Once He Caitou fell under the joint assault of several students and was carried off by Elder Xuan, the rest quickly seized the opportunity to form their own groups.
Huo Yuhao took a quick look around. Since he needed to meet up with Ning Tian, his group was positioned a good distance away from Beibei's trio. His team now consisted of himself, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng — five people in total.
Meanwhile, Beibei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan — the three fifth-year Spirit Ancestors — had naturally banded together, while the remaining students from the second, third, and fourth years each formed small alliances of their own.
Yuhao didn't plan to join Beibei's group. As the strongest trio on the field, they were sure to draw the heaviest fire, and Yuhao had no intention of exposing his spiritual detection. It was better to stay on the sidelines and observe.
"Everyone, focus on taking down the fourth-year seniors first! We'll decide the winner after that!" a fourth-year Spirit Elder shouted.
The others agreed and immediately turned their attention toward the most conspicuous figures on the field — Beibei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan. The glow of their four spirit rings stood out sharply among the crowd of two- and three-ringed students.
Wang Dong looked at Yuhao, who motioned for her to stay back. The group began quietly retreating toward the edge of the arena.
Yuhao activated his second soul skill. His mental power spread outward, subtly influencing the perception of those around them. Under the effect of Spiritual Parasite, the others unconsciously ignored Yuhao's group entirely.
Because it wasn't aimed at a single target, the ability's potency wasn't as destructive as when he had used it on the mutated Giant Ape, but it was more than enough to mask their presence from the others' spiritual senses. Through mental suggestion, Yuhao convinced the rest to disregard their existence even during battle.
Beibei, seeing the surrounding groups forming a loose encirclement, cursed inwardly. But there was no time to complain; he and Xu Sanshi charged forward to meet the attacks head-on.
Three against eighteen — most of them Spirit Elders. Even as Spirit Ancestors, Beibei's trio had no guarantee of victory. But retreat wasn't an option now; no one wanted to be the first to surrender.
On the left, Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Xie Huanyue, and Huang Chutian led several others in a coordinated strike. On the right, six third-year Spirit Elders formed another assault team. Both sides had well-balanced compositions of attack, defense, and agility types.
Behind them stood Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, Zhou Sichen, and Cao Jinxuan — their job was to control and support from a distance.
Xu Sanshi's first and third rings lit up as he raised his Xuanming Turtle Shield and slammed it into the ground. A wave of dark shock energy rippled outward, forcing Zhu Lu and Huang Chutian back several meters while stalling the others' advance.
But eight opponents were simply too many. Two of them were defensive specialists, and the force of Xu Sanshi's shock was quickly dispersed. The group adjusted formation and counterattacked, overwhelming him despite his remarkable defense. He had no choice but to fight while retreating, buying time for Beibei and Jiang Nannan.
Meanwhile, Beibei and Jiang Nannan took the right flank. With lightning crackling across his half-dragon body, Beibei unleashed his third and fourth soul skills in sequence — Thunder's Wrath and Thunder Dragon's Head. A giant dragon head wreathed in blinding lightning roared forward, tearing through the battlefield.
Empowered by the amplification, Beibei's attack carried the force of a Soul King's strike. The opposing team had no choice but to defend, allowing Jiang Nannan to slip through their ranks and target the support team in the rear.
The four supporters quickly cast control-type soul skills to slow her down. The twin sisters, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo, embraced each other as their fused technique erupted — Heavenly Net unfolded once again.
At the edge of the battlefield, Yuhao observed everything carefully. Using his spiritual vision to analyze the situation, he guided Ning Tian's actions precisely.
"Now — use your second soul skill," he instructed calmly.
Following his guidance, Ning Tian targeted several key fighters caught in control effects, using her support ability to free them.
Wu Feng stood guard beside her, confused. She didn't understand why Yuhao wasn't fighting — or why nobody seemed to notice their presence at all.
But Ning Tian gradually realized what he was doing. Yuhao wasn't helping any one side win — he was balancing the battlefield, freeing whichever side seemed at a disadvantage to prolong the chaos.
Elder Xuan occasionally rescued heavily injured students from the field, but his cloudy eyes kept drifting toward Yuhao's team. He could tell that Yuhao's group wasn't being targeted at all.
A spiritual-type ability? Elder Xuan mused. But that alone can't be why Elder Mu values this boy so highly.
His expression turned pensive. A Body Martial Soul… those aren't exactly easy to nurture, Elder Mu. I hope you haven't misjudged him.
Back on the field, the battle had reached a fever pitch.
Xu Sanshi was nearly at his limit. Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu had unleashed their Martial Soul Fusion Skill — Nether White Tiger, and the enormous beast was pressing him back.
"I can't hold on much longer! Beibei, hurry it up!" he roared.
Behind them, Jiang Nannan had already defeated the four supporters, though she herself had suffered significant exhaustion from the sisters' fusion attack.
Beibei had eliminated two opponents but still faced several Spirit Elders. "Hahaha! Hold on, man! You can't just say you're done already!"
Xu Sanshi, battered and furious, shouted back, "Beibei, you bastard! You try it yourself if you're so capable!"
At that moment, Xu Sanshi's fourth ring lit up — Xuanming Swap.
In an instant, Beibei and Xu Sanshi exchanged positions. Beibei blinked, only to find a massive white tiger claw crashing toward his face. It was the Nether White Tiger's full-powered strike.
Beibei's body wasn't nearly as durable as Xu Sanshi's; the impact sent him sprawling. The nearby students didn't hesitate — after a brief pause, they followed up with multiple soul skill barrages, forcing Beibei to defend himself desperately with his dragonized arm while discharging arcs of lightning to repel them.
He knew Xu Sanshi hadn't done it on purpose. The pressure from Dai Huabin's fusion attack was simply too intense.
Moments later, the two swapped back again, and Beibei returned to his original position, grimacing.
Jiang Nannan rejoined the fight, cutting through the enemy ranks with blinding speed. With Beibei's help, the remaining four Spirit Elders were soon overwhelmed.
Yuhao exhaled softly. "Alright, it's our turn."
He released the wide-area Spiritual Parasite and condensed his mental energy into a single, precise Spiritual Shock. The invisible strike slammed into the Nether White Tiger, instantly breaking Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu out of their fusion.
As they collapsed, Dai Huabin's last thought was a curse. "Damn it… this feeling again… it's him."
Elder Xuan retrieved their unconscious bodies from the arena, shaking his head with amusement.
With the Nether White Tiger gone, Xu Sanshi's pressure eased dramatically. Only then did the rest realize that while they had been fighting to exhaustion, one team had remained completely unscathed.
Beibei spotted Yuhao and shouted, "Junior Brother! Go help Sanshi!"
Yuhao nodded. Beside him, Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong charged forward, while Wu Feng — overzealous and overconfident — dashed ahead even faster under Ning Tian's amplification.
Predictably, the hot-headed girl was immediately swatted aside and carried off by Elder Xuan moments later. Yuhao could only sigh silently.
Seeing her example, Xiao Xiao and Wang Dong kept their distance, using long-range support to cover Xu Sanshi instead. Yuhao provided precise mental interference, coordinating attacks and aiding Beibei and Jiang Nannan with bursts of spiritual guidance.
Soon, the last four Spirit Elders were defeated. The battle was over.
Beibei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan — though exhausted and covered in wounds — stood as the final victors.
Yuhao, watching quietly from the edge, shook his head in mild frustration. He had been trying to balance the fight so that Wu Feng could secure a spot in the reserve team, just to do Ning Tian a favor. But who could have guessed she'd rush in like that and get herself eliminated instantly?
(End of Chapter)