flushed red from both the internal pressure and the humiliation, as in Luo Chen's control, he was utterly powerless, being toyed with effortlessly.
This was something Wang Dong, who had been planning to show off during the core disciple selection match, couldn't accept.
"Bastard!"
Wang Dong roared, decisively releasing his Light Goddess Butterfly's martial soul.
A dark light flashed in his right hand, and a small black hammer with mysterious patterns quietly appeared.
At the sight of this hammer, everyone, including Elder Xuan, felt a shock.
"Hao Tian Hammer?!"
"Another dual martial soul?!"
Before anyone could react, Wang Dong swung the Hao Tian Hammer with his right hand. The hammer collided with the Spear Soul Venerable's spear.
"Buzz——"
Although Wang Dong's second martial soul, the Hao Tian Hammer, didn't come with any attached soul ring skills, its weight had increased drastically with his soul power. It appeared unchanged, but its weight had reached an astonishing five hundred pounds.
As a top-tier assault-type weapon martial soul, the Hao Tian Hammer was naturally far superior to the spear.
The terrifying weight and immense recoil made the Spear Soul Venerable's hands go numb, and he staggered backward.
Wang Dong, finally able to vent his frustration, noticed something strange.
Suddenly, the space around him twisted, and an immense pressure squeezed inward.
At the same time, Luo Chen's handsome face in the distance beamed with a faint smile, and his third soul ring flickered.
Third soul skill, Space Lock.
Much like Cao Jinxuan's Time Lock, this type of rule-based soul skill wasn't easy to escape. Furthermore, it was a thousand-year soul ring skill.
As the Lion Soul Venerable and Spear Soul Venerable pressed on, no matter how frustrated Wang Dong felt, he was ultimately eliminated.
Saved by Elder Xuan, Wang Dong's chest heaved violently, as if his emotions were about to explode. He had never felt this bad even when he lost to Yu Tianhuang before. At least in that case, Yu Tianhuang had crushed him with sheer power.
But seeing the looks of shock from the others, that faint sense of superiority crept back into his heart, which helped ease his mood a little.
Elder Xuan smiled as he glanced at Wang Dong, then turned his attention back to the central arena. As he ate a chicken leg, he looked on.
He knew Wang Dong came from the Haotian Sect, and while the appearance of Wang Dong's second dual martial soul surprised him, he wasn't overly shocked.
The arena's situation had changed once again, with the three teams now standing in their respective corners.
Under everyone's watch, Luo Chen slowly took a few steps forward, his gaze meeting Xu Zihuang's, a longing mixed with some desire in his eyes.
"Junior Yu, I know I'm not your match. But I want to experience for myself the gap between us. Regardless of the result, I will withdraw from this core disciple selection after this."
His two companions were surprised, but didn't say anything.
After all, they knew they weren't a match for Yu Tianhuang or Bei Bei's teams. If Luo Chen withdrew, it would actually benefit them, as they only needed to fight for the final spot.
"Senior Luo, as you wish," Xu Zihuang said with a slight smile.
He could see the openness in Luo Chen's eyes. This was the heart of a true strong person.
Xu Zihuang's gaze sharpened, his eyes briefly flashing with purple-gold light.
The next moment, Luo Chen's face turned pale.
"Now I understand. Junior Yu, I am convinced," Luo Chen said, collecting himself and turning to leave the arena.
His martial soul relied entirely on mental power, but just now, his mental power had been thoroughly suppressed by Yu Tianhuang.
At this moment, he realized he had been completely defeated.
"Approaching the intangible mental power realm," Elder Xuan murmured to himself.
"This kid's talent is truly astonishing."
Aside from Luo Chen, only Elder Xuan, with his ninety-eight level soul power, could discern the underlying truth.
What had been expected to be an uneventful core disciple selection match suddenly took a dramatic turn.
Xu Zihuang slowly walked to the center of the arena, smiling warmly at Bei Bei and Xu San Shi standing on the opposite side.
"Brother Bei, Brother Xu, have you ever been defeated?"
His voice was calm, but everyone present couldn't help but be drawn in by the confidence it carried.
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